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

Current balance: 13800.

Dongfang Weiwo's gaze fell on the line of numbers on the panel.

Enough for one Bronze Summon. Three thousand more, not quite enough, stuck in the middle.

He wasn't in a hurry.

He tapped his fingers lightly twice on his knee, then stopped. No need to rush. Save up a little longer, aiming for 50,000. Silver. What can silver yield? Divine Meridian Realm? Grandmaster? He didn't know—and that's precisely why it's worth the wait.

He closed his eyes, suppressing the faint burning sensation deep within his heart. The night breeze swept through the room, rustling an old book on the table before falling silent.

Twenty miles away. In an unnamed mountain hollow.

Yin Wuji reined in his horse and landed on his back. His face was so grim it could drip water. He paced back and forth, each step accompanied by the groaning of breaking branches. Behind him, his disciples held his arms or pressed his shoulders, the bloodstains already dried into hard, brown lumps.

"Elder, those two..." a disciple mustered his courage and spoke, his voice weak, as if he was still shaken by the fierce battle just now.

"Early stage of the Innate Profound Aura Realm." Yin Wuji stopped in his tracks without turning around. "Joining forces, they possess the combat power of the peak Profound Aura Realm." He slowly turned around, a cold glint flashing in his triangular eyes, like a knife suddenly drawn from the shadows. "Meng Xinghun's combat power is also astonishing—comparable to the late stage of the Profound Aura Realm. Han Tang, early stage of the Profound Aura Realm."

He paused. When he spoke again, his voice was even lower, as if squeezed out from between his teeth:

"Ichigatsu-do is like this... What about Nigatsu-do and Sangatsu-do?... "

The disciple's face turned pale instantly: "Elder, are you saying—"

"The Azure Dragon Society's true strength isn't as shallow as we thought." Yin Wuji gritted his teeth. "I originally thought it was a small, upstart force that we could crush with a flick of our wrist. But now..." He narrowed his eyes, his gaze dark, "it seems rather unfathomable."

He turned to look in the direction of Pingyang County, his expression complex and unreadable. Of the sixteen disciples who had followed him with high spirits, only nine could be brought back alive.

"Then...we're not playing anymore?"

"Fight." Yin Wuji narrowed his eyes, his pupils like they were coated with a thin layer of ice. "But we can't fight head-on. Go back and report to the sect leader, let him decide. Also—" He turned his head and said to his disciple beside him, enunciating each word clearly, "Send men to infiltrate the county city. Find out the Azure Dragon Society's strength. Not an inch can be missed."

"Yes."

"Next time," he murmured to himself, his voice so low that only he could hear, "I will never come alone next time."

The sound of horses' hooves rose again, gradually fading into the distance and being swallowed up by the mountain wind.

The group of figures disappeared along the ridgeline at the edge of the twilight.

At the same time. Fifty li south of Pingyang County. On the official road.

A carriage sped through the twilight, followed closely by a dozen or so guards, their hooves shattering the dappled sunlight. Each guard possessed a steady aura, their temples bulging, indicating a cultivation level at least at the Innate Profound Realm.

The wheels rolled over deep ruts on the official road, and the curtains of the carriage swayed constantly as it bounced.

There were three people in the car. They were experts from the Six Doors headquarters in Guangling Prefecture—two at the early stage of the Divine Vein realm and one at the middle stage. They were ordered by the Chief Constable to rush to Pingyang County to suppress the remnants of the White Lotus Sect and protect the Heavenly Origin Treasure Medicine.

"How much further?" The middle-aged man lifted a corner of the curtain and squinted at the horizon ahead. Only the last trace of red remained of the sunset.

"Reporting to you, sir, it's fifty li. We can arrive before dark."

"accelerate--"

As soon as the carriage rounded the bend, the driver yanked the reins sharply. The horse neighed and reared up on its hind legs.

There was a person standing in the middle of the road ahead.

The man in black stood motionless, his hands clasped behind his back, facing the carriage. The setting sun slowly sank behind him, casting a long, thin shadow that resembled a narrow sword across the middle of the road, severing the path in two.

"Whoa—" The rider tightened the reins, and the horse beneath him pawed restlessly.

"Who goes there!" The front guard drew his sword with a clang, the blade gleaming coldly in the twilight.

The man in black did not answer.

He slightly raised his hand. The movement was extremely light, as if brushing a fallen leaf off his clothes.

A blast of air exploded from his body. The wind swept through, bending the thick trees by the roadside, their branches and leaves trembling wildly, and sending pebbles flying everywhere.

More than a dozen guards and their horses were thrown over, their screams and neighs mingling together, and dust filled the official road.

The three people in the car broke through the window at the same time and rushed out, landing in front of the man in black.

They tried to make out the man in black's face by the last vestiges of daylight—but they couldn't see anything. His features were shrouded in a layer of flowing mist, indistinct and hard to discern, like trying to see a stone at the bottom of a river through muddy water.

