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

Early in the morning, dark clouds covered the sky above Pingyang County.

The drill ground in the west of the city was empty and desolate.

This is Shangguan Jin Hong's first public appearance.

He stood with his hands behind his back, clad in a black robe, a pair of dragon and phoenix rings adorning his back. His piercing gaze swept across the surroundings. Behind him stood Jing Wuming, expressionless, his left hand resting on his sword, like a shadow.

Meng Xinghun, Han Tang, Lu Zhangke, and Hebi Weng led more than two hundred members of the Qinglong Society in a line, their imposing presence overwhelming.

The news spread throughout the city—Shangguan Jin Hong, the master of the Azure Dragon Society's First Moon Hall and the Dragon and Phoenix Ring Grandmaster, is personally taking to the battlefield today!

Qingyun Inn.

Upon hearing the news, Aoki Masato sneered, "Finally, you've decided to show yourself?"

He stood up, the longsword behind him humming.

"Let's go! Let the Azure Dragon Society know the power of the Azure Wood Sword Sect!"

Following closely behind were the two protectors, Tiemu and Qingsong, and hundreds of elite disciples filed out.

The drill ground in the west of the city.

The two armies are locked in a standoff.

Shangguan Jin Hong and Qingmu Zhenren were a hundred feet apart, their eyes meeting.

"So you're Shangguan Jin Hong, the leader of the First Moon Hall of the Azure Dragon Society?" Master Qingmu sized him up, a hint of disdain in his eyes. "Early-stage Grandmaster? You dare challenge me?"

Shangguan Jin Hong remained expressionless, his voice flat: "Mid-stage Grandmaster, is that so impressive?"

Master Aoki's face darkened: "Arrogant!"

"Enough with the nonsense." Shangguan Jin Hong slowly drew out the Mother-and-Child Dragon and Phoenix Rings, the golden rings dazzling in the sunlight. "Let's see who's the real deal."

Master Qingmu drew his sword, and a streak of azure sword light shot into the sky, stirring up the wind and clouds.

The sword energy was like a rainbow, and the pressure of a mid-stage Grandmaster was released without reservation, forcing the spectators around the training ground to retreat. Some disciples with low cultivation levels even had trouble breathing.

He leaped up, his longsword piercing the air.

"Azure Wood Sword Technique - All Trees Rejuvenate in Spring!"

The sword light transformed into a sky full of azure shadows, like ten thousand trees in a forest, blotting out the sun. Each sword aura contained the immense internal force of a mid-stage Grandmaster, enveloping Shangguan Jinhong.

Before the sword energy even arrived, the ground was already cleaved with deep grooves, and dust flew everywhere.

Instead of retreating, Shangguan Jin Hong advanced, his two rings intertwining, the sound of metal clashing deafeningly loud, and a visible aura emanating from his body.

"Dragon and Phoenix Rings—Breaking Through All Laws!"

The two rings flew out of his hand, transforming into two golden rays in the air, like two dragons emerging from the sea, colliding with the sky full of azure sword light.

boom!

The deafening roar shook the heavens, sending shockwaves scattering in all directions. The blue bricks on the training ground shattered inch by inch, raising clouds of dust. Even those watching from a hundred feet away felt a stinging pain in their cheeks.

Amidst the smoke and dust, a figure was sent flying backwards.

Master Aoki retreated more than ten steps, each step leaving a deep footprint in the ground. His tiger's mouth split open, and blood dripped down the hilt of his sword, which hummed and trembled.

"You..." His pupils constricted, his face filled with disbelief, and a storm raged in his heart. "You clearly only have the aura of an early-stage Grandmaster, so why is your inner strength so profound? This combat power... is at least comparable to a late-stage Grandmaster!"

He stared intently at Shangguan Jin Hong, trying to find the answer in that cold and stern face, but all he saw were a pair of deep, unfathomable eyes—eyes that held no pride, no excitement, only calmness, as if everything was under his control.

Shangguan Jin Hong slowly emerged from the smoke and dust, his black robe fluttering, unharmed.

"Early stage Grandmaster, that's enough to kill you."

The voice was indifferent, like a verdict.

Master Qingmu gritted his teeth, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes. He channeled all his inner strength, but the thought of retreating had already taken root in his mind. However, under the watchful eyes of everyone, if he, the dignified leader of the Qingmu Sword Sect, were to flee without a fight, what would become of the sect's reputation?

"Azure Wood Sword Formation - All Trees Return to Their Origin!"

The sword light split into thirty-six cyan sword energies, forming a sword array that trapped Shangguan Jin Hong within it.

Sword energy crisscrossed, forming an impenetrable killing array. Each sword energy was enough to kill a Xiantian realm expert, and the air within the array was distorted.

Shangguan Jin Hong stood in the center of the formation, a slight upturn of his lips revealing a hint of disdain.

