Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Xilun opened the envelope.

In the first two pages of the letter, Lund inquired in detail about Xiren's current situation, his concern evident in his words, and he repeatedly warned him not to act impulsively in the North District and to be wary of the treacherous schemes of those ancient families.

At the back of the letter were several thick sheets of parchment.

Xilun pulled out a parchment, on which were densely copied four breathing techniques and diagrams of the human body's meridians.

This was the second-tier method that Lund chose for Xilun after learning that Xilun was about to break through.

He glanced at them and found that each of the four breathing techniques had its own merits.

The "Mysterious Water Breathing Method" emphasizes length and duration, greatly enhancing the recovery of Qi and blood; the "Swallowing Light and Guiding the Moon Breathing Method" leans towards explosive power and agile movement; there are also two other methods that focus on defense and berserk power.

Lund made detailed annotations in glaring red pen at every point where it was easy to lose one's balance or go astray.

As Xilun held the parchment, a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

In this cold and cruel extraordinary world, Lund is one of the few people who can make him feel pure kindness.

He pulled over a perfectly good chair, sat down, and quickly skimmed through the four breathing techniques.

Indeed, each has its own unique characteristics, and they are all rare gems.

However, his current physical foundation is too abnormal. Although these four breathing techniques are excellent, they do not seem to be able to perfectly support his monstrous foundation, which is formed by the fusion and tempering of "Great Thunder Sound" and "Heavy Sea Giant Whale".

"Make a note of this." Xilun thought to himself, "As an old noble family, the Tusol family must have even more top-quality items in their treasury."

I'll see if they have any breathing techniques more suitable for my body for me to practice.

He carefully folded the parchment and put it close to his body in his inner pocket.

Then, he took out two blank sheets of paper from the drawer, picked up his pen, and dipped it in ink.

One letter was written to Yuri, and the other to their teacher, Lund.

Silen's writing style was cold and sharp; he wrote only a single line in both letters:

"I have successfully advanced to the second tier. The Shattered Bone Gang has been destroyed; everything else is fine, so don't worry."

He stuffed the letter into the envelope and sealed it with sealing wax. Xilun handed the letter to the servant waiting outside to mail it.

He lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then glanced at the sky outside.

The rising sun had just pierced through the clouds, casting its golden rays upon the ravaged courtyard.

There shouldn't be any imminent battles today.

Xiren took off his coat and walked to a slightly empty corner of the study. He sat cross-legged on the floor covered with a tattered carpet and closed his eyes.

He prepared to begin his breathing exercises.

The study was so quiet that only Xilun's soft breathing could be heard.

With a thought, Xilun felt a surge of inspiration, and deep within his consciousness, the scriptures of the Great Thunder Breathing Technique flowed down like a waterfall.

This is the ultimate inner vision method he comprehended from the ancient stone wall of Puji Temple.

With each rise and fall of his chest, the ancient scenes he had seen in the murals involuntarily flashed through his mind:

A faceless monk draped in a kasaya sits cross-legged atop a precipitous peak, while strange beasts that blot out the sky circle overhead, and golden-winged birds with outstretched wings weave through thunderclouds.

That wild, fierce, and all-encompassing aura instantly filled his spiritual world.

Suck--

Xilun took a deep breath of air, which seemed to solidify into lead and mercury in his nasal cavity, sinking heavily into his lungs.

boom!

As his qi and blood circulated, an extremely deep and muffled sound emanated from his body, like the rumbling thunder rolling through thick clouds before a summer storm.

Immediately afterwards, the thunderous sound exploded in his chest cavity, turning into countless tiny shockwaves that swept wildly through his limbs and bones.

The sudden, trembling thunderous sound caused Xilun to feel his tough, metallic fascia begin to pulsate violently throughout his body.

The bones emitted a teeth-grinding grinding sound as they resonated.

This kind of shock is not outward destruction, but rather an absolute squeeze inward.

Those tiny impurities and hidden injuries, which are usually impossible to reach with qi and blood, hidden deep in the crevices of bone marrow and internal organs, are gradually peeled away and shed under the baptism of thunderous sound.

A visible white steam gradually rose from Xilun's body.

Through his skin, one could vaguely see a layer of brilliant, glassy luster moving about.

The energy within his body became incredibly long and deep. Under the continuous resonance of the thunderous sound, his internal organs seemed to shed their mortal flesh and blood attributes, slowly revealing a crystalline, precious light.

