The Urban Cultivation Grandmaster

Chapter 31: Can’t We Have Less Scheming and More Sincerity?

To advance the cause of cultivators in Tianjiang City and take advantage of the spiritual energy tide blessing the land—as well as the state’s strong support for developing spiritual resources in the deep mountains—the First Tianjiang Cultivators’ Promotion Conference was held as scheduled at the Tianjiang Hotel, a five-star hotel for cultivators in Tianjiang City. Led by the municipal government, the conference invited guests who were all influential local organizations or individuals—a gathering of modern-day elites, where the wealthy merchants of the past no longer held any standing. This is an era where cultivators reign supreme, an era where martial arts and magical arts reach divine heights. No guest at this Tianjiang Cultivators’ Promotion Conference should be underestimated; they either possessed extraordinary power or were backed by immense influence, representing a cultivator clan or sect. The entire hotel was reserved for the day; even the security personnel maintaining order were drawn from local military units, and the hotel staff consisted of volunteers from the Cultivator Academy—who, even if not full-fledged cultivators themselves, were at least trainee cultivators. This speaks volumes about the grandeur of the event. Mu Tian arrived at the Tianjiang Hotel carrying a backpack. The zipper on the back was slightly open, revealing a baby bottle half-hidden against it; if one looked closely, they could even see a fuzzy bear paw on the bottle. Yang Chun was following behind Mu Tian, claiming he was tagging along to see the world. Mu Tian naturally had no objection to Yang Chun tagging along; he was the chief disciple he had taken under his wing, so bringing him out to see the world was certainly a good thing. Later, he could introduce him to some people, which would help open the door to the cultivator community for him. However, the little black bear was giving Mu Tian a bit of a headache. The little bear just wouldn’t leave him alone. He’d originally planned to leave it at home, but the little bear wouldn’t have it. It clung to Mu Tian’s leg like a magnet—no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake it off. Mu Tian also didn’t feel comfortable leaving the little Black Bear at home—not because he was worried about the bear, but because he was worried about his newly renovated house. If that little tyrant got upset and decided to tear the place apart, that would be quite a spectacle. Mu Tian had no doubt whatsoever that the little Black Bear was capable of it. Even though it hadn’t shown any destructive power yet, the terrifying strength contained within its tiny body left Mu Tian increasingly alarmed the more he looked at it. “Hello, sir. The Cultivators’ Promotion Association is not open to the public. Please present your invitation.” Today, high-profile figures were arriving one after another at the Tianjiang Hotel—luxury cars lined the streets, and entourages were everywhere. Yet very few, like Mu Tian, had taken a taxi and had to walk the rest of the way because taxis weren’t allowed inside. Even so, the security personnel remained extremely courteous, showing not the slightest hint of disapproval. Mu Tian was very satisfied. He silently praised them—as expected of military personnel, their professionalism was top-notch. Without saying much, he pulled a crumpled invitation from the second compartment of his backpack. Well, this wasn’t Mu Tian’s fault—it was entirely the Xiao Hei’s doing. When the soldier saw the crumpled invitation, the corner of his mouth twitched—he was clearly taken aback. “Come in! Wait a minute… this…” The soldier had intended to stop Yang Chun, who was following behind Mu Tian, but a colleague beside him held him back. “Forget it. Don’t you recognize him? Master Daowen Mu Tian! This invitation is personally signed by Mayor Li. Let him in—no one will give us any trouble later.” Upon entering the hotel, the scene inside immediately took Mu Tian and Yang Chun by surprise—especially Yang Chun, for what he saw completely defied his expectations. In Yang Chun’s mind, a promotional event like this was supposed to be incredibly high-class—people dressed in fine attire, dancing and singing, with glasses clinking and toasts being raised... But what was the scene before him? A sea of noise, just like street vendors at a farmers’ market—the constant haggling filled the air, creating a deafening din. Did I end up on the wrong set? Yang Chun looked completely bewildered! So he turned to Mu Tian with a questioning look. Mu Tian chuckled softly and said