Chapter 510 - Fret not, Cassius has arrived!

It was pure arrogance.

He had given no consideration to the normal peaceful atmosphere of the exchange tournament. Thus, the conversation was instantly filled with tension.

"Such brazen talk!"

"Young man, you have guts! Didn't your elders ever teach you how to speak properly?"

For a moment, the welcoming group from the Eastern Covert Martial Arts circle was caught up in furor. Some of the younger members instantly became furious, looking ready to step forward to teach this disrespectful youth a lesson by knocking him flat.

"Young man? Elders?" That person suddenly burst into laughter. "I am fifty-seven years old this year. I’m likely older than most of you here, and this is how you speak to your elder?"

His expression turned icy in an instant, exuding a commanding and overbearing presence. "Arlington, Arlington Ludwig is my name, so remember it well. In the days to come, I will brand this name deeply into your minds. The entire Hongli Empire will remember me..."

Although the man was merely introducing himself, his tone carried an unquestionable finality, as solemn as a religious oath and faintly revealing his oppressive and domineering air.

"Arlington? The Whale King Arlington!"

Everyone in the welcoming party had already heard that name before.

The master who had risen in the United States of Yana and subdued its entire Covert Martial Arts circle was named Arlington, and was known as the Whale King. According to scattered rumors, Whale King Arlington had spent several years toppling the Southern Covert Martial Arts community of the United States of Yana.

Then, he headed north, continuing to challenge and overpower every sect he encountered. He wielded unparalleled power, possessed Qi as deep as an abyss, and displayed combat techniques of terrifying ferocity. Well-known experts were repeatedly injured by him, and some were even killed with a single punch.

Two years ago, two masters from first-rate Covert Martial Arts sects in the United States of Yana joined forces to attack Whale King Arlington together. Both sect masters had trained in first-rate Covert Martial Arts for forty to fifty years, and each had already stepped into the ranks of top-tier combat artists.

In that battle, the three of them fought from the edge of the city all the way to the outskirts, and then onward into the mountains. They destroyed any obstacle in their path, leaving a horrific trail of devastation that stretched for nearly a hundred miles.

Ultimately, that clash lasted three days and nights, and the two sect masters of top-tier Covert Martial Arts were both killed—one died of exhaustion, and the other was decapitated. Their final battleground lay in the midst of a raging river, where Whale King Arlington slew both men in succession, grasped a moment of insight for his breakthrough, and finally stepped into the realm of an extreme combat artist.

His terrifying Qi surged upstream with enough force to sever the great river in two! That extraordinary phenomenon persisted for over an hour before it subsided.

When Whale King Arlington returned to town carrying the bloodied heads of his two foes, the swirling mist in the air seemed to shape itself into a colossal whale gliding across the sky, lofty and immense like a mountain looming overhead.

From that point on, Arlington became utterly invincible, and over the next two years, he defeated all the major experts within the United States of Yana's Covert Martial Arts community. During this time, his aura grew ever more formidable and profound, as his strength continued to climb higher and higher.

Once he had no rivals left, he decided to travel to other powerful nations around the world, challenging their Covert Martial Arts experts. The Hongli Empire became his first stop, and the second would be the Blue Star Empire.

On the docks of East Sea City, discussions ran wild within the welcoming party.

"He said he was fifty-seven, yet he looks no older than thirty. Could it be some special Covert Martial Arts Secret Technique that preserves youth?" Someone asked in disbelief, while others silently pondered the question.

In truth, some rumors had drifted from the United States of Yana into the Eastern Covert Martial Arts community through trade. They claimed that Whale King Arlington had originally appeared as an old man, but after that great battle two years ago, both his realm and his Covert Martial Arts had advanced to a new level, allowing him to nourish his body using the art. As a result, he grew ever younger over those two years, ultimately settling in the form of a man around twenty-seven or twenty-eight. Even his demeanor gradually reverted to the fearless arrogance of youth.

He had become overbearing, rampant, and utterly unrestrained, fearing nothing at all!

Everyone examined the man leading the group from the United States of Yana. Standing at nearly six-foot-three, with shoulders and arms as solid as a wall, he exuded a staggering sense of strength. His physique was muscular yet balanced, each limb proportioned for optimal power. At a glance, it was clear that he could combine raw force with speed like a flawless fighting machine.

