In the skies above Bright Capital City, in the Sun Moon Empire.
Dozens of Single-Person Soul Tool Aircraft flew in two orderly columns.
They emerged from the clouds and slowly descended toward the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy.
Xian Lin'er flew at the head of the formation, with Elder Feng accompanying her slightly behind and to one side.
Thirty disciples followed closely in two columns, while four instructors guarded the formation's flanks.
The aircraft landed one after another in the square before the academy's main gates.
Jing Hongchen was already waiting at the entrance with two Ninth-level Soul Engineers.
"Dean Xian, thank you for making the long journey." Jing Hongchen cupped his hands in greeting.
Xian Lin'er returned the gesture. "Sorry for the trouble of waiting here for us, Hall Master Jing."
"You're too kind, Dean Xian. You've all come a long way. Let's go inside to talk."
Jing Hongchen led the way.
After giving them a brief tour of the Sun Moon Empire Imperial Soul Engineer Academy, he took them to their destination for this visit: the Illustrious Virtue Hall.
Unlike the other major powers, the main body of the Illustrious Virtue Hall lay deep underground.
The group passed through three soul-tool restrictions. As the heavy alloy doors slowly swung inward, a vast underground space unfolded before their eyes.
Standing at the entrance, Xian Lin'er paused briefly.
Five thousand soul-tool workbenches stood in orderly rows, stretching beyond the eye's reach.
Each bench held precision-crafted, unfinished Soul Tools, with rare metal stock and complete sets of crafting tools piled beside it.
Soul-tool conduits crisscrossed between the workbenches, faint blue light flowing slowly within them.
In the distance, countless individual laboratories were partitioned off by soul-tool barriers, each radiating the energy fluctuations unique to high-level Soul Tools.
Behind Xian Lin'er,