My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar

Yu Lian's proposal was a good one, but it was a bit unrealistic at the moment. Most of the younger generation were out gaining experience. After all, they were young people who, once they'd achieved some success in their training, would inevitably want to leave the mountain and see the world.

However, leaving the mountain was also a part of cultivation.

The only one currently at the temple was the disciple Zhao Yu'Er had sent back.

He was from the Western Continent, with a high-bridged nose, deep-set eyes, and a slender build. Zhao Yu'Er had given him the Zhongzhou name "Zhao Mingming." He was currently cultivating under Liu Shuang and had already successfully reached Foundation Establishment.

Yu Lian's assessment of him was: 'His composure is even steadier than Xiaozhu's, and his mindset is like that of an Ascetic Monk from the Sun Sect.'

Her assessment wasn't wrong. Zhao Mingming was a follower of the Moon God Sect from the Western Continent's Eastern Alliance. They advocated Pure Cultivation but did not agree with the asceticism of the Sun Sect.

Upon seeing Wang Ping, he performed the grand ritual of three kneelings and nine kowtows. When he was finished, he said, "My master said she has failed to live up to the Grandmaster's teachings. She told me that when I saw you, I must kowtow to you in her place."

"Is your master well?" Wang Ping asked.

"She was in good condition when I last parted from her. I believe nothing will happen to her. Our tribe's High Priest once said that my master's will is as strong as a celestial god's and could never be destroyed by a Heart Demon. Perhaps she has already found a way to advance to the Third Realm!"

"Can you find her?"

"My master possesses great wisdom and a resolute will. She will return once she has found her answer!"

This answer prompted Yu Lian to remark to Wang Ping in his Spirit Sea, 'He's a man of firm faith. I have no idea how Yu'Er managed to recruit him!'

Wang Ping didn't comment on this. People like Zhao Mingming were rare in Zhongzhou, but common in the Western Continent. Most of the cultivators there practiced by placing their faith in all sorts of gods. This method could yield twice the results with half the effort in the early stages, but their progress would falter after the Third Realm, sometimes ceasing altogether. This required a transformation. A cultivator who successfully transformed would have the chance to advance further, while those who failed could only stagnate.

"Teach him well!"

Wang Ping instructed, looking at Liu Shuang. He then chatted idly with his other disciples.

「The next morning.」

As the morning glow on the horizon fell upon the small courtyard, Wang Ping gazed at the familiar scene and couldn't help but think of his master again. He dismissed his disciples and sat alone in the courtyard for the entire morning, while Yu Lian quietly lay on the nearby eaves, keeping him company.

Around noon, Wang Ping murmured, "What would Master usually be doing right now?"

"When you were in the Qi Cultivation stage, Master would probably be checking on the medicinal herb fields around this time," Yu Lian's voice came from nearby. "After you made your first breakthrough, he was often away from the Daoist Temple. Looking back, he must have been paving the way for you. Later on, he just took to sitting in the courtyard, reading and drinking tea. He's only traveling far and wide. He's worked hard for so long, he deserves to see the beauty of the world. You don't need to worry so much."

"You're right."

Wang Ping stood up, turning his head to look at the adjacent training grounds. He then walked out of the courtyard to stand beside the old locust tree, gazing up at the clear sky.

'If Master were to look up at the sky right now, I suppose he'd be seeing the same one I am, right?'

With that thought, he transformed into a streak of light and returned to the Mountain Peak Dojo.

The layout of the Dao Field was unchanged from before his seclusion; Liu Shuang must have come by often to tidy up. However, the puppets in the Alchemy Room had deteriorated with age, and a small number of Power Pills had not been sold in time.

The flower clusters in the courtyard hadn't changed much, either. Wang Ping stood beside them and wondered aloud, "Why did I plant these flowers in the first place?"

He knew he wasn't particularly fond of gardening, yet he couldn't for the life of him remember why he had planted these flowers. He had many such memories he couldn't recall. Of course, it was also possible that he had changed—a change that even he himself was unaware of.

"You said I had a sweet tooth, so you were going to plant flowers and keep bees," Yu Lian replied, staring at Wang Ping with a perfectly straight face. Then she asked, "So, when are you getting the bees?"

Hearing this, Wang Ping reached out to pat her little head, but Yu Lian dodged. She used Tengyun to fly up and land on the eaves of the courtyard gate, where she lay down and said, "The sun feels so nice up here."

"Is that so?"

Wang Ping gave a casual reply and sat back down at the Stone Table. He focused his mind, took out the Water Moon Bell, and activated the illusionary environment set within the Dao Field. Then, he brought out the Divine Technique Formation.

The moment she saw the Divine Technique Formation, Yu Lian used Tengyun to fly back down. She connected to Wang Ping's Primordial Spirit Consciousness to read the thoughts of his followers.

Wang Ping, meanwhile, looked down at the Divine Country Map in the center of the array. The once-shattered map of Zhongzhou was now reduced to just a small southern region. This section, however, was brightly lit, proving that the faith of his followers there was stable.

"You have more followers now, but they're also more concentrated. They're all gathered in Nanlin Road and Ningzhou Road, with a few in Mozhou Road. The faith from Hai Zhou Road is gone. Oh! There are even some followers in the Northwest Region! Disciples from Qianmu Temple must have brought your faith there. And in the northern Yunhai Grassland, too."

Yu Lian's Primordial Spirit Consciousness was buzzing with excitement.

Wang Ping, for his part, brought out the Pocket World Mirror and carefully observed his twenty-some surviving puppets. One of them quickly caught his attention: Li Hui, the one he had originally assigned to Wenhai's side. Despite having only inferior-grade spiritual roots, he had actually managed to begin cultivating, albeit through the unorthodox method of merging with a Demon Soldier.

Wenhai had built a Daoist Temple near the place Wang Ping had been in seclusion. Next to the temple was a small city, roughly the size of a county seat from the old days.

From the memories provided by Li Hui, Wang Ping instantly grasped the origin of the temple and the city. The Daoist Temple had been funded and established by Daoist Chengxi of the Southeast Sea Region for the purpose of gathering intelligence on Qianmu Temple in Nanlin Road.

Wenhai was quite clever. He had exploited his position between the two sides to thrive amidst the chaos in the Southern Cultivation Realm. He was not, however, operating under his own name. This was its own form of torment for him; after all, adopting a new identity meant all his relationships had to change. He couldn't even acknowledge old friends, even if they were standing right in front of him.

On the other hand, it also showed just how incredibly patient his opponent was, to continue their vigil for 152 years. Then again, he thought, Taiyan Cultivators had long lifespans; to them, over a hundred years was merely the blink of an eye.

Wang Ping quickly suppressed this line of thought. Whenever he dwelled on such things, the lonely figure of the Xiao Shan Lord would involuntarily surface in his mind.

Letting out a long breath, he severed the connection with the puppet.

The thought of the Xiao Shan Lord reminded Wang Ping of his recently unsealed memories. Just as he was about to delve into them, a message came from Zi Luan through his Communication Token, requesting that he activate his projected consciousness.

The Communication Array in the underground cavern was undamaged, though some of the Rune Lines were covered in a thick layer of dust. Wang Ping took care of it with a simple cleaning spell.

Once the projected consciousness was active, only Zi Luan's figure appeared. He hadn't changed much.

"Congratulations on your great progress, Fellow Daoist. You truly live up to your reputation as a genius. It took me a full two hundred and seventy years to reach this stage!" Zi Luan said with a cupped-fist salute. "Now that you've accomplished this, you can begin preparing for your advancement to the Fourth Realm. Do you have any thoughts on the matter?"