Returning to the Mysterious Era

Cassius’s beliefs and thoughts grew more resolute as he silently stood in the combat arena. Feng Liusi had once spoken of the three paths for combat artists: the Holy Fist, the Dominator Fist, and the Ultimate Fist. Now, it seemed that Cassius was best suited for the Dominator Fist.

A Dominator Fist practitioner channels their Qi outward, overwhelming opponents with an unstoppable force and crushing everything in its path with sheer momentum. It was the most aggressive and lethal path among the three.

In truth, Feng Liusi, the Blood Fist, also walked this path. Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist was inherently aligned with the Dominator Fist. Feng Liusi’s challenge history had clearly reflected this after he had broken through as a combat artist two decades ago. Now that Cassius had also trained in the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist, it was only a matter of time before he aligned with it as well.

As he continued to muse, Cassius glanced at Justin, who was struggling to stand, and then at the spectators. It didn't matter if they were pugilists from Wenxia County's various Covert Martial Arts sects or elite members of the Eastern Nine Sects, most averted their eyes or bowed their heads. Nobody dared to make eye contact with Cassius.

The atmosphere quickly grew tense again.

Cassius looked at the still-hacking Justin and felt a bit speechless. He had held back quite considerably. After all, he hadn't used the Death's Fang technique to avoid accidentally killing anyone, and he had intentionally not exerted his physical prowess fully in order to enjoy a battle that seemed at least somewhat even. He had even given Justin the time and opportunity to fully execute his killing moves with the Evil Eye Fist. Yet, it was still not enough.

In Cassius's opinion, Justin was slightly stronger than the Red Hand Fist sect master but weaker than the Extreme Judo sect master. Of course, this could be due to the way their fist techniques countered each other.

The Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist and Evil Eye Fist were both aggressive styles of Covert Martial Arts, emphasizing swift and deadly attacks aimed at the opponent's vital points. However, the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist was a part of the ancient Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritance and a first-class martial art that was superior to the second-class Evil Eye Fist.

Thus, when these two styles clashed, the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist naturally came out on top over the Evil Eye Fist. Other types of Covert Martial Arts wouldn’t face the same issue with the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist. In Cassius’s mind, the Extreme Judo sect master was stronger than Justin, who in turn was stronger than the Red Hand Fist sect master.

But in reality, if these three fought one another, Justin might actually come out on top.

Cassius stepped forward, and the hearts of those watching trembled as if his foot had landed directly on their chests. It wasn’t just that Cassius had defeated Justin, but his brutal, dominant combat style had marked him as a ruthless person. Ruthless individuals always inspired fear.

"Cough… cough… Y-you've won…"

Justin, supporting himself against a marble pillar with one hand and covering his mouth with the other, let blood seep through his fingers. The marble pillar beside him bore a noticeable dent where he had impacted it.

Though Justin was reluctant to admit it, Cassius was indeed stronger. Justin had clearly been outmatched in their final clash.

Justin couldn’t help but feel a sense of defeat. As the sect master of Evil Eye Fist, being beaten in front of so many people, especially with members of the Eastern Nine Sects present, was a heavy blow. It wasn’t just a matter of personal victory or defeat; the consequences of this loss would ripple far beyond.

"Sect master!"

"I’ll go get a doctor!"

"Master, are you okay?"

At this point, several core disciples of Evil Eye Fist, who had been standing dumbly nearby, finally reacted and rushed to Justin’s side. Some helped him stand, while others ran to find medical help.

Suddenly, a Evil Eye Fist disciple hurried into the arena. It was the same disciple who had earlier delivered messages to Justin in the meeting room. But he froze as soon as he stepped out of the passageway, clearly stunned by the scene of destruction before him.

The arena was unrecognizable. The iron railings had been torn apart and were now scattered all over the ground. The once-pristine marble floor was now riddled with dents, and the pillars were no different.

The young man’s eyes wandered over the scene and met Cassius’s. The youth was almost immediately terrified by Cassius’s blood-red eyes. Gulping, he turned to see his sect master coughing up blood.

"The sect master is injured?!" The young man’s mind raced, but the information he had brought was important.

