Welcome to Ability Store-Chapter 108 - 107: The New Immortal Master

At that time, Chen Xuan noticed these two abilities and knew that Xu Xuanling had great potential. That’s why he decided to test her caliber through a competition, and incidentally, bring some attention to the Sect.

Since the ability investigation involved his core interests, he naturally wouldn’t disclose it to Xu Yuanqing.

"You should go home and rest today. Starting tomorrow, you’ll have to live in the manor and train with the other disciples," said Chen Xuan. "The tournament will also continue since it’s only halfway through. Is that okay?"

"Yes, Sect Leader." Xu Xuanling readily agreed to the arrangement.

She vaguely sensed that compared to before her battle with the prodigy, her strength had significantly improved.

Besides, she quite enjoyed the enthusiastic cheers from the audiences when sparring.

That exhilarating feeling when her heart raced and her blood seemed to boil, was incomparable to sparring one-on-one with her elder brother.

At this moment, Hua approached Chen Xuan.

The girl cleverly stood within his line of sight without speaking, but as soon as Chen Xuan noticed her, he knew there was news from Liu Shuyue.

After Xu Xuanling left, he called Hua over, "Got the person?"

Hua nodded, "Right outside the manor."

Outside the manor? Chen Xuan was somewhat surprised. There was still a large group of spectators resting outside. If the person were an enemy, it would definitely not be possible to capture them so openly.

"Take me to see."

He followed Hua out of the manor to a somewhat secluded spot on the south side of the courtyard wall, and indeed found Liu Shuyue and Jiu there. The villager Jiu mentioned was also with them, but there was no sign of coercion at all.

"Who is this..." Chen Xuan stepped forward and asked.

"Cultivator, sir!" Upon seeing Chen Xuan’s jade token, the person immediately wanted to kneel but was held back by Liu Shuyue.

"He is Uncle Tu, a servant of the Zhang Family," Liu Shuyue said. "It’s a misunderstanding."

Then she briefly explained what happened.

Chen Xuan quickly understood the story—Uncle Tu hadn’t gone far before Liu Shuyue caught up with him. However, instead of immediately apprehending him, she followed him to the inn outside the city gates, hoping to see if the real mastermind would appear. After waiting for a long time with no progress and observing in secret that this person likely had nothing to do with the murderer, she and Jiu appeared in the guest room.

After a few questions, the person confessed his purpose in coming here.

It turns out that the Zhang Family’s location was not far from Jiu’s Wei Family, and they had some past relations. Early that morning, the Zhang Family was preparing to go hunting in the mountains. When they reached halfway up, they saw black smoke rising from the Wei Family’s direction. So they crossed the mountain to check it out, only to find the houses there had been reduced to ruins by fire.

After the embers cooled, the Zhang Family buried all the corpses but found no sign of the two Wei Family children. With hunting as their livelihood, the Zhang Family’s eldest son, Zhang Tiegong, inspected the courtyard and concluded the two must have fled. So they commissioned someone to draw portraits from the children’s descriptions in the county, searching in Feng County and Chang’an City simultaneously for news.

However, this method of searching was akin to looking for a needle in a haystack, so the Zhang Family could only send a servant to try their luck here while the rest continued hunting to avoid interrupting their livelihood.

Jiu happened to see Uncle Tu that day. Unfortunately, he recognized Zhang Tiegong but not the Zhang Family’s servant.

It’s rather odd for a hunter’s family to afford a servant.

"Why didn’t you seek help from the Zhang Family when you were fleeing?" Chen Xuan asked.

"Because the killer came from the direction of the mountains, I didn’t dare run that way," Jiu honestly answered. "And the only place that could restrain a Cultivator was the Immortal Alliance in Chang’an, so that’s why we thought of coming to Chang’an City."

"Come here, you two." Chen Xuan took the siblings aside to ask privately, "What’s the relationship between the Zhang Family and the Wei Family? Are you two very familiar with each other?"

Jiu nodded, "My family makes a living by collecting and growing herbs. The Zhang Family often goes hunting in the mountains. The two families are separated by half a mountain. Although we don’t interact much daily, they would visit my parents during the annual celebrations."

Hua added, "And they’d bring lots of food! Like wild boar legs, sausages, and fox meat jerky."

"Every year?" Chen Xuan asked in surprise.

"Yes, unless there’s a snowstorm sealing off the mountain, they’d basically come every year." Jiu replied, "But they never stay for dinner, leaving after delivering the goods. Mom said our family helped them before, but she didn’t elaborate on what kind of help."

"Are you sure their family makes a living by hunting?" Chen Xuan asked again.

"That’s what everyone in the family says; it shouldn’t be wrong," Jiu thought seriously. "After all, those living in that area all depend on the mountains for survival."

Chen Xuan nodded, it seemed the two families did indeed have relations, and the Zhang Family was likely not an ordinary hunter family. Earlier, he had noticed the servant named Uncle Tu had calloused hands—a trait not typical of someone engaged in farming or household chores. If Uncle Tu was skilled at hunting, it wouldn’t make sense because for a typical hunter family, an experienced hunter is an invaluable asset, not just a mere servant.

