My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar

Yu Cheng Taoist’s small courtyard looked just as it always had.

Winter was now setting in, and the eaves of the several small buildings were covered in fallen leaves. The spot where a young Wang Ping used to practice his techniques was now planted with medicinal herbs, and the room he once lived in had been converted into an herb shed.

In his free time, Yu Cheng Taoist enjoyed experimenting with various medicinal herbs, though he never practiced Alchemy.

Beside the Stone Table, a kettle on the stove was letting off steam. On the Stone Table itself, wisps of vapor curled up from three cups of hot tea. Wang Ping was telling Yu Cheng Taoist about his experience after breaking into the new realm, while Yu Lian, with a serious expression, was savoring her tea.

"You’re still studying the *Annotations on Heaven and Man*, I presume?" Yu Cheng Taoist took a sip of tea and suddenly brought up the book. "Now that you’ve entered the First Realm, do you understand why I had you study it?"

Wang Ping fell into contemplative silence at his words. After a long moment, he answered, "To make me keep thinking..."

"Correct. Heaven and earth, all of creation, the principles of the world, of action, of conduct. The principles of being a son, a father, a teacher, a ruler, a subject—they all have their own internal logic. Human greed, jealousy, love... these are all governed by principles as well. We contemplate these matters not because we need to understand them—for no one can truly understand them all. A single principle, when considered in a different place or at a different time, will yield a different answer."

Yu Cheng Taoist spoke very slowly, his voice unusually clear. "Your task is to keep thinking. You can even retain a sliver of human desire in your thoughts. That is how you remain a person. When contemplating principles, the key is the act of contemplation itself. As for the truths you realize, you need not explain them to anyone."

Wang Ping nodded, lost in thought. Cultivating the Dao was partly about cultivating Magic, and partly about cultivating the Human Dao and one’s connection to nature. After breaking into the realm through the Wood Spirit, the Spirit Vein in his body had expanded rapidly, sometimes making him subconsciously want to abandon the Human Dao.

"The Spirit Communication Talisman within you is very stable. You must continue to maintain the balance between the Dao and your humanity..."

Yu Cheng Taoist set down his teacup, concluding that topic. He then said, "After entering the First Realm with our sect’s Taiyan Talisman, you are to practice a complementary Array called the Seven-Star Killing Array. It is time I passed it on to you."

With a flip of his right hand, a bamboo slip appeared in Yu Cheng Taoist’s grasp. "Practicing this Array will not only help you defeat your enemies, but it will also help you fuse with the Spirit Communication Talisman inside you more quickly. Only when your body has perfectly fused with the Spirit Communication Talisman will you have a chance of advancing to the Second Realm."

Seeing this, Wang Ping immediately stood and bowed. "Thank you, Master."

After expressing his gratitude, he respectfully accepted the bamboo slip from Yu Cheng Taoist. At his master’s nod, he opened it. Yu Lian, seeing this, curiously wrapped her arms around Wang Ping’s, resting her head on his shoulder to get a look.

Yu Lian couldn’t see a thing. Just like before, the moment Wang Ping opened it, a stream of light connected with his divine soul. As the memories flooded his mind, a light-screen panel popped up:

[Seven-Star Killing Array: A simple Array that uses the Cultivator as the array’s nexus to wield seven Longswords against an enemy. This Array is purely offensive with no defensive capabilities and is very basic. You only need to master the control of seven Sword Talismans to learn it. Practice the Sword Array’s attack frequency ten times a day to achieve perfect mastery within a year. (Progress 0/100).]

[Note 1: Given your physical strength, you are not limited to practicing ten times a day. More practice will help you master it faster, but do not become obsessed.]

[Note 2: Communicate with the Spirit Communication Talisman to refine seven Wood Spirit Longswords. Sealing them within the Sword Talismans will make your Sword Array more powerful.]

[Note 3: The ideal material for refining the Longswords is Iron Bamboo that is over one hundred years old. Each blade must be refined for more than one hundred days with Wood Spirit Qi channeled via the Spirit Communication Talisman, allowing it to perfectly attune to your divine soul.]

