My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar

Wang Ping picked up his teacup and gazed at the pale tea within. After a moment of consideration, he said, "Let’s give it a try."

The ten Celestial Swords needed to construct the Divine Technique Formation had been refined by Wang Ping two years ago. The process was similar to refining other Magical Artifacts, involving imprinting his Primordial Spirit’s aura into the Celestial Swords so he could command them as easily as his own limbs.

CLINK.

Wang Ping set down his teacup, stood up, and walked across the dense Spirit Grass to a wide, open space. He checked the isolation Array powered by the Nine Extremes Array, then activated the illusion of the Water Moon Bell.

Perched on a branch, Nether Water watched Wang Ping prepare to bring out the Celestial Swords. After one last glance at the azure sky, it transformed into a streak of Spiritual Light and returned to the Purgatory Banner.

Wang Ping formed a Spell he had designed himself. As his consciousness stirred, the ten Celestial Swords manifested from his Primordial Spirit Consciousness, forming a golden, independent space around him.

The grand map of Zhongzhou that once covered the floor of the space was now in ruins, with only a few spots of light remaining in the south.

This was because after Wang Ping refined them, the prototype Divine Country they formed could no longer connect to the faith-based spirituality of the Xiao Shan Lord. Fortunately, Wang Ping had some believers of his own, who provided the basic structure for the prototype Divine Country. Otherwise, these ten Celestial Swords would have become useless junk.

However, this didn’t mean Wang Ping had cultivated a Divine Secret Technique. Yet, in a way, one could say he possessed one. It was just that his divine light was generated automatically by the prototype Divine Country built by the Celestial Swords, without being artificially refined. As a result, he couldn’t cast any Divine Skills.

Inside this prototype Divine Country, Wang Ping felt a wondrous sensation. As long as he focused his consciousness on one of the light spots on the ruined map, he could instantly sense the prayers of believers hundreds, or even thousands, of miles away. He could use this connection to perform small Magic to fulfill his believers’ wishes.

For example, he could cast the Cyan Wood Technique to heal the sick and injured, which was the most common prayer among the common people. This was because several of Wang Ping’s previous promotions had released waves of Wood Spirit Qi that healed many. Over hundreds of years, word of mouth had spread that Changqing Zhenren of Qianmu Temple could cure illnesses and injuries.

But Wang Ping ignored these believers’ wishes. He understood human greed all too well, and he had the cautionary tale of the Xia Country’s Imperial Family to remember. Furthermore, he hadn’t undergone the discipline of self-denial; his human nature was still active. He couldn’t rationally process every believer’s wish and knew that blindly satisfying them wouldn’t bring them happiness, but a nightmare instead.

Yu Lian, however, was different. She loved listening to the believers’ heartfelt prayers. Every time Wang Ping connected to the Divine Technique Formation, she would use his Primordial Spirit Consciousness to understand their thoughts.

But this time, since Wang Ping had important business, she didn’t read the believers’ minds. Instead, she wrapped herself around Wang Ping’s left arm and asked, "How do you feel? Want me to do a divination?"

Wang Ping knew Yu Lian was teasing him. He reached out and gently stroked her head before focusing his mind and sending out his Primordial Spirit Consciousness.

Inside the Divine Technique Formation, a layer of fine golden patterns automatically adhered to the surface of Wang Ping’s illusory Primordial Spirit, like a suit of golden battle armor, allowing him to more easily observe all the changes within the Divine Country.

Wang Ping’s own perception was that his Primordial Spirit had become more solid, as if he had already completed the second step of his cultivation. But he knew this was an illusion created by the divine light. If he were to become lost in it, his cultivation would likely never advance another inch.

This was also why Wang Ping had never tried to use the Divine Technique Formation to cast Magic. Once you become dependent on something, it is incredibly difficult to break free.

Taking shortcuts is addictive!

Wang Ping glanced at Yu Lian again. After their minds communicated briefly in the Spirit Sea, his Spiritual Body decisively closed its eyes and entered a meditative state. He fully immersed his consciousness into his Primordial Spirit, but he didn’t cast Magic right away. Instead, he cut off the ceaseless prayers echoing in his ears.