gently, “The Promotion Association hasn’t officially started yet, so everyone’s keeping it casual—just like a marketplace in ancient times. It’s a great opportunity for bartering and finding what each person needs.” “Take a good look around. It’s good to see the world. If there’s anything you really want, just let your master know.” With that, Mu Tian began strolling around with keen interest, lingering among the makeshift stalls set up on various tables. Naturally, the items displayed at the Cultivators’ Exchange Fair were extraordinary—each one a spirit-infused object, wondrous and unique. After walking through the fair once, his knowledge was greatly expanded. For example, among the ordinary rice people usually eat, someone was displaying spirit rice. Mu Tian knew spirit rice very well—he even knew how to cultivate it, though he hadn’t found the time to plant it yet. There were countless other spiritualized items as well—a dazzling array of spiritual fruits, spiritual herbs, and all manner of spiritualized ores, too numerous to take in at a glance. “Zhanlan Cold Iron—an excellent material for forging weapons. Don’t miss out on this; it’s only 20 Spirit Stones.” “That’s way too expensive! Forging a single weapon would require dozens of jin of Zhanlan Cold Iron. You’re asking for 20 Spirit Stones for this measly one jin and a half liang of spirit-infused ore? That’s robbery!” “Hey, Fellow Daoist, you can’t put it that way. Who forges a weapon using nothing but Cold Iron? You know about alloys, right? You don’t understand the art of artifact forging, but let me tell you: with just this one piece of Zhanlan Cold Iron, I can definitely forge a peerless weapon. Weapons forged from Zhanlan Cold Iron are not only incredibly sharp, but most importantly, they can conduct spiritual energy and amplify spiritual power, providing a massive boost to combat effectiveness.” “But you still need to know the art of weapon forging. Otherwise, buying this thing is useless.” “Exactly, exactly. Without the art of artifact forging in the Xuan Realm, even the rarest and most powerful spirit-infused minerals are nothing more than a pile of rocks.” The onlookers around them began to jeer and cheer. “Well… you guys might not know how, but there are people who do!” the stall owner retorted, somewhat annoyed. “That’s true—there are people who do. But they’re master artifact smiths; appointments are booked solid until next year. Even a single slot to have an artifact crafted is priceless, hahahahaha.” The crowd chuckled; clearly, they were all quite tempted by the Zhanlan Cold Iron, but found it far too expensive. “You’re just trying to drive the price down. I’m done talking. If you don’t want to buy it, fine—I won’t lose a single Spirit Stone. If it doesn’t sell, so be it.” The stall owner, a middle-aged man, scowled and turned away, refusing to pay the crowd any further attention. Mu Tian watched from the sidelines for a while; he, too, was quite tempted by the Zhanlan Cold Iron. Under the glow of his Star Sea Eyes, a cold light flowed through the iron, radiating a dazzling divine brilliance. Within it, a fish seemed to glide—now visible, now hidden—an extraordinary sight. This was indeed a truly exceptional treasure. Mu Tian had actually seen Zhanlan Cold Iron before, but he had never encountered a piece of such quality as the one before him, nor had he ever heard of the mysterious fish swimming within it. “Hello, sir. I’ll take it for twenty spirit stones,” Mu Tian said. Having observed the item for so long, he realized the vendor wouldn’t agree to a lower price, so he got straight to the point without beating around the bush. Mu Tian’s sudden bid took those around him by surprise, but someone quickly recognized him. Since everyone present was a cultivator, they showed no surprise at seeing the legendary Master Daowen. The stall owner paused for a moment, then said bluntly, “I’m not selling it! Anything that catches the eye of Master Daowen must be extraordinarily valuable—selling it for twenty Spirit Stones would be a loss for me!” Mu Tian was taken aback for a moment, then shrugged indifferently and said, “Never mind, then.” “Heh heh heh, Master Mu, I was just joking. I’ll sell it to you for 20 Spirit Stones—I, Old Hu, am not the kind of person to go back on my word.” Seeing Mu Tian’s nonchalant expression, the middle-aged man immediately did a complete 180-degree turnaround in his attitude and smiled obsequiously. The people around them exchanged looks of contempt and mockery. Mu Tian couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. This guy really had a lot of tricks up his sleeve—he was still too young.