Returning to the Mysterious Era

Chapter 107 - Spiraling Tornado Sphere

In the midday sunlight, a black shoe stepped out of the car and onto the gray and white pavement. Cassius got out, taking a moment to survey his surroundings.

This area was part of a residential neighborhood, though on the outskirts of the city so it wasn't densely populated. The streets were spacious, with some moss growing on the slightly damaged bricks.

"Let me accompany you, Master Wind Elephant," Violet said as she followed suit. "Once we're done, I can take you wherever you need to go. Mr. White Bird instructed me to be your driver from now on."

"Let's not be so formal. That's too much," Cassius said, feeling awkward. "Just call me Boss when we're out in public."

With Cassius's take-over of the assassination department's "Jack of Diamonds" position imminent, this made him the fourth-in-command and Violet's superior.

"Got it, Boss," Violet replied, relief rushing through her. Cassius joining the Ace of Spades and then becoming a boss; it had all happened quite suddenly. It felt a little humiliating for her, a cold-blooded assassin, to call Cassius "sir" all the time.

"Alright, let's go."

Letting the memory of his previous visit guide him, Cassius led the way. Violet slammed the car door and followed him.

After just a three-minute walk, they arrived at his future house. The iron gate was open, and several trucks, loaded with furniture covered by sky-blue tarps, were parked outside. A few people were standing around, chatting and smoking.

When the workers spotted Cassius coming their way, a beautiful secretary in tow, they quickly realized he was the client.

A bald man in a suit hurriedly stubbed out his cigarette and came over, fixing his clothes as he walked. "Are you Mr. Li Wei, Mr. Matthew's friend? I'm from the Natural Wood Furniture Company."

The man introduced himself, his company, and then the furniture they were delivering. The Natural Wood Furniture Company's main style was Rococo and they offered a wide range of items, from sofas and lamps to tables, chairs, and cabinets. Known for its light and delicate curves, this style often uses shell motifs, ruffles, and floral patterns. The colors were usually soft, with cream and white floral designs as the primary tones.

When the man unveiled the furniture, it was indeed elegant and somewhat ornate, though not as fancy or flamboyant as the Baroque style.

Cassius nodded. He wasn't particular about furniture styles, trusting Matthew's tastes.

Next, he met with a representative, a project manager, from a renovation company. This company, which was owned by Connan Company, was the second-largest in Baichuan City.

The project manager brought a thick portfolio showcasing various home renovation styles, both interior and exterior. Cassius flipped through the book which had designs like floral edging around windows and intricate wrought iron decorations on rooftops. There were tile structures in square, round, fish scale, acorn, diamond, and many other overlapping shapes. While beautiful, Cassius wasn't very knowledgeable about such details so he relinquished the project to the manager, with the only requirement being a speedy completion.

The manager assured Cassius that, as Matthew's friend, they would complete the renovations within three days. Maybe two, including today.

Cassius couldn't help but marvel at how efficient things were with connections. For an average person, the same job might take weeks, but three days? That wouldn’t even be enough time to clean an entire house, as any other lousy renovation company would know.

With the house matters settled, Cassius got back into the black car, with Violet once again as his driver.

"Where to next, Boss?"

"Flag Street... Wait, on second thought, let's go to the central district," Cassius decided, remembering he had ordered a large batch of clothes from a tailor shop there a few days ago.

Half an hour later, he was back in the car with a mountain of clothes in the back seat, waving goodbye to the delighted shop owner. Next, they went to Jessica Apartments on Flag Street. The car stopped at the corner.

"Wait here for a bit," Cassius told Violet. "I need to drop these clothes off and then head to Hongta Street."

He carried the clothes upstairs to his fourth-floor apartment, dumping them on the sofa. Grabbing a shoulder bag he had prepared beforehand, he went back downstairs.

Just as he was about to leave, he paused for a second, fingers resting on the cold doorknob. He returned to his room, grabbed three small bottles of ointment from his wardrobe, and stuffed them into his bag. He exited his room and walked down the stairs once more.

A minute later, the car door closed with a thud.

"Gray Seal Martial Arts Hall near Edelweiss Middle School on Hongta Street," Cassius instructed from the back seat. Ten minutes later, they arrived.

Never did Cassius appreciate how much time a car saved than he did today. The journey took half the time compared to if he walked here on his own. Sure, he could run faster than a car, but it wasn't like he could show off his superhuman abilities in the city. Having a car was practical and he wouldn't need to buy one himself since Ace of Spades would likely provide one.

Cassius preferred to drive rather than have Violet drive him around. He valued his privacy above all else and had many secrets; being alone gave him more freedom. As for Violet, she was originally a coldly aloof assassin, so she should focus on her primary job.

Cassius was well aware that White Bird had assigned Violet to him for other reasons. A beautiful, cold, and stunning full-time secretary paired with a young, vigorous, and powerful martial artist—something was almost guaranteed to happen between them. If there was work, the secretary would handle it. If there was no work, the secretary would be the one getting "handled".

Violet's current role felt much like a seductive spy. The sudden shift in her role had left her feeling awkward and shy, but once she had a few days to adjust, coupled with guidance from her former boss White Bird, it was likely that Cassius wouldn't be able to resist her advances when the time came.

While he wasn't particularly vulnerable to feminine charms, Cassius didn't want his focus diverted to irrelevant matters. It would be better to make his stance clear to White Bird early on, so Violet wouldn't need to be a full-time secretary and driver. She could serve as a liaison instead.

