Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Chapter 149 Morning Training, Skill Progress, and Finn's Whereabouts

When Xilun opened his eyes, he saw a clean, porcelain-white, ointment-like ceiling above him.

A bright gas lamp hung quietly above, its brass shade gleaming with a cold metallic sheen in the morning light.

Xilun drowsily examined the delicate texture, the sleepiness in his eyes quickly fading, replaced by his usual coldness and clarity.

He then recalled that he had moved to a new house—although it was a room very close to room 302, room 106, it was much more spacious and cleaner.

He lifted the slightly rough linen quilt cover and stepped barefoot onto the floor.

It's pine flooring, sanded very smooth, without any harsh splinters or mold spots. Stepping on it brings a unique warmth and cleanliness to the wood.

Xilun went to the bathroom and turned on the brass faucet.

The icy water gushed out with a "splash," and he scooped up a handful of water and splashed it hard on his face. The bone-chilling cold instantly cleared his mind.

He looked at his slightly stubbled chin in the mirror, subconsciously reached out and touched it, feeling the hard, prickly texture on his fingertips, and thought to himself, "I need to trim it regularly."

After washing up, Xilun grabbed a dry towel from the side to wipe the water off his face, then turned around and took the knight's short sword that he had taken from Robert from the table.

Instead of using a razor, he looked in the mirror and used the sharp blade of a sword to shave his beard little by little, following the contours of his chin.

The sharp blade moved between the skin and flesh, and a slight mistake could slit the throat, but for Siron, who had mastered muscle control to the extreme, it was an excellent way to train his morning focus.

He nodded in satisfaction only after his face was clean and tidy, with no unwanted hair obstructing his vision or the flow of sweat.

Xilun returned to his room and first took out the auxiliary material for the Deep Sea Whale Guiding Spell—deep-sea algae paste.

It was a thick paste that was dark green in color and had a strong fishy smell and a pungent medicinal odor.

Without hesitation, he scooped out a large chunk and spread it evenly on the muscles of his torso and limbs.

The moment the cool ointment touched the skin, it felt like countless cold needles piercing the pores, bringing a sharp, intense stinging pain.

He endured it expressionlessly as he arrived at the specially designated practice room.

The space barely accommodated all the training materials he had bought: rough wooden stakes, thick mud walls, heavy iron balls, and other items.

The price is cheap, only about ten pounds in total, after all, it's not an expensive item like the one for Lord Lund.

Xilun slowly closed his eyes, breathing deeply to awaken his body, which was not yet fully recovered.

breathe-

With each breath, the body's energy gradually increases.

Driven by the flow of qi and blood, the medicinal power of the deep-sea algae paste transformed into a scalding heat stream that penetrated into the muscle fibers, repairing the minor tears left by the battle and fusion of talents in the previous days.

Xilun opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath of stale air.

The quiet room always made him forget the passage of time, and he began his morning exercise.

This is the seventh day since he moved into room 106.

He took a deep breath, recalling Lord Lund's almost self-destructive training at Red Leaf Manor, and thought to himself:

Only by holding yourself to the standards of a high-ranking knight can you become a high-ranking knight!

He walked up to the solid iron ball that weighed two hundred pounds and used his legs to lift it up.

The muscles in his calves tensed up instantly, gripping the cold metal like a winch.

Then he grabbed the iron bar on the upper beam with both hands, and with a sudden burst of strength, lifted himself up along with the iron ball.

He gripped the iron ball tightly with both legs to prevent it from falling off.

Xilun's face flushed red, the veins on his neck bulged like earthworms, and the muscle fibers in his arms trembled wildly under the enormous load.

As he began to pull himself up and down with all his might, sweat poured out of his body, sliding down his taut muscles and hitting the floor.

Throughout the process, he maintained the application of the "Great Ocean Whale Guiding Technique".

His chest heaved like a giant bellows, each breath seeming to swallow and exhale the dark currents of the deep sea.

Then, the power of the "Berello Kick" surged in the legs, maintaining the force of the legs and resisting the gravity and the weight of the iron ball.

The streets outside slowly opened, hotel guests gradually got up, and the sound of hurried footsteps and doors closing echoed in the corridor.

Then the sounds of vendors hawking their wares filled the air, along with the clatter of wheels rolling over the stone pavement and the neighing of horses.

