Chapter 139 - I, Cassius, Had Come This Far

Crack, crack, crack...

A series of crisp sounds like deep-fried beans erupted, as Cassius's bones and joints made popping noises all over his body. A muffled groan of unbearable pain escaped from his throat.

Cassius's muscles rippled like waves, resembling fish swimming in the sea. The heat from his body radiated outward, transforming him into a scorching hot furnace. Sweat flowed from his glands, immediately evaporating into white steam.

In just a few minutes, his tall and robust frame was enveloped in steam, obscuring his figure. Only the subtle sounds of muscle movement could be heard, occasionally accompanied by the crisp sound of bones cracking.

Boom, boom, boom...

At some point, the faint sound of a heartbeat joined in as well and grew louder as time passed. Initially, it sounded like light clapping, then a drumbeat, and now it thundered like a roaring storm.

The dull thumping echoed throughout the private room, making the entire space tremble. Fine white dust silently fell from the corners of the room.

All the sounds vanished in an instant. One moment it was noisy, the next it was dead silent. Faint white steam continued to rise from Cassius's bare upper body, wrapping him in a swirling vortex.

A pair of sharp eyes flew open from within.

Whoosh...

Hot air spurted out from his nose and mouth in a long stream, splitting the white steam in two to make way for the tall figure from within. He took two steps forward and stood quietly in the private room.

His strong, perfect body, which had red and white interwoven throughout, was exposed to the air. The white was the rock-like membrane running along the surface of his skin, while the red was the hot blood flowing through his veins.

His heart was filled with an unprecedented sensation that his strength was now at its peak. Power coursed through his body—his skin, muscles, bones, and blood—all teeming with unimaginable energy.

Cassius felt like a balloon, an endless stream of air being pumped in and swelling him rapidly.

He instantly threw himself into practicing the Wind Elephant Covert Martial Arts, assuming the combat stance of the Wind Elephant Fist. He punched and retracted his fists, kicked and pulled back his legs continuously. He then threw in his elbows and knees, combining various attack methods.

The private room echoed with the sound of raindrops, and the ground trembled with each step.

In the dim light, a figure moved frantically, each movement exuding an aura of grandeur. With his robust body nourished, Cassius never felt uncomfortable despite his vigor increasing as he trained. The muscles all over his body, including his forehead, seemed to be visibly bulging.

Boom!

The ground shook violently.

A forward charge! A punch!

"

Roar

!!!"

𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Cassius dazedly felt like an elephant was rampaging through the private room, roaring and trampling, causing the air to solidify and tremble. The airflow roared past, forming a vortex in midair.

He froze mid-punch. Very slowly, he retracted his fist. He replayed the incredibly powerful punch in his mind. Had that been Qi? Momentum?

Though he tried his best to recreate that move, unfortunately, he couldn't. The punch required a specific condition. Because he had just broken through the third accelerated blood flow cycle, it formed a loop at three nodes. With his physique rapidly enhancing, his energy had overflowed and was primed to erupt. But after that punch, the momentum was gone, and his state went back to normal. Recreating that realm was unrealistic.

"Is this the power that only a combat artist can wield?" Cassius murmured to himself. He wasn't too discouraged. With his cheat ability, he knew the combat artist level was within his grasp.

And yet, he still longed for that power—a realm beyond humanity's reach, a deeper development and refinement of the body, a transcendence beyond the flesh.

Amateur, professional, pugilist, combat artist...

The path of Covert Martial Arts was still a long one; Cassius was merely standing at the first significant threshold. When he looked back, he could see the steps leading up to the combat artist, but the mysterious and long staircase ahead was shrouded in mist, just waiting for every devoted Covert Martial Artist to climb.

Every Covert Martial Artist had one opponent: themselves. The process of cultivating Covert Martial Arts and developing the body was a long and arduous struggle with oneself. Most people fell, defeated by their own hands.

From the moment Cassius started practicing Covert Martial Arts, he was committing himself to an eternal fight against blood, sweat, and tears, binding himself as a form of self-imposed restraint. But, even if he was bound for life, what did it matter? It was worth it. If he could still look ahead, then every step he took had a unique significance!

Fighting against the heavens was an endless joy, fighting against the earth was an endless joy. Fighting against oneself was also a type of endless joy.

A pugilist, and even more so a combat artist, would not find the long and arduous path of Covert Martial Arts discouraging; on the contrary, it fuelled Cassius's determination. After all, Cassius has never fought alone—the mysterious and unfathomable time-travel ability was also a part of him.

Although Cassius's achievements were largely due to his diligence and hard work, with the time-travel ability merely serving as a catalyst or auxiliary factor, he still had to admit that the ability had significantly helped him. If he had to quantify it, the ratio would be roughly nine to one, with him being the nine and the ability being the one.

So, if Cassius claimed that his progress was primarily due to his own efforts, it'd be a realistic and convincing statement.

In the private room, he looked up at the upper right corner.

[Elephant Soul Incomplete: Bug Bite 66.7% (Total Three Stages)]

He had reached the pinnacle of martial artists, the third-level accelerated blood flow.

This was Cassius's unprecedented peak state—and he could control it. Since his Wind Elephant Fist level was still higher than his Elephant Soul technique, he didn't have to worry about losing control.

The level of a Covert Martial Artist's strength was determined by their Covert Martial Arts, physical condition, combat skills, and additional techniques. As the foundation, the most crucial factor was undoubtedly the physical condition, with the other factors being influenced by it.

For example, Cassius previously used Azure Wind Flow, but couldn't control the formation of a spiral airflow. Now, with his third-level accelerated blood flow, he might even be able to succeed at forming a Tornado Sphere with his hands.

