An hour later, Leyvi returned to the spot. As expected, only Victor was there, sitting quietly on a large boulder, holding a jade slip with his eyes closed. He was probably deep in his research again, so Leyvi didn't bother him.
Leyvi spread his spiritual sense as far as it could go. No sign of Dastan.
He noticed that most of the young coconuts were gone—only the old, dry ones remained.
"That crown prince is still at it, huh?" Leyvi muttered. "How many coconuts does he need? He's seriously spoiling Tantan too much. He wouldn't do things like this previously..."
Shaking his head, he looked around and stretched a bit. "Well, while waiting for that guy, I'll let the pandas out. Let them have some fun."
After all, they'd been traveling nonstop for a whole month. A day or two to relax wouldn't hurt. He'd already scouted the area—nothing dangerous in sight. Should be fine.
A moment later, with a wave of his hand, seven familiar figures popped out one by one.
"Panda God! Panda God! We're out now!" "Where is this?" "Look! Water! Water! Many water!"
Just like that, the air filled with excited panda chatter.
"Hahaha! I told you all, call me Boss instead of God. I'm no god." Leyvi chuckled. "Alright, go ahead, play all you want. Just don't wander too far."
"Yes! We call Boss! Panda Boss!" "Yay! Play! Play!" "Tall tree or water?" "Water! Water!" "Play in water!"
The seven reached a unanimous decision and immediately charged toward the lake, splashing into the shallows with wild delight, chasing and spraying each other.
Leyvi chuckled to himself, "Anda, you're going to have seven noisy followers soon."
His eyes shifted toward the enormous lake ahead. Even from this distance, he couldn't catch a glimpse of the island Anda was on—not even a tiny speck. That alone spoke volumes about just how massive the lake really was.
Without warning, Leyvi stripped off his clothes, leaving only his shorts, and leapt forward, diving straight into the water. He figured this was a perfect chance to test his Swimming Expert benefit.
As soon as he entered the water, Leyvi felt that the usual water resistance that slowed movement was drastically reduced. His body glided effortlessly, cutting through the lake with the grace of a fish. Each stroke of his arms and kick of his legs propelled him forward smoothly, his movements fluid and natural, as if the water parted to accommodate him. He twisted and turned with ease, changing directions at will, barely noticing the drag that would typically hinder such maneuvers.
Then, Leyvi infused Qi into his body.
The change was instant. His legs pulsed with raw power, sending explosive bursts of motion through the lake. He shot through the water like an arrow, his body a blur as he darted left, right, and downward, weaving through the currents with pinpoint precision.
The water seemed to yield to his will, offering little resistance as he accelerated, his Qi amplifying his already enhanced swimming ability to superhuman levels. He could spin, dive, and surface in an instant, each motion seamless and controlled, as if he were dancing through the lake.
Leyvi grinned, thrilled at how effortless it was to move thanks to the Swimming Expert benefit. With this reduced water resistance, he could fight freely underwater, barely feeling the drag.
Back then, he planned to learn a water elemental martial skill that would let him move with more freedom underwater, but he forgot about it entirely, so he never had the chance to do it.
However, even if he did learn it, Leyvi knew it wouldn't be as great as the Swimming Expert benefit. He had seen Nala swim using it before, back when they enjoyed the sea together at the Reefworld Lagoon.
Thinking about Nala, Leyvi suddenly stopped, still underwater.
Hmm... It's been over a year. My kid must have been born already. I wonder what name she gave the kid? Is it a boy or a girl? I hope the kid has a beautiful afro like her. Leyvi chuckled, slowly drifting into thought.
Hmm? Suddenly, Leyvi's spiritual sense picked up a large movement underwater—something heading in his direction. A high-level demonic stingray. All around him, many normal fish swam peacefully, but the moment this presence appeared, it stood out sharply among them.
He had already checked the perimeter earlier, and there hadn't been anything dangerous nearby. But now, one was coming straight for him. Can they detect me from farther away than my spiritual sense can reach?
