Returning to the Mysterious Era

Chapter 251 - You Need Another Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritance!

Luen stared dumbly, eyes wide as he struggled to find words. After some time, he finally stammered in disbelief, "Father?"

Feng Liusi had appeared at the last second during the battle at the Evil Eye Fist arena and drawn the rampaging Cassius away. But that had been a fleeting moment. Luen hadn't seen Feng Liusi then, and by the time they left the combat arena, Feng Liusi and Cassius had already disappeared, leaving only devastation in their wake. Therefore, seeing Feng Liusi appear before him now was an unimaginable shock for Luen.

Feng Liusi nodded. Emotion flickered over his face as he slowly said, "I'm back."

He added, almost as an afterthought, "I've completed my seclusion."

Luen's lips moved as if he had a thousand things to say.

For decades, Red Falcon Fist had relied on Feng Liusi as its sole combat artist. After experiencing a dangerous setback, Feng Liusi had gone into seclusion for three years. Luen had then shouldered the burden of keeping the Red Falcon Fist alive and endured countless difficulties. However, Feng Liusi's condition had only continued to worsen, and he even hinted that if he couldn’t resolve his issues, he might die.

Red Falcon Fist had been plunged into even greater turmoil over the past six months as the Eastern Alliance plan from the Eastern Nine Sects loomed over them. Evil Eye Fist was slowly pressuring them from outside, while internal problems within Red Falcon Fist continued to fester. Luen had fought through exhaustion and helplessness as he struggled to hold everything together. But now, his father had returned from Death Canyon. Joy and relief, emotions Luen hadn't felt in a long time, flooded through him.

When Feng Liusi was still active, Red Falcon Fist, though considered a third-tier Covert Martial Arts sect, had thrived. The infamous Blood Fist had given them a powerful reputation that left even Evil Eye Fist cautious.

Luen took a deep breath as he took in Feng Liusi's youthful face. His heart raced as he asked, "Father, did you make another breakthrough in your Covert Martial Arts? You look decades younger."

Feng Liusi walked up to Luen, holding the latter’s eager gaze, and patted his son's shoulder. "You guessed right, kid. After three years of seclusion, I finally broke through a bottleneck, which means I not only resolved the issues causing my setback, I've also regained some of my youth. I won't need to go into seclusion again."

Though Feng Liusi said this offhandedly, he was deeply grateful to Cassius. If it hadn't been for the young man challenging him in Death Canyon, Feng Liusi might have remained trapped in the Loka Mountains forever, doomed to die in isolation.

The reason Feng Liusi didn't reveal the full truth to his son was to protect Cassius's secret. He had done the same earlier when Saint Feinan had marveled at Cassius's astonishing recovery ability. Feng Liusi wasn't about to betray that young man's secret, not even to his family. You couldn't trust everyone.

You couldn't keep a secret by saying, "I'll only tell you; don't tell anyone else." The best way was to take it to the grave. So, Feng Liusi had come up with a convenient excuse.

Luen almost jumped up in excitement. Despite being in his forties or fifties, he suddenly felt like a child again.

The Blood Fist had broken through!

What did this mean? Luen had watched his father break through as a combat artist and then defeat two combat artists in a month. The first bout had ended in a victory and the second in a draw. Three years later, his father had killed his lifelong enemy. Three years after that, he had crushed the renowned Eastern Nightingale Assassin Organization of the Hongli Federation with a single punch. Later, Feng Liusi traveled north to challenge the best martial artists in the Covert Martial Arts world.

The return of the Blood Fist meant that even though Red Falcon Fist was only a third-tier Covert Martial Arts sect in Wenxia County, the entire Eastern Covert Martial Arts world would have to pay them their due respect. This was the effect of having a top-tier combat artist. Luen could already envision his father returning to the Red Falcon Fist headquarters in Mia City and sweeping away all internal and external conflicts.

Despite having weathered many storms, Luen couldn't help feeling excited upon hearing this news. He took a deep breath, suppressing his glee, and cautiously asked, "Father, is your strength fully restored now? If there are still any lingering issues, we should..."

