Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

On the evening of the eighteenth day.

Xilun sheathed his spear, the butt of the ironwood spear gently pausing on the ground.

A faint chill permeated the training shed—it was the primordial yin energy he unintentionally released while practicing shooting.

A thin layer of frost had formed on the dust on the ground, shimmering faintly in the setting sun.

One hundred times.

Success rate of penetrating the line of intention: 87%.

Xilun closed his eyes, feeling the flow of energy within his body; that "disconnection" had completely disappeared.

The gun is an extension of the arm, the arm is an extension of the mind, and the mind is an extension of the breath.

The four elements are combined into one.

He opened his eyes and looked at Lund sitting on the bench.

Lund was slowly moving the joints of his left arm with his right hand when he heard Xilun put away his gun and looked up.

The two looked at each other for a moment.

"Master level," Lund said calmly, as if stating a fact he had long expected.

Xilun nodded.

"Natan's heavy gun skills, master level." He repeated it, his voice soft but carrying a heavy weight.

Lund stood up, walked up to Xiren, and patted Xiren on the shoulder with his right hand.

"Good lad."

There were only those three words. But Xiren read more in Lund's eyes—pride, satisfaction, and a hint of indescribable emotion.

"We'll start practicing the basics of the Crimson Star Spear tomorrow." Lund released his grip, turned, and walked out. "Get a good rest tonight."

As Siren watched Lund's retreating figure, he suddenly spoke, "Teacher."

Lund stopped walking, but did not turn around.

"A letter has arrived from the North," Siren said. "The war is escalating, and there are people spying around the Brotherhood's branch. I may... not be able to stay any longer."

Lund was silent for a moment.

"I know," he said, "so let's start tomorrow."

He continued walking out, his voice coming from the twilight.

"I'll teach you the basics of the Crimson Star Spear in three days. Whether that's enough depends on your own comprehension."

……

For the next three days, Xiren hardly left the training shed.

Lund broke down the basics of the Red Star Spear into three parts—

Day 1: The Principles.

"All the power, all the aura, all the killing intent—compressed into a single point."

Lund stood before Xiren, a short wooden stick in his right hand. "Not dispersion, not expansion, but contraction. Infinite contraction."

He held the short stick upright in front of him and closed his eyes.

The next instant, Xilun felt an extremely condensed aura erupt from Lund's body—no, not erupt, but "collapse".

All the power is converging on one point, like a star compressing all its light and heat into an infinitely small core in its final moments before death.

A dark red light shone from the tip of the short stick.

Extremely small, extremely bright, extremely dangerous.

"This is the Crimson Star." Lund opened his eyes. "A star about to explode."

He put the short stick down, and the dark red light disappeared.

"Your Natan Heavy Gun Technique has already taught you how to let your energy flow through the gun. What the Crimson Star Gun is going to do is, on the basis of this flow, compress all the energy into a single point at the tip of the gun."

Xilun listened attentively, memorizing every word.

The next day, the moves.

The Red Star Spear has only one basic move – Thrust.

However, this thrust consists of four stages: initiation, accumulation, compression, and release.

Lund held the gun in his right hand and demonstrated it over and over again.

Each thrust sends a faint, dark red glow emanating from the tip of the spear. Sometimes it shines like a spark, sometimes it's so dim it's almost invisible—depending on the degree of compression.

"Don't be greedy," Lund emphasized repeatedly. "In the beginner stage, compressing 30% of your energy to the tip of your spear is enough. Being greedy will only hurt you."

Xilun began to try.

The first time, his breath went out of control during the compression process, scattering from the gun and making his hands go numb.

The second time, the compression was only half successful, but it shifted direction at the moment of release, and the force of the gun tip was deflected to the side.

The third time—

Xilun took a deep breath, simultaneously activating the Great Thunder Breathing Technique and the Profound Yin Breathing Technique. The violent aura was tempered by the chill, then converged towards the tip of the spear along the line of his will.

He sensed that "point"—a tiny area at the very tip of the spear. All the energy was collapsing towards that point.

prick!

The moment the spear tip pierced through, a faint, dark red light flashed at the tip.

Although it was only fleeting, and although the compressed aura was less than a tenth of the total amount—

But that was indeed the light of the Crimson Star Spear.

Lund watched the fleeting flash of dark red and nodded slightly.

"You've mastered it."

The third day: the killer move and its power.

Lund didn't let Xiren continue practicing, but instead took him to a wasteland behind the manor.

"Watch closely."

Lund took a deep breath and gripped the ironwood spear in his right hand.

His body slumped slightly, and all his muscles tensed up at the same time.

Then--

Xilun saw it.

