Chapter 241 : The Tortoiseshell’s Omen
Chapter 241: The Tortoiseshell’s Omen
Jiangzhou City, Jiang Family’s secondary residence.
In a secluded little courtyard, Chen Ming sat cross-legged on the bed, gently caressing a black tortoiseshell in his hands.
He was currently using the Nurturing Artifact Art to nourish this wondrous treasure.
The last time he used its prophecy function, it had consumed a considerable amount of its source power. If left to recover naturally, who knew how long it would take.
At this moment, the Nurturing Artifact Art obtained from the Nine Nether Grand Art came in handy.
The Nurturing Artifact Art could speed up the treasure’s recovery process.
To that end, he had upgraded the Nurturing Artifact Art to the seventh level in one go, nearly exhausting his remaining two million experience points.
The results were evident. After three days of nurturing, the tortoiseshell once again regained its warm and lustrous glow.
“It should be usable again!”
Chen Ming thought to himself.
He currently faced two major crises. One was Du Rusong, hidden in the shadows. The other was Pan Zhiyuan’s intention to expel Yu Haitang.
No matter how much he pondered, he couldn’t come up with a solution to either.
Thus, he could only turn to the mysterious power of the tortoiseshell.
Although the tortoiseshell’s source power hadn’t fully recovered, he couldn’t afford to wait any longer.
“Tortoiseshell, oh tortoiseshell, what must I do to resolve these two crises? Show me a clear path!”
Chen Ming pressed his palms together, enclosing the tortoiseshell within them, murmuring his plea.
Then, he activated the ninth level of the Controlling Artifact Art and invoked the tortoiseshell’s power.
A faint white light radiated from the tortoiseshell, transforming into a beam that shot into the center of his brow.
In an instant, several images appeared in his mind.
A plaque.
An elderly man, shriveled like a dried corpse, soaking in a spring.
And a sword embedded in the spring.
“What’s this?”
Chen Ming closed his eyes, carefully analyzing the information revealed by these images.
The plaque read “Jin Yutang,” one of the four major sects in Jiangzhou.
As for the sword, it appeared to be a peerless divine weapon.
A thought struck him. “Could the key lie in that divine weapon?”
If he could obtain a complete peerless divine weapon, he’d truly have the confidence to contend with a First Grade expert. Even if he couldn’t kill the opponent, it wouldn’t be like last time with Du Rusong, where he had no ability to fight back.
After all, he possessed the ninth level of Controlling Artifact Art, allowing him to unleash the weapon’s source power.
If he could find another First Grade expert to join forces with, they might even have a high chance of taking down Du Rusong.
“Jin Yutang, huh…”
As Chen Ming pondered, he inadvertently glanced at the tortoiseshell and noticed a new crack. His heart ached—it hadn’t been there before.
It must have been damaged from him forcibly activating its power earlier.
He muttered, “Brother Shell, I swear I’ll nourish you daily from now on. I won’t use you again until you’re fully recovered.”
Then, he tucked the tortoiseshell into his robe and continued to nourish it with his Gangyuan.
“Someone, come.”
Chen Ming called out and had a maid escort him to find Jiang Yingxue, asking her to inquire about any recent events at Jin Yutang.
…
In the back study of the Jiang Family’s secondary residence—
Jiang Jinan was reading a secret report, his expression somewhat solemn. Just then, a servant informed him that Jiang Yingxue was requesting an audience. He put away the paper and said, “Let her in.”
“Granduncle.”
Jiang Yingxue entered and bowed.
“You little girl, what brings you here today?”
Looking at his grandniece, who seemed to have recovered from the trauma of her abduction, Jiang Jinan felt a pang of compassion. He decided not to share the grim news he had just received.
That report mentioned that his nephew, Mingtong, and grandnephew, Shihua, had both perished in the process of rescuing this very girl.
This news… perhaps it was best not to tell her just yet.
As people age, their hearts tend to soften.
