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

Meng Xinghun remained silent for a long time.

He stood up and walked to the wall. Hanging on the wall was a map of Pingyang County, which Chen Jialuo had marked with many symbols—red dots representing strongholds and black lines representing territories.

The three major families each have three members at the early stage of the Divine Meridian Realm. The Mad Blade Sect has one member at the middle stage of the Divine Meridian Realm. The Suppression Division has one member at the late stage of the Divine Meridian Realm. The White Lotus Sect has one member at the early stage of the Divine Meridian Realm.

There are six at the Divine Vein Realm alone. And there are even more at the Profound Gang Realm and Qi Sea Realm.

The Azure Dragon Society's highest publicly acknowledged combat strength is himself—a peak Qi Sea Realm cultivator, capable of killing an early-stage Profound Gang Realm cultivator at full strength. However, he is no match for a Divine Vein Realm cultivator. Han Tang is at the early-stage Qi Sea Realm, while Chen Jialuo and the others are still in the Acquired Realm.

The gap in strength is not small.

"You know what the master means," Meng Xinghun finally spoke. "First, establish a foothold in Pingyang County City, and don't rush to expand. Use Tianlan Stones to pave the way and do business with various forces. Slowly accumulate connections and resources."

Chen Jialuo nodded: "I understand. My people have already made contact with the Mad Saber Sect. Lei Potian is very interested in the Heavenly Tide Stone."

Jin Buhuan is also willing to continue cooperating with Wanbao Trading Company. We should stabilize these two lines first, and then gradually expand further.

Meng Xinghun turned around, his gaze falling on the map: "Where is the Zhenfu Division? Lu Zhennan is our biggest threat."

"Shen Lian has returned from Qinghe City. He will report to the Thousand Household Office. Lu Zhennan's current attitude is 'not to provoke us.' As long as we don't do anything illegal or disorderly, the Zhenfu Division won't touch us."

"That's good." Meng Xinghun paused. "The shipment of Tianlan Stones needs to be controlled. Too much will backfire. Slow and steady wins the race."

"clear."

Meng Xinghun sat down again, his gaze returning to the map on the table.

"Next, three things." He held up three fingers. "First, set up a spy in each of the east, west, south, and north of the city. We don't need many people, but we need to be reliable. Second, continue contact with the Mad Saber Sect and Wanbao Trading Company, solidifying our business dealings. Third, keep an eye on the White Lotus Sect. They won't stay hidden forever."

Chen Jialuo wrote them down one by one.

"Master," he hesitated for a moment, "should we recruit a few more people? The current manpower is simply not enough in Pingyang County."

Meng Xinghun remained silent for a moment.

"The Lord has his own plans," he said. "All we can do is to do what's in front of us well."

Chen Jialuo said no more, stood up and clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Then I'll go and make the arrangements."

Zhenyuan Escort Agency, Head Office.

Zhou Tieshan sat in a grand chair, a map of Pingyang Prefecture and the surrounding area before him. A burly man in his fifties, with a broad back, square face, and a thick beard, his eyes gleamed with sharp light.

"Chief镖头 (Chief Escort)." A镖师 (bodyguard/escort) walked in from outside. "Manager Jin of Wanbao Trading Company has sent someone to deliver a message—a banquet will be held at Zuixianlou tonight, and we invite you to join us."

Zhou Tieshan looked up: "Jin Buhuan? What did he want with me?"

"He didn't say. He only said he had something important to discuss."

Zhou Tieshan pondered for a moment: "Understood. Tell the messenger to arrive on time tonight."

After the bodyguards left, Zhou Tieshan stood up and walked to the window.

Jin Buhuan is a man who won't get up early for nothing.

A sudden invitation to dinner must mean something's up. There's been a huge commotion in Qinghe City lately—the Azure Dragon Society, the Blood Demon Sect, the Heavenly Mountain Sect, and the Iron Sword Sect are all involved. In the end, the mine fell into the hands of the Town Pacification Division, while the Azure Dragon Society escaped unscathed.

"The Azure Dragon Society..." Zhou Tieshan murmured the name, his brows furrowing slightly.

Both the Iron Sword Sect and the Wanbao Trading Company suffered setbacks at the hands of the Azure Dragon Society, but neither made a fuss—clearly, they didn't want outsiders to know. Zhou Tieshan had extensive connections and had received news several days earlier: a Blood Nether Sect elder at the early stage of the Innate Profound Realm had been killed by a single sword strike from someone from the Azure Dragon Society.

