YM778.TV Chapter 54 - Six Months
Chapter 54 - Six Months
Fortunately, Sect Master Belon didn’t seem to be as stern and rigid as Cassius thought. He smiled at Cassius often, inquired after his training like a concerned elder, and constantly praised his contributions to the Wind Elephant Sect, the latter being the main reason behind Belon\'s favorable attitude toward Cassius.
The sect master wasn\'t doing this just because of the herbs\' importance, but to set an example for the others. He probably wanted the disciples to see that contributions to the sect would be rewarded, and had hopes that this would encourage more disciples to follow Cassius\'s lead.
Sect Master Belon also inquired about Cassius’s constitution, specifically after using the Wind Elephant Pill. Learning that Cassius had an above average constitution, his enthusiasm grew. The ceremonies to pay respects to the sect master and the founder proceeded smoothly thereafter.
Ten core disciples from every generation would eventually grow up to manage the sect. There were currently four core disciples; with Cassius joining, he would be the fifth. The core disciples had priority access to all resources, including the usual precious medicines and pills. But in a few months\' time, these medicines may not be so rare.
After the ceremony, Cassius received two pale blue garments made of fine, durable fabric. The clothes were not designed for combat and merely as an identifier for his status as a core disciple, putting him at the same level as a senior member of the Wind Elephant Sect.
In the evening, he placed the two garments and the Wind Elephant Tusk Pendant on Lisa’s desk, but the pendant looked different. The end of the tusk was painted cyan and not ivory. Only core disciples had these.
There seemed to be a wistfulness to Lisa as she studied the Wind Elephant pendant for a long time. Cassius decided to give Lisa a set of core disciple clothes, and surprisingly, she accepted them without complaint.
It felt similar to parents collecting their child\'s awards for good grades. Almost but not quite.
Yes, there was pride, but there also seemed to be something else. Something deeper, more hidden. Cassius saw a faint trace of regret in Instructor Lisa’s eyes.
The weather on July 15 was clear with a light breeze.
Under Lisa’s guidance, Cassius began using the Calming Incense for training. As expected of a rare item, even a small piece packed a punch in terms of advancing his Wind Elephant Fist training progress. He was filled with motivation that lasted from morning until night, and, as a result, he couldn\'t stop training. Eventually, Lisa had to knock him out to get him to sleep.
He had to rely on Instructor Lisa\'s fists to sleep for the first few days of using the incense because he would not have been able to rest given how active his mind was.
It was cloudy on July 20 with heavy rain expected to hit that night.
In the morning, Cassius was called to the meditation room by Instructor Lisa to take an oath. The general gist was vowing to devote himself to martial arts, and to inherit and strive to improve and promote his teacher’s path. At the end, he swore to never divulge this knowledge to anyone, not even his junior brothers or sisters. And if he ever broke this oath, Lisa would personally deal with him.
Afterward, Lisa taught Cassius a magical technique called Azure Wind Flow. At his current stage, all she could impart were the basics. If he wanted to actually use it, Cassius needed to master the first stage of his Wind Elephant Covert Martial Arts at least.
To pique Cassius\'s interest, Lisa demonstrated the power of Azure Wind Flow. She pressed her palm gently to the top of a wooden dummy, and in an instant, its head flattened under her touch. And this piece of solid wood was as thick as a person’s head!
The area where she had touched was incredibly smooth. If this had been done to a person...
It was cloudy on August 5.
Cassius trained so frequently in these twenty days that he used up a stick of Calming Incense, earning him a scolding from Instructor Lisa.
But he had made some significant progress. His Wind Elephant Fist mastery increased by 15%, reaching 55% and breaking the halfway mark. The effects of the Wind Elephant Pill was becoming more and more apparent. With the combination of the Calming Incense and his superior constitution, Cassius’s training progress was huge.
On August 10, the weather was clear and the sun strong.
After more than a month, the effects of the first Hundred Herbs Body Refining Paste and Wind Elephant Pill dissipated so, after obtaining Lisa\'s permission, Cassius decided to consume the second Hundred Herbs Body Refining Paste.
[Elephant Soul Incomplete: Prickling 77.1% (Stage Three)] → [Elephant Soul Incomplete: Prickling 91.2% (Stage Three)]
[Wind Elephant Fist: Gale 54.3% (Stage Three)] → [Wind Elephant Fist: Gale 62.3% (Stage Three)]
As he expected, the effect was halved. Progress for Elephant Soul had increased by less than fifteen percent, and Wind Elephant Fist had only moved up by a mere eight percent. However, Cassius did not feel disappointed. After all, the later stages of the Covert Martial Arts were harder. The fact that he could maintain half the original effect of the Hundred Herb Body Refining Paste was already quite good.
He still had another week of rapid growth ahead of him. If he worked hard, Cassius might just save several months of arduous training.
It was storming on August 20 with strong winds and thunderstorms.
During his morning training, Cassius noticed a tuft of white hair on Instructor Lisa’s head. In the afternoon, he heard violent coughing coming from the training room. Cassius found an opportunity to ask when evening came, but she brushed it off, saying it was just a common cold.
September 5 brought overcast skies and rain.
Lisa’s coughs worsened. There were times she couldn\'t stifle it while teaching Cassius the Wind Elephant Fist. She even coughed up blood in the afternoon. Again, Cassius asked, and again, Lisa brushed it off, this time saying it was an old respiratory problem. It didn\'t matter how many questions Cassius threw at her, Lisa stuck to this explanation.
It was sunny on September 15.
It was Li Wei’s eighteenth birthday and also his coming-of-age ceremony. Instructor Lisa and Master Oumai brought Cassius to Oak City for a simple but heartfelt birthday banquet. Although there was nothing fancy about it, Cassius was delighted. He also received gifts from them both: Master Oumai gave him a string of sandalwood beads he had worn for many years, and Lisa gave Cassius a pocket watch for the second time.
This silver pocket watch seemed to be special to her.
The weather was overcast on October 8. Lisa fainted in the middle of her lesson with Cassius. Fortunately, he was nearby and quickly took her to the hospital. While an unconscious Lisa was being treated, he shifted gears and asked Master Oumai.
At first, Oumai tried to avoid the topic, but under Cassius’s persistent questioning, he finally revealed the reason behind Lisa’s gradual decline.
Someone had betrayed Lisa more than a decade ago. That incident had also taken the life of Lisa’s senior brother, and severely injured Lisa. The traitor escaped, went into hiding, and has been missing ever since.