Returning to the Mysterious Era

Cassius shuddered violently like a weary traveler finally relieving himself after holding it in after a long journey. The sensation shot straight to his brain, making every hair on his body stand on end, bringing an intense pleasure and sensitivity.

For some reason, this state felt vaguely familiar, reminiscent of a certain moment from the past. After pondering for a moment, Cassius recalled that it was similar to when he had used the Rune of Wisdom and the Blood of the Spirit. However, the stimulation brought by the Pure Black Demonic Water was far less intense than that of the Blood of the Spirit.

When he used the Blood of the Spirit, Cassius remembered feeling a powerful sensation in all his internal organs, as if they were being roasted in a furnace. The moment the Blood of the Spirit reached his brain, it felt like he had been struck by lightning. Blood gushed out of his nose, eyes, mouth, and ears… he was essentially bleeding from all seven orifices.

If the Blood of the Spirit was like a violent, raging river, then the Pure Black Demonic Water was more akin to a meandering stream. One worked rapidly, while the other was slow and steady.

Cassius could feel a cool sensation enveloping his entire brain, like applying a refreshing stimulant to his temples. It was an extraordinary coolness, making his senses much sharper than before.

It was as if he had been nearsighted and was now wearing glasses after going without a pair; everything had become crystal-clear. He could even discern the tiny particles of dust, floating and swirling in the air like insects, in the moonlight.

Cassius slowly extended a hand, gently waving it through the air. For a moment, he could sense the changes in the direction, force, and so forth, in the airflow between his fingers.

"Amazing, truly amazing," he muttered. His eyes glinted. He glanced at Number Five on the ground, then turned his gaze toward the magician.

"Bass, tell me about the effects of the Pure Black Demonic Water."

The magician swallowed hard, having still not fully recovered from the shock of witnessing the White Skulls member who had been hunting him down get obliterated like that. It was simply too terrifying.

"Huff… huff…" Facing Cassius's calm gaze, the magician took a deep breath. "Sir… um… Sir, though this might not be the best time, I must warn you that the Blue Star Manor is the White Skulls' current headquarters. They are an extremely dangerous extremist group, and every one of their members is a formidable neo-human. If a captain-level figure arrives, we might…"

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Number Five, who had curled up on the ground like a dead dog, face ashen, turned slightly red after hearing those words.

"A captain-level figure? You mean this one here?"

Cassius casually kicked Number Five and then picked up his black coat. Stones had punctured through, leaving three holes in the fabric. Without a second thought, he draped it over his shoulders.

Magician Bass followed Cassius's gaze and once again noticed the pale-faced man on the ground. His prominent hooked nose, disheveled brown curls, and overall wretched appearance were hard to miss.

His legs were clearly broken and twisted, with dried blood on the pants. On his wrist was a skull-faced watch, and three wide silver rings on his fingers marked his status as a captain-level member.

The captain-level figures of the White Skulls were notorious throughout the neo-human world, either to the point that they were well-known faces, or they remained enigmas. Or, to put it more bluntly, any neo-human who had seen a captain-level figure's true face would likely have been killed. Although Bass didn't recognize Number Five, he instantly knew the man was at the captain level of the White Skulls—the rings were proof enough.

And yet, here lay an "A"-rank neo-human, sprawled out on the ground like a gutted fish on a chopping block where, at any moment, the butcher could chop off its head with a cleaver.

It really is at the captain level!

Bass was once again shaken. Sometimes, strength and destructive power needed a reference point to determine just how powerful one was. When Cassius sent a man-sized metal device flying with his punch, destroying a building in the process, Bass was amazed but couldn't fully grasp the extent of his power. However, Cassius's victory over an "A"-rank neo-human at the captain-level of the White Skulls, gave Bass a much clearer indication of his strength. Bass instantly elevated Cassius above the level of the White Skulls' captains in his mind's eye.

"Stop wasting time," Cassius urged.

"Oh… right, right." Bass snapped out of his daze and quickly got to the point. "The primary effect of Pure Black Demonic Water on us neo-humans is that it activates the source energy within our bodies. Source energy can be thought of as the root of our power. For instance, a werebeast's source energy comes from beast blood, while a psychokinetic's source energy comes from psychokinesis. Different manifestations of the same power source are what distinguishes neo-humans from ordinary humans." He paused briefly.