When his surroundings became quiet, he used the same method he would for casting Magic with his physical body, but instead used his Primordial Spirit to form a Spell. As the Spell took shape, his intent surfaced instinctively. At that moment, he felt the Spiritual Energy absorbed within his Primordial Spirit roil like a giant wave before connecting to the Heaven-Reaching Talisman, which he then used to construct a rudimentary Blessing Talisman.

Wang Ping sent this Blessing Talisman into a nearby Spirit Wood Tree. Everything the Spirit Wood Tree had witnessed in its past instantly flooded into his mind. But just as he was about to peer into its future, the connection abruptly stopped.

He was trying to use the Heaven-Reaching Talisman to imitate the Yuqing Sect’s Golden Core Dao to perceive the past and future of things. However, only a select few in the Yuqing Sect could achieve this, let alone a Taiyan Cultivator like him.

After experiencing the Spirit Wood Tree’s past of nearly three hundred years and seeing the changes to the Mountain Peak Dojo over that same period, a distant memory flashed through Wang Ping’s mind. He then cut off the Divine Technique Formation as quickly as possible, and his Primordial Spirit Consciousness returned to his Spiritual Body at the same instant.

"How was it?"

Yu Lian quickly asked, a hint of regret in her voice that she hadn’t been able to listen to the believers’ heartfelt prayers this time.

Still savoring the experience, Wang Ping said, "It was wondrous. Before absorbing Spiritual Energy, a Primordial Spirit is just an illusory thing from the Inspiration Realm. Even after absorbing Spiritual Energy, it only becomes slightly stronger—enough to roam the world. But to cast Magic, it needs sufficient energy to construct an Array. Or, as Fellow Daoist Ruan Chunzi puts it, it must resonate with the heavens, earth, and the Cosmos..."

"Put it in simple terms!"

Yu Lian interrupted.

Wang Ping smiled, strolled back to the tea table, and sat on the ground. "It’s simple," he said. "I need to create a Spiritual Energy barrier on the surface of my illusory Primordial Spirit, one that allows Spiritual Energy to remain inside it for longer, much like Spiritual Qi in the physical body."

"Is that difficult?"

"Not really. I’ve been absorbing Spiritual Energy for over a decade, and the Mountain Peak Dojo blocks the mental intrusion of Spiritual Creatures. Building an Energy Barrier on the surface of my Primordial Spirit isn’t too hard. If it doesn’t work, I’ll just narrow the scope to the area around my Qi Sea."

As Wang Ping spoke, he opened a glowing screen and looked at the notes for the second step of cultivation. It mentioned that digesting three Divine Soul Guides was likely a way to forcibly construct tangible Spiritual Energy on the surface of the Primordial Spirit.

"So if you build the Spiritual Energy barrier and lock in the Spiritual Energy, you can cast Magic?" Yu Lian asked.

"Not yet. The Energy Barrier I can construct right now is very fragile. But we have plenty of time now, don’t we?" Wang Ping’s mood became carefree.

"Should we try it now?"

"Cultivation requires a gradual and steady approach. It’s time to rest for today..." Wang Ping stretched out his legs and lay down on the soft Spirit Grassland.

"Then should we go have some fun in a nearby town?"

Yu Lian suggested.

During this period of seclusion, Wang Ping had only cut off his connection to the Cultivation Realm, not his cultivation of humanity. He would occasionally use a Transfer Talisman linked to a puppet to take Yu Lian to a nearby town for a while.

After speaking, Yu Lian let out a soft "Huh?" and added, "It seems there’s a funeral within the sect. It’s from Dongshui Mountain..."

Wang Ping immediately used his Primordial Spirit to investigate.

"It’s that attendant we met on Mozhou Road..."

Yu Lian’s tone was calm. The ’attendant’ she mentioned was He Jiu. Back when Wang Ping went to Mozhou Road to investigate the case of the stolen Corpse Soldiers, Xuanhe had assigned He Jiu to accompany him.

After she finished, her Primordial Spirit Consciousness shifted to Zuo Xuan, who was walking toward the Mountain Peak Dojo. "Are you going to see her this time?" she asked.