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

San Yue Tang and Xiao Yao Hou chose Xunyang Prefecture.

Xunyang Prefecture is a buffer zone between the forces of Chaotian Palace and Qingmu Sword Sect. There are no powerful forces with Grandmasters in charge, and river bandits are as numerous as hairs on a cow.

The strongest among them was the "Blood Hand Gang," led by Qi Lianshan, an early-stage Grandmaster. He commanded hundreds of desperate men and had terrorized Xunyang Prefecture for over a decade, with no one able to subdue him.

After arriving, the Marquis of Xiaoyao found a hillside outside the city and spent three days building a small courtyard. He hung up a wooden sign that read "Doll Manor" and then sent someone to deliver an invitation to Qilian Mountain.

Qi Lianshan led two hundred men away in a grand procession, and no one knows what happened that night. All that is known is that seven days later, the Blood Hand Gang disappeared from Xunyang Prefecture, replaced by the Azure Dragon Society's March Hall. Someone saw a newly made wax figure in the garden of the Puppet Manor; its face was incredibly lifelike, and it was none other than Qi Lianshan himself.

Xunyang Prefecture was shaken. But the expansion of the Carefree Marquis did not stop - after the Blood Hand Gang was destroyed, he eliminated the remaining large and small river bandit forces within Xunyang Prefecture one by one.

His methods were exactly the same as those of Qilian Mountain: those who refused to surrender had their leaders taken away and made into wax figures, while their followers were scattered and incorporated into the organization. In less than half a month, the entire waterway trade route in the eastern part of Xunyang Prefecture had fallen into the hands of Sanyuetang.

Lei Sun of Siyue Hall chose Dingxiang Prefecture.

Dingxiang Prefecture is located west of Pingyang County and serves as a gateway to the heart of the thirteen western prefectures. Numerous powerful factions are intertwined, with the "Iron Spear Alliance" holding the highest esteem. The Iron Spear Alliance leader, Shi Wenlong, is a mid-stage Grandmaster, and his thirteen spearmen are all skilled fighters at the Golden Body Realm or higher.

Unlike Xiaoyao Hou, Lei Sun didn't lure the enemy into a trap; instead, he chose the most direct approach—walking alone into the Iron Spear Alliance's headquarters.

Shi Wenlong was sitting on a tiger-skin chair, holding a bowl of wine. He looked at the uninvited stranger and frowned: "Who are you?"

Lei Sun did not answer, nor did he stop walking.

"Guards—" Before Shi Wenlong could finish speaking, Lei Sun had already made his move.

Crimson Sand Divine Palm, first move. The palm wind surged like a raging tide, blasting open the main hall of the Iron Spear Alliance along with its frame, sending splinters flying. Second move, the palm force condensed into a single line, shattering the heavy iron spear beside Shi Wenlong in two, the broken spear spinning and embedding itself in the crossbeam. Third move, a palm strike landed on Shi Wenlong's chest, sending him and his chair flying, crashing through two walls, landing with a dull thud amidst the dust and dirt.

"Take him down!" Shi Wenlong's voice came from the ruins, tinged with shock and anger.

The thirteen spearmen of the Iron Spear Alliance charged forward. Lei Sun casually grabbed Shi Wenlong's golden-ringed broadsword from the ground, and with a flash of light, he killed him one by one. Nine of the thirteen spearmen were broken—spears snapped, men fell, and blood splattered on the blue brick floor of the main hall. The remaining four spearmen knelt on the ground, not daring to raise their heads.

"Spare me... Spare me..." the leading man pleaded, his voice trembling.

Lei Sun casually tossed his golden-ringed broadsword to the ground, the blade striking the earth with a clear, resonant sound. He glanced around; no one dared to meet his gaze.

"From today onwards, the Iron Spear Alliance will change its name." His voice wasn't loud, but it pierced everyone's ears like nails. "It will be called April Hall."

Within a single day, the Iron Spear Alliance changed its name and became the April Hall of the Azure Dragon Society.

Lei Sun's methods were simple and brutal—those who submitted were kept in service, those who resisted were executed, and those who hesitated were disbanded and reorganized. He had only one creed: those who obey me prosper, those who oppose me perish.

With Dingxiang Prefecture secured, Lei Sun immediately turned his attention to the north.

Yanmen Prefecture is adjacent to Wuwei Prefecture and serves as the outpost of the Iron Blood Hall in its northern defense against the barbarians. The largest force within the prefecture is the "Wolf Fang Alliance," led by Duan Peng, an early-stage Grandmaster. The alliance commands eight hundred fierce bandits who have occupied the southern border of Yanmen Prefecture for many years. While nominally subservient to the Iron Blood Hall, they are in reality an independent entity.

