Two items, one is a small sword carved from pure white mutton fat jade, crystal clear, with divine light contained within, clearly not an ordinary item.

Chen Ming held it in his hand, faintly sensing something akin to life within the small sword, a very wondrous feeling.

Could it be a divine artifact?

He was somewhat expectant; according to legend, some divine weapons have already developed intelligence.

However, such a small piece hardly seems like a weapon.

Suddenly, the cold voice of the white-robed woman sounded in his ear, "This is a Blood-Imbibed Spirit Jade. Elder Shang nurtured a sword intent within it. Place it on your forehead, and you can comprehend the sword intent within. If you encounter danger, you can unleash the sword intent to slay enemies."

Sword intent?

Chen Ming immediately recalled the previous instance when, from dozens of meters away, he accidentally glanced at Zhao Shouchang’s sword intent, and almost went blind.

The sword intent contained within this jade sword was nurtured by Elder Shang. How powerful could it be?

Wouldn’t it be one sword for one Zhao Shouchang?

This is an excellent thing to preserve one’s life!

Chen Ming wasn’t in a hurry to comprehend that sword intent; instead, he took out another metal token and softly asked, "What is this?"

"This is my master’s Elder Alliance Order. With this token, you can command all the personnel of the Celestial Dao Alliance in Qingfeng Commandery."

Chen Ming couldn’t help but ask, "Including you, miss?"

"...I only listen to my master."

He was instantly disappointed, "Then what’s the use of this? Does your esteemed alliance have other personnel in Qingfeng Commandery?"

"Naturally. The Shang’an Trading Company is our alliance’s stronghold in Qingfeng City."

"What did you say? The boss behind the scenes of Shang’an Trading Company is your Celestial Dao Alliance?"

Chen Ming almost shouted a curse in surprise.

Shang’an Trading Company is one of the Seven Great Sea Merchants. It’s on par with Guanglong Trading Company and Four Seas Trading Company. It turns out to be an industry of the Celestial Dao Alliance.

Is this the gold standard of being the leader of the Nine Great Sects?

The voice of the white-robed woman came, "What’s so strange about this?"

"I thought you Celestial Dao Alliance people were aloof from worldly affairs, but unexpectedly, one of the most profitable trading companies in the world is yours."

Chen Ming sighed.

But on second thought, it makes sense. Every time he saw this Miss Su, she was dressed in pure white, spotless. This must be all piled up with money.

Following normal economic principles, the more powerful a force, the more resources it naturally controls.

"Thank you, miss, for enlightening me."

Chen Ming expressed his gratitude, saying, "If the lady doesn’t mind, you can make do in the side room."

"No need."

The white-robed woman said this and then fell silent.

Chen Ming put away that precious token; it could be used to command the treasures of Shang’an Trading Company. In some ways, its value is no less than that of the Spirit Jade Sword.

Just think, Guanglong Trading Company casually can bring out two Third Grade experts. How can Shang’an Trading Company be any worse?

Such a large force can accomplish a lot.

Chen Ming tried placing the Spirit Jade Sword on his forehead. Instantly, in his mind, he was overwhelmed by a lingering and touching intention.

He unknowingly got infected, remembering those ex-girlfriends he had broken up with...

But quickly, he extricated himself from such sorrowful emotions.

They’ve broken up, so why think of them?

Chen Ming quickly sobered up. When he went back to perceive that intention again, it felt different, only suffused with an extremely profound swordsmanship.

"This is Elder Shang’s sword intent, truly a top-level romantic mind."

This set of swordsmanship embodies his longing and attachment to that Princess Consort, the deep feelings of which are truly touching.

In this world possessing extraordinary power, emotions can indeed be transformed into power, materialize, and make others feel it.

This is definitely the world most yearned for by romantic minds.

Do you know how much I love you? Look at this sword of mine—

Surely it can make the goddess in his heart empathize and be moved to tears.

Chen Ming humorously thought inwardly, and after distancing himself from emotion, he could objectively analyze the mystery contained within that sword intent.

This sword intent not only contains Elder Shang’s sincere and profound emotions for the Princess Consort but also unabashedly displays the essence of his swordsmanship.

Chen Ming quickly realized the greatest value of this sword intent, which is demonstrating the entire process of how to condense a sword intent.

He suddenly had a bold idea, "If put up for auction, wouldn’t those Third Grade powerhouses fight over it?"

...

Unbeknownst to himself, it was dawn.

