My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar

After Yuan Zheng and the others left, Wang Ping said, "You three, have a seat..."

After beckoning them, he walked toward the main house almost subconsciously. The moment he entered, his consciousness seemed to freeze. It was as if he had fallen into a dream again, a torrent of emotions rising within him. Yet, on the surface, he managed a slight smile. Looking at Yu Lian, who had followed him in, he said, "I've been in seclusion for too long. I'm a bit out of it."

Yu Lian remained silent, choosing not to contradict him at this moment.

The room's furnishings were just as Wang Ping remembered. His eyes quickly swept over the meditation cushion his master used to use, then, as if not daring to linger, he casually picked up the brazier by the door and left the room.

In the courtyard, Liu Shuang, Shen Xiaozhu, and Xia Wen Yi were all still standing. Seeing Wang Ping emerge with the brazier, the youngest, Xia Wen Yi, hurried forward. He took the brazier from Wang Ping's hands and said, "Master, please, you sit first."

Wang Ping walked over to the Stone Table and couldn't resist looking back at the main house, but he pulled his gaze away after a single glance. Under the watchful eyes of his three disciples, he sat down on the nearest stone stool.

Liu Shuang and Shen Xiaozhu took seats opposite Wang Ping without being prompted, while Xia Wen Yi set about boiling water for tea.

Just then, a streak of light flashed across the sky, and a figure appeared at the courtyard gate.

It was Liu Shuang's disciple, Yang Rong. Surprisingly, she had also advanced to the Second Realm. Like Liu Shuang, she practiced the Wood Gathering Skill, but her Spirit Veins were far purer.

"Grandmaster!"

Yang Rong's eyes were bright, her gaze as clear and innocent as it was in her childhood.

This time, a genuine smile spread across Wang Ping's face. He looked at Yang Rong and beckoned her over. "Hurry and come in. Don't just stand out there."

"Is Qianqian still at Baisui Lake?"

Wang Ping suddenly thought of Hu Qianqian, who would rush over to see him every time he emerged from seclusion.

As the eldest disciple, Liu Shuang immediately answered her master's question. "She is. She has already disbanded the Water Race of Baisui Lake, and the members of the Demon Race who followed her have also left. Only a few of her own kin remain by her side."

"What happened?" Yu Lian asked.

"It was a disaster brought on by that disciple of hers, and besides, the Southern Cultivation Realm isn't what it once was..." Liu Shuang's explanation was vague.

Upon hearing this, Wang Ping summoned his Pocket World Mirror. He tried to use the puppets he had sent out from it to understand what Liu Shuang meant by "isn't what it once was." However, of the several hundred puppets he had originally deployed, only a little over twenty remained. On the other hand, all of them had become Entering Cultivators, and two had even reached Second Realm Cultivation.

It sounded disastrous, but the result was actually more effective than before. These twenty-some individuals had developed their own networks, taken on their own disciples and successors, and become pivotal figures in their respective factions. They could facilitate the placement of other puppets Wang Ping might deploy in the future.

Through the information conveyed by these twenty-plus individuals, Wang Ping grasped in a mere instant the general transformations the Southern Cultivation Realm had undergone during his seclusion.

In the early years of Wang Ping's seclusion, the Chu Kingdom Court spent over a decade reuniting the fractured country, a process certainly spurred on by Zi Luan from behind the scenes.

Following that, the Southern Cultivation Realm enjoyed over fifty years of peace. During this period, the Chu Country's economy, government, and culture all developed immensely. With the Daoist Palace maintaining stability in the Cultivation Realm, the Chu Country's national power rose to unprecedented heights.

Consequently, some hawkish generals in the Chu Kingdom Court, eager to earn military glory, began urging the Emperor to march north. The Emperor, looking upon the chaotic three Roads of the True Yang Mountain region and the politically unstable Liangjiang Region, was deeply tempted.

Thus, the northern campaign was quickly adopted. Initially, the Chu army advanced with unstoppable momentum, conquering Houjiang Road in just one month. At that point, they should have consolidated their gains. Unfortunately, the entire Chu Kingdom Court seemed to have been swept up by the easy victory, and they shockingly decided to simultaneously attack the three Roads of the True Yang Mountain region!

