Chapter 94 - Tornado Sphere

Instructor Lisa had once told him that a pugilist could use the core techniques of the Covert Martial Arts to train their physique beyond human limits, allowing their spirit to sense and control the acceleration of blood flow within their body.

There were three main nodes: the heart, the navel, and the forehead.

Each time a node was opened, the speed of the accelerated blood flow would double, and in turn, the burst of strength and speed would also double. As a pugilist who had achieved a breakthrough, Cassius could already double his blood flow acceleration, but with this, he could accelerate it threefold!

At this moment, Cassius's physique had already surpassed human limits, and he could easily punch through a car's metal body. Now, what if he tripled that strength? If he were to punch a human body with that level of strength and speed, it would be like punching a water-filled balloon. The balloon would explode, scattering its contents everywhere.

Cassius could already imagine what a blood scene that would make. He had taken yet another step toward an inhuman path.

In the shadows, Cassius clenched his right fist, and his knuckles emitted a creaking sound.

Boom!

A massive black shadow surged like a roaring serpent. His clothes rippled like waves and plastered itself to his back from the force of the intense gale.

His muscular arm halted abruptly in midair, and a layer of white smoke slowly dissipated from his fist. Cassius smirked. He hadn't even used Azure Wind Flow in that punch; he had solely used the threefold explosive strength from his own body. The air in front of him had compressed into a barely visible white mist in front of his swiftly advancing fist.

Let's try Azure Wind Flow,

Cassius thought, as he stretched out his right hand, his five fingers forming a claw. Instantly, air currents, discernible to the eye, squeezed through his fingers, gradually enveloping his palm. His pupils turned crimson as he entered the second stage of accelerated blood flow.

Whoosh...

The white mist in his palm began to spin rapidly, its edges forming spiral-like ripples. It spun faster and faster, forming a flat white sphere in his palm. Just before the sphere could be completed...

Boom!

The air mass exploded, and a strong wind swept through a ten-meter radius. It sounded like a basketball had burst.

"Did I almost create a Rasengan?! No... wait, that's copyright infringement. Uh... Tornado Sphere![1]"

Cassius was astonished. He hadn't expected the power of Azure Wind Flow to increase that much in the second stage of accelerated blood flow. The spiraling airflow generated a tremendous grinding force.

If he pressed it against a wall, he would likely break through. It might even be powerful enough to punch through concrete. Unfortunately, the air bullet had failed. Cassius lacked the control to be able to use the air current properly.

To truly succeed, Azure Wind Flow would need to reach the second stage, and Cassius was not far from getting there.

[Azure Wind Flow: Stage Two 69.1% (Two Stages)]

This achievement was largely thanks to the Shadow Demons' generous gift.

Cassius clenched his fist tightly. He felt like he could now defeat several of his former selves. He even suspected that Senior Brother Hykal, who had been a pugilist for five to six years and was constantly on the lookout for strong opponents to spar against, might not even be his match.

In other words, if he participated in the Beiliu County Exchange Tournament again, he might emerge as the champion in the individual competition, which would deem him as the strongest under thirty among all Covert Martial Arts sects.

"Strength is the foundation of everything," Cassius murmured. He was brimming with joy and satisfaction for being able to wield a greater power.

Phew

...

Don't get ahead of yourself.

He exhaled deeply, chastising himself. Instructor Lisa had drilled this into his mind over the past few years.

Confidence is strength; arrogance is foolishness! Embarking on the Covert Martial Arts path meant finding the way forward for one's fist.

Cassius turned to look at the pile of bodies in the corner. It was going to be troublesome cleaning up those gang members' bloody bodies. The Shadow Demons' method of killing was too crude. Firearms were messy and inconvenient compared to the clean efficiency of snapping a neck.

Despite his disdain, he still had to deal with the aftermath. Yes, these were all despicable gang members, but too many dead bodies would surely prompt an investigation by the Baichuan City Police Department and Cassius had no desire to be hounded by pesky detectives.

While disposing of the bodies, he found something on the gun-carrying leader, and pocketed it for the time being. Under the cover of night, he tossed all the bodies into the suburbs where he carelessly dug a pit and buried them all.

Cassius had finished cleaning the warehouse at nine in the evening, and was extremely meticulous in not leaving a trace behind. He gathered all his belongings and placed them neatly to the side. He then lit an oil lamp, sat down on a chair, and took out a notebook.

The notebook had a brown cover and stiff yellow pages. Something was tucked in between them. When he cracked it open, a colorful photograph slipped out from the first page. Cassius caught it in midair instantly, thanks to his reflexes.

Glancing at the photo under the light of the lamp, he frowned.

The image depicted an antique—a large brass and redwood enamel wall clock. Its design was intricate, with fine details carved on its edges. It looked remarkably well-preserved.

Cassius placed the photo back into the notebook and began to carefully flip through the pages under the soft yellow light; he was extremely interested in antiques. As he flipped the pages, Cassius’s eyebrows raised. A particular keyword caught his attention: "Duststorm."

This rising power was currently challenging the Ace of Spades in Beiliu County. Their operations were extensive, covering things like contraband, antiques, "flour," and murder, among other things. Black Fire Gang, the local gang in Baichuan City, had secretly allied with them, providing various services to the organization.

This notebook contained a list of antiques to be transported to Baichuan City. The gun-wielding leader he encountered earlier was the Black Fire Gang member responsible for handling these transactions. Cassius recalled the conversation he overheard at Phil's family estate, where Phil’s father mentioned Duststorm’s plan to hold an antique exhibition in Baichuan City.

The notebook detailed the warehouse address in Baichuan City at 118 Beika Street, with the transport scheduled for midnight on July 25. The vehicle was a black Fotte transport truck and it would have three armed escorts.

It matched everything that Cassius had heard at the estate. All except for the timing. The notebook indicated that the exhibition would be on July 5, which was tomorrow at midnight, putting it twenty days earlier than what he had previously hard. The information he gathered from the notebook firsthand was clearly the most accurate.

Cassius was greatly intrigued by this serendipitous discovery. He continued flipping through the pages and found numerous photos. Some depicted single large antiques and others displayed collections of smaller items. Near the latter third of the notebook, one particular photo made him pause.

"It's a pocket watch," he murmured to himself. "Like the one Instructor Lisa gave me."

1. We added this part because the word used in the raws is, in fact, the Japanese term for Rasengan ☜