My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar

Three more months passed.

Liu Shuang returned to the sect with Xia Wen Yi, who had been out gaining experience after his Foundation Establishment.

Xia Wen Yi had returned to enter seclusion and break into the next realm. His training excursion had been personally arranged by the Yu Cheng Taoist, and so was his return to the sect. This prompted Yu Lian to again accuse their Master of playing favorites, claiming he had never been this attentive to Xiaozhu.

His seclusion to break through would likely take a very long time, as he hadn’t even begun to plant his locust tree. Meanwhile, Xiaozhu’s path had been arranged by the Yu Cheng Taoist from the start, and her cultivation afterward was smooth sailing—a detail Yu Lian conveniently forgot.

As for Liu Shuang, she had returned to prepare to completely fuse the Spirit Body’s consciousness with her soul.

Just as Wang Ping was preparing for Liu Shuang’s seclusion, Song Qu, who had been active in Hu Mountain Country, suddenly sent back a message. He said a Third Realm Cultivator from Lishui Prefecture had taken notice of his aptitude and wanted to accept him as a disciple.

Wang Ping rarely paid attention to this Puppet Disciple, because deep down, he had always resisted the idea of teaching a puppet.

This was simply a part of his nature!

Considering Song Qu’s clean background in Hu Mountain Country, his natural talent, and the dynamic thoughts Wang Ping had intentionally implanted in him, he was, all things considered, a very tempting choice for a successor.

The one who wanted to take him in was a disciple of the master of Lishui Prefecture, a man named Chongqiu.

Qianmu Temple had a file on this Cultivator. He was the third disciple in the lineage of the master of Lishui Prefecture and had advanced to the Third Realm over 1,200 years ago, making him a figure of Elder status in Lishui Prefecture.

For a man of his stature to want to take Song Qu as a Direct Disciple, Wang Ping had to carefully consider the potential ramifications. If Chongqiu were to discover the truth later, there would undoubtedly be an entanglement, and things could even turn violent.

After much thought, Wang Ping agreed to it. He had discovered that Song Qu seemed to be trying to break free of his control, which piqued his interest; he wanted to see what would happen next.

It seems that anyone in a position of great power develops a certain twisted sense of amusement, and Wang Ping was no exception.

With that matter settled, Wang Ping could now focus all his energy on acting as Liu Shuang’s Guardian.

「The sixteenth of the first month.」

Qianmu Temple had just celebrated the New Year, and a festive atmosphere still lingered throughout the sect.

Liu Shuang awoke from her meditation very early that day. She personally swept her quiet Dao Field, both inside and out, then burned incense and offered prayers in the main house before quietly waiting for 7:45 AM.

When the bell rang for the Qianmu Temple outer disciples’ morning practice, she and her Spiritual Dog transformed into a streak of light, descending toward the Mountain Peak Dojo. Detecting her aura, the dojo’s illusionary wards dissipated, revealing a lush, dense garden. She landed instantly beside the core of the Nine Extremes Array.

"WOOF!"

The Spiritual Dog wagged its tail, greeting Yu Lian, who was draped over the branch of a nearby Spirit Wood Tree.

Yu Lian opened one eye and flicked her tail, sending a strand of Water Spirit Qi whipping toward the Spiritual Dog. The dog shivered from the contact but seemed to grow even more excited.

Wang Ping, sitting cross-legged beneath the Spirit Wood Tree, opened his eyes. He rose and looked at Liu Shuang. "You just need to fuse your own soul with the Spirit Body’s consciousness, just as you have before. Remember, you must maintain your humanity to the fullest, but also think with reason. This is the foundation of your future cultivation. Only by taking this step will you have a chance to enter the Third Realm."

Liu Shuang nodded silently.

Sensing Liu Shuang’s perfect state of readiness, Wang Ping smiled without realizing it. "Go on and give it your all," he encouraged. "If you run into any trouble, your Master is here to help."

"Thank you, Master!"

"Alright, let’s begin."

"Yes!"

Liu Shuang took a deep breath and beckoned to her Spiritual Dog. The dog, which had been running circles around the Spirit Wood Tree, obediently trotted over and sat. She gently stroked its head and, after communicating with the dog via her Spiritual Sea Consciousness, walked toward the center of the Array Core.

