My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar

"No, it escaped!"

Wang Ping rose, formed a Magic Formula with his hands, and released the vines binding the Mouse Demon. He then ordered the two disciples guarding it, "Cut its body open."

Though the two disciples were confused, they acted without hesitation. They immediately drew their longswords and sliced open the Mouse Demon’s body. There was no gush of blood as they’d expected. The blades scraped against something like tough leather, revealing a mottled white skeleton within. The skeleton was hollow, its bones intricately carved with a Demon Technique Array.

"That explains it. I was wondering how a Mouse Demon could get so big."

Liu Shuang took two steps forward and squatted. After coating her hands in a layer of Spiritual Qi, she pried open the Mouse Demon’s hide. A crackle of breaking bones echoed as she did. The Demon Technique Array on the skeleton, now damaged, seemed to come alive and twitch twice before the Array faded away completely.

"Gah, that startled me!"

When the Demon Technique Array twitched, Liu Shuang had dodged away at top speed. Seeing that nothing else happened, her face burned with embarrassment. Perhaps because her master was present, she grew petulant, feeling an urge to go and give the skeleton a few good stomps.

"That’s enough. Get rid of it."

Wang Ping felt a twinge of regret. He had been about to record the Array on the bone armor, but it had now lost all traces of Spiritual Power.

A nearby disciple immediately acknowledged the order. He dragged the bone armor and hide outside the camp, doused them with tung oil, and set them ablaze.

Wang Ping turned his attention from the Mouse Demon. He had Liu Shuang bring him a messenger pigeon, then took out a spirit-infused bamboo slip. Using his divine soul, he etched a message for Zhao Qing onto it. Late that night, he found a deserted spot and released the bird.

...

「Sanwen County.」

Sanwen was a large, wealthy county in Ning’an Prefecture. When Wang Ping and his group arrived outside the county town, they saw a line of refugees stretching for miles. The displaced people were slowly trudging north toward the Prefecture City along the paths flanking the main road. The road itself was filled with the Official Army converging on Sanwen County, alongside supply convoys arriving from various regions.

"It’s the height of the farming season. With everyone leaving, the crops will be completely ruined..." one of Wang Ping’s disciples, who hailed from a commoner family, lamented. He stared at the trampled farmland nearby, his expression pained.

A passing military officer shot back, "If they don’t leave, they die!"

"What’s the situation up ahead?" one of the disciples asked, seizing the opportunity. They had been rushing for days and knew nothing about the latest developments.

"The only news I have is five days old..." the officer replied with a helpless sigh.

Upon hearing this, Wang Ping was eager to quicken his pace, but the sheer volume of traffic was overwhelming. The city gate, though clearly visible in the distance, took them another Half an Hour to reach.

...

Inside the city walls and outside were two completely different worlds.

Outside the walls, a ceaseless river of humanity flowed around the county town, stretching to the northern end of the main road. Inside, however, only soldiers patrolled the streets; not a single civilian could be seen.

They had barely taken a few steps inside when a disciple from the Qianmu Martial Arts Institute came running toward them. He was one of the advance scouts Liang Tao had sent ahead. After a quick greeting, he began his report:

"The situation in Yongming Port has gotten even more serious. Two days ago, Corpse Soldiers that emerged from the ground destroyed hundreds of coastal villages and towns overnight. A third of Ning’an Prefecture has now become a land of the dead!"

"What about Yongming Port?"

"There’s been no word!"

...

His heart heavy with worry, Wang Ping met up with Liang Tao. Liang Tao had already secured a large private residence. Once the disciples were settled, Wang Ping immediately took Liu Shuang and Liang Tao to the County Magistrate’s Office.

As they reached the entrance and were about to enter the County Magistrate’s Office, he heard a familiar voice call out from behind, "Fellow Daoist Changqing!"

He turned around. It was, as he’d suspected, Guangxuan of Sanhe Temple. He looked much older than he had twenty years ago, his hair and beard now streaked with white, but his vitality was as strong as ever.

"Fellow Daoist Guangxuan!"

Wang Ping smiled and offered a cupped fist salute. "It’s been over twenty years in the blink of an eye!"

