Practitioners who wield great power through their own cultivation could easily alter the weather once they reached the Nascent Soul Realm.
That was why some well-known construction crews now employed a Nascent Soul Cultivator, who could create ideal working conditions when needed.
After all, Dao Integration experts were all off doing livestreams. Having Nascent Soul Cultivators handle a little construction work didn't seem so strange.
But the truth wasn't quite so simple.
Once practitioners embarked on the path of cultivation, their outlook would change without them realizing it. They would instinctively start to think of themselves and mortals as two different kinds of beings.
Given the vastness of the Central Continent, before going into seclusion, a Nascent Soul Cultivator could have carved out a territory and lorded it over the people. Now, they were willingly going off to do construction...
'Saint Emperor Abyss... truly is remarkable.'
Xu Xing sighed inwardly.
It was still raining outside. That punch hadn't affected the weather here, and the flowers in the garden outside were teetering in the howling wind and torrential rain.
A hazy curtain of rain shrouded the world, obscuring the distance.
Back in front of the television, Xu Xing saw a live broadcast of the construction crew at work. Several Golden Core Cultivators were working together, filling in the huge crater left by the battle at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Turning stone into mud; the simplified version of pointing at the ground and turning it to steel; the improved version of summoning wind and rain.
Amid the glow of all kinds of spells, building materials flew back and forth through the air. Even Xu Xing was impressed by some of the techniques on display.
At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the damaged buildings were rebuilt.
Gradually, night fell and the rain stopped. Xu Xing turned off the television and went outside.
The air was especially fresh after the rain. Petals and leaves washed down by the storm littered the ground. Perhaps because of that punch, the rain had been unusually heavy this time, leaving the flowers in the garden battered and scattered.
Xu Xing swept his gaze over the mess and raised a hand. A vortex swept up the petals and leaves from the ground and tossed them into the trash can by the roadside.
Then he looked up. One by one, streaks of light in all sorts of colors tore across the night sky like shooting stars.
They were the flight lights of cultivators.
The multicolored streaks cut through the starry sky. A few of them carried an aura that seemed familiar.
With Mystic Sword City under attack, relatives and friends who were away naturally couldn't sit still. Even if only some of them returned, the number was still considerable.
Meanwhile, in the municipal building, the mayor was a little panicked at the sight. What if some penniless Demonic Cultivator slipped in with the crowd again?
Wasn't this whole mess today caused by some deadbeat from the demonic path?
Besides, they still hadn't figured out who the great expert who'd emerged from seclusion was. They couldn't afford any more chaos now.
Still, the experts from the Supreme Dao Sect hadn't left yet, which reassured him somewhat.
Xu Xing watched the night sky for a while as the streaks of light continued to arrive one after another, then turned and went back inside.
"Senior Brother, everyone says the cultivator who came out of seclusion this time is one of our Sword Sect's elders. But which elder is it?"
Three figures flew side by side on their swords. They all looked like young men and wore blue fitted uniforms, the sort worn by Sword Sect inner disciples many years ago. At their waists hung blue jade tokens engraved with the character for "sword."
The tokens showed that all three were inner disciples of the Sword Sect. At their age, reaching the Nascent Soul Realm made them standouts even among the inner disciples.
The young man in the middle had a steady bearing. His abundant, surging magic power made him seem like a treasured sword sheathed in its scabbard.
"Don't ask too many questions. I can only say that this is an enormous opportunity. We might only get one like it in our entire lives of cultivation," Lin Qiuxian said solemnly.
The two beside him felt their hearts tighten. They both knew their senior brother came from a powerful background and had exceptional talent. He was a seed with the potential to become a Dao Integration expert.
"There's something I want you two junior brothers to remember."
"Please, go ahead, Senior Brother."
His grave manner made the two of them dare not take this lightly.
"Under no circumstances are you to bully others by throwing your weight around."
"Senior Brother, you jest. I've always been kind to others," the young man on the left said with a smile.
"Got it," the young man on the right muttered.
Lin Qiuxian said no more.
Unlike his two clueless junior brothers, he had learned some inside information from his elders. He'd paid a steep price to secure this opportunity.
The Sword Sect elder who had emerged from seclusion was fond of giving opportunities to the younger generation. This time, though, was special.
This was the very opportunity he meant to seize!
But the elder was also exceptionally bloodthirsty. If they accidentally angered him, not only Lin Qiuxian but even the elders behind him would be implicated.
Still, opportunity and risk went hand in hand. If he could obtain this chance, then forget Dao Integration—even the realm above it might no longer be out of reach!
As his thoughts raced, Lin Qiuxian looked toward Mystic Sword City, drawing ever closer, and felt a surge of excitement.
"Junior Brothers, let's pick up the pace!"
Before he'd even finished speaking, his sword light flared. The elder might be watching right now; they could make an impression!
"Hahaha! Wait for me, Senior Brother!"
The two shot ahead one after the other, their sword lights like startled swans.
The young man who seemed more subdued, however, kept up his original speed.
Emm...
Senior Brothers, unless something unexpected happens, and unless I've miscalculated, we're speeding, aren't we?
The experts from the Supreme Dao Sect and True Person Xiaoning haven't left yet.
Sure enough, not even a minute later, a huge hand made of primordial qi appeared out of thin air and seized the two of them. It then swiftly retreated into the municipal building.
"Ah! No! We were speeding!"
"Please don't! I know I was wrong, Senior!"
Their cries echoed through the night sky. The subdued young man scratched his head at the sight, then turned around and flew toward the municipal building too, though at a...
slightly slower speed.
The Supreme Dao Sect was an allied sect. At worst, they'd give his two senior brothers a scolding. There was definitely no danger.
Meanwhile, at Zhang Yunlu's home, Zhang Yunlu sat absently pushing rice around her bowl.
Zhang Xiu, seated across from her, was worried. But when he asked, she only said she'd been frightened by what happened that day.
"I'm full." Zhang Yunlu put down her chopsticks.
Zhang Xiu glanced at the more-than-half-full bowl of rice. "Then go get some rest, Xiaolu. If you're still not feeling well, I'll ask for leave for you tomorrow."
"Mm~"
He wasn't sure she'd even heard him. She swayed as she made her way back to her bedroom.
"Sigh." Zhang Xiu sighed.
After their parents died, Zhang Yunlu had become his only family. But because of the age gap, he'd never really known how to get along with his younger sister.
Even though he wanted to comfort her, he had no idea where to begin.
And those people...
After something like this, they ought to leave her alone for a while.
In her bedroom, Zhang Yunlu lay sprawled on the bed, her gaze vacant.
That purple sword light, and the demonic hand cut down by it—the images replayed over and over in her mind.
When two Dao Integration experts clashed their divine abilities, anyone who witnessed it would inevitably be affected.
For mortals, the damage could range from a weakened soul that left them an idiot to instant death.
But Zhang Yunlu was different. She was at the Qi Refining stage, and her soul was stronger than a mortal's. On top of that, Xu Xing had helped lessen the impact, turning the scene of the great experts' battle into a trial.
She wouldn't be harmed. In fact, she could benefit from it.
Someone with extraordinary comprehension might even grasp the Great Void Sword Canon and the Demonic Cultivator's cultivation method from what they'd witnessed.
Even without such exceptional comprehension, they could still temper their temperament and strengthen their soul.
It was simply not an easy process.
Before you continue