Returning to the Mysterious Era

The sky was black as rain. It was cold, it was painful, and it was terrifying.

Cassius's mind felt like a stick had been stabbed into it and stirred into a pulp, turning it into a scrambled jumble. He could no longer discern the changes around him; tears and blood blurred together, creating a vision akin to looking through glass streaked with blood-red veins. The wind and rain sounded muffled as if they had been cut off by this metaphorical pane of glass.

In a place where Cassius could not see, time seemed to retreat like a tide pulling back from all directions. Everything around him froze: Mi An's solemn expression on his aged face, the misty rain in the sky, the water splashing out from the cracks in the ground, and the black smoke curling out of the massive ruins in the background.

It was as if someone had captured those people from that era mid-action as they painted a vivid and lifelike painting.

In the next instant, all the colors and outlines began to blur and distort, as if washed away by the downpour, erasing the contents of the canvas completely. In the end, only a swirling mix of colors remained, soaking into the paper.

Cassius found himself sinking into a deep sea, his mind murky and dazed.

"Oh, we poor devils with no money…

Maybe we're dressed in rags, looking laughable…

But we walk side by side, humming a tune.

Who knows what tomorrow holds? We really have no idea…

Maybe it's a pile of troubles, maybe it's a heap of sorrows~"

A distant jazz melody floated through the air. The fluid rhythm made him feel as though his breaths had slowed down to follow along. On a rectangular counter, a black vinyl record quietly spun, its twelve-inch surface producing stereophonic sound, the melody coming out perfectly.

It was like sitting by a crackling fire in a burning hearth, with firewood popping and crackling, and snow drifting outside the window. Lying on a comfy sofa, you watch the images roll by on a black-and-white TV screen, the faint scent of smoke lingering in the air while a fluffy white cat slumbers in your lap.

It was so quiet, so peaceful. Almost too peaceful.

Whoosh!

Cassius suddenly opened his eyes. He was slumped on a recliner.

The dazzling warmth of the midday sun almost blinded him. He quickly shut his eyes, covering his face with both hands like a vampire shielding the sunlight. It took him a while to gather his thoughts and groggily stand up.

The sky above Black Rain Manor had been extremely dark, and it hadn't stopped raining in the Rainy World ever since the first drop fell. Now that he was back in the real world, Cassius felt extremely disoriented.

He placed his hands on the balcony railing, gazing up at the distant sky and surveying his surroundings. The pure blue sky was dotted with fluffy white clouds, like puffs of cotton candy. The walls around the residence were bright white, and the leaves on the dozen or so ornamental trees gleamed a vibrant green.

A gentle breeze caressed his face, bringing with it a warm, soothing sensation. To relieve some tension, Cassius tried for a smile but found himself unable to.

Perhaps some of that gloom and endless rain from Black Rain Manor had clung onto him, making him just a little dark and brooding himself.

It would likely take him some time to adjust and reclaim that cheerful, talkative version of himself. After all, he had spent several years in the time-travel era, even though it had only been a blink of an eye in the real world.

But those years had been real for Cassius, leaving new marks on the wheel of his life. These marks weren't about age or the passage of time; they were of experience.

When a person goes through an experience, they emerge a changed person, and that change would have already started during the process.

Crack, crack, crack…

Suddenly, Cassius was brought back to his senses by a series of cracking sounds from his bones. Warm energy seeped into every corner of his body, making him feel as if he were soaking in a hot spring. The warm water brushed gently against his muscles and bones, bringing, instead of pain, waves of comfort.

Cassius blinked. The effects of the time-travel ability had kicked in. His physical strength in the real world was being enhanced.

Sweat began to form on his body, gradually soaking his clothes. A faint white steam rose from the seams of his sleeves.

As the steam dissipated, Cassius's body didn't bulk up as it had the previous couple of times. On the contrary, he shrank slightly. Though his frame remained unchanged, his once-bulging muscles had diminished. Now, his physique leaned more toward a streamlined form, although his arms and legs were still strong and muscular.

As he clenched his fists, a familiar feeling swept through him; it was the third-level accelerated blood flow, a physique on par with that of a pugilist at the mastery level. Blood circulated through the three nodes—his brow, navel, and heart—subtly strengthening his body with every passing moment.

Cassius had grown leaner, but he had also become stronger!

He now weighed even more than before, as his muscle and bone density had automatically compressed. Every ounce of strength his muscles and tendons generated was more potent than before.

He instinctively glanced at the upper right corner.