Slowly, the sun rose, and golden sunlight streamed through the narrow vent, casting a beam of light filled with dust into the air of the practice room.

Only then did Xilun come down from above.

"Bang!" The heavy iron ball slammed onto the cushion with a dull thud.

Sylvanas was covered in sweat, his face flushed, and he lay on the cold floor, his chest heaving violently.

He slowly applied another medicine to his body to aid recovery, and began to breathe slowly, regaining his strength.

Based on his exploration of the body, with the talent of [Coiled Dragon Body], Xilun's physical strength is already enough to rank him among the top in the first-tier extraordinary beings.

The terrifying weighted pull-ups just now would have torn the lumbar spine and leg muscles of an ordinary baptist; otherwise, how could they have supported such intensity?

He could clearly feel that the dark blue muscle texture beneath his skin was like a coiled dragon, containing a terrifying explosive power and defensive strength.

After resting for a long time, he ate some high-calorie dried meat and black bread, drank most of a pot of water, and began to slowly practice striking the wooden stakes.

It wasn't until almost noon that they stopped, exhaled, and said, "Let's stop here."

Xilun observed that his fighting skills and breathing techniques had both improved to a certain extent.

[Skill: Sea Whale Guidance (Tier 1)]

[Progress: 189/500]

[Skill: Dorok Dark Claw Technique (Expert)]

[Progress: 659/1000]

[Skill: Berello Kick (Beginner)]

[Progress: 77/100]

He estimated that in another month or so, he should be able to advance to the second level of the "Great Sea Whale Guidance Technique".

Xilun rested his chin on his hand and thought to himself, "In the future, when I advance to the second-tier extraordinary level, I will also have to follow this standard."

Choose a powerful breathing method that is easy to learn, difficult to master, and consumes few resources.

Those fancy and expensive methods are simply not suitable for a commoner like him who has no family background to support him.

He unusually went out today; Mr. Yuri had invited him, and he had to go.

He changed into his navy blue suit, carefully concealing the Resentful Revolver and the Knight's Short Sword inside his trench coat, and went out along the street.

Sunlight streamed onto the damp stone pavement. He held up his bulletproof black umbrella, using it as a walking stick, and greeted the hotel owner, Morrie, and some shop owners outside.

Over time, he became somewhat familiar with the place, and the business owners all greeted this cool-looking, generous young man with warm smiles.

When Siren arrived at the Brotherhood headquarters, he walked through the corridor with ease and was quickly welcomed inside.

He pushed open the door and went in. Yuri was leaning back in a large leather chair with his eyes closed.

Xilun paused, then moved closer.

The moment his ears twitched, the [Far-Ahead Listening] talent was triggered almost instinctively.

He focused his mind on his ears, and a very peculiar frequency of breathing appeared beside them.

The voice was extremely low, yet it carried a powerful, surging sensation that made one's blood boil.

He vaguely sensed a whooshing sound, as if the person sitting in front of him was not a middle-aged man in an elegant vest, but a lion sleeping in the grass and trees of the plain.

Yuri seemed to be covered in blood, roaring fiercely in the darkness. The life magnetic field compressed to the extreme caused the whale blood in Xilun's body to circulate involuntarily in order to resist this invisible pressure.

The next moment, Yuri opened his eyes.

The terrifying sense of oppression receded instantly like a tide, as if nothing had happened.

He yawned, rubbed his eyes, and laughed, "Looks like we've kept Mr. Celen waiting."

Xilun took a deep breath, suppressing the surging blood within him, and shook his head, saying, "I just arrived too."

Yuri stood up, walked to the liquor cabinet, poured two glasses of clear amber liquor, handed one to Xiren, and said, "I've heard of your reputation. When you were out with Deshura's disciple, you protected your disciple while also turning the tables on a senior junior scholar."

Xilun was taken aback, and took the wine glass. He hadn't expected that what happened in the far-off forest would reach Yuri's ears so quickly.

Does he still have this kind of reputation?

Yuri took a sip of his drink, looked at him meaningfully, and said, "As an extraordinary being, it's always good to make friends with some mystical scholars. For example, your two companions; they might be able to help you in many ways."

The potions, spells, and alchemical artifacts of mystical scholars can often determine life and death in crucial moments.

