The Urban Cultivation Grandmaster

Chapter 33: The True Master Mu

And so, a bizarre scene unfolded at the Cultivators’ Promotion Association: the world-renowned Master Daowen listened humbly to a young girl’s lecture like a schoolchild, nodding in agreement repeatedly. This jarring scene sent a ripple through the entire venue. As the saying goes, experts see the subtleties, while laypeople just see the spectacle. Some practitioners of profound cultivation could discern Mu Tian’s true nature. Though they did not know his exact level of cultivation, they could vaguely sense the obscure aura within him—as deep as an abyss and as vast as the sea. Someone like this simply couldn’t be mediocre. And with Mu Tian behaving so unusually, it undoubtedly signaled that a spectacular show was about to begin. But to everyone’s utter astonishment, Mu Tian ultimately made no move whatsoever, allowing the Golden Phoenix to leave triumphant and arrogant. As the crowd felt disappointed, they couldn’t help but look down on Mu Tian with contempt. What a coward—the mere mention of the Jin family had scared him into silence. Watching the Golden Phoenix leave, Lu Yue looked apologetic and repeatedly apologized to Mu Tian, while Ke Ping pouted and cursed the Golden Phoenix. Lü Fang and Gu Yunyun, however, now looked at Mu Tian with a different expression. Gone was the admiration and reverence they’d felt before; now there was only a polite sense of distance. Perhaps the scene they’d just witnessed had made them realize the harsh reality. Mu Tian was highly perceptive. Beneath the gaze of his Star Sea Eyes, the myriad faces of the world unfolded before him in that moment. He gained profound insights, and it seemed as though his state of mind had suddenly elevated. Mu Tian smiled at Lu Yue and said, “Actually, that shrewish classmate of yours does have a point—the world of cultivators is indeed very realistic and cruel. However, she’s so narrow-minded that she sees things too one-sidedly.” Mu Tian’s words carried hidden meaning, full of depth. “But I’m not the kind of woman she described. I have my own principles—I won’t sell myself out for any kind of gain!” Lu Yue said stubbornly. Her lovely face was slightly flushed around the eyes, making her look pitiful. “Mm-hmm, you’re a good girl,” Mu Tian said with a smile. Perhaps reassured by Mu Tian’s approval, Lu Yue’s mood calmed considerably. After exchanging a few more words, she immediately went back to her work. The meeting was about to begin. “Master, just now…” Yang Chun finally remembered his master. He’d heard rumors from his classmates about his master being humiliated; they’d mocked him for choosing an unreliable master, saying that while Daowen Mu Tian was skilled in teaching the Dao, when it came to cultivation, he’d have to seek out someone else. Yang Chun brushed off the comments. Others might not know his master’s true depth, but as the chief disciple, he was well aware of it. To put it simply, the two giant pythons his master kept were enough to sweep aside everyone present. Even such powerful spirit beasts were begging his master on their knees to perform Chuandao—a clear indication of his master’s mysterious and formidable strength. “You know about this too? Tsk, tsk, tsk. As the old saying goes, ‘Good news doesn’t travel far, but bad news travels a thousand miles.’ What a profound truth,” Mu Tian mused. “Master, why don’t you teach that insolent, arrogant woman a lesson?” Yang Chun said indignantly. Mu Tian shook his head: “Disciple, you need to take a longer-term view and think on a grander scale. A woman who’s just dabbling at the very threshold of cultivation isn’t even as good as you, who’ve only been practicing for a few days. What does her opinion even matter? Should I just walk up and slap her across the face just because she belittled me? That would be way too low. The thing is, you weren’t there—if you had been, I would’ve slapped her right then and there.” “I’m going to slap her right now!” Yang Chun, ever the simple-minded one, immediately stood up. Mu Tian was speechless and grabbed him: “The meeting’s about to start. Come on, I’ll settle this with her later. I’ve already figured out her background. Sit down. Go make some formula—Xiao Hei’s bottle is empty again.” Mu Tian pulled Little Black Bear out of his backpack, cradled him in his arms, and handed Yang Chun a bottle. “Brother Zhenlei, wait for me!” “Brother Zhenhui, where are you guys