The Urban Cultivation Grandmaster

Chapter 5: The Punch

Watching Wang Jian lead his men into the residential complex, Mayor Li’s troubled mind eased slightly. The unusual incident unfolding before him had been giving him a terrible headache. In fact, these incidents of animal mutations were no longer isolated cases; there had long been precedents in other regions. In particular, the frequency of such anomalies had increased significantly in recent years. To avoid causing unnecessary panic, officials often suppressed the news and stepped up management efforts across various regions. At Mayor Li’s level—and as a mayor with actual authority over cultivator affairs in his jurisdiction—he was acutely aware of just how profound the changes sweeping the world had become. Consequently, Mayor Li understood better than anyone just how crucial the promotion of the Xuan Realm civilization and the education of cultivators were—not only for his political legacy but also for the future of the millions of residents under his jurisdiction. Tianjiang City had finally managed to secure a volunteer teacher, but now, as luck would have it, this sudden emergency has struck. What’s worse is that it occurred right in the residential complex where this young teacher, Mu Tian, lives. Even more concerning are the rumors circulating that Teacher Mu Tian isn’t particularly skilled in martial arts. “Oh, I hope nothing goes wrong. Otherwise, I won’t know how to explain this to my superiors or the Tianhai Cultivator Academy,” Mayor Li sighed. After rushing into the residential complex, Mu Tian headed straight for his home to check if his parents were safe and sound. Fortunately, Mu Tian found his parents at home, and nothing untoward had happened. “Mom and Dad, I’m so relieved you’re both okay—I was worried sick.” Seeing his parents safe and sound, Mu Tian, who had been on edge the whole way, finally let out a sigh of relief. “Xiaotian, how did you break in here? A pet cat from one of the households in our complex went berserk and turned into a monster—it was incredibly savage. I saw with my own eyes as it clawed at a person… blood was everywhere, and the person’s intestines were spilling out.” His mother, Lü Lan, was pale, her eyes filled with terror; even now, she was still shaken by the experience. Mu Yuanming wasn’t doing much better, but as a man, he naturally had a bit more resilience. So he said to Mu Tian, “Xiao Tian, you’ve been studying for years—you should be able to handle what’s happening right now...” “You idiot! That monster is so vicious—what are you thinking? Xiao Tian, just stay home and don’t go out trying to prove yourself. The government will send people to handle this right away; we don’t need to worry about it.” Lü Lan was desperate to protect her son, even though she looked utterly haggard. Mu Yuanming hesitated, then sighed and muttered under his breath, “We’ve been neighbors in this old neighborhood for so many years. If Xiao Tian were capable… of course… Ah, Xiao Tian, your mom’s right.” Mu Tian chuckled wryly and said, “Mom and Dad, you’re underestimating your son. After all, I graduated from Tianhai Cultivator Academy. This is just a minor matter. I’ll go handle it right away. You two just stay home for now; I’ll be back in no time.” With that, Mu Tian turned and left. In fact, as soon as Mu Tian entered the complex, he had already roughly pinpointed the location of the mutated pet cat, but out of concern for his parents, he decided to stop by their place first. In just a few seconds, Mu Tian had already spotted the pet cat. It was a Ragdoll cat, but much larger than a normal Ragdoll—almost as big as a full-grown Tibetan Mastiff. Its fur stood on end, and its once beautiful, sweet appearance was now completely gone, replaced by a pair of eyes glowing with a bloodthirsty red light. No matter how one looked at it, it resembled a ferocious beast in a rampage. “Just as I thought.” Mu Tian was somewhat surprised; his suspicions had been confirmed. The Ragdoll cat before him was undergoing constant transformation. If you looked closely, you could see its body growing at a rate visible to the naked eye, driven by the spiritual energy flowing ceaselessly into it from the heavens and earth. It was hard to say whether this Ragdoll cat was fortunate or unfortunate. Amid great upheavals in the world, certain beings are favored by the heavens and earth. Some creatures are born as cultivators; given the right circumstances, they can open their spiritual veins, freely draw upon the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth, and effortlessly become cultivators or spirit beasts. The Ragdoll cat before us is precisely such a case. Yet it is also unfortunate: while being born with a spiritual vein is certainly cause for