My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar

Another silence fell over the main hall.

This silence lasted for quite some time before Ruan Chunzi finally spoke up. "So even feuds between Cultivators can’t be allowed to affect the secular world’s contest for the Divine Artifact?"

Zi Luan nodded and uttered a single word: "Correct."

He then added, "If you have any feuds that spill over into the secular world, you have one month to resolve them. However, as long as you don’t interfere with the competition for the Divine Artifact, normal sect conflicts are still permitted."

"..."

The meaning behind his words ran deep.

"Over the next month, I fear the Zhongzhou Continent is about to be turned upside down!" Ruan Chunzi remarked melancholically.

Zi Luan chuckled and replied, "The Chu Kingdom Court has already issued an order to recall its garrisons from True Yang Mountain, Jianglin Road, and the Liangjiang Region back to the four southern towns."

"With that, I’m afraid countless factions will rise up in the True Yang Mountain, Jianglin Road, and Liangjiang Region. Blood will surely flow like rivers!"

Yuan Zheng Taoist turned to look at the plaza outside the hall. The summer sun was exceptionally harsh, yet the disciples gathered there appeared relaxed, presenting a scene of peace and tranquility.

Yu Cheng Taoist thought for a moment before asking, "Daoist, do you have any news of the Datong Marquisate?"

Zi Luan maintained his smile. He picked up the teacup from the Eight Immortals Table beside him and stared at the steaming liquid as he spoke:

"The Datong Marquisate is embroiled in the internal strife of the Snowfield Buddhist Family. Their founding capital consisted of Great Cultivators from the various sects of the Northwest, so this time, I’m afraid they will suffer a grievous blow. Before coming here, I received news that the Datong Court will most likely move its capital to Anqing!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Cheng Taoist glanced at Zhao Qian, who lowered his head. It was clear he had not yet received this intelligence.

Zi Luan continued, "Furthermore, since its establishment, the Datong Court has always been managed by their Chancellor, Zhang Xinghuai. If I recall correctly, he was a disciple of your Qianmu Temple and once served as the head of Zhonghui Academy. He is indeed a capable man, but he is too clever. He studied the Saint’s Dao of the Jimin Association, and I fear he can no longer serve as the Chancellor of the Datong Marquisate."

"Xinghuai is a good kid," Yu Cheng Taoist said. "He just wants to realize his ideals and ambitions."

"Unfortunately, his ideals and ambitions conflict with the interests of certain people," Yuan Zheng Taoist added.

𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

His words were like a vented curse, yet he didn’t even dare to voice them as a loud rebuke.

Zi Luan did not join the discussion. He looked up toward the entrance of the hall, where a Puppet Bird was fluttering its wings, bobbing up and down. Under his gaze, it darted into the hall, and then, as everyone watched, it landed on the Eight Immortals Table beside Zi Luan and hopped back and forth.

"It seems Fellow Daoist Changqing is aware of my arrival, but apparently has no intention of coming out to meet me."

As he spoke, Zi Luan picked up the Puppet Bird in front of everyone in the hall. He opened a switch on its abdomen, and a bamboo slip popped out. He then released the Puppet Bird and picked up the bamboo slip to read it.

The message was brief: "I am troubled that Fellow Daoist had to personally come to Qianmu Temple to inform me. I am now aware. However, this humble Daoist’s cultivation is at a critical juncture, and it is inconvenient for me to be tainted by the karma of this matter. I must entrust the care of Qianmu Temple to you, Fellow Daoist."

"Heh."

Zi Luan looked at Yu Cheng Taoist and said, "Fellow Daoist Changqing says it is inconvenient for him to be tainted by the karma of this matter. Since that is the case, I will not disturb him further. If a case file from the Daoist Palace is sent down in a month, you must not refuse it."

"Rest assured, Daoist!" Yu Cheng promised solemnly.

Zi Luan nodded. After politely taking a sip of the tea, he set down the cup, stood up, and clasped his fist to the crowd. "I will not stay any longer. Farewell!"

