Chapter 9: The Xiang Jianzong Sends Someone, Caught Speeding

Cultivators who rely on their own strength can easily alter the weather once they reach the Nascent Soul realm.

Thus, many renowned construction teams now assign a Nascent Soul cultivator to ensure favorable conditions when needed.

After all, those who have achieved Dao Union are now doing livestreams—so what's wrong with Nascent Soul cultivators doing construction work?

But the reality is not like that.

Once a cultivator sets foot on the path of cultivation, their mindset inevitably changes, and they unconsciously regard themselves as entirely different from ordinary mortals.

With the vastness of the Central Continent, a Nascent Soul cultivator could have easily carved out his own territory and ruled with tyranny before entering seclusion—yet now he willingly takes up construction work…

"The Holy Emperor's Abyss… truly remarkable."

Xu Xing sighed inwardly.

Rain still fell outside; that punch had not affected the weather here, and the small flowers in the garden swayed precariously in the gale and downpour.

A hazy curtain of rain veiled heaven and earth, obscuring distant views.

Back in front of the TV, it was broadcasting the live footage of the construction team's site, where several Jin Dan cultivators jointly cast spells, filling the massive crater left by their clash at a visible pace.

A simplified version of turning stone to mud, turning earth to steel; an improved version of summoning wind and rain.

Amid the glowing light of numerous techniques, building materials flew through the air; some of these spell applications even surprised Xu Xing.

At this rate, the damaged structures would be rebuilt in no time.

Gradually, the sky darkened and the rain ceased; Xu Xing turned off the TV and stepped outside.

The air after the rain was exceptionally fresh; the ground was littered with petals and leaves washed down by the deluge—perhaps due to that punch, this rain had been unusually heavy, leaving the garden's flowers battered and scattered.

Xu Xing glanced at them, waved his hand, and a vortex swept up the petals and leaves, depositing them into the trash bin by the roadside.

Then he looked upward and saw countless multicolored "meteors" streaking through the night sky.

They were the cultivation lights of cultivators.

Multicolored cultivation lights pierced the starry sky, and several carried familiar auras.

With Xuanjian City under attack, relatives and friends abroad could not sit idle—even if only a portion returned, the number was still immense.

Inside the city hall, the mayor was still uneasy at the sight: what if more impoverished demonic cultivators slipped in? Wasn't today's mess caused by one such destitute demonic cultivator? And the identity of that elder who just emerged from seclusion remains unknown—now is no time for chaos.

Yet the fact that the Taishang Dao Sect's great ones had not yet left gave him considerable reassurance.

Xu Xing watched the night sky for a while; cultivation lights continued to arrive in succession. He turned and went back inside.

…………

"Senior brother, they say the elder who just emerged from seclusion is one of our Xiang Jianzong's predecessors—but which one exactly?"

Three figures flew side by side on swords, all young in appearance, clad in blue combat attire—the uniform of the Xiang Jianzong's inner disciples from many years ago—with blue jade plaques at their waists, each engraved with the character "Sword."

This marked them as inner disciples of the Xiang Jianzong, and their Nascent Soul realm placed them among the elite of their cohort.

The central youth carried a calm demeanor, his magic power vast and vigorous, like a precious sword sheathed in its scabbard.

"Don't ask too much," Lin Qiu Xian said gravely. "I can only say this is an unparalleled opportunity—one that may come but once in a lifetime."

The two beside him stiffened; they knew their senior brother came from a powerful background and possessed extraordinary talent, a potential candidate for Dao Union.

"I have one piece of advice I want both of you to remember."

"Senior brother, speak."

His tone made them dare not take it lightly.

"Above all, never abuse your power to bully others."

"Senior brother, you jest—I've always been kind to others," the left youth laughed.

"I understand," muttered the right youth.

Lin Qiu Xian said no more.

Unlike these two ignorant junior brothers, he had learned some truths from his elders and had paid a great price to secure this opportunity. The elder who emerged from seclusion favored granting opportunities to younger disciples—and this time was especially unique.

He intended to seize this very chance! But this elder also had a fierce temper; if he angered him even slightly, not only would he himself suffer, but even his elders would be implicated.

Yet opportunity and risk go hand in hand—if he could gain this chance, not even Dao Union was beyond reach; perhaps even a higher realm might be glimpsed! His thoughts raced as he gazed at the approaching Xuanjian City, a surge of excitement rising within him.

"Junior brothers, let's go faster!"

Before his words ended, the swordlight surged violently—perhaps the elder was watching now, and he must leave a good impression! "Hahaha! Senior brother, wait for me!"

The two surged ahead and behind, their swordlight like startled swans.

The quieter youth, however, maintained his original speed.

Hmm…

Senior brothers, if nothing went wrong and my calculations were correct, aren't you two speeding? The Taishang Dao Sect's great one and Xiao Ning True Person haven't left yet.

Sure enough, less than a minute passed—a giant hand of primordial qi appeared out of thin air, seized the two, and swiftly retracted into the city hall.

"Ah! No good—we're speeding!"

"No! I'm sorry, Elder!"

Their cries echoed through the night sky; the quiet youth scratched his head, then turned and flew toward the city hall—though his speed…

Slowed even further.

The Taishang Dao Sect is an allied sect; they'll only reprimand the two senior brothers—there's certainly no danger.

…………

Meanwhile, at Zhang Yunlu's home, Zhang Yunlu mechanically shoveled rice into her mouth.

Opposite her, Zhang Xiu looked worried, but when he asked, she only said she had been frightened today.

"I'm done eating," Zhang Yunlu put down her chopsticks.

Zhang Xiu glanced at the half-full bowl of rice: "Then go rest, Xiao Lu—if you really can't handle it, I'll take a day off for you tomorrow."

"Mmm~"

It was unclear if she heard; she wandered drowsily back to her bedroom.

"Sigh~" Zhang Xiu let out a breath.

When their parents perished, Zhang Yunlu became his only remaining family, but because of the age gap, he had never quite known how to interact with his sister.

Now, even if he wanted to comfort her, he didn't know where to begin.

And those people…

But after this incident, they should finally quiet down for a while.

Inside the bedroom, Zhang Yunlu lay sprawled on the bed, her gaze hollow.

The violet sword light, the demon qi hand that had been severed—this image replayed endlessly in her mind.

When two Dao-Union experts clashed, observers were inevitably affected.

Mortals who watched suffered at best soul damage and became fools, at worst died instantly.

But Zhang Yunlu was different—she was at Foundation Establishment, her soul stronger than a mortal's, and with Xu Xing's help weakening the impact, the direct clash of the experts became a trial.

It would not harm her; she could even benefit from it.

If one possessed extraordinary insight, one might even awaken the Great Void Sword Scripture and the demon cultivator's cultivation method from it.

Even with lesser insight, one could still strengthen one's will and nourish the soul.

But the process was by no means easy.

(End of Chapter)