Chapter 70 - Beiliu County

It's not without its side effects, though.

Cassius squeezed his hand, feeling the soreness climb up his entire arm. His muscles felt numb, and he had no strength. He tried to perform Azure Wind Flow again but all he could muster was a light breeze in the center of his rough palm.

Looks like I still need to keep training and getting stronger.

Cassius sighed. After cleaning up the training room, he left.

The next day, Cassius told Instructor Lisa that he had mastered the Azure Wind Flow. Lisa was overjoyed and, after they finished training for the day, took him out for a big meal in Oak City. She even invited Master Oumai to join them.

From that moment on, Cassius became Lisa's inheriting disciple where, unlike a regular disciple, he was responsible for carrying on her legacy.

There was a heaviness behind that word, "inheriting." A passing down of one person's philosophy, ideals, and achievements to another in the hopes that, even after death, a part of the master's spirit could live on, flourishing and expanding, in their disciple. As grim as it sounded, the moment Cassius mastered the Azure Wind Flow, Lisa had no more regrets.

Five days later, the dull thuds of sandbags being hit resounded in a large, rarely used training area within the Wind Elephant Sect. The elders had specifically prepared a fully equipped, well-lit, and spacious training room for the core disciples. Unfortunately, half of the core disciples did not stay at headquarters and the remaining half either preferred seclusion or training at their instructors' places. And so, the largest training room was left unused.

Bang, bang, bang, bang...

A burly man as strong as a bear was furiously punching a black sandbag in the corner. The heavy bag rose and fell with each punch as if it were filled with air rather than iron sand, and the base of the sandbag frame creaked. There were three other figures beside him, also training. One slender figure was punching the bag at such an incredible speed, their hands blurred into a hazy cloud.

Next to them, Cassius grabbed a bottle of water and tilted his head back to chug it. Excess water trickled down his chin and joining his already sweat-drenched white tank top.

He glanced at the two people on his left who seemed to be happily competing. Senior Brother Moses seemed really committed to his act, as he was only exhibiting the same strength he had pre-breakthrough. Was it really that fun to mess with Senior Brother Lance?

At that moment, footsteps sounded from the outside and Senior Brother Hykal walked in. "Alright, everyone, it's time to get ready. Go shower and gather your things. We have a 2 p.m. direct train to Beiliu County to catch today. When you meet the junior brothers later, act like a real senior and be kind and friendly. I'm talking to you, Moses! You hear me?" Hykal pointed at the person in question.

What could he say? The name "Evil Bear" was too deeply ingrained into people's hearts, and it didn't help matters that Moses also looked...menacing.

"How could you call me out like that, Senior Brother? I'm always very well-mannered. Those are all baseless allegations..." Moses slipped back into his signature local accent, that one made him seem like a naive and clumsy bear.

"

Heh.

" Lance sneered beside him.

"

Heh,

" The other three echoed.

"Fuck!" Moses slapped his forehead.

It was 1 p.m. in Oak City, and the disciples stood on the train platform.

Close to twenty people were waiting for the train that would take them into Beiliu City. Besides the ten participating disciples, several elders and spectating disciples were also tagging along.

Oak City only had trains that carried cargo and not passengers, but the Wind Elephant Sect had such an immense influence, securing a train ride wasn't a problem. In total, it would take about two days and nights to reach Beiliu City.

Soon, a black square-head train appeared before them, spewing steam and pulling along a line of cargo. The Wind Elephant Sect group boarded the two carriages they were assigned to. The conditions were a bit rough, but they couldn’t afford to be picky. The fact that they could squeeze over twenty people on the train was already a big win.

𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

The journey was uneventful, with the most memorable sounds mainly coming from the clanking of the steam train. Two days later, Cassius and the others finally arrived in Beiliu City.

Beiliu City was the administrative, economic, and cultural center of Beiliu County, and it was the most prosperous in terms of urban development. Accompanied by the shrill train whistle, the group disembarked and found their attention immediately drawn to the many tall buildings in the distance. Cassius raised his head and gazed far ahead where he spotted huge chimneys piercing the sky, spire-topped clock towers that glinted with a metallic sheen, and a vast array of buildings of varying heights.

Plastered on one of the high-rise buildings was a large black-and-white poster of a beautiful actress from an opera house. With her hands bracketing her hips and her back exposed, she showed off astunning profile.

Some people in the group exclaimed in admiration, but Hykal shook his head. Beiliu City’s development was impressive, but it was still far behind the East Sea County's center, Cloud Sea City.

The group from the Wind Elephant Sect stepped off the platform and joined the other passengers as they exiting the train station. There were around five strong men waiting at the entrance, and upon seeing the group from the Wind Elephant Sect, the leader quickly approached and greeted the three leading sect elders.

They were from the Wind Elephant Sect's Beiliu City branch. Unlike other smaller sects who had to find their own accommodations, the Wind Elephant Sect's team could stay in the branch's building and use their facilities. When the group left the train station, they found three large carriages waiting outside, roomy enough that it could accommodate quite a lot of people.

As the carriages started moving forward, Cassius pulled back the curtain to look outside.

The streets were bustling with people, the population density at least several times that of Oak City. Some pedestrians were dressed particularly formally, with their high hats and bow tied suits, looking somewhat aloof as they carried fancy canes. Their lady partners were also fashionably dressed, wearing seductive fox fur coats that showed off their fair legs.

The carriages sped up, gradually leaving the bustling area behind. When they reached a building that looked like a martial arts gym, the carriage stopped and everyone disembarked.

Cassius squinted against the intense sunlight. In front of the building's entrance, two gray wooden bulletin boards were hammered into the ground, with some enrollment brochures displayed. Above the entrance, a striking silver-white sign stood out: Wind Elephant Martial Arts Hall.