Welcome to Ability Store-Chapter 117 - 116: The Defector

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A vast number of Demon Fiends exist in the western continent, and the news that the Teleportation Array of the Only I am Venerable Sect can instantly send people there quickly spread throughout Chang’an City.

Almost every day, Cultivators came to the manor to inquire about the qualifications for participation and the opening time of the array. Upon learning that Demon Slaying did not require any Sect’s permission, their excitement was palpable. However, Chen Xuan did not send people indiscriminately; he erected a notice board outside his new house, detailing the necessary arrangements for teleportation and a basic demon extermination guide. In simple terms, he would send people there once every three days. Upon arrival, Cultivators should immediately report to the Immortal Alliance’s expeditionary force, obey their commands, and cooperate with allies to combat the Demon Fiends.

After all, he didn’t specify which celestial phenomenon was suitable for teleportation, how long each would last, or whether he’d still be around six months later.

In fact, when the so-called Teleportation Array was activated three days later, the number of Cultivators deciding to try their luck in France reached as many as one hundred and twenty.

Under Xu Yuanqing’s push, the Immortal Alliance also changed its observant stance and started actively implementing the grand expedition plan to alleviate the escalating internal resource conflicts within the Sects. After all, once they headed west, even the most mediocre Cultivators could seize opportunities to slay demons—if they could survive the battlefield.

By this point, King Charles VII’s commission was essentially accomplished.

Chen Xuan believed that even without further promotion from himself, the news would eventually spread across the various factions in the Central Plains.

He began to focus more energy on finding the enemies of the little guest.

Marina stood before him at that moment, with a solemn expression that said, "If you have any requests, feel free to ask; I won’t refuse even the most dangerous tasks."

Ah... there’s no need to be so formal; he actually quite liked the initial skeptical expression she had.

Chen Xuan took a sip of tea, "How’s your learning with Immortal Master Liu lately?"

"Mainly there’s a language barrier... some things are hard to understand even with a translator explaining. But Master Liu said that I’m doing quite well in Talisman Technique, and I seem to have a bit of talent."

Master Liu... Immortal Liu, is it? Chen Xuan was surprised, "You can actually learn Talisman Making?"

Just as trying a hundred herbs is the core skill of Herbalism, the core of Talisman Technique is evidently Talisman Making. Talismans drawn by an excellent Talisman Master can be used as hard currency among Cultivators. Chen Xuan had a few Wind Riding Talismans on him, and even a glance at the strange, complex words on them would make him drowsy.

How did a European witch learn these words when even communication was difficult?

"Yes, for example, these talismans I made, Master Liu said they are all of Top-Grade quality." Marina took three talismans from her pouch and laid them out in front of Chen Xuan.

The latter almost choked on his tea.

The words on this yellow paper were clearly in French!

The only commonality might be that each letter was written in a flamboyant style, overlapping and intertwining with each other, with numerous twisted lines almost covering every corner of the talisman paper.

In a word: illegible scrawl!

It looked more like abstract art than language.

"Uh... what kind of Talisman is this?"

"Invisibility Talisman. When drawing it, I thought of being as omnipresent as the air. Master Liu said that words are an expression of intent; the more specific the demands during the drawing, the more Spiritual Qi is infused, and the better the Talisman’s effect," the witch earnestly explained.

Alright... so words are just a medium and are not restricted to a single format—his own experience was indeed shallow.

If any text could be used, then could pure drawings work? If an artist, specializing in human aesthetics, created a work with intense emotions, could it be used as a talisman if infused with spiritual power?

Chen Xuan knew of a Talisman called Puppet Talisman, which summoned things from the Talisman for a Cultivator’s use.

Thinking too far ahead, he coughed twice, "Alright, since you’re learning something, your time as a disciple of this sect hasn’t been wasted. I heard from Joan that you’re really good at finding people?"

Marina was momentarily stunned, then realized, "You’re talking about Tracking Technique, right?"

She whistled, and moments later, an owl flapped down from upstairs, perching on her shoulder.

"Its name is Sinda; it serves as my lookout and can be used as a messenger. You just need to let it see whoever you want to keep an eye on."

Chen Xuan looked up in surprise, "When did it go upstairs?"

