The waves of the sea rose and fell before they could even rise completely from being blocked by the massive beast of the ship hovering in the middle of the sea.

The dark wooden planks shimmered with profound light. Standing still in the same spot, the ship swayed from the flow of the sea.

On the ship, 11 cultivators stood with a solemn look on their faces, looking in the direction of the massive continent in the front; more precisely, it was the barely visible barrier between them and the land.

High up above the ship, a flock of massive WindRave Seagles flew over the ship without paying any attention to the humans below.

Seagles were the great hunters of the sea and sometimes even the lands. WindRave Seagles had deep control over the wind element that they could use not only to increase their speeds but also to attack.

But the reason the Seagles did not attack the group was because of one of their flaws, or better to call it—the trait of their family lineage.

They do not actively attack someone or something unless it is dead or bleeding before them. They tend to ignore things around them and go on with their day unless they smell the scent of blood coming from them.

Wuhan glanced at the flock of Rank 5 birds flying over their heads with a Rank 6 bird leading them warily. It was clear that he recognized them.

"This barrier is not something I can alter from here. I would have to reach the core of the array to even have the chance to access it, let alone change its function." After some time of analysis.

The others grimaced hearing these words.

Will all of their efforts in reaching this place end up in vain?

Did they come here for nothing?

Do they have to turn around from here?

All kinds of thoughts flashed through their minds upon realizing their current situation.

"Do you know another way around this array?" Wuhan's frown suddenly eased as he turned to look at Sylvheriel with a sliver of hope in his eyes.

He did not even need to hear her say it when he saw the look on her face fall slowly.

"This barrier is impenetrable from what I know." There was a hint of hidden pride in her voice that made Noah roll his eyes, but unknown to his contempt, she continued, "If we can pass this, I may be of some help."

Noah stood silently as the wind tugged at his robes, eyes fixed on the shimmering wall of energy that stretched across the edge of the continent like a veil. The runes on the barrier still flickered with golden-blue light, humming softly with power. Around him, the others waited for someone to speak—someone to offer a solution.

Then, without warning, Noah turned toward the group.

"We're going in," he said calmly.

Wuhan blinked. "You just said it would alarm the cultists and reveal our real-time location to them… Then, how do we go in without being noticed?"

Noah's voice was steady. "Yes, it will raise an alarm. That much is true. But what if the alarm goes off… and no one knows where we are?"

Wuhan frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"

Noah raised his hand and pointed toward the barrier. "The array works by sensing spatial disturbances. It tracks who crossed, where they crossed, and then sends that information outward, and then it releases a hidden ruin to implant on the intruders without their knowledge and exposes their whereabouts."

But…"

He let his hand drop and took a step forward, his eyes glowing faintly with soul light. "If I interfere at the moment of crossing, I can distort the spatial signature. In simple words… we'll still trigger the barrier—but it won't be able to tell who we are or where exactly we entered from."

"As for the ruins, I will just make them disappear; no need to worry about them."

Sylvheriel looked surprised. She had never expected that their impenetrable barrier would be so easily cracked by Noah. Even though he could not completely solve the barrier, if he could do this simple thing, it would render the barrier half useless.

She did not doubt any words that came from his mouth and thought, 'As expected of Noah-sama, the man blessed by the grace of the world tree and the man touched by the great spirits.'

Wuhan still was not fully convinced if they should do it, as it would endanger his soldiers. "Will it work?"

"Only once," Noah said, his voice serious. "And only briefly. It's like tossing a stone into a lake but hiding the ripples as they form."

"It'll confuse the array. Instead of a clear alert saying 'Intruders at this location,' the system will just register a vague disturbance. At best, it'll think the barrier had a flicker or glitch. But it won't last. Eventually, it will correct itself, and someone might come to check."

"How long will we have?" Wuhan asked quietly.

"A day. Two at most," Noah replied. "After that, we should assume the cult—or anyone monitoring the barrier—will start searching nearby."

A tense silence fell over the group. The sea wind howled softly, and even the seagulls above seemed to pause mid-flight, wings spread wide against the sky.

"Then we move fast," Wuhan said at last, his tone firm. "We get in, stay hidden, find our lead, and finish what we came to do. We need a plan, and we will stick to it unless we come face-to-face with someone from the cult."

Everyone nodded as he spoke in a sharp tone.

"And if someone sees you… Kill them!"

Next, Noah and Wuhan moved to the side and discussed the path, the landing point, and the next steps in careful detail. Though no one else heard the exact plan, the weight in their expressions told the others everything they needed to know.

When they returned, Wuhan told everyone their roles and what they had to do. Noah waved his hand and conjured a makeshift map that he created using his soul sense and marked 'x' on a certain spot.

"Once it's all over, we will meet here."