This night was so bizarre and romantic. Liu Sen y on the rocks, with the roaring waves of the sea by his ears. At his feet on the shore, a mermaid was sleeping, her sleeping posture so peculiar; her lower half seemed to be anchored in the water while her upper body floated on the surface, and a wreath made of branches still adorned her head.

  He found it hard to fall asleep, the power within him exhirating him. He did not know the extent of his abilities, nor whether he could confront the two swordsmen, but after all, he had acquired something of his very own for the first time: personal power! With this beginning, greater progress would follow. No matter what tomorrow would bring, he had the courage to face it. Even if he encountered those two men again, they might not necessarily have the upper hand. At least, they would never expect him to possess magic, nor would they imagine his physical condition had completely changed. If he could strike unexpectedly, he might catch them off guard.

  Eventually, he fell into a peaceful sleep, unaware that after he had dozed off, the mermaid in the sea suddenly opened her eyes, her beautiful rge eyes devoid of any hint of sleepiness. Using her tail as a pivot, she silently climbed onto the rocks, quietly watching him with an infatuated gaze.

  The sea breeze blew a strand of hair onto his face. The mermaid gently reached out as if to brush it away but seemed too hesitant to actually do so. Finally, she very gently moved the hair aside, warmth filling her eyes as she did.

  By dawn, as his eyelids fluttered slightly, the mermaid slipped back into the sea with the waves. Liu Sen stretched comfortably and sat up on the rock, shouting towards the sea, "Little beauty, time to wake up!"

  The mermaid's eyes opened, slightly surprised.

  Liu Sen smiled at her, "I don't know your name, so I'll call you 'little beauty'. Sounds good, right?"

  The mermaid wasn't sure whether to nod or shake her head but eventually waved her hand, and a red fruit flew over to him. It was the same one he had shared with her the day before, which she hadn't eaten but now gave back to him.

  "I can leave now!" After eating the fruit, Liu Sen said, "And I'll need your help again."

  The mermaid's eyebrows furrowed slightly, a questioning look in her eyes.

  "I know you're worried those two men might be waiting on the shore, but I'm not afraid of them anymore!"

  Finally, the mermaid nodded slowly. Liu Sen dived into the sea, and the mermaid extended a hand to accurately grasp his, creating waves behind her. Liu Sen felt as if he was shooting forward like an arrow. About half an hour ter, the coastline appeared, with a white sandy beach and a green jungle behind it, so quiet in the early morning. The mermaid's speed slowed down, perhaps wary of any trouble on shore. Liu Sen also carefully scanned the shore. The birds in the jungle, being highly sensitive, indicated that there shouldn't be any problems.

  Approaching the shore, Liu Sen tightened his grip slightly: "Stop!"

  The mermaid stopped and looked at him sideways.

  "I'll have to leave once we reach the shore," Liu Sen said. "There's something I want to tell you: I will remember you!"

  The mermaid's lips moved slightly, without making any sound, but her eyes conveyed a complex light. With that look, she no longer seemed like a mere sea creature but a living human being.

  "You are so beautiful. Why aren't you human?" Liu Sen sighed lightly. "Let's go."

  Once ashore, Liu Sen waved gently to her, "Goodbye, little beauty!" and turned to enter the jungle.

  The mermaid remained on the beach for a long time. Suddenly, a gentle voice sounded in the sea breeze, "Go back, Eurydice!"

  The mermaid turned sharply, "Mother!" Her voice was crisp and pleasant.

  A beautiful woman's face emerged from the water, "Eurydice, my daughter, men of the world are the least reliable and most dangerous creatures. Don't get too close to him."

  Eurydice bowed her head, "Daughter obeys mother's teachings. I haven't spoken to him, not a single word!"

  "You did the right thing," her mother said. "But I know what you're thinking. Don't think about it anymore. He saved you once, and you've saved him in return. That's enough. From now on, you and he belong to two different worlds!"

  A whirlpool appeared in the sea, and the two mermaids disappeared from sight. If Liu Sen could hear their conversation, he would be amazed, first because she could speak, and second because her mother mentioned, "people of two different worlds"! Were they human?

  Unfortunately, Liu Sen had already gone far.

  He walked into the jungle, treading lightly yet still startling numerous birds. Now, there were only two things to do: find a pce to eat something since fruits weren't enough to fill the stomach, and find directions to head straight to the Magic and Martial Arts Academy. Money wasn't an issue; finding his father's friend would solve everything.