Arlington wore a pure black combat uniform, with reinforced, armor-like padding at the shoulders and knees, giving him a heavy, angular look. Coupled with his domineering air and upright posture, he could easily be mistaken for wearing a form-fitting knight's armor rather than mere cloth. Behind him, a cape fluttered with a rustling sound.

If Cassius had been present, he would definitely have noticed that the man named Arlington seemed to have unknowingly stepped onto the path of the Dominator Fist. In any case, he had found his way forward and had in fact swept through the United States of Yana Covert Martial Arts community, a result that aligned perfectly with this forceful path of the fist. It was the reason for his rapid progress in such a short time.

However, it appeared that the man's resolve was still somewhat lacking. He had clearly been deeply influenced by the Dominator Fist path, having cast aside all self-restraint and acting solely on his own impulses. It bore a resemblance to what Cassius had once discussed with his subordinates about signs of impending self-destruction.

If one compared a person to a heap of coal, once the coal was ignited, it would erupt with intense light and heat. This would represent a person's strength. That power, however, required control; at the very least, they had to learn when to ignite and when to extinguish. Otherwise, if they stayed ignited the entire time, they would constantly burn. Indeed, they would blaze brilliantly and act invincible for a moment, but before long, they would burn out and gradually be consumed in the flames.

In the end, they would either be defeated and crumble into complete ruin, or collapse from within, totally destroyed.

Whale King Arlington, the master of the United States of Yana, the foremost figure of its Covert Martial Arts community, and an extreme combat artist, already showed signs of self-destruction. Naturally, ordinary people could not detect such signs; only experts of the same realm with keen perception could see the hidden danger in him.

Thus, when faced with Arlington's brazen attitude, the Eastern Covert Martial Arts welcoming group wanted to retort, yet they lacked the confidence because their opponent was a master. If he claimed the Hongli Empire's Covert Martial Arts community amounted to only so much, there was, in fact, some truth to it.

After all, how many extreme combat artists existed on the entire planet in any given era? Hardly enough to fill the fingers of one hand.

As an extreme combat artist, it made sense that he looked down upon most Covert Martial Arts Practitioners. Indeed, no one among the Eastern Covert Martial Arts welcoming group was worthy of his notice. Thus, everyone had to swallow their indignation all the way from the harbor of East Sea City to the venue of the international exchange tournament, where things remained tense. It was not until the United States of Yana delegation was led to their quarters that the atmosphere finally eased.

***

It was July 26, in the afternoon, in East Sea City.

A number of usually reclusive combat artist experts had gathered within a large assembly hall on Wutong Avenue in the Kanidun District. Some sat on couches, others stood by the windows, and still more lined both sides of a long rectangular conference table in the center. They were all elders or sect leaders from various major sects of the Hongli Empire's Covert Martial Arts community.

The Eastern Covert Martial Arts community was predominantly represented, as they were hosting the event.

Soul-Breaking Sword Path, Star-Ring Fist, Cloud Dog Fist, and other sects familiar to Cassius had assembled for discussions. They chatted ceaselessly, reiterating how the Hongli Empire's Covert Martial Arts community needed to unify against outsiders rather than engage in in-fighting.

Whale King Arlington had plainly arrived with hostile intent; he was targeting the entire Hongli Empire Covert Martial Arts community. If he defeated all the major sects, they would each become stepping stones to his renown. However, although they recognized that fact, dealing with it proved difficult since he was an extreme combat artist.

Experts of that realm were so rare across the world that they could be counted on one hand. How, then, could anyone at the international exchange tournament stop Whale King Arlington? Admittedly, he would likely be saved for the grand finale, only appearing at the end. Prior to that, it would be mostly sparring among the elders and sect leaders of both nations' Covert Martial Arts sects.

In the end, Arlington would definitely fight, and without anyone on the Hongli Empire's side who matched his strength, they would be utterly crushed, losing both face and honor.

What could they possibly do?

In reality, they had begun debating this issue the moment they learned Whale King Arlington planned to cross the ocean. However, their thoughts had been disorganized, and they had assumed Arlington would show some respect for the international exchange tournament and refrain from causing a complete debacle, so the matter had been dropped.

But now, it was brought up once more in the meeting.