Chen Ming heard the footsteps of Chunxiang and Xiaxiang coming from outside, finally waking up from the comprehension of the sword intent. He exhaled a murky breath and somewhat reluctantly put away the Spirit Jade Sword.

This feeling of immersing oneself in an ocean of knowledge is truly satisfying.

He glanced at the panel.

[Level: 49]

[Current Points: 110000]

[Cultivation Technique: "Iron Horse Stance" (Fifth Level Perfection), "Yin Yang True Skill" (Fourth Level 596781/600000)]

[Martial Skill: "Three Talents Fist" (Mastery), Eight Trigrams Saber Technique (Mastery), Zhuang’s Flying Knife (Mastery), Swallow Returning Sword Technique (Mastery), "Vermilion Bird Swordsmanship" (Proficient 1158/500000)]

[Secret Technique: "Disguise Technique" (Mastery)]

In just one night, his experience points for "Vermilion Bird Swordsmanship" had increased by over a thousand points. Such progress speed can be described as quite astonishing.

One must know that his comprehension is not particularly outstanding, and if relying on self-training, at most he would only increase by single digits in a day.

So, he gave up long ago, and normally doesn’t practice swordsmanship, thinking it better to save the time for reading instead?

This further highlights the value of that sword intent, gaining a thousand experience points in just one night, as if from nowhere.

"Young Master, we’re coming in."

At this moment, Chunxiang and Xiaxiang pushed the door open and entered, placing a copper basin full of water in front of him, preparing to assist him with washing and grooming.

Nowadays, Chen Ming no longer personally enlightens novice disciples, having long since dismissed that pitiful amount of experience points and handed this task over to Wu Bofu and Liu Zhongda.

Old Liu’s two disciples are sincere, though not exceptionally talented, their progress far exceeds others, soon stepping into the Eighth Grade.

These two have a commendable trait; any tasks assigned to them are completed diligently, never complaining.

Chen Ming grows increasingly fond of them, often taking the time to guide them here and there. He’s already planned to properly train them, so he can venture out at ease in the future with them around.

He walked out into the courtyard and saw a group of youngsters approaching.

"Sir." "Greetings, sir" "..."

They had just finished their morning exercises and were about to leave. Seeing him, they stopped to salute.

Chen Ming warmly said, "After returning, you must still practice diligently."

"Yes, sir."

...

Chen Ming walked all the way to the side hall but did not see the white-robed woman, not knowing where she had gone.

After having breakfast, he called for a carriage to be prepared for going out.

This was a brand-new carriage, larger and more luxurious than the previous one, even the horses pulling it had sleek coats, one black and one white, not a single speck of another color, looking very majestic.

At this configuration, wouldn’t it be the Mercedes S-Class on Earth?

From this carriage alone, it can be seen that the Chen Mansion is indeed wealthy and powerful now.

His previous carriage was destroyed months ago in an attack.

This time, Chen Ming went out without taking the two maids, only accompanied by the coachman. This coachman was also a Ninth Grade martial artist from the Huo Sect, a trustworthy person.

Not far after the carriage set off, the door suddenly opened, and the white-robed woman came in.

He carefully scrutinized her, noticing her attire was truly spotless, with her shoes clean and new-looking.

This is a real fairy, always maintaining such a perfect image every time he sees her, as if she didn’t need to eat, sleep, or change clothes.

He genuinely admired her from the bottom of his heart, wondering how she managed it.

The white-robed woman’s gaze was still clear, asking in a cold voice, "Where are you going?"

This was when the coachman realized someone else was on the carriage, nervously shouting, "Second Master?"

"It’s fine, she’s my friend."

Chen Ming said to the coachman and then replied to the white-robed woman, "Going to visit a senior."

A hint of reproach flashed in the white-robed woman’s eyes as she said, "You should stay home and cultivate diligently, strive to break through to the Fourth Grade soon."

The tone was like educating a playful student not staying home to do homework.

"..."

Chen Ming finally understood why her master wanted her to accompany him, to spur on his cultivation, and not let him slack off.

He said, "I’ve just been in retreat for three months; what I need most now is some fresh air and interaction with people."

This reason apparently convinced the white-robed woman, as she said no more.

Instead, Chen Ming found a topic, "Speaking of which, after knowing each other for so long, may I ask your name, miss?"

The white-robed woman replied, "Su Zhining."

"I am Chen Ming, the second in my family."