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Chapter 119 Qingge Sect

That evening, Liu Shuyue finalized the list of ten participants.

Aside from Ajiu, Ahua, and Xu Xuanling, the other seven were all from Mala Village, led by their eldest brother, Fu Jiaolu. Except for the witch Malena, who was reassigned to participate in the search, the personnel arrangement was largely consistent with the initial plan.

Chen Xuan also took the time to check everyone's training level.

During this month, everyone followed Liu Shuyue's teachings, avoiding all unnatural absorption of spiritual energy. They studied spells during the day and meditated at night. Whenever the "teleportation array" was activated, they would travel to the west coast of France to participate in the actual battle against demons.

Chen Xuan could see everyone's progress very clearly using the barcode scanner. For example, Fu Jiaolu initially mastered the Spirit Sword Technique and the Heart-Cleansing Technique at around level three or four, but after a month of hard practice, he had reached level six.

Considering their talent for sensing Qi, this progress is quite remarkable.

Xu Xuanling was the same; she not only learned all the basic spells, but also advanced to the third or fourth level.

According to Liu Shuyue, this is quite talented, and she should be able to compete for a spot as an outgoing disciple in the Lianyun Sect.

The biggest exceptions are Ah Jiu and Ah Hua.

When the barcode scanner was pointed at them, the screen clearly showed the Thousand Thoughts Sword LV3, Heavenly Cloud Skill LV1, and Demon Extermination True Sword LV1.

It took Liu Shuyue about two years to learn these spells.

And they only took a month and a half.

Even though Liu Shuyue's world has a much higher level of magic than this place, the ability of "cultivation genius" obviously doesn't consider the background era.

If given more than ten years, how far could these two siblings reach in their cultivation? Just thinking about it makes one look forward to it.

The only thing to be careful about is that Ah Jiu and Ah Hua may reach the first ceiling earlier than expected, for example, they may reach a bottleneck at the age of twenty or thirty, which may lead to inner demons.

Of course, the Lotus Cloud Sect has a complete set of methods to deal with the initial stage of inner demons. As long as Liu Shuyue is guarding, this hurdle is not difficult to overcome.

The next morning, Liu Shuyue led ten people to Chang'an City.

According to the schedule given by the Immortal Alliance, all participating sects will finalize their lists and choose their accommodations within these two days. These inns are located in the northeastern city and are reception points certified by the Immortal Alliance. If you arrive too late, you will naturally only be able to choose from the dilapidated rooms that others have left over.

Once the competition begins five days in advance, the accommodation area will be closed off. Therefore, if Chen Xuan wants to participate in this grand event in its entirety, he will have to move in by the day after tomorrow at the latest.

Of course... this is just a rule restriction. Because once a guest has chosen a place to stay, the back door there connects to the VIP rooms on the second floor of the shop, and the external blockade can't stop him at all.

"Sect Leader Chen!" Not long after the delegation from the Sovereign Sect left, Grand Historian Hongli arrived at the manor gate on horseback with a group of cultivators. "The Immortal Alliance has approved the formation of the investigation team. We have the official documents and seals in hand, and we can depart at any time! By the way, let me introduce you, this is the representative of the Heavenly Evolution Pavilion—"

"No need for introductions, Sect Master should still remember me." A man stepped out from the group, dismounted, and bowed with an elegant air. "After my injuries were healed that day, I received quite a scolding from Sect Master Chen."

This person was none other than Mo Shuyun, the prodigy disciple of Tianyan Tower.

Chen Xuan frowned slightly. Why did Tianyan Tower choose him out of all people? Could this person be deliberately trying to sabotage him because he lost face on the arena last time?

"Aren't you going to participate in the sect competition?" he asked expressionlessly.

"Sect Leader Chen, don't you know that each disciple only has one chance to participate in the competition in their lifetime? This is to make way for those who come later." Mo Shuyun snapped open her fan and held it up in front of her. "I already participated last year, so I can only be a spectator this year."

Still so fond of putting on airs. Chen Xuan shrugged, ignoring him, and turned to Hong Li, "And the rest of you are..."