Jiang Yingxue said, “Granduncle, I came to ask you about something.”
“What is it? Go ahead.”
“Did something happen to Jin Yutang?”
Jiang Jinan was slightly surprised. “Who told you something happened to Jin Yutang?”
Jiang Yingxue simply smiled and didn’t answer, pressing again, “So? What happened?”
There was no need to hide the matter from her, so Jiang Jinan replied with a sigh, “That old ghost from Jin Yutang is nearing his end. Once he dies, I’m afraid Jin Yutang will collapse.”
“What?”
Jiang Yingxue was shocked. The “old ghost” he mentioned was, of course, the Divine Repository Realm expert behind Jin Yutang.
She had heard from her grandfather that this person had lived the longest among the four major sects—over two hundred years.
Normally, the lifespan limit of a Divine Repository Realm cultivator was two hundred years. Living beyond that was already considered extraordinary.
She asked in surprise, “Didn’t he have any disciples?”
Jiang Jinan shook his head. “That old ghost took in over a dozen disciples. All of them are dead. He had two successors, but they both died trying to break through to the Divine Repository Realm—one eight years ago, one three years ago. I suspect the cultivation art he practices has some flaw, making breakthroughs extremely perilous for his disciples.”
Jiang Yingxue asked, confused, “Even if he dies, Jin Yutang still has several First Grade experts, doesn’t it? Why would it collapse so easily?”
Jiang Jinan gave an example. “Have you ever seen a child carry gold through a bustling market? What do you think would happen?”
Jiang Yingxue seemed to understand. “Granduncle, are you referring to the secret realms controlled by Jin Yutang?”
“There are two of them,” Jiang Jinan corrected. “If Jin Yutang’s successor is wise enough to give up one of the secret realms, they could secure a few decades of peace. But sadly, no one in Jin Yutang today dares make such a decision. That’s the weakness of sects. When the great tree falls, the monkeys scatter. How can it compare to the cohesion of a noble clan?”
Jiang Yingxue said, “That Divine Repository Realm senior of Jin Yutang must understand this reasoning, right? Wouldn’t he have made arrangements in advance?”
"Those two Secret Realms were seized at the cost of his life. If he were capable of giving them up, he would have done so long ago. Now, he's still indulging in wild hopes—looking for an heir to inherit his legacy. As long as they're under thirty, have reached Third Grade or above, and are willing to take him as their master, anyone can give it a try."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yingxue suddenly realized why Chen Ming had asked her to consult her granduncle—it was for this reason.
She exclaimed excitedly, "Doesn't that mean if someone can inherit that senior’s legacy, they’ll essentially have Jin Yutang in the palm of their hand?"
Jiang Jinan gave a bitter smile. "You make it sound easy. Where in our Jiang Family could we find someone under thirty who’s already at Third Grade?"
It wasn’t that the Jiang Family lacked talent, but as luck would have it, they were currently in a generational gap. The most gifted ones had either already passed thirty or were too young and not yet Third Grade.
As the saying goes: what the Jiang Family cannot obtain, others mustn’t dream of obtaining either.
If some outsider inherited Jin Yutang’s legacy, that was manageable. But if one of the other two noble families or one of the three sects acquired it, the current balance of power would be broken—one force would rise above all others.
That was something the Jiang Family could not tolerate.
Surely, the other families thought the same.
In the end, regardless of which of the six factions obtained the inheritance, the other five would join forces to attack. Thus, after some discussion, the families agreed not to send their own disciples to compete for the Jin Yutang legacy.
Similarly, if an outsider did obtain it, they were not to interfere.
In comparison, they were more comfortable with Jin Yutang remaining as it was. No matter who inherited it, as long as it wasn’t absorbed by the other five powers, it was acceptable.
In reality, everyone had the same idea—to support a young expert from outside their factions to vie for the old ghost’s legacy.
As for who could succeed—that would depend on their own abilities.
