Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

The carriage was filled with the scent of a mixture of expensive perfumes and cigars.

The woman in the black dress was still sitting in the back row.

The woman elegantly crossed her legs, her fair and slender thighs faintly visible beneath her black, high-slit long skirt.

She exhaled a smoke ring, her voice alluring yet carrying an undeniable chill:

"Mr. Diano, the shipment for the Black Swan Pavilion has been dispatched from the wasteland."

How's the unblocking going on your end? Let me remind you, you absolutely cannot afford the slightest mistake.

This contains a considerable amount of highly concentrated contraband that could drive the Metropolitan Police Department mad.

Diano greedily inhaled the aroma wafting from the carriage, patting his chest as he assured:

"As long as the money is enough, my checkpoints will be open to all."

That Xilun is a martial arts fanatic; he has no idea how to check accounts, so there's no way he'll make a mistake.

As he spoke, he rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, making a gesture as if asking for money.

Seeing this, the woman smiled contemptuously and said:

"Of course, we're very particular about the rules. We'll pay you a deposit first."

As she spoke, the woman alluringly pulled out a thick wad of banknotes from under her long black skirt and tossed them directly into Diano's arms.

"Let's order some."

Diano's eyes widened. He pursed his dry lips and quickly took it with both hands.

Forty pounds!

Half of the total compensation.

He worked hard in the factory for half a year and still couldn't save that much money.

Now, with just a blink of an eye, he can use his position to let someone pass through, and after it's done, he can make a net profit of eighty pounds!

This is a deal only a fool wouldn't make.

As he counted the money, his gaze involuntarily swept over the woman.

He secretly marveled: This woman's figure is absolutely stunning, with long legs and big breasts. Her perfectly oval face is adorned with a pair of alluring phoenix eyes, making her incredibly sexy.

Unfortunately, although Diano was a womanizer, he valued his life even more.

He knew very well how powerful and terrifying the force behind this woman was. If he dared to touch a single hair on her head, he would be drowned at the bottom of Changqing Lake and fed to turtles tomorrow.

After stuffing the money into his inner pocket, Diano immediately got out of the car and stood in the snowstorm, saying obsequiously:

"Rest assured, I know my limits and will never jeopardize your important business."

At the same time, in the oppressive meeting room at the Iron Fist Gang headquarters, the gang's top leaders gathered together.

The dim light cast shifting shadows on everyone's faces.

The crowd whispered amongst themselves, a heavy atmosphere of anxiety and apprehension filling the air.

Gang leader Dawson placed his hands on the table, slowly raised his head, and swept his hawk-like gaze across the room before speaking in a deep voice:

"Gentlemen, how have the discussions gone?"

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances. Finally, a senior hall master stood up, shook his head, and sighed:

"Boss, this Xilun is really a tough nut to crack."

This person not only possesses astonishing potential but also exceptional combat skills. The fact that they were able to fight the Extreme Ironhide Turtle in its most favored waters demonstrates an astonishing wealth of combat experience. Moreover…

The hall master paused, his tone tinged with apprehension:

"Rumor has it that in the Knight Fighting Tournament a few months ago, he faced the Extreme Realm Rose, who was hailed as a genius monster, in the finals and managed to fight to the very last moment despite being seriously injured."

This person's fighting spirit is simply incomprehensible, like that of a mad dog.

Another branch president chimed in, "That's right, unless we can deploy a true second-tier Ripper to crush it with absolute class power."

Otherwise, even if you, the leader, send two extraordinary experts to the front lines and arrange for a sharpshooter to assist, it would probably be difficult to deal with this person in a short time.

Moreover, even if we were to pay a heavy price and barely win, given this person's elusive movements and terrifying healing power, there is a very high chance that he could escape unscathed.

If he survives, our Iron Fist Gang will face an endless nightmare of terror.

Dawson closed his eyes and tapped his fingers on the table again.

He hesitated for a long time before slowly opening his eyes and saying coldly:

"I have indeed thought about this matter repeatedly, and my conclusion is similar to yours."

Xilun is not a match for us; at least until we are absolutely certain of a fatal blow, we cannot afford to openly confront him.

He carefully chose his words, analyzing the current situation to his subordinates:

"But gentlemen, the Iron Fist Gang is currently facing a severe shortage of resources."

If I want to continue expanding my territory and gather enough extraordinary materials to advance to the second tier, I must either head west or east.

Dawson walked to the huge map of the North District on the wall and pointed heavily to the west:

"To the west is Moon Lake. That's a prime target, but it's home to two established forces even more powerful than the Shattered Bone Gang. There are at least five second-tier extraordinary individuals there."

