Returning to the Mysterious Era

Cassius casually patted his chest and picked up the clothes hanging on the metal rack beside him. Glancing at the exhausted men around him, he walked out of the sweaty, rank gym.

A dozen days later, Cassius was back at the same Iron Fist Martial Arts Gym. This time, a slightly shorter figure stood in the center of the rectangular training area. Pale yellow floor tiles were divided into large grid patterns.

"Let's begin," Cassius said as he clasped his fists together in the customary martial arts salute.

Opposite him, a man in his thirties returned the salute. He was the owner of the Iron Fist Martial Arts Gym and a fifth-stage Federal Combat Arts practitioner. In the regular martial arts world, achieving the five stages of Combat Arts was already quite impressive, enough to win awards in county-level competitions.

"Go ahead," Cassius said, taking a combat stance.

"Alright."

Normally, letting the opponent strike first during a sparring session was considered belittling, as the implication was that the other person was weaker. In most cases, this would provoke anger, the spar possibly escalating into a real fight, where injuries could easily occur. But the gym owner wasn’t offended.

This situation was different. The martial artist before him, who called himself "Twilight," was not from the outer world but was instead an expert from the inner world. Over the past dozen days, the gym owner had watched Twilight very closely. His twenty or so disciples took turns attacking Twilight with various heavy blunt instruments for hours on end. Yet, Twilight always emerged unscathed. As if nothing had happened.

In the face of such a formidable opponent, the gym owner naturally positioned himself as the weaker one. Twilight had proposed this sparring match to test and refine a new technique; he had even paid a substantial fee in advance, leaving the gym owner no reason to refuse. To be honest, he would have accepted even without the fee, eager as he was to catch a glimpse into the martial prowess of the inner world. This sparring session offered a great learning opportunity for him.

"I'll do my best to hold back. If I accidentally hurt you, I apologize in advance," Cassius said, shifting his back foot slightly.

"Bring it on," the gym owner replied, adopting a combat stance similar to a boxer's. With a powerful push of his legs, he shot forward, his figure darting left and right as he rapidly closed the distance between them.

As he got close, the gym owner suddenly twisted his body and threw a punch. His arm swung forward, propelled by his well-trained muscles.

Swoosh!

A blur of an arm flashed before his eyes. The gym owner suddenly felt a sharp pain in his right fist, followed by a numbing sensation in his elbow as if it had been struck by a small hammer.

He grunted and quickly retreated, shaking his right shoulder to restore feeling to his muscles and nerves. Narrowing his eyes, the gym owner charged forward again. His fists flew as he nimbly jumped from side to side.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh…

In front of him, Cassius's arms moved so quickly they formed blurry, dark shadows that slashed through the air. Cassius matched the gym owner's speed and power; he didn't use any tricky angles, simply countering every move.

Fist after fist collided, and each time the gym owner's punches veered off course, their force weakened, their direction skewed.

The gym owner was secretly astonished. He switched from punches to elbow strikes and occasionally used kicks and body slams. Yet, every time any part of his body made contact with Cassius's fists, a strange force would strike his balance point, causing the trajectory of his attacks to deviate, their power diminished by at least fifty percent. None of his attacks even posed a threat to Cassius.

Frustration rose in the gym owner, as if he couldn't fully exert his strength. With a light grunt, he compressed his leg muscles, tucked in his neck, and aimed to slam his shoulder at Cassius.

Swoosh, swoosh!

Two rapid punches struck his body, and the gym owner's chest tightened, throwing off his balance. Instead of colliding with Cassius, he staggered sideways toward the ground. Fast.

Slap.

A large hand suddenly reached out from the side, catching the gym owner's chest and suspending him in midair.

His eyes widened. His nose hovered just two centimeters above the rough ground, and he was close enough to see the dust in the cracks between the tiles. With a slight jerk, the hand lifted the gym owner back to his feet. He looked astonished.

"Is this some kind of unique force-deflection technique?"

At the curiosity on the gym owner's face, Cassius shook his head.

Seeing Cassius unwilling to explain further, the gym owner didn't press the matter. He stood aside, taking a moment for his breathing to return to normal before stepping back into the ring, saying softly, "Again…"

An hour later, even though Cassius had held back, the gym owner was black and blue all over, feeling dizzy and disoriented. Finally, they both clasped their fists, signaling the end of the sparring session.

