More than half an hour later, after the powerful cultivator from the Supreme Dao Sect finished his inspection, the alarm was lifted.
People began trickling out of the various sects' compounds and the schools.
The owner of a flying-sword paint shop had been held up by something. When he returned, he found quite a few people milling around outside his shop.
Hm?
Had business come knocking?
But when he saw what was happening inside, especially several people standing by the computer while sounds that were definitely not suitable for public playback came from it...
Which son of a bitch messed with the computer?!
Xu Xing, who had caused all this, had already exchanged some spirit stones for money from this era and was getting ready to rent a place to stay.
In the city center stood a building dozens of stories tall. On its side, several large characters read: [Sword Sect—Miscellaneous Affairs Hall].
Sword Province was the largest province under the Sword Sect's rule. Xuanjian City had a branch of the Sword Sect's Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, which specialized in handling matters like this.
Renting a place through the Sword Sect's Miscellaneous Affairs Hall was a little more expensive, but the paperwork was simple and the process lightning-fast.
Two security guards stood at the entrance. One had a longsword on his back, while a sword pill spun in the air beside the other.
Both were Golden Core cultivators, with white jade plaques hanging from their waists, marking them as outer disciples of the Sword Sect.
It really did look a little surreal.
There weren't too many people coming and going, but Xu Xing's entrance went unnoticed.
As one of the Seven Great Immortal Sects, the Sword Sect was absolutely confident in its strength. No one dared cause trouble on its grounds, not even at a branch of its Miscellaneous Affairs Hall.
It was only because of the recent clash between True Person Xiaoning and the demonic cultivators that they'd sent two Golden Core sword cultivators to serve as guards and put on a show.
The layout inside the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall was much like the service halls Xu Xing remembered. A huge mystic-light mirror hung overhead, with all kinds of information flashing across it.
Most of the staff behind the service counters had only reached the Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment stages. There were only one or two Golden Core cultivators, all young cultivators. One counter bore a bright sign: [Sword Sect Cultivators—Internal Service Channel].
It was a small perk for Sword Sect cultivators.
Since no one was there, Xu Xing went straight over and took out a green jade plaque.
"Hello. I'd like to rent a place to live."
The woman in charge of this counter looked about the same age as Zhang Yunlu. She was also one of the few Golden Core cultivators here, and an outer disciple of the Sword Sect.
[Name: Zuo Yuning]
[Realm: Golden Core]
"All right. Please wait a moment. I need to verify your identity first."
Zuo Yuning took the green jade plaque and inserted it into a device that looked like a card reader. A few lines of text and a photo soon appeared on the computer screen.
[Name: Xu Sandao]
[Realm: Nascent Soul]
[Position: Outer Sect Discipline Hall Officer]
The information was quite simple. After all, cultivation was a very private matter, and the sect wouldn't pry too deeply into its disciples' affairs.
But... Xu Sandao?
Seriously, Uncle-Master, was that really an appropriate name for a Nascent Soul sword cultivator of the Sword Sect?
She grumbled inwardly. After confirming that his appearance matched the photo, she took out a square machine with a thumb-sized indentation in the middle.
"Please inject a wisp of spiritual power to confirm your identity, Uncle-Master."
Xu Xing nodded and sent a strand of Nascent Soul-level spiritual power from the Great Void Sword Canon into it.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
Huh?!
Why wasn't it working? It never lagged like this!
Zuo Yuning stood up and gave the computer two slaps. Then she smiled apologetically at Xu Xing. "Sorry for the wait, Uncle-Master."
Don't fail on me now. She didn't want trouble at a post this easygoing.
Thump, thump!
After two more slaps, words finally appeared on the computer screen.
"Verification successful."
Phew~
Breathing a sigh of relief, Zuo Yuning's professional smile returned. "All right, Uncle-Master. Do you have any specific requirements for the place?"
"Just somewhere quiet and spacious."
After hearing his requirements, she quickly searched through the listings and handed Xu Xing a file.
"What do you think of this place? It's near a spiritual leyline node, so the spiritual energy is abundant. And since you're an officer of the Discipline Hall, you're entitled to a thirty percent discount on the rent."
Xu Xing glanced at it. "That'll do. I'll take it."
When he agreed, Zuo Yuning took three small wooden plaques and a certificate from her drawer, then handed them back along with the green jade plaque.
"These are the formation's control tokens. Uncle-Master, pay at the cashier, and someone will take you there."
"Thanks."
After thanking her, Xu Xing turned and left.
Watching him walk away, Zuo Yuning sat back down and patted the device that identified spiritual power.
The cultivation world was full of ways to disguise oneself. People could alter not only their appearance, but even the aura of their spiritual power and the fluctuations of their souls.
But this new spiritual-power identification system was connected to the supreme Ancestral Sword. No cultivator could hide the true nature of their spiritual power from it. In theory, it should respond immediately, without any delay.
Thump, thump!
After giving it two more slaps, she seemed satisfied and put it back where it belonged.
Her master had said that when something broke, two slaps would fix it. If it still didn't work, that meant it was truly broken.
By evening, thick dark clouds blanketed the sky. Distant rumbles of thunder rolled now and then. It looked like the rain would be heavy.
The Central Continent was vast beyond measure. Sword Province alone had a surface area equivalent to dozens of Blue Stars from his previous life. Xuanjian City therefore sprawled across an immense area, rivaling the largest provinces of his previous life.
The city's most famous residential complex had neat rows of three-story villas set out in orderly arrangement, with beautifully designed interiors.
Xu Xing had already signed the contract. He took out one of the small wooden plaques that served as the formation's control token and gently touched it against the air in front of him.
Bzz~
Ripples spread through the air, and a passage opened in the formation surrounding the entire villa.
It was a rather crude Bewildering Spirit-Gathering Formation, enough to keep out cats, dogs, mosquitoes, ants, and mice.
Even a Qi Refining cultivator could break through it by force.
There's an alchemy room, a weapon-refining room, a spiritual spring, a quiet room stocked with mind-clearing incense, and all kinds of recreational facilities.
Most importantly, the Sword Sect protects this place. Even that demonic cultivator from today wouldn't dare attack it.
Overall, it was much like the rented cultivation cave he'd had before going into seclusion, but far more comfortable.
I'll improve the formation later, so no one wanders in by mistake.
Xu Xing entered the villa and looked around. Several diamond-shaped crystals were embedded in the walls of every room. They were the formation nodes for the "air conditioning" array.
It, too, had been invented by Saint Emperor Yuan. It could adjust the temperature within a certain range, but its upper and lower limits weren't very high, so it was classed as an auxiliary formation.
After making a round of the place, he walked to the enormous floor-to-ceiling window. Raindrops the size of beans fell outside, and the flowers and plants in the garden swayed in the wind.
He looked up at the sky. Lightning flashed, and a storm was coming.
Suddenly!
A fist-shaped streak of energy shot up in the distance and struck the thick clouds overhead.
In an instant, dazzling light burst forth, and the heavy clouds were "pushed" to the edges. It was as if an eraser had rubbed a circular blank spot into the middle of a gray painting.
On the television, which was on nearby, a construction crew was being interviewed.
"For construction purposes, we've decided to alter the weather on a small scale. We've received permission from the Sword Sect's Miscellaneous Affairs Hall. We hope fellow cultivators won't imitate us."
On the screen, a figure in the distance slowly lowered his fist. He must have been the one who'd done it.
Construction workers these days were pretty fierce.
Before you continue