Chapter 514 - Three Extreme Combat Artists

Odo and the other three fell silent for a moment. Ultimately they did not answer that question. Their Director had not attended the second meeting and had instead remained at Ivy Manor to continue writing the Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritance and revising the four Covert Martial Arts styles.

Since they had not received prior instruction from Cassius, they would not answer that question. The scene thus turned somewhat quiet, and the Covert Martial Arts Practitioner who had risen slowly let out a sigh.

Clearly, he believed that the silence from those four already served as an answer.

After all, where would one find such heaven-sent wonders? Some ancient hidden Covert Martial Arts sect suddenly emerging with five combat artists, including one extreme combat artist, and a fist technique grandmaster capable of challenging or even defeating Whale King Arlington? No matter how one looked at it, the odds of that were minuscule.

Thus, after that Covert Martial Arts Practitioner sighed, he sat back down in disappointment and did not continue questioning Odo and the rest. He decided it was better to focus on current realities than fantasize about some champion suddenly falling from the sky...

By his estimation, five or six days had passed, and the parties sent to persuade Star Ring Fist and to the southern jungles ought to have returned.

None of the many elders were certain they could bring Blazing Light Fist Victor and Seven Evil Stars Jed. Blazing Light Fist Victor was a highly respected figure in the Eastern Covert Martial Arts community and had once served as a senior elder of the Star Ring Fist. Under normal circumstances, he should have heeded the summons of the international exchange tournament to fight for the dignity of the Hongli Federation's Covert Martial Arts community. However, he was advanced in years. At eighty-five years old, he had diminished physical functions, slower reactions, and waning combat strength.

He likely was no longer the Blazing Light Fist of his prime.

Was it truly wise to have such an elderly man enter the arena against Whale King Arlington, who was still in his prime? Could Victor's decades of painstaking training, honed to perfection, really compensate for the deficit in physical strength? Whale King Arlington's bodily strength was extremely formidable. Although his Covert Martial Arts were not aimed solely at training the body, they definitely provided strength that nourished the body. Otherwise, he would not have seemed to revert to youth in just two or three years after breaking through.

Whale King was not a name that was given lightly. That moniker was related to the Covert Martial Arts Arlington trained in, as well as his terrifying physical strength. Legend said he could throw a casual punch that carried the force of an entire blue whale.

In past life-and-death battles, many powerful opponents had been utterly destroyed by a single punch from him. In truth, whenever Arlington stepped into a new realm, his strength reached the very pinnacle. It was like he was born with god-given strength.

Blazing Light Fist Victor would definitely not last many blows in a direct clash.

Should this esteemed elder be killed in one punch on the arena while his body exploded in gore, it would be an even more humiliating spectacle. It would be harder to bear than a normal defeat. Thus, whether Elder Victor would show up remained entirely his own decision. Of course it would be best if he came, but if he did not, everyone could understand.

Then there was Seven Evil Stars Jed of the southern jungles. Some elders from the southern Covert Martial Arts community had already been sent to persuade him. Since the lineage of Seven Evil Stars Jed had long been reclusive, they did not have much contact or friendship with other Covert Martial Arts sects. Accordingly, the delegation could only rely on reasoning, emotional appeals, and plenty of offerings in the form of resources.

After all, bringing someone out of seclusion to fight an extreme combat artist was extremely risky, even if Jed possessed his teacher's Seven-Star Fate Realms Secret Technique. If he did not react quickly enough, he could be knocked out before he even had a chance to use that technique. Taking a risk like that would require some kind of assurance and generous benefits.

All sects of the Hongli Federation's Covert Martial Arts community shared these costs. Once apportioned among them, it remained tolerable. The only remaining worry was if Seven Evil Stars Jed might turn it down entirely and refuse to come at all. After all, it was a request to risk his life and no outcome was guaranteed.

The meeting ended on the morning of August 1.

At midday on August 1, good news arrived: Blazing Light Fist Victor agreed to step forward once more on behalf of the Hongli Federation's Covert Martial Arts community. However, he was keenly aware that his strength had declined substantially with age. For that reason, Victor urged everyone not to place too much faith in him. Even if he took action, he would likely suffer a tragic defeat against Arlington.

He advised everyone to prepare mentally and think of other back-up plans. Since Victor had expressed his stance, people naturally shifted their hopes to Seven Evil Stars Jed.

