Chapter 562: Chapter 562

Blue waves slapped the pier, the heaving swells shimmering under the sun in a field of rippling golden sunlight. The morning sun hung low in the distant horizon. A waterbird skimmed past with fluttering wings, chirping crisply.

Wooden fishing boats lay berthed in rows beside the pier, ropes lashed to railings as their hulls bobbed with the tide. Early-rising fishermen shouldered heavy nets and headed toward their vessels.

The pier buzzed with life, crowded not only by fishermen but by sailors as well. Several merchant ships had docked overnight and only began unloading in the morning. Time slipped by as the sun climbed higher and hung among the spotless clouds. The glare on the water dulled, revealing a deeper sapphire hue beneath the waves.

Out on the horizon, a few black shapes slowly emerged.

"Another fleet coming in?" Several government officers in charge of the pier gazed out to sea.

Gradually the shadows drew nearer, their outlines growing clear. They were led by two towering warships that covered each other's flanks. Their hulls were unusually stout, lacquered in tung-oil, and the paired rams jutting forward lent them a faint murderous air. Behind the warships was a merchant ship, clearly part of the same company.

"The fleet from half a month ago?"

The officials looked at one another yet stepped forward nonetheless. Some of the waiting figures on the pier brightened as they repeatedly tried to confirm what they saw. Some of them took off from the pier in a dead sprint.

Ten minutes later, the two warships and the merchant ship moored beside the pier, instantly drawing every gaze. It was not just their immense size; the lower planks of the warships were splashed with sprawling, mottled bloodstains. Though the stains had darkened, one could still imagine the horrific amount of blood spilled. Had they fought a sea battle, or tangled with some dreadful sea monster?

The onlookers guessed rightly. It had indeed been a sea monster, the coastal-legend devil ray. Cassius had slain the beast in the storm belt, forcing its corpse to explode and reddening a vast stretch of sea.

As the fleet sailed through the sea, their hulls had been soaked and stained by the blood. Thus, the vessels now looked as though they had survived a brutal battle.

Wooden gangways were lowered onto the pier. Black-clad figures came striding forth from the three ships. Their burly frames alone warned that they were not to be provoked. Their chilling aura made bystanders instinctively shrink back. Those disembarking the merchant ship in particular bore outrageously sized weapons. Their razor edges flashed coldly in the sun, looking undeniably lethal.

A worker on duty swallowed hard beside the pier. He glanced at the slim sword on his belt, then at the one-eyed giant in black ahead. The giant carried a broad black great-sword as wide as his body on his back. Each step echoed with a dull thud on the boards. In addition, a pair of axes hung at his waist, their exaggerated blades fit for cleaving rhinoceroses.

"Are... are these brutes here to rob the pier?" The officials exchanged nervous looks, their legs tingling. For a moment, they could not decide whether to step forward or flee.

Fortunately, their anxiety soon eased when their superior appeared down the road behind the pier. The middle-aged man in noble attire panted as he jogged over. Upon arriving, he immediately cleared the area.

Soon only the Covert Martial Arts combat artists, the Hellsing of Black Rain Manor, and a few dock staff remained.

Two minutes later, even the staff withdrew. The open space held only the party from the Eternal Archipelago. Official source is Novᴇl_Fire(.)net

"Carry all the manuals ashore."

"Easy now—don't damage a single volume!"

"Whoever ruins a manual forfeits a share!"

Voices of combat artists rang across the pier. They shuttled between the warship and the dock, setting sturdy crates down in neat rows. Originally, they had planned to divide the manuals on the voyage home.

However, the process proved slow, as each sect had different needs and circumstances. Midway through, Cassius resumed drafting the Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritance and accidentally slipped into deep focus. He had remained in his cabin for several days straight.

Thus, the practitioners could only shelve the division and wait. They would first haul all ancient manuals to East Sea City and summon sharp-eyed veterans from each sect to plan the selection properly.

Ta-ta-ta... ta-ta-ta...

A large group strode swiftly down the dock road without hindrance. They were the elders and disciples of the various sects who had camped near the docks. They had waited for the expedition to return in triumph. After more than half a month, the seafaring fleet had finally come home.

"Ma-master... these... these are all Covert Martial Arts inheritances?!" A white-haired elder gaped and pointed at the dozen hardwood chests on the ground, cautiously asking his own sect master.

"What else? Wasn't that the whole purpose of our voyage?" The master smiled lightly, tinged with pride.

He enjoyed the grand elder's astonishment, though he himself had lost his composure when he first saw the trove.

"So many? There must be over a hundred works! My heavens! If we secured them all, even an obscure sect could soar to second-rate standing in a decade. In merely two or three generations, it could rise into the first-rate tier, even surpassing Soul-Breaking Sword Path and Star Ring Fist..." The white-haired elder muttered, his gaze blazing.

His eyes resembled a mouse eyeing cheese. He took a deep breath and asked, "Master, how much will we get this time? Give me a figure, anything as a minimum..."

The sect master chuckled and covertly flashed two fingers then three. With so many watching, an overt display of excitement would look foolish.

"Two or three arts? That many?!" The elder's eyes widened.

The master shook his head, stepped closer, and whispered. "Not two or three. Two plus three—five in total. Heheh..." He patted the grand elder's shoulder with a dignified air, though inwardly he gloated.

This expedition to the Eternal Archipelago was undoubtedly the Six Ruthless Fist Sect master's best decision ever. Of course, he had also performed brilliantly, slaying a core member of the Gate Organization in battle. So during allocation, he had merited extra weight, gaining above the baseline.