[Azure Wind Flow: Stage Two 85.7% (Total Two Stages)]

From the end of the second time-travel, to the time Cassius spent back in the real world, to his experiences during the third time-travel until now, he hadn't stopped training Azure Wind Flow. This incomplete technique could only be honed over time.

Soul Power couldn't accelerate the Azure Wind Flow, and even if it could, Cassius would never risk it. Incomplete techniques were unstable, powerful techniques were dangerous, and Azure Wind Flow was the combination of both. He feared that using Soul Power to accelerate it might cause his arms to explode! Not just maybe; it was highly likely!

Soul Power was best suited for enhancing techniques that had a stable framework, a rich historical background, and a proven track record. Using it to improve these techniques at least minimized the risk of encountering unforeseen dangers. Cassius wasn't going to make that kind of unnecessary risk.

He opened the door of the private room, the door creaking, and stepped out. At the same time, the door of the adjacent private room also opened. A beautiful woman with blue hair strolled out, her eyes fixed on Cassius. Even as they left the Baptism Chapel, Cassius could still feel her gaze.

He paused on the gray-white street, and turned around to ask, "Do you need something?"

"N-no," the woman stammered, then shook her head.

Cassius turned away coolly and walked quickly into the distance.

The blue-haired woman watched his tall figure disappear, recalling the tremors and muffled sounds from the private room. The strong movements had been palpable even through the sturdy walls.

"That ruckus must have something to do with this cold-faced muscle man..."

***

In the blink of an eye, three days passed. On June 14, 107 of the Hongli Federation calendar, in East Sea City, at Wenmingda University.

As one of the top universities in Donghai City—not the best, but certainly among the top three—Wenmingda's campus was well-equipped, had flexible policies, ample funding, and had gathered the top talents across various fields, including ancient languages, archaeology, and cultural heritage preservation.

A few months ago, a professor at Wenmingda University, specializing in ancient languages, received a commission request. The task was to decipher information on a map as well as restore the map itself, and he would be given a handsome reward.

The client was quite generous and paid half of the reward upfront. Professor Tennessee had never seen such a thick stack of cash before. This one payment was enough to make him financially independent. And there was still the other half to come!

As a result, Tennessee was very dedicated to this commission. Money aside, he was genuinely interested in the map. He had majored in ancient languages because he had been passionate about it, and though the flame of curiosity had dimmed over time, he felt it reignite with this commission!

To complete the task and receive the remaining reward, Professor Tennessee worked tirelessly. He scoured the library for relevant documents and hired several colleagues to assist. He also enlisted the help of the university's archaeology experts for professional artifact restoration. Despite the challenges, the decoding process was ultimately successful.

Professor Tennessee sent a letter to Mr. Twilight over a week ago, informing him that the decoding was complete. He guessed Mr. Twilight was already on his way.

At noon, the sky was clear, without a trace of cloud, as if it had been cleansed of all impurities. The sun shone brilliantly, and a light breeze swept away some of the heat from the campus.

Many students sat in groups on the black benches along the shady avenues, either being playful with one another or chatting cheerfully. Couples were a common sight. University students were in the prime of their youth—full of enthusiasm, confidence, and curiosity.

A gray-white fountain stood at the entrance of the avenue, forming a roundabout leading in different directions. Water gently flowed down the entirely white fountain while a marble statue, depicting what was likely a former principal, stood on a stone pedestal in the center.

Next to the fountain were several benches, where a couple was currently sitting, whispering sweet nothings and discussing recent campus gossip. The boy leaned in for a kiss.

Suddenly, a tall shadow loomed over them. "Excuse me, could you tell me where the No. 3 administration building is?"

The deep, indifferent voice startled the boy, squashing his earlier romantic intentions. He spun around angrily. "You—ah."

The boy was stunned. A tall man in a casual suit towered over him. Despite the formal attire, his 1.9-meter frame exuded a powerful presence. The expressionless look on his face seemed to say someone owed him a large sum of money. His overall aura conveyed a domineering, indisputable authority.

The boy felt that if he didn't answer right now, the man might punch him the next second. So, he quickly and politely gave directions.

"Thank you." Cassius adjusted the wide-brimmed hat on his head and walked away.

He had tried to be as friendly as possible, but since his Covert Martial Arts training had enhanced his life essence, the gap between him and ordinary people had grown larger. This gave him an inexplicable aura, making strangers feel like rabbits before a tiger when they first saw him.

With a slight shake of his head, Cassius headed toward the No. 3 administration building. He passed the fountain statue, walked along the shady avenue, through a training field, and several teaching buildings. Once he arrived at a relatively secluded area in the eastern part of the campus, he stopped to observe.

A stone with engraved characters stating "No. 3 administration building" stood in a flower bed. He looked up at the yellow and white building and hurried in.

Half an hour later, on the right side of the third floor of the administration building, Cassius sat at a desk by the window where sunlight was streaming in. He sipped tea while he read some documents.

A bald, bespectacled middle-aged man with an ordinary, if not slightly shifty, appearance sat on the opposite end. Academic prowess could not be judged by appearance alone. Despite his unremarkable looks, Professor Tennessee was a well-known scholar in ancient languages and had significant expertise in the field.

At the moment, he was nervously sipping tea, glancing occasionally at Cassius and the bulging yellow envelope in Cassius's suit pocket, usually used for holding large amounts of cash.

He squinted slightly, putting down the documents. "So, Professor Tennessee, you determined the name and location of a mountain range on the map, and then inferred from that?"

"Yes, one of the mountain features on the map you provided was quite distinctive. After consulting the Wenmingda University library and with the help of some geography colleagues, I gathered a lot of information for comparison's sake and finally pinpointed the location." Professor Tennessee took a deep breath. "It's in the northern part of the Hongli Federation, up in Shire County and in the Alphama mountains where there are two cities there: Mirror Lake and Bright Mountain."