Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Xilun looked out the window.

At the end of the street, the sea gleamed with an iron-gray sheen in the twilight. Several hunting boats were moored in the harbor, their masts adorned with mottled animal bones, their hulls darkened by saltwater and blood.

Sea creatures.

Different species.

talent.

These words gradually connected in his mind.

Upon arriving at the Chaotic Sea, he realized for the first time that this dangerous sea area might not only be a place of refuge, but also a hunting ground for him to regroup and rebuild his strength.

As long as he can carefully select his targets and hunt suitable sea beasts, he can acquire their talents through his own stealth abilities, make up for his physical deficiencies, and even further explore the Storm Bloodline.

Of course, this matter must be handled with care.

The Langte family must not discover anything amiss, and even more importantly, those powerful forces must not realize that he can directly seize alien talents.

By the time we returned to Emerald Lake, it was already dark.

Lights illuminated the lakeside one by one, and a gentle, enchanting aura wafted on the night breeze.

The Lant family had clearly received the news in advance, and many servants and guards stood at a distance on both sides of the road, their eyes filled with excitement as they looked at Horn and Siron.

Horn did not publicize it, but instructed everyone to keep quiet.

But the fact that the bronze token returned to the family's hands is enough to explain everything.

That night, the Ronte family sent over a batch of thank-you gifts.

Red-striped sea cucumber paste, blue-boned fish oil, three bottles of medicine to nourish blood and qi, and a small box filled with gold vouchers from the island.

Xilun left behind only the potions and sea beast materials, while temporarily putting away the gold vouchers.

Subsequently, the map of sea monsters was also delivered.

That wasn't a single sheet, but a thick roll.

The parchment was covered with markings of islands, reefs, ocean currents, trenches, no-navigation zones, and locations where marine animals were found.

There are also annotations left by the Langte family's hunting teams over the years, some of which have turned yellow, while others have been added in recent years.

Xilun spread out a map under the lamp.

Twenty nautical miles east of Emerald Lake, there are groups of water ghosts.

In the deep reef area to the north, one may occasionally spot iron-shelled sea crocodiles, second-order marine mammals with hardened skin and terrifying bites.

In the southwestern Black Algae Bay, shadowfin fish are often seen swimming at night. They are extremely fast, and their bones can be used to make short blades.

Further away, there are areas marked out in red ink.

"Don't come near."

"A third-order sea beast once stirred up the waves."

"Suspected storm season nest."

"The entire hunting team was wiped out."

Xilun's fingers slowly glided over those markings.

His injuries did not allow him to rashly go out to sea to hunt powerful sea monsters.

Although his third-tier strength has gradually recovered, he is still hampered by the pollution within his body.

If an accident occurs at sea, the imbalance of the evil god's severed limbs, the storm's bloodline, and the mysterious yin chill will have unpredictable consequences.

He needs time.

The physical obstacles need to be completely removed, at least to the point where one can fight continuously.

In addition, he began to think about something else.

The Rondo family is too weak.

It can provide him with a foothold and basic materials, but it cannot provide complete advanced knowledge, let alone access the true high-level system of the central island.

If they want to continue to grow stronger, they will eventually need to find a larger power as a springboard.

Not now.

He is not yet ready to be exposed to the eyes of fifth- or sixth-tier powerhouses.

He must first lie low at Emerald Lake for a period of time.

Get well soon.

To figure out the pattern of erosion of the evil god's remains.

To trace the storm's bloodline's connection to the ocean tides.

There is also the Moon Recollection Meditation Method.

The stronger one's spirit, the more stable one's resistance to pollution.

Having experienced the mental pollution of Nurles, Xilun understood more clearly than ever that a strong body did not equate to safety.

Once the spiritual core is destroyed, even the strongest physical body is just an empty shell used by others.

It was late at night, and there was no wind on the lake.

Xilun sat cross-legged in the room, took out a small piece of red-striped sea cucumber paste and swallowed it.

The warm medicinal power spread along the stomach, like a rough yet full fire, slowly burning in the flesh and blood.

It contains many impurities.

It has a fishy and astringent smell.

In Saint Laurent, this kind of thing might not even catch the eye of a pharmacist in the upper city.

But for West London today, it is practical enough.

He closed his eyes and began practicing stances and internal energy cultivation.

The wooden planks underfoot creaked very softly.

My breaths gradually lengthened.

The Qi and blood are compressed into fine streams, which slowly circulate along the tendons, bone joints, and internal organs.

The Xuan Yin Coldness circulates in the outer layer, responsible for suppressing the decaying black energy; the Great Thunder Sound Breathing Law is like an old bell, although the sound is weak, it still vibrates deep within the flesh and blood, preventing the body from completely leaning towards Yin coldness and decay.

Further into the depths, the Moon Memory Meditation Method unfolds.

Consciousness seemed to sink into a moonless lake.

There are cracks, shadows, and wounds torn open by the battle of gods at the bottom of the lake.

Xilun is in no hurry to fill the gap.

He simply sat deep within his mind, observing the cracks inch by inch.

