Starting as the heir of a marquis's mansion, I gained access to a summoning system.

The night was dark.

When Dongfang Wei came out of the backyard of the branch office, it was already past midnight.

It was his turn to stand guard tonight. He took Liu Tie and two strongmen and patrolled the city along their usual route. The Fish and Dragon Gang at the docks were behaving themselves tonight; the market had long since closed, and the shantytown in the south of the city was as noisy as ever.

everything is normal.

After inspecting the last place, he told Liu Tie and the two strongmen to return to the branch office first, while he said he was going to take another round around the west side of the city.

Liu Tie didn't think much of it. He clasped his hands in response and left with his men.

Dongfang Weiwo walked alone on the bluestone road in the west of the city.

His steps were neither hurried nor slow.

Slow enough for the person behind you to catch up.

Yes, there are people behind me.

This person followed him from the moment he left the branch office.

The opponent's tracking technique was indeed excellent. His aura was perfectly concealed, and his footsteps were silent. However, after cultivating the "Dragon Body Refining Technique," his five senses far surpassed those of others at the same level. Nine dragon tendons ran through his entire body, bringing not only a surge in power but also an almost instinctive ability to perceive his surroundings.

Subtle vibrations in the air.

The footsteps on the stone-paved road were barely audible.

Even the faint sound of the person behind me breathing, the expansion and contraction of their chest.

This information converged in his perception, outlining a clear picture.

A person.

The day after tomorrow, the blood transfusion realm.

The killing intent was faint, but it was definitely there.

He turned into a dark alley.

The alley was narrow. High courtyard walls on both sides blocked most of the moonlight. Deep in the alley, several old bamboo baskets and a broken cart were piled up. The air was filled with the smell of stale wood.

He stopped in his tracks.

The person behind them also stopped at the alley entrance.

Then, a dark figure emerged from the shadows.

The newcomer was tall and thin. He was dressed in all black, his face covered with a black cloth, revealing only a pair of narrow eyes. The light in his eyes was cold and focused, like a snake eyeing its prey. Two short knives were tucked into his waistband, their blades painted a matte black.

"Your perception is good."

The man in black spoke in a low voice.

"You're the first person in the Body Refinement Realm to be able to detect my presence."

Dongfang Weiwo turned around.

He looked at the other person calmly.

"Mid-stage of the Blood Transformation Realm after birth."

He accurately stated the other party's cultivation level.

"Who sent you?"

The man in black did not answer.

His hand was already on the hilt of the knife at his waist.

Dongfang Weiwo didn't ask any more questions.

The "Chasing Clouds and Moon Steps" technique was unleashed instantly.

His figure left a trail of afterimages in the air. The distance of fifteen zhang was traversed in the blink of an eye.

It's not retreating. It's charging forward.

Clench your right fist.

Nine tendons taut simultaneously, emitting the hum of a fully drawn bowstring. All the power in the body converged at a single point. The fist tore through the air with a sharp sonic boom, striking straight at the man in black's chest.

The man in black clearly hadn't expected a mere Body Refinement Realm youth to take the initiative.

But his reaction was also extremely fast. He stomped his feet on the ground and retreated rapidly while simultaneously drawing the short swords from his waist. The two short swords crossed in front of him, and he channeled his inner force into the blades, causing a faint layer of blood-red light to emanate from their edges.

The fist slammed into the point where the two swords crossed.

boom--

A dull, loud bang echoed through the alley.

The man in black's pupils suddenly contracted.

He felt as if he had been head-on hit by a fully grown rhinoceros.

The power of that punch completely exceeded the limits expected of a Body Refinement Realm martial artist—no, it even exceeded the limits of a Postnatal Blood Exchange Realm martial artist. The force from the short sword was like a tidal wave, instantly splitting his tiger's mouth open and splattering blood. The bones in his arms creaked under the strain.

He was sent flying backward by the punch, his back slamming hard against the wall of the alley.

The brick wall was dented by the impact. Cracks spread outwards like a spider web.

The man in black slid down the wall and knelt on one knee. A trickle of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth. His eyes were filled with disbelief.

"You... are not at the Body Refinement Realm!"

Dongfang Wei did not answer.