"Take a psychokinetic as an example. After using Pure Black Demonic Water, the brain becomes highly active and can remember using psychokinesis in vivid detail. The training effect is also multiplied several times and can last for a period of time. The higher the grade of Pure Black Demonic Water, the longer it lasts, and the more significant the training enhancement. That being said, the effects vary even within the same grade of Pure Black Demonic Water as it is dependent on the strength of the neo-human.

"The stronger the neo-human's source energy, the greater the consumption of Pure Black Demonic Water, which then means the duration is shorter and enhancement is less effective. Some 'A'-rank neo-humans can no longer use lower-grade Pure Black Demonic Water because it doesn't stimulate their high-level source energy at all—it's completely useless to them. This might be one of the reasons why the White Skulls pursue blood rituals; so they can refine and extract higher-grade Pure Black Demonic Water."

Bass rattled off most of the information in one breath. On the ground, Number Five remained silent, offering no response.

Cassius stroked his chin thoughtfully.

If what Bass said was true, did that mean he was now a neo-human? After all, logically, only neo-humans could absorb Pure Black Demonic Water, yet Cassius didn't seem to possess any source energy.

The meteorite radiation at Black Rain Manor had caused only one noticeable change—a blood vessel had mutated, turning black and thicker, and had given a slight boost in strength. Other than that, Cassius hadn't noticed anything different.

A pugilist who has mastered the Covert Martial Arts can sense every change happening inside their body. Even the slightest anomaly would be detected if he paid careful attention, but there hadn't been any alarm bells raised. The blood vessel mutation was simply a physical change; there was nothing more to it.

So, what effect could the Pure Black Demonic Water have on him?

Cassius immediately began exploring, unconcerned with the two people nearby. To him, one was a future subordinate, and the other was as good as dead. Most of the so-called White Skulls members were likely already dead or severely injured. The remaining few posed no threat and couldn't disrupt Cassius.

In the central plaza, amidst the fog, he slowly and firmly spread his feet apart, grounding them on two pieces of the grayish-white stone brick floor. Then he bent his knees, lowering his body, with one clenched fist behind him, and the other extended in the front as if grasping something. This was the starting stance of the "Wind Elephant Fist: Elephant Herd" chapter which embodied the core principles of the fist techniques.

When your mind becomes as clear as a stream, the wind becomes unstoppable.

After a brief pause, Cassius began to execute the moves of the Wind Elephant Fist, acting as though he didn't have an audience watching him. His steps shifted, his waist twisted, and his elbows, fists, knees, and spine worked in unison, blending all his strength together into a single force. Straight punches, piercing punches, swinging punches…

In an instant, a myriad of blurred shadowy fists filled the air. The wind whistled, and the dense fog swirled around him. After half a minute, he slowly moved his gaze to the upper right corner of his vision.

[Wind Elephant Fist: Elephant Herd 76.6% (three levels in total) △]

A triangular symbol suddenly appeared behind the status bar of the Wind Elephant Fist, similar to the plus sign that appeared when he used the Rune of Wisdom before. Cassius cautiously turned his attention to the triangle.

△: Due to the brain being in an active state, comprehension, perception, and information processing abilities have temporarily increased. The ability to learn skills has been enhanced by 400% to 600%! Additionally, due to improved memory, insights gained during this period are difficult to forget.

Demonic Water Consumption: ▆▆▆▆▆▆▆▆▆▆

Niiice.

Cassius's eyes lit up. No wonder this Pure Black Demonic Water was so highly sought after by all the major forces of the neo-humans—what a precious resource!

He could improve the Wind Elephant Fist four to six times faster than usual; this was extremely important to Cassius. The further one advanced in Covert Martial Arts, the closer one got to the realm of a martial artist. Cassius could feel just how difficult it was to practice these Covert Martial Arts.

That was especially the case with fist techniques; even with daily practice, the progress was as slow as a tortoise. Unlike physique training, it couldn't be improved quickly using some dark magic method like that of the Black Rain Manor. It required steady progress, where a foundation could be built step by step, with occasional insights.

Practice, practice, and more practice, until quantity turned into quality.