Returning to the Mysterious Era

At dawn, the sky lightened to a pale blue as wisps of white clouds floated across it. Gentle sunlight spread evenly over the grassy fields and green trees where the occasional chirp of birds could be heard.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Dull thuds echoed from a white courtyard as if someone were hammering the ground with an iron mallet.

In the courtyard, a tall figure stood firmly in the center in a horse stance. Two specially made iron rods gleamed in the sunlight as they struck Cassius's chest, back, shoulders, thighs, and calves repeatedly. Even his groin was occasionally hit.

The iron rods swung quickly with great force. Each heavy blow struck Cassius’s muscles with sharp clangs, bursting freshly formed sweat into mist.

"Put more back into it! Especially you, Bass," Cassius said. "Don’t hit like a weakling! Are you trying to tickle me? I can barely feel it at this level. Even Haisha hits harder than you." Cassius's face remained expressionless.

On his left was Bass, dressed in casual clothes, who forced a bitter smile. As a neo-human, his powers came from psychokinesis, unlike Haisha’s beast bloodline. Beast bloodline holders were naturally much stronger than ordinary people, and their strength increased even more after transforming. Bass’s psychokinesis didn’t enhance his physical strength, so he was only as strong and tireless as a well-trained human at most. It was normal for his stamina to run out. After all, they had been striking Cassius for over half an hour.

"Sir, my psychokinesis is nearly depleted…" Bass said, his face pale. He had been using his psychokinesis to conserve physical energy while swinging the iron rod, but now both his stamina and powers were nearly exhausted, and his clothes were soaked through with sweat.

"Alright, we’ll stop for today," Cassius said, waving his hand dismissively.

Cassius felt somewhat unsatisfied as he glanced to his right. Haisha, the catwoman, was dressed in a tight-fitting outfit that accentuated her curvaceous figure. Her red hair was damp with sweat, clinging to her slanted, alluring eyes. Despite her soft, curvy figure, she had surprising strength and stamina. Her beast bloodline certainly had its uses.

"You two can leave now. Put the iron rods back in the tool room, and prepare the medicinal bath for me. Set the wooden tub in the private room on the second floor." Cassius gave the orders casually, realizing he now had subordinates to do his work. Although they hadn’t been around long, he believed his charisma would eventually win them over.

After the two left, Cassius stood alone in the courtyard. Sunlight shone through the clouds, casting rays on his glistening, sweaty, bare, rock-white chest.

His Stone Armor Technique had reached the third stage, the most extreme level—the Stone Armor Realm. It was akin to evolving from the standard hardening Qigong. At that stage, any further progress would only come with time as it steadily accumulated.

"Haa…"

A hot breath escaped his lips. Cassius's gaze was as bright as a torch as his bulging muscles slowly contracted. His frame shrank slightly and his build became less exaggerated. Although his frame was still large, the sense of overwhelming pressure he gave off had noticeably diminished.

He pushed on the dense, hardened muscles of his arms and then made his way to the private room on the second floor. It was time for his daily training of the Elephant Soul.

Cassius submerged his entire body into the scalding medicinal water. The black liquid bubbled, and a strong, unpleasant smell of herbs filled the room. In no time, he could feel the sensation of being bitten by mosquitoes over his entire body.

Cassius was already accustomed to this. Though the pain his body endured could drive an ordinary person mad, his expression remained unchanged. His eyes slowly closed, and he let his head sink down. He held his breath completely as he fully submerged himself.

While training, Cassius began to think about other matters, specifically the Heart Eye Secret Technique, which he had a particular affinity for.

The Heart Eye Secret Technique focused on enhancing one's senses, and after being affected by the Shadow Demon, Cassius’s sensory perception had become unusually sharp. By that logic, he had the natural aptitude for training in the Heart Eye Secret Technique. It was entirely possible that his results could surpass those of regular practitioners. With a bit of persistence, perhaps it wouldn’t take long for him to see results.

As his thoughts shifted, Cassius realized that by fully immersing himself in the medicinal water, he had effectively blocked out his sight, taste, hearing, and smell. All he could feel was the water on his skin.

Perhaps it was the perfect time to try training in the Heart Eye Secret Technique. He began immediately, activating the core principles of the Heart Eye Secret Technique in his mind. In the next second…

Roar!