Even if that place is overflowing with resources, it would be difficult to conquer with our current capabilities.

His finger then slid to the east side of the map and tapped it heavily:

"To the east is the Brotherhood's branch."

They occupied three extremely valuable resource zones.

Although there were about six or seven baptists, the truly troublesome one was Siron, who had reached the pinnacle of his abilities.

Dawson turned around, his gaze cold, and gave the order:

"Since a direct confrontation would be too costly, we'll use strategy instead."

Thus, the operation will proceed along two parallel lines. First, elite scouts will be dispatched westward to closely monitor recent activity around Moon Lake, observing whether the two major powers will clash and seeking any opportunities to exploit. Second…”

A venomous sneer curled at the corner of his lips:

"Probe the Brotherhood's North Division thoroughly! I refuse to believe that there is any solid, unyielding entity in this world."

See if we can dismantle them from within, or use public opinion to smear them, or bribe the Metropolitan Police Department and other higher-ups, using all means to transfer Weston from the North District.

Whether he's transferred back to the Brotherhood headquarters in the southern part of Saint Laurent City, or reassigned to some other, more remote location, it's fine!

"As soon as this person leaves..."

Dawson clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking. "After a month of planning, we can take over the entire Brotherhood's territory without shedding a drop of blood."

Even if we can't transfer this person, we should at least see if we can completely dismantle the foundation of his power.

For example, the greedy former factory director, Dianno, sent someone to test and win him over.

"If things fall into chaos internally, even if Xilun is made of iron, how many nails can he hammer in?"

As instructions were relayed down through the ranks, the undercurrents in the northern region surged beneath the cover of ice and snow.

Thus, time passed quietly in a brutal monotony.

Soon, more than twenty days had passed since the Battle of Changqing Lake.

On this morning, just as the first hint of dawn appeared on the horizon, a biting wind howled outside the window.

Xilun sat cross-legged on the large bed and began his daily breathing exercises.

He applied an expensive, extraordinary ointment evenly to his bare upper body.

As the "Great Ocean Whale Guidance Technique" was activated, the cold ointment quickly seeped into the skin, and the body gradually began to warm up.

Immediately afterwards, the warmth transformed into a scalding torrent, a massive, pent-up energy that was gathering strength within him, ready to unleash destructive power at any moment.

It's like a volcano that has been suppressed for millions of years, finally reaching the brink of eruption.

The ointment applied to the body was slowly absorbed through the pores, thoroughly permeating every part of the body.

With his eyes closed, countless images of life-or-death struggles flashed wildly through his mind.

His maneuvering with Xiu Kuo, his deadly battle with Li An, his bloody hand-to-hand combat with Ross, and the moment he tore apart the Ironclad Turtle underwater all became nourishment for his martial arts practice.

"It will happen naturally."

Xilun thought to himself, without the slightest hesitation, his will like a blade, guiding the surging blood and qi within his body, and fiercely charging towards the threshold of the fourth level of the cultivation technique!

boom!

The speed of his breathing technique increased continuously, and the sound, like a river bursting its banks, even penetrated his body surface, almost reaching the physical limit that the human body could withstand.

A faint blue glow emanated from between his skin pores, quickly weaving together to envelop his entire body.

At this moment, Xilun seemed to transform into a real giant whale in the deep sea, opening its invisible abyssal maw, and like a whale swallowing, began to greedily and frantically absorb the free-floating energy from the outside world.

His physique is undergoing a tremendous and powerful transformation under the baptism of this terrifying energy.

The faint blue light surrounding his body continued to expand. Wherever the light passed, the minor injuries and cellular damage accumulated during his arduous training disappeared bit by bit, like snow meeting the warm sun, until they vanished completely.

Xilun's aura grew increasingly powerful, forcibly pulling the surrounding airflow to form a miniature vortex that surged into his body.

Once, twice, ten times...

In just one hour, the breathing technique of the "Great Sea Whale Guiding Technique" circulated wildly within his body for a full hundred cycles!

When everything returned to calm, Xiren slowly opened his eyes, and there seemed to be lightning flashing in his eyes.

He keenly sensed a tremendous change within himself: his full head of black hair moved without wind, growing an inch or so in the process of his transformation; his five senses became sharper than ever before, his hearing and vision were exceptionally clear, and he could even hear the sound of a snowflake landing a hundred meters away.

