Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Xilun chanted the incantation of "Forging Bones and Iron Armor" in his mind, and the blood and qi in his body began to converge towards the surface of his skin along a specific route. He said calmly:

"Hiring two people would make the job simple."

They used these two iron rulers to strike my chest, abdomen, waist, and back with all their might.

All you need to do is assist me in my training.

The two stared at each other, wide-eyed.

Having spent half my life in this northern district, I've done plenty of jobs where I'd get paid to fight for others, but this is the first time I've ever heard of someone willingly paying to have a cast iron ruler hit them.

A moment later, the two stepped forward, took a deep breath, and swung the heavy, dark iron ruler with both hands.

It's really heavy! You can't swing it without a grip strength of five or six hundred pounds.

The two men exchanged a glance, feeling uneasy as they looked at their young employer, who was tall but not overly muscular.

They didn't dare use their full strength, only a third of their power, swinging the iron rulers left and right, creating a dull gust of wind, and smashing them hard against Xilun's broad back.

"Bang!"

A dull thud echoed through the courtyard in the early morning.

The iron ruler struck Xilun's thin training clothes, yet it felt as if it had struck a sturdy giant log covered with thick cowhide.

The immense recoil force made the two strongmen's hands go numb.

Xilun stood still, without even swaying his body.

He frowned slightly and said in a nonchalant tone, "Too light, heavier."

The man on the left stared wide-eyed, his face filled with horror.

He had also practiced martial arts, and he could sense that the person in front of him was not unleashing the ferocious power unique to the Baptists to defend himself.

The opponent actually took this blow purely out of sheer instinct! And judging from the looks of it, it didn't seem to hurt at all.

Such terrifying physical defense—this must be a monster at the legendary extreme level!

Gritting his teeth, the man shouted, "Sir, please forgive me!"

He exerted force from his waist, suddenly increasing the strength until he reached six-tenths of his maximum.

The heavy iron ruler left a black afterimage in mid-air before striking Xilun hard in the right side of his waist.

"boom!"

This time, Xilun finally felt a pain that went straight to his bone marrow.

His body swayed slightly, his muscles tensing instinctively.

"That's the feeling." A glint of light flashed in Xilen's eyes. "Keep going, don't stop!"

For a moment, the wind howled in the courtyard.

The two then took turns swinging their iron rulers, striking Xilun heavily one after another, as if forging iron.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Xilun felt a dull pain from the whipping coming from all parts of his body, like flames burning his nerves.

He pursed his lips tightly, furrowed his brows, and followed the breathing rhythm of the "Great Sea Whale Guiding Technique" and the ascetic training method of "Forging Bones and Iron Armor" to slowly adjust his body's posture to withstand blows and the circulation of qi and blood under his skin.

Gradually, Xilun felt the pieces of flesh that had been heavily struck by the iron ruler begin to heat up, as if boiling water was scalding under his skin, followed by an unbearable tingling sensation.

After enduring a dozen or twenty heavy blows, he looked down and felt a faint, dark black hue emanating from beneath the skin of his chest and abdomen. It seemed to possess an iron-like toughness, as if it were growing out of the depths of his flesh.

"Snapped!"

The man on the left slammed his iron ruler down again, and Xiren's body swayed violently.

Deep within his retina, that familiar, cold, pale red data stream flickered and pulsed once more.

[Skill: Bone Forging Iron Armor Ascetic Method (Beginner)]

[Progress: 0/100]

【Characteristics: Eight Extremes Bone Forging, Qi and Blood Flowing Like a Rainbow, Armor-like and Mighty, Body Like Iron Armor!】

He exhaled a breath of stale air and raised his hand to signal the two to stop.

"Butler," Siren called out in a hoarse voice.

The middle-aged butler, who had been waiting under the pillar, immediately trotted over: "Sir, what are your orders?"

Xilun wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said, "Bring me the extraordinary medicinal herbs you have prepared. I want to take a medicinal bath."

The steward immediately nodded and waved to instruct the servants around him.

Soon, a huge wooden bathtub was carried to the center of the yard.

Boiling hot water was poured in bucket after bucket, causing steam to rise.

Next, the butler carefully dropped several packets of precious medicinal herbs, which emitted a strong, pungent odor, into the water.

These medicinal herbs are all made by Teacher Lund's secret recipe, and the cost is extremely high. Each packet is equivalent to several months' living expenses for an average person.

Xilun took off his tattered training clothes, leaving him in only his underwear, and strode into the scalding hot bathtub.

