Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Xilun walked to the chair opposite Lund and sat down steadily.

He didn't speak immediately, but closed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and organized his words in his mind.

"Teacher," Xilun opened his eyes, his gaze clear, "as I understand it, the choice of weapon is ultimately determined by the path one will take in the future."

He continued thoughtfully:

"I have a fairly good understanding of the Victorian era, including Saint Laurent City, a place full of desire and killing."

My main path going forward will still involve dealing with 'people' most of the time.

I may come into contact with, and even clash with, many complex forces. For example, lower-level brotherhoods, ocean-going ports controlling waterways, or even high-ranking nobles like the Ocelli family.

Xilun's voice was steady, but it carried a sense of vicissitude and coldness that was inconsistent with his age.

"But, to be honest, besides humans, I might also have frequent life-or-death battles with those alien species hiding in the darkness."

Xilun silently added to himself: "Because I need to hunt down alien species and absorb their extraordinary talents to strengthen myself."

He considered that the alien species were often large in size, thick-skinned, and possessed various strange toxins or abilities, making close combat too risky.

He looked up at Lund and asked, "Teacher, which weapon do you specialize in teaching?"

Lund couldn't help but laugh as he listened to Xilun's mature and prudent analysis.

His laughter echoed in the hall, carrying a hint of swagger.

He leaned back in his chair, looking at his young disciple with great interest, and said:

"Does that mean you'll learn whatever I'm good at?"

You know how to make things easy, kid. But I do know quite a few weapons.

I am proficient in all the conventional weapons: guns, swords, and knives.

In my early years, to deal with some troublesome heavily armored enemies, I even learned to use a spiked club and practiced bare-armored combat.

Xilun remained unmoved, his gaze persistent as he pressed on with the question:

"Even if you are proficient in all kinds of weapons, there must be one that you are best at and that best represents your peak strength, right?"

Upon hearing this, Lund's smile gradually faded, replaced by an absolute confidence and arrogance befitting a strong person.

He looked thoughtfully at the crimson spear on the weapon rack, a hint of nostalgia flashing in his eyes.

"A gun, of course." Lund's voice became deep and powerful.

"Back then, I participated in the life-or-death competition to advance to the rank of advanced knight."

In that decisive battle, I used my spear to defeat three powerful enemies of the same level.

After the match, a count from the Imperial Upper House personally bestowed upon me the title of knight—'Crimson Star'.

Lund's gaze sharpened, as if he were back on that blood-soaked battlefield:

"The reason I received this title is because I am most skilled in a very special method of cultivating energy."

This method allows me to compress the Qi and blood in my body to an extreme degree, condensing it into an indestructible "Qi gun".

The air gun is named for its scarlet color.

Within the community, this marksmanship is said to be able to penetrate the defenses of any creature below the fourth tier.

At this point, Lund chuckled self-deprecatingly and waved his hand:

"Of course, this statement is somewhat exaggerated."

After all, a fourth-tier monster is a life form from another dimension.

But in battles from level one to level three, my gun never broke.

Xilun listened quietly, but his heart was in turmoil.

Penetrating any defense below the fourth tier? This extreme penetrating power and explosive force is exactly what he desires most right now.

He thoughtfully simulated a battle scene with a spear in his mind.

The spear is known as the king of weapons.

An inch longer, an inch stronger. Against massive alien species, a long spear can maintain a safe attack distance; against enemies wielding sharp blades, the spear's thrusts and sweeps can easily tear through their defenses.

It can attack or defend, with a wide-ranging and powerful style, and is unparalleled in its ferocity.

Xiren stood up, looked firmly at Lund, bowed deeply, and said in a loud voice:

"Teacher, then I'll follow you and practice shooting too!"

……

As Xilun's words faded in the empty hall, Lund nodded slightly, a hint of appreciation flashing in his deep eyes.

He turned to look at his disciple, who was sitting upright to the side, waved his hand, and casually gave the order:

"That concludes today's observation session. You can go back now and review the moves you just saw in your minds several times."

The two disciples respectfully rose, bowed, and quietly withdrew.

Lund stood up, his tall figure casting a deep shadow under the gaslight. He nodded to Siron: "Come with me."

The two walked one after the other through a corridor covered with a thick wool carpet and arrived at a study filled with the smell of old paper and insect repellent.

The towering bookshelves were crammed with all sorts of yellowed classics and handwritten copies.

