The Urban Cultivation Grandmaster

Chapter 24: The World of Cultivators

On the way down the mountain, the little Black Bear lay very obediently in Mu Tian’s backpack, half its little head poking out from the zipper. From time to time, it would use its chubby little paws to lift a Spirit Stone to its mouth, eating it with great gusto and greed. By the time Mu Tian returned to his residence, only three spirit stones remained in the backpack, causing him to groan in regret. He hadn’t even been willing to use those dozen or so spirit stones himself, but today, in just a few minutes, more than half of them had ended up in the little fellow’s belly. Just as Mu Tian was left both amused and exasperated, the little Black Bear—which had been curled up in his backpack—suddenly became lively. Possessing a natural spiritual sensitivity, it instantly sensed the rich, dense spiritual energy in the air and began rolling around and frolicking joyfully throughout the room, creating quite a commotion. The little Black Bear devoured the surrounding spiritual energy in huge gulps. Around it, the mist of spiritual energy that had been swirling vanished, instantly creating a vacuum—which was quickly filled by more spiritual energy. Mu Tian was taken aback. He hadn’t expected the little Black Bear to be such a voracious eater. From the start of the spiritual energy tide until now, the little fellow had absorbed such a massive amount of spiritual energy, yet even now it still looked as if it hadn’t had its fill. Just how powerful must the “Divine” it had awakened be! Mu Tian waited quietly nearby, observing the condition of the little Black Bear while keeping a close eye on the Spirit-Gathering Array. By now, the array’s range had shrunk by half. Speaking of which, it’s worth explaining the principle behind the Spirit-Gathering Array’s range. If the concentration of spiritual energy in the air in an ordinary area is one standard unit, then the maximum concentration within the Spirit-Gathering Array Mu Tian had set up is three standard units. When the spiritual energy inside the array reaches three standard units and spiritual energy continues to flow in from the outside, the array’s radius will automatically expand. But right now, the situation was exactly the opposite: the little Black Bear was frantically devouring the spiritual energy Mu Tian had painstakingly gathered, and the Spirit Gathering Array’s range was shrinking at a rate visible to the naked eye. In fact, the array’s range was already shrinking to the point where it was nearly confined to the Sanjang Pavilion, leaving Mu Tian with mixed feelings of joy and sorrow. He was delighted that the little Black Bear possessed boundless potential, but saddened that the vast amount of spiritual energy he had painstakingly gathered had ended up benefiting someone else. Just as Mu Tian was feeling heartbroken, the Spirit-Gathering Array finally stopped shrinking, its range stabilizing just outside the Sanjang Pavilion. Mu Tian was relieved; he turned to look at the little Black Bear and found it sprawled across the sofa cushions, fast asleep with the sweetest of snores. Seeing that he couldn’t make out the details with the naked eye, Mu Tian cast a glance through his Star Sea Eyes. A massive, enigmatic, and majestic form flickered in and out of view within the little creature’s body—seeming to be asleep, yet as if it might awaken at any moment. “It really worked. The little Black Bear can no longer be called a spirit beast—it’s a divine beast, a legendary divine beast, an unrivaled existence within its tier! Its divine embryo is naturally formed; even those peerless geniuses who have perfectly received the inheritance from the stone stele cannot compare or stand up to it.” Mu Tian observed for a while and found that the little Black Bear was sleeping as soundly as a log, with no adverse symptoms whatsoever. A weight was finally lifted from his heart. Leaving the little Black Bear be, Mu Tian packed up his backpack and set out once more. The spiritual energy tide swept through the land. Not only did it greatly benefit the humans within it, but for every living creature and every form of matter on Earth, it presented an opportunity for transformation. Some wild beasts mutated within the spiritual energy tide, becoming spirit beasts; some plants, nourished by the spiritual energy, transformed into spiritual herbs and immortal plants, possessing countless incredible and miraculous effects; even a simple rock could mutate, becoming a spirit stone, a spirit crystal, or a spiritualized mineral... In short, after the Spiritual Energy Tide, treasures are everywhere. And whenever this happens, it is also a time of frenzy for countless cultivators. In pursuit of limited