Chapter 511 - Covert Martial Arts Sects All Over The World

Since he had decided on the path of the Dominator Fist, didn’t he need to defeat all top-tier combat artists of his era?

He regarded Whale King Arlington, the leading figure in the Covert Martial Arts community of the United States of Yana, and the current leader of the Gate Organization, Holy Fist Demon Phoenix, as fair targets. If either appeared before Cassius, he intended to let them experience his honed skills and see who stood superior.

In fact, Cassius hoped both of them would appear before him at the same time. He felt like he had already reached the limit of all three avenues now that he had elevated his Qi to the level of an extreme combat artist. If he only faced one extreme combat artist, it would be difficult to spark any true surprise and would likely leave him unsatisfied.

He believed it would mean little if he could not even be forced to unleash his full strength. At that moment, Cassius actually hoped that Whale King Arlington, the extreme combat artist, would be as strong as possible—the stronger the better. Only an opponent who truly piqued his interest could make the journey feel worthwhile.

The meeting of the Covert Martial Arts community of the Hongli Empire stretched from the afternoon until sunset. The endlessly chattering elders of the major sects finally reached a decision: they would invite two individuals. First, they would ask Elder Victor from two generations prior of the first-rate sect, Star Ring Fist. It was one of the top three Eastern Covert Martial Arts sects. While Elder Victor's age had led to a serious decline in his vitality and an overall drop in strength, the international exchange tournament still needed someone of his stature as a steady presence, at least to offer some reassurance for the various sects—even if it was merely self-deception on their part.

They also planned to invite a second individual, Seven Evil Stars Jed from the southern Covert Martial Arts community of the Hongli Empire. He was the disciple of the earlier mentioned master from twenty years ago in the southern forest, and was in the realm of a top-tier combat artist. He wielded the Seven-Star Fate Realm Secret Technique, and was in his prime, with rich fighting experience.

Without doubt, if they wanted the Covert Martial Arts community of the Hongli Empire to save face in this tournament, they had to rely on Seven Evil Stars Jed. Truthfully, the Covert Martial Arts community of the Hongli Empire was not lacking in all options against Whale King Arlington. It was just that time was too tight and the preparations too few. Many powerful figures who lived in remote mountainous areas were impossible to contact on short notice. Seeking them out one by one could take half a year even with maximum effort.

Thus, several old monsters who had sealed themselves away in desolate places to break through to the extreme combat artist realm were out of the question. They could only pick from a handful of known experts who had been active over the past few years.

By six o'clock in the evening, regardless of the decision, the meeting finally concluded. One of the experts departed East Sea City at once, relying on their Covert Martial Arts to sprint across the wilderness in hopes of inviting Victor and Jed as quickly as possible.

***

Later that night, inside Ivy Manor...

In a wide, spotless clearing, four figures sat cross-legged, while a tall, dark silhouette observed them in silence from the front.

From left to right sat Fog Man, Odo, Nine Serpents, and Hermit. They all kept their eyes tightly shut, their eyelids trembling, and their breathing becoming increasingly rapid as sweat slowly soaked their black robes.

Chaotic fluctuations of Qi fanned out around three of them, causing the surrounding air to ripple and scattering small stones on the ground into corners.

They were digesting the energy Cassius had bestowed upon them that day, allowing various insights about Covert Martial Arts to flash through their minds, waiting to be seized. It felt as though their bodies were sponges, doing their utmost to absorb a wealth of knowledge and power.

All sorts of moves and all manner of applications surged into Nine Serpents’s, Hermit’s, and Fog Man’s bodies in streams of warmth, fusing into their muscles and becoming instinctive..

Meanwhile, Odo, at Cassius's request, wholeheartedly activated his Illusory Moon Fist, demonstrating the circulation route of his Qi in complete detail. It was Odo's tenth time doing so as Cassius was extremely meticulous, striving for perfection in his written record.

He observed quietly in the courtyard for half an hour, then returned to his own room.

A curtain with faint white lace trim was tied to the side by a black ribbon, and the window was pushed open, letting in fresh air. A stack of amber-colored bound parchment lay upon a brown desk.

The parchment appeared to be specially made, looking unusually durable with a honey-like tint, as though it had been soaked in a special medicine for a long time.

