I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 241 The Omen of the Tortoise Shell

Jiangzhou City, Jiang Family Villa.

In a quiet courtyard, Chen Ming sat cross-legged on the bed, holding a black tortoise shell in his hands and gently stroking it.

He is using the "Art of Nurturing Vessels" to nurture this rare treasure.

He used the prophecy function last time, which consumed a lot of his essence. If he relies on it to recover naturally, it is unknown how long it will take.

At this point, the "Art of Nourishing Weapons" obtained from the "Nine Netherworld Great Law" came in handy.

The Art of Nourishing Artifacts can accelerate the recovery of this rare treasure.

To this end, he upgraded the "Weapon Cultivation Technique" to the seventh level in one go, almost spending all of his remaining two million experience points.

The effect was remarkable; after three days of gentle care, the tortoise shell finally regained its warm and lustrous appearance.

"It should be usable again!"

Chen Ming thought to himself.

He now faces two major crises: one is Du Rusong, who is lurking in the shadows, and the other is Pan Zhiyuan's attempt to drive Yu Haitang away.

He thought and thought, but he really couldn't think of any way to solve these two problems.

Therefore, the only option is to rely on the mysterious power of the tortoise shell.

Although the tortoise shell's original power has not fully recovered, there's no time to worry about that now.

"Tortoise shell, oh tortoise shell, what should I do to resolve these two crises? Show me the way!"

Chen Ming clasped his hands together, holding the tortoise shell in his palms, and murmured something.

He then used the ninth level of the "Weapon Manipulation Technique" to mobilize the power of the tortoise shell.

A beam of pure white light shone from the tortoise shell, transforming into a beam of light that entered his brow.

In an instant, several images flashed through his mind.

A plaque.

An old man, his body soaking in spring water, looking like a dried corpse.

There is also a sword stuck in the spring.

"This is?"

Chen Ming closed his eyes and tried to analyze the information revealed by those images.

The plaque reads "Jin Yu Tang," one of the four major schools of Jiangzhou.

That sword looked like a peerless divine weapon.

A thought struck him: "Could the key lie in that peerless divine weapon?"

If he could obtain a complete version of a peerless divine weapon, he would indeed be confident that he could fight against a first-rank opponent. Even if he couldn't kill the opponent, he wouldn't be as powerless as he was when facing Du Rusong last time.

After all, he possesses the ninth level of the "Weapon Control Technique," which allows him to unleash the original power of peerless divine weapons.

If we could find another top-tier expert, we would have a great chance of keeping Du Rusong with our combined strength.

"Jin Yutang..."

As Chen Ming pondered this, he glanced at the tortoise shell and noticed a crack that had appeared. He felt a pang of heartache, as the crack was not there before.

It must have been because he forcibly activated the power of the tortoise shell that it was damaged.

He said, "Brother Jia, I will definitely nurture you every day from now on, and I will not use it until you are fully recovered."

Then, he placed the tortoise shell in his bosom and gently nurtured it with his inner energy.

"Someone is coming."

Chen Ming called the man in and asked a maid to take him to Jiang Yingxue, asking her to inquire about what had happened to Jin Yutang recently.

……

In the study in the backyard of the Jiang family's villa.

Jiang Jinan was reading a secret report, his expression somewhat solemn, when he suddenly received a report that Jiang Yingxue was requesting an audience. He put away the note in his hand and said, "Let her in."

"granduncle."

Jiang Yingxue bowed as she entered.

"What brings you here, little girl?"

Looking at his grandniece who seemed to have emerged from the shadow of being kidnapped, Jiang Jinan felt a pang of pity and decided not to tell her the news he had just received.

The secret report just now stated that his nephew Mingtong and grand-nephew Shihua had both perished while trying to save this grand-niece.

Let's not tell her this for now.

As people get older, their hearts soften.

Jiang Yingxue said, "Grand Uncle, I would like to ask you about something."

"What's the matter? Tell me."

"Has something happened to Jin Yutang?"

Jiang Jinan asked with some surprise, "Who told you that Jin Yutang had an accident?"

Jiang Yingxue smiled but didn't answer, instead pressing for details, "What exactly happened?"

There was no need to hide this from her. Jiang Jinan said with some emotion, "That old ghost Jin Yutang is nearing his end. Once he dies, Jin Yutang will probably collapse."

"what?"

Jiang Yingxue was taken aback. The old ghost her great-uncle was talking about was naturally the Divine Realm expert behind Jin Yutang.

She had heard her grandfather say that this person was the longest-lived of the four factions, living to be over two hundred years old.

Normally, the lifespan limit for those in the Divine Treasury Realm is two hundred years. To exceed two hundred years is already considered an exceptionally long lifespan.

She asked in surprise, "Didn't he have any successors?"

Jiang Jinan shook his head and said, "This old ghost has taken in more than a dozen disciples, all of whom are dead. He originally had two successors, who died eight and three years ago respectively when they failed to break through to the Divine Treasure Realm. There must be some flaw in the cultivation method that this old ghost used, which is why his disciples faced such danger when breaking through to the Divine Treasure Realm."

Jiang Yingxue said, puzzled, "Even if he's dead, Jin Yutang still has several First Rank officials, right? How could it collapse so easily?"

Jiang Jinan gave an example: "Have you ever seen a child carrying gold through a busy market? What do you think the outcome would be?"

Jiang Yingxue seemed to understand something, "Grand Uncle, are you referring to the secret realm controlled by Jin Yutang?"

"There are two," Jiang Jinan corrected. "If the heir of Jin Yu Tang were wise enough to relinquish one of the secret realms, they could naturally secure decades of peace. Unfortunately, no one in Jin Yu Tang dares to make such a decision now. This is the downside of gangs. When the big tree falls, the monkeys scatter. How can a powerful family maintain its cohesion?" Jiang Yingxue said, "That senior in the Divine Treasure Realm of Jin Yu Tang must understand this principle, right? Could he have made arrangements in advance?"

