My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar

"What’s the intel?"

Zuo Xuan was getting impatient. Lately, she felt as if she had returned to her early days of Qi Cultivation, facing immense pressure every day, terrified that she wouldn’t be able to sense Spiritual Qi.

A smile touched Liu Huai’en’s lips and his eyes lit up. He rubbed his hands together and said, "It’s a big one..." He shared the memories he had just read with Zuo Xuan and Wu Fu, then produced the Divine Soul of another Taiyin Evil Cultivator. "Now to confirm this intel."

"How about I read this one’s memories?"

Wu Fu seemed easygoing, but he was actually very cautious. Or perhaps Liu Huai’en’s overly flippant demeanor made him untrustworthy.

A quarter of an hour later.

After reading the other Divine Soul Memory, Wu Fu said in disbelief, "The Star God Core is ’Corrosion.’ It really can be promoted to the Fourth Realm, but their method of promotion is a bit too..."

He shook his head, not finishing his sentence.

"A bit too offensive to the heavens, right?" Liu Huai’en finished for him, then asked, "Can a method like that even succeed?"

As a Third Realm Star God, Wu Fu knew the internal promotion system of the Star Gods in more detail than Liu Huai’en or Zuo Xuan. Faced with Liu Huai’en’s question, Wu Fu first pondered for over ten breaths before looking up at Zuo Xuan.

Zuo Xuan’s expression immediately became unnatural under his gaze. Her memory of Wu Fu was still fresh. When she had faced him before, she had felt as if she were submerged in a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. All her vital energy had been locked down, rendering her unable to even move a finger. She could only wait helplessly for death. It was one of the few times she had truly felt death’s approach.

"Theoretically, they could succeed. But ascending to the Fourth Realm isn’t that simple. Only the person attempting it knows the true dangers. Their idea is simple: use the corruption in Mozhou Road and the captured Fourth Realm True Spirit to first advance the Star God Core to the Fourth Realm, and then merge it into the Magical Artifact formation refined by that Artifact Cultivator."

Wu Fu’s voice was soft, and he spoke very slowly. "Only a madman would do that. Normally, one would start the fusion from the most basic level, because the energy within a Star God Core is incredibly powerful. I can’t even imagine the energy of a Fourth Realm Star God. Under normal circumstances, his chances of success would be very low."

Liu Huai’en laughed. "And you think they’re going to use a normal method?"

Wu Fu shook his head. "I expect they’ll use the spirituality of living flesh and blood to suppress the uncontrollable portion of the energy, then slowly digest it."

Liu Huai’en looked at Zuo Xuan. "You hear that? You’re running out of time."

Just as Zuo Xuan was about to reply, Liu Huai’en spoke again. "The task you’re handling right now concerns the promotion of a Lord. Do you know what lies beyond the rank of Lord?"

"A True Monarch!"

"Since you know, you should also know that you need to be tougher sometimes. The Nanlin Road establishment is vast and powerful; they’re not afraid of you stirring things up. Besides, this enterprise isn’t yours, and it’s certainly not Daoist Changqing’s. What are you afraid of?"

Hearing this, Zuo Xuan subconsciously reviewed everything she had done recently. She had followed procedures to the letter, not daring to overstep her bounds in the slightest. But it was precisely because of this that she had made little progress on many matters.

Liu Huai’en continued, "Your focus shouldn’t be on Nanlin Road right now. You should be looking at the entire South, and even the North. With your intelligence, you should be able to guess that the Lord will eventually head north—and he’ll be taking the fortune of the entire world with him!"

"Go all out. Even if there’s punishment, it won’t fall on you. Don’t you have Daoist Changqing above you? You’re the one holding all the power right now..."

As he spoke, Liu Huai’en extended his right hand and made a scooping motion. "Daoist Changqing fought to win you this much authority, and the Lord is in seclusion. Isn’t it a waste not to take this opportunity to get things done?"

"I wouldn’t dare!"

Zuo Xuan denied it at once. Even if she were now planning to do exactly that, she would have to deny it.

Liu Huai’en just smiled without a word, while Wu Fu pretended not to have heard anything.

Just then, Zuo Liang, who had gone to prepare tea, finally returned. As Zuo Xuan’s expression soured with displeasure, Zuo Liang quickly set down the teacups and reported, "A message just came from Qianmu Temple. They said Senior Sister Liu Shuang has successfully advanced."

...

「Qianmu Temple」

The grand competition between the major sects had been going on for half a month, featuring duels between cultivators who had yet to enter a realm. The Single Saber Sect and a few Artifact Cultivation Sects from the Loose Cultivator Alliance had performed exceptionally well, as had Yang Rong and Shen Xiaozhu.

Yang Rong relied on her cultivation level, while Shen Xiaozhu drew entirely on the combat experience she had accumulated from her time roaming the martial world.

Of course, the most eye-catching event was the personal appearance of Ganxing, the Alliance Leader of the Loose Cultivator Alliance, and Wu Quan, the Earth Cave Master, which thrilled many young cultivators.

Several Sect Leaders were very satisfied with the competition’s proceedings and spent their free time discussing whether to establish a fixed tournament schedule.

In addition, another matter caught the attention of the disciples from every sect: the advancement of Daoist Changqing’s first disciple to the Second Realm.

In the Southern Cultivation Realm, especially in the Nanlin Road Cultivation World, Changqing was an object of worship and aspiration for all young cultivators just starting on their path. After all, he had reached the Taiyan Three Realms in just two hundred years. The mere thought of his achievement gave countless cultivators on the verge of giving up a surge of motivation.

In the words of Tianshan Daoist: "Fellow Daoist Changqing has some of the same flair that Elder Yuxiao had in his day."

When news of Liu Shuang’s successful advancement spread, the competition grounds erupted in cheers, subtly adding to Qianmu Temple’s prestige.

But at that moment in her Dao Field, Liu Shuang was wailing her eyes out, cutting a rather pathetic figure.

While using the Soul Devouring Technique, she had tried to keep her emotions heightened by imagining a scenario where her master abandoned her. The tactic worked, but as she delved deeper into the thought, she couldn’t help but grow sad, and the end result was this fit of wailing.

In truth, she had always been terrified of being abandoned. As a child, her parents had practically forced her into Qianmu Temple. Once there, she had always acted lively and tried to curry favor with her master, precisely because she was afraid of being cast aside again one day.

"WOOF WOOF."

Two barks brought Liu Shuang back to her senses.

As she reached out to stroke the Spiritual Dog’s head, she realized someone was nearby. She focused her eyes and saw Hu Qianqian’s soft, cute fox-like face and her curious blue eyes.

Then, another figure landed beside her.

"Grand-master!"

Liu Shuang quickly suppressed her embarrassment and bowed.

While Yu Cheng Taoist was examining Liu Shuang’s condition, another figure descended—it was Tianshan Daoist.

"Just as expected, your internal Spirit Veins have expanded too much. Stabilize your emotions as quickly as you can. Once you refine the excess Spirit Veins, you should be able to come out of seclusion."

Yu Cheng Taoist instructed her seriously.

Liu Shuang quickly agreed.

Tianshan Daoist asked cheerfully, "What were you crying about just now?"

Liu Shuang was instantly mortified. Only then did she notice that cultivators from the Daoist Scripture Hall were also standing guard for her, which made her even more embarrassed.

"Heh heh!"

Yu Cheng Taoist let out a soft chuckle and said, "Joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness are all normal human emotions. There’s no need to feel embarrassed."

He was much more magnanimous than before, and his features had gradually softened into a kinder expression.

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