"Good, good, good... good, good, good..." The elder repeated like a fool, as though he knew no other words. After a long while he regained his sense and exclaimed, "Aldo, now those old fogies in the sect won't dare oppose you. They'll follow your lead. You will no longer be the "acting" sect master."

Scenes played out all over the pier. Combat artists were human too, with things that thrilled and delighted them. Joy begged to be shared.

Soon, everyone stationed at the docks learned the venture had been a roaring success. Cassius from the Golem Sect had not lied. The Eternal Archipelago did hold an ancient ruin that housed a fist technique armoury, and it was packed with Covert Martial Arts Secret Techniques!

At that moment, Cassius' prestige within the Covert Martial Arts world peaked.

Heavy, powerful footsteps resounded along the deck. A burly figure in brand-new black clothes descended from the ship.

His presence blazed like a bright candle in the night; it was impossible to ignore. The vague overbearing aura he exuded made lesser Covert Martial Arts Practitioners weak-kneed. To their eyes, the black-clad man seemed on the verge of ripping off mortal flesh to become a savage beast that would devour them whole.

Several juniors hid behind their own masters like chicks beneath a hen. Cassius saw this and shook his head helplessly. Several days had passed, but though he had suppressed his skyrocketing aura, it still inspired dread.

The gains from the Eternal Archipelago were indeed immense. Moreover, on the voyage home, he had taken the chance to inscribe the remaining half of Azure Wind Fist and the complete Ripple Fist onto the Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritance.

By extension, a branch form of the Southern Dipper Waterbird Fist had begun to take shape. After some time, he could try to erect the framework and hammer out an entirely new Covert Martial Arts style.

During the fleet's return and the drafting of the inheritance, Cassius gradually grasped the key to uniting the three fist arts. Though he possessed the three core principles that perfectly balanced conflicts among the Southern Dipper Covert Martial Arts and even induced resonance, that did not mean the Waterbird Fist and Sonic Snake Fist would automatically break through to Holy Fist and Ultimate Fist when he entered the realm of Dominator Fist through the Red Falcon Fist.

Those were entirely different concepts. Even if Waterbird and Sonic Snake advanced to Holy and Ultimate Fist, they would remain separate rather than a whole. The tri-fist unity he envisioned was far from simple.

These three fists could be explained in two ideas.

First, one kind of triple unity. Unite the Southern Dipper Waterbird Fist, Red Falcon Fist, and Sonic Snake Fist into one. That would form the complete Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritance. It would become a legendary art surpassing all first-rate martial arts.

Second, another kind of triple unity. Merge Dominator Fist, Holy Fist, and Ultimate Fist—the three pinnacle realms—into one!

This was the more overbearing and more difficult unity. A single misstep would mean self-detonation and total demise. No one had ever walked that path, since how could three distinct paths unite?

Most practitioners could not meet the prerequisite of cultivating three divergent styles. Training in three paths and fighting in three modes... Was that not outright schizophrenia?

Also, in most cases, purity was power! Taking a crooked stroke of the sword often ended poorly. Fortunately, the three core principles gave Cassius a foundation and the chance to make the attempt. Additionally, the time-travel ability granted him room to make mistakes. Even dying in a time-travel era would not cost him much. Taken together, both kinds of triple unity were immensely powerful yet perilous.

Moreover, the two seemed subtly interconnected. Uniting the three Southern Dipper Fists might well be a crucial prerequisite or indispensable foundation for melding the Holy, Dominator, and Ultimate Fist realms.

At present, Cassius still did not know how to attempt the second unity, for he had yet to attain even Dominator Fist.

But he now saw a glimmer of a path for the first unity. It lay in the Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritance he was etching with the Qi Engraving Technique!

The three stages of the Southern Dipper Fists—leaves, branches, trunk—would form a towering tree when fully drawn. Iif he could perfect the entire system, clarifying every branch and vein, then Cassius could fuse the three Southern Dipper Fists into one and obtain a legendary art surpassing first-rate!

An existence without precedent...

At that point, his power would be greatly elevated. He would be fiercer, stronger, and more dominating! Coupled with Holy Fist traits, his Qi could expand and propagate without end. He might soon stride forward within the Holy Fist realm.

The sea breeze at the pier was salty-damp and carried a faint coolness. Cassius stepped onto land, and seeing every eye upon him, strode first toward the distant avenue.

The plan to found and grow the Golem Sect could commence using the distribution of hundreds of manuals as leverage. To confront enemies in the shadows, he would need the vast, high-quality combat strength of the Covert Martial Arts world behind him.

Soon, everyone left the dock and reached a winding convoy. After carefully stowing the many manuals, the convoy set off.

The practitioners wished to linger no longer. They would head first to East Sea City and use the former exchange tournament venues to rest. Only afterward would they allot the manuals—more work, more gain.

Cassius sat cross-legged in the foremost black carriage. A dense Southern Dipper Waterbird Fist aura wafted from him, as white Qi coiled around him. It billowed like misty frost, rippling gently.

Sunlight poured through the window, tinting the white Qi with strands of gold, turning it into a regal, resplendent platinum hue. By looks alone, the Southern Dipper Waterbird Fist was indeed far prettier than the other two, be it in Qi, technique, or fighting style.

Cassius opened his eyes, gazed at the platinum sacred marks on his right hand, and rubbed his fingertips together. A sudden notion struck him—what would happen if he fused all three Southern Dipper Forces into one?