A scream as fierce as a tiger's roar tore through the room.

The wooden tub filled with medicinal water exploded, and a naked Cassius stood upright in the private room, his face twisted in pain. His right hand trembled. ℞Ἀ₦ỖꞖÈṤ

It hurt! It was excruciatingly painful!

It felt as though millions of ants were crawling all over his body, gnawing at his skin, flesh, bones, and nerves. The sharp pain was so intense that, despite years and years of enduring hardship, Cassius couldn't bear it. His body reacted instinctively, shattering the wooden tub with a single punch.

As he had guessed, immersing himself in the medicinal water while using the Heart Eye Secret Technique had amplified the sensation. It magnified the pain several times over, as all his heightened senses focused solely on experiencing the agony!

The pain was so intense that it could easily break a normal person mentally and physically. Fortunately, Cassius had managed to regain control quickly.

"Ugh, never doing that again," he muttered, glancing at the hairs standing at attention on the back of his hand and the goosebumps covering his body.

Bass’s voice called out from outside the secret room, "Sir, is everything alright?"

"Oh, yes, it's fine. Just made a small mistake during training," Cassius said dismissively. He glanced at the mess on the floor and bent to clean it up. Just then…

"Hm?" Cassius closed his eyes, noting the changes in his body. A moment later, he opened his eyes in surprise. Somehow, without him realizing it, he had achieved the entry-level mastery of the Heart Eye Secret Technique.

[Heart Eye Secret Technique: Left Eye Entry-level (Total Three Stages)]

"Did the pain from earlier cause this?" Cassius made a reasonable deduction. "The stimulating medicinal water must have triggered my sensory perception."

He wasn’t entirely sure but based on what he saw, training in the Heart Eye Secret Technique while immersed in the medicinal water seemed to be effective. Moreover…

Cassius glanced at his rock-hard muscles, feeling a faint ache spreading from all directions. It was as if the medicinal water had been absorbed into his skin and was now working inside his body.

"The body reacted to extreme external stimulation, causing the muscles to contract, body temperature to rise, and pores to open?" he muttered to himself. He'd need to test that theory more to land on a conclusion. If he was correct, it might shorten the daily training time required in Elephant Soul, which would certainly be a welcome development.

"Damn it, I guess this is just preparing me for the future pain of mastering the third stage of Elephant Soul…" Cassius muttered. The look on his face made it seem as though he were bracing for war.

It was 8 a.m. on July 18 and Cassius was just starting his breakfast. Golden sunlight streamed through the windows of the first-floor living room, casting eight rectangular irregular patches of light on the brown carpet. The longest beam fell directly across Cassius’s back.

"Huuu…" Cassius inhaled a cool breath and shifted his seat to the left, catching the attention of the others at the table. Bass had a strange expression on his face but said nothing.

It was a standard living room with two burgundy sofas facing each other over a coffee table. There was a brown cabinet with small vases, a coat rack, decorative paintings, a clock, and a brand-new brass phonograph. Beside the sofas was a wooden rectangular table.

The table was set with a fragrant, visually appealing breakfast—pan-fried bread and sausages cooked to perfection, with sweet-smelling warm milk. The breakfast had been prepared by the catwoman Haisha. It was much tastier than anything Cassius could make himself.

After gulping the milk, a car horn suddenly sounded from outside. Cassius wiped his mouth with a napkin and glanced out the window toward the courtyard. Outside the iron gate, a black car, of a model identical to the one parked in his own yard, had pulled up. It was called the "black cloud," if he remembered correctly.

It was the official car of the Ace of Spades. Cassius remembered clearly, as it had only been a short while since he had attended a meeting in the assassination department. They had been planning for the organization’s retaliation against Duststorm in that meeting, aiming to destroy their antique routes and warehouse transit centers. From the looks of it, did this mean the operation was about to begin?

Five minutes later, Cassius opened the car door and slid into the soft back seat, with Bass following suit.

From the driver’s seat, a familiar, cold and alluring face turned toward them. "Boss, who’s this?"

"You can call him Magician; he’s one of my men," Cassius replied, crossing his arms as he cast a glance at Violet.

That day, Violet had dressed up more than usual. Her naturally seductive eyes were lined with black eyeliner, and her lips were full and adorned with red lipstick. Combined with her flawless face and the tear-shaped beauty mark at the corner of her eye, her appearance was enough to make anyone’s heart race.

