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

Three days later. South of the city.

Outside the Iron Sword Sect branch headquarters, all was silent.

Dongfang Weiwo, wearing a bronze mask, stood on a large tree a hundred feet away, overlooking the entire branch.

The wound on his palm had scabbed over. But that battle brought him more than just a physical injury.

Reflections.

In that life-or-death moment, the true energy within his body suddenly went berserk, surging wildly through his meridians—a sign of an impending breakthrough.

He didn't suppress it. He followed the surge of true energy, guiding it to reach higher levels.

Qi Sea Stages: Early Stage, Middle Stage, and Late Stage.

He broke through two minor realms in succession.

When I opened my eyes, it was already broad daylight. I sat cross-legged in the quiet room, feeling the surging internal energy within me. A slight smile played on my lips.

"Late stage of Qi Sea Realm... In another month or two, I should be able to break through to the Profound Gang Realm."

Combat is indeed the best form of training.

This battle yielded 3000 energy points.

Slay Zhao Feng, the second elder of the Iron Sword Sect (peak of the Acquired Divine Power Realm). Adding the previous balance of 13800, the total is 16800.

Skynet's retaliation came faster than expected.

Dongfang Wei did not wait passively. He took the initiative to gather the forces of the Azure Dragon Society and began searching the city for traces of the remnants of the Heavenly Net.

Meng Xinghun personally took action, following the clues to uncover a secret stronghold of Tianwang near Qinghe City.

Three days later. Night.

Dongfang Weiwo put on a mask and set off with Meng Xinghun and the others. The base was set up in an abandoned manor in the north of the city, surrounded by sentries and traps.

He did not let his men rush forward first.

He wants to take charge himself.

It wasn't out of bravado, but because he knew that only through real life-or-death battles could his cultivation level break through rapidly.

The manor was brightly lit.

The remaining assassins of the Skynet numbered about twenty, led by a middle-aged man in his forties with an early stage of the Innate Divine Vein cultivation. This man was known as "Blood Butcher" and was the last leader of the Skynet branch in Qinghe City. The other assassins were mostly at the Acquired Blood Exchange Realm to the Golden Body Realm.

Dongfang Weiwo barged in through the main gate.

He unleashed his full power of true energy at the late stage of the Qi Sea realm, his palms flying as he clashed head-on with two Golden Body Realm assassins.

Three moves. He took a blow to the chest, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. But instead of retreating, he used the force of the blow to flip himself up and smash a killer's skull with a single palm strike.

[System Notification: Killed Skynet Assassin (Mid-stage Acquired Golden Body Realm), gained 200 Energy Points]

More assassins surrounded them.

Swords gleamed, and killing intent was palpable.

Dongfang Weiwo was struggling to stay afloat, and new injuries kept appearing on his body—his left arm was slashed open, he was kicked in the back, and his ribs were throbbing with pain.

Just as he was fighting off the third assassin with all his might, an unprecedented sense of crisis came from behind him.

Blood Butcher has made his move.

A palm strike from someone at the early stage of the Innate Divine Meridian was like Mount Tai pressing down. Dongfang Weiwo had no way to avoid it and could only grit his teeth and take it head-on.

"boom--"

He was sent flying backward, crashing through the manor's courtyard wall. Blood gushed from his mouth, and his internal organs seemed to have shifted.

"With such meager skills, you dare to try and wipe out Skynet?"

Blood Butcher sneered as he approached step by step. He wiped the blood from his sword, his eyes filled with contempt. "Late-stage Qi Sea Realm cultivator, you dare to come here to die?"

Dongfang Weiwo struggled to his feet from the ruins. Every part of his body ached, his internal energy was violently fluctuating, and his meridians were throbbing—yet the barrier remained unmoved.

They failed to make a breakthrough.

He gave a bitter smile. In life-or-death situations, one cannot always escape by sheer luck.

Blood Butcher raised an eyebrow, seemingly realizing that his opponent hadn't broken through, and his tone became even more disdainful: "Too bad. You have no chance against an early-stage Innate Divine Vein when you're in the late-stage Qi Sea realm."

He drew his long sword from his waist, took a step forward, and the sword's energy was like a rainbow, tearing through the air.

Dongfang Weiwo's eyes sharpened, and he was about to fight to the death—

A figure appeared silently in front of him.

Shangguan Jin Hong.

He bowed slightly, his voice steady and respectful: "Young master, you have been frightened."

No further words were needed.

As Xue Tu's longsword slashed down—Shangguan Jin Hong raised his left hand, pinching the blade between two fingers.

"bite--"

The blade stopped. Completely still.

Blood Butcher's pupils suddenly contracted. He exerted all his strength, but the longsword seemed to be embedded in iron and stone, impossible to pull out.

"You..." His voice trembled.

Shangguan Jin Hong glanced at him.

That glance was devoid of any emotion. Like someone looking down at ants on the ground.

"Who gave you permission to touch him?"

Gently bend two fingers—

"clang--"

The long sword broke in two. One half of the blade fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

Blood Butcher's face turned deathly pale instantly. He staggered backward, trying to escape—

Shangguan Jin Hong did not pursue.

He simply raised his hand. The dragon and phoenix rings flew out of his hand, tracing a graceful arc in the air.

Blood Butcher's screams lasted only half a breath. The Dragon and Phoenix Rings smashed his skull, splattering blood and brain matter. His body crashed to the ground.

[System Notification: Shangguan Jin Hong has killed the leader of the Skynet, "Blood Butcher" (early stage of Innate Divine Vein), and gained 15000 energy points.]

Shangguan Jin Hong retrieved the dragon and phoenix rings and gently wiped them on her robe. The movement was elegant and composed, as if she were doing something insignificant.