With that, he walked out of the hall, transforming into a streak of light that flew toward Jinhuai City. Hongyuan, who had been waiting outside, immediately transformed into a streak of light as well and followed behind him.

As Zi Luan flew away from Shang’an Prefecture, he instinctively looked back, his gaze sweeping over the vast land toward Qianmu Temple at the horizon.

...

Wang Ping’s place of seclusion was actually within Qianmu Temple, specifically at the Mountain Peak Dojo—just underground. He had secretly carved out a massive cavern in the area of the subterranean Dark River.

One night toward the end of the fifth year of his seclusion, he made a sudden discovery while in meditation. A Wood Spirit Vein had naturally formed underground. This was due to two factors: the Wood Spirit Qi gathered by the Nine Extremes Array, and its location beneath the Mountain Peak Dojo, where the roots of the Spirit Wood Tree spread.

Wang Ping told no one. Instead, he and Yu Lian secretly built an enclosed, underground seclusion chamber centered on this Wood Spirit Vein. He had discovered that the area where the Wood Spirit Vein was growing was the true core of the Nine Extremes Array when its center was the Wood Spirit.

Of course, Wang Ping didn’t spend all his time in seclusion underground. After finishing his daily cultivation, he would use the Transfer Talismans scattered throughout Changwen Prefecture to go for a stroll. Over the past ten years of preparation, he had used his puppets to spread Transfer Talismans across most of the southern regions.

The main areas were still Changwen Prefecture and some of the sea islands to its south. In particular, on the island he usually used to experiment with Magic, he had even built a Dao Field where he would occasionally go fishing and sunbathe.

His recent contact with Zi Luan via the Puppet Bird was handled by one of his public-facing puppets. In fact, he hadn’t learned of the matter from Zi Luan at all, but through another puppet cultivating at a different Daoist Temple. Likewise, Zi Luan’s arrival at Qianmu Temple had been detected by puppets he had placed throughout Nanlin Road.

’So, that means all Cultivators at the Realm of True Monarch have cultivated Divine Techniques,’ Wang Ping thought, identifying the truly valuable point.

As he spoke, he pointed with his right hand. Ten Celestial Swords materialized from his Primordial Spirit, forming a Divine Technique Formation around his body. Yu Lian immediately poked her head out of the nearby Dark River. After shaking the water droplets from her body, she instantly connected to Wang Ping’s Primordial Spirit to read the thoughts of his followers.

"So, are you planning to cultivate a Divine Technique?" Yu Lian asked curiously.

Wang Ping glanced at the translucent panel in front of him. The progress of merging the Heaven-Reaching Talisman had reached (95/100). The heaven-reaching power was already striking directly at his soul. Thankfully, Yu Lian was by his side; otherwise, he might truly have been overwhelmed by pure rationality.

"The Divine Technique is too rational, and with the interference from the Heaven-Reaching Talisman, I’m afraid I won’t be able to control it!" Wang Ping voiced his concern.

Yu Lian thought for a moment and said, "That’s why cultivating a Divine Technique requires the devotion of followers. Their thoughts are the anchor for your humanity."

Hearing this, Wang Ping also tried to perceive the thoughts of his followers in the same way Yu Lian did. The sensation was fascinating. It allowed him to look down upon the masses from on high, to experience real lives without any pressure, and to not be responsible for any of those lives. It was like playing a game with cheat codes.

But he didn’t dare try it for too long. An excess of humanity would, paradoxically, make him even more rational, perhaps even to the point of evolving into divinity.

Watching him, Yu Lian said, "Even True Monarchs can’t escape the most common spiritual entanglements. Why must you pursue perfection? Nothing in this world is perfect."

At her words, Wang Ping lay back on the soft cloud bed, staring at the Array he had carved into the cavern ceiling, lost in thought.

After a long while, he suddenly said, "Xinghuai must be having a hard time right now. I hope he can get through this. Otherwise... something bad might happen."