Lei Sun gathered the elite troops of the Siyue Hall and stood on a high slope outside the city gate of Dingxiang Prefecture, facing fifty black-clad armored soldiers.

"Next target, Yanmen Prefecture." Lei Sun drew his sword, the tip pointing north. "The strategy is simple—those who block the way, attack. Those who kneel, finish them off. Those who run away, chase them to the ends of the earth and kill them."

"Yes!" Fifty men responded in unison, their voices echoing across the surrounding area.

His expansion strategy was more direct than that of the Carefree Marquis—he led fifty elite soldiers northwards, directly attacking any forces that encountered obstacles along the way. In less than a month, he captured four mountain strongholds and three gangs in the southern part of Yanmen Prefecture, killing more than twenty experts at the Innate Realm and incorporating six hundred gang members.

By the fourth week, Duan Peng finally couldn't sit still any longer.

"Leader, Lei Sun has already crossed the White Wolf River. Our stronghold is just north of here!" The scout knelt on one knee, sweating profusely.

Duan Peng slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and his eyes flashed with a fierce light: "Three hundred elite troops, follow me south. I want to see if this Lei Sun has three heads and six arms!"

The two armies encountered each other in Bailang Valley, south of Yanmen Prefecture.

Duan Peng immediately brandished his sword, pointing it at Lei Sun on the opposite side of the formation: "Lei Sun! My Wolf Fang Alliance has an alliance with the Iron Blood Hall. If your April Hall takes another step forward, you will be making an enemy of the Iron Blood Hall!"

Lei Sun didn't even ride a horse; he stood alone at the front of the formation, hands behind his back.

"The Iron Blood Hall?" He smiled faintly. "We'll talk about it when they arrive."

Enraged, Duan Peng spurred his horse and charged into the enemy formation. Lei Sun neither dodged nor evaded, waiting until Duan Peng was within three zhang before unleashing his full power with the Crimson Sand Divine Palm. The palm wind was as red as blood, carrying a scorching heat wave, and it clashed head-on with Duan Peng's iron spear for thirty moves.

In his thirtieth move, Lei Sun leaped up and shattered Duan Peng's shoulder blade with a single palm strike. The sound of bones cracking echoed through the canyon. Duan Peng screamed and flew backward, his iron spear slipping from his hand, spinning three times in the air before embedding itself diagonally in the ground.

"Retreat! Retreat now!" the vice leader of the Wolf Fang Alliance shouted hoarsely.

Duan Peng was severely wounded and retreated, hiding in the city and refusing to come out.

Lei Sun did not launch a full-scale attack, but instead stopped to digest the territory he had already swallowed—nibbling away rather than swallowing whole, biting off inch by inch, digesting it thoroughly before taking the next bite.

With all four branches working simultaneously, the Azure Dragon Society's influence rapidly expanded from a corner of Pingyang County to the three prefectures of Guangling, Xunyang, and Dingxiang within a little over a month, and began to infiltrate neighboring prefectures such as Yanmen and Wu'an.

The first month hall consolidated its foundation, the second month hall established its economic lifeline, the third month hall controlled the waterways, and the fourth month hall gradually expanded northward.

The four hall masters each have their own set of tactics, and while they do not interfere with each other, they form a natural strategic complement in the same direction. Shangguan Jin Hong's Dragon Scale Guards can support any direction at any time, Chai Yu Guan's supply network ensures that the front-line logistics are not interrupted, Xiao Yao Hou's waterway control provides a secret channel for cross-prefecture mobilization, and Lei Sun's war of attrition continuously restrains the outer perimeter of the Iron Blood Hall.

Guangling Prefecture, Qingfeng Teahouse.

Three people were sitting in the private room, the atmosphere heavy as lead.

Zhou Yuanli held his teacup; the tea had gone cold. He didn't drink it, but just stared blankly at the tea leaves floating in the cup. Wu Zhenyue's fingers tapped lightly on the table, making a soft, rhythmic "tap-tap" sound, like the pounding of an uneasy heart. Li Tianpeng leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed, his chin slightly raised, his gaze fixed on the ceiling, lost in thought.

"Have you received all the messages?" Li Tianpeng was the first to speak, his voice a little hoarse.