Cassius had been practicing a technique he had learned from the Decaying Knights called "Midak Balance Disruption." In his attempt to integrate this technique into his own combat style, he had decided to conduct a small experiment by sparring with the gym owner. The results looked promising.

The Midak Balance Disruption technique originated from the Midak Cross Sword, a technique at the second stage of proficiency. It involved quickly identifying and disrupting an opponent's balance point on their sword, thus throwing off their attacks. Cassius had begun to adapt this technique to his fist techniques, and while it showed some utility, it wasn’t yet ready for use against powerful enemies.

His goal was to integrate the Midak Balance Disruption technique throughout his entire body so that every part of him could disrupt an opponent’s balance, acting as a special kind of internal force flowing through him.

It wouldn’t be easy and would likely require a lot of time, but Cassius knew it was something he had to do. He couldn’t just follow in other people's footsteps; he needed to forge his own path, one that would eventually widen into a road that went straight to the top.

This was Cassius’s first attempt to innovate based on his own combat knowledge, akin to swinging a pickax for the first time. There would be many more swings to come before he could clear and cultivate his own field, and plant and nurture crops unique to him.

In the Iron Fist Martial Arts Gym, Cassius studied his fists, a thoughtful light in his eyes. Though it seemed like he had completely overpowered the gym owner, in reality, his performance had been riddled with flaws. Transitioning between the Midak Balance Disruption and his various combat moves had felt awkward and stiff, and he had to rely on his superior level of martial arts to force them through.

Mastering and integrating the Balance Disruption technique was still challenging. Fortunately, he had the Rune of Wisdom’s Blood of the Spirit to help him. As long as he laid a solid foundation and grasped the principles to a certain extent, the Blood of the Spirit could extrapolate and refine the techniques based on Cassius’s understanding and knowledge.

He wasn’t in a rush; he was still waiting for the Three-Eyed Mad Lion Sect’s Heart Eye Secret Technique. He believed this Secret Technique would complement the Midak Balance Disruption, and perhaps, by merging them, he could create a brand-new Secret Technique.

By the time he stepped out of the Iron Fist Martial Arts Gym, it was already dusk. The sky was tinged red, the clouds rolling like golden-red waves, with fiery streaks along the edges. Beams of light shot down from the horizon, illuminating the spires and domes of East Sea City, reflecting faintly off the rooftops' neatly arranged tiles.

Outside the gym was a road flanked by blue-and-white houses, mostly two or three stories tall. Small trees were planted at intervals along the sidewalk, looking as if they had been planted recently. The occasional pedestrian passed by on the street.

Cassius headed east, walking toward the Lilun High-Class Apartments. As he passed the Blooming Flowers Fountain Plaza, he spotted a familiar figure. A handsome young man with blond hair was sitting on a black bench, seemingly trying to chat up a beautiful woman.

"Miss, you may not believe it, but I…"

A hand slapped down on the blond youth’s shoulder.

He turned around, somewhat annoyed. "Who is it?"

Cassius stood behind, silently watching him. "Let's go."

Ten minutes later, Cassius was led to a three-story building with white walls and a black base. Duomo walked in front, gently pushing open the door. Cassius followed closely behind. As soon as he stepped inside, he was hit with an overpowering sense of danger coming from the side.

Swish, swish, swish…

A black shadow darted into Cassius's line of sight, and the hissing of a snake sounded in his ears. His vision blurred for a moment, and a massive black two-winged serpent arched its body, baring its fangs. Its wings, seemingly made entirely of scales, spread wide!

Shock instantly gripped Cassius's mind, but no sooner than a second later, a furious anger surged from within him, rushing straight to his head.

Cassius let out a furious roar, his entire form expanding rapidly. His rock-white muscles swelled like armor, covering his body. The large tendons beneath his skin writhed and pulsed like worms, the blood vessels branching out like forks with thick blood pumping and surging through them.

In his state of rage, he instantly entered the third-level accelerated blood flow, with his Rock Armor Technique driven to its peak by the violent energy and blood. His shoulder trembled, and a massive black shadow whistled through the air, carrying immense force and speed as it struck the serpent.

Boom!

A straight punch and a swinging palm collided, and the air exploded with a tremor. Dust rippled out in a ring from the impact point.

Thud, thud, thud…

Thud, thud, thud…

Two figures, one tall and one short, staggered backward. Cassius crashed against the wall with a thud, causing lime to fall. He quickly raised his head and saw an old man with a goatee in the distance, using the hand pressed on the sofa to flip to his feet. He stood steadily.