Feng Liusi chuckled. He lifted his right heel slightly before lightly tapping the ground. A massive surge of energy rippled through his foot and slammed into the earth.

Luen felt the ground tremble beneath him as if an earthquake had struck. He watched in astonishment as a crack quickly stretched across the road and into the surrounding fields. The fissure continued to spread, tearing through the land for over ten meters. One by one, five to six trees in the nearby forest were felled, sending dirt and leaves flying into the air.

"So, what do you think? Do you think my strength is back?"

Guffawing heartily, Feng Liusi ruffled his son's hair, just like how he had when Luen was young. It looked oddly out of place, considering Luen was now in his forties or fifties.

When he saw the ground-shaking strength of his father, Luen's smile widened and he let out a deep breath of relief.

Three minutes later...

Bang!

A black car drove past and veered into a ditch.

The driver jumped out of the vehicle, cursing, "How the hell is there such a goddamn wide crack in the road?"

***

Luen didn't drive back to Red Falcon Fist headquarters. Instead, he followed Feng Liusi's directions to a small white villa on the outskirts of the city. The villa was fenced in by a low wall, and surrounded by a sea of lush green trees. It was the ideal place for meditation and recovery.

Saint Feinan had purchased this place a long time ago. He and Feng Liusi had been friends for over a decade, and whenever Saint Feinan visited Mia City, he would stay here. Naturally, Cassius had also been brought to this villa.

Luen was guided to the living room and given tea, while Feng Liusi headed for a room on the top floor. When he opened the door, a thick, pungent medicinal odor hit him.

Cassius was sitting there, his upper body bare, while Saint Feinan stood beside him holding a jar of black, paste-like substance.

Saint Feinan knew that Cassius had an extraordinary healing ability, but internal injuries were very different from external ones. So, he had prepared a special medicine that could penetrate the skin and reach the muscles and organs. Drained of Death's Fang Force, Cassius was now in a semi-conscious state and unable to resist the application of the medicine.

When Feng Liusi opened the door, he saw a muscular man completely covered in what looked like a thick layer of mud. Saint Feinan fanned Cassius with his crystalline blue whip in its sword form, which emitted a cold aura that solidified the special ointment on Cassius's body. This was a treatment method for healing injuries unique to Saint Feinan's secret sect.

Feng Liusi felt his eyelids twitch. He knew Cassius well enough that he was certain his injuries, both external and internal, had likely already healed by now. If Cassius was still not awake, there was probably another reason.

Right now, Cassius was being unconsciously driven by Golem Covert Martial Arts. His circulating energy and blood were alternating between two separate systems. Two life magnetic fields clashed and intertwined, while the three core techniques of the Golem Covert Martial Arts were rotating chaotically.

At one point, it was the Killer Persona. Then it was the Main Persona, and then it was the Cold Persona.

The Cold Persona appeared the least frequently, while the Killer and Main Personas were evenly matched. It was as if they were engaged in a battle of Will and soul, like an invisible war except without the scent of gunpowder in the air. Weapons clashed as transparent soldiers fought each other on an unseen battlefield. Whoever gained the upper hand would come out as the ultimate victor.

As the two armies faced off in a deadlock, an unexpected group of soldiers came to the Main Persona's aid. Although these soldiers were fewer in number compared to the forces of the Main Persona and Killer Persona, their arrival disrupted the balance between the two.

The Main Persona and Cold Persona seized the opportunity, pushing forward in a concerted effort. They managed to suppress the Killer Persona in Cassius's mind and claim victory. The moment one of the Main Persona's soldiers hurled a spear and killed the last soldier of the Killer Persona, Cassius opened his eyes!

His body jerked violently as he felt an indescribably cold and sharp pain shoot through him. It felt like his already exhausted heart had plummeted into an abyss.

What's happening to me? Something seems wrong with my body.

Although Cassius was still somewhat disoriented, he immediately noticed something strange within him. There was a chilling sensation moving through his body. It was an odd feeling, elusive and fleeting as if he were suspended in midair. Sometimes it felt cool, but other times he felt a bone-chilling cold piercing through him.

"Damn it!"

Looking down, Cassius realized that the source of the cold sensation was coming from a long sword hovering in midair.

