In front was an isnd, an isnd that had not been in sight just moments ago, but now, inexplicably, it was there. With a flick of her tail, generating a powerful thrust, the mermaid girl moved swiftly, with Liu Sen following closely behind. In no time, they had reached the isnd's edge.

  "Where is this?" Liu Sen climbed onto the rocks, looking around. It didn't seem like anyone lived here, as it was too small.

  No response came back, Liu Sen chuckled to himself in silence, "I forgot you can't speak!"

  Despite the waves, the mermaid girl always kept her upper body above water, her gaze calm, staring steadily at him.

  "Thank you for saving me!" Liu Sen said, "Hiding here is really great. Those two swordsmen will definitely think I've drowned!"

  The mermaid nodded gently.

  "Have you been following me all this time?" Liu Sen suddenly realized. Her timely appearance couldn't just be a coincidence. The sea was too vast for such random encounters to be likely. Her sudden appearance must mean she had been following him.

  After a moment of hesitation, the mermaid finally nodded.

  That nod filled Liu Sen with warmth. Following him was dangerous because she had to avoid the dragon turtles, and it had been several days since they st parted. Was she guarding the isnd the whole time?

  Just as he was about to thank her again, the mermaid suddenly ducked her head and slipped back into the sea.

  Liu Sen was shocked, "You're leaving?"

  The mermaid nodded gently.

  "You can't just leave me alone on this isnd, can you?"

  The mermaid smiled and gestured – a gesture he understood as meaning 'to eat'. She was going to prepare food for him! How thoughtful, knowing he had nothing with him.

  "Okay, I understand. Go and come back quickly!"

  The mermaid disappeared into the waves, and Liu Sen sat on the rocks, slightly dazed. When those two swords were at his neck, he almost had a certain answer: his brother had moved against him because those two were chosen by his brother for him.

  But their answer was beyond his expectation; they were not sent by his brother. In that situation, there was no need for them to lie. Could he have really misjudged his brother?

  No! Things couldn't be that simple!

  As he had said himself, there were thousands of magicians and swordsmen on the isnd, and these two were not the best among them. But why were they specifically chosen to accompany him? This was something Liu Sen himself had pointed out, initially just to confuse them and create a sense of crisis so he could strike elsewhere. But now, it also reminded himself!

  Could it be that his brother had known the details of these two all along, a deliberate arrangement? If so, then his brother was terrifyingly meticulous, leaving no trace whether he succeeded or failed, far more sophisticated than simply arranging for an assassin.

  If this was the case... just if, then his future journey might not be smooth. Assassins could attack him at any time. Having been overpowered once, he knew the taste of having his life in someone else's hands. Landing on the mainnd was completely different from being on the isnd. On the isnd, his status offered protection; he bullied others, and no one bullied him. But now, the tables had turned. It was an uncomfortable feeling.

  Strength! What he needed most was strength. Without strength, he might not even get the chance to enter the Magic and Martial Arts Academy. As soon as he nded, he would have to deal with those two. Who knows if they would be waiting for him onshore? Who knows how long their patience would st? If one of them was stubborn enough to wait for him indefinitely, what could he do?

  Enemies y ahead, possibly today or tomorrow. Only he could save himself. How could he quickly increase his strength?

  The power within his body swirled, bringing warmth wherever it went, but it retracted immediately upon reaching his shoulder. What was stopping this power from moving forward? Liu Sen stared hard at his arm, wishing he could chop it off to see what was inside and forcefully open the door...

  Door? A thought struck him. If this really was a door, it must be a broken one since it couldn't stop everything. At least blood could get through. Nerves seemed to be able to get through too.

  If he could integrate this power into his blood, wouldn't it be able to pass through? But how difficult would it be to integrate such an ethereal power into his blood? His focus completely concentrated on his right arm. As the heat reached his right arm and started to retract, Liu Sen forcefully kept it in pce. This decision brought intense pain to his right arm, like it was being torn apart, and rge beads of sweat formed on Liu Sen's forehead. However, he remained highly focused, determined to see if this power would tear his arm apart.

  The heat in his arm gathered more and more, like the water level in a reservoir slowly rising, putting the dam under severe test. The pain sted long enough, and Liu Sen gradually felt a sense of powerlessness. Suddenly, a wave surged from his heart to his arm, Liu Sen screamed out loud, lifting his arm high, his face filled with joy. The pain traveled up his arm, tearing apart all the blood vessels and meridians inside, but after the pain subsided, his arm was filled with strength.

