My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar

On the outskirts of a withered forest.

Liu Huai’en watched the two figures retreat into the distance. He glanced at Wu Fu beside him and warned, "Don’t move. Those are Taiyan Cultivators. See those strange vines they scattered? They’re still there. The Wood Spirit Qi they’re emitting will expose you the moment it touches you."

Wu Fu obediently halted, hiding within the barrier of light and shadow Liu Huai’en had created.

「Half an Hour later.」

A crude Spirit Wood Puppet descended from the sky, landing where Guanmao Daoist had just been standing. It mechanically bent down and used the Array on its body to sense the Wood Spirit Qi emanating from the nearby vines.

Then, it opened its large mouth and inhaled, sucking all the surrounding vines and flowers into its belly. Finally, after carefully observing its surroundings once more, it ascended back into the sky.

"Can we go out now?" Wu Fu asked.

Liu Huai’en nodded. "Those two seem to know quite a lot, or they wouldn’t have gone to such trouble." He looked at Wu Fu. "We’ll exit from the other side of the forest."

Wu Fu said nothing, but he had already started toward the other side of the forest. He left no tracks on the ground, and not a single withered leaf or twig from the forest clung to him as he passed.

Liu Huai’en followed, saying, "It looks like the other operation Daoist Changqing arranged has failed. According to the original plan, Guanmao shouldn’t be appearing in Mozhou Road anymore."

"He’s a tricky one. It’s normal to fail," Wu Fu replied.

Liu Huai’en chuckled. "What did you think of my aura concealment technique just now? Want to learn it?"

"Not interested."

The two chatted sporadically as they walked, not leaving the forest until dusk. Then, led by Liu Huai’en, they concealed their auras and flew toward Jinhua Prefecture City.

Just after nightfall, Jinhua Prefecture City was bustling with activity. The chaos engulfing the world seemed to have no connection to this city. In fact, it was even livelier than before the turmoil began, as many dignitaries and wealthy families from the north were moving their assets here.

As the pair appeared in the sky above Jinhua Prefecture City, they immediately felt something sweep over their bodies and Primordial Spirits.

"There’s a senior cultivator beneath this Barrier Formation!"

Liu Huai’en and Wu Fu revealed themselves. He looked at the two guards in yellow Daoist Robes blocking their path. Although these guards had only just begun their cultivation, their attitude was firm.

"My apologies, I almost forgot. It’s a misunderstanding. I’m on your side this time."

Liu Huai’en tossed them a Token. After inspecting it, the guards coldly stepped aside.

「In the administrative courtyard.」

Zuo Xuan had just finished hearing reports about suppressing the Rebel Army and clearing the pollution in various regions. She was about to enter meditation to rest. A few of the clerks responsible for paperwork were leaving the courtyard together.

Thus, the sudden arrival of Liu Huai’en and Wu Fu was not well-received.

"You are all dismissed to rest."

Zuo Xuan dismissed the clerks—they were ordinary people who needed daily rest. She then invited Liu Huai’en and Wu Fu into the main house while calling for her disciple, Zuo Liang, to serve tea.

"Don’t go to the trouble. We only came to borrow your place to read the memories of two Primordial Spirits." After speaking, Liu Huai’en casually sat down in a Grandmaster’s Chair. As he was about to release the Primordial Spirits, he added, "This is a mission from Daoist Changqing."

With that, he slapped the storage pouch at his waist, and two gray Five Elements Stones appeared in his hand. Both the surface and interior of the stones were carved with a complex Sealing Array. Five Elements Stones are the lowest quality sealing material because they can store very little Spiritual Qi.

"Oh, right."

Liu Huai’en looked at Zuo Xuan. "Knowing Daoist Changqing’s personality, he must have a backup plan for Guanmao Daoist. It’s just that you all are a bit slow. He’s still out there running free, and he’s even teamed up with my target."

Zuo Xuan explained, "We’ve only managed to break up his contact points in Mozhou Road and Ningzhou Road. Based on follow-up intelligence from those points, we also destroyed two Demon Race strongholds they had set up in Ningzhou Road. But we’ve never managed to intercept him personally."

"Then how about you transfer the people hunting Guanmao to me?"

"I can only try to coordinate it."

"Tell them there’s a big fish this time. As for what big fish... I’ll first check the memories in these two Primordial Spirits. Also, your Yongsu Prefecture troops need to keep advancing. It would be best if they pushed to the central part of Mozhou Road before June. If you act more proactively, the other regions will put more effort into suppressing the Rebel Army. Besides, you have your own mission, don’t you? A year has already passed, aren’t you getting anxious?"

After saying this, Liu Huai’en glanced at Wu Fu and then undid the Sealing Array on the Five Elements Stones. A confused, dark gray figure instantly appeared in the Inspiration Realm. Affected by the Daoist Scripture Hall’s Barrier Formation, it instinctively showed fear.

Liu Huai’en gave it no time to think, directly using the simplest Soul Searching Technique to read its memories. This method had no effect on the user, but it would destroy the Primordial Spirit’s consciousness.

The first memory to surface was the ordinary childhood of a young master from a prominent family: studying, practicing calligraphy, and training in martial arts. He eventually became a disciple of an old Daoist to practice cultivation. During an outing for training, he came into contact with a Taiyin Evil Cultivator’s Cultivation Technique. At first, his idea was to use it just once to increase his cultivation and lifespan, then slowly return to his orthodox practice.

Unfortunately, with things like this, there is no "just once"—only the first time and countless times after. When his actions were eventually exposed, his family expelled him from the ancestral hall, setting him on a path of no return. When the turmoil broke out in Mozhou Road, he returned immediately. He used the spiritual nature of his own descendants to awaken the long-dormant Taiyin Aura in his body. Just as he was preparing to advance to the Second Realm, he unexpectedly encountered that mysterious Artifact Cultivator.

Most of the memories after that were blurry. Occasional flashes revealed an immense underground palace. There, the Artifact Cultivator had carved a Taiyin Array so complex that even he, a Taiyin Cultivator, could not comprehend it. At the heart of the Array was a Star God Core, which was using the Taiyin Array to pollute the land and absorb the twisted spiritual nature that resulted from the contamination.

At the Star God Core, there was another Artifact Cultivator. He had fully unleashed his formation of Magical Artifacts to nourish the Star God Core, adjusting his own aura to match it, as if preparing to merge with it.

What concerned Liu Huai’en the most was that above the Star God Core, on the palace ceiling, there was a complex Wood Spirit Seal. Trapped within it seemed to be a Fourth Realm True Spirit, enslaved by some unknown power!

They were trying to use a Star God Core to help an Artifact Cultivator advance to the Fourth Realm!

Seeing this, Liu Huai’en couldn’t help but think to himself, ’What a clever method. And so skillfully executed. To think they could enslave a Fourth Realm True Spirit.’

But then he remembered the Demon Soldiers in the hands of the South Sea Taoist, and he wasn’t so surprised. Further on in the memories, the Taiyin Cultivator used an Array and a special kind of seed given to him by the Artifact Cultivator to convert human spiritual nature. Through this process, he obtained a large amount of Nether Qi and successfully advanced to the Second Realm.

The rest of the memories covered events Liu Huai’en was already familiar with.

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