Late on August 1, four black silhouettes dashed across the plains like vigorous stallions, entering the city in the blink of an eye.

That night, Kafka Hall blazed with lights.

Most of the sect elders of the Hongli Federation's Covert Martial Arts community saw Seven Evil Stars Jed for the first time. He was a coldly arrogant man, adorned in black trousers and a sleeveless top with a leathery look. Thick wrists were adorned with metal-studded bracers that resembled armor.

His entire body bulged with powerful muscles, like blocks of stone. There were seven faint protrusions about the size of chess pieces on his broad chest, connected in a way that seemed to mirror the stars in the sky.

That was the Seven-Star Fate Realms Secret Technique.

Seven Evil Stars Jed did not possess handsome features but rather had a rugged, fierce face. His hair was short and stiff like steel needles, and he exuded a vaguely herbal smell that was somewhat strange to the senses.

Inside Kafka Hall's well-lit main chamber, the crowd welcomed him.

Yet Seven Evil Stars Jed spoke with a steely severity, "Your offer is insufficient. You must at least double it before I will agree to your request, and I also have a few more conditions to add..."

His words caused an immediate uproar. They murmured among themselves, clearly dissatisfied. The proposed reward was already substantial, and doubling it meant the equivalent of an entire second-rate sect's resources. It would be painful even if it was shared among the various Hongli Federation Covert Martial Arts sects.

Seated at the head of the conference table, Jed regarded the gathering with a frosty gaze, harboring no intention of compromise. He had come precisely to make a big profit; the southern jungles were remote and barren, lacking many valuable resources. Jed had long wanted to relocate his sect to the wealthier Eastern Covert Martial Arts community.

Failing that, moving to the Northern Covert Martial Arts community could also work. The south and west of the Hongli Federation lagged behind in development, with scarce resources needed by many sects. Even fresh young blood was in short supply.

Seven Evil Stars Jed planned to use this opportunity to transplant his entire sect into the Eastern Covert Martial Arts region, which was what he wanted from his additional conditions. The four major Covert Martial Arts communities of the Hongli Federation were partitioned by geographic lines and were notoriously exclusive. Adding an entirely new Covert Martial Arts sect would require others to yield a share of their benefits, an idea few found acceptable.

If a sect tried to establish itself in another Covert Martial Arts region, it often faced repeated challenges from that county or even several neighboring counties' Covert Martial Arts sects, along with ostracism. Before long, they would be unable to hold out and would have to slink home or simply disband into a mere master-disciple tradition.

They would lose their original name and identity as a sect. To gain a foothold in the Eastern Covert Martial Arts community, one needed the support and approval of local sects. There was no doubt that this international exchange tournament presented an excellent chance as long as Jed could face Whale King Arlington and hold out for a while without losing too badly. He believed he could manage that much; he would not win, obviously, but lasting a few more moves was possible.

Jed had trained his teacher's life's work, the Seven-Star Fate Realms, to the five-star level. This process involved using special herbal concoctions and certain exercises to cultivate five tumor-like nodes in his body akin to five dantians, each corresponding to a particular star—a separate Fate Realm. If he was gravely wounded and near death, he could detonate one of them, activating a surge of vitality and rapidly healing his injuries.

In other words, Jed had five opportunities to recover from lethal injuries. As long as he was not killed in a single instant, he could hang on with seemingly indestructible vitality. Jed had trained diligently for many years under his teacher's tutelage until he attained top-tier combat artist strength with fearsome fighting capability. He believed that, even if Whale King Arlington was a fist technique grandmaster at the extreme combat artist realm, he would not be able to beat Jed in just a few exchanges. In the worst case, Jed could still deploy the Seven-Star Fate Realm and, after regaining his strength, endure a few more punches.

Jed even fantasized about using those five chances of sustaining injuries to gradually wear down Arlington's Qi to force a sort of standstill. If he truly could fight Arlington to a draw, his reputation would surely skyrocket overnight. The entire Hongli Federation's Covert Martial Arts community would know of his name.

In fact, he did not feel he was daydreaming but had a basis for believing it.

Twenty years ago, back when Jed's teacher still lived, the two had once sparred seriously as master and disciple. Naturally, Jed had lost, though not by as wide a margin as he had feared. That recollection filled him with ambition over the last two decades, making him believe the extreme combat artist realm was not unreachable. While his teacher had been near the end of his life back then, Jed himself also had not possessed the power he did now. Twenty years ago, he had just entered the veteran combat artist rank.

