44: The target is Hongwu City, and all the geniuses have set out!

The City Lord's office.

The young City Lord, Zhang Qian, stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, his brows furrowed.

Behind him stood a group of advisors and Elders.

Among them was the Qimen Celestial Master, Zhong Yuan.

"Elder Zhong, is the matter regarding the Summoning Battlefield truly real?"

Zhang Qian turned slowly and asked Zhong Yuan.

Zhong Yuan nodded slightly and said, "I used Qimen to deduce it; a major event will indeed occur in Hongwu City at the end of this month or the beginning of next."

"So, the news about the arrival of the Summoning Battlefield is true?"

Zhang Qian took a deep breath, feeling quite a headache.

He had only recently taken office as the City Lord of Hongwu, and many affairs had yet to be sorted out.

He had originally intended to take advantage of Qin Chuan being away to suppress a Secret Realm to properly deal with the Qin Family, that local tyrant, and was just looking for a Breakthrough point through Qin Yang, but then he encountered such a major event as the arrival of the Summoning Battlefield.

Now, the entire Hongwu City had turned into a chaotic mess!

Rumors were flying, and prices were soaring.

A large number of outside Professionals were pouring in, and public security was beginning to deteriorate.

This complex situation caught him off guard and left him scrambling.

While dealing with the headache, Zhang Qian was also very puzzled.

Why would news of the Summoning Battlefield's arrival spread?

Most Professionals are very selfish.

If they knew about the Summoning Battlefield in advance, they would generally prepare quietly to maximize their own advantages and wouldn't tell outsiders until the sky curtain announced it.

Yet, the news that the Summoning Battlefield was opening in Hongwu City was spread by all sorts of people, either actively or accidentally, which went against common sense.

"Someone is deliberately spreading the news."

"Who exactly is it? And why would they do this?"

Zhang Qian looked out the floor-to-ceiling window, his head buzzing.

Now, he had absolutely no mind to deal with the Qin Family.

The arrival of the Summoning Battlefield is a major event for Professionals.

By then, the eyes of Professionals across the country would be focused on Hongwu City.

Many juniors from major Families would even descend upon Hongwu City.

The Chu Family of Jingming City! The Luan Family of Liefeng City! The Wang Family of Cangxuan City!

When the Summoning Battlefield arrives, these aristocratic Families relatively close to Hongwu City would likely send their juniors to compete for the Opportunity!

For the economy of Hongwu City, this was definitely a massive windfall.

But for Zhang Qian, the City Lord, it was no small challenge.

If things went wrong at this critical juncture, his official career would be over.

Zhang Qian, this young City Lord, already found the Qin Family a headache.

He was even more at a loss when facing aristocratic clans from other main cities.

"Sigh, I hope there won't be any trouble."

Zhang Qian wiped the sweat from his forehead and said to his advisors, "Pause the actions against the Qin Family. We must fully prepare for the arrival of the Summoning Battlefield. Notify those civil servants that no one is to leave work on time this month, and weekends are cancelled!"

Following the City Lord's order, all public offices began operating at full speed.

A large number of security officers were added to the Secret Realm entrance.

The number of city defense soldiers beneath the city walls was doubled.

The other administrative civil servants didn't fare any better; they all took to the streets to assist with city appearance and traffic management.

Seeing this scene, the Professionals of Hongwu City were even more convinced that the Summoning Battlefield was truly coming.

And those outside Professionals who were still observing also took action.

Liefeng City, Luan Mansion.

Inside a huge private fighting arena, a figure exuding blood aura and an oppressive, fierce air was fighting a level 30 monster with bare hands.

The tiger-headed monster pounced, its claws slamming violently into the blood-red figure's left chest, tearing open three terrifying wounds.

But the blood-red figure seemed not to feel pain; he backhanded the tiger-man by the neck and, with tremendous force, slammed it onto the ground, creating spiderweb-like cracks.

Immediately after, his fist, wrapped in blood aura, rained down on the tiger-man's body; with every punch, a depression appeared on it.

It was evident how fierce the power of these punches was.

"Roar! Roar!"

The tiger-man, pressed to the ground and beaten, had initially been roaring, but as the blood-red figure continued to punch and kick, the sounds it emitted gradually turned into whimpers.

Before long, it was gasping its last breath.

"Roar! Keep roaring!!!"

Just as the tiger-man was about to die, the blood-red figure reached both hands into its mouth, pried apart its upper and lower jaws, and then exerted fierce force to both sides!

"Splat!"

A burst of blood mist exploded!

That tiger mouth, which possessed 500 kg of bite force, was actually pried apart by him, and the entire tiger head was split in two!

"Ahhh! It's still not enough! The Blood Qi is still not enough!!!"

After killing the tiger-man, the blood-red figure seemed unsatisfied and let out a roar more ferocious than the monster itself.

At this moment, a voice called out.

"Young Master, news has arrived from Hongwu City."

"Hongwu City has already begun security controls, which effectively acknowledges the existence of the Summoning Battlefield. We can set off in the next few days."

