Welcome to Ability Store-Chapter 119 - 118: Qingge Sect

That night, Liu Shuyue finalized the list of ten participants for the competition.

Aside from Jiu, Hua, and Xu Xuanling, the other seven were all from Hot Pepper Village, led by Senior Brother Fu Jiaolu. Except for the witch Marina being reassigned to help with the investigation, the personnel arrangement was mostly in line with the original plan.

Chen Xuan also took some time to check everyone’s training levels.

During this month, everyone had followed Liu Shuyue’s teachings, strictly rejecting all forms of unnatural Spiritual Qi absorption. They studied techniques during the day, meditated at night, and each time the "Teleportation Array" was activated, they traveled to the west coast of France to engage in actual combat against Demon Fiends.

Chen Xuan could very intuitively see everyone’s progress using the scanner gun. For instance, Fu Jiaolu, who initially only mastered the Spirit Sword Technique and Purifying Heart Technique at level three or four, reached level six after a month of hard practice.

Given their talent in Qi Sensing, this kind of progress is quite remarkable.

Xu Xuanling did the same; she not only learned all the basic spells but advanced them to level three or four.

According to Liu Shuyue, this was quite talented and could potentially earn an apprentice spot at the Lotus Cloud Sect.

The biggest exception was with Jiu and Hua.

When the scanner gun was pointed at them, the screen unexpectedly showed Thousand Thoughts Sword LV3, Celestial Mist Skill LV1, and Demon-Slaying True Sword LV1.

Liu Shuyue spent about two years learning these spells.

But they took only a month and a half.

Even though Liu Shuyue’s world spell level is much higher than this side, the "Cultivation Genius" talent clearly disregards the context of the era.

Given ten years, what level could these siblings reach? Just thinking about it is exciting.

The only thing to watch out for is that Jiu and Hua might reach their first mental barrier earlier, possibly hitting a bottleneck at age twenty to thirty, which might lead to an Inner Demon.

Of course, the Lotus Cloud Sect has a complete set of methods to deal with elementary Inner Demons. As long as Liu Shuyue is there, this won’t be difficult to overcome.

The next morning, Liu Shuyue took the ten of them to Chang’an City.

According to the timeline given by the Immortal Alliance, all competing sects would finalize their lists within these two days and select accommodation rooms. These inn rooms are located in the northeast city area and are certified reception points by the Immortal Alliance, and arriving late means only broken-down rooms left by others would be available.

Once the five-day lead-up to the major competition starts, the lodging area will be closed, so if Chen Xuan wants to participate in the entirety of this grand event, he has to be moved in by the day after tomorrow at the latest.

Of course... this is only a rule limitation. As soon as a guest identifies their dwelling place, the back door will connect to the shop’s second-floor VIP guest room, and the outside lockdown won’t hinder them.

"Sect Leader Chen!" No sooner had the team from Only I am Venerable Sect left than Historian Hongli galloped to the manor’s gate along with a group of cultivators, "The Immortal Alliance has approved the investigation team’s formation. We have the official document and seal; we can set off anytime! By the way, let me introduce you to the Celestial Derivation Tower representative—"

"No need for an introduction; the Sect Leader should still remember me." A man stepped out of the group, dismounted gracefully, and respectfully saluted, "After healing the injury the other day, I received quite a scolding from Sect Leader Chen."

This was none other than the Celestial Pride Disciple Mo Shuyun from Celestial Derivation Tower.

Chen Xuan slightly frowned; why would Celestial Derivation Tower choose him? Could this person have come to deliberately sabotage due to the previous embarrassment on stage?

"Don’t you have to participate in the sect’s major competition?" he asked expressionlessly.

"Doesn’t Sect Leader Chen know? Each disciple has only one opportunity in their lifetime to take part in the competition; this is to give way to later generations." Mo Shuyun snapped open his fan to shield his face, "I already participated last year, so this year I’m just an observer."

Still so fond of putting on airs.

Chen Xuan shrugged and stopped interacting with him, turning to Hongli, "And who are the others..."

