Returning to the Mysterious Era-Chapter 464 - Physical Limit Of A Combat Artist

It was unusually dark all around since it was a sealed space. It carried a faint, damp, and somber smell. The basement isolated most noise, creating a relatively peaceful environment. Cassius sat cross-legged in the open center of the room, dimly lit by a bronze oil lamp in the corner.

He held his entire body in a bizarre posture. His right foot rested on his left knee, and his left foot rested on his right knee. His spine leaned backward, his head tilted slightly upward, and his arms stretched out like the wings of a bird in flight.

Thud, thud, thud... thud, thud, thud... pound, pound, pound, pound...

He felt simultaneous heartbeats in both his left and right chest, each resonating with a strangely continuous rhythm. One beat was deep and forceful, while the other was light and gentle.

Both hearts throbbed at different frequencies, causing his blood to circulate faster. Cassius began controlling his blood flow, flowing repeatedly along the three-dimensional blueprint of the Golem's blood circulation. It grew quicker and quicker, until the entire chamber echoed with the sound of thick flowing liquid.

Hiss... swoosh!

He suddenly inhaled, and a huge stream of air formed a tangible white vortex around his mouth. The Golem breathing method was instantly activated. In a flash, his breathing rate, heart rate, and blood circulation rate all reached a perfect synchronization. When they started resonating, a vibration radiated from his spinal cord, swiftly spreading throughout his body.

Bones, muscles, and blood vessels were all penetrated as his evolved, mutated Golem life magnetic field burst forth. Cassius opened his eyes; his Golem Covert Martial Arts was active in its optimal state, and his body was filled with energy.

The lamplight in the corner cast his shadow on the wall, yet it did not appear human. Instead, it was a colossal and menacing twisted figure of a giant Golem. In contrast, Cassius's actual body looked minuscule beside that shadow.

Huu... Huu...

After taking a deep breath, he glanced toward the upper right corner of his field of vision.

[Golem Covert Martial Arts: Qi Embodiment 64.3% (Total Three Stages)]

Cassius had not relied solely on life vibration energy to train. However, given the strength of his body at that stage, relying on time alone was still far too slow. He had only improved about 0.2% in total, roughly equivalent to the effect of a single Savage Beast level life vibration energy.

Lost in thought, Cassius once again sensed the interior of his body. He possessed eleven Cataclysmic Spirit level life vibration energies, which was a considerable accumulation.

Two or three were obtained during his earlier hunts in the World of Calamity, each a chance encounter on the way to Howling Canyon. When he encountered them, he naturally gave them no chance to escape.

Cassius quietly pondered for a moment, separating the extreme Cataclysmic Spirit level life vibration energy from the other ten. Afterward, he began to gradually absorb the ten regular Cataclysmic Spirit level life vibration energy in increments of one, three, and six.

Whoosh

He felt scalding heat all over his body. All of a sudden, he felt a stabbing pain across his muscles, as though a bolt of electricity had surged through him. It felt like ten fire serpents were wandering through every corner of his body. His abdomen and lungs felt as though they were ablaze, roasted by invisible flames that seared through any trace of fat.

A faint sizzling sounded from his flesh. Energy flowed through him like the tide surging ashore. Cassius felt as though his consciousness was being hoisted upward, growing loftier by the moment.

He saw the progress bar in the upper right corner of his vision flickering rapidly. Undoubtedly, the cultivation progress of the Golem Covert Martial Arts was increasing thousands of times faster than if he did ordinary training.

One full day, one month, half a year, a year, multiple years...

Crack, crack, crack...

Loud grinding noises emerged from his bones as they grew. His entire musculature pulsed and expanded, growing harder, stronger, and more refined.

His already formidable strength rose like a tsunami.

Hu...

A gust of hot breath escaped Cassius's mouth, making the entire chamber quiver. He opened his eyes again and glanced at the upper right corner of his view.

[Golem Covert Martial Arts: Qi Embodiment 64.3% (Total Three Stages)] → 76.5%

Sure enough, these regular Cataclysmic Spirit level dark creatures' life vibration energies could not push the Qi Embodiment stage above eighty percent. It still fell short, though it had already risen by 12.2%. Averaging it out, each Cataclysmic Spirit level life vibration energy only boosted about 1.2% of his cultivation progress.

