My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar

Qianmu Temple was now a major sect, with over a thousand Inner Sect Disciples. The number of Entering Cultivators, including the Deans of the various institutes, totaled twenty-seven. There were also several hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators and more than twelve hundred registered Qi Cultivators. And these were just the ones stationed within Qianmu Temple.

If one were to include those affiliated with Qianmu Temple and the disciples stationed outside the sect, those numbers would at least triple. Factoring in the outer sect disciples and nominal disciples, the total number of registered disciples was likely as high as twenty or thirty thousand.

These disciples were the overt network Wang Ping had established within the Chu Country and across the Zhongzhou Continent. In the past two years, their influence had been spreading to regions like the Eastern Continent and the Western Continent.

With so many disciples, internal conflicts easily arose. In recent years, it had become common for fellow disciples to fight over a particular Magical Artifact or a lucrative external assignment.

The most severe incident was a large-scale brawl between the Water Institute and the Fire Institute. It resulted in the deaths of two Foundation Establishment Cultivators and left hundreds of Qi Cultivators injured. The cause was merely a disciple from the Fire Institute harassing a female disciple from the Water Institute.

Wang Ping witnessed the fight but did not interfere with their grudges and karma. Yu Cheng Taoist also did not intervene. Only after the fight ended did he order the Inner Courtyard Director, Zhao Qian, to deal with some of the disciples according to the sect’s rules.

And now, the ever-disciplined Dongshui Mountain had finally lost its composure. Over a Demon Soldier, two small factions with long-standing grudges had broken into a major fight right in front of Zuo Xuan.

However, just as a life was about to be lost, Zuo Xuan stepped in and stopped them.

The source of the conflict was actually quite simple. It all started when He Jiu failed in his advancement. His divine soul fused with a True Spirit, triggering a strange transformation within the array of Magical Artifacts he carried. This created a Demon Soldier powerful enough to rival an Entering Cultivator.

The two Foundation Establishment Cultivators under He Jiu believed they should be the ones to inherit this Demon Soldier. However, the disciples under Zuo Liang argued that He Jiu’s advancement had consumed many materials, so the Demon Soldier should be considered public property of Dongshui Mountain, to be claimed by one who is worthy.

"If I recall correctly, He Jiu used his own merits to exchange for the advancement materials from the Daoist Palace and the sect." Yu Lian had returned from the White Water Sect and was witnessing the chaotic scene on Dongshui Mountain with Wang Ping.

It was rare for Yu Lian to address someone without using a nickname.

Wang Ping stretched out his hand, feeling the cool breeze blowing from the sea. He said to Yu Lian, "I want to meditate above the clouds tonight. Can you take me up?"

"Alright!"

Yu Lian seemed very happy. Her body transformed into its true form as she ascended into the air.

Wang Ping watched Yu Lian, then leaped gracefully into the air. As he neared her, he did a flip and landed steadily on her large head, then leaned back comfortably against a plate of Scale Armor and lay down.

"Hold on tight!"

A flash of azure light streaked across the night sky from Yu Lian’s massive body, and in the blink of an eye, she pierced through the clouds.

Wang Ping’s view instantly shifted from the mountaintop garden to the vast, silent sky, and then to the boundless atmosphere above. When he looked up, he saw the sun, somewhat glaring in the darkness, was more than halfway obscured.

"It’s so cool and refreshing up here!"

Wang Ping sighed in contentment, closing his eyes to enjoy the tranquil night sky.

Mysterious Water Runes spread across Yu Lian’s body, allowing her to float in the air without actively using Magic. She let her body drift with the wind and asked, "Are you not going to intervene on He Jiu’s behalf?"

She brought up the matter on Dongshui Mountain again.

Wang Ping kept his eyes closed, asking lazily in return, "Is it because you think the current situation is unfair to He Jiu’s disciples?"

"Isn’t it?"

"If you go down and interfere, He Jiu’s disciples will certainly get the Demon Soldier. But can you protect them for the rest of their lives? Didn’t you say a long time ago not to let your compassion end up harming people? Why are you being so irrational now?"