He glanced down at his right fist. There was a faint white mark on the surface—the mark left from when he had punched the blade.

But it was just a white mark.

The skin wasn't even broken.

He gave the man in black no chance to catch his breath.

The Cloud Chasing and Moon Chasing Steps were unleashed once more. His figure approached like a ghost. The man in black gritted his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain in his arm as he swung his sword to block. But this punch was even more powerful than the last—it wasn't a straight strike, but rather a diagonal blow from the side.

It uses the "Dragon Tail Swing" power generation method from the "Jiaolong Body Refining Technique".

The fist slammed into the blade of the short sword.

Click.

The blade broke in half.

The punch continued relentlessly, aimed at the man in black's neck. The man in black had no time to dodge and could only channel his inner strength into his left arm, attempting to block the blow.

But it couldn't be stopped.

The sound of bones shattering was exceptionally clear in the alley. The man in black's left arm bent at an unnatural angle, and he was blasted away again, crashing heavily to the ground.

His throat was shattered by the residual force of the punch. Blood gushed from his mouth. His eyes were filled with resentment and disbelief.

A martial artist at the mid-stage of the Blood Transformation Realm came to kill a young man at the peak of the Body Refinement Realm.

It should have been a sure thing.

But he never understood why that punch was so terrifyingly powerful, even until his death.

Dongfang Weiwo walked up to the corpse and glanced down at it.

The man in black was completely dead. His throat was shattered, and his internal organs were severely injured. Even a miracle couldn't bring him back to life.

[Ding—Slaying a mid-stage Blood Exchange Realm martial artist, Energy Points +150.]

A system notification sounded in my mind.

He ignored him, squatted down, and searched the man in black.

Apart from a broken sword and a few taels of silver, there was nothing. There were no tokens or marks pointing to the mastermind behind it all.

He stood up and dusted off his hands.

He turned and walked out of the alley.

There was no return to the branch office.

They headed straight out of the city.

Half an hour later, Daoist Wuchen and Zhao Banshan appeared before him.

"My lord." The two men's expressions turned solemn when they saw the bloodstains on his robes.

"It's okay, it's not my blood."

He waved his hand and briefly recounted what had just happened.

Master Wuchen's eyes suddenly turned cold. A faint hum of sword intent emanated from his body.

"An assassin at the mid-stage of the Blood Exchange Realm? My lord, do you know who sent him?"

"The man is dead, leaving no survivors."

Dongfang Weiwo shook his head.

"However, judging from the way he did it, it wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. Someone specifically investigated me, knew my cultivation level, and sent someone who could suppress me."

They just didn't expect that my Body Refinement Realm was different from what they knew about the Body Refinement Realm.

The usual smile on Zhao Banshan's face vanished, replaced by an unusual coldness.

"My lord, from this day forward, I will protect you closely."

"Need not."

Dongfang Weiwo shook his head.

"I am capable of protecting myself. Besides, you guys are too conspicuous with me around."

He looked at Daoist Wuchen.

"Master Wuchen, from today onwards, you will protect me in secret. Do not reveal yourself, and do not make a move—unless I face a true life-or-death crisis."

Master Wuchen clasped his hands in a fist salute: "This old Daoist understands. As long as this old Daoist has a breath left, no one can harm our master."

He then looked at Zhao Banshan.

"Brother Zhao, you excel in light-footed skills and concealed weapons; tracking and stealth are your strengths. From today onward, you will secretly investigate tonight's incident. The assassin's identity, the person behind him, how many eyes in this city are watching me—I need to know."

Zhao Banshan's expression turned serious, and he clasped his hands in a fist salute, saying, "Rest assured, my lord. When it comes to tracking and covert investigation, I have never met my match."

Dongfang Weiwo nodded.

"There's one more thing. In the vast mountains, Master Chen might have discovered something."

"Brother Zhao, while you're investigating, also keep an eye on the interactions between Qinghe City and the Cangmang Mountains—especially those involving people who aren't in the public eye. Zhou Tie's death, tonight's assassination attempt, and the secrets of the mountains—these three things might be connected."

Zhao Banshan's eyes flashed: "Understood, subordinate."

After giving his instructions, he turned and returned to Qinghe City.