As Cassius's Golem Covert Martial Arts level grew more profound, he gradually became used to Cataclysmic Spirit level life vibration energy. The dramatic leaps in progress he had seen before became difficult to replicate.

With a thoughtful sigh, he decisively used that final portion of extreme Cataclysmic Spirit level life vibration energy. A fiery heat swept through every corner of his body. Cassius felt as though lava was streaming out of every pore, radiating ceaseless scorching warmth.

His entire outfit became drenched in hot sweat, which then evaporated due to his high body temperature, turning into a cloud of white steam.

The entire room was filled with a scorching heat that enveloped every nook and cranny. Waves of heated air gently buffeted the solid walls. Cassius endured the pain, feeling as though his blood was on the verge of boiling. Every organ that was modeled after the Golem glowed faintly as they writhed with vigor.

Cassius had a premonition that if the cultivation progress of the Golem Covert Martial Arts surpassed eighty percent, his body would be at the physical limit of a combat artist.

All his internal organs would fully evolve, with an exaggerated boost in muscle density, bone density, and strengthening of his viscera and bowels.[1]

This would allow him to withstand even greater power eruptions! It was a threshold that heralded a new stage of bodily evolution.

Thump...

Cassius's ears were ringing as though they were struck by a hammer. His entire form expanded rapidly, shifting in the blink of an eye from a normal human to a hideous Golem. A towering black figure now filled the chamber, nearly taking up a quarter of the space. Each breath through his nostrils was more forceful than an elephant's trumpet.

Crack, crack, crack, crack...

His entire skeleton jolted with a shiver as if an unknown force had descended from the void and was pressing down on every inch of his bones. The moment the Golem Covert Martial Arts progress bar hit eighty percent, Cassius experienced an indescribable agony. It felt as though a thousand iron mallets were pounding his muscles, blood vessels, and bones to pieces before reforging them into something tougher.

The enormous heat within his body dispersed to every corner, only to rebound in half a second and reconverge at a single point in his abdomen. Repeating again and again, the heat jabbed his body like a thousand needles.

Up until that point, Cassius could still endure as he had an exceptionally high tolerance for pain. However, when a frigid liquid seeped from within his body out through his skin to form a pale, bone-like layer, Cassius could no longer bear it. His eyes turned bloodshot and sweat poured off him in torrents.

His massive arm clenched into a fist and slammed the ground.

Boom!!!

The entire basement shook violently, and the three-story residence above swayed in turn. On the second floor, Evil Mother, currently in ordinary human form, was experiencing the wonders of the golden totem. She suddenly shot up from the couch, glanced around, and ultimately looked downward.

Her eyes gleamed with malevolence as realization dawned on her. A terrifying Qi that could no longer be contained had penetrated through the basement, the layer of soil, and the first-floor ceiling before reaching the second floor. Even diluted after going through so many levels, it still made Evil Mother wary.

However, she knew Cassius was training in the basement so she settled back down. But before she could fully sit on the couch, the coffee table before her lurched violently again.

The surrounding furniture shifted with a dull thud, producing piercing scraping sounds. Before everything could settle, muffled explosions sounded once more in quick succession, and the painting on the wall swung wildly. Several ceramic flowerpots on the balcony toppled over and shattered on the first floor with a crisp crack.

Evil Mother's expression shifted, and she instantly streaked out of the house via the balcony. Her feet landed on the edge of the courtyard as she cast a solemn gaze back at the house.

She saw the entire three-story residence rocking from side to side. It looked as though an earthquake had struck.

"Earthquake? Earthquake!" Residents from a few separate houses several dozen meters away rushed outside. They shouted while staring about in bewilderment.

Those who were more anxious dragged their wife and children out, heading straight for the main road. Then they saw a few neighbors similarly disheveled on the roadside, with the same puzzled expressions. They all wondered if they should run even farther away.

In front of the three-story residence, Evil Mother stood dressed in a snug outfit that accentuated her tall, voluptuous human form. Her long, piercing gaze was on the doorway's ground, where concentric cracks had formed.

