Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

She handed over the letter:

"Lord Yuri, look! It's... some really good news that will surprise you."

Yuri frowned and took the letter.

The wax seal is the emblem of the Northern District branch.

He casually tore the paper open, his gaze sweeping over the words on it, and his tired face instantly froze.

At first, his expression was relatively calm, but just two seconds later, his eyes widened suddenly and his breathing became heavy.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

A burst of hearty laughter suddenly erupted in the office.

Yuri slammed his hand on the table, spilling a few drops of brown liquid from his coffee cup onto the documents without him noticing.

"Okay! Okay!"

He paced back and forth in the office, his eyes gleaming.

"This kid really didn't disappoint me. In such a short time, he went from a first-tier Baptist to a second-tier Ripper. And he even wiped out the entire Shattered Bone Gang in the process!"

He looked up at Hevy and urgently gave the order:

"Right now! Open that bottle of 'Obsidian' that's been gathering dust in my cupboard for thirty years. I'm going to have a good drink tonight!"

Haiweier responded and was about to turn around.

"etc."

Yuri called her again, his brow furrowing as if he had thought of something.

He crouched down and carefully took out a pot of tea wrapped in plain cloth from the carved cabinet under his desk.

The tea caddy has a simple and rustic craftsmanship, with a smooth and polished surface made of rosewood. It is clearly a fine piece that has been around for a long time.

He handed the tea canister to Hevy, his expression solemn:

"Send this pot of tea to them as my congratulatory gift."

I'm busy here and can't get away. Please tell that kid for me that he has a long road ahead of him.

Haiweier quickly accepted it with both hands:

"Okay, I'll send it out right away."

After Haivier left, Yuri summoned another trusted clerk.

He sat back down at the table, his expression more serious than ever before, and said in a deep voice:

"Pass it on."

"Northern District Governor Siren has been promoted to Second-Tier Ripper. I will temporarily assume the role of Vice President of the Brotherhood."

"Awarded the Order of Siron, Class A."

"Enter its file into a secret record."

"And apply to Siren to re-enter the Brotherhood's Treasury and select an A-grade item."

The clerk's eyes widened, and he instinctively wanted to say something. The entire Brotherhood had only awarded a handful of Class A medals over the decades.

But when he saw Yuri's serious, almost cold face, all his questions were swallowed back.

"Yes! I'll take care of it right away!"

The clerk hurriedly left, holding the order.

The office door closed again.

Yuri leaned back in his chair, gazing at the ceiling, a meaningful smile slowly curving his lips.

"Sirlen..." he murmured the name, "Let's see how far you can sharpen this knife."

……

In the North District, Xilun lay in bed.

Xilun lay quietly on the soft bed, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

Despite the days of fighting and maneuvering, he was wide awake.

After breaking through to the second tier, his spirit was so full it was almost excessive, and the improvement in his mystical level made his perception of everything around him become clear and dazzling.

The subtle trembling of insects flapping their wings outside the window, the whistling of the wind passing between the roof tiles, and even the rhythm of the watchman's clapper in the distance, were all as clear as the tolling of a bell in his mind.

He simply got up and sat cross-legged on the bed.

He recalled the "Moon Memory Meditation Method" that Lady Black Crow had planted deep within his consciousness before she left.

Hundreds of silver characters naturally appeared in his mind, and the path of their operation was as familiar as flowing water.

Gentle breeze, bright moon, mountain rocks.

My consciousness gradually sank into that tranquil realm, all distracting thoughts were stripped away, leaving only my soul nakedly immersed in the bright moonlight.

As his meditation deepened, his consciousness seemed to detach from his body and arrive in a void, illusory realm.

A gentle breeze blows, the bright moon hangs high, and beneath my feet lie ancient and weathered rocks.

Everything seemed so natural and peaceful. The raging blood and qi were slowly soothed by this tranquil spiritual power, and the cracks in the spirit were further healed under the nourishment of the moonlight.

I don't know how much time passed.

When Xilun opened his eyes again, the first light of dawn was already breaking outside the window.

The morning light pierced through the gaps in the curtains, casting a bright band of light on the carpet.

He was startled.

I only meditated for a short while, how come... a whole night has passed?

He stretched his shoulders and neck and was surprised to find himself full of energy and vitality. He felt not tired at all, but even stronger than the night before.

This sense of clarity, imbued with mystical elements, is something that no amount of sleep can replace.

"This meditation method... is truly a wonderful thing."

Xilun sighed softly.