An organization capable of killing Xuan Gang Realm cultivators suddenly entered Pingyang County City—who was it after?

Zhou Tieshan didn't know.

But perhaps we can find out something at tonight's banquet.

North of the city, the headquarters of the Mad Saber Sect.

Lei Potian was shirtless, revealing his strong muscles and numerous knife scars. He was chopping ironwood stakes in the training room—each strike carrying a sharp blade aura, splitting the thick ironwood stakes in two.

"Sect Master," a disciple stood outside the door, hesitant to enter, "there are people outside requesting an audience. They say they've come from Qinghe City."

Lei Potian stopped slashing and turned around. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead: "Who goes there?"

"No registration number. They only said they had business to discuss with the sect leader."

Lei Potian tossed the knife to his disciple, grabbed an outer robe and draped it over himself: "Let him in."

A moment later, a thin, middle-aged man walked in. He had an ordinary face and wore a gray long robe, looking like an accountant. Lei Potian's gaze swept over him, his brow furrowing slightly—he couldn't discern the man's cultivation level.

"My surname is Sun, and I come from Qinghe City." The middle-aged man clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute. "I have a business deal that I would like to discuss with Master Lei."

"What kind of business?"

"Tianlan stone."

Lei Potian's eyes narrowed slightly: "Tianlan Stone? Wasn't the mine seized by the Zhenfu Division?"

"The mine has been seized. But some of the goods are still in private hands." The man surnamed Sun smiled. "Sect Master Lei makes weapons. Tianlan Stone should be very valuable to you."

Lei Potian was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "Interesting. So, what's the price?"

The two talked in the training room for half an hour. After the man surnamed Sun left, Lei Potian sat in the armchair, playing with a light blue crystal sample in his hand.

"Azure Dragon Society." He uttered these three words, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Although the man surnamed Sun claimed to be a businessman, Lei Potian could tell that he had powerful backers.

The Tianlan Stone was of excellent quality and did not originate from the Zhenfu Division. The Zhenfu Division had only recently taken over the mine and had not yet begun mining. There was only one possibility: the Azure Dragon Society had kept a batch of the stone before the mine was handed over.

"Trying to use the Heavenly Tide Stone to pave the way and gain a foothold in Pingyang County?" Lei Potian tossed the crystal onto the table. "Interesting. Let's see if you have the ability."

East of the city, the Zhenfu Division's Thousand-Household Office.

Lu Zhennan sat in his study, a stack of documents piled in front of him. He was in his forties, with a thin face and a long beard. He appeared frail, but in reality, his cultivation at the late stage of the Innate Divine Meridian Realm was unmatched in Pingyang County.

"Chieftain." A captain walked in. "The Azure Dragon Society has entered the city."

Lu Zhennan looked up and put down his pen: "How many people? Who's leading the team?"

"More than twenty people. The leader was a young man in gray clothes with a sword hanging at his waist. After entering the city, they stayed in a house in Willow Lane in the west of the city, with a sign that read 'Meng Mansion' hanging at the door."

"The Meng family?" Lu Zhennan pondered for a moment. "Have you found out the identity of that young man in gray?"

"Found him. His name is Meng Xinghun, the first branch leader of the Azure Dragon Society's First Branch. It was him who killed Wan Gu Ku of the Blood Demon Sect with a single sword strike."

Lu Zhennan's eyes narrowed slightly.

Ten Thousand Bones Withered – Early stage of the Innate Profound Aura Realm, ranked seventh among the outer elders of the Blood Nether Sect. Anyone capable of killing him with a single sword strike must be at least in the mid-stage of the Profound Aura Realm, or even higher.

"Have you ascertained Meng Xinghun's cultivation level?"

"On the surface, he appears to be at the peak of the Innate Qi Sea Realm. But many suspect he's hiding his true strength." The captain paused. "Commander, should we send someone to keep an eye on him?"

"Keep an eye on them." Lu Zhennan stood up and walked to the window. "But don't get close. The Azure Dragon Society hasn't shown any intention to be an enemy of the imperial court, so we don't need to provoke them."

However—" He turned around, "tell Shen Lian to come back from Qinghe City. He has dealt with the Azure Dragon Society there, and there are some things he needs to report to me in person."

"Yes."