Cultivation Master in the City

Chapter 5: The World Changes Again

News of the previous night’s conflict slowly spread. Though the fight had taken place in the evening with many onlookers, few had clearly seen He Xu’s face, and none had recognized him. Thus, the rumors only spoke of a freshman from Shang University of Technology single-handedly taking on the Taekwondo Club of Shang University of Finance and Economics.

As soon as this news broke, the entire University of Technology erupted in excitement. The two universities were adjacent, and many male students from the former had relentlessly pursued girls from the latter. However, the male students of Shang University of Finance and Economics deeply resented this behavior, with Wang Jun leading the charge. Under his command, the Taekwondo Club retaliated, leaving many University of Technology students battered. Thanks to Wang Jun’s presence, the male students of the University of Technology harbored a love-hate relationship with Shang University of Finance and Economics—loving its girls but hating Wang Jun.

So when word spread that Wang Jun had been beaten by a student from their own university, this unknown freshman instantly became the talk of the University of Technology. Since Wang Jun had once publicly boasted about his "domineering aura," the newcomer was promptly nicknamed "Domineering Crusher"—the one who crushed domineering.

Unaware of his new moniker, He Xu lay on his bed, rubbing the still-aching wounds with medicinal wine.

"Brother Xu, how fast were you riding that bike to crash this badly?" asked his roommate Xiao Jie, watching him apply the medicine.

"Oh, some truck cut me off, and I got mad, so I raced it," He Xu replied without looking up, continuing to tend to his injuries.

"A... truck? Damn, man. I’ll call you ‘Master Wu’ from now on. You’re insane," Xiao Jie muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Alright, time for my medicine. I’m off." He Xu set down the medicinal wine, grabbed his backpack, and waved as he left the dorm. For the past few days, he’d been applying the wine and taking prescribed herbal medicine to prevent internal injuries. The pharmacy had pre-prepared a week’s worth of doses, and he had to drink one every day at this hour.

Had the adoring students known their "Domineering Crusher" was still nursing his wounds, they might have sighed: Behind every legend lies immense pain and sacrifice.

---

At the temporary headquarters of the Special Unit, in Young He’s office:

Captain Li stood expressionless before the desk and reported, "Boss, we contacted the Wang family yesterday, but they claimed they’re occupied and can’t receive visitors."

"No matter. Prepare for an afternoon visit. Whether they’re ‘convenient’ or not isn’t up to them. Once we arrive, someone will have to greet us," Young He declared after a brief pause, his tone commanding.

---

At the Wang residence, with no interruptions from the Special Unit, the Taoist priest had finally indulged in a night of heavy drinking. Even his little monkey had gorged itself until its belly bulged like a ball.

The priest had suppressed his Cultivation’s resistance to alcohol, allowing himself to get thoroughly drunk before passing out at the table. Only because the mortal world lacked the power to instantly annihilate him did he dare let loose. Had danger arisen, his Cultivation would have allowed him to expel the alcohol and react in an instant.

The sight of the man and his monkey left the Wang family’s servants—who prided themselves on having seen much of the world—utterly stunned. In one night, they had drained half the wine cellar and devoured half the meat reserves. Even with prior preparations, the family head had to order emergency deliveries of alcohol and meat by midnight.

Since the mortal world lacked Spiritual Qi, the priest had sealed his pores upon arrival, preventing internal Qi from dissipating. Yet, in his drunken stupor, he hadn’t noticed his innate mana—accustomed to years of training—automatically circulating and attempting to draw Qi from the surroundings.

Though he hadn’t used his Cultivation to counteract the alcohol, his enhanced physique wasn’t that of a mortal. Within an hour, his body had metabolized every drop. Waking up, he chuckled ruefully. "How long has it been since I got drunk? Just this once. Never again—it could affect my Dao Heart."

Spotting the priest awake, the little monkey—still sitting on the floor eating—zipped onto his shoulder, munching on a piece of meat.

"Still eating? Didn’t you have enough last night? Careful, or you’ll get too fat, and the lady monkeys back home won’t want you," the priest teased.

To his surprise, the monkey paused, patted its round belly with a greasy paw, and glanced between the meat and its stomach as if genuinely torn.

Amused, the priest laughed and set the monkey on the bed. He then retrieved two thumb-sized, fiery-red Spirit Stones from his waist pouch, gripping one in each hand, and began meditating.

The moment he closed his eyes, he snapped them open again, muttering in confusion, "Strange. I haven’t cultivated in days, so why is my Spiritual Qi slightly higher than yesterday?"

Flipping his hand, the stones vanished, replaced by a small white vial. He checked its contents—"The Spirit Restoration Pills are all accounted for. And that was just ordinary wine, not Spirit Wine. Weird."

Closing his eyes again, he confirmed his Spirit Stones were untouched. Then, eyeing the conflicted monkey, he grabbed it and lifted it to face level. "Little White, did you feed me something while I was asleep?"

The monkey chittered, miming stuffing food into its mouth.

"So you just kept eating and didn’t touch me?" The monkey nodded vigorously, then eyed the meat again.

"Forget the meat! If you didn’t do anything, why did my Spiritual Qi increase?"

The monkey rolled its eyes and struck a meditative pose.

"You’re saying I cultivated in my sleep?" The monkey nodded and squirmed free.

Baffled, the priest stroked his chin. "My Qi increased from unconscious cultivation? But my Spirit Stones are intact. Unless..." He extended his right hand, and a small fireball materialized silently in his palm, instantly spiking the room’s temperature.

Outside, a maid waiting for the priest to wake wiped her brow and grumbled, "Why’s it so hot already? The sun just rose!"

Inside, the priest stared at the fireball in shock before snuffing it out. He cautiously unsealed his pores and attempted to draw Qi from the air.

"Impossible... This can’t be!" he whispered in horror as faint wisps of Spiritual Qi entered his body. "Since the Great Calamity, the mortal world lost all Qi. How has it returned? I hope this bodes well..."

Taking a deep breath, he gradually released his Cultivation suppression, ascending from the third level of Qi Refining to the ninth. Qi Refining had nine tiers, with Foundation Building beyond. As he inched toward the peak of the ninth tier, an overwhelming pressure from the heavens bore down on him, as if a divine gaze had turned his way.

Reacting instantly, he suppressed his Cultivation to near-undetectable levels and entered a state of suspended animation. The "gaze" swept the area several times before withdrawing, the oppressive pressure fading with it.

Though the ordeal lasted mere seconds, the Wang household was thrown into chaos. Every person had been flattened by the terrifying force, overwhelmed by a sense of insignificance and mortal dread. The family’s animals either lost control of their bowels or died of fright on the spot.

The culprit, however, remained frozen until the pressure dissipated. Sensing the Wang family head outside, he called out, "A minor mishap during cultivation. All is well now."

"Thank goodness! Master Sun, if you need anything, just ask," the family head replied, relieved. The experience had been horrifying, and he had no desire to repeat it. His estimation of the priest rose several notches, and he left with newfound determination. Had he known the "invincible" Taoist had nearly been obliterated, his expression might have been quite different.

Once alone, the priest sighed and scooped up the monkey, which was still too stunned to notice its dropped meat. "Little White, we almost met the Infinite Heavenly* today. Too close."

---

Meanwhile, at the mysterious gathering Captain Li had reported, the cloaked figures had frozen in place during the heavenly pressure, as if accustomed to such events. When it passed, they resumed their activities without panic.

Fortunately, the Wang estate was located in the suburbs, limiting the disturbance to their grounds and the mysterious group. Had this occurred in the city, the panic would have been unimaginable.