He was still quite unfamiliar with the path of mysticism. He had no idea how to cultivate spiritual power, how it was graded, what its practical significance was, or how it was compatible with those of extraordinary individuals who shared the same bloodline.

I need to find some time to go and ask Chief Austin.

He rubbed his temples and continued practicing the Great Thunder Breathing Technique while sitting cross-legged.

Thunderous sounds groaned low deep within the dantian, reverberating inch by inch along the meridians, like the sound of metal colliding echoing between the bones.

He took a few deep breaths.

A faint red data stream suddenly flashed before my eyes.

[Skill: Great Thunder Breathing Technique (Beginner)]

[Progress: 0/1000]

[Characteristics: Refines the five internal organs and spirits, forges muscles and bones to the extreme, sheds mortal flesh and bones, and forges an indestructible body!]

Xilun stared intently, and a sudden burst of thunderous sound erupted within his body. His aura became several times stronger than before, and with every move he made, it seemed as if invisible lightning flowed beneath his skin.

"This is... just the beginning?"

He muttered to himself.

He had been practicing this breathing method for several days, and today he finally truly crossed the threshold.

He had witnessed firsthand the terrifying power of this method.

Just by entering the basics, his physical body had already reached a new level.

I felt that under the blessing of the "Great Thunder Sound Breathing Method", my already abundant Qi and blood began to gradually become thicker and more viscous.

Every gesture seemed to carry the sound of thunder within his bones, and the power unleashed by each strike was astonishing.

Xilun thoughtfully extended his finger, attempting to evoke a wisp of thunderous sound, channeling it into his fingertip.

He recalled his innate talent for "charge enrichment".

This breathing technique uses thunderous sound as a guide. Could we use electric charge to assist the operation of the breathing technique?

The thought had just arisen.

"Knock knock".

A respectful knock came from outside the door.

Xilun suppressed his thoughts and calmly said:

"Come in."

The middle-aged butler pushed open the door and entered, bowing respectfully.

"Mr. Celen."

"Um?"

"As instructed by Chief Austin, I will take you to the clan's secret weapon storehouse today to select a breathing technique suitable for your practice."

Xilun nodded slightly, got off the bed, and straightened his clothes.

"Let's go."

……

Beneath the Tusol Manor lies a secret armory, a place that ordinary tribesmen might never be able to enter in their entire lives.

The middle-aged steward led the way, with Xilun following behind. The two walked through one dark corridor after another. Every ten steps or so, a clan guard in specially made armor stood with his hands at his sides, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

The butler explained in a low voice as he walked:

"As for the subsequent cultivation resources and permissions... we will allocate them after you have made your selections."

After all, different cultivation methods have vastly different resource requirements; some require thousands of pounds, while others only need around a hundred pounds.

Xilun nodded slightly.

We walked for about fifteen minutes.

A heavy bronze gate appeared ahead, engraved with an intricate family crest. The butler reached out and pressed a mechanism.

"Buzz!"

With a dull metallic scraping sound, the bronze door, weighing several tons, slowly rose, and an ancient scent mixed with preservative fragrance and old paper wafted out.

On either side of the passage stood an armored warrior with stern eyes. After nodding to the steward, they returned to their immovable posture.

The butler lowered his voice:

"Sir, there are other people from our clan inside making their selections. Please keep your voice down."

Xilun nodded to indicate that he understood.

The two entered the warehouse.

It was a circular hall with a very high dome, and the walls were densely inlaid with small wooden grids. In each grid was a parchment booklet containing various second-level breathing techniques.

The entire wall displays at least twenty different breathing techniques from bottom to top, each accompanied by a brief description.

Xilun stopped at the entrance and began to look around.

He had already silently recited the principles for choosing a breathing method countless times in his mind.

First, the beginning should be easy.

Second, mastery should be as difficult as possible, and possess great potential.

Third, resource consumption should be kept as low as possible.

He randomly picked up a book and opened it.

[Jiangqiu Yingyue Breathing Method]

"Cultivating amidst rivers and lakes, absorbing vital energy, one's breath becomes long, cool, and refreshing. Those who reach the pinnacle of their cultivation can gain an additional 30% boost in energy when fighting against extraordinary individuals of the same level..."

Xilun glanced at it, then opened another book.

【Iron Spine Steel Breathing Method】

"By using four key methods—medicinal bath tempering, external force baptism, essence and blood bathing, and acupoint irrigation—one can continuously push the limits of the body and ultimately forge a body of profound steel..."

The resource requirements section lists more than twenty kinds of medicinal herbs, each with a price tag of several hundred pounds.

