On the ship, Linda’s pretty face was flushed crimson, her clothes disheveled, and her beautiful eyes flickered with an unusual light.

Shi Yan's eyes snapped wide open, staring at her in stunned silence, then he gasped, "Your hair!"

Linda's chestnut locks, which had fallen to her pert hips, were growing rapidly before their very eyes. Soon, her chestnut tresses cascaded down to her thighs, and they kept growing.

A faint sheen shimmered upon the strands. Linda froze, equally astonished. She unbound the tie restraining her hair, pulled a thick cluster forward, and examined it with wonder.

A strange power churned and rolled over the scalp area of Linda’s head—power originating from Shi Yan’s body, now infused into her. Unbeknownst to her, this energy had settled at her scalp, seemingly awakening a Martial Soul that had lain dormant within her delicate frame for years. "I... I've always grown my hair fast since I was a child. As soon as I cut it, it grows long again in no time!" Linda exclaimed in surprise. "But this speed now... it’s just too terrifying."

Shi Yan frowned deeply. "Don't be nervous; this isn't a bad thing. Perhaps this is your Martial Soul, only it never fully manifested before due to various reasons. What's happening now should be the awakening of that Soul!"

"Martial Soul?"

Linda’s spirits soared, a strange luminescence blossoming on her face. "How is that possible? I’m already this old! How could a Martial Soul awaken in me? Shi Yan, you... you aren't lying to me, are you?"

"Just watch," Shi Yan said, a relaxed smile playing on his lips.

Before long, Linda’s chestnut hair had grown long enough to trail upon the floor. She appeared as if draped in a long, floor-length gown; the glossy chestnut mass flowed behind her like a cloak, lending her a breathtaking, heart-stirring beauty.

Threads of that strange power continued to roll and undulate over Linda’s scalp. Gradually, an odd color entered her gaze, as if she were discovering something vital through the anomaly happening above her head.

Linda did not speak to Shi Yan; she sank into deep contemplation, seemingly absorbing some profound realization inwardly.

Shi Yan knew this was a critical moment for her and refrained from disturbing her, quietly observing her movements, wary of any unforeseen consequence. Swish-swish!

Half an hour later, Linda’s bright eyes suddenly flared, and the mass of hair atop her head moved without any breeze.

Every single strand instantly stiffened, becoming needle-sharp. Linda twisted her neck, and with a sudden whip, she flung her entire mane outward.

"Boom!"

The torrent of hair slammed into the wooden plank. The wood looked as if it had been pierced by thousands of silver needles, revealing countless minute pinpricks.

Shi Yan was dumbfounded. "Ah!" Linda also cried out in shock, clapping a hand over her mouth, staring blankly at the holes her hair had created. "This, this, this..."

"That’s right! It truly was caused by your hair," Shi Yan confirmed with a nod. "This must be a specialized Martial Soul as well. Concentrate for a while longer, see if you notice anything special, look around to see if you can find other methods of attack."

Linda's delicate body trembled with joyous disbelief. "How is this possible? How could this be? My hair is actually a Martial Soul. How could this happen..."

For any martial practitioner, the Martial Soul was the most formidable means of offense. A warrior possessing one was blessed with unique advantages, often able to maximize their power during combat and even slay opponents a full level higher by leveraging the Soul's inherent strength.

The Martial Soul was, arguably, the foundation of martial prowess, and Linda had never imagined that at her age, she could still manifest one.

The excitement surging within her was impossible to convey to an outsider. "Big Brother! Big Brother!"

"Huh! Big Brother!"

A fleet of willow-leaf skiffs suddenly emerged from behind the distant reefs. After all this time, receiving no word from them, the sea bandits guarding the Cammon area grew impatient and came to investigate.

Shi Yan’s expression instantly turned cold, a cruel smile curving his lips; he was ready to unleash slaughter once more.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Linda suddenly leaped from the ship, landing lightly on the scattered willow-leaf boats nearby. She darted among the small vessels, swiftly closing in on the few approaching skiffs.

Her hair whipped wildly around her. In that moment, Linda seemed like some mysterious demoness; with every sweep of her locks, bandits were instantly drenched in blood, skewered directly by her long hair. Linda was ecstatic; this was her first time truly testing her hair as a weapon, and she instantly realized she could control the strands perfectly. This lengthy mane had become her limbs, wielded naturally to strike her foes.

Her long hair, one moment sharp as steel needles, the next pliable and tough as a whip, pierced the bodies of the sea bandits or wrapped around them, flinging them away.

Hair streaming, Linda danced through the horde of bandits, successfully executing and killing several sea bandits in the Human Rank realm one by one.

Shi Yan watched with a smile, then leaped down from the ship and quietly moved toward Linda, absorbing the vital essence from the corpses of the fallen bandits. At this point, Shi Yan's essence had recovered to its peak: the second level of the Hundred Tribulations Realm, his spiritual power replete, his internal strength surging immensely. Strands of the bandits' vital energy secretly dissolved within Shi Yan’s body. He made no move, simply watching as Linda killed the bandits one after another, easily and happily absorbing the power of those she felled. From behind the more distant reefs, a terrified shriek suddenly rang out.

