My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar

By this point in the war, ninety percent of the Government Soldiers and Qi Cultivators gathered from across the lands had arrived. Including auxiliary troops and Demon Race units, the total force exceeded three hundred thousand people. The logistics and transport personnel numbered several times that amount, but of course, only a little over a hundred thousand were actual combatants.

As for the Qi Cultivators, they numbered over ten thousand. A large portion of them had rushed here from other regions, wanting to join the war and try their luck on True Yang Mountain.

Spread across a front line hundreds of miles long, this number was neither overwhelmingly large nor insignificantly small.

Wang Ping quietly listened to the attack plans drawn up for the three key strongholds. As he gazed down at the endless military encampments below the mountain, he felt the visceral power of life and death he now held in his hands.

All these lives had now become expendable in his hands, resources to be consumed wearing down the obstacles on True Yang Mountain until every last one was gone.

"Has the enemy’s main force still not made a move?"

Wang Ping asked as Liu Yu concluded his report.

Liu Yu faltered for a second. When he saw that no one else spoke, he continued, "That’s right. They’re still training in the encampment at the foot of True Yang Mountain’s main peak. Our spies gathered this intelligence half a day ago."

Wang Ping nodded and asked, "According to this plan of yours, how long will it take for us to engage the enemy’s main force?"

Liu Yu answered, "If everything goes smoothly, we can approach True Yang Mountain by the end of the year."

Wang Ping nodded again.

This Liu Yu commanded his troops by the book, and his plan could be summed up in a single word: steady.

However, that simple word, ’steady,’ belied a great deal of skill. It required a commander with a resolute mind and an intimate knowledge of his subordinates and every part of the battlefield.

"Alright. Proceed with the plan."

Wang Ping waved his hand, dismissing Zuo Xuan, Liu Shuang, Taishan, and Liu Yu. As the four of them turned to leave, he added, "Fellow Daoist Zuo, please stay a moment."

Zuo Xuan naturally stopped. The other three glanced at her, but their pace didn’t slow.

Wang Ping pointed to a spot beside him and ordered, "Come stand here." Then, he used a voice transmission to notify the other Third Realm Cultivators around the temporary Dao Field.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Ganxing, Wu Quan, and five others emerged from their meditative states. They walked to Wang Ping’s side and joined him in gazing at True Yang Mountain opposite them.

"The actions of ’First Day’ should not be part of the Lord’s plan, and yet, it seems they are."

Wang Ping’s statement was odd. The others were stunned for a moment, but in the next instant, all of them—except for Zuo Xuan—understood what he meant.

What he meant by ’not part of the Lord’s plan’ was that the Xiao Shan Lord had not anticipated ’First Day’ getting involved with True Yang Mountain. The part about ’it seems they are’ implied that there was some tacit understanding between the Xiao Shan Lord and the Great Cultivators of ’First Day,’ but they were not allies. In other words, in this matter, they could be the oriole that waits for the opportune moment.

The precondition, however, was that it must not affect their future cooperation.

With a gentle lift of her delicate hand, Zhi Gong Daoist flicked away a withered leaf drifting near her. Looking at Wang Ping, she asked, "Fellow Daoist, what are your thoughts?"

This was the question on everyone’s mind. They were only here to support Wang Ping, not to make decisions for him.

Wang Ping walked to the mountainside, looking out over the landscape that had grown steadily more familiar. He said, "I hear the True Yang Sect plans to stop our offensive at all costs within the next two months. I want to see just what their ’at all costs’ entails."

Zhi Gong Daoist was the first to state her position. "I have no objection."

Next were Huaimo Taoist and Tongming Taoist—neither had disciples participating in this war—followed by Wu Quan and Ganxing, and finally, Hu Yin and the Mountain Guard.

Wang Ping deliberately glanced at Zuo Xuan. Seeing her confused expression, he confirmed that news of ’First Day’s’ impending attack on True Yang Mountain was being kept under extremely tight wraps—for now, at least. Only a handful of Third Realm Cultivators knew of it.

’This makes things even more interesting.’

As he mused to himself, he spoke again. "I hate it when people disrupt my plans. So right now, I want to try disrupting theirs and see how these people will react."

With that, he looked at Zuo Xuan. "From this moment on, launch a full-scale assault on all of True Yang Mountain’s defensive lines. Disregard casualties. Also, send all the sects’ Qi Cultivators to the front. If necessary, you may even deploy the Foundation Establishment Cultivators, or the Entering Cultivators!"

Zuo Xuan felt her scalp tingle. Just as she was about to assent, she heard Wang Ping add, "I want a military report on my desk about your decisive battle with True Yang Mountain’s main force by the end of the ninth month!"

"Yes!"

Lacking the nerve to object, Zuo Xuan accepted the orders and swiftly departed.

Wang Ping’s gaze remained fixed on the landscape below, and he showed no reaction to Zuo Xuan’s departure. He was contemplating the matters underlying the attack on True Yang Mountain, pondering the meaning of the Xiao Shan Lord’s four words: "Carry on as planned."

Zhi Gong, Wu Quan, Ganxing, and the others each had their own thoughts but kept them to themselves.

A silence fell over the group, and to Wang Ping, the whistling wind seemed to grow a little fiercer.

"Later, I will have my disciple gather the Second Realm Cultivators from every sect. If the final battle cannot be initiated smoothly, I will deploy them."

Wang Ping spoke this line after a long moment of contemplation.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of Tongming Taoist and Huaimo Taoist remained placid and unconcerned. The others, however, all furrowed their brows slightly. In the end, it was Wu Quan who spoke. "Is it really necessary to go this far already?"

Wang Ping didn’t answer right away. He waited for more than ten breaths, and only when he saw that no one else was speaking did he say, "If I don’t make this move, how will we know what our opponent intends to do?"

"I’m afraid that we won’t be able to pull back once we start. With ’First Day’ also meddling, True Yang Mountain might be completely broken through. The land for a thousand miles around will be turned to scorched earth, and even you and I will risk perishing. Is it really worth it?"

Ganxing also voiced his opposition.

The two men who should have been Wang Ping’s staunchest supporters both objected. This had nothing to do with friendship. The Second Realm Cultivators gathered around Laishan were the pillars of their respective sects, and this matter concerned the continuation of their legacies.

Wang Ping turned around, standing at the precipice to face the other seven. "I’m saying this is a contingency, *if* the final battle cannot be initiated smoothly. But I believe the chances of that are very small."

"How about this..."

Zhi Gong Daoist cut in before Ganxing could speak again. "Just in case, we can gather our disciples first. As for what to do then, we can decide based on the actual situation on the battlefield. How about it?"

Hu Yin chimed in, "I agree. Even if a problem does arise, with the Second Realm Cultivators providing cover, our losses won’t be crippling."

Her words were far more tactful than Wang Ping’s.

The Mountain Guard nodded in agreement as soon as Hu Yin finished speaking. With the tide of opinion against them, Wu Quan and Ganxing chose to hold their tongues.

Wang Ping gave Wu Quan and Ganxing a pointed look before continuing, "That works as well. In that case, it would be best for us to halt our cultivation and refrain from casually entering meditative states."

"Agreed!"

Once the matter was settled, Wu Quan and Ganxing left first, followed by Hu Yin and the Mountain Guard. They returned to their own temporary Dao Fields and immediately summoned their respective Second Realm Cultivators.

Wang Ping did the same, immediately summoning Liu Shuang, Hu Qianqian, and Zhao Yu’er.

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