A Sorrow-Soul Sword Dao elder at the right side of the red conference table spoke calmly. "We must find someone who can stand against Whale King Arlington; someone who can exchange multiple blows without being completely outmatched. We don't need them to defeat him; if they can just last a dozen moves, then concede, it would allow us to save face..."

An elder representing Cloud Dog Fist thought for a moment before speaking. "But such powerful individuals are exceedingly rare. It would require at least a top-tier combat artist with decades of accumulated foundation who is half a step into the extreme combat artist realm. From what I recall, in our Eastern Covert Martial Arts circle, there is only Elder Victor from the previous generation of Star Ring Fist..."

"Victor of the Blazing Light Fist?" Everyone slowly turned their attention to the figure seated at the leftmost place of the rectangular table. It was an elder from Star Ring Fist.

Hope was evident in their eyes.

However, the white-haired elder slowly shook his head. "Elder Victor is eighty-five years old now, and over the last five years, his vital energy has declined drastically, leaving him far weaker than before. Had this occurred before he turned eighty, perhaps Elder Victor could have tried to hold Arlington at bay..."

"Alas..." sighed a middle-aged man with a bear-like frame. "The last fist technique master of our Hongli Empire Covert Martial Arts circle passed away two decades ago. The Seven-Star Fate Realm Secret Technique he left behind was immeasurably powerful, allowing its user to recover their strength seven times in a row, like seven extra lives. If that fist technique master were still around, we wouldn't have to worry about Arlington at all..."

"Wait, you're right. I recall that there's still a formidable fist technique expert in the southern jungles, the last disciple that master took on before his death twenty years ago. He must have top-tier combat artist strength. Perhaps he really could exchange a few moves with Arlington with the Seven-Star Fate Realm Secret Technique?"

An elder from the Southern Covert Martial Arts circle said this as if he had just realized it himself.

"That does make sense..."

"Good idea..."

"It might be worth a try..."

At once, discussion buzzed throughout the conference hall.

"In any case, this international exchange tournament concerns the reputation of our entire Hongli Empire Covert Martial Arts community," the Cloud Dog Fist elder said once again, rising to his feet. "We must avoid a humiliating defeat. Otherwise, we won't be able to hold our heads high when we face foreign Covert Martial Arts sects again!"

Off to one side of the hall, three figures quietly observed the meeting. The one on the left possessed brilliant golden hair, a strikingly handsome face, and a cool aura.

Cassius gazed across at the conference table, where everyone seemed to be debating as noisily as in a bustling marketplace, and a faint smile curved his lips. Truthfully, Cassius had joined this international exchange tournament merely to witness the methods of other extreme combat artists and test out the effects of his four-part Southern Dipper Fist. He had never expected to find such an unforeseen situation that might prove useful.

Whale King Arlington was unbearably arrogant, and the Hongli Empire Covert Martial Arts community had no one who could stop him, risking a loss of honor. For those who practiced martial arts, pride was often as important as skill. If they were thoroughly humiliated this time, an entire generation of the empire's Covert Martial Arts community would feel disgraced.

In such a crisis, if a champion on their side emerged to decisively defeat Whale King Arlington, he would gain unimaginable prestige and influence. Every Covert Martial Arts sect present would owe him respect akin to the position of a martial alliance leader.

Cassius had never forgotten that in another two or three years, an exceedingly horrifying incident would occur, one that would wipe out the mighty Dark Hunter Organization and plunge the entire Hongli Empire into ruin. It would be a grim era. There would be an enemy in the shadows, perhaps all manner of dark creatures in revolt across the land, or maybe even an invasion by the World of Calamity. In any case, Cassius alone would be too weak, stretched too thin to handle every situation.

He would need a formidable outside force to back him, and possibly even follow his lead to some extent. And what was the strongest power in the entire Hongli Empire? Not the Dark Hunter Organization, but the four Covert Martial Arts circles in the east, west, south, and north.

How could he make the entire Covert Martial Arts community of the Hongli Empire owe him a massive favor? Without a doubt, he would take action at this exchange tournament.

He would strike hard and deal a heavy blow. He intended to subdue Arlington with an even more overwhelming and audacious method, so the Hongli Empire Covert Martial Arts community could finally vent its pent-up anger.

Whale King Arlington had arrived in full force, and who could stand against him?

Fret not, Cassius has arrived!