Chapter 319 - 38: New Research Field: Qi and Blood Witchcraft, Mo Ning’s Debut in the Arbitration Court, Corruption Mark

Chapter 319: Chapter 38: New Research Field: Qi and Blood Witchcraft, Mo Ning’s Debut in the Arbitration Court, Corruption Mark

This was because these people were expressionless most of the time, and there was a dangerous monster in the wild called the "Faceless Monster." The nickname "Faceless People" was clearly a veiled taunt, likening the Arbiters to the Faceless Monsters of the human world.

When Sitt’s gaze landed on one of the faces, a thunderclap exploded in his mind.

Mo Ning!

’How could it be Mo Ning?!’

That face was etched into Sitt’s memory. He would recognize it even if it were reduced to ash.

’But the question is—how can a new Apprentice possibly be wearing the Black Robe of the Arbitration Court?!’

Sitt was frozen in place as if petrified, a storm of shock raging in his mind.

The Arbitration Court wasn’t an organization one could join based on Divination Talent alone. Without exceptional strength, one wouldn’t even be qualified to cross the threshold.

In Sitt’s mind, the minimum requirement to become an Arbiter was to be a Second Level Apprentice.

To become an Arbiter as a First Level Apprentice meant that Mo Ning’s strength was likely even greater than the newcomers’ rumors suggested.

’No, he must be much stronger.’

Sitt stood there, staring blankly at the Arbiters, and quickly drew their attention.

After all, most Apprentices avoided Arbiters like the plague. People who just stood there staring were few and far between.

A Senior Arbiter named Ma Kai turned his head and "stabbed" at Sitt with a gaze as sharp as a knife.

Sitt cried out, "Ah!" He felt a slight stinging pain on his face and in his eyes, as if he had truly been pricked by countless fine needles at once.

Horrified, he immediately lowered his head, not daring to look again. He couldn’t help but curse under his breath.

’Damn Arbiters. They’re just as tyrannical as the rumors say. No wonder everyone calls them Faceless People.’

Ma Kai stared at Sitt with a scrutinizing gaze, his voice devoid of any warmth.

"Kid, an Apprentice in this Apprentice Village is suspected of having ambiguous ties to an Evil God Sect. You’ve been standing here watching for a while now. You wouldn’t happen to be connected to the suspect, would you?"

Sitt jumped in fright and quickly defended himself. "I just condensed my Spirit Ring and entered Apprentice Town today! How could I be connected to the suspect?"

He cursed internally. ’What a bunch of bastards. I just stared for a bit, and they’re already trying to label me as a lackey of an Evil God.’

Sitt forced himself not to look at Mo Ning, his loathing for the other man deepening even further.

Ma Kai stared at Sitt like a hawk for two seconds before waving a dismissive hand. "If this has nothing to do with you, then get going. This is no place for you to be meddling."

Sitt managed to force a smile before quickly turning to leave, his pace so fast it looked like he was speed-walking.

Behind him, Mo Ning glanced at Sitt’s retreating back with no intention of greeting him.

He knew the guy hated him, so of course he wouldn’t go looking for trouble, let alone strike up a conversation.

The last time he had warned Sitt had taught him a harsh lesson.

In Mo Ning’s mind, the character analysis model presented a noteworthy piece of information:

[First Level Apprentice, Sitt. Current psychological state: Fear, nervousness, disgust, guilty conscience.]

After several months of updates, the analysis model’s accuracy was extremely high, and the probability of an error was very low.

The emotions of ’fear, nervousness, and disgust’ were all understandable. The only thing that seemed strange was the phrase ’guilty conscience.’

Mo Ning withdrew his gaze, wondering, ’What has this guy done to have such a guilty conscience in front of Arbiters?’

He didn’t stop Sitt, but he did quietly add him to his high-priority watch list.

Ma Kai turned to Mo Ning, a rare smile gracing his weathered face.

"Mo Ning, you did an excellent job today. If you hadn’t found that suspicious item the suspect hid so well, we probably wouldn’t have been able to nab him."

Originally, Ma Kai had only brought Mo Ning along for the search to gain experience, following a Lord Wizard’s order to "give Mo Ning more training."

But the Third Level Apprentice truly hadn’t expected Mo Ning to find the single most crucial piece of evidence.

Mo Ning’s attitude was very humble. "Mr. Ma Kai, I still have a lot to learn."

