After the people from Tianxing City left, Divine Wind Island returned to a semblance of peace, but everyone knew that this was only the calm before the storm.
Chen Ming wasted no time and immediately ordered the development of the spirit vein to be accelerated across the board. The preliminary preparations for mining, originally scheduled to take a month, were compressed into twenty days. Zhao Tie Zhu led the disciples in round-the-clock shifts, while Feng Wuying personally went underwater to oversee the formation setup. Everyone was racing against time.
Meanwhile, Divine Wind Island's defenses underwent a comprehensive upgrade. The Seven-Star Sea-Covering Array was reinforced and optimized, with thirty-six additional Middle-Grade Spirit Stones embedded in its core, increasing its defensive strength by nearly thirty percent. Two concealed underwater posts were added at the harbor entrance, each fitted with a Warning Formation that could sound the alarm the moment an enemy approached. Patrols on the island increased from four a day to eight, with especially tight security at night.
Chen Ming also made a point of sending people to Jade Wave Island and Black Wind Island to inform their leadership of Tianxing City's provocation, intending to sound out their attitudes.
Jade Wave Island responded swiftly. The day after receiving the news, its new island lord personally wrote a reply, his words earnest and sincere. He explicitly stated that Jade Wave Island would stand firmly beside Divine Wind Island. If Tianxing City dared to attack Divine Wind Island, Jade Wave Island would send troops to help in accordance with their alliance agreement.
The letter also said that he had strengthened security around Jade Wave Island to prevent Tianxing City from encircling Divine Wind Island from the south.
Black Wind Island's response was far more ambiguous. Zhou Kui's reply was carefully balanced. He first