My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar

In the sky above True Yang Mountain, two Golden Armored Soldier Puppets hovered beside the energy pillar created by the Barrier Formation. Following their brief struggle with Luo Feng and the others, the puppets carefully assessed their surroundings. Sensing hostility from within True Yang Mountain, they quickly retreated south.

These were, of course, Wang Ping’s Golden Armored Soldier Puppets. They returned to his side in just over ten breaths. Seeing this, the others also drew closer to Wang Ping, though they remained on high alert.

Wang Ping then looked at Huaimo Taoist and said, "That’s enough."

Huaimo nodded lightly and withdrew his magic. It was the Yuqing Sect’s ’Solar Reversal.’ The name was intimidating, but the magic couldn’t actually control the sun. It only allowed the user to harness sunlight for purification-related spells, which were exceptionally effective against the Taiyin Sect. For this reason, it was a required spell for all Yuqing Sect Inner Sect Disciples.

"What’s the situation?"

Ganxing asked impatiently. The battle had been too volatile, so no one else had dared use their Primordial Spirit Consciousness to observe the battlefield.

Wang Ping briefly recounted the course of the battle.

"Is it over just like that?"

Liu Huai’en was a little confused.

Yu Lian added, "Shouldn’t we be more concerned about whether Chang Jing has fallen?"

Zhi Gong Daoist put the small, yellow pagoda he was holding into his storage pouch and chimed in, "This is only the beginning. First, we need to confirm if Chang Jing Daoist has truly fallen. Second, who was that ’First Day’ Cultivator who merged with the Scholar’s Sword?"

"The Jimin Association has a file on him, but it’s only what’s on paper. He is the Vice Sect Leader of ’First Day.’ Their internal elders all call him ’Senior Brother Luo Feng.’ When ’First Day’ split from the True Yang Sect and fled to the Eastern Continent, records show that their disciples received funding from a Cultivator wielding the Scholar’s Sword."

Liu Huai’en shared everything he knew without reservation: "This Vice Sect Leader Luo Feng has never once stepped foot outside the territory of the East Continent Business Alliance, nor are there any records of him interacting with others. His family runs the two largest cities in the Business Alliance, and under his name, he controls hundreds of cultivation sects, both large and small."

When Liu Huai’en mentioned the name "Luo Feng," everyone involuntarily recalled the intelligence they had on him. As the Vice Sect Leader of ’First Day,’ everyone present had some information about him, more or less, just not as detailed as the Jimin Association’s.

Liu Huai’en’s gaze swept across everyone’s faces before landing on Wang Ping. He continued with a chuckle, "True Man, if you ever have the chance, you should go see the cities run by the Business Alliance. While they may not be perfect, they are certainly not bad, and definitely not as terrible as the stories spread in Zhongzhou would have you believe."

"I’ve been there!"

Tongming Wanderer looked at Liu Huai’en and said, "They use draconian laws to suppress the evil in people’s hearts, thereby maintaining an order of ’goodness.’ It looks prosperous, but their people are like puppets, lacking essential human emotion. Goodness should be guided and cultivated, not forcibly maintained through harsh laws."

Liu Huai’en smiled. "That’s why I said they aren’t perfect."

Tongming Wanderer seemed quite displeased with Liu Huai’en’s smile and continued, "The sacrifices of ’First Day’ are every bit as bad as the Xia Imperial Family’s, if not worse! It might look like the common people are voluntarily sacrificing themselves at the end of their lives, but in reality, they’ve been indoctrinated with such ideas since birth. That can hardly be called ’voluntary’!"

Liu Huai’en didn’t want to argue further. He could already tell that this Tongming Wanderer had a background in the Buddhist Sect. So, he dropped his habitual smile, cupped his fist, and said, "Fellow Daoist is absolutely right. I have been taught a lesson."

Seeing Liu Huai’en’s demeanor, Tongming Wanderer knew what he was thinking. But it also left him with a bellyful of arguments he could no longer voice. He could only return the gesture of respect and fall silent.

