The Urban Cultivation Grandmaster

Chapter 2: The Mayor’s Welcome Banquet

At Tianjiang City Train Station, a group of middle-aged men in suits, white shirts, and ties stood solemnly. One of them, a man with an air of authority, looked up and gazed into the distance, as if waiting for something. The others surrounded him, looking to him for guidance. At the edge of the crowd, a young man held up a sign bearing the characters “Mu Tian.” No questions needed—anyone with a keen eye could tell that this group was no ordinary crowd. Just then, they began to speak. “Mayor Li, the volunteer teacher assigned by Tianhai Cultivator Academy will arrive in five minutes.” “Mm-hmm,” Mayor Li nodded calmly, then—in a rather rare display—a look of delight spread across his face as he smiled. “I’ve asked some old classmates in the Magic Capital about this teacher who’s returned to his hometown to teach.” “Mayor Li, what do you think of this teacher? I heard that a teacher from one of our sister provinces was also sent there, and in just a short time, their number of cultivators has far surpassed ours. I really wonder how capable the one from our city is.” Mayor Li burst out laughing—clearly in high spirits, a far cry from his usual stern demeanor: “My classmate told me that this student, Mu Tian, has consistently ranked last in the entire school year after year. Even freshmen who just entered the school manage to surpass him within a year.” The government officials around him gasped in astonishment; clearly, they couldn’t fathom the logic behind it. If that were really the case, how could you be laughing out loud? Usually, even a fleeting smile from you is as rare as a divine omen, yet today your mouth is split wide in laughter. “Mayor Li, please don’t joke with us like that.” “Exactly! If that were really the case, how could you look so calm and composed?” Mayor Li still wore a gentle smile: “I’m not joking—this is a fact.” Everyone was left speechless, unsure how to respond. They felt even more frustrated; if the person standing before them weren’t the mayor—their superior—they would have probably cursed him out. “However, this is precisely what makes Mu Tian so extraordinary. As a key component of the nation’s strategic plan and a priority project under the constant scrutiny of the highest leadership, Tianhai Cultivator Academy has allowed him to remain enrolled despite ranking last for several consecutive years. The school has never issued him any disciplinary warnings—not even a single reprimand.” “Is Mayor Li implying that Mu Tian has powerful connections?” Mayor Li shook his head: “You’ve all done your homework on Mu Tian’s family background—he comes from an ordinary family. Yet, even after being reported by over a hundred cultivator students across the entire school, the Tianhai Academy leadership still took no action, and his scholarship payments were never withheld.” “At the time, Mu Tian voluntarily applied to return to his hometown to teach in a rural school, and the vice president of Tianhai Academy went out of his way to try to keep him. Don’t you find that rather remarkable?” Mayor Li spoke slowly with an air of inscrutability, leaving the accompanying city officials and education bureau leaders around him completely baffled. Who exactly is this Mu Tian? What makes him so extraordinary? This was the collective thought on everyone’s mind at that moment. Of course, while everyone was curious, they couldn’t help but grumble about the official’s pretentious air. Sigh—that’s just how “great minds” are; they always have to put on an air of inscrutability. “Mayor Li, what exactly is so remarkable about this Teacher Mu Tian? Is he particularly skilled at teaching students?” Mayor Li shot him an approving glance, and the man who had spoken immediately became extremely excited. Mayor Li didn’t keep them in suspense any longer and continued, “Without getting into the qualifications of volunteer teachers from other provinces and cities, our young Teacher Mu Tian is likely the most suitable candidate for this assignment. He may not excel in every other area, but his research on Daowen is among the very best in all of Huaxia—and indeed, the entire world.” Three years ago, a stone stele bearing a divine legacy fell from the heavens. The characters inscribed upon it were dubbed “Daowen”—the script used for Chuandao. The very core of any civilization’s dissemination lies in its writing system. For the rise of the Xuan Realm