Her feet tingled slightly, and muffled thuds echoed in her ears. Cracks spread along the walls of the house. It looked on the verge of collapse, like a lone boat on rolling waves that might capsize at any moment.

The tremors persisted for about a minute. Finally, there was a loud boom, and everything settled. Evil Mother furrowed her sharp brows, sensing the overwhelming Qi suddenly withdraw and condense into one focused point.

Inside the basement, a pair of blood-red eyes glowed in the darkness. An ivory-coloured Golem emerged slowly from the shadows, revealing a tall and perfectly proportioned form.

It was still four meters tall, and still marked by those exaggerated muscles. But at that moment, the Golem no longer looked like a creature of flesh and blood. Instead, it resembled a cold suit of armored machinery.

The frigid liquid which had gushed forth from Cassius's internal organs had created a hardened epidermal layer. This formed an armor-like shell on the body's surface; an armor worthy of an extreme combat artist.

The rigid lines and menacing contours made the entire Golem appear significantly leaner and gave it a skeletal, metallic vibe.

"The physical limit of a combat artist... My internal organs have reached a state of perfect evolution. My bone and muscle density keep increasing..." The Golem clenched its fist as if in a trance, producing a crisp crackle.

He glanced again at the upper right corner of his vision.

[Golem Covert Martial Arts: Qi Embodiment 76.5% (Total Three Stages)] → 83.6%

He had surpassed eighty percent and gained an additional 3.6%.

A single extreme Cataclysmic Spirit level life vibration energy had given him a 7.1% boost in progress!

At a point where improvement came so painfully slow, such a gain was truly remarkable. Adding the previous 12.2%, the total improvement using Cataclysmic Spirit level dark creatures' life vibration energy this time amounted to 19.3%.

He wondered if he could ever again achieve a similar jump. It would likely be difficult and would require several extreme Cataclysmic Spirit level dark creatures to absorb at once. For the present Cassius, even slaughtering an entire clan of dark creatures hardly sufficed.

Only the strongest among them would provide usable life vibration energies and yield perhaps a two to three percent rise at best. Only the life vibration energy of top-tier or extreme Cataclysmic Spirit level dark creatures could bring Cassius notable advancement.

Now that he thought about it, the Evil Mother he had subdued was also a top-tier Cataclysmic Spirit level dark creature. After absorbing the golden totem, she was not far off from extreme Cataclysmic Spirit level. He wondered how much progress he might gain if he killed her. Cassius glanced toward the basement exit.

Outside, Evil Mother, who had been approaching, shivered violently all over. She felt a chill down her spine and sensed something dreadful in the darkness coveting her. An indescribable unease prompted her to hasten her steps. She made her way straight to the basement stairs.

Of course, Cassius would not kill Evil Mother. A top-tier combat artist subordinate was far more valuable alive than what a single top-tier Cataclysmic Spirit level life vibration energy could offer.

He would never kill the goose that laid golden eggs.

Tap, tap, tap...

Evil Mother briskly reached the basement entrance, where she was greeted by a completely warped wrought-iron door. Its frame was covered in cracks that spread everywhere.

Click.

A sound came from within, indicating the door was being opened, yet it remained closed.

Boom!

An ivory armored hand forcibly tore the door open. Standing four meters tall, the imposing figure gazed at Evil Mother across the doorframe.

Evil Mother's heart skipped a beat, as though gripped by an iron fist. Though she was a top-tier Cataclysmic Spirit level dark creature, fear stirred within her depths. In a daze, she seemed to recall the time when she was under the Totem King's control.

She had felt trapped in a mire in the face of that immense and terrifying power and aura, utterly unable and unwilling to resist! And now, Cassius evoked a hint of that same sensation. She had not sensed this from him until now!

"This man's rate of progression is far too quick..." Evil Mother muttered, standing quietly in place.

The lamp from the damaged room shone toward the doorway, but it was blocked by the Golem. His colossal and fearsome shadow instantly enveloped Evil Mother.

1. Original term used was five viscera and six bowels which is a classification of organs based on Chinese medicine. Visceras refer to solid organs like the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. Bowels refer to hollow containers, including the small intestine, gallbladder, stomach, large intestine, bladder, and chest and abdominal cavity. ☜

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