“Old Third, three days from now, you and Miss Clark will head to the Kunlun Sect together. If you can win Miss Clark's favor and form a marriage alliance with City Lord Clark, I wouldn't even hesitate to hand over the entire merchant guild to you. For now, if you have any requests, just speak up. As long as it helps you get closer to Miss Clark, I will give you my full support.”

　　Liam Carter pondered for a moment and said, “I can tell that Miss Clark is no ordinary lady from a noble family. She is a woman of strong will, a true heroine. To win the heart of such a woman, your cultivation must first surpass hers. It is a woman's nature to be drawn to the strong. I believe that the man Miss Emily Clark will choose in the future will never be weaker than her.”

　　“Exactly, your observation is spot on.”

　　Charles Carter nodded approvingly. “Through Registrar Carter, I indirectly inquired about her standards for a husband from Miss Clark herself. The most basic requirement is that his strength must surpass hers. If this doesn't satisfy her, there's nothing more to discuss. So, improving your strength as quickly as possible is indeed your top priority.”

　　“I will do my best and strive for a breakthrough soon.”

　　“I see that you are already at the threshold of perfecting your internal energy. According to you, all you lack is a top-tier true energy cultivation method to produce true energy and step into the true energy realm. Now that you are about to join the Kunlun Sect, you can be considered half a disciple of Kunlun. The best true energy tempering method among the Kunlun sword disciples is the Wind and Thunder Heart Technique. Even for direct disciples of the elders, it takes years of observation and contributions to the sect before it can be taught. Fortunately, I will help you bypass this process.”

　　At this point, Charles Carter looked up and said to the steward outside the door, Zachary Carter, “Brother Zachary, prepare one hundred thousand gold and deliver it to Elder Logan Carter of the Kunlun Sect. Also, I remember that some time ago, our subordinates acquired a seven-cornered diamond while trading outside. It is a treasure for forging weapons, enhancing the sharpness and power of divine arms. Send it as well to Elder Logan Carter. My request is simple: as soon as Old Third joins the Kunlun Sect, he must be able to learn the Wind and Thunder Heart Technique. Understood?”

　　“Understood, I will prepare it right away. I believe that by the time Third Young Master arrives at the Kunlun Sect, Elder Logan Carter will have the Wind and Thunder Heart Technique ready.”

　　“One hundred thousand gold...”

　　Zachary Carter was startled by his father's generosity.

　　You should know, the cost of living in Yunsen City is quite low—a steamed bun is only one copper, and ten thousand copper equals one gold. One hundred thousand gold is enough to supply a three-thousand-man army with all expenses for a year.

　　“Old Third, you already have a sword. Although the Cloudsteel Sword is not the very best, it was a gift from Miss Emily Clark, which makes it especially meaningful, so there's no need to replace it for now. As for your expenses... I will give you a monthly allowance of three thousand gold. With this three thousand gold, you can bribe the senior and junior sisters around Miss Clark, or hire people to build your reputation—whatever it takes to win Miss Clark's favor. Although Samuel Clark is the city lord, he is not wealthy. Miss Clark's monthly allowance, by my estimate, does not exceed one hundred gold, and that includes all her cultivation resources. In a year, I hope your relationship with her will have made significant progress, no longer just acquaintances who nod in passing. If you can achieve this, next year, I will raise your allowance to six thousand gold a month.”

　　Charles Carter felt no pain at all in spending one hundred thousand gold. He knew very well that to reap great rewards, one must make great investments.

　　“I understand.”

　　Liam Carter nodded.

　　Three thousand gold a month can accomplish a lot. If all of it is used to buy rare cultivation materials, his cultivation speed in the true energy stage will be even faster than in the internal energy stage.

　　He might even...

　　Have hope, within a year, to break through the full circulation of true energy and reach the ranks of top experts.

Chapter 12: Kunlun

　　“Father's ultimate goal is to form a marriage alliance with City Lord Clark. If I can make significant progress in my relationship with Miss Clark in a short time, or even... establish a partnership, what then?”

　　“Establish a partnership?”

　　Charles Carter said in surprise, “You mentioned before that, given Miss Clark's temperament, ordinary men do not catch her eye. Moreover, since she herself loves swordsmanship and is a swordswoman, the range is even narrower. To be precise, she looks down on swordsmen weaker than herself... Do you really think you can surpass Miss Clark's strength in such a short time?”

　　“Once I master Kunlun true energy, I plan to spar with Miss Clark again.”

　　“Ha, spar with her again after you master true energy?”

　　Seeing Liam Carter's stubborn look, Charles Carter laughed. “Miss Clark is from a prestigious family and values her reputation highly. If you can establish a partnership with her, the marriage alliance between our The Carter Family and the City Lord Brooks will be more than halfway complete. At that time, to help you take the final step, how about I give you a monthly allowance of ten thousand gold?”

　　“Ten thousand gold a month... The entire Carter Family Merchant Guild's monthly profit is only twenty to thirty thousand gold...”

　　Zachary Carter muttered under his breath, but there was no hint of jealousy in his expression.

　　If Liam Carter really manages to win over Miss Clark and form a marriage alliance with City Lord Clark, the power and influence of the entire The Carter Family will surely rise, and the whole family will benefit.