They were emulating the strategy of the Xiao Shan Lord of old, aiming to use two armies in a pincer attack on Shangjing City to unify Zhongzhou.

In truth, the Chu Kingdom Court wasn't made up of fools, nor were they blindly arrogant. It was simply that over fifty years of peace had led its officials to develop an overly simplistic view of human nature.

Before attacking the three Roads of the True Yang Mountain region, they had contacted the Datong Marquisate, which had returned to the Northwest Region. The two powers quickly forged a secret alliance: the Chu Country would take the three Roads of True Yang Mountain, along with Jianglin Road and Pingzhou Road, while the Datong Marquisate would claim Beiyuan Road and Qingpu Road.

It was a good plan, but progress was agonizingly slow. The conquest of the three Roads of the True Yang Mountain region alone took the Chu Country ten years, nearly squandering fifty years of accumulated national wealth.

Then, during the attack on Jianglin Road, they were betrayed by the Datong Marquisate. The front-line army was routed. This campaign had been personally led by the Chu Emperor, who had hoped to settle the fate of the realm in a single, decisive battle.

Unfortunately, things went contrary to his wishes. Not only did he fail to settle the realm's fate, but as the remnants of his army retreated to the three Roads of the True Yang Mountain region, they were besieged by dozens of Entering Cultivators. The Emperor was severely wounded. The year after he returned to Jinhuai City, he announced his abdication and entered seclusion.

To guarantee the territorial integrity of the Chu Country's four Roads, the new Emperor had no choice but to agree to the reparations demanded by the Datong Marquisate. This led to another tax hike across the land. But the Chu Country was already suffering under high taxes from years of war; this new burden was the last straw. The government was practically forcing the people to revolt. With the added incitement from some of the great aristocratic clans, rebellions erupted across the entire Chu Country in less than a month.

"I don't know who gave him the bad advice, but Disciple-Nephew Hu Xin also led tens of thousands of Demon Race troops in a rebellion on Ningzhou Road. The northern forests of Ningzhou Road, which had always been peaceful, were thrown into chaos, and it nearly provoked a military intervention from Shanwu Road..."

Liu Shuang sighed and, cradling her teacup, said, "In the second year of his uprising, Disciple-Nephew Hu Xin was besieged by ten Entering Cultivators and was killed!"

Hearing this, Yu Lian's body involuntarily swelled to a length of five zhang. "Little Hu Xin was killed by them?" she demanded.

She was furious.

Wang Ping, however, remained calm. He reached out to gently stroke Yu Lian's enlarged body, soothing her emotions. "And then Qianqian avenged Hu Xin?" he asked.

"Yes. She took action and killed six of the cultivators who had besieged Hu Xin. This violated the rules set down by the True Monarchs. Fortunately, the Daoist Palace ultimately handled the matter. Out of respect for you, Master, and thanks to the mediation of Senior Hu Yin and Senior Zhigong, Qianqian's punishment was reduced to house arrest."

"When Qianqian returned to Baisui Lake, she disbanded her great army of the Demon Race, leaving only a small contingent from her own White Fox Race. She has not set foot outside Baisui Lake since."

Yu Lian had calmed down by then. She looked at Wang Ping and said, "I never expected Qianqian to have such an impulsive side. I always thought she was so cold and detached."

"Senior Sister Qianqian was indeed impulsive. If this had been planned carefully, with Qianmu Temple's influence in the Southern Cultivation Realm, we could have eliminated those ten Entering Cultivators without a sound."

Xia Wen Yi murmured this in a low voice as he poured tea for Wang Ping.

They didn't care about Hu Xin's rebellion, nor did they care whose fault it ultimately was. All that mattered to them was that Hu Xin was dead. This was the bond of a shared sect.

Hearing this, Wang Ping took out his identity token as the Chief of the Daoist Palace. He handed it to Yang Rong, the most junior among them, and instructed, "Go and ask your Martial-Aunt Qianqian to come for a visit."

"I'll go too!"

These words, of course, came from Yu Lian.