Chapter 65 - Wind Elephant Covert Martial Arts, Stage Two

Let's begin.

Cassius adjusted himself until he was in his optimal condition. Without hesitation, he grabbed the bottle and unscrewed the cap.

A pungent smell wafted out from the bottle. The smell was similar to something in his past life, a diesel truck's exhaust. The smell wasn't very awful, but it wasn't pleasant either. He paused for a brief moment and took a huge gulp. He didn't finish the entire bottle, only downing about half of it.

Cassius clicked his tongue; the pungent liquid had a surprisingly sweet taste. That and the smooth texture made it a relatively easy drink to go down.

He exhaled an exhaust-smelling breath and inhaled slightly. Instantly, a spicy sensation surged from his mouth, rapidly spreading down his esophagus and to his stomach.

While Cassius's face turned slightly red, his entire body heated up. His back and forehead were beaded with sweat and it wasn't long before his tight-fitting combat pants were drenched.

At that moment, he looked like he had been exercising intently all afternoon, his skin as red as a boiled lobster. Sweat poured down in rivulets, gradually wetting the floor around him. Scorching heat radiated from his body, causing dense white steam to slowly rise up. The steam was particularly noticeable in the winter sunlight.

Thump, thump, thump...

Pounding like a drum, his heart pumped blood throughout his entire body faster than usual. Cassius recalled what Instructor Lisa told him.

Calm your mind and focus. Cycle through the ten stances of Elephant Soul: Prickling.

He immediately began the movements. In the sunlit room, a tall, bare-chested young man sweated profusely, striking various peculiar poses in silence.

Cassius trained from dawn until noon, meticulously following Instructor Lisa's teachings. He only took three breaks through the entire process, each lasting only five minutes, which he used to hydrate and recover his stamina.

The room was sealed shut, with only a small crack in the window allowing some air flow in so it stunk of sweat.The gray floorboards in the corner dried and dampened over and over again, almost as though salt crystals were forming in the gaps.

At that moment, Cassius stood on tiptoe, his calf and thigh muscles tense and trembling. His hands were clasped behind his back, his chest held high. He was exhausted and hot. The whole thing was getting more and more unbearable.

But how could one achieve progress without enduring pain? He considered himself extremely lucky as he had gotten the Fire Oil, a supplementary item that could help him achieve a breakthrough. Other ordinary martial artists might never achieve this level, no matter how hard they trained for the rest of their lives. Cassius was incredibly lucky compared to them. This psychological boost helped with maintaining a steady focus.

He endured the fatigue, searching for an opportunity for a breakthrough amidst the chaotic sensations. He waited for that flash of inspiration.

Creak.

The door opened. Lisa tiptoed in, carrying a lunch box in her left hand and three large cans of salted water in her right. She moved silently, setting the items down and collecting a few empty cans from the corner before leaving.

Cassius knew that in a critical moment like this, Instructor Lisa would stay outside the door, waiting until he either succeeded or failed.

Ten minutes later, he exhaled a breath of murky air and stopped moving. He opened the window to ventilate the room before opening the lunch box to eat. Even if one possessed an extraordinary physique, it was still important to replenish energy. In addition, Covert Martial Artists needed to consume more food than ordinary people.

For a while, the only sound in the room was chewing.

His muscles were so sore and tired that he couldn't grasp the knife and fork properly. Fortunately, his thumb and index finger were fine, so he ate the sausage and meat with just those two fingers. After finishing, he placed the lunch box in the corner and drank a can of salted water.

Cassius paced around the room for twenty minutes to stretch and relax his tense muscles before sitting cross-legged on the floor for another ten minutes to rest. He then repeated his morning routine.

Just like that, an entire day passed. From morning all the way to evening, he worked on breaking through his limits. Although he had yet to succeed, Cassius could feel that he was getting ever so closer which was a good sign.

In the evening, he showered and changed his clothes to get ready for bed. However, due to the Fire Oil's side effects, his vitality was extremely vigorous, rendering him unable to fall asleep.

After tossing and turning for an hour, Cassius finally sought help from Instructor Lisa's sleep-inducing hand chop. A single strike to his neck and he was out like a light.

The next day, he repeated the previous day's routine. Cassius was inching closer to the barrier between Stage One and Stage Two of the Wind Elephant Covert Martial Arts. By the third day, he was very close to the bottleneck.

It was noon on the fourth day. Cassius had entered a meditative state since the morning. He sat there with his eyes shut and his head bowed, and his breathing was even and steady. He hadn't touched the lunch box or the salted water in the corner.

Lisa had come in once while this was happening but immediately left upon noticing the situation. She placed her items aside and waited outside the door. She knew that Cassius was on the verge of a breakthrough. No one could be allowed to disturb him!

Thump, thump, thump...

Huff, huff, huff...

The only audible sounds were his heartbeat and breathing. The frequencies of the two were different. A normal adult at rest breathes twelve to twenty times per minute, with a breath-to-pulse ratio of one to four. But right now, Cassius was breathing faster, while his heartbeat was slowing down. Until they fully synchronized.

Ffft...

Cassius's nose emitted a sound like a leaking bellows. Inexplicably, a pressure came out of nowhere and engulfed him. His skin tightened and it was getting difficult to breathe. His cheeks swelled and turned a purplish-red.

He felt an increasingly painful sensation on his left chest. Cassius's heart felt like it was about to explode. His muscles and veins pulsed violently, his blood pumping frantically. Though his heartbeats had slowed, each contraction was only getting stronger and faster, causing his blood vessels to feel like they were about to burst. Overwhelmed, his chest made a noise.

"

Pfft

!" Cassius spat a mouthful of blood. A faint creak came from the door, as if someone had opened it slightly.

He spat another mouthful, staining his clothes and splattering the floor with blood in the process. After spitting out that blood, Cassius felt somewhat relieved. As he relaxed, a sound of muffled thunder suddenly exploded in his ears.

Boom!!!

His heart contracted violently, sending thick, viscous blood shooting throughout his body like bullets, forcing it into every vessel.

Cassius looked horrifying as droplets of blood the color of red grapes seeped out and hung from his pores. The blood slid along the contours of his muscles and dripped to the ground.