Chapter 9: Sword Sect Arrives, Speeding Arrested

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, even Dao-Union experts are now doing livestreams—what’s wrong with Nascent Soul cultivators doing construction work?

But the reality is not like that.

Once a cultivator steps onto the path of cultivation, their mindset inevitably changes; they unconsciously regard themselves as entirely different from mortals.

With the vastness of the Central Continent, a Nascent Soul cultivator could have seized a territory and ruled it with tyranny before entering seclusion—yet now they willingly take up construction work…

‘The Holy Emperor’s Abyss… truly remarkable.’

Xu Xing sighed inwardly.

Rain still fell outside; that punch had not affected the local weather, 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 sights.

Back in front of the TV, the live broadcast showed the construction site of that team: several Golden Core cultivators worked in unison, 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 methodological applications even surprised Xu Xing.

Judging by this pace, 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; petals and leaves littered the ground, 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 once, 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 cultivators’ flight auras.

Multicolored flight auras pierced the starry heavens, several of them carrying familiar energies.

With Xuanjian City under attack, relatives and friends abroad could no longer sit idle—even if only some returned, the number was still immense.

Inside the city hall, the mayor was still uneasy: what if more impoverished devil cultivators slipped in? Wasn’t today’s mess caused by a penniless devil cultivator? And who exactly was that elder who emerged from seclusion? The situation was too unstable now.

Yet the fact that the Taishang Dao Sect’s experts had not yet departed eased his mind considerably.

Xu Xing watched the night sky for a while; flight auras continued to stream in, then he turned and went back inside.

…………

‘Senior brother, they say the elder who emerged from seclusion is one of our Sword Sect’s predecessors—but which one exactly?’

Three figures flew side by side on swords, all young in appearance, clad in blue combat robes—the attire of 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 Jianzong, and their Nascent Soul cultivation base placed them among the elite of their rank.

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

‘Don’t ask too much,’ Lin QiuXian said gravely. ‘I can only say this is an unparalleled opportunity—one you may never see again in your entire cultivation life.’

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 QiuXian said no more.

Unlike these two ignorant junior brothers, he had learned some truths from his elders and had paid a heavy price to secure this opportunity. The elder emerging 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, 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; he might even glimpse the next realm! Thoughts flashed through his mind as Lin QiuXian gazed at the approaching Xuanjian City, a surge of excitement rising within him.

‘Two junior brothers, let’s go faster!’

Before his words ended, the swordlight surged violently—he wondered if the elder was already watching, and wanted to leave a good impression! ‘Hahaha! Senior brother, wait for me!’

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

The seemingly dull youth maintained his original speed.

Hmm…

Senior brothers, if nothing went wrong and my calculations were right—weren’t we speeding? The Taishang Dao Sect’s expert and Xiao Ning True Person haven’t left yet.

Sure enough, less than a minute passed before an enormous hand of spiritual energy materialized, snatching the two up and swiftly retreating into the city hall.

‘Ah! No good—we were speeding!’

‘No! I’m sorry, Elder!’

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

Slowed even further.

Taishang Dao Sect is an allied sect; they’d only scold the two senior brothers—there’d be no real 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 set down her chopsticks.

Zhang Xiu glanced at the half-full bowl of rice: ‘Then rest for now, 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 him; she wandered dazedly back to her bedroom.

‘Sigh~’ Zhang Xiu sighed.

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

Now, even if he wished to comfort her, he didn’t know where to begin.

And those people…

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

Inside the bedroom, Zhang Yunlu lay sprawled on the bed, her eyes vacant.

The purple swordlight, the severed demonic hand—this scene replayed endlessly in her mind.

Witnessing a Dao-Union expert’s spiritual clash inevitably affects the observer.

Mortals who watch suffer at best soul damage and become idiots; at worst, they die instantly.

But Zhang Yunlu was different—she was a Qi Refining cultivator, her soul stronger than a mortal’s, and Xu Xing had helped weaken the impact, turning the direct sight of the clash into a trial.

She would not be harmed—she would benefit.

If one possessed extraordinary insight, one might even awaken the principles of the Grand Void Sword Scripture and the devil cultivator’s cultivation method.

Even without such insight, one could still strengthen one’s spirit and temper one’s soul.

But the process was far from easy.

(End of Chapter)