Internal organs, bones, skin, and muscles all become incredibly tough under the feedback of the fourth level of energy.

Even the blood flowing within seemed to have lost its mortal red color, becoming more viscous, heavy like mercury yet full of life.

This is by no means a breakthrough in one direction, but a complete transformation of life from the inside out!

Strength, physique, spirit, and energy—at this moment, they were all nearly twice as powerful!

Of course, Xilun had a very clear understanding of the situation.

He knew that this was only because his basic qualities were twice as strong. After being diluted by external factors such as weapons, advanced fighting techniques, and his opponent's unique talents, the actual increase in combat power in a life-or-death battle was only about 40% to 50%.

But this is already extremely exaggerated.

For a first-tier extreme realm cultivator to increase their combat power by 40-50% in a single breakthrough is simply a pipe dream.

Xilun slowly squeezed his right hand, and a crisp sound of air being squeezed and bursting was heard in the air.

He felt that his current physique was strong enough to crush pig iron with his bare hands, and that ordinary swords and weapons would hardly leave even a white mark on his body.

"The total amount of energy contained in the fourth level of the Giant Whale Guiding Technique is already equivalent to the perfect level of some rudimentary breathing techniques."

Xilun stood up, feeling satisfied with the terrifying power within him that was as deep as an abyss.

Pushing open the door, the wind and snow outside continued.

It was time for the daily practice of the "Forging Bones and Iron Armor Ascetic Method".

The two strongmen on duty today rubbed their hands together as they entered the courtyard. Looking at Sirona's seemingly even more terrifying figure, they swallowed hard and asked:

"Your Excellency, shall we begin today?"

Xilun thought for a moment, then casually spread his arms and said, "Let's begin."

The two strongmen dared not be negligent. They skillfully swung their iron rulers and, as usual, used seventy percent of their strength to smash Xilun's shoulder!

"Bang!"

A dull, loud thud, as if it had struck a solid steel ingot.

However, Xiren's body remained completely still, without even swaying.

On the other hand, the two strongmen were so shocked by the terrifying recoil from the iron ruler that their hands went numb and they both took a step back.

Both of them were startled, as if they realized something was wrong.

They gritted their teeth, thinking it was because their posture was wrong, and slammed down another heavy iron ruler.

Xilun remained as steady as a mountain. He frowned slightly and said with some dissatisfaction, "Too light. Use more force."

The two strongmen were stunned.

As a Baptist known for his strength in the North District, even those who specialize in physical cultivation wouldn't dare to easily withstand a strike with 70% of their strength against a Baptist who makes no defensive move.

But judging from the governor's nonchalant demeanor, he seemed to have no reaction whatsoever.

Immediately, the two men went all out, increasing their strength to 80%.

The iron ruler swung down with a whooshing sound, but it was to no avail! Not even a trace of redness appeared on Xilun's skin.

The two strongmen went completely berserk, roared, and used ninety percent of their maximum strength. The iron ruler even left afterimages in the air!

"Bang!"

This attack finally caused Xilun's towering body to sway slightly.

A satisfied smile finally appeared on Xilun's lips, and he nodded slightly, saying:

"Not bad, you're getting the hang of it. Use this amount of force from now on."

The two strongmen, however, were as if they had seen a ghost in broad daylight, their bodies covered in cold sweat.

The iron ruler, with ninety percent of its maximum force, struck the unsuspecting body, only causing the governor to stagger slightly.

Moreover, they could clearly see that the few bloodstains that had just appeared on Xilun's skin were quickly pulled and healed by the strange blue fascia!

The speed at which adults progress is truly astonishing.

In less than a month, he has made such terrifying progress.

He was able to fight against extreme-level alien species underwater before, so if he were to go all out now, I'm afraid no one in the Northern District would be able to stop him!

"Slap! Slap! Slap!"

The muffled, hammering sound continued throughout the morning in the courtyard.

By noon, the two strongmen, their hands almost smoking from swinging the iron rulers, collapsed on the snow, exhausted.

After two medicinal baths, Xilun remained energetic and had an astonishingly vigorous constitution.

"It's really a ghost..." the strongmen groaned helplessly.

Seeing this, Xilun knew that the two people's physical strength was no longer sufficient to meet his cultivation needs.

He immediately summoned his butler, generously tossed out a wad of cash, and ordered the butler to hire two more strongmen of equal strength at a high price.

From today onwards, four strongmen will take turns serving you.

Two mornings and two afternoons of sparring sessions were dedicated to pushing the "Bone Forging Iron Armor Ascetic Method" to its peak.