Each heartbeat is like a heavy war drum, pumping blood full of vitality throughout the body.

This was an extremely mystical state, as if his body was nurturing some ancient divine treasure.

Time passed silently.

Xilun practiced in this state for a full two hours straight.

As he slowly opened his eyes, two piercing beams of light flashed from his dark pupils.

He opened his mouth, and two streams of air, almost tangible, suddenly gushed out from his nostrils, instantly causing the heavy wooden table two meters away in front of him to shake violently, sending wood chips flying everywhere.

That's truly terrifying.

Xilun lowered his head and looked at his long, slender hands.

The skin on the back of my hand is like the finest cold-forged steel, yet it possesses amazing elasticity and vitality.

He could clearly feel that he had now officially advanced to the second tier and entered the realm of the Ripper, but the Great Thunder Breathing Technique still had many effects on him, and each breath brought a visible purification of his physical body.

This method seems to have no limits.

On the contrary, the "Great Sea Whale Guiding Technique," which had accompanied him through countless life-and-death experiences, began to show signs of weakness due to a lack of follow-up.

Although the fifth-level Great Perfection Giant Whale Guidance Technique laid a monstrous foundation for him, the rate at which it provided growth in Qi and Blood was far from keeping up with the consumption of Xilun's physical body in the face of the massive base of the second tier.

However, Xilun was not greedy.

He knew very well that he could advance to the second tier without any hidden dangers, and even possess the combat power to crush veteran second-tier experts the moment he broke through. The reason why his foundation was so solid was entirely because he had practiced the Heavy Sea Giant Whale Guiding Technique to an unprecedented extreme.

Without a foundation, a tall tower cannot be built. Now, it's time to find better materials to construct the tower's body.

"The Tusol family..." Xiren murmured the name.

……

Time slips away quietly as one breathes in and exhales, allowing qi and blood to settle.

The next morning.

The sky over the North District was still shrouded in thick, gray-white clouds, and mist permeated the dilapidated courtyard, carrying a lingering chill.

Because the dedicated training room is still in the blueprint stage, Xilun can only make do for the time being, and does his morning exercises in an open space cleared in the courtyard.

He was shirtless, his muscles as hard and distinct as marble sculptures, with not a trace of excess fat on his body. Only when he exerted force would a faint layer of pale golden metallic luster appear.

call.

A heavy, whistling sound echoed through the courtyard.

Xilun held in his hand the golden spear that had been transformed by the sacred tree and fused with several high-level weapons.

The weight of this spear is already astonishing even without the infusion of qi and blood; once qi and blood are poured in, it becomes ten times heavier, like a giant pillar supporting the sky.

He was practicing the Natan Heavy Gun Technique, which he had plundered from the Wonderland.

This is a brutal marksmanship technique devoid of any frills, designed entirely for the brutal meat grinder of the battlefield.

Xilun's eyes were as cold as ice, and he stomped his foot hard on the bluestone slab.

Crack!

The heavy stone slab beneath their feet cracked instantly, and spiderweb-like cracks spread wildly in all directions.

Using this violent reaction force, Xilun's waist muscles twisted violently, and his spine, like a dragon awakening, transmitted terrifying strength to his arms.

"kill!"

The golden spear transformed into a dazzling golden light, accompanied by a piercing sonic boom that tore through the air, and thrust forward fiercely.

boom!

Ten meters ahead, a huge granite slab used as a target shattered into dust under the terrifying shockwave generated by this long-range thrust.

Xilun did not stop; he repeatedly and continuously executed the basic techniques of spear fighting: chopping, smashing, picking, and twisting.

Every strike pushed the limits of the body, every shot carried an indomitable will to die.

Sweat slid down his forehead, and before it could drip to the ground, it was evaporated into puffs of white mist by the terrifying heat emanating from his body.

He moved through the fog like a tireless war god.

After practicing for nearly an hour, until the muscle memory of Natan's heavy gun technique was completely etched into his bones, Xiren slowly stopped.

The spear drew a perfect semicircle in the air before stopping beside him.

The ground trembled slightly.

Xilun calmed his rapid breathing, then transformed the golden spear into a soft golden thread, wrapping it around his waist to conceal it.

Then he picked up another old booklet from the stone table beside him.

"The Broken Wings of the Night Crow".

He had always kept this footwork technique on a shelf.

Because this footwork requires an absurdly high level of physical flexibility, explosive power, and precise control of qi and blood, he simply couldn't force himself to practice it at the first level, otherwise he would only tear his leg ligaments.