cultivation resources, they do not hesitate to come to blows and slaughter one another, vying for these resources in the fray. Such are the unwritten rules among cultivators—a dark and chaotic realm existing on the fringes of the city’s orderly, enlightened society, where right and wrong, good and evil, hold no sway; they fight solely for their own gain. Such is the world of cultivators: everyone aspires to reach the pinnacle of the Dao, yet cultivation resources are limited, and the concept of fair distribution simply does not exist. The world of cultivators is brutal and bloody. Under the rule of the city and the deterrent power of state authorities, even cultivators must behave themselves and dare not act recklessly—but that only applies to ordinary people. When it comes to conflicts between cultivators—personal grudges—the state simply does not intervene, as long as you do not disrupt the normal order. Earlier, when Mu Tian ventured into the mountains, he had actually discovered quite a few treasures. However, driven by his eagerness to find the “Little Black Bear”—that precious treasure of heaven and earth—he paid them no mind. But now that he had returned, he found that those treasures had long since fallen into the hands of others. “Xiao Hei, I’ve really lost out big time because of you, you little rascal,” Mu Tian grumbled, utterly frustrated. While others who encountered a spiritual energy tide would likely reap a bountiful harvest, when it came to him, not only did he fail to gain anything, but he actually lost quite a bit. Despite coming up empty-handed, Mu Tian didn’t stop; he kept searching. Along the way, after visiting dozens of locations, Mu Tian’s powerful sensory abilities finally yielded some results: three pieces of mutated spirit-infused ore and a single spiritual herb. Along the way, Mu Tian did encounter quite a few cultivators, but since there was no conflict of interest, they would simply exchange a brief glance and, with a tacit understanding, go their separate ways—without any interaction or conflict. However, at that very moment, Mu Tian found himself in trouble. Mu Tian and a group of cultivators simultaneously spotted a spiritual herb. In that instant, the tension between them flared up, and it felt as if the situation could explode at any moment. Mu Tian was alone, while the other side had three—a clear numerical advantage. But that wasn’t the most critical factor. What mattered most was that all three of them were highly skilled cultivators. Only one was slightly below Mu Tian’s level, at the fourth level of the Meridian Condensation Realm, while the other two were at the fifth level—on par with Mu Tian. With the three men holding a clear advantage, the lanky, tall man leading the group spoke bluntly: “Friend, we discovered this spiritual herb first. If you know what’s good for you, leave on your own—don’t force us to make things difficult for you.” Mu Tian wasn’t the least bit intimidated. As long as their cultivation levels weren’t far above his own, he was confident he could defeat them. He had already deciphered over 60% of both the “Thousand Tides and Ten Thousand Waves Technique” and the “Ancient Wild Ox Visualization Diagram,” reaching the Divine Might Realm—a level that made him exceptionally powerful among those of his rank. He had even deciphered 20% of the “Three-Headed Fierce Dragon Visualization Diagram,” reaching the Divine Marrow Realm. Cultivating three techniques simultaneously, Mu Tian’s foundational strength and combat prowess were far beyond what ordinary cultivators could match. “I saw it first, so naturally this spiritual herb belongs to me...” Mu Tian said calmly, but before he could finish, a low murmur of discussion broke out among the others. “Brother, that guy over there looks like Grandmaster Daowen, Mu Tian.” “Huh, it really is him.” “Forget it. It’s just one spiritual herb—it’s not worth offending him. If we accidentally kill him, we’ll be in big trouble. Not to mention whether the government will come after us; even if they don’t, the condemnation from hundreds of millions of people worldwide would be enough to drown us.” Mu Tian stared in utter disbelief at the scene unfolding before him. He stared blankly at the trio as they politely took their leave, speechless for a long moment. This is totally not what I expected. What happened to the fight to the death? What happened to blood splattering three feet in every direction at the slightest provocation? Could it be that my classmates and close friends have all been lying to me, taking advantage of the fact that I’m naive? Or is Master Daowen’s reputation just that influential? Mu Tian stuffed the spiritual herbs into his backpack, his feelings too complex to put into words.