A white-haired young man he had never seen before was standing next to him. This stranger was holding a sword that radiated a frosty aura and moving it back and forth over Cassius's body like how someone might iron their clothes.

When he realized Cassius had regained consciousness, Feng Liusi, who had been about to leave the room, quickly approached the bed. "How are you feeling? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Cassius replied, pressing his hand to his aching head. It was only then that he noticed his pitch-black arm and the mud-covered upper half of his body.

Instantly, he felt worse.

Half an hour later, after listening to Luen, Feng Liusi, and the others go over what had happened during his bout of madness, Cassius slowly began to understand what he had done.

He realized that this hadn’t happened solely because of the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist technique. The true root of the problem lay in the three core principles of Golem Covert Martial Arts.

There was no such thing as a perfect Covert Martial Art in this world. There were hidden drawbacks for every strength of a Covert Martial Art. The three core principles represented three different personas, each capable of absorbing different combat techniques during battles and training.

It was like having mastery over three different fist techniques. Impressive? Absolutely! If one could master all three, it would be like three grandmasters launching an attack at the same time. The overwhelming pressure of their techniques would be as vast and unfathomable as the ocean! Furthermore, breaking through in all three aspects would result in three times the Qi of an ordinary combat artist!

However, things weren't as perfect as Cassius had initially thought. The most critical issue lay in maintaining a balance. Losing balance would bring significant risks. In short, the Killer Persona had been progressing too quickly and was overpowering both the Main Persona and the Cold Persona. In retrospect, Cassius realized he had been overly reliant on the Killer Persona during this time. From the moment he challenged Feng Liusi in the Loka Mountains, he had continuously absorbed techniques, experiences, fist techniques, willpower, and even red Qi after his breakthroughs, all of which favored the Killer Persona.

This caused the Killer Persona, which had been tightly suppressed by the Main Persona, to grow stronger. Since the nature of challenges and duels among practitioners of Covert Martial Arts were primarily focused on combat, it was perfect for the Killer Persona's development. Although the Main Persona and Cold Persona also benefited, the gains were far less significant.

The breakthrough of three acupoints in the Evil Eye Fist arena was a direct catalyst for his recent loss of control. By the time Cassius finished thinking things through, Feng Liusi was the only one remaining in the room. He then sought Feng Liusi's advice on the matter.

In truth, Feng Liusi had already suspected that Cassius had been intermittently slipping into the Killer Persona state during their two months together in the Loka Mountains. The two of them had made an unspoken agreement not to bring it up.

Feng Liusi sank into thought. Five minutes later, Feng Liusi finally offered his best answer. "Cassius, I think what you need to do now is to master fist techniques from other styles of Covert Martial Arts to restore balance. Otherwise, today's incident might repeat itself in the future.

"Since the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist is a top-tier Covert Martial Art, the other two Covert Martial Arts should ideally also be top-tier, or at the very least second-tier," Feng Liusi said, pondering as he spoke. "However, there's something you need to keep in mind. The training methods of different Covert Martial Arts might conflict with each other, so you must choose two that are compatible. That's the tricky part—it's going to be hard to meet both conditions."

He looked seriously at Cassius as he added, "Alternatively, you could just abandon your cultivation of the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist and start over to achieve balance among the three personas.”

“But knowing your personality," Feng Liusi shook his head, rejecting the idea himself, "I doubt you'd choose that option."

He stood up from his chair and walked over to the open window. Thin wisps of red steam began to seep out of his pores and collect above his head. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting the shadow of the red halo in sharp relief.

"I have an idea, one that may allow you to solve the balance issue without the hassle of abandoning any training methods or of solving conflicts amongst them." Feng Liusi raised his hand. A sharp cry echoed through the air as if a fierce bird of prey had split the sky with its call. "I once told you about the origins of the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist in the Loka Mountains. It's an ancient assassination fist technique, a Kill Fist technique. It has no associated training methods—it's just a fist technique. It comes from ancient ruins, and besides the Red Falcon, there are other techniques like the Sonic Serpent and the White Bird.”

"So, Cassius..." Feng Liusi's eyes glowed intensely. "What you need now are the other Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritances!"