My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar

Wang Ping was genuinely surprised to hear the news, but more than that, he felt a sense of shock and regret. Though Zuo Xuan appeared gentle, she was strong-willed, and he had once been very optimistic about her chances of ascending to the Third Realm. Besides, she had only recently reached the Second Realm. Normally, she wouldn't have been in such a rush to break through to the Third Realm.

"Fellow Daoist Zuo Xuan only recently reached the Second Realm. Why was she in such a hurry to ascend to the Third Realm?"

He asked aloud.

Just as he spoke, the figures of Yang Rong, Hu Qianqian, Xuanling, and Yu Lian appeared at the courtyard gate. Yu Lian flew directly into the courtyard on a cloud and landed on Wang Ping's shoulder, while the other three bowed respectfully from the entrance.

Wang Ping's gaze fell first upon Hu Qianqian. She hadn't changed much. She wore a Blue Daoist Robe, and her aura was calm and steady. A fluffy tail was wrapped around her waist, and her long ears flicked backward as she met his gaze.

"Come in, all of you."

As Wang Ping waved them in, his gaze shifted to Xuanling. He was as composed as ever. Moreover, he had nearly perfected the Second Realm of the Taiyan Talisman and was ready to begin cultivating his Spiritual Body at any moment.

Xuanling's progress was expected. After all, he possessed one-sixth of the Demon Emperor's consciousness.

Wang Ping didn't press Hu Qianqian for details, sensing she didn't wish to speak on the matter. Instead, after the three of them had entered, he turned to Liu Shuang and repeated his question, "Why was Fellow Daoist Zuo Xuan in such a hurry to ascend to the Third Realm?"

"I'm not entirely sure myself. Elder Zuo Xuan returned to Qianmu Temple ten years after you went into seclusion, Master. During the unrest in the Chu Country, many sect leaders from smaller sects came to implore her to stabilize the situation on Nanlin Road. Not long after, she left for Hu Mountain Country and didn't return for thirty years. As soon as she came back, she went into seclusion."

Liu Shuang continued her explanation in a hushed tone. "Twenty years ago, Elder Zuo Xuan emerged from her seclusion. She invited us to be her guests on Dongshui Mountain and announced that she was preparing to ascend to the Third Realm. She also entreated Elder Ruan Chunzi to act as her Guardian."

"At first, the ascension went smoothly. However, during the final stage—fusing the Magical Artifact array—the Demon Race bloodline within it suddenly went berserk. It was only then that we discovered the core of her array was the bloodline of a jiaolong. Thankfully, Elder Ruan Chunzi intervened just in time to suppress the jiaolong's consciousness and forcibly halt the ascension, saving Elder Zuo Xuan's life."

"But the backlash from the jiaolong bloodline damaged Elder Zuo Xuan's Divine Soul, and her physical body was largely assimilated by it. In an effort to heal her, we even sent disciples to Lishui Prefecture. However, as soon as they heard that she had used a jiaolong bloodline to forge her Array, they refused our pleas outright and wouldn't even hear what we were offering as payment."

"Later, Elder Zuo Xuan decided to use what little life force she had left to forcibly help our Junior Sister, Zuo Liang, break through to the Second Realm. Not long after that, she passed away on Dongshui Mountain."

After listening to the story, Wang Ping silently raised his teacup, gesturing respectfully in the direction of Dongshui Mountain. Then he asked, "Did she leave any last words?"

Liu Shuang replied swiftly, "I was with Elder Zuo Xuan in her final moments. Her last words were: 'I was too conceited. The Great Dao is truly ruthless. When Fellow Daoist Changqing emerges from seclusion, tell him… I have failed to live up to his expectations.'"

When Liu Shuang was done speaking, Xia Wen Yi spoke up. "After Elder Zuo Xuan passed away, we followed the traditions of Qianmu Temple and placed her memorial tablet and effigy in the front hall. We also recorded her story in the sect's chronicles, so that the disciples and followers of Qianmu Temple may honor her memory."