"Immortal Master..." Jiu hesitated to speak.

After taking the two siblings to witness the Wanshan Wilderness, Immortal Liu remained an Immortal Master, while he was directly elevated to an Immortal Master.

"Whatever you want to say, just say it," Chen Xuan comforted. He could see the children were emotionally stirred.

"I want to go home and take a look..." Jiu hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Of course you can, and you can also visit the Zhang Family to give your thanks."

"Really? Thank you, Immortal Master!"

The two were just about to kneel but were stopped by Chen Xuan, who said, "But I have requirements: you can only glance from afar, you cannot approach the burial ground, and you must not worship at the tomb; Immortal Master Liu and I will accompany you, and you must remain in my sight at all times. Is that okay?"

"Yes!" Unexpectedly, the two quickly agreed.

Jiu bluntly said, "We understand that before avenging our great grievance, any actions that might reveal our whereabouts should be restrained, and even going home is unnecessary. The Immortal Master has already agreed to our unreasonable request, so we would not dare to hope for anything more."

Truly sensible children.

Chen Xuan patted their heads, "If that’s the case, let’s set off now."

"Now?" The siblings were stunned.

"With Immortal Master Lin’s ability, it will only take us two hours to reach Feng County. If we leave now, we might just catch the Zhang Family’s dinner."

As the saying goes, troops are most valuable when they move swiftly. Even if Uncle Tu has issues, he definitely won’t have time to send out any message. When the surviving members of the Wei Family suddenly appear at the Zhang Family, the real situation will become clear at a glance.

...

...

Great Qi, Phoenix Perch in the Royal City.

Inside the Nine Que Palace.

Under the kneeling of all the officials, the King of Qi slowly ascended the royal platform and sat regally and solemnly on the magnificent throne, "Rise, everyone."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Responding in unison, the officials stood up, but their faces still showed signs of nervousness.

On the day the news of Yunzhou Jiufeng City’s defeat came back, the King of Qi flew into a rage, executed two couriers on the spot, and left in a huff. For the following month, he closed the palace and refused to see anyone.

The entire court was in a state of unrest, with talk focused entirely on the Immortal Masters.

Everyone knew that Liu Shuyue had astonishingly taken over Jiufeng City and led a group of unknown loose cultivators to defeat the Three States Alliance Army, including the Royal City Vanguard Army, leaving hardly any survivors to return.

Rumors began flying in the Royal City that the Immortal Master was planning to raise a flag of rebellion and overthrow the rule of the King of Qi.

At the same time, stories emerged of how the King of Qi had murdered his brother and father to illegitimately seize the throne.

In this unfortunate situation, the fortunate news was that Liu Shuyue was still entrenched in the Yunzhou area and had shown no intention of advancing further into the heart of the Kingdom. This allowed the officials to sigh in slight relief. Despite the Immortal Master of Qi being so rebellious, the agreements between the Lotus Cloud Sect and other nations might still restrain her, preventing her from being too outrageous.

But it was merely a slight relief.

As long as Liu Shuyue remained a threat, they’d have to always be prepared for the King of Qi’s wrath.

However, today’s situation seemed to be somewhat different.

The King of Qi looked radiant, natural, with a mix of dignity and ease, a stark contrast to his previously tense demeanor.

"You all know that I have not been unkind to Immortal Liu, allowing her to act freely for five whole years without imposing any restraints, yet what I received in return was estrangement and hostility."

"The root of all Great Qi’s current issues lies in lacking a diligent Immortal Master. If there was an Immortal Master, the Luo Kingdom’s army would not dare gather at our borders; if there was an Immortal Master, the national treasury wouldn’t be wasting so much money trying to draw in loose cultivators; if there was an Immortal Master, Great Qi could dominate the region! It might even be possible to unify the Six Kingdoms!"

As he said this, he let out a deep breath, "Today, this issue has been resolved. I have found a new Immortal Master."

The King of Qi gestured towards the palace gates, "Summon Immortal Master Jiang to the hall!"

"Summon Immortal Master Jiang to the hall!" The guards relayed the command in succession.

Moments later, a young man in azure robes steadily walked into the hall. He appeared to be not yet thirty, but his eyes were deep and calm, like an ancient well, as though he had seen through the vicissitudes of life. His nose was high, and his lips thin and pale, his jaw sharp and defined as if chiseled, exuding an aloof aura that warned strangers to keep away. His long hair was half tied and hung before his forehead, with a blackwood hairpin inserted slantwise on top, the rest falling over his shoulders and back like a cascade of ink. Anyone who saw him would secretly admire his handsome appearance.

The ministers began whispering among themselves.

He ignored them and walked straight to the royal platform, bowing to the King of Qi.

"Subject Jiang Ning, pays respect to Your Majesty!"

"Good, good, good!" The King of Qi laughed three times, "Immortal Master Jiang, at ease. Everyone pay attention, this talented individual is the new Immortal Master of Great Qi!"