The old man glanced first at his own bright-red right hand, and then at the tall and burly Cassius. "Hey, this young man…"

Cassius, standing at the entrance, narrowed his reddened eyes.

The more a practitioner trained in Covert Martial Arts, the higher their level and the sharper their vision became. Experts in Covert Martial Arts could often see through the flaws in their opponent's body with a single glance, using their strengths to exploit the opponent's weaknesses. After enduring many experiences, Cassius considered his vision to be quite keen. If he carefully observed Duomo, he'd see five or six small flaws. But this old man in front of him had no flaws at all! He was as smooth and round as a ball.

Conversely, Cassius felt as if the old man's gaze was seeing through him, hinting that the old man's level and vision were several tiers above his own.

Could he be a sect master (combat artist)?

"What do you think, Hardy? Didn't get an edge over him, did you?" a familiar voice said. Mi An, dressed in a gray notched-lapel coat, walked out from the side, smiling.

"Haha, even Winged Serpent Hardy gets pushed back sometimes."

A few more people emerged from the shadows of the corridor, all middle-aged or elderly men, varying in height and build. Some were tall, some short, some fat, and some thin. Their temperaments differed, and their attire was varied. The only thing they had in common were their sharp eyes.

Cassius exhaled slowly, sensing an unprecedented threat from these people. It was a frantic warning brought on by the mutated perception after merging with the Shadow Demons. Any of these seven to eight individuals had the potential to be a deadly threat to him.

The experts in the Northern Covert Martial Arts world were indeed extraordinary.

"I hope Mr. Cassius didn't mind my small test," said Hardy, the old man with the goatee.

"That test was quite frightening." Cassius shook his head, reaching out with his right hand to touch under his left arm. Sure enough, the fabric there was torn.

Opposite him, Hardy smiled but said nothing.

Mi An walked over from behind the sofa. "Cassius, let me introduce you. This is the immortal Hardy of the Winged Serpent Fist. He's now ninety-three years old, but he was once the fifteenth-generation Winged Serpent of the Winged Serpent Fist, and retired from that position over thirty years ago. He's very good at maintaining his health, and, as a result, he looks even younger than me."

Cassius raised an eyebrow. This old man with a goatee was actually ninety-three, yet his hair was only slightly gray. He looked full of vigor, appearing at most in his sixties. It was unexpected that he was nearing a hundred years old, and as Mi An said, he was very good at maintaining his health.

Moreover, that palm strike just now was quite powerful! Cassius's right fist was red and hot, a burning pain emanating from it.

Mi An paused, then pointed to a bald, muscular man beside him. "This is Xuan Jing of the Raging Sea Sect. He is also the current sect master of the Raging Sea Sect and at the level of a combat artist. Unlike me, who's an old man, he hasn't even hit fifty yet and is already in his prime. I'm envious."

The bald man nodded in acknowledgement at Cassius. Mi An then pointed to the next person, an elderly man with white hair and a white beard, wearing a dark blue training attire.

"This is Elder Oro of the Skyfall Cross Sect…"

"And this is the White Water Sword's…"

"…"

After a round of introductions, Cassius gradually became familiar with these representatives of the Northern Covert Martial Arts world. It seemed that the Three-Eyed Mad Lion Sect had really pulled out all the stops this time. In just half a month, they had gathered so many Covert Martial Arts sects. Soul Power also played a powerful role as it had been attractive enough to lure any Covert Martial Arts practitioner wanting to learn about it.

"Since this is the first time we've met, let's go upstairs to the second floor and chat." Mi An waved his hand, and everyone moved forward.

Duomo also made to follow, but Mi An suddenly turned around and said, "Oh, Duomo, you stay on the first floor to guard the door. Cassius, let's go." He patted Cassius on the shoulder.

"…"

Duomo watched Cassius's retreating back, his mouth slightly agape.

The group went to the second floor to begin their discussions. It was mostly casual with the occasional decision being made about details concerning Black Rain Manor. During this time, Cassius gradually became more familiar with these powerful figures from the Northern Covert Martial Arts world. They gradually grew closer.

They had dinner in the evening and spent the night there. Duomo was somewhat resentful because Mi An gave Duomo's room to Cassius and then asked Duomo to room with him.

The next day, the plan was set in motion.

After handling some necessary matters, the ten-person group boarded a train for the Anta Mountains on the morning of the third day. By evening, Cassius and the others arrived in Anta City.