  He had found magic, but having found it, he felt an even greater mystery and need to pursue the secrets of magic to further enhance himself. Such is the way of the world; the most interesting things are not those one is completely ignorant of, but those one has a partial understanding of.

  After walking a considerable distance, the trees began to thin, signaling the end of the jungle near the coast. Suddenly, a dark figure appeared ahead—Naka! Liu Sen's heart sank, and he quickly turned around, as expected, another figure, Grus, emerged from the jungle.

  "Master!" Grus excimed, "Congratutions on your narrow escape from death!"

  Naka added, "Too bad you're about to die again!"

  Liu Sen stopped, "Do you really have to kill me?"

  Grus drew his sword, its bde gleaming coldly in the morning sunlight as he sighed lightly, "You once did something that made me reconsider my opinion of you. If it weren't for your subsequent expnations, we wouldn't be here to kill you today."

  "May I ask what that was?"

  "When you treated the mermaid!" Grus said. "Unfortunately... it was all a ruse!"

  Liu Sen gave a bitter smile. After treating the mermaid, to avoid falling into a trap of naive assumptions, he had gone to great lengths to deceive his grandfather. But now, because of a reputation for cunning and malice, he faced danger. Life is truly unpredictable. Could he persuade them to change their minds? There was no need; they would never believe him, and he wanted to try something different. Try to speak in a different manner.

  Naka interjected, "No need for further discussion. Kill him, and we'll move on."

  "Fine!" With that, Grus attacked. Liu Sen quickly retreated, his speed surprising, almost colliding with the swords. Then, as they both turned, their bdes aimed at Liu Sen's back, seemingly poised to pierce through him, Liu Sen suddenly surged forward, disappearing behind a tree. Naka roared and charged into the forest, but as he rounded the tree, a hand struck out, targeting his throat with a gust of wind.

  Despite Naka's quick reaction, a massive force hit him, sending him flying far out of the forest, across a wide path, and crashing into a tree on the opposite side. A trail of blood marked his path, the result of his grievous injuries.

  Liu Sen was stunned. A single punch had taken down a first-level swordsman? The force of his punch had propelled a man of over a hundred pounds nearly thirty feet?

  Grus was also stunned. Naka had charged into the forest and been swiftly ejected. Who was responsible? He didn't know, but he realized Liu Sen had help. A mere magician, without any magic? How was this possible?

  As someone emerged from the forest, it was Liu Sen himself, smiling broadly and quite pleased, "Grus, do you still think you can kill me?"

  "Who's in the forest? Who is it?" Grus raised his sword, not focusing on Liu Sen but warily eyeing the forest. Given the force of that strike, this person was definitely a formidable opponent.

  "Someone in the forest?" Liu Sen scoffed. "No need to look. Naka was struck by me."

  "Grus..." Naka coughed up blood, "This kid's abilities are... bizarre...!"

  Grus was momentarily shocked. How could this be possible? Despite his surprise, he was not afraid and sneered, "Alright, let's see you try that on me!" As he lunged forward, his sword gleamed beautifully but menacingly as it aimed for Liu Sen.

  "Watch out for his fist..." Naka warned.

  Indeed, Liu Sen's left fist was clenched, but as Grus's sword aimed for it, Liu Sen's right hand swiftly extended, slicing through the air. Grus felt a sharp pain on the back of his hand, his sword cttering to the ground. Suddenly, Liu Sen was behind him, smiling easily, "Just a fist? You forgot I'm a wind mage."

  Grus stared at the wound on his arm, stunned. A wind mage? Yes, he once was, but hadn't he lost his magic? How could he still perform magic? And without chanting a spell.

  The wind bde hadn't penetrated deeply, and his power wasn't high. He was injured because he had underestimated his opponent. Grus roared and charged, believing that even with an injured hand, a swordsman was far superior to a magician in close combat. He seemed to succeed, reaching Liu Sen, but Liu Sen simply smiled, "You forgot... my fist again."

  As he spoke, his fist moved, striking faster than the wind bde. Before he finished speaking, Grus was sent flying, crashing into a tree and nding next to Naka.

  Both men, faces bloodied, looked at each other in shock and fear. This cunning and deceitful youth was actually a master, striking without warning and breaking all conventions. Who could have expected this?