Lund walked to one of the bookshelves, his gaze sweeping over the densely packed spines of the books, his fingers tapping lightly on the wooden board as if he were considering something.

"Ever since primates first learned to pick up stones from the ground with their hands and throw them at their prey, they have had the rudimentary ability to hunt without injury."

As Lund rummaged through the items, he casually recounted their contents, his voice unusually deep in the quiet study:

"And when they learned to break tree branches, sharpen one end, and make primitive spears as projectile weapons, even the largest and thickest-skinned mammoth on land was no match for us."

At this point, Lund stopped what he was doing, turned around, and calmly looked at Xiren:

"Humans are good at intelligence but not strength. If it is just hand-to-hand combat, very few people can fight against alien species of the same level with their flesh and blood bodies."

Even if they are just low-level alien species like wild boars, lions, and tigers that have not yet fully evolved, it is almost impossible for humans to defeat them with their bare hands.

Their muscle density, bone density, and that ferocious wildness are qualities that humans are naturally lacking.

Xilun listened quietly, his mind filled with images of the terrifying devil whale he had encountered in the waters off the ocean pier, and the white shark he had torn apart.

If it weren't for his extraordinary physical strength and abnormal recovery ability, it would have been a pipe dream to deal with that kind of monster with his bare hands.

"But if one practices weaponry, wears sturdy armor, and has adequate logistical support."

Therefore, even a ferocious bear, an armored rhinoceros, a hippo lurking in the swamp, or even an elephant-like creature, are by no means invincible.

Lund smiled, his smile revealing a seasoned composure. "Of course, this only applies to ordinary creatures, or those low-level alien species that have not yet escaped the realm of beasts."

If it's a mythical creature, then it's hard to say.

Xilun paused, his brow furrowing slightly as he caught the unfamiliar word:

"Mythical creature? What's that?"

Lund turned around, pulled a thick booklet from the shelf, and casually asked in return:

"Didn't Raine tell you?"

He blew the dust off the booklet cover and slowly said:

"Those are ancient creatures that have existed in this world since before the Quaternary period."

They possess terrifying power that is incomprehensible and unimaginable to ordinary people; that power can even be described as "authority".

They don't need to painstakingly cultivate their strength like we do; they are born with the ability to command storms, unleash destructive lightning, and summon tsunamis that engulf continents, wielding natural disasters at will.

The air in the study seemed to grow heavier as Lund described it, and Siron's breathing involuntarily slowed down.

"Their power is enough to easily flatten a prosperous human city and destroy the entire human society in an instant."

However, for some unknown reason, they rarely venture out, preferring to remain secluded in remote areas, such as the deep sea, volcanoes, or extremely cold places, where they fall into a long slumber.

They were worshipped as totems by early human tribes and were treated as deities.

Such beings are called mythical creatures.

Lund's gaze became somewhat distant, as if he were recalling fragments recorded in ancient documents:

"Later, a catastrophe that nearly destroyed the entire world struck."

Those lofty mythical creatures fell one after another, their enormous bodies crashing to the ground, their blood flowing into rivers, their skin transforming into mountains, their bones becoming mineral veins, and their internal organs buried deep in the soil.

The remains of these mythical creatures nourished the land, and the entire world then awakened to an extraordinary system.

"Humanity began to absorb these free energies, gradually evolving a path of forging sacred bodies, which is now the ninth-order extraordinary system."

Lund's voice turned solemn, "Starting from the third level of the extraordinary—first level: the Baptist, second level: the Ripper, third level: the Aberrant."

Above that are the three tiers of chaos that transcend the essence of life: the fourth tier Demon Hunter, the fifth tier Bitter Walker, and the sixth tier Apocalypse Knight.

As for anything higher, there's the legendary, god-like, third-tier Heavenly Calamity.

At this point, Lund paused, seemingly lost in some extremely complex thought.

A long, deathly silence fell over the study, broken only by the ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner.

After a long while, Lund finally let out a long breath, his tone carrying a hint of undisguised emotion:

"I have cultivated for twelve years, teetering on the edge of life and death countless times, and have seen many extraordinary individuals whose strength far surpasses mine."

I even had the privilege of catching a glimpse of a sixth-tier Apocalypse Knight training.

Xilun's pupils contracted slightly as he stared intently at Lund.

"That lord cultivates a very special kind of energy, based on the raging storm."