Just moments before, inside the suspect’s apartment, several Arbiters had used various Witchcraft detection methods, yet had failed to find anything suspicious.

However, after Mo Ning scanned the room with his [Insightful Secret Eye], he noticed that the wear marks on the edge of one of the wooden wall planks were slightly more pronounced.

Although it was almost invisible to the naked eye, his ability ran a comparison and made the unique wear pattern clearly visible.

’This is clearly wrong.’

The marks only meant the plank had been removed recently.

’But the question is, who would dismantle a wall plank in their own apartment for no reason? Even someone with nothing better to do wouldn’t go that far, right?’

Mo Ning acted decisively. He removed the plank and immediately found a black metal needle embedded within it.

Ma Kai had looked on in bewilderment as Mo Ning suddenly started prying off the plank.

It wasn’t until Mo Ning held up the plank and said calmly, "Mr. Ma Kai, I think I’ve found something," that Ma Kai leaned in for a look and was taken aback.

The Senior Arbiter took out the metal needle and examined it closely, discovering fine patterns engraved along its body.

But Ma Kai couldn’t immediately decipher the meaning hidden in the patterns.

The other three Arbiters gathered around, each taking a turn to examine the metal needle, but they too were unable to make sense of it.

Then, Mo Ning acted again.

He extended a finger, tapped the metal needle, and quietly performed a Trick. The patterns on its surface were then traced out by threads of light.

The light threads immediately unfurled. After twisting from two different angles, they formed a three-dimensional image.

Ma Kai’s expression changed the instant he saw it. "This is the corruption mark of Abyss Monarch No. 476. It seems this needle contains a trace of corrupting power."

The Chaos Abyss was home to a great number of Abyss Monarchs at the Legendary Power Level, and the Wizards had assigned a number to each of these malevolent beings.

This was a safety precaution.

Simply speaking the honorific titles of certain powerful Abyss Monarchs could trigger a faint resonance with them.

As for the corruption mark, it was one of the many methods Chaos Demons used to corrupt the souls of others.

This was more than enough proof that the Apprentice named Kafu had secretly colluded with an Evil God Sect.

With this small display of skill, Mo Ning instantly earned the Arbiters’ respect. No one treated him like a clueless rookie anymore.

Every Arbiter wanted to partner with someone truly capable. A good teammate not only greatly increased the chances of completing a mission but could also help them survive in a dangerous situation.

A look of approval appeared in the eyes of every Arbiter, including Ma Kai, as they looked at Mo Ning.

*****

「That evening.」

「The Cabin in the Woods.」

Mo Ning was having dinner with the two young women in the small garden behind the wooden cabin. ℴ

Ever since he had told them about the Cabin in the Woods, they often came over in the evenings to study.

The manuscripts Mo Ning had made available to them were like an inexhaustible treasure trove.

Whenever they encountered a difficult Divination problem, all they had to do was ask Flower. The Artificial Soul would then retrieve the relevant manuscript, where they were guaranteed to find a concise, clear, and highly innovative approach to the solution.

After a few "nightly study sessions" at the cabin, both young women felt their Divination Ability had improved significantly. This made them realize just how profound Mo Ning’s mastery of Divination truly was.

At this moment, Mo Ning took a sip of freshly brewed sweet berry wine, recounted the afternoon’s experience searching the Apprentice’s apartment, and remarked with a sigh:

"Only after joining the Arbitration Court did I learn that dozens of Apprentices are arrested within the academy every year. All of them have ties to Dark Wizards or Evil God Sects, and more than half of them defected voluntarily."

He didn’t state the reason, but it wasn’t hard to guess.

For Apprentices with lower Divination Ability, the Magic System—which had been completely reformed by Secret Divination and Divination—was extremely unforgiving.

These people saw no hope of advancement within the academy. In contrast, the Forbidden Sects and Evil God Sects could offer them a path to enhance their power.

Anya sighed. "The number of Apprentices at the academy has grown very slowly over the past thirty years. There were 57,000 Apprentices thirty years ago, and today there are only 58,000."

The academy accepts over a hundred new Apprentices each year, yet the total number has only increased by a little over 1,000 in all that time. That alone spoke volumes about the problem.

Reina offered a different perspective. "I heard from Teacher Buck that quite a few Apprentices in the academy still hold the Ancient Witchcraft system in high regard."

Her words were rather cryptic.

The true meaning was that these people probably didn’t just hold Ancient Witchcraft in high regard—it was highly likely that some were secretly practicing it.