As the planet's negative energy was drawn out by the World Tree-turned-leylines, a massive red magic circle slowly formed beneath Bai Xiuxiu, radiating a mysterious, eerie glow. The summoning ritual had officially begun.
Coincidentally, since the Demon Shark Sea had just experienced a cataclysmic massacre, negative energy here was overwhelmingly active.
Thus, far more negative energy than usual was drawn by the leylines for the summoning.
It was foreseeable—regardless of whom Bai Xiuxiu drew, her Servant's strength would be formidable, enough to rank among the best.
After all, Servants were drawn from Lu Jingming's memory bank. Their abilities varied; some were weak, some had no fighting power at all.
But the amount of negative energy gathered determined their initial strength.
Moreover, Servants could grow stronger by absorbing more negative energy.
Bai Xiuxiu's luck was extraordinary. Just chosen as Master, her summoning location happened to be the Demon Shark Sea, surrounded by the corpses of her entire clan.
As a result, the massive red summoning circle drew in more negative energy than usual and began rolling the gacha from the memory bank.
With a dazzling flash of gold, Bai Xiuxiu drew a legendary gold card!
Though she was still unconscious and unaware of all this, the label of lucky draw queen was now firmly stuck to her.
As the golden light faded, a graceful figure slowly emerged from the summoning circle.
She gazed at the unconscious Bai Xiuxiu, expressionless, and said softly, "So this is my Master? A little shark? She's pretty cute!"
…
When Bai Xiuxiu finally awoke, night had fallen, blanketing the world in tranquility.
She found herself no longer in the dead, despairing Demon Shark Sea, but floating beside a reef.
On the reef, a figure sat quietly, gazing up at the vast night sky, as if admiring its unique beauty.
"You're awake. Do you need me to explain your current situation?"
A calm yet beautiful voice drifted over, so pleasing that even the most famed singers among the Sea Princess clan paled in comparison.
"N-no need," Bai Xiuxiu replied, her voice low and tinged with sorrow.
The Holy Grail had already implanted all necessary information in her mind.
She knew what had happened: she had inexplicably been chosen as a Master, drawn into the Holy Grail War, and had successfully summoned a Servant—the woman before her.
Thinking of this, Bai Xiuxiu forced herself to suppress her grief and began to carefully observe her Servant.
After all, this might be her only hope for revenge in this life.
According to the Holy Grail's information, Servants all possessed great power, especially the top-tier ones, who could rival demigods—even more powerful than her mother had ever been.
Still, she was filled with doubts—could this Servant help her kill the Deep Sea Demon Whale King and avenge her parents and people?
The woman before her had violet vertical pupils, deep and mysterious as abyssal whirlpools, as if she could see into one's soul.
Her pale lavender hair hung to her knees, soft and slightly curled at the ends, tinged faintly blue on the inner side—like dreamlike starlight in the night.
A crystal butterfly earring adorned her left ear, sparkling under the night sky like a sprite about to take flight.
She wore a white and black dress, elegantly tailored for combat.
Strangely, her limbs were a deep blue, as if formed of condensed energy rather than flesh, enhancing her otherworldly aura.
Beautiful, noble, proud, aloof… these words flashed through Bai Xiuxiu's mind, each perfectly describing the girl's unique temperament.
"My name is Skirk. I am your Servant. Until the Holy Grail War ends, I will fight for you."
Skirk's voice was calm and steady. She knew she was not the original, merely a summoned memory body. According to the Holy Grail, her true self might be a character from a fantasy world, not a real being.
But that did not stop her from participating in the War. If she and her Master won, she could descend into this world as her true self—becoming real.
After all, both Master and Servant stood to gain immensely from victory: one could become Sea God, the other become real.
This was why they would fight side by side.
"Can you help me get revenge?" Bai Xiuxiu's heart was full of hatred—she cared little for the Holy Grail War.
"Only by becoming strong yourself can you bend fate to your will," Skirk replied coolly.
She could help Bai Xiuxiu get revenge, but that would go against her beliefs.
"I can help you become stronger, teach you martial skills. Once you are strong enough, you can avenge them with your own hands."
Seeing Bai Xiuxiu's eyes dim at her indirect refusal, Skirk felt a ripple of sympathy.
In Bai Xiuxiu, she saw her own past—the same loss of clan, the same loneliness. Their similar tragedies stirred her compassion, so she pointed out another path.
"But I haven't even reached 100,000 years' cultivation—I can't even take human form. When will I ever have a chance for revenge?"
Bai Xiuxiu's face grew even gloomier. She was never good at fighting, and soul beasts grew much more slowly than others. Compared to the Deep Sea Demon Whale clan, her progress was like a snail's pace.
As time passed, her hopes for revenge would only grow dimmer.
"This pearl contains vast energy and is perfectly suited to you. Refine it, and you'll naturally break through 100,000 years and take human form."
As she spoke, Skirk gently summoned Xiao Bai's shark pearl into her hand.
After her summoning, she had received basic information about this world, including soul beast data.
As Xiao Bai's daughter, Bai Xiuxiu was blood-bound to the pearl. Refining it would be easy and its effects greater than any rare herb.
"But… it's the only thing my mother left!" Bai Xiuxiu's voice choked. Her family and home were gone—this pearl was her only link to the past.
"In such desperate circumstances, your mother's intent in leaving it should be clear to you."
Skirk's face remained calm, but her tone softened.
She had seen the carnage at the Demon Shark Sea and understood how hard it was for Xiao Bai to leave the pearl in her final moments.
Clearly, even as she died, Xiao Bai was thinking of her weak daughter.
She knew, with no clan or protection, Bai Xiuxiu would struggle to survive. So she left the pearl, to give her strength.
Bai Xiuxiu understood her mother's intentions—the pearl contained a message, urging her to refine it for her own safety.
"I understand."
Bai Xiuxiu was not weak-willed. Though reluctant and heartbroken, she swallowed the pearl and immediately began refining it.
Because it came from her mother, the process was effortless.
Xiao Bai's tens of thousands of years' soul power flowed into her.
Bathed in a soft blue light, her silver-white shark body slowly changed and disappeared.
In its place was a petite, delicate girl.
The girl had sky-blue hair cascading over her shoulders, her face pure and beautiful, with the promise of future loveliness.
At the moment she broke through 100,000 years, Bai Xiuxiu chose to transform, knowing soul beast advancement was too slow.
If she wanted revenge quickly, she had to become human, even if that meant losing the power of a 100,000-year soul beast.
But with Skirk at her side, she wasn't worried about safety.
And to learn Skirk's skills, she needed to be human.
"Good. The Holy Grail War hasn't officially begun. You still have plenty of time to grow stronger. I will train you diligently."
PS: Damn my waifu Skirk. Unfortunately, my budget only allowed me to pull her C0!