The Sky Squad continued their training under a rigorous and comprehensive regimen. Warrior Jiro coached them from morning until afternoon, returning each evening to his private training room in Dompai.

He acted on specific guidance from Aji. Even the specialized instructions provided to Gayatri, Lao, and Aria came directly from Aji’s insights, knowing the team would be far more receptive to lessons delivered by Warrior Jiro than by himself. Thus, the ideal strategy to elevate their abilities involved teaching them to create energy summons, sustain their forms, and utilize them to absorb natural energy.

This concept far surpassed the summoning arts utilized by Advisor Silvi. While Advisor Silvi maintained summoned entities to physically engage and attack enemies, Jiro’s pupils were taught to use summons as conduits for energy absorption.

The absorbed force would be distributed into these energy summons, enabling them to strike with power that far exceeded their physical limits. Over the following week, each member continued their targeted conditioning.

The following week, however, they were scheduled to travel to the Golden Crane Academy to forge personalized weapons tailored specifically to their unique abilities. This expedition took place under the direct instruction of the God of War, Dasatama.

After a month of intensive training under Warrior Jiro, the Sky Squad departed for the Golden Crane Academy. All members of the Sky Squad made the journey, accompanied by Jiro and the Deputy Chief of Defense, Commander Gonan.

Mounting their horses, they set out without an armed escort. Their sole focus was reaching the academy to craft high-tier artifact weapons suited to their individual capabilities.

Their route took them across two mountain ranges before entering the city of Linggar Emas, the second most magnificent city on the continent after Prisma City. Upon their arrival, they were officially received by the municipal authorities. The Mayor of Linggar Emas operated under the ultimate authority of Dasatama, the supreme leader of the Orpris continent.

Dasatama served as the effective governor of the Orpris continent, while Adante governed Linggar Emas as its city leader. Mayor Adante personally welcomed them at his private residence, hosting them for a warm, familiar conversation.

Adante was roughly the same age as Warrior Jiro, having trained alongside him in their youth. They spent a moment reminiscing before Jiro got straight to the point, presenting an official letter from his brother, Dasatama.

Adante unsealed the missive while the Sky Squad members took their seats. Adante recognized several faces among the squad, as a few members hailed from the Orpris continent itself.

The document was official, stamped with Dasatama’s authentic seal. The letter instructed the Linggar Emas municipal government to oversee the Sky Squad in forging their equipment—be it magical weapons, powerful artifacts, or custom armaments tailored for each member. They were to be directed to the Golden Crane Academy, home to the most influential blacksmiths on the entire continent.

Adante harbored no personal objections to the request. On one hand, the Sky Squad’s enhancement plan was moving at a remarkably swift pace. Only days after their official induction, they were already slated to receive custom high-grade weaponry. Furthermore, Adante had recently learned that Warrior Jiro had been brought in specifically to oversee their training.

It was clear the Martial Arts Association was taking no chances, thoroughly preparing the Sky Squad to act as the vanguard—specifically to uncover the secrets of the Demon Lord and eradicate the Mondu.

The true dilemma for Adante lay in the absolute influence wielded by the Golden Crane Academy. As every resident along Linggar Emas knew, the academy controlled virtually all the wealth in the city. In fact, the academy’s power cast a long shadow over Adante’s own administration—a shadow far broader than his official authority.

The prosperity of Linggar Emas relied heavily on the financial backing the academy funneled into the municipal government. Yet, because this was a direct mandate from Dasatama, Adante had no choice but to carry out the order. He could not afford to tarnish his reputation or fail to execute a directive from Dasatama.

"Tomorrow, I will personally escort you all to the Golden Crane Academy and make a formal request for them to forge whichever weapons you desire."

Nothing about his offer raised suspicion among the squad; to them, it simply demonstrated that the Linggar Emas government held them in high regard. Escorting them personally to relay Dasatama’s direct command regarding their weaponry seemed like a gesture of pure goodwill.

Aji, however, observed things differently. He noticed a subtle hesitation in Adante when accepting the order to deal with the continent's premier blacksmiths at the Golden Crane Academy. Something felt amiss, aligning perfectly with his prior analysis.

Why wait until tomorrow? Why not immediately send an envoy to summon the senior leadership of the Golden Crane Academy directly to the Mayor’s residence? The reason was simple: the municipal leaders of Linggar Emas lacked the leverage to command the Golden Crane Academy. Behind the scenes, the academy had become the true rulers of Linggar Emas. Aji understood this reality clearly, seeing right through the conflict written on Adante's face. Drawing on his extensive experience, Aji recognized this as the ideal moment to uncover the Golden Crane Academy’s ties to the Demon Lord.

Everyone agreed to head to the Golden Crane Academy the next day. The squad was invited to rest at quarters provided by the Linggar Emas government. As late afternoon approached, they were escorted to their accommodations within the city.

Realizing it was time to investigate further, Aji quietly signaled through his ring. While the others settled in to rest, he slipped out into the city, pulling a hat low over his face to obscure his identity. His signal went out to Aaman, who had already established a position at the defense intelligence office in Linggar Emas.

They arranged to meet at an eatery situated near Adante’s residence.

"Is it time for us to make our move, Aji?" Aaman asked casually, eating his meal with an air of nonchalance as he spoke.

Aji ate calmly before replying, "Indeed. You need to investigate Adante’s inner circle. They will certainly dispatch an envoy to the Golden Crane Academy to request their compliance with Dasatama’s order. Adante is not the type of leader to openly provoke the academy."

Aaman immediately grasped Aji’s point. It was widely rumored that Adante’s administration received substantial financial kickbacks and heavy security backing from the Golden Crane Academy—on the strict condition that the government never interfered with their arms trade.

Adante reaped significant benefits from this arrangement, enjoying immense personal wealth and robust security against crime throughout Linggar Emas. Students from the Golden Crane Academy were known to regularly assist in patrolling and maintaining order across the city.

"Verify whether those rumors are true. If they are, it will be much easier to unmask this case and expose the corruption within the Golden Crane Academy."

Aji spoke with absolute conviction, as if he already knew the Golden Crane Academy was allied with the Mondu. If this connection could be proven, it would send shockwaves throughout the continent's martial arts world once again.

Furthermore, it would severely undermine the trust of the martial artists themselves. The greatest threat to any martial alliance was treason from within, carrying devastating consequences.

With their plan set, the two parted ways. Aji returned to his duties, their farewell looking no different from two old friends casually parting after a chance meal.

Unbeknownst to them, from the far corner of the eatery, Barsha had witnessed the entire exchange. He had harbored suspicions about Aji for a long time, and now he was certain that Aji and Aaman were plotting something major. To his eyes, their behavior was undeniably strange.