Finished Construction - 391

"Interesting." Zhou Fan said when he heard the story from the old man.

"I never expected to see the city grow like this." The old man sighed.

"Are you upset?" Zhou Fan asked.

"Not really. It is good to see the city grow. This way, it will be safer, even if it is not the city I once knew." The old man answered. "Anyway, I wanted to know if you would join me at the new library."

"Naturally. Otherwise, what else would I do?" Zhou Fan answered.

"Good. Good." The old man said.

It was about 6 months later that the old library shut down and the books within it began to be moved.

3 months later, Zhou Fan and the old man journeyed to the new library. Along the way, Zhou Fan finally took in the new city. He had very rarely left the library, almost always staying within.

The old man was different, though he lived quite close to the library and had not seen the city in its full glory for a while.

Carriages that ran on spirit stones were a common sight. Buildings were at least two floors everywhere they walked, with plenty being nearly 10 floors tall.

Unlike before, mortals were harder to find than cultivators, though most of the cultivators were only in the first realm.

After going past nearly half of the city, Zhou Fan and the old man finally arrived at the new library. This library was a far cry from the old one, and even the Yang Lang library from long ago could not compare at all.

Surrounding the giant tower were multiple fields, most of them currently empty as the library had yet to open.

The tower, which was the new library, was 20 floors tall, and each floor was many times bigger than the entire old library. 

LIke in the Yang Lang library, not everyone could enter every floor. The higher one got, the more sensitive the information. There were also floors with martial arts and techniques.

There was one thing that Zhou Fan was sure of. The creation of this library, as well as the changes in the city, were not something that a simple core formation cultivator could accomplish. This was the effect of the hidden sword king, as well as the effort of whoever was supporting the new city lord.

Soon, it seemed as if the city would be comparable to the greatest cities in the entire world.

As the old man and Zhou Fan reached the door of the library, they were greeted by a group of people, as well as the city lord.

"Welcome, Head librarian." The city lord said with a smile. "And to you, Zhou Fan."

The old man slightly bowed while Zhou Fan nodded.

"Come in, I'll give you all a tour." The city lord said.

As they entered, Zhou Fan and the old man were amazed. It seemed less like a library, and more like a sacred location of knowledge.

"We went all out to build this place. There are even some arrays in some places and outside of the building." The city lord said.

The entire floor was carpeted, and on the first floor alone were hundreds of thousands of books.

Zhou Fan and the old man followed the city lord and he introduced them to the library. 

The 6th floor was the first floor that required special access. It did not hold any martial arts or techniques, but rather special information.

Secrets of the cultivation world, as well as hidden history and information about the empire's inner workings began to slowly show themselves. 

That continued until the 16th floor. From then on, the floors held mostly martial arts and techniques. They were extremely basic, to the point that any sect, even of the lowest level, would have them.

Still, they were something that the majority of independent cultivators would not have any access to.

The 16th to 19th floors were much smaller, with plenty of room left for walking. The martial arts and techniques were mostly written on tablets, not books.

On the 20th floor was a dark room that made it seem as if one was floating in space. On the sides of the rooms were six techniques floating around.

They were not basic techniques like the others within the library. The six techniques came from the six most prominent sects in the empire.

They were not the supreme techniques of the six sects, but were still at the higher level. Anyone who could reach the 20th floor would not be disappointed with them.

Of course, they did not interest Zhou Fan or the old man.

"As the head librarian and the vice head librarian, both of you have free access to the entire library. That includes these techniques." The city lord explained.

"We're thankful for your kindness." The old man said.

"Don't worry about it. It is enough that you both have decided to work at this library." The city lord smiled before turning around and descending the floors.

He soon left the library.

As he walked away, he took a talisman out of his spatial ring.

"Sir. There is a high chance that the old man is the hidden sword king." He spoke into the talisman.

"How high?" A voice came out from the talisman.

"Nearly 50%. Even when he saw the techniques at the top of the library, he did not show any reaction. Of course, there is a chance that he was once a member of a good sect, but he doesn't seem like the type." The city lord responded.

"I see. Continue watching. No matter what, we should make sure to keep tabs on this hidden sword king." The voice said as the talisman's light faded.

The city lord put the talisman back into his spatial ring and continued walking.

Neither Zhou Fan nor the old man had realized that the city lord was watching the old man on suspicions of him being the hidden sword king. 

Of course, Zhou Fan simply hadn't cared enough to pay any attention.