"Received." Wu Zhenyue stopped tapping his fingers, his voice low. "Four halls, four grandmasters. One is as slippery as mercury, one is as steady as watertight, one turned a person into a wax figure, and one crippled Duan Peng in a head-on confrontation. Any one of these four hall masters could cause trouble for an entire prefecture on their own, but now they belong to the same force."

Zhou Yuanli finally put down his teacup, the bottom of which made a soft sound as it hit the table. "Old Wu, do you think our Zhou family can withstand either of them?"

Wu Zhenyue fell silent.

"But that's not the scariest thing," Li Tianpeng said.

Zhou Yuanli looked up at him.

Li Tianpeng straightened up from the back of his chair, placed his hands on the table, and glanced at the two men: "What's most frightening is that these four are clearly competing with each other—Shangguan Jin Hong is expanding his army, Chai Yu Guan is seizing trade routes, Xiaoyao Hou is making wax figures, and Lei Sun is sweeping all the way—but they are not competing for who will devour whom, but for who will develop faster and have more territory."

He paused, then lowered his voice even further: "I've never seen a force in my fifty-plus years of life that can unite against external forces when internal competition has reached this point."

The room was silent for a long time, with only the faint laughter of the tea drinkers next door, which sounded like something from another world.

Wu Zhenyue picked up his teacup and took a sip. As if he had made a decision, he said in a deep voice, "The Wu family will remain neutral. They're expanding so quickly, there's bound to be problems—their territory is too large, the people aren't loyal, they can't keep up with their supplies, they've made too many enemies... these are all weaknesses. We'll wait, wait for them to show their weaknesses."

Zhou Yuanli nodded: "The Zhou family will do the same. We won't provoke them, but we won't get close either. We'll just observe how things develop."

The two of them looked at Li Tianpeng at the same time.

Li Tianpeng did not immediately express his opinion.

His gaze fell on the direction of Guangling Prefecture outside the window, where the Eryuetang headquarters was located. The streets were bustling with people and merchants, a scene of peace and prosperity. But Li Tianpeng knew that behind those grain shops, salt shops, and cloth shops, the owners had all changed.

"The Golden Roc Sect will not make any moves for the time being." Li Tianpeng finally spoke, his tone carrying a hint of reluctance, but more so of caution. "But let me make this clear beforehand—the Golden Roc Sect understands one thing better than the Zhou and Wu families: the Azure Dragon Society's enemies are not small and medium-sized forces like us."

He turned his head, his eyes gleaming: "The squabbles among the small fry of the thirteen western prefectures are nothing more than a game of chess in the face of real big fish. If the Azure Dragon Society continues to expand like this, the real trouble won't be the Zhou family, the Wu family, or even me, Li Tianpeng."

Wu Zhenyue frowned: "You mean...?"

"The five major powers," Li Tianpeng said, emphasizing each word.

Silence fell in the private room again; this time, even the laughter from next door could not be heard.

A month later, Dongfang Weiwo received four secret reports.

He sat upright in his study, the early autumn light of Pingyang County shining through the window. He unfolded the document one by one and read it word by word.

The first document, written in Shangguan Jin Hong's neat handwriting, reads: "The Dragon Scale Guard has been increased to two hundred men, and the Pingyang County Treasury reserves can support the four halls' operations for three months."

The second document, written by Chai Yuguan, was rounded yet sharp: "The Eryue Hall has controlled 60% of the commercial lifeline of Guangling Prefecture, and the material exchange channel with the Jinpeng Sect has been officially opened."

The third document, in the handwriting of Xiaoyao Hou, is elegant and casual: "All waterways in Xunyang Prefecture are now under the control of Sanyue Hall, and are infiltrating into the neighboring Linjiang Prefecture."

The fourth document, written by Lei Sun, is powerful and penetrating, as if carved by a knife and axe: "Dingxiang Prefecture is now stable, and we are expanding westward to Wu'an Prefecture. We have had three small-scale conflicts with the outer forces of the Iron Blood Hall, winning all three."

Dongfang Wei read through the four secret reports one by one and placed them on the table.

He didn't speak, but simply curled the corners of his mouth slightly.

Four powerful figures, four distinct styles. Shangguan Jin Hong built a solid foundation, Chai Yu Guan cultivated the economy, Xiaoyao Hou subdued people with cunning, and Lei Sun expanded his territory with ruthless force. They competed with each other, refusing to yield, but all firmly adhered to one bottom line—unity in the face of external threats.

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the western horizon with his hands behind his back.

The setting sun was like blood, dyeing half the sky a dark red.

This is exactly the effect he wanted.