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

West of the city, Zhenyuan Escort Agency.

Zhou Tieshan was in his forties, with a dark complexion, large hands and feet, and a voice that boomed like thunder. He distributed four pieces of Tianlan Stone to the four镖头 (bodyguards), one for each of them, and told them to take them back and study them.

"This stone is a treasure," an old镖头 (bodyguard/escort) smacked his lips. "Those Heavenly Profound Stones with the character '澜' (Lan) in them are all precious. It's said that if inlaid on a weapon, it can increase the power of a technique by 30%."

Zhou Tieshan nodded. But he was thinking about something else.

The Zhenyuan Escort Agency travels the northwest route, which is not a safe one – bandits and demonic cultivators often rob travelers.

If a bodyguard's weapon can be inlaid with a Skystone, their combat power will increase by at least one level.

"Go and find out if the Azure Dragon Society has any permanent members in Pingyang County," Zhou Tieshan instructed his men. "I want to cooperate with them long-term."

East of Pingyang County, there is an inconspicuous house.

Dressed in white, Liu San Niang stood in the courtyard, toying with a white lotus flower in her hand. Moonlight illuminated her face—her features were exquisite, yet carried a hint of coldness. Her age was indeterminate, appearing to be either thirty or twenty-five.

"Master, the maid Qinghe has returned," the subordinate reported.

"Let her in."

Qinghe strode in, bowed, and said, "Master, this servant has seen Meng Xinghun."

"How is it?"

"He..." Qinghe carefully chose her words, "...neither warm nor cold. He said the Azure Dragon Society only does business and doesn't make friends. He'll come looking for us when he wants to make friends."

Liu San Niang placed the white lotus on the stone table, a slight smile playing on her lips: "His noncommittal attitude shows that he neither wants to offend us nor be bound by us. This Meng Xinghun is a clever man."

"Master, what should we do?"

"Continue delivering the Tianlan Stone orders." Liu Sanniang turned around, her tone as calm as a lake. "If once doesn't work, try twice; if twice doesn't work, try three times. In business, you can't get fat in one bite."

She paused.

"Go and find out if there are any other high-ranking members in the Azure Dragon Society. Meng Xinghun is already this troublesome—his superiors must be even more interesting."

Qinghe City, Zhenfu Branch Office.

Shen Lian opened the account book that Dongfang Weiwo had brought back and examined it page by page. His expression changed from calm to solemn—finally settling on a cold smile.

"Liu San Niang..." he uttered the name, then looked up at Dongfang Weiwo, "Have you ever met Liu San Niang of the White Lotus Sect branch in Pingyang County?"

Dongfang Weiwo shook his head: "No."

"Then how do you know that this 'Liu San Niang' is Liu San Niang?"

"I'm just guessing," Dongfang Wei said. "Liu sounds like 'willow,' and 'Third Sister' is a common term used in the White Lotus Sect. The 'Liu Third Sister' written in the account book is most likely Liu Third Sister."

Shen Lian nodded and locked the ledger in the drawer: "This ledger is priceless. The Thousand Household Office has been collecting evidence against the White Lotus Sect's Guangling Prefecture branch—with this, we can at least remove three nails."

He stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to Dongfang Weiwo.

"You've done a great job this time. What reward would you like?"

Dongfang Wei thought for a moment and said, "This subordinate would like to request more cultivation resources. The advancement from the Blood Exchange Realm to the Golden Body Realm requires a large number of Qi and Blood Pills."

Shen Lian turned around, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "That's it?"

"This is it."

Shen Lian looked at him and suddenly smiled: "Alright. The day after tomorrow, you go to Guangling Prefecture, and I'll take you to the Thousand Household Office's storeroom to pick some out. Thirty Qi and Blood Pills should be enough for you for three months."

"Thank you, sir."

"There's one more thing," Shen Lian said, his smile fading. "Don't mention the account books to anyone. I'll handle Zhao Tieshan."

Dongfang Weiwo nodded and turned to leave.

Shen Lian returned to the table and took out a thin, confidential document from the bottom of the drawer. The cover of the document had no title, only a dark pattern drawn with cinnabar—shaped like a half-closed eye, with tiny words seemingly embedded deep in the pupil, barely discernible only upon close inspection: Heavenly Number · Confidential.

He opened the confidential file, and on the inner page were only eight characters written: "Dongfang's son, sent out for training." The handwriting was neat, and the signature was from three months ago, from the headquarters of the Zhenfu Division.

Shen Lian's gaze lingered on this line of text for a long time.

Three months ago. That is to say, before Dongfang Weiwo even arrived in Qinghe City to take up his post, this confidential document had already been sent to the Thousand Household Office. The court was secretly monitoring the deployment of Dongfang family members to other posts—this was the rule.

However, this classified document was categorized as "top-tier," meaning it was not a regular personnel file but rather entered a secret sequence accessible only to households with over a thousand members.