Starting tonight, he will go into seclusion.

It's not just temporary healing, but truly pulling yourself back from the brink of collapse.

Outside the window, Emerald Lake shimmered with a soft green light.

The distant sound of the ocean waves could be faintly heard, like some ancient and deep breath.

Siren slowly entered a meditative state amidst the sound of his breathing.

As he silently cultivated, the night on the Prisoner Star Islands deepened little by little.

Time seemed to slow down at Emerald Lake.

For the first month, Siron hardly left the house.

The Lant family only knew that this venerable master preferred quiet and disliked being disturbed.

Every morning, servants would place food, water, and medicine outside the door, and then quietly take away the empty plates in the evening.

The house was mostly silent, except occasionally, late at night, when very light footsteps could be heard by the lake.

That's Xilun walking on the cones.

He wore an old coat and walked step by step along the damp pebbles by the lake.

The magical energy of Emerald Lake is gentle and lingering, making it especially suitable for water-based and restorative cultivation practices.

At night, the lake surface often glistens with pale green lights, like countless tiny fireflies floating on the water.

Whenever Xilun breathes, the demonic energy enters his body along with the water vapor, slowly seeping through his lungs and bones.

The pain never went away.

The wounds left by the divine battle were not ordinary sword wounds. Grayish-white cracks were buried deep in the flesh, like tiny spider webs, and every time blood flowed through them, they would cause a tearing pain.

The black aura emanating from the remnants of the evil god sometimes remained dormant, and sometimes writhed. Especially when he was mentally exhausted, it would surge into his mind like a tide, bringing with it some vague and chilling murmurs.

In those delirious murmurs, there were the cracks in the door on stormy nights of his childhood, his mother's sharp scolding, Lund's shadow nailed to the wall as he lay dying, and the suffering of countless patients deep within Nurles's gray-white giant eyes.

Xilun did not run away.

He used the Moon Memory Meditation Method to sink his consciousness layer by layer.

Whenever the dark energy tried to seep into his spiritual core along the wound, he would freeze it with his profound yin coldness and then gently disperse it with the Great Thunder Breathing Technique.

The Great Thunder Breathing Technique still has great staying power even after reaching the third level.

It is neither as extreme as the Profound Yin Breathing Technique, nor as hidden and dangerous as the Breath of the Styx, and its progress is almost stagnant.

But precisely because it is stable, substantial, and without too much bias, it became the anchor that kept Xilun's body from completely sliding into decay and coldness.

In the second month, Siren began to attempt short trips into the lake.

Initially, he simply stood by the lake, letting the water reach his ankles.

The Stormblood's perception of water flow is much clearer than before.

He could capture every tiny ripple, every line of water created by the swaying tail fin of a small fish, and every wisp of demonic energy slowly rising from the bottom of the lake.

The talent for deep-sea diving also gradually integrates into the body in this environment.

He no longer merely borrowed the instincts of the water ghost, but integrated that underwater movement ability with his own water-splitting talent and storm bloodline.

Later, he was able to sit quietly at the bottom of the lake for half an hour.

The lake water pressed against my body, and all around was a serene, verdant landscape.

In that stillness, the agitation of the evil god's remains would be weakened, while the Storm Bloodline would become more active.

It seems to belong to the tides and thunder by nature. When breathing in the water, Xilun can occasionally hear the sound of waves crashing against the rocks in the far distance, and can even sense the lightning that is about to be born in the clouds on the horizon.

"Perhaps, I was born to belong to the chaotic sea..."

Amid the raging winds and riots, he seemed to be in even better shape, his blood more vibrant.

In the third month, the Ronte family sent even more local medicine.

Horn used almost all the resources his family could muster to find suitable sea beast materials for healing and replenishing Qi and blood for Xilun.

Red-striped sea cucumber paste, blue-boned fish oil, silver-scaled eel blood pills, dried black algae salt blocks, and several kinds of strange-tasting but potent pills.

These things contain a lot of impurities.

Without a strong physique and the ability to filter out cold, long-term use may leave hidden dangers.

But what Xilun has in abundance now is precisely the means to deal with impurities.

The Xuan Yin Coldness can freeze the chaotic energy within medicinal herbs, while the Breath of the Styx can even devour some of the decaying residue.

The stitching power of the evil god's severed limbs is like a hungry undercurrent, dragging all available flesh and blood into the wound.

This recovery method is dangerous, but effective.

The Styx Breath within his body was also nourished, slowly growing stronger.

In the fourth month, Xilun completed the first full drill of the gun sling passed down by Lund in the early morning.

He did not use the golden spear.

He still kept the gun hidden deep inside the house, wrapped in an old cloth.

During his practice sessions, he would only break off a piece of hardwood from the lakeside to use as a pole.

Begin with momentum, then retreat half a step to conceal your strength.

The wind blew across the lake, and the wooden pole slid quietly in my hand.

Xilun moved very slowly.

The pace was so slow it felt as if they weren't practicing shooting, but rather recalling the tone of someone's voice.

"Don't reveal your murderous intent too early."

