Si Lu had been recovering in the cave for the past few days.
She'd quietly taken the recovery elixir granted by the system, and almost instantly, her body improved dramatically. Not only that—after the elixir, she followed up by drinking the purple-level potion and successfully advanced to become a purple-level powerhouse.
The moment she reached that level, an overwhelming energy surged through her. Her body felt unstoppable, like she could fight an entire army alone. She wanted to spar, to move, to burn off the excitement coursing through her veins.
Unfortunately, no one dared to train with her.
No one wanted to accidentally injure her, and even with her newfound strength, everyone was still overly cautious. Left with no partner to spar with, she had no choice but to give up.
Seeing her bouncing back to life, Cheng Mo and the others eventually relaxed. They no longer insisted on forcing her to rest, instead letting her do as she pleased.
And when they saw she had reached purple-level strength? Not one of them was surprised. Honestly, it was like they expected it.
Because when it came to their little female, anything—no matter how ridiculous or miraculous—always seemed natural.
As soon as she was well enough to move around, Si Lu grabbed whoever was closest and dragged them to the beach to forage for seafood.
Bai Di and Hei Yao came along, of course. So did the bear beastman Tata. There was no way they'd let Si Lu wander around the beach on her own. And two females going out alone? Out of the question. At least one or two beastmen always had to tag along.
"Tata, did you hear that?" Si Lu stopped suddenly, squinting toward the water. "I think... I hear someone singing."
"It's such a beautiful voice," she continued, her eyes lighting up. "I don't even know what language they're singing in, but it's comforting. There's this... longing in it."
She looked around curiously. "Who could it be? I want to meet them. That voice is incredible. I've never heard anything like it."
Tata stared at her, confused. "Singing? I don't hear anything."
"I don't hear anything either," said Xiong Da. "Just the waves."
Si Lu frowned. "That's impossible. The song is loud, clear, and beautiful. There's definitely someone singing—and it's not in my head. The melody is gentle, dreamy... maybe I'm overthinking it, but it feels real."
She turned to her partners. "A Yao? A Di? Did you hear it?"
Maybe Tata couldn't hear it because she wasn't a cultivator. But Bai Di and Hei Yao were powerful—surely they could sense it?
After all, Bai Di was also a purple-level cultivator, and Hei Yao had already advanced to silver-level—the highest tier allowed on this continent.
Bai Di frowned apologetically. "Lulu, I didn't hear anything either."
Hei Yao also shook his head silently, his face suddenly serious.
He didn't hear anything—but something about this situation made him uneasy. Si Lu's hearing wasn't sharper than theirs. If anything, it was worse. So why was she the only one who could hear the singing?
That alone meant something wasn't right.
"Maybe I imagined it..." Si Lu muttered.
But she didn't believe that, not really. The song was still echoing clearly in her ears. It hadn't stopped.
Just as she was trying to make sense of it, the people around her began to collapse.
One by one, they fainted.
"Tata!" Si Lu caught her as she fell—only to realize she wasn't just stumbling, she had completely lost consciousness. Her breathing was calm, like she'd simply fallen into a deep sleep.
"Baidi? Hei Yao?" She rushed to their sides.
Same thing. They were down—out cold.
Only Hei Yao's fingers twitched slightly, as if resisting the effect... but he still went limp.
Even Xiong Da dropped onto the sand without a sound.
"What the hell is happening?!" Si Lu panicked, eyes wide as she stood amid the unconscious bodies.
No matter how inexperienced she might be, she wasn't stupid—someone had done this. Someone was nearby.
She looked around wildly, heart racing. But there was no one in sight. Nothing but the gentle crashing of waves against the rocks. Even the mysterious song had stopped.
She clenched her fists. It has to be the one singing. They did this. But why? I haven't done anything to provoke them!
Staring at the people lying motionless in the sand, Si Lu's heart pounded in her chest.
"Hey! Whoever you are, what do you want?!" she yelled toward the ocean. "Why did you knock them out? Why are you hiding?! If you've got something to say, come out and say it!"
Her voice echoed across the empty shoreline.
"Show yourself! What do you want with them? With me?!"
She was getting desperate. Her people were unconscious. She was the only one still standing.
That's when she saw it—a figure slowly materializing near the water.
Sitting on a reef by the sea, back turned to her, was a tall, graceful figure cloaked in shimmering blue. A curtain of long, ocean-colored hair flowed down his back, and brilliant scales glinted around his waist like polished gems. His skin was pure white, glowing like carved jade.
Si Lu immediately recognized him.
The merman.
The same big fish she'd met before—the one who'd given her the necklace.
So it was you...
"What the hell do you want, fish boy?" she shouted as she stormed toward him. "Why did you knock everyone out?! And what were you even singing that day?"
This guy was way too mysterious for his own good.
The merman didn't turn around. His voice, however, drifted back to her, gentle and sad.
"Don't worry. They're fine," he said softly. "I just wanted to speak with you alone."
There was something strange in his tone. A touch of... resentment?
Si Lu blinked. Did I imagine that?
"You knocked them all out just to talk to me?" she asked, incredulous.
Still, she approached the reef cautiously. Beside it was a smaller cove, hidden away from view.
Something told her this conversation was about to get serious.