All the energy, all the power, everything—everything—within Lund's body was collapsing toward the tip of the gun.

The process was so fast that it was almost impossible to see with the naked eye, but the echo chamber of Xilun clearly "heard" that sound—like countless rivers flowing into a pinhole-sized whirlpool at the same instant.

The tip of the spear shone with a dazzling crimson light.

It wasn't dark red, it was crimson. Like a real star burning.

prick!

The spear tip pierced out.

No sound.

Or rather, the sound came too fast for Xilun's ears to hear anything for a moment.

When he came to his senses, a straight ditch appeared on the wasteland in front of him—stretching from Lund's feet to thirty paces away, about half a foot deep and no more than two fingers wide.

The edges of the ravine were as smooth as a mirror, as if they had been cut by an invisible knife.

"This is the Crimson Star Spear with seventy percent of my power." Lund sheathed the spear, his face slightly pale—clearly, this strike had put a considerable strain on his recovering body.

"At full power—" He glanced at the wasteland in the distance, "it can penetrate the protective aura of more than 90% of third-tier extraordinary individuals."

Siren stared silently at the ravine, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him.

Awe, longing, and—determination.

"I will master it," he said.

Lund nodded without saying anything more.

……

The night of the twenty-first day.

In the manor's living room, the flames in the fireplace flickered quietly.

Xilun and Lund sat facing each other, with two cups of black tea that had gone cold on the coffee table between them.

Casual chats after practice have become a routine these days.

"Your mastery of the Crimson Star Spear is progressing more smoothly than I expected."

Lund leaned back on the sofa, speaking casually, "The explosive power of the Great Thunder Breathing Technique combined with the mellowing effect of the Profound Yin Breathing Technique is indeed a good foundation for practicing this spear technique."

Xilun picked up his teacup, only to find it had gone cold, so he put it down again.

"It's still far from good enough," he said. "The compression rate is too low; in actual combat, it probably wouldn't even be able to break through the defenses of a second-tier extraordinary being."

"What's the rush?" Lund waved his hand. "You've only practiced for three days. It took me two whole years to go from beginner to being able to use it in actual combat."

He paused, his gaze falling on the flames in the fireplace.

After a moment of silence, Lund suddenly spoke.

"Silon".

"Um?"

"I'm planning to go home."

Xilun looked at him.

Lund's expression was calm, but there was a tenderness in his eyes that Xilun had never seen before.

"I'm going to see my mother," he said. "It's been ten years... I should go back and visit her."

Xiren recalled the story of that stormy night—Lund's father, the broken knife, and the suicide note with only half a sentence.

The knot in my heart from ten years ago has been untied. But those who are still alive, and others who are still alive, still have to face it.

"And then?" Xilun asked.

Lund was silent for a moment, as if he was seriously considering the question.

"Iron Cross Fight Club," he finally said. "I'm going to run it well."

Xilun raised an eyebrow slightly.

"That was a commoners' club." Lund's voice was low and firm. "My father... he was a commoner his whole life. He was bullied, looked down upon, and even had to risk his life to protect his own son."

He looked at his right hand—the hand that had gripped a gun countless times.

"I don't want the Iron Cross to disappear like this. I want any ordinary person—even if they only have a few pounds of cheap money in their pocket—to have a chance to learn extraordinary fighting skills."

Xilun looked at Lund but didn't say anything.

This was the first time he had heard Lund speak of such a clear "goal".

It wasn't for revenge, nor to become stronger, but to leave a door open for those like his father.

"Are you short of money?" Xilun asked.

Lund glanced at him. "The Profound Yin Breathing Technique consumes a lot of resources, you yourself—"

“I don’t need it,” Siren interrupted him. “I can give fifty percent of the Brotherhood’s revenue.”

Lund was stunned.

"Fifty percent?" He looked at Siren in disbelief. "The Brotherhood... is willing to give up so much?"

"The main problem with the cultivation resources for the Profound Yin Breathing Technique is that they are hard to buy, not that they are unaffordable."

Xilun calmly said, "The Yin Spirit Source Water is priceless and unavailable; no amount of money can guarantee you a purchase. But I have no shortage of ordinary operating funds."

Lund remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he picked up the glass of ice-cold black tea and drank it all in one gulp.

"Okay," he said, just one word.

But Xiren heard a lot from that word.

The fire crackled in the fireplace, casting the two shadows, one long and one short, onto the wall.

"By the way," Lund put down his teacup, "after you finish this training, you can go and check out the Ironblood Society."

Xilun looked up.

"Occasionally, there are gatherings of extraordinary individuals," Lund said. "There are people of all ranks, mostly second-rank. Sometimes people will bring out rare items to exchange, and sometimes there will be sparring matches. It's a good place for you."