"Who are you?" The middle-aged man asked, his hand on the hilt of his knife, his voice turning somber.

"The Six Doors," the man in black said in a low, hoarse voice, his age indiscernible. "Go back. The affairs of Pingyang County are not your concern."

"Arrogant!"

The middle-aged man drew his sword. The long blade left its sheath, its light slicing through the twilight like a bolt of lightning, aimed straight for the man in black's face.

The man in black raised his hand and flicked it lightly.

A gust of wind shot out and struck the blade precisely.

clang--

The sound was crisp and short. The longsword made of refined steel broke in two, the broken blade spinning as it flew out and pierced a roadside tree trunk with a clang, penetrating deep into the wood, the blade still vibrating and humming.

The middle-aged man stood frozen in place, gripping the broken half of the knife, his knuckles turning white.

Refined steel, capable of cutting through iron like mud, was snapped in two by a single finger.

"I told you. Go back." The man in black's voice remained as calm as still water. "Don't come back."

The three exchanged a glance. They all saw the same thing in each other's eyes—fear. Like ice water poured from their heads to their toes.

Not a match. Not even on the same level.

"Walk."

The middle-aged man gritted his teeth and squeezed out a single word.

He was the first to turn his horse around and lead his men back the way they had come. The carriage made a hasty U-turn on the official road, its wheels kicking up a trail of dust.

The man in black stood there, watching the carriage disappear into the deep twilight, remaining silent for a long time.

Then he turned around. His footsteps were so light, as if he were stepping on cotton, leaving no trace.

The sun finally sank below the horizon. The last glimmer of light in the world was swallowed by darkness.

The study in the Meng family mansion.

Meng Xinghun sat in the chair, his wrist wrapped in a thick bandage, with faint traces of blood seeping out. Han Tang squatted beside him, silently changing his bandage, her movements light and steady, like polishing an old sword that had seen many battles.

Lu Zhangke and Hebi Weng stood aside, their faces calm, as if the fierce battle just now was nothing more than an after-dinner stroll.

"Master." Zhao Banshan strode across the threshold, a letter clutched in his hand, the thin page trembling slightly between his fingers. "Something has happened at the Six Doors."

Meng Xinghun took the letter, unfolded it, and scanned it from top to bottom, his brows slowly furrowing.

"The three Divine Vein Realm reinforcements that the Six Doors dispatched from Guangling Prefecture were intercepted on the way." He handed the letter to Han Tang, his voice not loud, but it immediately silenced the study. "A man in black. He snapped the sword of a mid-stage Divine Vein Realm expert with a flick of his finger. He scared the man away with just a few words."

A moment of silence fell over the study. The lamplight flickered, and the shadows cast on the wall swayed accordingly.

"Friend? Enemy?" Han Tang raised his eyes and placed the letter on the table.

"I don't know," Meng Xinghun shook his head. "At least for now, they haven't touched us."

"The Blood Demon Sect has retreated. The Six Doors' reinforcements were blocked halfway. Black Wind Stronghold has been destroyed." He paused, his voice exceptionally clear in the night, "All the forces in the county are watching us closely. This is our opportunity."

He turned around, his gaze as steady as a rock.

"Three months. The Azure Dragon Society needs to establish a firm foothold in Pingyang County. Branches, manpower, and intelligence network—everything must be built up."

"Yes."

The crowd responded in unison, their voices not loud, but their tone was weighty.

Qinghe City. Zhenfu Branch Office.

Night has fallen. I sit alone by the window in the east.

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

Thirteen thousand eight hundred points.

Black Wind Stronghold established its prestige. The Blood Demon Sect demonstrated its strength in this battle. Yin Wuji's misjudgment was key—he thought the Azure Dragon Society was unfathomable, but in reality, their resources were limited.

He moved too hastily, filled with apprehension, and failed to see clearly. But a misjudgment is a misjudgment. Before their opponents could adjust, the Azure Dragon Society obtained its most valuable asset: time.

The man in black.

He opened his eyes and looked out at the deep night. Who was it? What was their purpose?

do not know.

But at least for now, there's no hostility. That's enough.

He opened the "Dragon Body Refining Technique" on his lap, his gaze falling on the three words "Golden Body Realm" at the fifth level.

In the later stages of the Blood Transformation Realm, one is only one step away from the Golden Body Realm. This step requires a massive amount of Qi and blood, piled up like a mountain.

Fortunately, Shen Lian agreed to supply Qi and Blood Pills monthly, and with the gains from the Azure Dragon Society, a breakthrough is expected within three months.

He closed his eyes and began to circulate his inner energy.

The blood and qi surged within the body like a mighty river, and a faint, dragon-like roar emanated from deep within the bones, as if some long-dormant power was slowly awakening.