going?” “Zhenming~ Why are you walking so fast!” Mu Tian sat in his seat waiting for the meeting to begin, holding the bottle in one hand and stroking Xiao Hei’s soft little belly with the other. Xiao Hei looked utterly content, lying comfortably in Mu Tian’s arms. Soon, three men and a woman walked toward Mu Tian. To be precise, an ordinary-looking woman was chasing after three handsome guys, but the three of them were completely ignoring her, looking thoroughly impatient—until they spotted Mu Tian. Their expressions instantly changed, and as if on the same wavelength, they headed straight for him. Mu Tian recognized all four of them. The three handsome men were the Wei brothers—Wei Zhenlei, Wei Zhenming, and Wei Zhenhui—whom he had met in the mountains. As for the woman, who had just been lecturing Mu Tian in a condescending tone, she was none other than the eldest daughter of the Jin family! The Golden Phoenix followed the three Wei brothers, acting all coy. When she saw the Wei brothers heading toward Mu Tian, she instantly felt her whole world come crashing down. The Wei brothers and Mu Tian are friends? Could it be that the flood has washed away the Dragon King’s temple? That would be so awkward! Just as the Golden Phoenix’s heart sank, the Wei brothers’ warm and respectful demeanor in the next moment completely took her by surprise. “Master Mu, thank you so much for what you did last time. If it weren’t for you, the three of us would probably be dead by now.” “We brothers had actually been planning to pay you a visit, but we were afraid of interrupting your class, so we never dared to disturb you...” “Master Mu...” The three Wei brothers knew Mu Tian’s true background and treated him with great respect, their every gesture brimming with deference. “It’s nothing—just a small favor. I’m actually the one who should thank you for giving me that spiritual herb...” “Not at all, Master Mu—you’re just teasing us three. How could we dare compete with you for a spiritual herb? That would be like brandishing a sword in front of Guan Yu!” “Exactly. Master Mu—all it would take is a wave of your hand, and all three of us would be in big trouble!” The three Wei brothers were skilled with words, lavishing him with flattery. For a time, the group chatted animatedly; if the meeting hadn’t begun and they hadn’t had to leave, they likely would have kept talking until the very end. As the four left, the Golden Phoenix looked lost and forlorn, as if she’d lost her soul. The three Wei brothers noticed the Golden Phoenix’s unusual demeanor, and Wei Zhenlei immediately expressed his regret: “Sister Golden Phoenix, we’re so sorry. How could we have been so forgetful—we completely forgot to introduce you to Master Mu.” Upon hearing Wei Zhenlei’s words, the Golden Phoenix quickly came to her senses and asked nervously, “Brother Zhenlei, why do you all show such respect to Mu Tian? Isn’t he just a Daowen Master? Someone who teaches Daowen isn’t all that impressive. The future belongs to the strong—why go out of your way to be so deferential to him?” The Golden Phoenix wasn’t stupid. She had always looked up to her three older brothers, but what took her completely by surprise was that these brothers—whom she considered highly capable—were being so respectful toward the “joke” she’d just mentioned, even to the point of being… a bit obsequious. The three Wei brothers exchanged a glance and replied in unison, “Do you really think Master Mu’s cultivation is as mediocre as the rumors suggest?” The Golden Phoenix’s heart skipped a beat as her foreboding came true; her expression immediately turned pale. The three Wei brothers looked at her with suspicion. Wei Zhenhui’s expression changed as he asked, “Xiao Feng, what’s wrong with your face? You’re so pale.” Golden Phoenix didn’t respond; instead, she retorted, “Brother Zhenhui, what do you mean by that? Is Mu Tian… no, is Master Mu even stronger than you guys?” The three Wei brothers all laughed. Lowering their voices, they said mysteriously, “If we had even half of Master Mu’s strength, we’d probably be able to roam freely throughout all of Tianjiang City. Looking across the entire city, setting cultivation aside and focusing solely on combat power, there are very few who can match Master Mu.” Wei Zhenming moved closer to the Golden Phoenix, mysteriously holding out one hand, then, realizing something was off, pulled back two fingers. The Golden Phoenix’s face turned deathly pale!