The image of Susie's adorable yet extremely perceptive face flashed through Xiren's mind, as did the iron pot Daisy used to boil the spiritual rope. He calmly replied, "Perhaps."

He put down his glass and got straight to the point, asking, "Mr. Yuri, you notified me to come here. What's the matter?"

Yuri did not answer immediately, but slowly put down his wine glass and walked to sit down behind the large mahogany desk.

He crossed his arms and rested his chin on them, looking at Xilen, and asked first, "You asked me about someone before, didn't you?"

Xilun's heart skipped a beat, and he nodded, saying, "Yes. I used to have two friends when I worked at the docks."

One of them worked at a newspaper, and the other was a sailor.

I'm in contact with them now, and the one who runs the ship is called Finn.

I keep in touch with him often, hoping to help him out; he's helped me before.

He paused, recalling the illegible letter, and continued, "I once asked him, and he claimed to work in St. Albans, a place called the Ocean Terminal."

What I'm hoping for is that Mr. Yuri could transfer him here, or somewhere else, to a relatively easier, less strenuous job.

Yuri nodded slightly, opened a drawer, took out a slightly yellowed file folder, and said, "I found the information about the person you mentioned. Please check if it's him."

He pushed a thin booklet towards us.

Xilun stepped forward, picked it up, and looked at it.

A black and white photo was pasted on it. The young man in the photo had a dark face and his eyes showed honesty and weariness from making a living at sea for a long time.

The name, place of birth, and address next to the photo are all accurate.

Xilun's fingers tightened slightly as he gripped the booklet, and he couldn't help but ask, "How is he now?"

Yuri hesitated for a moment, tapped his fingers lightly on the table twice, and said, "I won't hide it from you. He was recommended by the New Righteousness Society to work as a harpooner at the St. Albans's ocean pier."

Xiren was taken aback, his brows furrowing instantly: "Whalers? What do you mean? Do you mean to hunt whales?"

He glanced at Yuri; he had only heard snippets of the term from the exaggerated boasts of low-ranking sailors.

The other party shrugged and said, "Don't look at me. This ocean-going port isn't as easy to talk to as we are."

Whalers, in essence, are those who lure whales into dangerous, deep-sea areas frequented by whales, often in makeshift wooden boats. They then attempt to kill them using tools like spearguns and harpoons.

Yuri's voice became somewhat low: "Although they are some small species of whales, there are very few left."

That kind of work—a single giant wave, or a whale's final tail whip before it dies—could wipe out the entire crew of a small boat.

"The only purpose of this profession is probably to find whales and buy time for a larger whaling fleet."

Xiren was silent for a moment, and the image of Finn's not-so-strong body holding a harpoon in the midst of a raging storm flashed through his mind.

He took a deep breath and said, "Mr. Yuri, would it be convenient to transfer him over here?"

Yuri shook his head and sighed: "If it's an ordinary person, or an ordinary labor contract, it's easy."

But this person is a bit of a problem. He has a long-term contract with the ocean-going terminal and cannot leave for ten years.

Otherwise, they would have to pay exorbitant penalties for breach of contract, an amount that could bankrupt a low-income family.

Xilun pursed his lips, the muscles in his jaw bulging slightly from the effort.

He knew what it meant for people at the bottom of society to sign such a contract of servitude in this cannibalistic world.

He looked directly into Yuri's eyes and said without flinching, "Mr. Yuri, what can I do?"

Yuri looked at Xiren's resolute and serious eyes and suddenly smiled.

He stood up, walked around the desk, and stood in front of Xilen. He reached out and ruffled Xilen's hair, like an elder looking at a stubborn junior, and said, "You seem quite worried about this. Leave it to me. I'll negotiate with them and try my best to give you a result."

"We still have to give the fraternity some face; the ocean liner should at least show some respect."

Xiren's tense body relaxed slightly, and he nodded, saying, "Thank you, Mr. Yuri."

Yuri waved his hand, glanced at the mechanical clock on the wall, yawned, and asked, "What did you have for lunch?"

Xilun shook his head: "I haven't eaten anything."

Yuri stretched, his joints cracking. "Let's grab something to eat. Come with me this afternoon to a salon gathering. I'll broaden your horizons."

Xilun nodded and followed.