“These are all officials from the Immortal Alliance. Some are responsible for recording, and others are responsible for verification, because each investigation needs to be compiled into a written report and filed. They are all professionals.”

"Greetings, Sect Master!" the crowd said in unison.

Chen Xuan realized that they were not Qi Sensing individuals.

"Thank you all for your help." He returned the greeting politely. "Please wait here for a moment while I call for a helper." Then Chen Xuan beckoned to Malena and said to Hongli, "Lead the way to Qingge Sect."

……

Two hours later, the group found themselves in the lush Zhongnan Mountains.

Chen Xuan never expected that he would have to climb a mountain before he could be held accountable... Although Qingge Sect was a sect registered in Chang'an City, its founding location was deep in the mountains! Of course, most sects are located in the mountains and only have liaison offices in the city, but it was a small sect with a shortage of manpower and had not set up a foothold in Chang'an City at all.

"According to... according to the map, there's a stream and waterfall on that hillside ahead, and Qingge Gate is below the waterfall," Hongli said, panting. For an ordinary person like him, climbing several miles of mountain path in one go was indeed not easy.

"Why rush? There's still plenty of time today, isn't there?" Mo Shuyun wiped the fine sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief. "It's always nice to stop and enjoy the scenery occasionally."

Chen Xuan had to admit that although the place was remote, the scenery was indeed quite beautiful. The path was lined with tall, straight pine trees, their tips still adorned with strings of unmelted ice crystals that glittered in the morning light. Looking north, one could see the city's buildings half-hidden in the clouds in the distance—or rather, only by standing here and gazing into the distance could one truly understand the immense scale of Chang'an.

He simply wasn't in the mood to appreciate the scenery. "Speed ​​is of the essence in war; we're not here for tourism."

Mo Shuyun showed a hint of regret, but did not press the matter further.

Chen Xuan realized that this guy was actually the most talkative one in the investigation team. He hadn't stopped talking the whole way, either making a few remarks about life or asking about his past adventures in the West. His expressions were also very rich, which was completely inconsistent with the elegant gentleman image he was putting on.

But to say he was secretly working against him... no. Although Mo Shuyun talked a lot, he still followed the team leader's instructions and did not show a strong sense of self.

Chen Xuan was momentarily confused as to whether Yantian Tower's selection of him as their representative was out of ulterior motives or purely coincidental.

Just then, the owl fluttered down onto Malena's shoulder and cooed twice at her.

The witch nodded, then leaned closer to Chen Xuan and whispered, "There's a tower about half a mile away; that should be the place you're looking for. It also said that there's a person standing in front of the tower."

"Are there people guarding outside so early in the morning?" Chen Xuan wondered to himself. It felt like the Qingge Sect was waiting for him to arrive.

However, he did not show any suspicious behavior on the surface. Instead, he encouraged everyone, saying, "Give it your all, we'll be there soon."

It took them about 15 minutes to walk 500 meters along the mountain path.

As the sound of the waterfall became clear and melodious, Chen Xuan rounded a rocky outcrop and finally saw the true face of Qingge Sect. It was a stone tower that blended perfectly with its surroundings, about three stories high. The tower was half-buried in the rock strata, with its exposed side positioned directly beneath the waterfall, receiving the scouring of the water. A meter-wide stream was cut off in the middle by the blue stone at the top of the tower, forcing it to slide down on both sides and gather into a beautiful pool. The stone bridge in the middle passed through the waterfall, which had been split in two, and led directly to the main entrance of Qingge Sect.

Chen Xuan finally understood why those cultivators couldn't help but mock the location of the Sovereign Sect's founding site. Even a small sect with only twenty or so members could build its base in such an ingenious way, exuding an ethereal, otherworldly atmosphere. Compared to that, his own rural residence was practically a farmhouse.

Sure enough, there was a person standing on the other side of the stone bridge. Judging from his clothes, he should be a cultivator.

Upon seeing Chen Xuan and his group heading towards the mountain gate, he immediately came over and asked with a smile, "What brings you all here? Judging from your appearance, you shouldn't be newcomers applying to join the sect, right?"

(End of this chapter)