After saying all this, Jiang Jinan asked her, "Why are you asking about this?"
Jiang Yingxue responded excitedly, "We can send Sister Yuan! With her strength, she’ll definitely win that legacy!"
"Oh?" Jiang Jinan was surprised. "She’s not yet thirty?"
A woman’s age couldn’t be judged by appearance.
Moreover, as a high-ranking member of the Jiang Family, he knew more than most. Though the Xingyue Sect was mysterious, he knew of it—it specialized in dual cultivation. Its disciples naturally knew how to preserve their youth; it wasn’t surprising.
In his view, this woman was a Second Grade martial artist, likely already in her thirties or forties, only appearing young.
He hadn’t expected her to be under thirty.
An unknown sect like the Xingyue Sect had actually produced such a rare genius?
Jiang Yingxue nodded firmly. "Of course."
Jiang Jinan abruptly stood up, stroking his beard, excitement growing in his expression. "If that’s truly the case, it would be absolutely perfect."
In the entirety of Jiangzhou, outside of the six major factions (excluding Jin Yutang), there were very few Third Grade experts under thirty. Second Grade ones were even rarer—true standouts.
Her chances of obtaining the legacy were high.
This was a venture worth taking!
"Xiaoxue, you’ve made a valuable friend!"
"Then… can Sister Yuan go?"
"Yes, of course she can!"
…
After leaving her granduncle’s place, Jiang Yingxue ran off to share the good news with Chen Ming.
After hearing the full story, Chen Ming instead furrowed his brows.
To him, this so-called legacy was a hot potato.
Jin Yutang already had several First Grade experts. Even if someone inherited the Divine Repository Realm expert’s legacy, it would be near impossible to gain true control. At most, they'd be a figurehead—and an easy scapegoat.
Unless that Divine Repository Realm expert killed off all the First Grades.
But if that happened, there would only be one Second Grade left in Jin Yutang. How could that person possibly hold onto such vast interests? They’d likely die mysteriously the next day, and Jin Yutang would be carved up...
No matter how he looked at it, this legacy brought more trouble than benefits.
Jiang Yingxue noticed his grim expression and asked curiously, "Why don’t you look very happy?"
He shook his head. "I’m afraid this might be dangerous."
After a pause, he added, "But… we don’t have a choice."
Only by obtaining that peerless divine weapon would he have any hope of handling the current crises. So this legacy—he had to fight for it.
As for the troubles that came afterward, he’d deal with them later.
Chen Ming asked, "When does it begin?"
"Granduncle said—in five days."
"Alright."
…
In a flash, five days had passed.
Early that morning, Chen Ming didn’t even bring his swords. He handed them to Jiang Yingxue for safekeeping and followed a steward of the Jiang Family toward Jin Yutang.
On the way, he contemplated the background of Jin Yutang’s founder. That man had been a merchant by origin, and Jin Yutang was a family-run business, dealing in jade and jewelry.
Unexpectedly, such a heaven-blessed genius had emerged, cultivating all the way to the Divine Repository Realm. And with extraordinary acumen, he elevated Jin Yutang to become one of Jiangzhou’s Seven Great Powers within just two hundred years.
Unfortunately, his luck was terrible. Of the dozen or so disciples he had taken, all died before him.
More than half were simply outlived by their master—they couldn't survive as long as a Divine Repository Realm expert.
A few others died by accident.
The most tragic were his two youngest disciples—both died while attempting to break through to the Divine Repository Realm.
In the end, nearing the twilight of his life, he could only resort to this desperate method of hastily finding a successor.
Soon, the carriage arrived at Jin Yutang’s main headquarters.
Jin Yutang dispatched a high-ranking steward to personally receive them. "This young lady, please follow me."
Chen Ming followed behind him, entering what was undoubtedly the most opulent establishment in Jiangzhou City. He was led all the way to the rear courtyard, where he saw several others.
As expected, these people were likely his competitors for this trial.