So, he mustered his courage and quickly walked forward, squeezing past the core disciples to reach Justin’s side. "Sect master, we’ve just received some intelligence. A powerful, unknown combat artist has appeared in Wenxia County! A few days ago, he defeated the Red Hand Fist sect master and the Extreme Judo sect master in consecutive battles! Two battles, two victories. According to the intelligence, this mysterious combat artist mentioned Evil Eye Fist during his bout with the Extreme Judo sect master. He may come to Mia City in the next few days to challenge our headquarters…"

The young man’s voice grew quieter as he spoke. Sweat started to pour down his back as all the core disciples of Evil Eye Fist had turned to stare at him, including their sect master, Justin.

The atmosphere was heavy, but the young man forced himself to continue, delivering the message despite the complex emotions in Justin’s gaze. "The description of the mysterious combat artist is... blonde, black-eyed, around 1.75 meters tall, handsome, with a cross-shaped scar on his forehead…"

The more he spoke, the more he realized that this mysterious combat artist sounded exactly like the person he had just seen. He hesitantly turned toward the arena. The figure he described was indeed walking toward them. Golden hair and blood-red eyes glinted beneath his brow. The young man’s face went pale.

"Oh shit!"

"They’re identical!"

"Could it be?"

The young man looked at Cassius, then at his severely injured sect master. Justin shook his head. "The intelligence arrived too late. I’ve already been defeated…"

He let out a deep breath that was tinged with the scent of blood, and stepped forward to face Cassius, who was still walking toward him. "So, you’re the mysterious expert who recently challenged and defeated several combat artists in Wenxia County, including the Red Hand Fist sect master and the Extreme Judo sect master."

Justin’s voice wasn’t too loud, but it was enough for everyone present to hear. Justin was actually somewhat relieved once his disciple had reported to him. The news had come just in time, even though he had already been defeated by Cassius. At least, he wasn’t alone in his loss. Two other combat artists had already fallen before him! This, in a way, distributed the pressure and reduced the blow to Justin’s reputation…

The spectators began to murmur, especially the sect masters and elders of Wenxia County’s Covert Martial Arts community.

"So, the sect masters of Red Hand Fist and Extreme Judo have already been defeated? Both of them are combat artists in their prime..."

"If we add Evil Eye Fist to the list, this person has taken down three major Covert Martial Arts sects and their sect masters in such a short period of time!"

"Such a high frequency of battles, this hunger for challenges, and such an aggressively offensive combat style... It reminds me of someone..."

"This is not an ordinary combat artist’s level anymore!"

The Soul-Breaking Sword Path and Star Ring Fist sects were similarly shaken. The juniors accompanying them for experience exchanged surprised and fearful glances.

Although Soul-Breaking Sword Path and Star Ring Fist were major sects in the Covert Martial Arts world of the Eastern Nine Sects, combat artists were rare and highly skilled. This level of mastery could not be achieved through resources or power alone. Talent, willpower, and even luck were indispensable factors.

This blond combat artist arrived in Wenxia County and took down three sects like combat artists were as common as cabbage. This was a shock for the Eastern Nine Sects as well.

Over at the Soul-Breaking Sword Path, Lance, who had been knocked unconscious, suddenly woke up. He felt a sharp pain in his abdomen as a wave of weakness and nausea washed through his body. His vision was blurry as he opened his eyes.

"Lance, you’re awake?!" The bald elder who had been caring for him exclaimed joyfully. "Good. You're alright, it's just some minor injuries."

"I’m fine, thank you, Teacher, for your concern."

Tap, tap, tap…

When he heard footsteps, Lance turned his head slightly and caught a flash of striking blond hair. Suddenly, he remembered that he had been knocked out by this person.

Lance’s tone instinctively turned hostile as he shouted, "Hey, was it you who just—mmph, mmph!"

The bald elder’s relieved smile suddenly became a little fake as he slapped a hand over Lance’s mouth, almost suffocating him. Lance’s eyes widened. For a moment, he thought his teacher was going to kill him. Despite his injuries, he struggled to break free.

"Mm! Mm! Gah!"

Lance stopped struggling as the elder swiftly knocked him unconscious once again.

