My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar

From a pavilion at the edge of the mountaintop garden, Wang Ping gazed at the winding steps leading up the mountain. He then turned his gaze to the disciples practicing in the training grounds of the front hall below.

Every one of these young disciples was incredibly serious about their training. Some even practiced late into the night. They never saw themselves as tools and were full of hope for their future paths in cultivation.

But to Wang Ping, these people were merely tools for carrying on the legacy of Qianmu Temple. Only a very small few were special. Only a tiny fraction could distinguish themselves after a century of cultivating as if every day were the same. The vast majority would renounce their vows in despair, enjoy a few decades of worldly pleasures, and then turn to a pile of yellow dust.

The reason Wang Ping was feeling so reflective at this moment was that he had been stirred by the subtle intentions Zuo Xuan had carried with her when she came to see him earlier.

"You always address her politely as ’Fellow Daoist,’ but deep down, do you truly see her as one?" Yu Lian, hanging from a beam of the pavilion, broke Wang Ping from his solitary thoughts.

Hearing this, Wang Ping pulled back his distant gaze and sat casually on a wooden bench beneath the pavilion’s railing, squinting into the wind as he admired the view of the Lin Garden in the sunset.

Zuo Xuan had only brought up the matter of the Divine Soul Guide at the very end, a way of emphasizing her own existence to Wang Ping. It was a clear, deliberate signal.

In a sense, Zuo Xuan was indeed an indispensable, even irreplaceable, asset on his current cultivation path. First, she was trustworthy. Second, her cultivation level was high enough to handle many tasks. Third, she possessed a vast network of contacts within the Southern Cultivation Realm.

Moreover, ever since she began to follow Wang Ping, she had always been conscientious in her duties, never once slacking off.

Wang Ping, on the other hand, had been using Zuo Xuan a bit too frequently. For the past century, he had pushed her to the forefront of every matter, big or small. If he had earned some favor from helping with her promotion back then, this century of service had more or less repaid it. After all, a Second Realm Artifact Cultivator only had a lifespan of five to six hundred years.

At this thought, Wang Ping looked at Yu Lian and said, "You’re right. I have been too demanding of Zuo Xuan. It’s no wonder she had to remind me in such a way. It makes me seem rather petty."

A slight smile appeared on his face. "I originally had no plans to leave the mountain even with Zi Luan’s return. But if I want my next seclusion to be peaceful, I should make a trip. I’ll help Fellow Daoist Zuo Xuan pass her Red Dust Tribulation more quickly. It’ll only take a day or two to go and come back."

With that, he took out a bamboo slip and a brush, preparing to write a letter. Seeing this, Yu Lian descended from the clouds and draped herself over Wang Ping’s shoulder, watching him write character after character on the slip.

"A letter for the old fox of Ningzhou Road?"

Yu Lian asked.

The old fox she spoke of was Hu Yin.

Wang Ping nodded with a smile. "I haven’t seen Hu Yin in a long time. It’s best to sound out her thoughts first. After all, she and Fellow Daoist Zhi Gong founded the Daoist Palace together, and she’s one of the seven chiefs. It’s better to get on the same page about certain things beforehand."

The seven chiefs of the Daoist Palace were currently Wang Ping, Zi Luan, Hu Yin, Zhi Gong, and the three Pacification Envoys stationed at the Daoist Palaces in Mozhou, Hai Zhou Road, and Ningzhou Road.

It was worth mentioning that the Pacification Envoy of Mozhou Road was a Cultivator from the Earth Cave Sect and also Zhi Gong’s junior martial brother. The one for Hai Zhou Road had been recommended by their original Cultivation Realm. The one for Ningzhou Road was a Third Realm Tai Yan Cultivator, said to be a disciple of Chongxing Taoist, but his presence was merely nominal, as he had never actually shown up to take his post.

Wang Ping’s tone was casual. This was because he wasn’t particularly concerned with what Zhi Gong Daoist was doing these days. Besides, Zhi Gong Daoist’s actions didn’t affect his own interests and had, on the contrary, brought considerable benefits to Qianmu Temple.

After finishing the letter, Wang Ping looked at Yu Lian and said, "Take a trip to Baisui Lake. Have Qianqian personally deliver this letter to Hu Yin. Take my identity token with you, and have Qianqian fly directly to Ningzhou Road."

As one of the seven chiefs of the Daoist Palace, Wang Ping’s identity token granted the right to fly anywhere within the borders of the Chu Country.

Joy sparked in Yu Lian at his words. She coiled her tail around the bamboo slip, placing it into a Storage Array carved onto the surface of one of her scales. A flash of cyan light followed, and she transformed into her enormous true form, pierced through the clouds, and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Wang Ping, for his part, rose and walked over to the Spirit Wood Tree where a tea table was placed. He lay down casually on the Spirit Grassland, gazing up at the twilight sky. After clearing his mind, he began to reflect on the things he had done since he began cultivating.

An unknown amount of time passed, and the sky had grown completely dark. Wang Ping sat up, and the voice of Nether Water immediately sounded beside him. "This is the first time I’ve seen you introspect. Taoist Family texts mention time and again that cultivation requires daily self-examination. Even many of the outer disciples down the mountain meditate and self-reflect every night, yet this is your first time."

Wang Ping chuckled. "Master once said I was born with a root of wisdom. That I could understand the mortal world without entering it, and know the secular realm without being part of it. Therefore, I don’t need to self-reflect daily!"

"Your master certainly had a discerning eye. A pity that by not entering the mortal world, you lack the flexibility of other Cultivators. You are overly rational when considering issues, which causes you to misjudge many situations. Take this matter with Zuo Xuan, for example. If you had been a bit more human about it from the start, perhaps this rift between you wouldn’t exist now."

Wang Ping shook his head. "I don’t believe there is a rift between myself and Fellow Daoist Zuo Xuan. Relationships are complicated. Since Fellow Daoist Zuo Xuan used the matter of the Divine Soul Guide to make her point clear, then there is no longer any rift between us."

Nether Water seemed to ponder this for more than ten breaths before speaking. "That is also true. Human nature is indeed the most complex thing. I can only perceive its surface. So, what did you realize during your introspection just now?"

Wang Ping stood up and walked to an open spot on the Spirit Grassland. Bathed in the moonlight spilling from the sky, he said, "Ever since I advanced to the Third Realm, all I’ve heard and seen is flattery. Even my master no longer scolds me. Over time, it’s made me feel that I’m entitled to many things."

"No, I should say it started after I advanced to the Second Realm, after Xiao Shan Lord gave me the position of Patrol Envoy of Nanlin Road. Everyone I met after that was a sycophant. Thankfully, back then, I had Zi Luan constantly irritating me, which kept my ego from getting too inflated."

"But when I advanced to the Third Realm..."

He shook his head, not continuing down that path. Instead, he changed the subject. "Fellow Daoist Zuo Xuan wasn’t just reminding me of her value; she was also pointing out my flaws. I have indeed been a bit too arrogant lately. I even got carried away when dealing with Elder Yuan Zheng and Elder Ruan Chunzi, taking their contributions for granted."

Nether Water said, "Even if you know this, I’m afraid you won’t be able to change overnight. There’s another point: you may have misunderstood your master. Perhaps he wanted to cultivate in you an indomitable courage that pushes ever forward. In his eyes, he may have wanted you to be self-centered."

Wang Ping froze. For the first time since he had entered this realm of cultivation, his train of thought came to a brief halt. Then, the sound of a fight reached his ears.

The sound was coming from the direction of Dongshui Mountain!