My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar

The blazing sun seemed to scorch the sky, and the space at its very center was visibly collapsing!

"HSSSK!"

Wang Ping could only watch for a couple of seconds before an unbearable burning sensation seared his eyes. Still, he stubbornly kept his gaze fixed on the sky, squinting until his eyes were just a narrow slit.

"Great Realm Cultivators are fighting!"

Yu Lian’s voice was tinged with fear. As soon as she spoke, she flew down, shrank to a foot long, and burrowed into Wang Ping’s sleeve, leaving only her small head peeking out.

"RUMBLE!"

A sound like thunder, yet also like war drums, echoed in Wang Ping’s ears, making his heart leap. An irrepressible tremor ran through him.

On the horizon, countless pale orbs rose from the ground, slamming into the coalesced flames. Each impact seemed to strike the very barrier of space, causing it to ripple like the surface of water. The bombarded flames fractured in a bizarre manner, breaking apart with the distorted space.

In the blink of an eye, the blazing sun that had filled the sky shattered into countless fragments, raining down upon the earth like a meteor shower.

"HUMMM."

A light, pleasant vibration hummed in Wang Ping’s ears. He saw a beam of cyan light shoot toward the heavens from the direction of the back mountain. It exploded hundreds of yards in the air, forming a visible curtain of light that enveloped the entire Qianmu Temple.

This was the work of Yu Cheng Taoist.

The moment the light curtain formed, more than ten fireballs radiating scorching heat plummeted toward Qianmu Mountain and its surrounding area!

Three violent impacts rang out in succession as three fireballs slammed into the cyan light curtain. The resulting ripples were beautiful, but they made Wang Ping’s heart pound in terror. The moment the fireballs hit, they exploded into dazzling sparks that spread out as if from a chemical reaction before fading away completely.

"GULP."

Wang Ping swallowed hard.

A dozen seconds later, the sky returned to normal, and the cyan light curtain swiftly vanished. Wang Ping snapped out of his shock. He forcibly suppressed all other thoughts and flew on a cloud toward his master’s small courtyard on the back mountain.

...

"It was two Third Realm Cultivators. One was a Fire Spirit Cultivator, but not from the True Yang Sect. The other was a Secret Technique Cultivator who had fused with some kind of Demon Soldier and had also advanced to the Third Realm..."

As Yu Cheng Taoist spoke, the Five Elements Yin and Yang insignia of the Daoist Scripture Hall appeared in the distant sky, interrupting him.

"Something big must have happened. The Daoist Scripture Hall is summoning all cultivators of the fourth seat and above!" Yu Cheng Taoist’s expression grew grim. He quickly instructed Wang Ping, "Go back to your Dao Field and wait. We’ll talk more when I return!"

With that said, he transformed into a streak of light and sped toward the capital of Nanlin Road. As he ascended, he used his waist token to summon a projection in the air, announcing his identity to the other prefecture cities.

’That was terrifying,’ Yu Lian said with a shudder, her head poking out, her voice echoing in Wang Ping’s Spirit Sea. ’Those energy fluctuations were strong enough to obliterate the two of us a hundred times over!’

Wang Ping nodded slightly and took a seat at the stone table in the small courtyard. He tried to force the images he had just witnessed from his mind and slowly sorted through his emotions.

Soon, Zhao Qing, Lv Xin, Tao You, and the newly appointed steward of the Martial Arts Institute, Liang Tao, hurried to the courtyard.

"Senior Brother..." The four of them stood at the entrance to the courtyard and bowed. Zhao Qing stepped forward and asked, "Where is Master?"

"The Daoist Scripture Hall issued an urgent summons, so Master has already left. There’s no need to panic. Keep the disciples in line, and find a couple of sharp outer-sect disciples to ask around about the situation. Also, find out the extent of the damage in the area and prepare some medicine for external injuries... If any injured worshippers come seeking aid, do your best to treat them."

"Yes, Senior Brother!"

The four of them visibly relaxed at his words. They met up with Zhao Mou, the steward from the Artifact Institute who arrived shortly after, chatted briefly with Wang Ping, and then went their separate ways.

After his junior brothers left, Wang Ping also returned to his small courtyard on the mountaintop.

Liu Shuang was pacing anxiously in front of the scholar tree. When she saw Wang Ping return, she hurried over. "Master, what was that just now...?"

"Don’t worry, it’s over now..."

Liu Shuang hesitated, then said, "I’m worried about Junior Brother. He’s outside Qianmu Temple. If those fireballs..."

