My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar

On the straight road south of Laishan Camp, newly enlisted soldiers were forming hundreds of small groups organized by county. This made the column extremely scattered, stretching for dozens of miles.

At a newly built pier on the edge of the forest, Court Eunuchs and local officials were in a chaotic argument. Some of the more hot-tempered ones had already started brawling.

The Chu Country was a regime formed by a coalition of great clans from various regions. In its early days, the local powers were strong, and decrees from the Imperial Court were ignored once they left Jinhuai City. However, as the wars at Bin Pass and True Yang Mountain unfolded, the Court cleverly used the influence of numerous Immortal Families and sects to consolidate local power and bring it under central control.

After the great victory at True Yang Mountain in particular, the Court intended to establish a new administrative circuit in the region. This greatly displeased the great clans of Ningzhou Prefecture, as they had contributed the most to the war effort, providing half of the army’s provisions and supplies.

As their argument reached a fever pitch, the sound of something tearing through the air echoed from the sky. Below the clouds, two golden halos of light flashed past before descending toward the pier. A sudden gale swept across the area, churning the surface of the nearby river and bending the distant trees outward from the pier.

It was two Gold Cultivators. They materialized about a hundred zhang from the ground. As they neared the pier, they performed a stylish flip, landing steadily in front of the warehouse office building.

"We are here on the orders of Changqing Zhenren to collect the Elixirs from all parties for the next two months."

The Gold Cultivator on the left produced a waist token, coldly surveying the surrounding officials.

The scene immediately fell silent. Just as the two Gold Cultivators were getting annoyed, a Court official in a purple robe stepped forward, clasped his hands, and said, "I am Wang Wei, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Please allow me to first verify the token in your possession, honored Immortal."

"Of course!"

The Gold Cultivator handed over the token.

Wang Wei immediately stepped forward. He took the token, then pulled a template from his robes and carefully compared the hidden details on the token against it. Afterward, he respectfully returned the token and pointed to the cargo ships outside the pier. "The Elixirs you require are all aboard, honored Immortal. Here is the manifest. Please verify it."

As he spoke, an official in a red robe standing beside him presented a ledger.

The other Gold Cultivator took the ledger and compared it with another list he held. In just over ten breaths, he finished checking the ledger and the list. He then flew to the cargo ship, meticulously counting the goods as he loaded them into two special storage pouches in his hands.

Throughout this process, the officials on the pier waited with their heads bowed. The local officials, who had been pushed to the back, wanted to step forward but dared not. They watched in conflicted silence as the Gold Cultivator, having finished loading the Elixirs, flew back.

"All of you, focus on gathering the Elixirs and provisions. Don’t let your petty, private affairs delay the Lord’s important business. If you do, it won’t just be the caps on your heads that you lose—your entire clans will suffer!"

After offering this cold reminder, the Gold Cultivator holding the token exchanged a look with his companion. They then transformed into two streaks of light and shot toward Laishan in the north, accompanied by a deafening sonic boom.

The once-quiet forest below their path was now bustling with activity. An endless stream of carriages filled the newly built highway, while a thousand ships of all sizes plied the waterways, all transporting supplies requisitioned from across the Chu Country.

A few hours later, the two Gold Cultivators arrived with the Elixirs in Shuanghe City, north of Laishan. After logging their mission as complete at the Daoist Palace’s temporary headquarters, the headquarters immediately dispatched dozens of teams led by Foundation Establishment Cultivators. These teams fanned out to various strongholds along the front line, which stretched for hundreds of miles, to deliver the Elixirs into the hands of tens of thousands of Qi Cultivators.

Just as these teams left Shuanghe City, a series of rumbles echoed from the east and west. A few Entering Cultivators on patrol beneath the clouds immediately shouted, "Don’t panic! It’s our own people!"

Such a warning offered little comfort. It was impossible not to panic, especially given what had happened before.

The sound was caused by the collapse of the mountain ranges to the east and west of True Yang Mountain. Anyone who witnessed those majestic peaks crumble felt their legs tremble.

When the ground began to tremble violently, many of the new recruits recently sent to the front lines immediately wet their pants.

However, as time went on, people grew accustomed to the rumbling in their ears and the shaking of the ground. Their courage grew, and some even dared to stare intently at the distant horizon. Soon, they discovered that the collapsing mountains produced no dust at all; it was as if they were being pressed down into the earth.

The tremors stopped at noon on the third day. The massive mountain range, which had spanned nearly a thousand li across the center of the Zhongzhou Continent, had been razed to a plain.

Tens of millions of people from all directions, an army of over a hundred thousand on the front lines, tens of thousands of Qi Cultivators, thousands of Foundation Establishment Cultivators, hundreds of Entering Cultivators, the fifty-one remaining Second Realm Cultivators, as well as Wang Ping and his group, all witnessed this process with their own eyes.

"Haha! That was the most satisfying thing I’ve done in my entire life!"

Wu Quan’s exuberant voice echoed between heaven and earth as he landed on the summit of Laishan. He cupped his fist toward Wang Ping and said, "So, what do you think? Didn’t I do a beautiful job?"

Wang Ping had originally intended to find some Second Realm Earth Vein Cultivators for this task, but Wu Quan had snatched it for himself.

"Hmph!"

Beside them, Zhi Gong Daoist was clearly annoyed.

Hearing the cold snort, Wu Quan, for once, didn’t retort as he usually would have. Instead, he just grinned and laughed, a truly unrestrained and hearty laugh.

"Next is to rebuild the main peak of True Yang Mountain, then carve Golden Body Divine Statues of the Xiao Shan Lord on its north and south faces." Wang Ping looked at Wu Quan. "This must be done as quickly as possible!"

"No problem! I’ll rest for a night and get right on it. I guarantee I’ll have it done before the end of the year!"

"In that case, I’m counting on you."

Wang Ping glanced up at Yu Lian, who was flying up from the river below. Just as he was about to dismiss everyone, the Tongming Wanderer cupped his fist and said, "True Man..." He paused for a moment before continuing, "Since the matter of True Yang Mountain is concluded, it is time for me to take my leave."

"Mm, alright. Take care, Fellow Daoist!"

Wang Ping returned the salute with cupped fists.

The Tongming Wanderer nodded. Without saying goodbye to anyone else, he tossed his identity token below the clouds and transformed into a streak of light, flying south.

"An interesting fellow!"

Ganxing commented with a smile.

Wang Ping extended his hand, and Yu Lian’s shrunken form landed on it. He then looked around and said, "Things here should be quiet for now. If any of you have urgent matters to attend to, you may leave first."

He spoke sincerely.

However, the others were all clever people and pretended not to have heard him.

Just as everyone was about to disperse, Zuo Xuan flew to the summit with another person. This man wore a wide-sleeved blue Daoist Robe, held a Duster, and had a green jade coronet on his head. One look was enough to tell that he was a man who spent his years in meditation and cultivation.

Zuo Xuan stopped ten zhang away, cupped her fist, and said, "Reporting to Changqing Zhenren, an envoy from the Six Heart Sect has arrived."

Her voice had barely faded when the cultivator beside her smiled, cupped his fist, and said, "This humble Daoist, Xuanling, greets Changqing Zhenren and all the seniors present."

"What is it?" Wang Ping merely returned the salute with cupped fists.

"The Lord has acquired the Demon Gathering Banner. He said that since the True Man was the one who obtained this Magical Artifact, it rightfully belongs to the True Man." As Xuanling spoke, he lightly slapped his storage pouch and took out the Demon Gathering Banner, which was sealed by a Spirit Stabilizing Talisman.