This was the manor’s main building, and he hadn’t left the hall since calling Marina over.

"Hoot-hoo." Sinda nuzzled against her face.

"It says you forgot to close the window on the third floor," Marina said, "I can also summon a Ghost Dog that is highly sensitive to scents. If you have something with a scent, it won’t lose track even from ten miles away."

"I see." Chen Xuan thought, so that’s what Joan meant by search and tracking spells? It’s quite real! "What if there isn’t any reliable information, and you only have a picture to go on?"

"That naturally won’t work," Marina shook her head, "Your request is more like divination or prophecy... To my knowledge, these two kinds of spells are just myths fabricated by fools to discredit us."

That makes sense.

This way, his idea of using spells to find the culprit or Master Jiu is implausible. He had asked Jiu several times if his master left any personal token, and the answer was always no. Plus, their residence was burned down, making it almost impossible to find clues at the scene now.

Chen Xuan could only wait for the findings of the Immortal Alliance’s official investigation.

Five days later, Historian Hongli personally visited Chen Xuan.

"Sect Leader Chen, I sent my trusted men to Feng County to carefully check their pursuit records. We found that four Sects filed for this matter, all occurring within the last six months, yet none involved someone named Ji Yanshu," he said, handing over a list.

Ji Yanshu was the name of Jiu’s master.

Of course... it’s possible this name was fabricated.

Chen Xuan quickly scanned the list; out of the four declarations of pursuing renegade disciples, three had been marked with vermilion to indicate the disciple had been captured, with their fate entirely decided by the Sect. The remaining one was still on the run, but based on the description, this person was in their early twenties, completely different from Jiu’s master.

The declaration times of the other three Sects were mostly two or three months ago, and they acted swiftly, capturing the defectors within days, which didn’t match Jiu’s account.

Could it be that Master Ji really was just a Loose Cultivator and attacked by other Cultivators purely due to personal grudges?

Chen Xuan contemplated, his gaze lingering on the "fugitive."

"What will happen if they are never caught?"

"Then the individual’s name will remain in the Immortal Alliance’s registry, and during every annual preparatory tournament, other Sects will update their registries to avoid recruiting renegade Cultivators as disciples," Hongli replied, "However, not catching them is quite normal; the world is vast, and they could hide in a small town. Small Sects are already understaffed and won’t burn excessive energy on chasing someone. Simply reporting to the Immortal Alliance, ensuring defectors can’t join other Sects, is punishment enough."

Inspiration struck Chen Xuan, according to Jiu, Ji Yanshu was injured in the mountains five years ago and was rescued by his parents.

"Does the Immortal Alliance still have the records from five years ago?" he asked.

"Yes, almost all important documents, letters, and records since the Immortal Alliance’s founding are preserved in the Four Directions Study, including the cultivator registries."

Any Dynasty with a habit of keeping history was good, even if it wasn’t considered an orthodox feudal Dynasty anymore. Chen Xuan clasped his hands, "I wonder if you could do me a favor."

Hongli quickly returned the salute, "Sect Leader Chen, you are too kind. As long as it’s within this officer’s duties, please feel free to ask."

"I’d like you to check records of currently unresolved pursuit cases from over five years ago... that is, among those fugitive Cultivators, if any is named Ji Yanshu."

"Hmm... that’s not hard. But the number of cases is an issue, and it might take some time to go through them," Hongli agreed, "Rest assured, Sect Leader Chen, I’ll prioritize arranging personnel to handle this matter."

"Then I’ll be counting on you," Chen Xuan said gratefully.

"By the way, Governor wants me to relay something before I leave," the Historian said, "The Sects’ competition is only fifteen days away. Five days before it starts, the Immortal Alliance will announce the competition details and seal the relevant areas. Don’t forget to submit your team list and let the disciples prepare early."

So formal? It’s like the imperial exam. Chen Xuan was curious, "Isn’t the competition just about arena matches?"

"Of course not," the other person smiled, "With so many Cultivators, one-on-one duels would take too long. So the Immortal Alliance usually organizes a team match first, to determine the top ten Sects before starting the group matches. The team match often starts from Chang’an City and the city might even be sealed on that day, so Cultivators from other areas must enter the city early, or they’ll miss the grand event."