Cassius sat down before the desk, his eyes unusually profound. He stared at the parchment for a long while before slowly extending his finger. He clearly intended to use his fingertip as a pen as he let dense Qi flow forth. There was no killing intent, but rather a fluid gentleness.

Thin threads of Qi wrapped around his finger and gathered at his fingertip.

Whoosh!

Cassius suddenly swiped his thumb across his index finger, slicing open the skin. A small bead of thick, bright-red blood slowly oozed out.

Drip.

His finger pressed down on the cover of that special parchment. He wrote, stroke by stroke.

"Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritance"

The blood-red characters, with an extremely sharp edge, were fully encased in Qi, sinking into the parchment using the Qi Engraving Technique.

"It's time to begin writing the Illusory Moon Fist..."

***

On the following day, the Eastern Covert Martial Arts community officially began the international Covert Martial Arts exchange tournament. Not only were many elders and heads of the Hongli Empire's Covert Martial Arts sects in attendance, some elite experts who followed Whale King Arlington from the United States of Yana were present as well. Even the Blue Star Empire sent representatives, eager to witness the tournament's grand spectacle.

Experts from many smaller nations also arrived, some sporting distinctive traditional garments that were unfamiliar yet striking with exotic charm. For instance, the Serpent Fist Sect from the Gukas Kingdom consisted of bronze-skinned women wearing scant clothing, revealing the well-toned figures they had cultivated through years of training. Certain necessary areas were first wrapped in white cloth, then covered by a garment, creating a rather never-seen-before style.

Their shoulders, backs, midriffs, and thighs all lay exposed. Yet onlookers dared not stare for long, for these Serpent Fist masters possessed faint greenish scale patterns under their skin reminiscent of pythons, which normally remained invisible. Once revealed, they induced hallucinations in their opponents, pushing them into a stupor. If one had a weak will, one could only imagine the aftermath of going into combat.

It was all too easy to make a fool of oneself in public under such influences.

In addition to the Serpent Fist style, there was also the Blue Jia Dao from the Blue Star Empire. It was a type of body-cultivation suitable for grappling, granting the joints incredible suppleness yet unyielding toughness. Once they wrapped itself around a target at close range, they would coil like a python around a pillar, locking their joints rigidly in place. This method slowly compressed the chest, crushing the internal organs and leaving its victim gasping for air.

In short, the world was vast, and there was no shortage of surprises. The international exchange tournament provided a platform for Covert Martial Arts sects from all areas of the globe to display their prowess. Even Cassius gained a new perspective as he had never imagined such bizarre Covert Martial Arts could exist.

He felt a sudden realization in his heart and found it profoundly moving. He believed that this style of exchange was excellent. Perhaps once he returned to the real world, Cassius might send out invitations in the name of the Golem Sect to Covert Martial Arts sects worldwide to attend his own exchange tournament.

He intended not only to expand his horizons or bolster his own influence, but also to explore an idea. The Covert Martial Arts community hardly mingled with the rest of the supernatural world, since they seemed to be separated by some unknown force. They had very little contact with dark creatures, almost as though they were in parallel worlds.

He felt a change was in order. After all, dark creatures did not just exist in the real world; there was an entire World of Calamity akin to hell out there. One never knew when the world's balance could overturn. The Covert Martial Arts community was a formidable force that had to be leveraged proactively in resistance.

Cassius planned to make this public and lift the veil that had shrouded the Covert Martial Arts community for so long, letting them witness true reality. He even intended to simplify the Golem Seeds and Qi Seeds further, distributing them to ordinary people willing to train in Covert Martial Arts. Under the leadership of the Golem Sect, they would initiate a counterattack on dark creatures, cleansing calamity in its entirety.

Of course, that was only an idea; its actual implementation would depend on future circumstances.

***

On the afternoon of July 27, at Kafka Hall in East Sea City.

The largest and most luxurious venue in all of East Sea City had been booked by the Eastern Covert Martial Arts community months prior and extensively modified. They had torn down unnecessary structures, widened the roads, and built multiple arenas. It was a majestic sight from the top of the walls; a spectacle of dozens of arenas, big and small, adorned with exuberant decorations.