"The Summoning Battlefield really exists!?"

"Good, good, good! Then I won't make a Breakthrough yet; I'll go accumulate a wave of Blood Qi first!"

"This time, I'm going to have a killing spree!"

The blood-red figure's eyes widened, and he burst into laughter.

This person was none other than the Young Master of the Luan Family of Liefeng City, Luan Tian.

He had awakened the Extraordinary profession, Blood Berserker, last year, which allowed him to activate enhancements several times stronger than an ordinary Berserker.

Currently at level 30, he already possessed the combat power of a level 40 of other professions.

However, this profession had a drawback: he needed to accumulate Blood Qi by killing people in order to activate the enhancements.

Under normal circumstances, Luan Tian couldn't kill people.

He could only kill a few prisoners every month to slowly accumulate Blood Qi, and the efficiency was truly not high.

But the Summoning Battlefield in Hongwu City was a massive Secret Realm for ten thousand people.

Professionals within it had no legal protection; anything went, and everyone was on their own.

This battlefield was perfect for him to accumulate Blood Qi!

Jingming City, the Chu Family.

Inside the martial arts hall, over a dozen humanoid Puppets were moving rapidly, taking turns punching and kicking a young girl shrouded in golden light.

Facing the fierce offensive, the young girl shrouded in golden light stood motionless.

Her exquisite, sweet face was full of boredom and dullness, and she even started playing with her bun hairstyle.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The gale-force punches and kicks struck the girl's body, emitting sounds like a loud bell. It was less like the Puppets were hitting a person and more like they were ringing a bell.

Perhaps she was impatient.

The girl with the bun hairstyle loosened her muscles, her lazy eyes suddenly snapped open, and without warning, she blasted a punch toward a humanoid Puppet.

"Whoosh!" An orange flame erupted from her beautiful little fist, instantly condensing into the shape of a lion.

"Roar!" The power of the punch turned into a lion's roar.

The humanoid Puppet that was hit immediately scattered like building blocks, its parts falling all over the floor.

Immediately after, the girl looked toward the other mechanical dolls, a mischievous smile appearing on her face.

"These toys are already outdated. Today, I'll just scrap all of you!"

As she spoke, she clenched both fists and took a stance.

A lion faintly emerged behind her!

"Wait!"

Just as the girl was about to dismantle the blocks with her bare hands, a tall woman called out to stop her.

"Mistress!"

Seeing the woman, the girl greeted her like a little bird, her full chest trembling beneath her sports vest.

"Chu Mengxuan, how many times have I told you? You must be frugal!"

"If you don't play with these Puppets, you can give them to other Disciples. Why dismantle them?"

The woman, addressed as Mistress, lightly tapped Chu Mengxuan's temple and chided her.

Chu Mengxuan stuck out her tongue and said, "It's just that I feel especially bored! By the way, Mistress, is there any news from Hongwu City?"

The Mistress nodded with a smile and chided, "I knew you were thinking about this. There is news. Hongwu City has tacitly acknowledged the existence of the Summoning Battlefield."

"Yay! I must take the title of champion in the Summoning Battlefield!"

Chu Mengxuan jumped up happily, fire igniting in her eyes.

The Mistress suddenly said seriously, "Don't get carried away. It is said that the two great Geniuses, Luan and Ye, will both go to Hongwu City. Your opponents are not weak!"

"Tch! The two of them... they're just so-so!"

Chu Mengxuan put her hands on her hips, puffed out her chest, and acted very indifferent.

Seeing this, the Mistress shook her head helplessly and said, "Don't come crying to me if you suffer a loss! Also..."

Lowering her voice, she added, "This time, when you go to the Summoning Battlefield, your Master has given you a task: protect the Young Master of the Hongwu Qin Family, Qin Yang."

"Huh? Why!"

Hearing the name Qin Yang, Chu Mengxuan reflexively covered her chest and said, "That scumbag pervert! And I have to protect him? I even want to beat him to death..."

Halfway through her sentence, Chu Mengxuan revealed a confused expression.

She stood frozen on the spot for a good while, motionless, just like a not-so-smart little brain that had suddenly crashed.

"He can enter the Summoning Battlefield?"

Chu Mengxuan was stunned for a long time before she asked this.

According to current rumors, one needs to be at least level 15 to enter this Summoning Battlefield.

It took her a month and a half to reach level 15 with her Extraordinary profession!

Qin Yang just awakened his profession 10 days ago, and 10 days later he's level 15?

The Mistress nodded and said, "At first, I didn't dare to believe it either, but your Master said it is indeed level 15. In fact, according to intelligence sent back from Hongwu City, he might even be higher than level 15."

"Even higher than level 15???"

"This hidden profession must be of Legendary strength!"

Chu Mengxuan took a deep breath, her pretty face filled with unwillingness.

Afterward, she clenched her fist resentfully and said, "When we meet this time, I must give this scumbag a fierce beating. I might not be able to beat him later!"