celebration, if—as with this Ragdoll cat—the awakening results in an uncontrolled spiritual vein, its fate will be truly tragic. Only orderly and controllable spiritual energy is beneficial to humans; chaotic and violent spiritual energy is no different from poison. If this Ragdoll cat cannot subdue the vast amount of spiritual energy constantly surging into its body, the only fate awaiting it is to explode and die. “Ah, help!” The Ragdoll Cat darted wildly in all directions, leaving a trail of utter destruction in its wake—trees toppled, buildings collapsed, cars wrecked, and people killed. Filled to the brim with spiritual energy, the Ragdoll Cat frantically unleashed the boundless power within its body. Empowered by the spiritual energy, its flesh-and-blood form became virtually indestructible, and its destructive force was immense; a single violent collision tore a massive hole in a house, from which a young girl’s terrified scream immediately rang out. The police officers who had been secretly following it from the shadows, seeing residents in danger, immediately opened fire on the Ragdoll cat. But before the bullets could hit it, a halo of light appeared around its body, instantly deflecting all the bullets. It was no use. A creature that had just awakened its spiritual veins was, at this stage, invincible—in perfect harmony with the heavens and earth, with boundless spiritual energy. Not only were bullets ineffective, but even rocket-propelled grenades had no effect. As long as the spiritual energy between heaven and earth hadn’t been completely depleted, it would continue to possess extraordinary combat power. “Company Commander, we can’t penetrate it—this monster’s hide is too thick.” “This is absolutely terrifying. Even a large-caliber sniper rifle is like a tickle to it.” “Stop shouting. Quick, lure it over here. None of us can take this monster on right now, but if we can keep it occupied and prevent it from going berserk, it’ll soon self-destruct.” Wang Jian spoke up. He was well-traveled and experienced in handling situations like this, so he didn’t rashly engage the Ragdoll Cat head-on. Instead, he chose to keep an eye on it, hold it off, and wait for time to run out—until the Ragdoll Cat eventually self-destructed. However, unexpected events always catch one off guard. Wang Jian hadn’t realized there were still residents in the complex who hadn’t managed to escape. With no other choice, he had to step in personally to draw the Ragdoll Cat’s attention and rescue the residents. In the blink of an eye, Wang Jian was right in front of the Ragdoll Cat. Channeling his spiritual energy and unleashing wave after wave of fist power, he delivered a thunderous punch. Instantly, the air tore with a sharp crack, and space itself seemed to warp—the spectacle was utterly terrifying. Boom! The Ragdoll Cat leaped back in pain, abandoning the girl in front of it and turning to attack Wang Jian. The Ragdoll cat’s attack style was quite simple, relying entirely on instinct—it alternated between biting, clawing, and swiping. As the saying goes, “Brute force overcomes all techniques.” Even though Wang Jian was well-versed in ancient martial arts and had extensive combat experience, the two were simply not on the same level. Within a few exchanges, Wang Jian found himself completely at a disadvantage, forced to defend passively, and in constant danger of being killed by a single swipe from the Ragdoll cat. Wang Jian had no choice but to retreat, but what he didn’t expect was that after driving him back, the Ragdoll cat didn’t pursue him. Instead, it turned around—just as the young girl was escaping from the building. The cat and the girl stood face to face; the Ragdoll cat’s eyes blazed with malice. Spotting a moving target, it lunged forward with a swipe. Even someone as powerful as Wang Jian would likely struggle to withstand that swipe, let alone the young girl standing before it. In the next instant, the girl’s life hung in the balance. “Luo Yi！” Mu Tian was startled. He had been standing nearby, using his “Stellar Sea Analysis” ability to study the plush cat, but he never could have imagined that the girl in danger was his childhood friend—the one he’d grown up with since they were little. Without a moment’s hesitation, Mu Tian acted immediately, without even verifying his analysis. It was a simple punch, yet the momentum behind Mu Tian’s strike was staggering. Behind him, the image of a supremely mighty ancient Wild Ox materialized, its bellow shaking the heavens. Mu Tian visualized the ancient Wild Ox in his mind, perfectly embodying its essence. As he continued his visualization, the illusory form of the ancient Wild Ox behind him grew increasingly real and distinct, as if the magical Wild Ox were about to emerge into the world.