"A trivial skill."

He snorted coldly, and his twin rings vibrated, emitting a piercing sound that seemed to come from the deepest hell, making people's hearts tremble.

"The Dragon and Phoenix Rings—A Ring That Shakes All Directions!"

The sound waves spread out like a tangible substance, layer upon layer, distorting the air wherever they passed. When the thirty-six sword energies collided with them, they first trembled violently, then shattered together, turning into countless blue light spots, like a rain of light.

Master Aoki felt as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer in the chest, his internal organs seemed to shift, he spat out a mouthful of blood, and flew backward, crashing heavily to the ground. His longsword flew out of his hand, bounced a few times on the bluestone slab, and made a crisp sound.

He struggled to get up, but found that his meridians were in excruciating pain and his internal energy was dissipating.

"Who...who exactly are you? What exactly is the Azure Dragon Society?"

His voice was hoarse, his eyes filled with resentment and fear. How could someone at the early stage of a Grandmaster possess such terrifying combat power? This defies all logic!

Shangguan Jin Hong walked up to him, looking down at him, casting a shadow over Qingmu Zhenren's face.

You don't need to know.

Before he could finish speaking, he stomped down.

The protective true energy of a mid-stage Grandmaster was like paper under the impact of the Dragon and Phoenix Ring's internal force, and the sound of his sternum shattering could be clearly heard.

Aoki Shinji vomited a large amount of blood and died, his eyes wide open. Even in death, he did not know where the mysterious "Azure Dragon Society" came from, nor did he know why this "early Grandmaster" could easily kill him despite being of a higher level.

The entire room fell silent.

A deathly silence.

The people sent by the three major families to watch the battle were pale-faced, their legs were weak, and their backs were soaked with cold sweat.

Master Qingmu, a mid-stage Grandmaster, is dead just like that? Killed by someone at the early stage of Grandmaster? Just what kind of monster is this Shangguan Jin Hong? And what is the background of the Azure Dragon Society? If a hall master can kill someone at the mid-stage, how strong must the society leader be?

The shadow of Skynet lurked in the dark. He gasped, his pen trembling slightly as he wrote, unaware that ink was dripping from it.

His heart was filled with shock: This Shangguan Jin Hong... although his aura was only at the early stage, his combat strength was at least at the late stage of Grandmaster!

If even a mere hall master of the Azure Dragon Society is this terrifying, the organization's underlying strength is unfathomable... This must be reported immediately.

The spy sent by Lu Zhennan looked grave as he quietly left the training ground and hurried back to report. As he walked, he thought: The situation in Pingyang County is about to change. This mysterious Azure Dragon Society is ten times more terrifying than the Azure Wood Sword Sect.

the other side.

Jing Wuming faced off against Tie Mu, the Dharma Protector.

Tie Mu brandished his heavy sword with immense strength and unleashed the pressure of his Innate Divine Meridian Realm cultivation: "Boy, prepare to die!"

The heavy sword cleaved down with the force to split mountains and shatter rocks, accompanied by howling winds.

Jing Wuming was expressionless, his eyes empty as if he had no soul.

He felt no emotional turmoil—killing was simply a task.

With his left hand on his sword, he flashed forward.

There were no unnecessary movements, no fancy tricks.

The sword in his left hand was drawn.

A flash of cold light streaked across the sky, swift as lightning, silent and stealthy, leaving only a faint sword mark in the air.

Ironwood Protector's pupils shrank suddenly, and his heavy sword stopped in mid-air.

A line of blood slowly appeared on her neck.

"you……"

Before he could finish speaking, his head fell to the ground.

He died without ever seeing how the sword was thrust out.

Upon seeing this, Protector Qingsong was shocked and turned to flee, with only one thought in his mind: These people are too terrifying, they are not even on the same level as us!

With a casual wave of his hand, Shangguan Jin Hong sent out a golden ray of light, as fast as a shooting star, piercing through Qing Song's chest with such precision that it seemed to have eyes.

The golden ring traced an arc in the air before returning to Shangguan Jin Hong's hand, emitting a crisp buzzing sound.

Qingsong fell to the ground, dead, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Meng Xinghun, Han Tang, and the two elders Xuanming led the Qinglong Society members in a bloody battle against the elite disciples of the Qingmu Sword Sect.

Meng Xinghun's swordsmanship was unpredictable, like a venomous snake spitting its tongue; each strike precisely pierced the enemy's vitals, taking a life. His heart remained as calm as ice—these people's lives were worthless.

Han Tang was taciturn and ruthless, each move deadly, like a killing machine, with no emotional fluctuation in his eyes.

Lu Zhangke and Hebi Weng joined forces to unleash the Xuanming Divine Palm. Wherever the icy palm force passed, the enemy's body froze, their movements slowed, and they fell to the ground dead, screams echoing one after another.