They couldn't have a spiritual sense, right? Yes, that's possible. But... even if they have one, it shouldn't have a longer range than mine, Leyvi thought, running through the possibilities. Hmm... maybe they can hear better in water... or maybe they can sense movement somehow—like how I can feel the wind on land.
Is this something all aquatic demonic beasts can do? If so, his idea of swimming to Anda might be far more dangerous than expected. Who knows how many demonic beasts live in this massive lake? If they can all sense him like this and swarm him together, that would be terrifying.
Leyvi sharpened his focus on the demonic stingray, watching it approach. The other normal water creatures in the area had already noticed the incoming predator and scattered quickly.
Leyvi smiled. Since the demonic stingray had come, then he could try practicing fighting underwater.
Eh? I can breathe in water. I see. It must be a part of the Swimming Expert benefit too. How convenient, Leyvi realized.
When he inhaled, no water entered his body—only air. Many techniques allowed cultivators to stay underwater for long periods, but those that filtered and absorbed dissolved air directly were notoriously difficult to master.
At first, he hadn't noticed because he was holding his breath. But after spacing out for a while, his body had started inhaling naturally on its own.
Hahaha! The Swimming Expert benefit is much better than I initially thought! I can stay in water for as long as I want, Leyvi laughed inwardly.
Soon, the stingray arrived and began circling him, maintaining a cautious distance, as if assessing the situation.
Leyvi remained still, observing it closely. About stingrays, he only knew that their tails were dangerous, so he should be prepared for that.
A few moments passed. The demonic stingray kept circling, drawing closer each time, but still didn't attack.
What's going on? Why does it just keep circling me? he wondered, eyes narrowed in curiosity.
Come on fish, make your move, Leyvi taunted in his mind, but still made no sudden action. He simply waited, calm and collected, floating amidst the water with endless patience.
Wait, is it waiting for me to make a move first? Leyvi realized. Hmm… it seems like it. So this fish likes to counterattack, probably.
Leyvi smiled. Let's try.
In a blink, he burst forward, Qi surging through his limbs as he cut through the water like a missile. His fist shot toward the large demonic stingray, water parting cleanly around him thanks to the Swimming Expert benefit that minimized all resistance.
As expected, the stingray reacted immediately. Its long, barbed tail lashed out, a blur of motion aimed straight for his chest with deadly intent.
But Leyvi was already prepared.
In an instant, his volcanic armor flared to life—molten lines glowing across his body as a hardened, heat-radiating shell snapped into place. The stingray's tail struck with a sharp clang, sparks flashing underwater. But the barbs failed to pierce through.
The stingray recoiled, tail snapping back in surprise.
Seizing the opening, Leyvi caught the tail mid-retraction with an iron grip and yanked the demonic beast toward him. With his free hand, he slammed a heavy punch square into its face. A burst of Qi followed through on impact, amplifying the blow. The surrounding water rippled violently from the shockwave—and just like that, the stingray's body went limp, completely knocked out.
It was too easy, Leyvi thought as the water settled. High-level demonic beasts barely posed a threat anymore unless they appeared in overwhelming numbers. And even then, he had confidence—his area-of-effect attacks could take care of them.
Still, caution remained. Nothing was absolute. There were always exceptions—beasts with rare abilities or overwhelming power that could surprise him if he let his guard down.
Without wasting time, Leyvi extracted the demonic core, then stored it and the stingray's body neatly inside his internal storage room.
Hahaha! I got myself a seafood ingredient to eat later. No wait. This isn't a sea. So it should be called lakefood instead.
A few moments later, Leyvi's spiritual sense picked up more demonic beasts swimming toward his location.
Oho... more lakefood? Were they alerted by my fight just now? Come come. Let me test my Big Bang attacks underwater next. Hahaha!
And so, Leyvi dove deeper into his underwater battle training.
The louder the chaos he created below the surface, the more demonic beasts were drawn in—curious, aggressive, and completely unaware that they were swimming straight into the clutches of a battle maniac.
One after another, they attempted to ambush him, and one after another, they were soundly defeated, quickly converted into Leyvi's ever-growing stockpile of aquatic ingredients.