But now, he is a second-tier extraordinary being, and his physical body has undergone several transformations, so he is qualified to try.

Xilun opened the booklet, his deep gaze quickly sweeping over the obscure text and the bizarre human positioning diagrams.

He tried to figure out and understand those power generation techniques that almost defied human biomechanics.

The core of this footwork lies in the word "broken wing," which means that in high-speed movement, like a crow with broken wings, one can instantly change direction and stop abruptly without warning, thereby finding a fatal gap in the enemy's encirclement.

After muttering a few incantations in his mind, Xilun closed his eyes and simulated it in his mind.

A moment later, he suddenly opened his eyes, and the muscles in his legs tensed instantly.

He tried to step to the left using the above steps, while his right knee twisted inward at an odd angle, and his blood and qi suddenly burst forth.

boom!

Xilun had only rushed half a meter when he suddenly lost his balance and stumbled forward.

He reacted extremely quickly, pushing off the ground with one hand, flipping himself in mid-air, and landing steadily.

"hiss."

He gasped, his brows furrowing deeply.

A tearing, excruciating pain shot through the muscles on the inside of my thigh.

If it weren't for his strong physique, that forced change of direction against inertia would have crushed his hip joint.

"Such difficult steps."

Xilun thought to himself, but his eyes showed no discouragement; instead, a strong desire to conquer rose within him.

The spatial awareness and power generation points of this footwork completely overturn normal combat common sense.

It not only requires physical strength, but also the brain to issue absolutely precise instructions to every muscle fiber within 0.1 seconds.

Even with his current advantage of spiritual transformation, it would be difficult for him to fully master it in a short period of time.

But he wasn't in a hurry.

What he has in abundance is patience and the ability to endure pain.

In the following half hour, Xilun was like a precision error-correcting machine, constantly trying, falling down, and correcting itself.

With each fall, he could keenly identify the deviation in the flow of qi and blood, and then forcefully correct it in the next attempt.

The old butler, standing at the end of the corridor, held a prepared towel and warm water, watching the scene in the courtyard with trepidation.

In the butler's eyes, Xilun's actions at that moment looked like self-harm. The cracking sound of his bones twisting was enough to send chills down one's spine.

But the young man didn't utter a sound, his eyes cold as if he were looking at someone else's body.

madman.

The butler swallowed hard, his awe of the young governor deepening once again.

Just then, Xilun stopped moving.

He straightened up, panting heavily, and glanced at the brass-colored mechanical watch on his left wrist.

It's 8:30 in the morning.

It's almost time.

Xilun suppressed the violent energy emanating from his body, and the murderous aura that kept strangers at bay receded like the tide, perfectly concealed beneath his calm exterior.

He closed the booklet and casually tossed it onto the stone table.

Taking the warm towel handed to him by the butler, Xilun casually wiped the sweat from his cheeks and chest.

"Prepare the car." Siren tossed the towel back onto the tray, his voice regaining its enigmatic calm. "I'm going to visit the Tusol family."

The butler quickly bowed his head: "The carriage is already waiting outside, sir. The gifts have also been prepared to the highest standard."

Xilun nodded slightly, then turned and walked back to the bedroom.

When he came out again, he had changed into a dark gray fitted suit, with a fine black trench coat over it, and a bowler hat on his head.

He looked like an elegant and proper Victorian gentleman, and no one could associate him with the tyrant who, in the rainy night, wielded a large gun and slaughtered more than a dozen baptists.

But only those who know him well know that beneath this elegant exterior lies a ferocious beast that could tear everything apart at any moment.

Siren stepped out of the porch.

The jet-black steam carriage stood quietly at the entrance of the mansion. The two thoroughbred black horses pulling the carriage snorted, their hooves pounding restlessly on the stone pavement.

Xilun stepped onto the pedals and bent down to sit in the spacious and luxurious carriage.

"Go to Tusol Manor."

The steward sat in the driver's seat and flicked his whip.

Accompanied by the crisp sound of hooves and the deep rumble of the steam engine, the carriage rolled through the muddy streets of the North District, heading towards the city's oldest and most unfathomable center of power.

Inside the carriage, Xilun leaned against the velvet cushions and closed his eyes.

In his mind, the hundreds of silver characters of the "Moon Memory Meditation Method" jumped up again.

He knew that today's visit would not be a casual tea chat.

This will inevitably be a bloodless battle.

He was already prepared to tear the other person's throat apart.