As soon as he sat down, he felt his blood begin to boil. The bruises and hidden injuries caused by the iron ruler, stimulated by the scalding medicinal power, felt as if they were being pierced by thousands of steel needles at the same time, causing waves of intense pain, but also repairing at an incredible speed.

The people around slowly stepped back, allowing Xilun to absorb the medicinal power undisturbed.

The two strongmen, panting heavily, retreated to the courtyard wall, rubbing their aching arms, and whispered to each other in surprise.

"Heavens! There are such terrifying cultivators."

To withstand the iron ruler with bare hands—that's practically a monster in human skin!

The other person wiped away sweat, his face filled with awe as he exclaimed:

"As expected of the young governor sent by headquarters, not only is he highly talented, but his cultivation is also so arduous and cruel."

It's only a little past five in the morning. Judging from his posture just now, he's probably been practicing like this, almost torturing himself, for a long time.

More than ten minutes passed.

Xilun took a deep breath and stood up from the bathtub.

Water droplets rolled down his well-defined muscles, which glowed with an eerie red light.

He put on a new, dry training uniform, his face showing a cold and indifferent expression.

"continue."

Immediately, another terrifying, teeth-grinding, crackling sound rang out in the courtyard.

……

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

The weather in the northern district was already cold and damp, and now the first heavy snow of the year has fallen early, causing the temperature to drop sharply and making it even colder.

Every household kept their doors and windows tightly shut and put on heavy winter clothes.

The mahogany signboard of the Brothers Processing Factory gleamed in the snow.

Diano, wearing a thick, expensive mink coat, pushed open the door to the factory manager's office and walked out.

He stood on the steps, exhaling a thick puff of white breath, his eyes alertly observing the surrounding movements.

A moment later, he pulled his hat down low, strode into the snowstorm, and got into a black car that had been waiting for a long time at the entrance of a secluded alley.

In the back seat of the car, someone was already sitting in the shadows, waiting for him.

Once Diano closed the car door, the car started immediately and drove smoothly out, crushing the snow.

A woman who had been sitting in the back seat, smoking a slender cigarette, lazily instructed the driver, "To the Black Swan Pavilion."

The car drove out onto the snowy streets, its interior filled with the scent of expensive perfume and tobacco.

The woman exhaled a smoke ring, her scarlet lips curving slightly upwards, and turned to look at Diano, saying:

"In the past two weeks, we've pretty much figured out everything about your new governor."

She covered her mouth and giggled, "Guess what? It turns out he's just a greenhorn who hasn't even reached the threshold of a second-tier 'Tearer'."

What a ridiculous joke! That such a lowly person would be sent by the Brotherhood headquarters to be the governor of this ruthless North District.

Have those high-ranking officials in the South District lost their minds?

Upon hearing this, Diano's tense nerves relaxed slightly, but concerns remained in his eyes. After a moment's hesitation, he said:

"But... I heard from the people below that he seems to have already obtained the official knight title in the Southern District competition."

And to be sent here, there must be something extraordinary about him.

The woman curled her lip in disdain and flicked her cigarette ash:

"So what if it's a knighthood? It's just a fig leaf for commoners."

As long as he doesn't advance to the second tier, his physical body can't withstand the metal storm. Everyone's afraid of guns!

A ruthless glint flashed in her eyes: "If things really come to a head, just hire ten black market gunmen, corner him in a dead end, and unleash a barrage of pepper spray. What can't that solve?"

The woman leaned back in her leather seat and lectured:

"Do you know why the Shattered Bone Gang is so arrogant in the North District? Their leader is a genuine Tier 2 Extraordinary!

No matter what kind of gunman you are, once you reach the second stage, your muscle fibers remodel, and when you fire a shot, the bullet won't even penetrate your flesh!

With just a few wide-range killing blows, they could crush a bunch of baptized people like ants.

How could we dare offend these truly important figures?

Diano wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, still looking somewhat hesitant:

"How about... we wait a little longer?"

Although that kid never leaves his room and only knows how to practice his skills in the courtyard, I always feel that his eyes are terrifyingly cold.

If something goes wrong with this shipment and he finds out, we'll be in big trouble. After all, he represents the Brotherhood.

Upon hearing this, the woman's face instantly turned cold, and she impatiently reprimanded:

"Dianno, you need to understand the situation!"

You need to understand that since the Seven Seas Processing Plant was acquired, you are no longer the rightful factory manager!

You're just a high-level employee who can be replaced at any time!

"If it weren't for that idiot named Xilun who, in order to practice his skills, foolishly delegated authority to you old management to handle daily affairs for the past two weeks, you wouldn't even have the right to sit here and do business with me!"