That kind of power can no longer be called "strength" as we understand it.

Whether in terms of density, load-bearing capacity, or instantaneous destructive power, it far surpasses physical strength.

Perhaps that power should be called 'divine power'.

Lund shook his head and smiled wryly:

"However, I have only seen it once in my entire life."

I have never seen an extraordinary being above the sixth rank, as if those legendary third-rank calamities had never existed in this world.

Of course, that's impossible. At least in the upper district of Saint Laurent City, in the deep mansions of those ancient nobles, there must be terrifying beings of level six or higher lurking.

Unfortunately, with my current status as a mere high-ranking knight and a commoner, I am not qualified to enter the inner circle of the upper city.

Xilun was taken aback. Uptown.

This word was like a sharp thorn, piercing deep into the memories he had deliberately sealed away.

He seemed to have been to that place before, in that muddy and humiliating childhood, kneeling before the magnificent yet cold gates of the Storm Duke with his mother, who always possessed a sickly elegance, begging for alms.

Although that memory was filled with despair and unbearable pain, he had no lingering attachment to it, but the feeling of being looked down upon like trash was already etched into his very bones.

Xilun suppressed the turmoil within him, a calm, almost cold smile playing on his lips:

"Teacher, the extraordinary path is long and arduous."

As long as we're not dead, we might one day cultivate that divine power and go to the Upper City to see for ourselves.

Lund stared at the young man before him, whose eyes held a resolute determination like a lone wolf, paused for a moment, and then burst into laughter:

"Perhaps. You've got quite the ambition, kid."

He flipped through the booklet in his hand, steer the conversation back on track:

"Since you have thought it through and finally chosen to use a gun as your weapon, I will definitely pass on my most treasured and refined martial arts techniques to you."

However, that method places an enormous burden on the physical body and meridians, and it is something that only those who have reached at least the third level of aberration need to consider.

Before we go any further, I'll choose a basic gun-based combat style for you.

Lund stroked the book cover thoughtfully before handing the heavy tome to Xilun.

Xilun took it with both hands, his gaze falling on the ancient, gold-embossed characters on the cover—"Natan Heavy Armor Gun Techniques".

"This is a widely circulated and relatively basic extraordinary spear technique, which is very suitable for first and second-tier extraordinary individuals to use to strengthen their muscles and bones and get familiar with the feel of the spear."

Lund explained in detail, "This marksmanship style is characterized by wide, sweeping movements, without any fancy tricks or feints. It is designed entirely for heavy combat and head-on confrontations."

The core moves are almost entirely composed of extremely violent actions such as "crash," "sweep," "choke," and "smash."

Lund looked at Xiren's imposing physique, which far surpassed that of his peers, and nodded in satisfaction.

"You are born with superhuman strength and your body is extremely resistant to blows. This kind of marksmanship can bring out your physical advantages to the greatest extent."

What makes this marksmanship particularly outstanding is its ability to fully utilize the combination of physical strength and mental power.

The "Great Sea Whale Guiding Technique" you're practicing is a breathing method that places great emphasis on fundamental foundations and the flow of qi and blood like a vast ocean. Each level you master doubles your strength and physical power. The combination of these two is simply a perfect match.

Xilun then turned the pages of the book, the pages making a crisp sound.

The accompanying pictures and text explanations are indeed relatively simple. The moves are straightforward and straightforward, without any insidious or cunning variations. They emphasize using force to overcome skill and one force can subdue ten techniques.

Xilun looked thoughtfully at the techniques for generating force, his fingers unconsciously mimicking the posture of holding a gun.

As he turned to the last few pages of the book, his gaze suddenly sharpened, and he pursed his lips.

On the yellowed page, a line of annotation was written in vermilion ink:

If one can master this technique to perfection, one can be worthy of being called a master of marksmanship.

Then, at the moment of making a move, one can compress all the violent energy in one's body to an extreme degree, condensing it on the tip of the spear, like a dragon soaring through the sky, unstoppable.

Xilun memorized these words. According to what he had read in martial arts dramas in his previous life, this technique of materializing power and projecting it through the body should be called "spear aura".

Is it possible to unleash such terrifying destructive power if one masters this marksmanship?

Xilun seemed to be deep in thought. He clearly remembered that in extraordinary levels of combat skills, above beginner, proficient, master, and master, there was a proficiency level that only existed in legends, namely the superhuman level.

What would it be like to reach that level?