[Wind Elephant Fist Incomplete: Elephant Herd 76.6% (Total Three Stages)]

[Elephant Soul Incomplete: Bug Bite 78.3% (Total Three Stages)]

If Cassius remembered correctly, just before leaving the time-travel era, his Elephant Soul: Bug Bite had been at the second stage at 72.8%. Now, it had increased by about 5.5%.

The further one progressed in practicing Covert Martial Arts, the more difficult it became. A mere one percent improvement in the later stages was the equivalent of a ten percent progress in the earlier stages.

However, a 5.5% increase in Bug Bite was still less impressive than starting from nothing to reaching the second level of accelerated blood flow. The issue was clear: Cassius could use the Soul Power in Black Rain Manor to accelerate his own cultivation and bring the results back to the real world, but the effects would yield only a fraction of the original enhancement.

Cassius sighed lightly. It wasn't as easy as he had hoped; the time-travel ability didn't grant him the opportunity to exploit a loophole and power up endlessly. Otherwise, he could have repeatedly returned to the era of Black Rain Manor and used this mechanism to increase his physique. It'd be an additional enhancement every time he went back, and before long, he might even be able to withstand a missile attack.

Although a bit disappointing, the situation was still relatively good. In other words, it wasn't the best outcome, but it was decent. This was merely a case of unmet expectations.

Cassius immediately adjusted his mindset and glanced at the upper right corner again. His biggest gain from this time-travel experience wasn't the physical improvements but the various powerful techniques, and…

Cassius tore off his clothes in one swift motion, revealing the prominent mark of a coiled snake on the gray-white surface of his stone-like chest.

The Rune of Wisdom had successfully been brought back to the real world!

Effect 1: enhances the upper limit of techniques.

Effect 2: inspiration bursts, breaking through the bottlenecks.

Effect 3: can fuse techniques with high compatibility.

The long, thin progress bar was as blank as ever.

According to the rules of the Rune of Wisdom, all things in the ancient mythological cycle would repeat once annually. In other words, the Rune of Wisdom could produce a drop of Blood of the Spirit once a year, providing strong support for Cassius's Covert Martial Arts or technique cultivation.

When Cassius first learned about the Rune of Wisdom, he had a few questions rolling around in his mind such as, which had the higher priority: the time-travel ability or the Rune of Wisdom? Did the time-travel era and the real world count as the same world?

Now, Cassius had the answers to those questions: the time-travel era and the real world were not the same, and the time-travel ability had a higher priority! That was why the Rune of Wisdom had refreshed!!!

The explanation was both reasonable and compelling.

Pride burst inside Cassius at the realization that he could exploit loopholes. After all, the time-travel ability was his power, and it wouldn't be wrong to say that every advantage he gained was due to his own efforts. This was an undeniable fact.

The biggest win from this time-travel was undoubtedly the Rune of Wisdom and could be considered Cassius's second cheat, even surpassing the one of the Shadow Demons.

Whatever. I don't want to think anymore… Cassius thought.

Seeing that the Rune of Wisdom had refreshed after returning to the real world, thus validating his theory, Cassius allowed a smile to creep across his face. Satisfied, he continued to review the status of his Covert Martial Arts progress.

[Stone Armour: Rock Armour - Proficient (Total Three Stages)]

[Lion's Roar Breathing: Unmastered (Total One Stage)]

[Heart Eye: Unmastered (Total Three Stages)]

[Midak Balance Disruption: Proficient (Total One Stage)]

[Azure Wind Flow: Second Stage 90.2% (Total Two Stages)]

These were the Covert Martial Arts closely tied to Cassius's combat prowess. In addition, there were a few bonuses like the three types of cold weapon techniques:

[Tufa Slashing Sword: Second Stage Mastery (Total Three Stages)]

[Midak Cross Sword: Second Stage Proficient (Total Three Stages)]

[Yaka Blood Battle Axe: Second Stage Entry Level (Total Three Stages)]

The individual challenges against the three Decaying Knights who had come to execute him hadn't made a significant impact on Cassius's combat strength. It was akin to a cyclist learning to ride a skateboard—a new skill acquired, but it didn't enhance his primary mode of combat like how the Heart Eye Secret Technique or Stone Armour Technique would.

All that to say, these cold weapon techniques were not completely useless.

For example, the Midak Balance Disruption Technique was derived from the Midak Cross Sword. As they say, "another's stone can sharpen one's jade." More skills meant more tools in his arsenal, and there was no harm in accumulating them, as long as he prioritized the most important ones.