"These are all officials from the Immortal Alliance, with some responsible for recording and others for verification, because every investigation needs to be compiled into a written report and archived. They are professionals."

"Greetings to Sect Leader!" everyone saluted in unison.

Chen Xuan realized that they were not Qi Sensing Men.

"Thank you all," he kindly replied, "Please wait here for a moment; I need to call someone to assist." Then, after summoning Marina, he said to Hongli, "Lead the way to Qingge Sect."

...

Two hours later, the group was deep within the lush Zhongnan Mountain.

Chen Xuan never imagined that before addressing issues, the journey would involve climbing the mountain first... Though Qingge Sect registered as a sect within Chang’an City, its founding location is deep in the forest! Naturally, most sects are situated in the mountains, with only liaisons in the city, yet Qingge Sect is a small sect with limited personnel, so it doesn’t even have a foothold in Chang’an City.

"Looking from the map, ahead by that slope edge, there’s a creek waterfall, and below it is Qingge Sect," gasped Hongli. For an ordinary person like him, climbing several miles of mountain road in one go is indeed challenging.

"Why rush the journey; we have plenty of time left today, don’t we?" Mo Shuyun wiped the fine sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief, "Taking the time to appreciate the scenery isn’t a bad thing either." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Chen Xuan had to admit, although this location is remote, the scenery indeed stands out. Tall green pines lined both sides of the path, their leaf tips adorned with strings of un-melted ice crystals, sparkling under the morning sun. Looking northward, one could see the distant city’s architecture partially veiled in mist—a perspective only achievable here, truly revealing Chang’an’s grandeur.

Though he had no mood to appreciate these beautiful scenery pieces, "Speed is essential in military tactics; we’re not here for sightseeing."

The hint of regret flickered across Mo Shuyun’s face, but he did not further insist.

Chen Xuan realized that this fellow seemed to be the most talkative among the investigation team members, constantly chatting throughout the journey, either expressing some life reflections or inquiring about his past exploits in the west, with animated expressions contrasting his pretense of a refined nobleman.

Yet, as for secretly undermining him, apparently not. Despite Mo Shuyun’s chatter, he still followed the leader’s instructions without showing a strong personal agenda.

Confuses Chen Xuan whether Celestial Derivation Tower deliberately picked him as the representative with ulterior motives or simply purely coincidental.

At this moment, a soft thud marked the landing of an owl atop Marina’s shoulder, whooshing, and hooting at her twice.

The witch nodded, moved closer to Chen Xuan, and whispered, "Half a mile ahead stands a tower, likely your destination. It also mentioned someone standing guard at the tower entrance."

Early morning with someone guarding outside? Doubt rose in Chen Xuan’s heart, indicating that perhaps Qingge Sect was anticipating their arrival.

Nevertheless, he didn’t show any signs of suspicion outwardly and instead encouraged, "Everyone, a little more effort, we’ll be there soon."

The last five hundred meters of mountain path took them roughly a quarter-hour.

With the waterfall’s sound becoming crisp and pleasant, Chen Xuan rounded a ridge, and glimpsed the true visage of Qingge Sect. It was a stone tower seamlessly integrated with the environment, approximately as tall as a three-story building, its body partially buried into the rocky layers, with the visible side directly beneath the waterfall, receiving the cascade of flowing water. The creek, one meter wide, was bisected by the tower’s blue stone summit, forcing the stream to slide from both sides, pooling into a neat water pond, while a stone bridge perfectly traversed the split waterfall, leading straight to Qingge Sect’s main entrance.

Chen Xuan finally understood why those cultivators would invariably chuckle upon witnessing the founding site of Only I am Venerable Sect. Even a small sect with about twenty individuals could construct its base so uniquely styled, brimming with Immortal Family aura, rendering his countryside manor akin to a rural homestead in comparison.

As expected, a person stood across the stone bridge, with attire signifying a cultivator.

Upon seeing Chen Xuan and his group approaching the mountain gate, he immediately stepped forward, smilingly asking, "What brings everyone here? Judging by your looks, it seems you’re not newcomers applying to join the sect?"