However, only matches involving veteran combat artists and below were held at Kafka Hall. The battles involving top-tier combat artists and extreme combat artists, who surpassed ordinary measures of strength, had to be held outside the city.

After all, the force of their battles alone could demolish the entire hall, and if they fought without restraint, they might even destroy half of East Sea City—something the Eastern Covert Martial Arts community absolutely could not allow.

The international exchange tournament's opening ceremony concluded at two in the afternoon, under a blazing sun at Kafka Hall. A few highly respected elders finished their addresses and returned to their designated seats. After some clamor, all registered contestants were sorted into various divisions. They were required to take their credentials to the designated areas by a set time.

On one side of the hall, Cassius spoke quietly to his four subordinates. "Go, then. It is time for me to see how you all perform in actual combat..."

"Oh, and pay attention to those Covert Martial Arts sects from the western deserts of the Blue Star Empire. They may have a special force different from ours, so try sparring with them. Only by crossing forces can you truly test your Covert Martial Arts..."

Cassius recalled encountering a treasure hunter named Yun from the Blue Star Empire in the real world. That man had been quite fortunate, since he had discovered the inheritance of the Sharp Wind Force and Rock Grinding Force in the western desert. Although they were rough, low-level forces, it plainly showed that the Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritance was not the only Covert Martial Arts with special forces; it had merely gone the furthest and deepest along that path, and thus remained the most powerful.

All of the Holy Fist-level experts he currently encountered hailed from the Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritance, which clearly held an advantage in surpassing limits. Cassius had once speculated based on scattered clues that upon reaching the Holy Fist realm, masters of the Southern Dipper lineage saw their Qi and force multiply without limit, creating tremendous destructive power. Ordinary Holy Fist experts, on the other hand, likely only experienced a boundless increase in Qi, missing that crucial second component.

From a perspective of pure combat strength, they could not match the Southern Dipper lineage. He mused over this and then shook his head abruptly.

He had not yet reached the Holy Fist realm himself, so it was too early to judge which Holy Fist experts were stronger or who held greater potential. He needed to stay grounded...

This time, Cassius had not registered for the international exchange tournament. He had no patience to play at such trivial contests and preferred to watch in leisure. Once Whale King Arlington made his move, Cassius would choose to act. Sometimes the savior's emergence at the final moment made perfect sense. Who in the world would be awed or grateful if one defeated the ultimate villain right from the start?

Cassius stood quietly on a corridor within the hall, gazing into the distance. Anthony and Fiona approached him cautiously. They did not go to the arenas immediately but instead came to find Cassius.

After a moment of hesitation, Anthony said, "My Lord, are you truly not going to participate in this international exchange tournament? Whale King Arlington arrived here in the Eastern Covert Martial Arts community, bragging that not a single person in the Hongli Empire's Covert Martial Arts community was worth his time. He’s even claimed they weren't even enough to make him use his full strength. He was unbearably arrogant, but nothing more than a frog at the bottom of a well. Had he seen you shattering that meteor half a month ago, I doubt he would dare say a word now. My Lord, if you made a move, that mere Arlington..."

He spoke quickly, his words tumbling out. Fiona interjected occasionally as well. Altogether, they both wanted Cassius to crush that foreign Whale King Arlington, quell his overbearing arrogance, and uphold the reputation of the Hongli Empire's Covert Martial Arts community.

Cassius merely smiled faintly at their appeal.

"Go compete. When the moment is right, I will make my move. Just as you said, that Arlington isn't anything..." he remarked, lowering his eyes.

Anthony and Fiona exchanged glances, then departed at once. Now that they had received Cassius's assurance, they left with renewed confidence.

Then, Cassius suddenly flickered and moved dozens of meters in an instant. He sensed the Gate Fragment resonating in his mind and whipped his head to look around. His gaze landed on a man among the thick crowds. The man frowned and glanced around, apparently having perceived that momentary resonance of the Gate Fragment as well. A second later, he shook his head, as if dismissing it as an illusion, pulled up his hood, and disappeared into the throng.

"So you finally showed yourself. As expected, the Gate Organization would never miss such a grand gathering. A core member? The Seven General Kings? Or that Demon Phoenix who falsely claims the Holy Fist title? Let them all reveal themselves... I'll capture them in one fell swoop..."