Wang Ping led Liu Shuang back into the courtyard, took out a pair of divination blocks, and performed a reading. "Nothing serious happened," he said. "Go on back to your duties. If you’re still worried, send someone to ask around."

"Mm!"

The next morning, Yang Zhiping sent a message asking if everything at the temple was alright. He also tentatively inquired if his wedding next month would be affected.

’Are you worried about his future cultivation?’ Yu Lian voiced Wang Ping’s inner thoughts.

"Yes!"

’Worrying is pointless. His state of mind is different now than it was before he left the mountain. In your human terms, to each their own. You can’t force it.’

"I shouldn’t have let him go to Sanhe Prefecture last time..."

’Even if it hadn’t been the matter in Sanhe Prefecture, it would have been something else. His temperament is steady, but his will is weak.’

Wang Ping didn’t reply, only sighing silently. He had originally thought Yang Zhiping was perfectly suited for the path of cultivation and would go much further than Liu Shuang. He never expected that after one trip down the mountain, it would be Liu Shuang who tempered her personality, while Yang Zhiping was ensnared by worldly desires.

’A lot of people are coming up the mountain. Most of them are injured!’

Yu Lian changed the subject, pulling Wang Ping from his worldly concerns.

At her words, Wang Ping formed a hand seal, sending out his divine soul to perceive his surroundings. Through the flowing Spiritual Qi, he could clearly feel waves of pain, helplessness, and anger. After a moment’s thought, he decided he had to go to the front hall and see for himself.

He had just stepped out of the courtyard when he paused. He cast an Invisibility Technique on himself, then rode a cloud, following the flow of Spiritual Qi from the summit down to a spot above the familiar training grounds.

The courtyard of the front hall was now a clamor of voices. Some of the people were burn victims; the most severe cases had festering flesh covering their bodies, filling the air with an unsettling stench. Most, however, were simply seeking refuge from the disaster.

The temple’s pharmacy had been expanded to five or six times its original size, and enough apothecaries had been trained to accommodate the seriously injured who were brought in. This was only a temporary solution, however. More injured people were still making their way up the mountain, accompanied by family and friends.

’Don’t let your kindness disrupt your heart!’

Yu Lian said softly, ’This is the way of the world. We should maintain our kindness, but we cannot let it run rampant. Otherwise, it will only cause more trouble for more people.’

"I understand!"

Wang Ping nodded, his gaze turning to the distant sky. He saw Yu Cheng Taoist returning.

...

"Yongming Port was overrun by Corpse Soldiers overnight. The preliminary investigation suggests an unknown Demon Soldier gestated deep underground and reanimated the buried corpses. During a previous dynasty, a tsunami struck Yongming Port, and over six hundred thousand people were buried there!"

Yu Cheng Taoist explained to Wang Ping, "Yesterday’s battle involved a third-seat cultivator from the Daoist Scripture Hall who encountered a disciple of the Taiyin Indulgence Sect in Yongming Port... The two of them fought all the way to the vicinity of Shang’an Prefecture."

His expression grew increasingly grave as he continued, "Within three days at the latest, the Daoist Scripture Hall will conscript all sixth-seat cultivators within Nanlin Road to go to Yongming Port and clear out the Corpse Soldiers."

Wang Ping instinctively sat up straight.

Just as he was about to reply, Yu Cheng Taoist continued, "You don’t need to worry too much about the mission itself. Once the Daoist Scripture Hall commits, resolving the situation in Yongming Port will be easy. So, your focus on this trip isn’t the mission, but the cultivators from the White Water Sect..."

"Wudao Prefecture, White Water Mountain... decades ago, a great demon wreaked havoc at what is now the White Water Sect’s headquarters. The Daoist Scripture Hall issued a mission: whoever eliminated the great demon of White Water Mountain could claim it. At the time, your Eldest Martial Uncle was in the Third Realm and had long been planning to expand Qianmu Temple. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but..."

The resentment and anger on Yu Cheng Taoist’s face vanished as quickly as they appeared. He let out a breath and said, "You only need to know this: the enmity between Qianmu Temple and the White Water Sect is irreconcilable. In other words, conflict between us is inevitable. When you fight, just remember one thing: show no mercy!"

"..."

Wang Ping was taken aback. ’Isn’t the usual advice to keep a low profile and avoid them?’ he thought.

Seeing the look on Wang Ping’s face, Yu Cheng Taoist continued, "You can’t escape hatred just by hiding from it. The White Water Sect surely feels the same way I do. Although they have a Third Realm Cultivator, he cannot leave the White Water Sect. I have already spoken with Fellow Daoist Gu Heng. Our two sects will act together when the time comes!"