The remaining Skynet assassins inside the manor scattered in terror.

Shangguan Jin Hong didn't even lift his eyelids. He only uttered one word: "Kill."

Meng Xinghun and Han Tang emerged from the darkness. Their swords flashed like bolts of lightning, leaving corpses strewn everywhere they went.

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, all twenty-odd assassins were killed.

Energy points were settled that night.

Killing Skynet leader "Blood Butcher" (early stage of Innate Divine Vein): 15000 points

Kill 23 Skynet Assassins: Approximately 21000 points

Total: 36000 points

Adding the previous balance of 16800, the total is 52800 points. Including previous savings and recent income from various sources, the total has reached 78000 points.

Dongfang Weiwo sat in the quiet room, looking at the string of numbers on the system panel.

78000.

For the first time, his energy points exceeded 50,000.

Silver Summoning - 50,000 points per use.

Initiate the summoning.

A beam of light emerged from the panel and coalesced into a human shape in the quiet room.

The light gradually faded. A young man appeared before them.

He was twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a stern face, dressed in gray, with a long sword hanging at his waist. His right hand hung naturally at his sides, while his left hand remained firmly on the hilt of his sword, as if he were ready to draw it at any moment.

A sharp sword intent emanated from him, making the air in the quiet room feel sharp.

"Jing Wuming greets you, young master." His voice was flat, devoid of any emotion.

Dongfang Weiwo was slightly taken aback.

He glanced at Jing Wuming's attribute panel—

Name: Jing Wuming

Cultivation level: Peak of Divine Meridian Realm

Cultivation Technique: Nameless Sword Art (Slaughtering type, rank unknown)

Characteristics: Left-handed swordsmanship, extremely fast sword strikes, ruthless swordsmanship, every move is deadly.

Loyalty: 100

Peak of the Divine Vein Realm.

As Dongfang Weiwo looked at the expressionless swordsman before him, some images suddenly flashed through his mind—

In her past life memories, the person Shangguan Jin Hong trusted most was Jing Wuming.

Inseparable. Entrusting each other with life and death.

The ruthless and cunning Shangguan Jin Hong was the only one who never put his guard down around Jing Wuming.

"Go find Shangguan Jin Hong."

Dongfang Weiwo pondered for a moment, then said, "From today onward, you will follow him. Stay hidden in the shadows and do not reveal yourself without my command. In your daily actions, obey his orders."

"Yes."

Jing Wuming turned and left. His footsteps were silent, like a ghost.

The quiet room returned to silence.

I sat alone by the window in the east, gazing at the bright moon in the night sky, the calm on my face gradually fading.

He looked down at his hands.

Late stage of Qi Hai (CV6).

Three days ago, he broke through two minor realms in succession, which had made him very proud. He thought he could take another step forward in tonight's life-or-death battle and break through to the Profound Realm—but Xue Tu's palm strike made him see reality clearly.

Between the late stage of the Qi Sea realm and the early stage of the Innate Divine Vein realm, there are two major realms in between: the Profound Gang realm and the Divine Vein realm. The difference in strength is like an insurmountable chasm.

When Blood Butcher swung his sword down just now—

Without Shangguan Jin Hong, he would have certainly died.

What chance is there for a breakthrough? The enemy won't give him any breathing room.

Dongfang Weiwo slowly clenched his fist. He had been a bit too overconfident.

He has a system. He can summon the most powerful figures from all the realms. Shangguan Jin Hong, Jing Wuming, Meng Xinghun… each of these people is stronger than him. Each of them can shield him from a fatal attack at a crucial moment.

But what if they don't have time to act next time?

What if there's more than one enemy?

What if the enemy is stronger than the innate divine veins, so strong that even Shangguan Jin Hong can't stop them?

He suddenly realized something.

I was too hasty.

They were eager to personally take to the field, eager to break through in life-or-death battles, eager to prove something.

But these things can be left to his subordinates. He only needs to stand behind the scenes, cultivate steadily, and summon things steadily. With accumulated experience, he will eventually become invincible.

Why put yourself at risk?

"This blow today served as a wake-up call," Dongfang Weiwo muttered to himself, a hint of self-mockery in his voice. "With the system in my hands, as long as I don't die, the world will be mine sooner or later. But what if I die halfway through—"

He shook his head.

That's a huge loss.

You only have one life. Once you die, you have nothing left.

Energy points cannot be used to revive. Summoned individuals cannot live in his place.

"I can't be so reckless in the future." He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the dark sky. "Let my men scout out the situation in Guangling Prefecture first. When I need to stay hidden, I'll stay hidden."

Outside the window, a gentle night breeze was blowing.

Dongfang Weiwo took a deep breath, suppressing the danger of the night in his heart, turned around and sat down cross-legged, circulating the "Dragon Body Refining Technique".

The true qi in the late stage of the Qi Sea slowly circulated in the meridians, becoming more solid than when it first entered the late stage. With each breath, one could feel the power slowly increasing.

Not in a hurry.

Take it easy.

One day, he will stand at the highest point in the world.

At that time, he will no longer need anyone to take a knife for him.

Ichigetsu-do, inner hall.

Shangguan Jin Hong was drinking tea when he suddenly put down his teacup and said calmly, "You've arrived?"

In the darkness, Jing Wuming slowly emerged and knelt on one knee: "Chief."

Shangguan Jin Hong looked at him, a hint of relief flashing in her eyes.

In his past life, Jing Wuming was his shadow protector, always by his side through life and death.

We meet again in this life.

"Get up," Shangguan Jin Hong said.

"Yes."

Without a word, the tacit understanding between the two was already ingrained in their very bones.