Each leap carried the woman dozens—no, hundreds—of meters, as though gravity held no sway over her. She bounded effortlessly, a blur of motion and strength.

And then, with one final arc through the air, she landed with a loud thud just a short distance away from them, dust puffing up around her.

Lin Mu’s breath caught for a moment.

The woman before them was like nothing he had seen in the cultivation world.

She was tall, with a body built not for elegance but for war.

Her skin gleamed with sweat and dust, glowing bronze beneath the moonlight.

Her abdomen was bare, and her core muscles rippled with each breath—tight, toned, and sculpted like a living statue.

She wore a short-cut shirt that barely held in her ample bosom, the fabric stretched taut across her chest, revealing both strength and sensuality. Her tight-fitting pants clung to every curve of her powerful legs, and her wide hips moved with the grace of a seasoned predator.

Her hair was raven black, braided in a long thick plait that swung behind her like a whip. Her face was mature, fierce—sharp cheekbones, piercing golden-brown eyes that glinted with danger, and full lips curled in amusement.

In one calloused hand, she held what looked like a thin slingshot—but it was refined, forged from jade-metal alloy and bound with pure qi threads. She reached into a pouch at her side and plucked another marble-shaped stone, its surface carved with runes. Lin Mu immediately recognized it—a low-grade immortal stone, carved and refined for destruction.

With fluid motion, she loaded the stone into her slingshot, pulled back with a strength that bent even the reinforced frame, and released.

The projectile shrieked through the air like a thunderclap, slicing through clouds.

Boom!

The marble struck the siren mid-flight. There was no chance to dodge.

The moment it hit, the immortal stone triggered an explosion that rippled with the energy of pure destruction. The siren’s chest burst outward in a fountain of black ichor and shattered scale. Her scream was cut short, twisted body torn into fragments that rained down upon the sea.

Silence fell.

Only the wind and the distant echo of waves remained.

Lin Mu looked from the smoke-choked waters back to the woman. She stood calmly, reloading another marble into her slingshot like it was routine.

"Who are you?" Lin Mu asked, stepping forward.

She looked at him, eyes sharp and assessing. "Name’s Cattleya," she said. "Bounty hunter. Specializing in beasts, abominations and monsters. Been tracking that thing for weeks. Nasty bitch."

Elyon blinked. "Bounty... hunter?"

She flashed a grin, wiping blood from her cheek with a leather-bound wrist.

"Oh yeah. Sirens, soul wraiths, blood-mist banshees, you name it. I crush them."

Daoist Chu muttered under his breath, "Where in the Nine Heavens did she come from?"

But Lin Mu couldn’t help but be fascinated. Not just by her weapon or her strength, but by the sheer presence she carried.

Beautiful, yes—but like a storm. Raw, untamed, and full of fury.

Cattleya tossed him a wink, clearly enjoying the attention. "You boys weren’t planning to fight that thing up close, were you? Cute."

Then she turned back to the sea, scanning for any remnants of the creature.

"Hope that was the last of her," she said. "But with sirens, you never know. They die loud... but they never die alone."

The echoes of the siren’s death cry had barely faded when the woman who had killed her turned to face them with a faint tremor under her feet. Her presence, though casual at first glance, pulsed with power beneath the surface.

Elyon was the first to step forward.

"Where in the world did you come from?" he asked, incredulity plain on his face. "That slingshot move... that wasn’t just strength. That was ridiculous."

The woman grinned, brushing her obsidian-black braid over her shoulder. Her thick arms and shoulders flexed slightly as she adjusted the leather strap of the pouch at her side, the muscles beneath her bronzed skin catching the moonlight.

She had the look of someone who had long stopped caring about others’ opinions and had fought too many battles to need anyone’s approval.

"I’ve been tracking that thing for a few days now," she said, nodding toward the pile of charred siren remnants still sizzling in the black sand. "And a few more like her. Got separated from a convoy I was guarding. Some bastards hijacked a trader’s beast cage mid-transit, let out half the things in it."

Elyon blinked. "You’re a bounty hunter?"

"Sometimes," she replied casually. "Other times, I just enjoy the thrill."

Meanwhile, Lin Mu remained where he was, his expression unreadable as he studied the newcomer.

There was something about her that didn’t sit right with him—not in a threatening way, but in a way that made his instincts flare.

Her qi presence was muted. Suppressed. As if her entire spiritual essence had been tucked away behind a wall of steel will. Most cultivators couldn’t do that. Even powerful ones radiated some trace of their cultivation base.

But her?

It was like standing next to a sealed mountain.

Only when Lin Mu extended his senses more deliberately did he feel the raw pulse underneath. Not qi. Not essence. Not sword intent. But something deeper. Denser.

Body cultivation.

Lin Mu narrowed his eyes slightly.

’She’s not a qi cultivator. She’s a body cultivator. A powerful one.’

And yet... even then, there was more. Something subtle. Something layered beneath the muscle and physical aura. It didn’t feel quite human, nor entirely monstrous. But it was veiled—either naturally or intentionally—and Lin Mu couldn’t quite grasp it.

"Nice to meet you all," she said, holding out a hand toward Elyon, who hesitated only a moment before shaking it.

Elyon turned toward Daoist Chu. "She’s strong. But I’ve never heard of her. You?"

The man gave a grunt and turned to Elyon with a questioning glance. "You’re the one in the bounty circles. Know anyone like her? You’d think someone like this would have a reputation that echoes."