"Brothers, retreat! Big Brother is dead, they're all dead!"

A sea bandit hiding behind the distant reefs glanced over and finally grasped the situation. His frantic cry echoed across the various hiding spots. The bandits guarding the Cammon area panicked, daring not approach, and immediately scattered in flight.

The willow-leaf skiffs moved swiftly among the reefs. The complex terrain at this moment greatly aided their escape.

Although Shi Yan desired to annihilate every last one of them to elevate his own power further, the density of the reefs forced him to simply watch them go. About ten minutes later, not a single Blood Eye Sea Bandit remained; only scattered, withered corpses and a collection of willow-leaf boats marked the scene.

Linda stood on one of the small boats, utterly thrilled. She spoke in a sweet voice, "Shi Yan, did you see that? Just now, I killed them all with my hair? Did you see?"

Shi Yan smiled and nodded. "I saw, I saw everything. Very good, very good. If this Martial Soul is suddenly unleashed during a fight, it could have a startling effect."

Linda’s strands could instantly become hard as steel needles or soft as a whip—truly bizarre. In an engagement, if she suddenly used her hair as a deadly weapon, she might instantly pierce an opponent’s body with multiple blood-soaked holes, effortlessly bind the enemy, and thus easily execute them.

"I truly didn't expect it, I really didn't expect it," Linda’s pretty face was alight with joy, and the way she looked at Shi Yan was filled with radiant energy. "Your legs aren't weak anymore?" Shi Yan teased, a wicked grin spreading across his mouth.

Hearing this, Linda first blinked in confusion, then her cheeks instantly flushed crimson. She shot Shi Yan a look of exquisite, charming indignation. "You scoundrel, you are completely wicked!"

"Haha." Shi Yan felt highly pleased and was about to say something when he suddenly spotted Cammon and his group approaching rapidly, navigating their ship through the reefs. "Linda, don't tell Cammon and the others anything about me. As for these corpses, tell them a passing master from the Three Gods Sect did this. I don't want Cammon's crew knowing anything about me." Shi Yan’s brow furrowed as he suddenly turned serious to Linda. "This is the Yuan Luo Sea territory. Frankly, I have some grudges with the Gu and Dongfang families. If Cammon’s people can't keep their mouths shut and leak information about me, I could be in danger."

This journey was intended for Cloud Glow Island to deal with the Gu family, and if his identity were accidentally exposed, he might face deliberate targeting by the Gu and Dongfang families along the way. That scenario would hobble him, preventing him from achieving many goals.

"You have a feud with the Dongfang and Gu families?" Linda was startled. "What did you do?"

"Later. Remember, don't mention anything about me to Cammon and them," Shi Yan instructed. Linda gazed at him with a look of astonishment for a moment, then nodded slowly, her voice gentle. "Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you."

Women are like that; once they share intimacy with a man, they subconsciously move to protect him. Moreover, Shi Yan was her first man, and she had gained immense benefits from him; there was no way she would wish him harm. Forget the Gu and Dongfang families; even if Shi Yan told her he was being hunted by the Three Gods Sect, Linda would likely help him escape.

Most men, driven by self-interest and ambition, might sacrifice the women around them.

But most women, for the sake of the man beside them, would sacrifice readily available profit and ambition, even heartlessly abandoning companions and friends.

"Mmm, I like obedient women," Shi Yan grinned, reaching out to pat Linda's pert rear. "Obedient women receive greater nourishment."

Linda, having just tasted the pleasures of love, was somewhat addicted. When Shi Yan touched her sensitive spot, her delicate frame trembled as if a current had shot through her body, and her bright eyes immediately became liquid and lustrous.

Blushing fiercely, Linda glared at Shi Yan, biting out a plea, "Shi Yan, don't treat me like this in front of them anymore. Otherwise... otherwise it will be hard for me to maintain face among them. When they can't see, I can... I can let you tease me a little, okay?"

Linda bit her lip, her cheeks flushed, radiating an irresistible, shy allure.

Shi Yan smiled slightly and nodded. "Don't worry, I know you need to command respect from them. I won't put you in an impossible position in front of them."

"Cammon is here," Linda breathed in softly, all the recent passion draining from her face, and she instantly regained her former commanding air, tilting her head slightly with an indifferent expression.

Shi Yan smiled inwardly, thinking that this woman was quite skilled at putting on an act.

"Cammon, you people, come over here and search the bodies for anything valuable, then tidy everything up for me again," Linda commanded Cammon, Huo Jie, Jett, and the others, pointing imperiously. "Hurry up! An Elder from our Sect happened to pass by this time and killed all of them. We need to organize the goods, or he might inquire about it later."

When alone with Shi Yan, Linda was alluring and charmingly shy; but in front of Cammon, Jett, and the others, she instantly reverted to her usual boss demeanor, radiating authority.

Shi Yan stood aside, watching her bluster with a smile, his gaze holding a peculiar depth.