"Everyone, I need to confirm whether Chang Jing Daoist has truly fallen within one day!"

Wang Ping didn’t linger on the matter. After saying this, he transformed into a streak of light and landed before his temporary Dao Field. The others exchanged glances before descending toward their own Dao Fields.

"Things aren’t going the way you expected, are they?"

Yu Lian communicated with Wang Ping in his Spirit Sea. Her gaze then fell on Liu Huai’en, who had followed them. The latter tactfully walked over to the edge of the mountain cliff, took a chessboard from his storage pouch, and sat down cross-legged to play a game against himself.

Wang Ping also looked toward Liu Huai’en. He had already figured out that the man had likely come specifically to protect him, which he found quite puzzling. ’What could the Jimin Association possibly want from me?’ he couldn’t help but wonder.

"Are you even listening to me?"

Yu Lian pressed.

Wang Ping withdrew his gaze and slowly walked into the courtyard.

His original plan had been to assassinate Chang Jing to accelerate ’First Day’s’ attack on the True Yang Sect. This would disrupt everyone else’s plans and force all sides to lay their cards on the table, allowing him to see the situation and play his own hand accordingly.

But these old foxes were more cautious than he had imagined, remaining restrained even when they had come to blows moments ago.

Seeing that Wang Ping still wasn’t responding, Yu Lian spoke again. "If they won’t make a move, then you make the first move. Remember the order that came down from above in the final moments at Yongming Port?"

She had read Wang Ping’s mind, bringing his unspoken thoughts to the surface.

Back at Yongming Port, in the final moments, the higher-ups had sent all the sects’ Qi Cultivators to the front lines, luring them to fight to the death with the promise of great treasures from the so-called tomb of a Second Realm Taiyin Cultivator.

Now, all Wang Ping had to do was promise the various sects’ Qi Cultivators that any spoils of war obtained on True Yang Mountain would be theirs to keep. The tens of thousands of Qi Cultivators, the hundreds of Entering Cultivators, and even the Second Realm Cultivators gathered here would be tempted.

’This is no time for mercy. You shouldn’t be feeling such compassion and pity.’

Yu Lian’s voice surfaced in his mind again.

Wang Ping habitually took out his newly made divination blocks and cast a reading.

The first cast was a Holy Trigram.

But the orientation was wrong. The trigram corresponded to the Kun position of the Eight Trigrams, which also belongs to Lesser Yin.

Wang Ping frowned. He tried to calculate the meaning in his mind over and over but couldn’t reach a conclusion. Finally, he let out a long breath and replied, "Let’s wait and see what intelligence the various factions have for us tomorrow."

「The next morning.」

The first to report were Hu Yin and the Mountain Guard.

"Sect Leader Chang Jing is confirmed to have fallen!"

The Mountain Guard looked crestfallen.

Next came Ganxing and Wu Quan. Their channels had also confirmed Chang Jing’s fall.

Finally, there was the intelligence from Zhi Gong Daoist. Huaimo and Tongming, however, had no news to share, as they usually spent their time cultivating in their own Dao Fields and had not set up any networks of informants.

"Yesterday, the True Yang Sect once again sought guidance from the Rongyang Monarch and Guang Zuo Taoist. They also prayed to the Great Monarch Leiyang, but they received no reply from any of them."

Liu Huai’en’s information was more precise. He looked at Wang Ping and said with certainty, "The Rongyang Monarch and Guang Zuo Taoist are most likely preparing to re-establish their Dao Fields in Yunhai!"

"Yunhai?"

Zhi Gong Daoist asked pensively, "Is that information reliable?"

Liu Huai’en smiled. "There’s a high probability it’s correct."

A nostalgic look appeared in Hu Yin’s aged eyes as he murmured, "They’ve been planning this for a long time. But why didn’t they evacuate the disciples from the mountain?"

"That’s an answer we will have soon enough."

Wang Ping gazed toward True Yang Mountain and said, "Everyone, I have an idea..."

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