The woman stubbed out her cigarette and stared intently at Diano:

"I'll ask you just one question today: are you going to release that batch of high-purity, extraordinary materials or not?"

Diano gritted his teeth, his face full of struggle:

"Your thing is very tense."

The Saint Laurent City Police Department is now extremely strict in its control and checks.

Besides... this batch of smuggled goods also has to go through the Iron Fist Gang. If something goes wrong and the higher-ups find out, I'll be in deep trouble!

The woman sneered: "What are you afraid of him for? If we get caught, we can just find an excuse and take down his boss too!"

Disguising it as a gang fight. Don't you still have two baptized, loyal old subordinates?

"Let's attack together in two groups, and I'll provide you with seven or eight quick-fire rifles. What are we afraid of, that parachuted-in governor who hasn't even grown his first beard yet?"

Diano oscillates violently between profit and risk.

Recalling the loss of his power over the past two weeks, and the enormous wealth brought by that batch of illicit goods that would provide him with enough to live comfortably for the rest of his life, greed finally overcame reason in his eyes.

He slapped his thigh hard and said fiercely:

"Okay! Let's do it that way!"

It's hard to imagine that he, being a single person, spends his days practicing martial arts and sleeping, while also handling so many paperwork matters, personally overseeing every single outbound order.

I'll prepare a false report, and as long as he approves it in the document, we'll do the job!

Diano took a deep breath: "After this job, I'll stop."

The money I've earned is enough for me to buy a small villa in the upper part of the city for my retirement.

The woman lit another cigarette, chuckled sweetly, and pointed her finger at Diano's chest:

"You're still as wicked as ever."

"That's how you gradually emptied and ruined the Seven Seas processing plant, forcing us to sell it to the Brotherhood at a low price in the end."

Diano snorted coldly, feeling proud rather than ashamed:

"In this messed-up world, money and power are the only true things!"

I didn't invest in that factory back then; I was just an agent in charge.

"If they drain all the profits and go bankrupt, so be it. What does it have to do with me!"

After saying that, the car slowly slowed down, and the two stopped in front of a luxuriously decorated Black Swan Pavilion with bodyguards standing at the entrance. They walked hand in hand into the snow.

Snow was falling heavily in the backyard of the Brotherhood's branch.

"Slap! Slap!"

The heavy, heart-stopping impact echoed in the cold air.

Xilun, shirtless, had his legs rooted to the snow like the gnarled roots of an old tree, silently enduring the frenzied lashes of two dark iron rulers.

After two weeks of hellish torment and adaptation, his ability to withstand blows has reached an extremely terrifying level.

After getting used to using only 60% force, he asked the two to increase their strength.

Now, these two experienced middle-aged strongmen, who are being baptized, have to use more than 70% of their terrifying strength to swing the iron ruler. Each strike brings a sharp sound of air being cut, but they can only make Xilun's body sway slightly.

His muscles were like taut deep-sea rubber in the cold wind, and with each strike from the iron ruler, a faint, dark metallic sheen would rise from beneath his skin.

His body radiated an astonishing heat, and the sweat that seeped out immediately turned into a misty white vapor that rose up.

The flesh and skin were damaged under extreme pressure, and then began to slowly repair themselves under the domineering blood and energy flushing from the "Great Sea Whale Guiding Technique".

Destruction and reconstruction, in an endless cycle.

This intense training lasted for a full half hour.

"stop."

Xilun called for a halt in a hoarse voice, exhaling a long, hot breath.

He turned to the corridor and instructed, "Rena, Rod, prepare the medicinal bath."

"Yes, sir."

Soon, the middle-aged man named Rod, who looked pale and sickly, and a young woman named Rena, who had no expression, walked in one after the other, carrying a heavy hot tub.

Without batting an eye, Xilun took off his underwear, which was already soaked with sweat and blood, and stepped into the scalding hot bathtub.

Rena walked forward expressionlessly, tested the water temperature with her slender fingers, and after confirming that the temperature was extremely high, she skillfully poured in several packets of expensive medicinal herbs in the correct proportions.

After doing all this, she looked up at Xilun with a cold gaze, then looked away without saying a word.

At this point, Xilun had already submerged most of his body in the medicinal solution.

The continuous strain on his body had left him looking weak and pale.

He had his eyes closed, yet he keenly sensed something.

Xilun slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as a knife, and said calmly, "What's wrong?"

Reina, who had been staring at him, trembled slightly, immediately lowered her head, avoided Xilun's gaze that seemed to see through her soul, shook her head, and retreated without saying a word.