Hence, he felt a measure of confidence facing Whale King Arlington, and he also believed strongly in his plan to move his entire sect into the Eastern Covert Martial Arts community. He was certain he would be welcomed as a guest of honor and could easily integrate once he joined that collective.

Yet Jed had overlooked certain details. Just how close to death had his master been back then? Had his master truly used all his strength in that sparring session? After all, Jed had pestered him relentlessly for that match, and there was no telling if that fist technique grandmaster had gone easy. The most critical point was that Jed's master's fame in the southern jungles was derived from a Secret Technique like the Seven-Star Fate Realm, centered on attrition and recovery, whereas Whale King Arlington was famed for his overwhelming, explosive style of combat.

Sometimes, overconfidence and misjudging facts could prove fatal.

In the real world where Cassius lived and the various time-travels he had experienced, the Eastern Covert Martial Arts community had never seen a sect from the southern jungles nor heard tales of any famed Seven-Star Fate Realms. It seemed that the historical outcome of this battle had already been predetermined.

Thus, on the night of August 1, Kafka Hall was in a clamor.

***

At the same time, in a city on the outskirts of East Sea County...

Dense plants and tall grasses by the beach swayed gently in the breeze under the cool moonlight. The waves continuously crashed against the shore, dissolving into white foam again and again. The sound of waves filled the air.

A figure in a loose black robe stood quietly. A gust of wind forced her robes against her, revealing a slender, graceful figure. She was clearly a woman, with a lock of dark red hair billowing beneath the cloak.

The moonlight slanted across her delicately pale nose and full, crimson lips, giving her the appearance of a mysterious, enchanting witch.

Suddenly, she parted her red lips, revealing white teeth as she murmured softly. "He arrived..."

A tiny black dot on the surging sea's horizon drifted closer. Over time, the silhouette grew steadily larger and faster. Only once it neared the shoreline did the faint moonlight reveal the vessel's true form: it was a wooden boat.

It was just big enough for one person, and there was indeed a single passenger aboard. Though it had no apparent means of propulsion, the little craft sped forward, riding the wind and waves. In the end, it soared onto the shore, coming apart in midair.

A tall, black-robed figure landed gracefully and turned around. He wore a cloak like the woman, but had a somewhat unsettling white mask of a pale, bone-like texture over his face. Beneath the mask were two entirely black eyes with no whites, shifting slightly.

They radiated an aura of lifelessness, eeriness, and morbidity.

"Number One..." the woman waiting on the beach spoke quietly.

"Sixth?"

The masked man called Number One asked in a flat, emotionless tone.

"No, I am Fourth. The Northern King is already dead after using that Soul-Blood Covert Box..." The woman shook her head. "Your memory has only gotten worse..."

"It doesn't matter... I only need to remember Lord Xiadu's orders..."

After pausing in silence, the masked man continued, "I had unresolved matters in the Southern Reef Continent, so I fell behind Arlington. He seems to be challenging the Eastern Covert Martial Arts community of the Hongli Federation. What is the situation so far..."

The Fourth General King then recounted what she knew of the situation.

"

Heh

, let him be. He has always been obsessed with fighting. Three years ago in the Southern Reef Continent, I ran into him, and he badgered me into fighting for four days and nights without stopping. His desire to compete is intense," the masked man recalled. "But it makes no difference as long as it does not interfere with our grand plan. We reached an understanding before he crossed the ocean. By the way, how about things with Demon Phoenix? Has he finished his work in the northern part of the Northern Reef Continent?"

"He's more or less done, and is leaving the remainder to the Second and Fifth to handle. He set out a week ago and will likely arrive in East Sea County before long..." the Fourth General King explained calmly.

"Hm." The masked man nodded. "Me, Arlington, plus the Demon Phoenix. Three extreme combat artists in total. No matter how dangerous that place is, we can go there!

Heh heh heh...

Eternal Archipelago, Eternal Archipelago..."

The First General King had acquired a malevolent artifact called the Soul-Blood Covert Box in the Southern Reef Continent. It contained the blood of powerful beings and other aberrations. Absorbing that blood greatly augmented one's strength and allowed one to inherit the original owners' memory fragments and Qi fragments.

The First General King had chosen to absorb it, causing his power to reach the extreme combat artist realm. Additionally, he also unearthed some interesting information within those memories—treasures left behind by mighty figures from ancient times!