Wang Ping fell silent. He felt as if he had transmigrated all over again; the world around him had undergone such earth-shattering changes.

"Fellow Daoist Zuo Xuan's music was the most beautiful. Qianqian, play a piece for your master in her stead."

"Yes, Master!"

Hu Qianqian complied, moving to a clear space to the side. She slapped the storage pouch at her waist, producing a square table and a wooden stool. She then retrieved a guqin and set it upon the table.

The elegant notes of the guqin soon filled the air.

Wang Ping closed his eyes, his mind drifting back to the scene of his arrival in this world. At that time, the land at the foot of Qianmu Mountain was mostly untamed forest. A small, winding river flowed through it, flanked by patches of newly cleared farmland. It was the dead of winter, and a poor harvest had forced the villagers to venture into the cold woods before dawn each day, searching for wild vegetables to eat.

He vividly recalled a brawl breaking out between two villages deep in the winter over a single grass carp that had drifted down from upstream. The fighting only stopped after several people were killed.

It was in the depths of that same winter that his parents in this life had sent him to Qianmu Temple. He remembered the first time he saw his master, standing beneath the portrait of the Ancestral Master in a simple Daoist Robe, sizing him up with a pair of soul-piercing eyes.

At first, the sight of his master's face filled him with fear, even terror.

Over time, however, his fear slowly gave way to curiosity. That curiosity then blossomed into something more on the day he saw a cultivator descend into Qianmu Temple on a cloud.

Now, his own cultivation had long surpassed that of the cultivator he saw riding a cloud that day. While he was still curious, that curiosity had lost its initial purity.

All ethereal melodies must eventually end. When the music stopped abruptly, Wang Ping opened his eyes. His gaze landed on Hu Qianqian at the guqin, her tail swaying gently behind her, seemingly of its own accord.

"Is there any other news?" Wang Ping asked softly.

"There is some good news," Xia Wen Yi said, his words coming out in a rush. "Senior Brother Su Sea successfully broke through to the Second Realm ten years ago. We recently sent several Inner Sect Disciples to visit and learn from him. Furthermore, the Post-Xia Court in the Yunhai Grassland has been secretly sending envoys to us over the years. They have the Essence Wood Divine Soul we require, so I took the initiative and agreed to the deal."

Wang Ping nodded. He had already noticed the insignia of the Front Courtyard Director on Xia Wen Yi's robes. Clearly, Qianmu Temple's internal structure had been reformed; otherwise, such a prestigious post would not have been assigned to Xia Wen Yi.

Liu Shuang then shared another piece of good news. "Ling'Er has also reached the Second Realm. Elder Yuan Zheng says that if she maintains her current state, she has a hope of breaking through to the Third Realm before the end of her lifespan. If that happens, she'll have finally made something of herself!"

"What about Yu'Er? Has there been any word from her? And Wang Yang?" It was Yu Lian who asked, speaking for Wang Ping.

After a brief silence, Liu Shuang was the one to answer. "We haven't had any word from Junior Brother Wang Yang since he left. The same goes for Yu'Er. However, she did arrange for the disciple she took while traveling to be sent back to us."

"Yu'Er took on a disciple?" Wang Ping asked, a hint of anticipation in his voice.

"It's not just Yu'Er. Junior Sister Xiaozhu, Junior Brother Wen Yi… even Rong'Er has taken on disciples…"

Before Liu Shuang could finish, her disciple, Yang Rong, deftly took over. "I haven't just taken on disciples—my disciples are already teaching their own apprentices! All of my martial uncles' disciples have their own disciples as well. Grandmaster, if you summoned them all here, I'm not sure your Dao Field could even hold them!"

Hearing his grand-disciple's words, Wang Ping felt his spirits lift.

Yu Lian rose into the air on a cloud, surveying everyone in the courtyard. "Well, what are you waiting for?" she chirped. "Go on, bring all your disciples and grand-disciples over so he can meet them."