"Stay quiet…"

The boy must be suffering a little brain damage from the fight earlier if he’s spouting nonsense as soon as he wakes up. Best to let him continue sleeping peacefully.

On the other side…

Justin secretly exhaled in relief as he heard the hushed discussions. As Cassius approached him, he continued, "Your Excellency, your strength is extraordinary. I was preoccupied with receiving our guests earlier and couldn’t greet you right away. I hope you understand…"

"I don’t need a reception." Cassius stopped and asked directly, "Where is your martial uncle?"

The implication of his words was clear. He was here for a challenge.

Since he had already defeated the sect master of Evil Eye Fist, the next one should step forward. Blood still lingered in Cassius' eyes, and his Killer Persona radiated an overwhelming sense of dominance.

Justin opened his mouth to reply, but Cassius turned toward the passageway and smiled. An old man dressed in gray training attire had appeared without anyone noticing.

He looked like a typical elderly man. He was wrinkled and skinny, with graying hair and a frail posture. He wore round glasses, giving him an oddly refined appearance.

The old man examined Cassius with calm, emotionless eyes.

"I am Justin’s martial uncle," the old man said.

Swish!

The old man moved like a phantom as he appeared by Justin’s side. At the same time, a wave of Qi burst from his body, causing air to grow turbulent within an eight-meter-wide circle. His Qi clashed with Cassius’s Qi, causing the air to tear between them.

The core disciples of Evil Eye Fist, who were closest, couldn’t even keep their footing, as they were thrown back nearly ten meters. The other spectators struggled to keep their eyes open, as the wind roared in their ears.

Screech!

A sharp, bird-like cry echoed through the air as red mist erupted from Cassius's body, forming a vortex above his head that contained the faint outline of a giant red falcon.

But the old man’s expression remained unchanged. A faint black mist erupted from his body, forming a dark veil that covered the sky above him. A giant eye opened within the veil, gazing down upon them like an unknown entity from the clouds.

An unprecedented and overwhelming pressure descended on Cassius from all directions. However, in his Killer Persona, retreating was not an option. The murderous and bloody aura of the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist surged, fighting back against the old man’s pressure.

Yet, wave after wave of pressure crashed down on him. Suddenly, Cassius heard a cracking sound from within his body. When he glanced inside his body, he realized one of his acupoints had just broken open.

He had just finished a fierce fight with a powerful combat artist and now was facing another experienced veteran. His already loose acupoints were finally bursting open.

This was…his ninth acupoint.

Fighting to grow stronger was indeed the correct method for mastering the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist. Of course, that assumed one wasn’t afraid of getting injured.

Cassius had now opened nine acupoints, just two short of the eleven needed to reach the second stage. The Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist was an ancient assassination fist technique, and thus had no defined levels. Its progress was marked solely by the number of acupoints opened. Feng Liusi, the previous sole practitioner of the fist technique, had grouped the sixty-six acupoints into six stages of eleven acupoints each. Breaking through to a stage increased the resonance and synergy between acupoints.

When eleven acupoints resonated, the Death's Fang Force in the body would become more precise and easier to manipulate. Both the quality and lethality would improve significantly at each stage.

Feng Liusi had opened forty acupoints in his peak, reaching the fourth stage. Cassius was at the peak of the first stage and about to break through to the second stage. He had almost consistently opened an acupoint in every battle against the combat artists of Wenxia County. The elder before him from the Evil Eye Fist sect was no ordinary expert, but a veteran combat artist. Cassius couldn’t help but wonder if he could break through to the second stage by defeating this elder alone.

Once he reached the second stage, he would have a sufficient number of activated acupoints. He could then attempt to seek resonance between his created techniques and his acupoints, just like Feng Liusi’s three ultimate killing moves.

Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist: Thousand Hands Hundred Palms.

Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist: Red Mist Finger Gun.

Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist: Wind Elephant Fourfold.

How many acupoints would each of these killing moves require…

Cassius thought it might be time to let his Killer Persona unleash its full strength. He no longer felt it necessary to avoid using his Death’s Fang Force or suppress his physique. If necessary, he would even trigger the life magnetic field of the Golem and enter the Golem state.

It was time to face the old man with the evil eye hovering above his head!