The disciples of the Green Wood Sword Sect suffered a crushing defeat, their ranks in disarray, their hearts filled with nothing but fear—these people were not human, but demons.

He Qingquan fought desperately, but Meng Xinghun pierced his shoulder with a sword, causing him to fall to the ground, his clothes soaked with blood, his eyes filled with despair.

Half an incense stick later.

The battle is over.

More than half of the hundred elite disciples of the Qingmu Sword Sect were killed or wounded, and the rest knelt down to surrender, trembling all over, not daring to even raise their heads.

Shangguan Jin Hong scanned the entire room, and no one dared to meet his gaze.

He put the two rings back behind his back, his voice calm yet clear, carrying far and wide:

"From this day forward, the Azure Dragon Society will have the final say in Pingyang County."

"Those who submit may live."

"Anyone who resists will be killed without mercy."

No one dared to utter a single word of dissent.

The envoys from the three major families immediately knelt down, their foreheads pressed against the cold stone slab: "The Li family, the Wang family, and the Zhao family are willing to submit to the Azure Dragon Society! From this day forward, we will follow the Azure Dragon Society's lead without question!"

Jin Buhuan of Wanbao Trading Company personally arrived, his obese body almost jogging into the training ground. He presented 100,000 taels of gold, his face beaming with smiles: "Wanbao Trading Company is willing to serve the Azure Dragon Society! I, Jin, have long recognized the Azure Dragon Society's extraordinary nature!"

He was secretly apprehensive: this mysterious organization could even kill mid-stage Grandmasters, so he had to cling to them tightly, or he would be the next one lying on the ground.

Zhenyuan Escort Agency and Weiyuan Escort Agency followed closely behind, with their chief escorts kneeling on one knee to show their submission.

All the major and minor factions in the city sprang into action upon hearing the news, rushing to pledge their loyalty, fearing that they would be purged if they arrived late.

In a single day, the power structure of Pingyang County was completely rewritten.

The Azure Dragon Society took over all of the Azure Wood Sword Sect's businesses in the city, and all the shops hung up the Azure Dragon Society's flags—the flags had no words on them, only a coiled azure dragon, mysterious and majestic.

Upon hearing of Master Qingmu's death, the remaining members of the Iron Sword Sect coughed up blood, their faces turning ashen. They led their remaining troops to flee the city overnight, in a panic like stray dogs.

Upon learning the news, the White Lotus Sect headquarters held an emergency meeting overnight and ultimately decided to postpone the reinforcement plan—it was not advisable to act rashly before fully understanding the Green Dragon Society's situation.

That mysterious organization could easily kill a mid-stage sect leader with a mere early-stage Grandmaster, and the power hidden behind it is unfathomable.

The Skynet Shadow ordered a retreat, temporarily abandoning Pingyang County, a territory whose layout was still in its infancy. Before leaving, he took one last look at the Azure Dragon banner fluttering in the city and muttered to himself:

"The Azure Dragon Society... just what is its background? If a mere hall master possesses such combat power, then the other high-ranking members... I dare not even imagine."

The secret chamber of the Meng family mansion.

The flickering candlelight illuminated the apprehensive faces of the people present.

Shangguan Jin Hong sat upright in the main seat, exuding an imposing aura. Kneeling before him were the heads of the three major families, Jin Buhuan of Wanbao Trading Company, and the chief镖头 of the two major镖局 (escort agencies).

"From today onwards, you will each pay 30% of your income to the Green Dragon Society every month."

"The Azure Dragon Society will not interfere in your internal affairs, but you must obey orders."

"Those who disobey will be executed."

The voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority, striking everyone's heart like a hammer blow.

The men kowtowed repeatedly, their foreheads thumping against the floor: "We will obey the Master's orders! We would never dare to have any disloyalty!"

They knew in their hearts that from now on, Pingyang County would have only one master—the Azure Dragon Society.

After everyone left, Meng Xinghun entered through the side door, his expression respectful yet grave: "Hall Master, the Qingmu Sword Sect's headquarters will likely not let this go easily. Although Master Qingmu is dead, the Qingmu Sword Sect still has a Supreme Elder behind it, who is said to be an old monster at the Grandmaster level."

"Furthermore, although the White Lotus Sect is currently holding back, they are definitely observing from the sidelines. The Skynet people will not really give up Pingyang County either."

Shangguan Jin Hong stood up, put his hands behind his back, and walked to the window.

The moonlight, like water, reflected his cold and resolute face.

"Let them do it."

He said it casually, his tone as calm as if he were talking about something trivial.

"One comes, one is killed."

"Bring two here, kill them both."

He paused, his gaze fixed on the distance, his voice low and firm:

"Pingyang County is just the beginning."

"Next step... Guangling Prefecture."