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

Inside a secret room at the Qinglong Society branch in Pingyang County.

The lamplight was dim, yet it made dancing exceptionally difficult under the invisible pressure emanating from Li Chenzhou.

He sat cross-legged in the main seat, like a lurking ancient beast. Although he had restrained himself to the extreme, he still gave people a suffocating sense of oppression.

The teacup on the table hadn't been still for a moment since then; fine ripples spread out in circles, as if even the tea was afraid of the power within him that could erupt at any moment.

A map of the thirteen western prefectures was laid out before him, with dozens of key points marked in vermilion.

When Dongfang Weiwo pushed open the door, Li Chenzhou was staring at the dark red circle in the center of the map—the main altar of Qinglong Temple, Tianlong Mountain. Without even looking up, a smile appeared on his lips.

"Young Master has broken through to the Grandmaster level?"

"Just broke through to the first level."

"First Heaven..." Li Chenzhou finally raised his head, looked Dongfang Weiwo up and down, and frowned slightly. "Young Master's foundation is too strong. He has been suppressed for so long at the late stage of Grandmaster. Once he breaks through, he should be able to break through more than one level."

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth didn't give you enough nourishment? Theoretically, the concentration of spiritual energy around your stone chamber should be enough for an ordinary grandmaster to break through three levels.

"I managed to hold it in myself."

Dongfang Weiwo sat down opposite him, picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of water. The water in his cup remained perfectly still, a stark contrast to Li Chenzhou's cup.

The "Cultivation of the Mind" chapter of the "Heavenly Treasure Book" says, "Haste makes waste."

The surge of spiritual energy has raised the cultivation levels of these prodigies far too quickly. What I need isn't speed, but rather solid progress at every step. Establishing a firm foothold at the first level before moving on is far better than rushing to the third level in one go and then having an unstable foundation.

Li Chenzhou paused, pushed the map towards the center, and placed his finger on the cinnabar ring: "But it's good that you've broken through, young master. There's something I need you to decide."

"Qinglong Temple?"

"Hmm." Li Chenzhou's finger tapped lightly on the red circle in the center of the map, one tap at a time, slowly and deliberately.

"The standoff lasted for a year, with both sides probing each other. We destroyed the Iron Blood Hall and the Blood Nether Sect, while they formed the Righteous Path Alliance. During this period, there were constant minor skirmishes, but no major war broke out."

Now that the spiritual energy tide has fully erupted, the opportunity for a Grandmaster to break through is becoming increasingly clear, and the 'Azure Dragon Zen Master' of Azure Dragon Temple—he can no longer sit still.

"How so?"

"Three days ago, Qinglong Temple issued a call to arms, inviting all sects from the thirteen western prefectures to gather at Tianlong Mountain on the fifteenth of next month for a 'Demon Extermination Conference.'" Li Chenzhou sneered, clenching his fist so tightly that his knuckles cracked.

Which demon were we exorcising? Naturally, it was our Azure Dragon Society. Interestingly, the invitation arrived—bright red with gold lettering, stamped with the abbot's seal of Azure Dragon Temple, and signed 'Azure Dragon Zen Master, palms together.' It was incredibly polite, practically stating, 'If Benefactor Li is willing to lay down his butcher's knife, our temple is willing to offer a vegetarian meal.'"

"You accepted the invitation to join the fight?"

"I'll take it." Li Chenzhou pulled a gold-embossed invitation from his pocket and casually tossed it onto the table.

They've already delivered it to my door, how can I possibly return it?

Dongfang Weiwo unfolded the invitation and glanced at it. The handwriting was vigorous yet refined, a genuine Buddhist lion's roar style, each stroke carrying an undeniable authority. He closed the invitation and pondered for a moment:

"Is Zen Master Qinglong finally going to get involved himself?"

"It should be." Li Chenzhou's fingers tapped lightly on the map, the rhythm slightly faster than before.

He hadn't shown his face for a year, letting Qinglong Temple harass us with minor skirmishes, and now he suddenly wants to hold a major meeting—either his cultivation has broken through and he's confident he can devour us; or he senses we're expanding too quickly and if he doesn't act now, it'll be too late.

Which one do you think it is?

"The latter."

Li Chenzhou's eyes turned slightly cold. He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest, a posture that momentarily dimmed the lights in the room.

"After the full-scale outbreak of spiritual energy tide, the opportunity for Grandmasters to break through to the Celestial Realm is getting closer and closer."

Zen Master Qinglong had been stuck at the peak of the Ninth Heaven for many years. Logically, he should have gone into seclusion to break through to the half-step Celestial Realm—but he just happened to jump out at this time to hold a 'Demon Extermination Conference'.