Hearing this, Yu Lian fell silent.

Wang Ping’s meaning was obvious. Yu Lian certainly understood the principle that possessing a treasure invites disaster. But there was a deeper, warning tone in Wang Ping’s words directed at her.

To Wang Ping and Yu Lian, He Jiu’s disciples were merely fleeting passersby in their long lives. Intervening in their affairs on a whim to help them gain some benefit would only satisfy their own sense of goodwill. They would then turn around and forget them, which could lead to a tragedy.

This wasn’t because Wang Ping and Yu Lian were indifferent. Rather, the path of cultivation stretched across endless time. Decades, or even centuries, could pass in the blink of an eye. For an ordinary Cultivator, that was a lifetime.

After a long silence, Yu Lian said, "You’re right. There’s no such thing as absolute fairness in this world. If you pursue fairness and justice too obsessively, you’ll become like those madmen from ’First Day,’ ostracized by the world. You’ll also drive yourself mad."

"It’s good that you understand. Let’s leave this for Zuo Xuan to handle. She knows what to do. Even if the Demon Soldier doesn’t end up with He Jiu’s followers, she will certainly compensate them in some way."

After replying softly, Wang Ping completely relaxed.

Down on Dongshui Mountain, a temporary arena had been set up under Zuo Xuan’s supervision. She had the Cultivators from both sides fight a match in the arena, with the winner claiming the Demon Soldier.

This was a relatively fair method. Moreover, with Zuo Xuan personally presiding over it, it would prevent Zuo Liang from interfering.

It was highly likely that He Jiu’s disciples would lose this match, which in a way was a form of protection for them. However, if Zuo Xuan wanted to maintain stability on Dongshui Mountain, she would have to compensate them secretly.

Once the match on Dongshui Mountain began, Wang Ping paid it no more attention. Before long, he had completely entered a meditative trance.

「The night passed uneventfully.」

Before he knew it, it was time for Wang Ping’s daily practice. He awoke from his meditative trance to see the sun about to break free from the darkness.

Below him were no longer the mountains of Qianmu Temple. Yu Lian’s massive body had drifted with the wind through the night, carrying them over the Great Sea to the south.

"Are you awake? Time to go home!"

Wang Ping called out to Yu Lian.

Yu Lian’s massive tail swished twice, and then her huge, vertical pupils opened. She first sensed Wang Ping’s aura and emotions in her Spirit Sea, then extended her Primordial Spirit to scan their surroundings.

"Did we fly over the sea this time?"

As Yu Lian spoke, her body suddenly plunged downward. Passing through the clouds, she emerged above the vast sea. She looked at the boundless ocean surface and said, "I’m going to catch some fish in the sea first."

"Alright!" Wang Ping agreed and simultaneously rose via Tengyun.

"WOW!"

Yu Lian let out a cheer. Her massive body descended at an incredible speed, plunging into the Great Sea with the roll of the waves in the blink of an eye. Immediately after, a wave forty to fifty feet high swelled up.

Watching the wave sweep toward the nearby coast, Wang Ping stretched out his hand and flicked two Curse Talismans into it. The wave, dozens of feet high, instantly sank back into the sea, as if some strange power from the ocean floor had dragged it down.

Such is Heaven-Reaching Power!

「A quarter of an hour later.」

Urged on by Wang Ping, Yu Lian reluctantly emerged from the sea. She shook her body dry, swallowed the fish and shrimp in her mouth, then shrank down and landed on Wang Ping’s shoulder. "Take me home!" she said lazily.

An unconscious smile appeared on Wang Ping’s face. His figure dissolved into Wood Spirit Qi, concealed by the night lingering on the horizon as he flew rapidly toward Qianmu Temple.

In less than the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, he returned silently to the Mountain Peak Dojo of Qianmu Temple.

The uproar at the Dongshui Mountain Dojo had ceased. He Jiu’s disciples were safe and sound, and their emotions had stabilized.

Wang Ping had no interest in finding out the final outcome. He cast a ’Cleansing Spell’ on himself, then settled his mind and began his daily cultivation.