Not to mention the tight red dress she was wearing, which accentuated her curvaceous figure perfectly. A third of her plump, white thighs were exposed, gleaming under the sunlight.

"Got it," Violet replied, her expression unchanged. However, after turning away, her eyes were slightly downcast in disappointment. Master Wind Elephant hadn’t really paid her much attention. What a shame… it had taken quite a lot of courage to wear such an outfit.

Violet started the car, and the wheels slowly rolled forward. She took a small breath and, glancing at Cassius through the rearview mirror, spoke slowly.

"Boss, it looks like you’ll have to attend another meeting. Our assassination department won't be the only one involved this time; the antiques department will also be sending senior members there. The operation will likely begin soon so as the Jack of Diamonds, you should be prepared."

"People from the antiques department?" Cassius’s expression didn’t change. "Is the meeting happening at the old location?"

"No, it’s at a new location this time to avoid being tracked by Duststorm. It’s at Green Light Park in Baichuan City’s East District."

As they talked, the car began to pick up speed. Streetlights flashed by as the car entered the main road where more pedestrians and vehicles appeared.

Car after car with distinctive goldfish-shaped grilles slowly passed by. Occasionally, Cassius would spot the silhouette of a classic horse-drawn carriage, and even a few ox carts transporting goods. Along the roadside, ornamental trees were in full bloom, their bright green leaves rustling in the gentle breeze.

As they rounded a circular bend, Cassius noticed a plaza where workers were transporting a large, white statue about six or seven meters tall. About a dozen workers moved around it carefully, making sure nothing went wrong. Nearby, a man in a striped casual outfit stood watching the scene with his dog, while two children seated on a bench to his left were playfully bickering.

As the car got closer, Cassius could finally make out the features of the statue. It was Grand Duke Hongli, a figure straight out of the textbooks who exuded an air of authority without needing to be angry. It seemed like some kind of public image project by the town hall of Baichuan City. He recalled hearing rumors about the city's efforts to boost tourism.

The car passed by, and about half an hour later, they arrived at the entrance of Green Light Park where a bronze metal pillar stood. At the top was a plaque displaying the address.

As Cassius and Bass stood next to the plaque, the window of the black cloud sedan rolled down, revealing Violet's elegant yet cold face. She shot a glance at Bass and said, "Boss, this is a pretty high-level meeting…"

"Are you trying to teach me how to do my job?" Cassius raised an eyebrow.

"N-no… I wouldn’t dare." Violet fell silent. She bit her lip before continuing, "Boss, I’ll take my leave then. A driver will be sent to pick you up after the meeting."

Cassius nodded and immediately started walking into the park. The meeting location was deeper inside Green Light Park. All he had to do was follow the main path, and eventually, he would come upon the building.

Cassius and Bass walked along the pedestrian path toward the interior of the park. The park’s beautiful walkway was paved with special yellow bricks, laid out in a staggered rectangular pattern. Lush trees lined the sides, and every so often, the path would split off into smaller routes. Scattered around were gurgling water fountains with elegant statues.

The park was nearly empty and Cassius encountered very few people along the way. That was until suddenly, a man stepped out and blocked his path ahead. The man appeared to be in his late twenties with dyed yellow hair and sunglasses. He wore a silver chain over his white shirt and on the back of his hand was a partially concealed hourglass symbol.

Cassius stopped in his tracks, frowning. He could sense two other presences nearby, along with a faint hint of hostility.

"Who are you?"

A man’s laughter echoed from the nearby bushes. "You don’t even know who we are, and you dare to interfere with Duststorm’s plans? You rescued Matthew, didn’t you? You little punk, heh…"

A middle-aged man wearing a trench coat in the sweltering heat stepped out. A woman accompanied him, dressed in a black tank top that highlighted her voluptuous figure. She wore tight shorts on her long, toned legs, and there seemed to be writing on them.

No, not writing. It was another black hourglass symbol.

"Are you the one who killed my men?" the woman spoke, her voice unusually hoarse. She sounded almost like a man. It was at odds with her appearance.

Cassius’s expression didn’t change. "If you’re talking about those gun-wielding idiots, then yes, I killed them. And by the way—your voice is unpleasant. I suggest you shut up."

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