Among the other useful skills Cassius possessed, the ones that were the newest to him were the Lion's Roar Breathing Technique and Heart Eye Secret Technique, and he had yet to begin training them.

He was still in the process of honing the Midak Balance Disruption Technique and was simply waiting for it to be upgraded to a certain level so he could combine it with the Heart Eye Secret Technique. As for the Stone Armour Technique, it originally had only two stages, but after using the Rune of Wisdom, Cassius broke through its bottleneck, advancing to the third stage. With the help of a northern Covert Martial Arts master, he further solidified this advancement.

This had enhanced his body's defensive capabilities, which proved vital during the later battles at Black Rain Manor. He managed to emerge from consecutive fights with very minor injuries, except for the final confrontation when he was exposed to radiation from a meteor.

He couldn't deny how effective this hardening Qigong was.

Another notable skill was Azure Wind Flow. Cassius had finally broken through the ninety percent mark in its second stage—a testament to his years of consecutive days of practice and refinement. This skill couldn't be enhanced by Soul Power, and he didn't wish to use it for that purpose either.

Just when he thought it would be nearly impossible to help Instructor Lisa complete the third to fifth stages of Azure Wind Flow, the Rune of Wisdom had swept in at the last second as a crucial aid. Although it was likely not going to happen right away, there was now a glimmer of hope which was a significant improvement from the previously bleak prospects.

Cassius had already mastered the Azure Wind Flow during his time in the time-travel era, allowing him to successfully form a Tornado Sphere most of the time. The fact that he could do this seven to eight times out of ten demonstrated his increased control and significantly enhanced the technique's power.

In summary, Cassius's strength had made several small leaps.

While it was hard to quantify his overall combat power, his defensive capabilities were undoubtedly top-tier, just below that of a martial artist. His resilience was remarkable, to the point where he could now probably withstand a period of being hit by a barrage of heavy machine gun fire.

A rare cold breeze blew from the east, causing Cassius's slightly loose pants to balloon out. He immediately retreated from the crescent-shaped white balcony into the living room and took a quick shower. It helped to clear up his slightly disoriented mind.

After changing into tighter-fitting casual clothes, Cassius sat in the living room, lost in thought as he listened to the music play. After a while, he stood up, stopped the spinning record, and let silence envelop the room. He sipped his black tea, the beverage calming his mind.

Honestly, after spending years in the time-travel era, he had almost forgotten some of the things from the real world. He needed to organize his thoughts and memories.

To do this, Cassius prepared a pen and paper. He pondered for a moment before beginning to jot some things down.

First, a few days ago in the real world, he had joined the Ace of Spades, becoming the fourth-ranked member of their assassination department, known as the Jack of Diamonds, "J." During the welcoming ceremony, the assassination department had proposed a plan of retaliation against Duststorm where they would destroy their antique transportation routes. The antique transfer warehouse was somewhere in the northern part of Black Sand City, though the exact location was unknown. The assassination department would dispatch Violet to notify him when it was time to act.

Second, he had come into contact with both the Shadow Demons and the Shadowless Clan in the past few days. Just yesterday, he had sold a Sharp Claw-level Shadow Demon to the Shadowless Clan. Oh, and there was still a Red Eye-level Shadow Demon locked in the basement.

For now, it was unclear what the Shadow Demons were going to do, and he was still keeping a close eye on the Shadowless Clan. In other words, both were unknown factors.

Third, during his last return, he had intercepted a shipment of antiques from Duststorm, where the shipment had contained four antiques with lingering attachments that seemed to originate from the same place and required further investigation.

Fourth, if he remembered correctly, he had recently saved Matthew. Matthew's father, Jason, was in charge of the Connan Company, a fairly powerful beverage company, and Jason's younger son, Phil, could be considered his disciple.

Fifth, and most importantly, it was currently 2 p.m. on July 11, Year 156 of the Hongli Federation calendar. The last time he had time-traveled was on July 3, meaning he still had over fifty days until the next Shadow Demon manifestation. He was still safe.

Cassius's greatest fear was losing track of time and being caught off guard by the Shadow Demon manifestation, forcing him to fight in a battle where his life was on the line. That would be a waste.

The Shadow Demons might only lose a single life, but Cassius would lose the satisfaction of successfully exploiting every possible loophole! He instinctively pinched the bridge of his nose, lost in thought. When he brought his arm up, a black mark caught his attention.

"Hmm?"

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