As she sat cross-legged within the Array Core, Wang Ping activated the Array. He then pointed with his left hand, and two Spirit Stabilizing Talismans materialized from within Liu Shuang’s body, dissolving into streams of Wood Spirit Qi before vanishing.

"Now, begin the fusion. The process may be long, so you must be patient!" Wang Ping said, trying to keep his tone as gentle as possible.

Liu Shuang merely nodded, then formed a Spell seal with her hands and entered a meditative state.

Once she was in a meditative state, Wang Ping rose on a cloud, hovering at the edge of the Array. Yu Lian saw this and flew over to land on his shoulder, then wrapped herself around his arm.

"She has great trust in you. You’ve given her a lot of confidence," Yu Lian remarked, her gaze fixed on Liu Shuang.

"She’s the one who prepared herself so well. Six months ago, she was nowhere near this state."

They chatted on and off, and in the blink of an eye, two hours had passed. Liu Shuang’s condition remained stable. Aided by the Array beneath her, she skillfully extracted and fused the Spirit Body’s consciousness from within her soul.

The progress was slow, but there were no mishaps.

"At this rate, she will need at least two years to succeed!" Yu Lian’s Primordial Spirit had been observing Liu Shuang to watch for any mishaps and to monitor her progress. This was her conclusion.

"I’d rather it take longer than have something go wrong," Wang Ping responded.

"If it takes too long, her patience will wear thin. Shuang’Er isn’t like you. She’s not a patient person," Yu Lian reminded him gravely.

"I also have a Sacred Heart Pill. It can help Shuang’Er be more patient!"

It turned out Yu Lian’s concerns were well-founded. After three months, Liu Shuang was beginning to struggle. After all, absorbing those chaotic memories was not a pleasant task, especially when it had to be done nonstop.

Wang Ping didn’t rush to use the Sacred Heart Pill.

「Six months later.」

When Liu Shuang’s face contorted and the consciousness of her soul began to fray, she was on the verge of waking at any moment. But waking up now would mean all her previous efforts would be wasted. Without hesitation, Wang Ping infused the medicinal power of the Sacred Heart Pill into Liu Shuang’s Spirit Veins.

"Silly dog, maintain communication with your master in the Spiritual Sea Realm," Yu Lian ordered the Spiritual Dog beside them. "Don’t let her humanity fade."

The Spiritual Dog let out two soft WHIMPERS and fell silent, apparently now communicating with Liu Shuang in the Spiritual Sea Realm.

The seasons turned.

Another six months passed. The world was in an uproar. Then, one sweltering summer day, Wang Ping’s brow suddenly furrowed, his mind reeling with turbulent thoughts, which startled the slumbering Yu Lian from her sleep.

"What’s wrong?"

Yu Lian’s Primordial Spirit immediately scanned Liu Shuang, who was still cultivating, but found nothing amiss.

Wang Ping’s tone was grave. "I was suddenly overcome with unease. The Heaven-Reaching Talisman must have sensed a change in the world."

As he spoke, he descended to the ground, took out a pair of divination blocks, and cast a reading.

The blocks were still tumbling on the ground when a turbulent torrent of energy erupted into the sky from the Northwest. It was an aura Wang Ping recognized—Wood Spirit Qi.

"Second Realm Energy! And it’s not just one person... there are at least ten. No, a dozen or more... wait, dozens! And the number is still growing!" As Yu Lian spoke, frantic and dense bursts of Wood Spirit Qi erupted from every direction.

Wang Ping glanced at Liu Shuang in the Array Core, then took out the Sect Barrier Token and deployed the barrier without a moment’s hesitation. With another gesture, he activated the isolation Array around the Mountain Peak Dojo.

Once he confirmed Liu Shuang was unaffected, Wang Ping immediately summoned his Pocket World Mirror, using his puppets across the land to observe the cataclysm. A few seconds later, a rare look of shock crossed his face.

"What is it?" Yu Lian asked.

"It’s Taiyan Cultivators from various sects. They’ve suddenly gone berserk, attacking everyone in sight!"