"No," Jiang Chen shook his head, realizing without a doubt that this sect competition was merely another event designed to confine him within the Starry Abyss Sect and give Lin Feng time to develop.
"Ask someone from the sect master's side to convey my apologies," he said, his voice tinged with a hint of indifference. Compared to the stakes of his young life, the position of core disciple held little significance.
"Understood!" Elder Ge replied. He genuinely could not comprehend why Jiang Chen placed such great importance on Lin Feng.
Holding back the numerous questions in his mind, Elder Ge retrieved a transmission jade token and began to send a message.
"Let's proceed," Jiang Chen declared, deactivating the formation and heading straight towards Autumn Glory City, with Elder Ge following closely.
Shortly afterwards, Elder Ge stored the transmission jade token and announced, "The sect master has given his consent!"
"Hmm," Jiang Chen responded with a faint nod. Simultaneously, a system prompt echoed in his sea of consciousness.
[Ding! You have slightly altered the plot, earning 100 Villain Value points!]
'Changing the plot again, even if it's a minor alteration, is quite satisfying,' Jiang Chen thought to himself, a smile beginning to form at the corners of his lips.
By now, he had roughly grasped the concept that altering plot elements centered around himself would likely be deemed minor adjustments. Only modifying the protagonist's plot direction would count as a significant change, and the amount of Villain Value gained should be substantially higher in such cases.
As he continued onward, Jiang Chen retrieved his transmission jade token and contacted his second uncle, the current patriarch of the Jiang Clan and a Mysterious Platform realm cultivator, Jiang Xingtai.
Omitting details like the system, villain, and protagonist, Jiang Chen gave Jiang Xingtai a general overview of the situation.
To Jiang Xingtai, it appeared that Lin Feng had received assistance from a distinguished individual, had been granted immense fortune, and would pose a significant threat to Jiang Chen in the future.
Jiang Chen's standing within the Jiang Clan was quite significant. His father, Jiang Xingyang, had been the young master of the previous generation of the Jiang Clan and Jiang Xingtai's older brother, who was also a Mysterious Platform realm powerhouse.
His mother, too, was a Mysterious Platform realm powerhouse. It seemed that many years ago, the couple had left Autumn Glory City in pursuit of attaining the Heavenly Origin realm.
Moreover, it was almost certain that Jiang Chen himself would reach the Mysterious Platform realm, as he was already a core disciple of the Starry Abyss Sect.
As a result, the entire Jiang Clan held Jiang Chen in the highest regard!
Consequently, Jiang Xingtai promptly assured Jiang Chen that he would dispatch cultivators from the Jiang Clan to secretly search for and observe Lin Feng.
Thus, the Jiang Clan, a colossus occupying half of Autumn Glory City, discreetly extended its numerous tendrils!
However, Autumn Glory City was indeed vast. As the central city of the surrounding region, it harbored a substantial transient population.
Pinpointing Lin Feng amidst such a sprawling area and the throngs of people would prove exceedingly challenging.
Moreover, Lin Feng still possessed his protagonist status and was protected by Heavenly Fate. Attempts to target him rarely unfolded smoothly.
By the time Jiang Chen and Elder Ge reached Autumn Glory City, the members of the Jiang Clan had been unable to locate Lin Feng.
...
At the eastern city gate of Autumn Glory City, beneath the shadows cast by a nearby building, Jiang Chen mused inwardly as he stored the transmission jade token, 'He still hasn't been found. No matter, I have the Aura Finder Smoke!'
Immediately, he withdrew a black incense stick, which had already burnt to a quarter of its length. Upon determining Lin Feng's position after using it the first time, he had snuffed out the Aura Finder Smoke to conserve it.
Now, it was ready for use once again.
With a "woosh," a small portion of the Aura Finder Smoke flared up, swiftly pinpointing Lin Feng's location.
'How convenient! It wasn't a waste to spend 300 Villain Value points,' Jiang Chen noted to himself, the corners of his mouth curving slightly. After relaying his instructions to Jiang Xingtai and Elder Ge, he quickly made his way towards the Vast Spirit House.
Upon receiving Jiang Chen's message, Jiang Xingtai and Elder Ge immediately sprang into action.