civilization and the cultivation of cultivators, Daowen education is an insurmountable hurdle; without it, everything is a castle in the air and can never truly flourish. Since the great upheaval of the heavens and earth three years ago, only an extremely small number of people have been able to become cultivators. The root cause lies in the fact that the Heritage Steles are extremely “discriminatory”: those with exceptional innate talent—even if they cannot read the Daowen—will, upon coming into contact with the stele, receive a “crown-topping” transmission of cultivation techniques and knowledge of the Xuan Realm. The more talented a person is, the more and the stronger the legacies they receive. However, for the vast majority of people with average talent, not only will they likely never see a Heritage Stele in their lifetime, but even if one were placed right before their eyes, they would be unable to receive the inheritance. The only way to thoroughly resolve this issue is to popularize Daowen education, enabling everyone to understand cultivation techniques and, consequently, practice them. Of course, in the heritage of ancient Chinese martial arts, the Daoist arts of the Xuanmen have never been severed. In the past, during the Age of Decline, ancient martial arts gradually fell into disuse; but today, with the great transformation of heaven and earth and the revival of spiritual energy, ancient martial arts have once again flourished across the land of Shenzhou. Today, Huaxia boasts the largest number of cultivators in the world, and ancient martial arts have played an indispensable role in this—many individuals with good physical aptitude have become cultivators through the practice of ancient martial arts. However, ancient martial arts and Taoist arts, having lost their profound lineages, currently appear somewhat rudimentary and cannot compare to the cultivation methods of the Xuan Realm. Although the nationwide promotion of ancient martial arts began long ago—helping ordinary people absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth to strengthen their bodies, improve their health, and extend their lifespans—only a small minority have truly achieved success in their cultivation and crossed the threshold into the realm of cultivators. Despite their considerable potential, the Age of Declining Dharma has left very few genuine lineages intact. Compared to the systematic and comprehensive techniques found on the Xuan Realm’s heritage steles, the gap is by no means small. Meanwhile, on the train Mu Tian was riding, an announcement had already begun to inform passengers that the train was approaching the station. Mu Tian quickly gathered his belongings, then sat quietly in his seat, waiting for the train to pull into the station. Taking advantage of this spare moment, Mu Tian focused his Tianxin, and an image slowly emerged in his mind’s eye. It was a starry sky ablaze with brilliant light. Right at its center, seven stone steles stood prominently, their surfaces shimmering with a mysterious and profound radiance. “Hey, we’re at the station—time to get off. What are you daydreaming about?” Mu Tian and Lu Yue had been chatting happily the whole way and hit it off immediately. When Lu Yue saw everyone else getting up but Mu Tian still sitting in his seat, he immediately patted Mu Tian on the shoulder with a cheerful smile. “Oh, oh, I’m coming.” “Xiao Yue, let’s go. We need to hurry—we still have to tidy up the house, or we’ll be swamped.” “Exactly, exactly. Yueyue, snap out of it—we’re almost at We Chat. We’ll have plenty of time for romance later. Bye, handsome~” Lu Yue, looking bashful, followed her friends out first. Before leaving, the four guys all shot Mu Tian a glance, leaving him completely baffled. However, he soon figured out what was going on and simply shook his head. Mu Tian set off lightly, carrying only a small backpack. On the way, his Tianxin drifted back into the depths of his consciousness, and a piece of information surfaced. Wild Ox Stele — Analysis Progress of *Ancient Wild Ox Visualization Diagram*: 40%; Rolling Waves Stele — Analysis Progress of *The Art of a Thousand Tides and Ten Thousand Waves*: 20%; Dragon Stele — Analysis Progress of *Visualization Diagram of the Three-Headed Fierce Dragon*: 0%; Artifact Refining Stele: Analysis Progress 5%; Alchemy Stele: Analysis Progress 3%; Restriction and Formation Stele: Analysis Progress 4%; Beast-Rearing Stele: Analysis Progress 5%.