Xilun shook his head and put the booklet back in its place.

Too expensive.

He wasn't in a hurry; he slowly flipped through the books, one after another.

……

In a deep corner of the warehouse.

A young man with silver hair stood there quietly, holding a booklet in his hand, but his gaze never left Xiren.

Oro.

He is a direct descendant of the clan leader, the son of the third elder, Oin, and has only been a second-tier Ripper for half a year.

His brows furrowed slightly.

"This guy named Xilun..." Oro thought to himself.

He was familiar with the information about this stranger: he was of commoner origin, an excellent swimmer, had worked underwater at the docks, and had shown a strong affinity for water-attribute energy during his first-order period.

Given his talent... he will most likely choose the "Mysterious Yin Breathing Technique" as his second-tier method.

"This is troublesome."

Oro's brow furrowed even more.

He is currently the only direct descendant in the clan who practices the "Mysterious Yin Breathing Technique".

The "Yin Spirit Source Water" required for this method is extremely scarce, and the clan's annual output is entirely used for his personal use.

If there were one more Xilun.

"Wouldn't that take away my resources?"

Oro's face darkened.

……

West London.

His gaze suddenly stopped when he turned to a booklet.

【Mysterious Yin Breathing Method】

The introduction consists of only a few lines.

"Easy to learn, extremely difficult to master. It requires a cold and damp environment to cultivate profound Yin energy. Once mastered, every move a master makes carries a chilling aura, capable of freezing the flow of an enemy's energy, making it incredibly powerful."

Xilun's fingertips twitched slightly.

The description of this method seems tailor-made for him.

Easy to learn, extremely difficult to master, suited to the water attribute, attacks have a freezing effect...

Simply perfect.

He quickly flipped to the resource consumption section.

As soon as his gaze swept over, his brows furrowed slightly.

"The source of Yin spirit water..."

The resource requirements are indeed quite high. He vaguely remembered seeing some of these rare medicinal herbs in the warehouse of the Broken Bone Gang, but the stock was not large.

I glanced down again at the cost of copying this booklet:

"One hundred pounds."

Most of the breathing techniques displayed on the wall cost around 30 to 50 pounds to copy, but this one, priced at 100 pounds, is one of the most expensive.

But even so.

After weighing the options in his mind for a while, Xilun still felt that this method was the most suitable for him.

Insufficient resources?

Then we can just search outside or buy it directly from other sources.

Now that he possesses the combined resources of the Brotherhood and the Bonebreakers, and is about to gain access to the Tusol family's resources, he can grit his teeth and fill this resource gap.

He was lost in thought.

Just as he was about to make up his mind.

A cold voice suddenly came from beside him:

"Are you going to choose this breathing technique?"

Xilun paused slightly and turned to look.

The silver-haired man had somehow appeared beside him, looking down at the booklet in his hands.

Siren calmly looked back:

"I have that idea."

Auro's lips curled slightly, his tone carrying an undeniable air of advice:

I advise you not to choose that.

Xilun raised an eyebrow slightly:

"Why?" "This breathing technique is one that I have practiced."

Oro raised his chin, his gaze revealing undisguised arrogance:

"The clan's supply of Yin Spirit Water is already limited; it's not enough to supply just me. You don't need to compete with me for it."

He paused for a moment, then slightly changed the subject:

"Choosing another subject might be better for you."

Xilun looked at him calmly and remained silent for a few seconds.

"But I feel that this subject suits me better."

His tone was calm, yet it conveyed an undeniable firmness.

Oro's expression darkened slightly.

He originally thought that by adopting the attitude of a direct descendant and adding the phrase "it would be better to switch to another sect," he would be able to make a disciple from another family, who was only nominally related to him, back down.

But the young man in front of him remained completely unmoved.

Auro suppressed his displeasure, his tone growing even colder:

"Give up."

"Even if you try to refine it, you won't achieve anything significant; you'll just be wasting the clan's resources."

This was practically a blatant threat.

Xilun didn't even glance at him again.

He opened the booklet in his hand, compared it with several others, silently deduced it in his mind, and finally focused his attention back on the [Mysterious Yin Breathing Method].

"This is the one."

He calmly walked toward the butler:

"I want this one."

The butler paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping between Xilun and Auro, seemingly also sensing the undercurrent that had just occurred.

But he said nothing, only bowed respectfully:

"Yes. One hundred pounds, for one copy."

Xilun took out a silver note from his pocket and handed it over without changing his expression.

Oro stood there, his face extremely grim.