Guangxuan returned the smile. "Fellow Daoist, your bearing is as graceful as ever. As for me, I’ve gotten so old I barely recognize myself."

"You jest, Fellow Daoist... If it weren’t for this crisis, you would have already achieved your breakthrough, I imagine."

"But with this crisis, who knows if I’ll ever reach completion."

It was only then that Wang Ping noticed Guangxuan’s fatigue; he looked as if he’d been traveling for days without rest. Wang Ping sighed inwardly, but then Yu Lian’s voice retorted in his mind, ’That old fellow is just being modest. His divine soul has already begun to fuse with a Water and Milk Divine Soul. A breakthrough is only a matter of time for him.’

...

Hearing this, Wang Ping looked at Guangxuan’s expression again and felt like the man was humble-bragging.

At that moment, a small, vibrant blue bird swooped down from the sky and landed on Guangxuan’s shoulder. It let out a few sharp CAWS directed at Yu Lian on Wang Ping’s wrist. This must be Guangxuan’s Spirit Pet.

Wang Ping and Guangxuan exchanged a knowing smile, chatting amiably as they walked toward the gate of the County Magistrate’s Office. Two fully armored soldiers stood guard. After confirming Wang Ping’s identity, they led the pair straight into the main hall without announcing them.

In the main hall, a military officer whose armor was covered by the battle robe of a Fifth-Grade Martial Virtue General was speaking with two young men dressed as Daoists. Both wore the most common blue Daoist robes, and each was followed by two of their own disciples.

One of them was handsome and had a bright, sunny disposition. His hair was bound in a White Jade Hair Crown, and a green gourd hung at his waist. To a spiritual sense, his wrists were wreathed in chilling frost. The other was his complete opposite. He had a rough, hearty face and a burly frame. His hair was tied back carelessly with a hemp rope, in the style of a Jianghu Traveler, and he rapidly spun two metal Baoding balls in his right hand.

After Wang Ping and Guangxuan presented their identification tokens, General Wood immediately introduced himself, "This humble general is temporarily serving as the deputy commander for the Ning’an Prefecture campaign. My name is Li Rong, and I’m the fourth son in my family. You can call me Li the Fourth."

After introducing himself, he enthusiastically pointed to the handsome, sunny Daoist. "This is Daoist Hong’an, from the White Water Sect on White Water Mountain..." Then, he gestured to the rough-looking Daoist. "And this is Daoist Gao Ding. He is also on White Water Mountain, but he practices Pure Cultivation at the Iron Art Sect."

A glint appeared in Wang Ping’s eyes at the introduction, and he couldn’t help but study Hong’an more closely. He offered a cupped fist salute, a friendly smile on his face. "Daoist Hong’an. Daoist Gao Ding..."

Guangxuan followed suit, offering his own greeting.

Hong’an mirrored Wang Ping’s friendly smile and returned the salute. "Daoist Changqing, I’ve heard a great deal about you. And Fellow Daoist Guangxuan, it has been a while, hasn’t it?"

Gao Ding, standing beside them, stared at Wang Ping and broke into a wide grin, followed by a boisterous laugh. He cupped his fist and said, "I’ve long heard Qianmu Temple produced a great talent, one deep in the cultivation of the *Taiyan Talisman*. The Daoist Scripture Hall even broke precedent for you, promoting you to the Sixth Seat without any recommendation. Seeing you today, I can see the rumors were true!"

A deep purple glint of Spiritual Qi flared in his eyes as he spoke, and he brazenly sized up Wang Ping.

His words and actions were openly aggressive and hostile, which made Guangxuan frown and even General Li Rong look somewhat puzzled. Wang Ping, however, maintained his smile and replied humbly, "It is all thanks to my master’s favor. I feel quite unworthy of the honor myself, but I was in no position to refuse."

He finished with a deliberately helpless expression on his face. Gao Ding looked ready to lose his temper before Wang Ping had even finished speaking, but Hong’an’s friendly smile never wavered.

Just as Gao Ding opened his mouth to say more, another group of people entered the main hall.