Siren recalled the gathering of extraordinary beings he had attended before—where he first witnessed the vastness and danger of the extraordinary world.

Iron-Blooded Society...

"Come find me after you've finished dealing with things in the North District." Lund stood up, stretched, and said, "I'll introduce you inside."

Xilun nodded slightly.

"it is good."

……

In the days that followed, Xilun devoted all his time to cultivation.

At dawn, Natan practiced heavy gunnery.

He has already firmly crossed the threshold of mastery, and now he needs to consolidate it—to increase the success rate from 87% to 100%, and to make the connection of the thread of will as instinctive as breathing.

In the morning, the Red Star Spear practiced its focus.

The compression rate slowly increased from 10% to 15%, and then to 20%.

Every bit of progress comes with enormous mental strain, but Xilun never complains.

In the afternoon, the Xuan Yin breathing method and the Da Lei Yin breathing method were practiced alternately.

Two completely different energies waxed and waned within the body, like two intertwined snakes, gradually finding balance through friction.

At dusk, the iron armor was forged.

He had Saiwei find the thickest oak stake in the estate, hang it from the crossbeam of the training shed with ropes, and then stand there, letting the stake hit his body again and again.

With each impact, a faint iron-gray sheen would appear on his skin—that was the effect of the Bone Forging Iron Armor being activated.

Nighttime, Moon Recollection Meditation.

day to day.

Day 23.

Day 25.

Day 28.

The aura of Xilun became increasingly refined and composed.

If his aura was like a deep pool when he first arrived at the manor, then now, that pool has been compressed into a block of ice—calm and still on the surface, but containing enough power to freeze and crack mountains and rocks.

On the morning of the thirtieth day.

Xilun stood in the center of the training shed, holding an ironwood spear.

He took a deep breath, focusing all his energy into his dantian. Then—

prick.

The line of intention starts from the center of the forehead, runs through the whole body, and reaches the tip of the spear.

At the same time, the "convergence point" of the Crimson Star Spear was activated.

All the energy began to collapse towards the tip of the spear—not one-tenth, not two-tenths, but nearly three-tenths of the energy was compressed into that tiny point.

A dark red light shone from the tip of the spear.

It's brighter and more stable than when I first started using it.

Instead of thrusting out, Xilun slowly withdrew his gun.

He looked down at the tip of the gun—the dark red light, in its last moment before fading, illuminated his calm face.

enough!

He looked up at the sky outside the training shed.

It's time to go back.

The thirty-first day.

Before the morning sun had fully entered the training shed, Xilun had already completed his final round of practice.

He put the ironwood spear back on the rack and turned to walk towards the main building.

Lund stood by the window in the second-floor corridor, watching Xiren walk over.

"Did you receive the letter?" he asked.

Siren nodded. "The war in the North has intensified. There are unidentified spies around the Brotherhood's branch."

His tone was calm, but Lund could hear the gravity in it.

"Then go back," Lund said curtly. "You're the governor, not one of my farmhands."

Xilun looked at Lund, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly—it was a very faint smile.

"When you come back next time," Lund said, leaning against the window frame, "I'll take you to the Ironblood Society."

"it is good."

Xilun didn't linger. He returned to his guest room, changed into his dark gray, stiff coat, and buttoned up the collar.

A golden spear was wrapped around his waist, and a short gun was tucked into his waistband, concealed by the hem of his coat.

The Soul-Suppressing Nail was hidden in a secret pocket inside the lining.

Finally, he picked up the long-handled black umbrella.

Savi waited at the door; the carriage was already prepared.

"Mr. Sir Lun," the old butler bowed slightly, "have a safe journey."

Xilun nodded, walked down the steps, and headed straight for the carriage.

The carriage pulled out of the manor gates and headed towards the train station along the tree-lined avenue in the south. Siren sat in the carriage, resting with his eyes closed.

The internal energy circulated smoothly—the violent power of the Great Thunder Sound Breathing Technique was suppressed by the chilling power of the Profound Yin Breathing Technique, and the two achieved a delicate balance.

This balance made his aura extremely refined, like a blade that had been repeatedly forged, its sharpness concealed, yet ready to be drawn at any moment.

We've arrived at the train station.

Xilun got off the bus and bought a ticket to the North District.

There weren't many people on the platform—the war kept many people from going out, especially on trains heading north, where passengers were scarce.

Xilun boarded the train and found a window seat.

The train slowly started moving, and the scenery outside the window began to recede into the distance.

He leaned back in his chair, his right hand unconsciously stroking the umbrella handle.