The Rat Cultivator

Chapter 93: Wu Yuan Taking a Shortcut

Even setting aside his sentiment for the place, the cold, hard logic of profit remained: Little Green Mountain was his origin, his base of operations, and his greatest asset. If he lost this foothold, where else could he find a spirit land capable of sustaining the logistics and hunger of his massive rat swarm? How could he cultivate in peace without a fortress?

Wu Yuan had gleaned enough intelligence from Bibo and the Winged Tiger to know the world beyond was a meat grinder. The outside demon territories weren’t like the Azure Spirit Mountain Range—they weren’t lush with untapped resources or populated by “weaklings” at the early stages of Qi Condensation merely nipping at one another. Out there, a prime location like Little Green Mountain would be a strategic prize that only those at the late stages of Qi Condensation would dare to covet.

Seeing that the consciousness of the Azure Radiance Grotto-Heaven remained silent, Wu Yuan leaned into his leverage.

“At worst, I’ll just have my rats pack their bags and we’ll disappear into the brush,” Wu Yuan bluffed, his tone airy. “I can survive and cultivate anywhere. But you? You’re pinned here. Hesitation leads to disaster, my friend.”

He went silent, allowing the weight of the predicament to settle. He had already pegged this Grotto-Heaven’s consciousness as something ancient, heavily restricted, and—honestly—a bit stiff.

“Speak,” the Grotto-Heaven finally conceded, its voice heavy with resignation. “What support do you require?”

Wu Yuan didn’t hesitate. “Do you have any ‘cheat codes’? Functions to accelerate my cultivation, or perhaps a way to suppress the Providence of those outsiders?”

“I do not,” the Grotto-Heaven replied helplessly. “These invaders use specialized methods to seal off the land and form their own enclaves. Within the territories they occupy, my influence is void. My current limit is bestowing the Providence of unclaimed lands upon you. But you must move fast. Once they occupy a territory, the Providence is severed and divided. They are like nails, pinning me to the void, stripping away my control over the world.”

The entity paused before continuing. “Here is what I can do: for every territory you seize, I will redirect the flow of Providence and Spiritual Qi toward you. I will help you upgrade the spirit land grade of Little Green Mountain. Furthermore, I can cloak your aura, disguising you as an outsider demon. That is my absolute limit.”

Wu Yuan shook his head, a touch of genuine pity in his eyes. “You really are in a pathetic state, aren’t you? Fine. I’ll act when the timing is right. Don’t get your whiskers in a knot; I’m on it.”

With that, he withdrew his consciousness from the ethereal realm.

Back in the treehouse, Wu Yuan’s eyes snapped open. He scanned his familiar surroundings to ensure the encounter hadn’t been a fever dream.

“Sigh. Back to the grindstone,” he muttered, pacing the wooden floor.

He analyzed his experience as a “consciousness avatar.” In that mountain realm, one’s altitude was a direct reflection of their Providence. Strength, numbers, bloodline, and background all added weight to that spiritual scale.

“The fact that I’m in the first echelon means I actually have a seat at the table to become the Grotto-Heaven Master,” he mused.

He weighed his hand. His rat swarm was the largest, most organized force, but he lacked high-end “management.” He didn’t think his personal combat power was much lower than the elites, but those “young masters” from the outside surely carried trump cards he couldn’t imagine. While he currently held the advantage in territorial Providence thanks to the Grotto-Heaven’s backing, that lead would decay the longer he waited.

The priorities were clear: advance his cultivation, expand the borders, and level up his lieutenants.

Fortunately, the heavy hitters were currently converging on the main peak. The “backwaters” near Little Green Mountain were still ignored. That was his window. He needed to be aggressive, take the land, and maintain his cover as an outsider.

“Dammit,” Wu Yuan cursed suddenly. “The audacity of these bandits, forcing me to play 4D chess in my own backyard. I’m the only local left, and I’m being treated like a squatter.”

His indignation flared. “I need to hit them with a heavy fist. To hell with calculating Providence—if I just kill all the competitors, I win by default.”

Then, he paused, scratching his head. “Wait… why am I working so hard to find them?”

A sly smile spread across his face. “Causality Pearl, tell me: where exactly is the core of the Azure Radiance Grotto-Heaven?”

Purple mist swirled before his eyes. His vision followed the lingering causal threads from his recent “call” with the entity. His gaze drifted through the walls, across the forest floor, and landed on a familiar object.

The Large Blue Stone.

[Purple Intelligence: The anchor for the Azure Radiance Grotto-Heaven is the Large Blue Stone. It is currently pinned in the void and inaccessible.]

Purple Intelligence. A tier he had never seen before.

Wu Yuan stood frozen for a long minute, then he threw his head back and erupted into boisterous laughter.

“No wonder! No wonder everything felt so smooth!”

He laughed until he was breathless. “No wonder I felt like the chosen one. The golden intelligence said I had a ‘Providence connection’ to the Grotto-Heaven, and I thought it was just because I was a local. But it was right at my doorstep the whole time! I literally achieved my awakening at the Grotto-Heaven’s front door!”

He lifted his chin, his heart swelling with a tyrant’s pride. “This confirms it. This Grotto-Heaven is rightfully mine. The Azure Spirit Mountain Range is my domain. The game was rigged in my favor from the start.”

He composed himself, though he didn’t rush out to the stone. Doing so would be too conspicuous; he didn’t know if some high-level entity was peering through the clouds. Instead, he would have the rat swarm subtly “extend” their patrols in that direction.

He knew he couldn’t enter yet—the “nails” were still pinning the world in the void—and the Causality Pearl had essentially told him he wasn’t “worthy” of the unlocking method yet.

The Pearl provided intelligence based on the strength of causal links. Since he had just spoken to the Grotto-Heaven, the link was strong. But since he had zero connection to the Demon King who had sealed the place, those secrets remained hidden.

Still, the advantage was massive. The other beasts were wandering the mountain range like headless chickens, drawn toward the main peak. No one was looking at this “impoverished” corner of the world.

He could layout his traps at his leisure. He could “wait by the stump for the rabbits” and deliver a killing blow to anyone who stumbled too close to his front porch.

Wu Yuan had a plan, and for the first time, he truly believed he would be the one to emerge as the Master of the Azure Radiance Grotto-Heaven.