[Note 4: The Wood Spirit element has a wide variety of attributes. Applying different attributes to different Sword Talismans is the core of the Seven Star Sword Array.]

Wang Ping quickly absorbed the knowledge of this Sword Array. It was truly very simple, mainly teaching him how to use multiple Sword Talismans in rapid succession without getting flustered. It completely neglected defense; everything was geared toward offense.

Seeing that Wang Ping had absorbed the knowledge of the Sword Array, Yu Cheng Taoist began to speak. "This Array has no defensive measures because of the Armor Talisman..." As he spoke, he reached out and made a grasping motion at Wang Ping’s chest. The Armor Talisman that had been attached to Wang Ping flew back into his hand. "You can refine your own Armor Talisman now, so this one is redundant for you."

He thought for a moment, then made another grasping motion, retrieving the Soldier Talisman as well. "This Soldier Talisman can only help you deal with First Realm Cultivators. Since you can do that on your own now, it has also become redundant."

"Thank you for your protection all this time, Master..."

"From now on, you must walk your own path. This is as much as I can help you with." Yu Cheng Taoist stroked his long beard, then formed a hand seal and materialized another Talisman. "This is the Promotion Technique for the Second Realm of the Taiyan Talisman. Take it with you."

"Thank you, Master!"

Wang Ping stood and bowed again, then reverently accepted the Talisman. The moment it touched his hand, it reacted with the Spirit Communication Talisman inside him. The Talisman dissolved into a stream of light and became a part of his memories as the light-screen panel popped up once more:

[Taiyan Talisman Second Realm: One of the five great Mystic Sect Orthodox Techniques. It cultivates Wood Spirit Qi, one of the Five Major Origin Energies of the Cultivation World. It uses ancient life force to defy fate, which can greatly increase one’s lifespan. It also allows one to borrow the world’s fortune, but do not use it often, as it will shorten your lifespan in return.]

[1: Having entered the First Realm, you must establish a stable connection with the Spirit Communication Talisman in your Qi Sea. Every day, use the Spirit Communication Talisman to channel Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and circulate the True Essence within your body, allowing it to better integrate with you. Do this at least 20 times daily. Complete integration may be achieved within one hundred years. (Progress 0/100, Daily Progress 0/20).]

[2: Nurture the locust tree you communicate with until it develops a Divine Soul that can be truly manifested. Frequently connect your own divine soul with it and let it see the world. A manifestable Divine Soul can be developed within fifty years.]

[3: Just as when you advanced to the First Realm, use your Wood Spirit Qi to create a Characterless Talisman. Then, connect to the Locust Tree Divine Soul and use it to draw a Luck-Borrowing Talisman. The very instant the Locust Tree Divine Soul is complete, guide it to fuse with your own divine soul. Failure carries a chance of becoming an imbecile or a Wood Spirit-aspected aberration. The success rate is completely random. Current success rate: (0/100).]

[Note 1: You can use the Sword Array you just learned to help fuse with the Spirit Communication Talisman. Frequent practice can accelerate the integration process, but you must not skip the minimum of 20 daily circulations of True Essence.]

[Note 2: Arrange a larger Spirit Gathering Array with its nexus placed around the locust tree. This will accelerate the tree’s process of coalescing a true divine soul.]

[Note 3: It is best not to allow the Locust Tree Divine Soul to develop too much independent thought, as this will increase the difficulty of fusion during your promotion.]

[Note 4: Before you have advanced to the Second Realm, you must never use your own divine soul to draw the Luck-Borrowing Talisman. Otherwise, you will die instantly.]

[Note 5: Get angry less and think more. The Wood Spirit will like you for it.]

[Note 6: Luck-Borrowing Talisman: [Diagram].]

After absorbing the guide he had just read and all the details of the Cultivation Technique, Wang Ping subconsciously took a deep breath. The casual mention of a hundred-year fusion time made his scalp tingle.

Still, compared to those with poor innate talent who could meditate and practice Qi Cultivation every day without making any progress, he was far luckier.