"Those two secret realms were seized by him at great personal risk. If he could give them up, he would have done so long ago. Now he's even fantasizing about finding a successor to carry on his legacy. Anyone under thirty years old with a cultivation level of three or above who is willing to become his disciple is welcome to give it a try."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yingxue suddenly realized why Chen Ming had asked her to ask her great-uncle – it was for this very reason.

She exclaimed excitedly, "Doesn't that mean that if someone can obtain this senior's inheritance, they can take over the entire Jin Yu Tang?"

Jiang Jinan said with a wry smile, "You make it sound so easy. Where in our Jiang family can we find a third-rank official under the age of thirty?"

The Jiang family wasn't lacking in talent, but coincidentally, they were experiencing a talent gap at this time. The most talented individuals were either over thirty or too young to reach the third rank.

There's a saying that goes, "If the Jiang family can't have it, no other family can."

If someone else were to inherit Jin Yutang's legacy, that would be fine. But if it were to fall into the hands of one of the other two powerful families or one of the three sects, it would disrupt the current balance of power and create a situation where one family dominates.

This is something the Jiang family cannot tolerate.

I believe the other companies think the same way.

Ultimately, whichever of the six families obtains the inheritance will be attacked by the other five. Therefore, after discussing it, the families agreed not to send their own disciples to seize the Golden Jade Hall's inheritance.

Similarly, if someone else obtains the inheritance of Jin Yutang, it cannot be stopped.

In comparison, they would rather Jin Yutang remain as it is, as long as it is not swallowed up by the other five companies.

In reality, everyone had the same idea: to support young experts from outside their own faction to seize the old ghost's inheritance.

As for who gets it, that depends on their own abilities.

After Jiang Jinan finished speaking, he asked her, "Why are you asking this?"

Jiang Yingxue said excitedly, "We can let Sister Yuan go! With her strength, she will definitely be able to obtain that inheritance!"

"Oh?" Jiang Jinan was taken aback. "She's not even thirty yet?"

A woman's age cannot be determined by her appearance.

Moreover, as a high-ranking member of the Jiang family, he knew more secrets than others. Although the Star Moon Sect was mysterious, he knew about it; this sect was proficient in dual cultivation techniques. It was no wonder that its members possessed the art of preserving their youth.

In his mind, this woman was a second-grade cultivator and was probably already in her thirties or forties, only looking young.

I never imagined she was under thirty?

The Star Moon Sect, which was previously unknown, has produced an unparalleled genius?
Jiang Yingxue nodded emphatically, "Of course."

Jiang Jinan suddenly stood up, stroking his beard, his expression gradually becoming excited. "If that's really the case, then it would be absolutely wonderful."

In the entire Jiangzhou region, apart from the six major powers (excluding Jin Yutang), there are not many third-rank individuals under the age of thirty, and second-rank individuals are even rarer, making them absolutely outstanding.

The chances of winning the inheritance are very high.

This deal is a great one!

"Xiaoxue, you've made a wonderful friend!"

"Then, can Sister Yuan go?"

"Yes, of course!"

……

Jiang Yingxue came out of her great-uncle's place and immediately ran over to tell Chen Ming the good news.

After hearing the whole story, Chen Ming frowned instead.

In his view, this inheritance is a hot potato.

Jin Yutang already has several first-rank members. Even if he could obtain the inheritance of that Divine Treasure Realm expert, it would be difficult to control him. He would just be a commander without troops and would easily be pushed out to take the blame.

Unless that expert at the Divine Realm kills all those first-grade cultivators.

But if that happened, Jin Yutang would only be left with a second-rank official position. How could he possibly hold onto such enormous profits? He'd probably die the next day, and then Jin Yutang's wealth would be divided up...

No matter how you look at it, this inheritance is more trouble than good.

Seeing his serious expression, Jiang Yingxue asked curiously, "Why don't you seem happy?"

He shook his head and said, "This matter is probably quite dangerous."

After he finished speaking, he paused for a moment, "However, we have no choice."

Only by obtaining that peerless divine weapon can he be confident in dealing with the current crisis. Therefore, he must strive for this inheritance.

As for the trouble that follows, we'll deal with that later.

Chen Ming asked, "When does it start?"

"My great-uncle said, five days later."

"it is good."

……

Five days have passed in the blink of an eye.

Early that morning, Chen Ming left his two swords behind, asking Jiang Yingxue to keep them for him. He then went to Jin Yutang with a Jiang family steward.

On the way, he pondered the information about the founder of Jin Yu Tang, who was a businessman by origin. Jin Yu Tang was an ancestral business that dealt in jade and jewelry.

As a result, such a genius emerged, who cultivated all the way to the Divine Realm, and with his remarkable skills, he developed Jin Yutang into one of the seven major forces in Jiangzhou in just two hundred years.

Unfortunately, this senior was very unlucky; all of his dozen or so disciples died before him.

Most of them were outlived by him; they simply couldn't outlive their master, who was at the Divine Realm.

Several others died in accidents.

The most tragic thing was that the two youngest disciples died while trying to break through to the Divine Realm.

In the end, in the final moments of his life, he could only resort to this method to hastily find a successor, which was a helpless move.

Soon, the carriage arrived at Jin Yutang's headquarters.

Jin Yutang sent a high-ranking manager to personally greet her, saying, "Please come with me, young lady."

Chen Ming followed him into the most magnificent shop in Jiangzhou City. They walked to the backyard and met several other people.

If nothing unexpected happens, these people will be his competitors on this trip.

PS: Three updates totaling 10,000 words, please vote with monthly tickets.

(End of this chapter)