The Rat Cultivator

“A Spirit-Gathering Mouse King?”

The realization hit Wu Yuan like a thunderclap. “I’ve become the Progenitor? The source of the bloodline itself?”

His reckless gamble had paid off beyond his wildest dreams. He hadn’t just mutated; he had ascended. His bloodline grade had skyrocketed to the Second Rank: the Spirit-Gathering Mouse King.

Previously, dragging his mediocre Spirit-Gathering Mouse body to the mid-stages of the First Rank had felt like climbing a mountain of glass. Now? The path to the Second Rank was wide open.

“But the key isn’t the rank,” Wu Yuan thought, his heart pounding against his ribs. “It’s the King status.”

Ordinary Spirit-Gathering Mice were genetic flukes—random mutations with no heritage. They had no King, no lineage to pass down. But Wu Yuan had changed that. He now carried the royal seed. He had turned a random mutation into a true, perpetuating race.

In the world of demon beasts, there were two ways to wear a crown.

The first was the Law of Blood: Being born a King. The authority to rule was etched into your marrow. Unless a Royal of a higher bloodline tier appeared, your sovereignty was absolute.

The second was the Law of Iron: Brutal strength. You beat every other member of your race into submission until you were the strongest. But this rule was fragile. If a true royal appeared, or if you showed weakness, your reign ended—you either submitted or were exiled.

Wu Yuan stood up on his hind legs, spreading his arms to the cavern ceiling.

“I am the Progenitor! No Spirit-Gathering Mouse can possess a bloodline thicker than mine because I am the source. No mouse can command me!”

A savage grin spread across his face. “Even if a Rank 2 Flame Mouse King came here, he couldn’t order me around. He might be the leader of the alliance due to strength, but he can’t bypass my command over my own subjects!”

But the surprises didn’t end there. A notification flickered in his mind.

[New Talent Acquired: Enlightenment]

Forged from the union of the Emperor’s Flow Essence and the Lunar Essence, he now possessed the ability to grant wisdom to the ignorant.

“This isn’t that trashy spell I used before,” Wu Yuan realized, his paws trembling with excitement. “I can awaken the spiritual intelligence of other beings.”

Although limited to creatures weaker than himself, the implications were terrifying.

“The potential is limitless. Spirit Grass, Magical Artifacts, Demon Beasts… I can try to Enlighten them all!”

Wu Yuan crawled out of the deep, suffocating tunnels and into the open air.

Sunlight, warm and blinding, washed over him. He squinted, dazed by the brightness after so long in the dark.

Under the sun, his transformation became undeniable. His fur had turned the color of fine jade, shimmering with a mystical luster. Faint traces of cyan light danced across his coat like ribbons of smoke. He sat there like a meticulously carved statue, radiating an aura of effortless nobility and elegance.

Nearby, Little Yellow was sprawled on the ground, bored out of his mind. When he saw Wu Yuan emerge, he froze.

The large weasel slowly lowered his head to look at his own chest. He plucked at his cream-yellow fur, then looked back at Wu Yuan’s jade-like perfection. His expression crumbled into utter dejection.

“Boss…” Little Yellow muttered, his voice thick with misery. “Before, we were similar colors. People could tell we were family. Now… we don’t match.”

He looked up at Wu Yuan with large, watery eyes. “Boss, I want to be like you too!”

Wu Yuan side-eyed the dramatic weasel. I treat you as a pet, and you’re already trying to climb the family tree?

However, seeing the genuine distress on Little Yellow’s face, Wu Yuan decided not to kick him while he was down.

“Family isn’t decided by color,” Wu Yuan said, feigning a wise tone. “Besides, if we looked exactly the same, people might mistake you for my son.”

Little Yellow’s eyes instantly lit up like lanterns. He didn’t hesitate for a second.

“Dad!”

Wu Yuan choked.

“Get lost!”

He spun around and kicked Little Yellow in the butt. “Call me Boss! And quit daydreaming—we need to get back to the ore vein. Did you forget about your Lunar Essence Spirit Grass?”

He hurriedly changed the subject before he accidentally adopted a weasel son.

Little Yellow’s attention span was mercifully short. He slapped his forehead, realization dawning. “Right! Right! My grass! I haven’t watered it in ages!”

When they arrived at the blocked entrance to the mine, the tunnel was sealed tight with rubble.

“Boss, leave it to me!” Little Yellow thumped his chest. “I’ll clear the path!”

The weasel dove into the work, grunting and heaving rocks with enthusiastic abandon. Heave-ho, heave-ho!

Wu Yuan watched from the side, a mix of amusement and resignation in his eyes.

Little Yellow definitely Awakened his bloodline… but aside from growing to half a meter in length and getting slightly smarter, nothing else seems to have changed.

It was puzzling. His aura was definitely that of an Awakened beast, so why was he still so… distinctively incompetent at everything but manual labor?

Wu Yuan shook his head and decided not to disturb the enthusiastic laborer. Instead, he leaped onto a high boulder and let out a sharp, piercing screech.

It was a frequency only rodents could hear—the Call of the King.

Squeak! Squeak!

Moments later, the brush came alive. A tidal wave of fur surged toward him from all directions. Squirrels, field mice, moles—every rodent on Little Green Mountain answered the summons.

Wu Yuan scanned the army. All mortal beasts. It seems the Great Demon only targeted creatures with cultivation.

He raised a paw, signaling the blockage. The horde surged forward like a living drill.

Dirt flew. Rocks shifted. In minutes, the passage to the ore vein was cleared.

One particularly clever mouse had even taken the initiative to widen the tunnel, smoothing the floor and removing sharp debris so Wu Yuan could walk upright instead of crawling.

Wu Yuan nodded in approval as he strode through the spacious corridor. Not bad. Even among vermin, there is talent worth nurturing.

Previously, his title of “Mouse King” had felt hollow, a self-imposed label built on shaky ground. He had treated the rats as cannon fodder because he feared betrayal. But now? He was the Progenitor. Their loyalty was written in their DNA.

I can finally start building a proper workforce.

Inside the earth vein cavern, dust motes danced in the stagnant air. The ceiling held, but fresh rubble littered the floor.

Wu Yuan’s gaze swept over the garden. The disaster had taken its toll—many plants had withered. However, a significant portion had survived.

And they were all fully mature.

“Strange,” Wu Yuan mused, stepping closer. “It isn’t time for harvest yet. Why did they ripen so fast?”

He examined the crops closely. The Emperor’s Flow Essence must have triggered a resonance.

The Lunar Essence Spirit Grass had changed. A faint golden thread now ran from the roots to the tip of the leaves, connecting directly to the seed. The seed itself, originally black, had turned a pale, translucent yellow.

But the most shocking transformation was the Snake Tooth Rice.

Previously, the plant looked like wheat, with a cluster of jagged, tooth-like grains at the top.

Now, the plant itself resembled a coiled, dark green serpent. The stalk twisted like a snake’s body, and the top formed a distinct head. The “fruit” consisted of only two long grains hanging from the “mouth”—two perfect fangs.

A breeze drifted through the cave, and the plant emitted a faint hiss, as if a real viper were guarding its treasure.

There were only two grains left, but they were masterpieces. They were crystal clear, glowing with inner light like carved jade. A rich, sweet fragrance wafted from them, thick enough to taste.