Before long, Jiang Chen arrived at a house with a courtyard near the Vast Spirit House.
Gazing at the Vast Spirit House just a short distance away, he thought, 'Is he here?' his eyes narrowing with a hint of caution.
Although he possessed divine sense, enabling him to detect everything within a 100-meter radius with remarkable clarity, he suspected that a formidable figure had escorted Lin Feng to Autumn Glory City.
If such a powerhouse were indeed present, inadvertently alerting them would be problematic.
To address this concern, he had already asked Elder Ge to dispatch someone for investigation, and Jiang Xingtai's side was conducting inquiries as well.
The subsequent course of action would depend on the findings from these probes.
Shortly after, Jiang Chen received a message stating: "Today, apart from the regular patrons at the Vast Spirit House Inn, only one black-clad, cloaked man entered the Vast Spirit House, and he was alone. His silhouette closely resembles Lin Feng."
Upon reading the message, the corners of Jiang Chen's mouth twisted into a cold smirk. "Hmph, excellent!" he muttered to himself, and promptly expanded his divine sense.
Instantly, everything within a hundred-meter radius, encompassing more than thirty thousand square meters, became astonishingly clear to him.
This transformation felt as though a severely nearsighted person had suddenly regained their vision, revealing an entirely new world.
Naturally, as an inn catering to cultivators, the Vast Spirit House was dedicated to safeguarding the privacy of its guests. Each room had its own independent protective formation.
Currently, the room Lin Feng occupied had its formation activated.
Aside from that, the public areas of the Vast Spirit House were not shielded by formations, allowing Jiang Chen's divine sense to penetrate them unobstructed.
As a result, the pale green and white-shirted maiden Ning Xian, a brown-robed elderly woman, along with several cooks and waitresses, all came into Jiang Chen's view.
'Huh! This young woman is stunning!' Jiang Chen observed quietly to himself, 'And she's an Original Movement realm cultivator as well.'
'Did I just stumble upon something interesting? She's so beautiful and appearing near Lin Feng; could she be the unpursued heroine?' he speculated with a surge of curiosity, instantly recognizing Ning Xian's uniqueness. Promptly, he activated his Villain Eye.
Instantly, relevant information materialized before him.
[Name: Ning Xian
Realm: Early-stage Original Movement
Status: Heroine (Unpursued)
Fate Value: 2,243]
Jiang Chen took in Ning Xian's information, his mouth curving into a wide grin as he inwardly celebrated, 'Bingo! As expected, she's a heroine, or perhaps one of the heroines.'
'And she's an unpursued heroine, like a pristine flower bud,' he mused with intrigue.
The heroine was a key element in undermining the protagonist. Ning Xian would undoubtedly play a crucial role in Lin Feng's rapid ascent to power.
Currently, her contact with Lin Feng was minimal, amounting to just a passing acquaintance. This presented a perfect opportunity for intervention.
Once he succeeded in influencing Ning Xian, Jiang Chen would not only significantly weaken Lin Feng's Heavenly Fate Value but also win the heart of a beautiful girl, thereby reaping enormous benefits.
Just the thought of captivating a beauty of the heroine's caliber was enticing.
'System! Just to be prepared for the worst, if the instigation fails, can I kill Ning Xian?' Jiang Chen's smile faded as he inquired in his mind.
[Ding! You can't! Remind the host that the heroine's Fate Value and the protagonist's Heavenly Fate Value are closely linked!]
[If the protagonist loses his protagonist status when you kill the heroine, the severity of the consequences is no less than directly killing the protagonist!]
'Okay, I'm just considering it. I'm not the kind of person who would heartlessly trample on flowers,' Jiang Chen reassured himself with a smile. He then took out his transmission jade token to send a message to his second uncle, Jiang Xingtai, asking him to investigate the background of the Vast Spirit House.
Ning Xian, possessing a heroine template, was certainly no ordinary person. Jiang Chen wasn't about to take any chances or act recklessly.
Not long afterwards, Jiang Xingtai responded. The Jiang Clan's influence in Autumn Glory City was indeed significant!
In a short period, they had meticulously uncovered all available information about the Vast Spirit House.