This can only mean one thing: the threat posed by our Azure Dragon Society has become so great that he would rather temporarily delay his attack on the Celestial Beings than not eliminate us first.

"Young Master, a force that even an old monster at the peak of the Ninth Heaven would abandon his chance to attain the Heavenly Manhood to destroy—how do you think we've done this year?"

Dongfang Weiwo smiled and said, "It's alright."

Dongfang Weiwo gently traced the rim of his cup with his fingers, his mind racing through various possibilities. The smile on his face gradually faded: "Given the current strength of the Azure Dragon Society, how confident are they in a direct confrontation with the Azure Dragon Temple's righteous alliance?"

"Seventy percent." Li Chenzhou did not hesitate, extending three fingers and bending them down one by one. "Guan Qi is at the seventh level of Grandmaster. His sword is fast and crazy enough that the monks' staffs at Qinglong Temple cannot keep up with his speed."

I alone can handle Zen Master Qinglong, and the hall masters below have a more than 60% chance of winning against the sect leaders of the righteous alliance. The only variable is—"

"Wanfo Temple."

"right."

Li Chenzhou nodded, a serious expression appearing on his face for the first time.

"Liaoyin, that old bald monk, was injured by the Marquis's palm strike at the East Sea Tomb, but behind him is the entire Wanfo Temple. The head of the Buddhist sects in the Central Plains, the Eight Heavenly Dragons Protectors are all formidable figures at the fifth or sixth level of Grandmaster."

If Wanfo Temple seizes the opportunity to get involved, the situation won't just be a matter of a 70% chance of winning—our bunch of demons facing the entire Buddhist community of the Central Plains would probably have to turn tail and run.

Dongfang Weiwo remained silent for a moment. The water in his cup had gone cold, but he made no intention of refilling it.

"Wanfo Temple will not act for the time being. Liaoyin's attempt to seize the Celestial Inheritance at the East Sea Tomb was a treasure coveted by Wanfo Temple, and it has nothing to do with Qinglong Temple. He has already lost face by being defeated by his father, and Wanfo Temple values ​​its reputation, so it will not make a large-scale move in the short term. However, Wanfo Temple will most likely send someone to observe Qinglong Temple's 'Demon Extermination Conference'."

"To stand by and watch is to be a fence-sitter."

Li Chenzhou scoffed, "They'll help whoever wins; those bald monks have always been like that. That's enough. As long as Wanfo Temple doesn't intervene, I can handle the Qinglong Temple group."

However… young master, Qinglong Temple will definitely make its move before the fifteenth of next month. Although Liaoyin isn't on their side, that old fox, Zen Master Qinglong, won't really wait until that day to act—what if we're prepared by then?

His invitations to join the fight were sent all over the West; even a fool would know he'd become a target. If I were Zen Master Qinglong, I would have ambushed him before the tournament even started.

Dongfang Weiwo nodded. He and Li Chenzhou had the same idea.

"So...we won't wait until the fifteenth of next month."

"Oh?" Li Chenzhou's eyes lit up. He leaned forward from the back of his chair, placed his hands on the table, and his eyes burned with fighting spirit. "Young Master, please tell me."

Dongfang Weiwo stood up, walked to the map, placed his fingertip on the location of Tianlong Mountain, and gently tapped it:

"A month is enough time for Qinglong Temple to lay a trap. What we need is to catch them off guard, not to confront them head-on."

"Pass down the order—within seven days, all branches of the Azure Dragon Society in the thirteen western prefectures shall assemble, led personally by you, Li Chenzhou, and march straight towards Tianlong Mountain."

Li Chenzhou was taken aback at first, then a near-ferocious grin spread across his face: "Catch them off guard?"

"Give them a piece of cake: 'The demon-slaying ceremony hasn't even started yet, and the demon has already arrived.'"

"Dongfang Weiwo turned around, the candlelight casting flickering shadows on his face, his eyes reflecting the dancing flames, his calmness bordering on cruelty. The invitation to the hero says it's the fifteenth of next month."

Everyone assumed we would remain inactive and build up our strength before then—including Zen Master Qinglong. He sent spies to monitor each of our branch strongholds, waiting to see when we would gather our forces.

But now—"He drew an arc on the map, "we won't assemble. We'll move directly. Seven days from now, all thirteen prefectures will set off simultaneously, traveling day and night, to surround Tianlong Mountain from all sides. By the time his scouts realize something is wrong, our vanguard will already be on his mountain gates."

"Let the world see who's really waiting for whom in this year-long standoff."

The moonlight outside the window was obscured by a thin layer of clouds, and the room darkened for a moment.