"Retreat" doesn't mean you actually have to retreat; it means making the other party think that retreat is the only option.

"Hold the gun steady, and don't sell the bones."

After each movement, the sound of rain in the old courtyard seemed to reappear in my ears.

Sometimes, Siren would stop halfway through a practice session.

He stood by the lake, gazing at the distant mist, his face pale yet serene.

The hatred remains.

It has not been diluted by time, but rather suppressed to a deeper level, like an undercurrent beneath the ice.

In the fifth month, Xilun began to get involved in some family affairs.

Several smaller factions coveting the Ronte family's fish farm tentatively sent people to approach the outer perimeter of Emerald Lake.

Horn was so nervous that he couldn't sleep for several days, while Siron only went out once at night.

No one was killed.

He froze a thin layer of frost on the entire sea surface in a shallow bay where the opposing fleet was bound to pass, and then used the cold to carve a gunshot mark on the reef.

The next day, all the fleets withdrew.

From then on, the area around the Ronte family's house became much quieter.

Horn was increasingly grateful that he hadn't missed Siren when he was on the Tulip.

At the end of the sixth month, Emerald Lake was hit by a rainstorm.

The rain fell from dusk until late at night, splashing countless silvery ripples across the lake's surface.

Xilun sat cross-legged inside the house, his body exuding a chilling aura that no longer emanated outwards as it had in the past.

His breathing was long.

With each breath, the lungs, bones, tendons, and skin vibrate in sequence.

The chilling aura of Yin traveled along the meridians, while the breath of the Styx lay dormant even deeper. The black energy was compressed into extremely fine lines, and the Storm Bloodline rose and fell slowly near the heart, like a thundercloud that had not yet truly ignited.

At one moment, a very faint cracking sound came from inside Xilun's body.

It's not that the wound has reopened.

Instead, it is a layer of stagnation that has been blocked between the blood and bones for a long time, which is slowly broken through.

His breath suddenly became heavy.

The rain outside paused for a moment.

The water in the glass on the table sank silently, then returned to calm.

Xilun opened his eyes.

A flash of dark blue chill passed through the depths of his pupils, then quickly vanished.

He raised his right hand and slowly clenched his five fingers.

There is no longer that empty feeling between the joints that feels like they could crack at any moment, and the blood and qi are no longer like water in a tattered bag, leaking everywhere with the slightest exertion.

Although the pollution within his body has not been eradicated and the remnants of the evil god still coexist with him, at least he has finally regained his footing as a third-order mutant.

His physique is even stronger than when he first advanced to the third rank in the abandoned mine.

Although his progress in the Great Thunder Breathing Technique was not significant, it repeatedly tempered his skin and bones over the past six months, giving his body an extra layer of stability.

Xilun slowly exhaled.

There was no frost on the window frame.

This means that his control over the cold is more refined than before.

"Six months..."

He muttered to himself.

Even he himself did not expect that his first real seclusion would last so long.

But this time the injury was too severe.

He fell from the third tier to almost the second tier extreme realm, his body was repeatedly torn apart by the corruption of divine power and evil gods. If it weren't for the extremely efficient gathering place of demons, Emerald Lake, and if the Ronte family hadn't spared no effort in supplying him with potions, he probably would have wasted several more months to barely make it to where he is today.

Xilun stood up.

Pushing open the door, the air after the rain carried the fresh scent of lake water and earth.

In the distance, the Ronte family's residence was brightly lit, and figures could be vaguely seen rushing about, seemingly quite busy.

Guards moved back and forth between the courtyard walls, carriages came and went, and people were carrying long boxes and crossbows towards the warehouse.

Xilun watched for a while, then put on his coat and went out of the house.

The servants who were guarding nearby were startled when they saw him leave, and then quickly bowed.

"My lord, you've emerged from seclusion?"

"Where is the clan leader?"

"The clan leader is holding a meeting at the main residence. I will go and inform him immediately."

The servant ran away.

Not long after, Karls arrived in person.

Half a year had passed, and he was more composed than before, but when he saw Xilun, his eyes still couldn't hide his surprise.

"Mr. Xilun, you have finally emerged from seclusion. My grandfather has been thinking of you these past few days, but he was afraid of disturbing your cultivation and dared not go to visit you."

Xilun nodded: "Take me to see him."

The atmosphere inside the Ronte family mansion was tense.

The hall was filled with nautical charts, ledgers, and several letters stained with water.

Horn sat at the head of the long table, his brow furrowed, while several tribal stewards beside him argued in hushed tones. The moment Siren entered, all sound ceased.

Horn suddenly stood up.

He had clearly been through a lot lately, and his face looked older than it had been six months ago, but when he saw Xilun, his eyes seemed to light up suddenly.

"Lord Siren!"

The form of address has changed from "sir" to "sir".

The other members of the Ronte family in the hall bowed their heads, their expressions respectful.

Xilun glanced at everyone and said, "No need to be so polite. I have now recovered and am ready to leave."

The hall fell silent immediately upon hearing this.

Horn's joy froze.

Karls was also taken aback.