"We're here. You can go back now; no need to wait for me," Cassius said as he got out of the car and headed into the Gray Seal Martial Arts Hall. The black car drove off and disappeared.

Cassius pushed the door open and entered. The gym looked the same as before. Old Mike was reading a newspaper, a recently released model magazine featuring a very provocative-looking swimsuit model splashed across the cover behind it.

"Hey, Coach Li Wei," Old Mike said, tossing a set of keys from the drawer to Cassius.

Cassius nodded and walked away silently.

On the way to the locker room, various people greeted him, and some who were a little closer to him asked after his injuries. Shooting a quick glance at the bandage on his burly arm, Cassius explained he had fallen and scraped his arm against some rocks. The woman who had inquired teased him about being clumsy, tittering afterward.

Cassius was exasperated. Should he tell her he had been ambushed by a dozen assassins, and the bandaged spots were actually wounds from getting shot by a light machine gun?

Clumsy? If that were true, he would've been dead a long time ago!

After making a few random comments, Cassius finally made it to the locker room. He changed into combat attire and headed to his private training room.

Today was going to be different than usual. Instead of the usual group of seven or eight students, only Tifa, Phil, and Milo were expected. Over the past half a month, Cassius had weeded out most of the students that showed talent, leaving just these three.

After his experiences with time travel and various other events, Cassius was considering reviving the Wind Elephant Sect's teachings in the real world. But for now, he wanted to see if he had the ability to teach disciples. Even if it was a trial run, Cassius had some standards such as having at least the average constitution, a diligent and eager personality, and decent comprehension.

These were the only ones who managed to pass Cassius's criteria.

About ten minutes later, one after another, Tifa and the others arrived.

Cassius and the three students sat cross-legged on the floor in the spacious training room. Light streamed through the windows, filling the room with sunlight.

"Coach, why is it just the three of us today?" Milo asked, scratching his head in confusion.

Because I have money now and no longer need to work as a combat coach at Gray Seal Martial Arts Hall, training dozens of students, for extra cash, Cassius thought but didn't say. Instead, he coughed lightly, surveying the three of them.

"I want to teach you some real world skills," Cassius said slowly. "From now on, the four of us will be the only ones using this training room. I won't be taking any additional students."

"Real world skills!" Tifa's eyes lit up. She knew how effective Cassius's combat and Explosive Techniques were from his previous teachings. Were those just the basics?!

Milo's eyes also brightened. Since his epiphany in the alley, he'd seen the light on how troublesome using a sword was and wanted to learn martial arts. He aspired to become a superhuman like Captain Hongli from his comics!

Phil was also interested. It hadn't been that long ago since he survived the assassination attempt, and the fear and helplessness from that time still haunted him to the point where he had nightmares about it. It would be an invaluable skill to learn some self-defense.

"Yes, real world skills," Cassius affirmed as he stood up. "I previously taught you two Explosive Techniques: one for speed and one for strength. The most they can increase is by 1.3 times."

He looked at Tifa, who nodded in acknowledgment.

"But those were just the watered-down versions. The full versions of the Speed and Strength Explosive Techniques can amplify your abilities by about 1.5 times." Cassius explained further, detailing the special force-exertion technique which utilized specific muscle groups.

"1.5 times," Tifa murmured to herself.

"Yes. If you can master these two Explosive Techniques, and your body can handle it, then congratulations, you will have reached the peak of the Federation's five-stage combat system." Cassius recalled his conversation with Lisa during his first time travel experience.

Tifa knew, very well, how significant these five stages were. "Does that mean we'll be at the Federation's five-stage level?!"

Someone at the fifth stage was a master in combat, a top-level practitioner who had perfected their pugilism! The combat coach at Edelweiss Middle School was only at the second stage, and those at the third and fourth stages appeared mostly at major Federation combat competitions. Yet, the way Cassius nonchalantly spoke about reaching the peak of the five stages, he acted like it was nothing.

"Heh." Cassius sneered, shaking his head. "Most of the Federation's five-stage classification is for the sake of competition. What I want to teach you is the art of killing. If you somehow master the Basic Combat Arts I teach but can't even surpass the Federation's fourth or fifth stage...I'd be too ashamed to even look at myself in the mirror."

Hearing this, the three students exchanged looks of disbelief.

Practitioners at the Federation's five-stage level, to their understanding, were the pinnacle of martial arts. What kind of person was Cassius to be so dismissive of these practitioners? Could he really withstand bullets with his body?

Even Milo, an enormous superhero comics fan, found it hard to believe that anyone could withstand metal bullets with just flesh and blood. How could flesh be tougher than steel?

Cassius smiled at their stunned silence. The time had come for him to show off, even if he didn't really want to. He had anticipated this reaction since the three had no exposure to the supernatural. Who would believe in extraordinary abilities or Shadow Demons without having ever witnessed them?

Cassius shook his head. "I know you don't believe it now, but you'll see soon enough!" He then clenched his fist and gently blew on it. As he rubbed his hands together, a Tornado Sphere began forming.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

In the sunlight, a faint white stream of air began to emerge from his fingers, the air visibly rippling.

The air quickly wrapped around his palm and fingers, rotating rapidly to form a top-shaped whirlpool. Tifa, Milo, and Phil looked on, astonished, as the air spun faster and faster until it formed a flat, white sphere.

The basketball-sized sphere emitted a fierce wind. Just as it seemed ready to explode, it suddenly contracted, shrinking to the size of an apple. The wind died down, leaving only a spinning white ball in Cassius's palm.

Whoa, it worked this time!