  Was this power real? Liu Sen extended his right hand, grabbed a stone, and exerted force. The stone made a crisp sound and turned into powder, falling down. Was this real? Were the stones on this isnd particurly fragile? He extended his left hand, grabbed another stone, and no matter how much force he applied, the stone remained unchanged. But as soon as the stone was in his right hand, it turned into rubble again.

  This was a clear contrast! His right hand had acquired magical power!

  Now that his right hand was like this, what about his left hand? His feet? He continued to develop them. In just a few minutes, Liu Sen experienced three pains more intense than childbirth. At the peak of the st pain, his left leg stretched out sharply, and dust rose in front of him, with countless sand grains being blown into the waves. Liu Sen was stunned. Wind! This was wind! The sea breeze was coming from the opposite direction, but this wind was blowing from him towards the sea, emerging from his left leg!

  Could his left foot use wind magic? Now, the flow of heat in his body became less violent, like a torrent breaking through a dam reaching the water towns of Jiangnan. Liu Sen extended his right hand, and with a thought, a strong wind suddenly rose. This was indeed wind magic! But could this be used as a weapon? His grandfather's wind magic could kill small birds. Perhaps this kind of wind might blow away small birds, and with luck, it might hit something and die.

  How to turn it into a wind bde? Liu Sen experimented repeatedly. The wind shot from his right hand also gradually changed. Finally, a small wind bde shot out, making a slight sound, and a branch five yards away floated down, drifting towards the sea with the wind. In the sea, a head bobbed up with the waves, it was the mermaid girl!

  Her face showed a puzzled expression, staring bnkly at the rocks. Liu Sen, dancing with excitement, couldn't close his mouth. And that wasn't all, he suddenly jumped into the sea, stretched out his hand, and hugged the mermaid girl, bouncing with joy, his voice full of surprise echoing in her ears: "Do you know? I can do magic now!"

  His heart was filled with endless joy. He could perform magic, and it was an incredibly strange kind of magic that required no spells, just intention. Not only could his hands attack enemies, but his feet could too. And now, both his hands and feet were strong, and his movements became more agile. A ten-meter distance could be covered with a light step, and with such great progress, he had every reason to be happy. The mermaid was the most qualified to share his joy!

  After jumping for a long time, amidst the spshing sea water, he finally noticed her complexion. Her face was flushed, her hands resting on his chest as if she wanted to push him away, but seemed to ck the strength to do so.

  She could blush? Was she shy? Her face was covered in droplets, making her look fresh and radiant. Liu Sen's heart was slightly disturbed. A wave suddenly hit, and unprepared, his body was pushed towards the rocks. Liu Sen naturally reached back, performing a rge flip, and rose from the water, nding steadily on the rocks.

  The mermaid was in a flurry in the water, as ripples formed around her. Liu Sen ughed awkwardly, "I'm sorry, I got too excited!"

  The mermaid bowed her head slightly, then quickly lifted it again, extending her hand with two red fruits in it. The vibrant red color made Liu Sen widen his eyes, "Where did you find these?" There were red fruits in the water, fruits that actually grew in the water?

  The mermaid lifted her hand, throwing the red fruits to him. Liu Sen waited until the fruits were almost in front of him before quickly catching them, as swift as lightning. With a light toss, one of the fruits flew towards the mermaid, "One for each of us!" This catch and throw filled Liu Sen with immense pleasure. His limbs were incredibly agile, making even the sensation of throwing something feel comfortable. The newfound skill made everything feel novel, even the sensation of throwing things felt satisfying.

  The fruit was not small, sweet, and crunchy. Seeing him eat with such enjoyment, the mermaid's face also showed a blissful expression.

  "If only you could talk!" Liu Sen sat down on the rocks, "You have no idea how happy I am right now!"

  The mermaid nodded gently, indicating she understood.

  "I can finally do magic!" Liu Sen said, "Watch this, I'll show you!" With a flick of his finger, tender branches on a rge tree above were severed. Liu Sen leaped gracefully, reaching the shore, and with a sweep of his hand through the air, he gathered a bunch of tender branches, ughing like a child, "I'll make you a wreath!" This successful magic experiment was partly her credit. Without her, he might have died under the swordsman's bde, or even if he had taken the risk of jumping into the sea, it would have been a dead end. So, this joyful wreath was dedicated to her!

  After the wreath was made, Liu Sen jumped back into the sea, pcing the wreath on her head. The mermaid closed her eyes, letting him do as he pleased, while praise sounded in his ears: "Beautiful beyond words!"

  The mermaid blushed, and from the upper body alone, she was indeed stunningly beautiful.

  As the sun set, the waves unusually calm, the mermaid sang. This time, she didn't dance but y half-reclined on the water surface, the green wreath still on her head. In the water, she looked like a joyful bride.