He picked up his pen and added a line of small, faint handwriting to the blank space of the confidential document, as if afraid of being seen: "Calm and composed, meticulous in action, and malleable. Recommended for inclusion in the 'spy'."

After finishing writing, he did not rush to close the secret document. Instead, he took out a small copper seal from his pocket, dipped it in cinnabar, and pressed a clear mark next to the line of text—an open eye.

"Project Dark Agent." One of the most secretive training systems within the Zhenfu Division. Anonymous, unrecorded, and not disclosed.

The true identity of each "hidden piece" is known only to the recommender and the commanding officer at the rank of commander or above. They are scattered in various corners, and some may never be activated in their lifetime. But once activated, it means that a piece has been placed in the most crucial position on the chessboard.

Shen Lian closed the file and locked it back in the drawer. The movements were very light, as if nothing had happened.

A dilapidated kiln in the east of the city.

When Chang Si returned to the cave dwelling, Sun Liangyu was still leaning against the wall. Her face was as pale as paper. The wound from the last battle at the mine had not yet fully healed, and the sword wound on her chest had reopened—the seeping blood stained her clothes dark red.

"Didn't get it." Chang Si plopped down on the ground, his face full of anger. "The people from the Zhenfu Division got there first. A little brat and a Taoist priest."

Sun Liangyu didn't scold him. She simply asked, "Did you see that brat's face clearly?"

"Fifteen or sixteen years old, wields a sword, and is at the Blood Transformation Realm." Chang Si gritted his teeth. "Damn it, he ambushed me with a sword."

Sun Liangyu remained silent for a moment, and a figure appeared in her mind.

"Dongfang Weiwo." He uttered the name in a low voice, his tone carrying a sense of expected helplessness. "A junior officer in the Qinghe Town Fufen Division, who just took office last month."

Chang Si was taken aback: "You know him?"

"I investigated before." Sun Liangyu leaned against the wall, her voice a little hoarse. "After Zhou Tie died, I had someone investigate the backgrounds of everyone in the Qinghe Town Fufen Division. This Dongfang Weiwo should be a member of a collateral branch of the Dongfang family. He can get cultivation resources from the clan, but he's not some big shot—the real direct descendants wouldn't be placed in such a godforsaken place."

He paused.

"Why are members of a collateral branch of the Dongfang family here in Qinghe City...?" Sun Liangyu frowned. "Are they here for training, or have they been exiled?"

"Whether it's training or exile, we don't care. We've run into the Dongfang family anyway, should we run or not?" Chang Si said urgently.

"Run!" Sun Liangyu leaned against the wall to stand up. "The account book is in the hands of the Zhenfu Division. Guangling Prefecture will soon find out who leaked it. If we stay here, the White Lotus Sect will be the first to come after us."

The two packed up their remaining provisions and silver. Under the cover of night, they disappeared into the vast mountains of the Cangmang Mountain Range.

Qinghe City, Zhenfu Branch Office.

Dongfang Weiwo returned to his duty room at 11:45 AM. Liu Tie, Zhang Dashan, and Su Wen were already asleep. Only a single lamp burned in the room, its wick crackling as it burned.

He sat down at the table, took out the receipt for the Qi and Blood Pill from his pocket, looked at it for a while, and then put it back in his pocket.

The 3500 energy points are still there.

While Shen Lian was in the branch office, he couldn't use the system to summon—it would be troublesome if spatial fluctuations were detected. He would wait until he arrived in Guangling Prefecture, find a secluded spot, and then summon a new character.

He currently has Wu Chen, Han Tang, Meng Xinghun, Chen Jialuo, and others under his command.

However, their high-end combat strength is still insufficient. Meng Xinghun's innate Qi Sea Realm peak level is already considered top-tier in Pingyang County City—but in a place like Guangling Prefecture, it's simply not enough.

He needs a master at least at the Innate Profound Realm.

The next summon must be of Bronze rank or higher.

He picked up a pen and wrote down his next plan on a blank sheet of paper—

He accompanied Shen Lian to Guangling Prefecture to find out the details of the White Lotus Sect branch.

The Azure Dragon Society continued to infiltrate Pingyang County, maintaining a distant relationship with various forces.

I will cultivate the "Dragon Body Refining Technique" and strive to break through to the late stage of the Blood Exchange Realm within three months.

After writing it, he held the note up to the lamp flame and burned it. The ashes fell to the ground and were scattered by the wind.

Outside the window, the bright moon hangs high in the sky. Not a cloud in sight.

Fifteen-year-old Dongfang Weiwo sat by the window and began to practice the "Dragon Body Refining Technique".

The blood and qi surged through the body like a river, and a faint roar of a dragon could be heard emanating from the bones.

He closed his eyes. A sentence floated into his mind—

"Weiwo, this name was given to me by your grandfather. He said that the people of the Dongfang family are born to be invincible under heaven."

That was what his father, Dongfang Wudi, said when he was ten years old.

At the time, he didn't think much of it.

Now, he believes it.