My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar

"Nourish it like you would a Spiritual Artifact. Let it grow accustomed to your Primordial Spirit and Spirit Veins. When you can feel that the foreign consciousness within it has been assimilated by you, you’ll be able to use it normally."

Liu Huai’en took out two jars of aged yellow wine and three cups from his storage bag. As he poured, he said, "However, it will probably take you some time to refine it now, because it’s already marked with Sect Leader Xu Chun’s Primordial Spirit Consciousness."

Wang Ping stared at the Profound Jade Token in his hand.

Yu Lian reminded him softly in his Spirit Sea, "The fatty is probably not lying."

Wang Ping knew Liu Huai’en wouldn’t deceive him over such a small matter, so he picked up the cup pushed toward him and downed it in one gulp. He then attempted to use his Primordial Spirit Consciousness to channel the Wood Spirit True Essence from his Spirit Body’s Sea of Qi and nourish the Profound Jade Token.

A glowing panel then popped up:

[Refine Profound Jade Token: Use your Primordial Spirit Consciousness to channel nourishment from your Spirit Body’s Sea of Qi. You may attempt this five times a day. The traces of its previous owner can be cleansed in two months. It can be fully refined within a year. (Progress 0/100, Today’s Progress: 1/5 attempts).]

[Note 1: Do not exceed the specified number of attempts, or you risk causing the foreign consciousness within it to go berserk.]

As Wang Ping stared at the glowing panel, he heard Liu Huai’en say, "When you’ve fully refined it, you’ll know how to use it. Before then, if you must use it by force, you’ll have to use your Primordial Spirit to forcibly activate the Control Array inside. But as I said, the side effects are enough to paralyze a Third Realm Cultivator for days."

"Right."

Wang Ping nodded, abandoning his plan to continue refining it for now.

Yu Lian spoke in human language, "Does that Magical Artifact you gave me need to be refined too?" She was referring to the crystal that sealed the ’Artifact Bird’.

"That one doesn’t, but you’ll need to let it out for some fresh air from time to time. It has the intelligence of a three-year-old child, so you’ll have to prepare some of its favorite food each time."

"What does it like?"

"Yin-attribute Spiritual Objects. One at a time is enough. Let it out once every two months or so. Don’t worry, it’s absolutely worth it. Not only can it counter the ’Spirit Communication Stone,’ but it also has a restraining effect on most yin and evil things."

Wang Ping immediately took out the Sealing Crystal.

Yu Lian sensed Wang Ping’s thoughts and immediately transformed, growing to a length of twenty feet and revealing her tail. Seeing this, Fire Swift thought she wanted to fight. It hopped twice on Ruan Chunzi’s shoulder and spat out a small ball of fire.

"I’ll deal with you later." Yu Lian flicked her forked tongue and shot it a vicious glare.

Wang Ping formed a hand seal for a Spell, using Wood Spirit Qi to carve a tiny Storage Array onto a scale on Yu Lian’s tail. He then placed the crystal inside.

"Done!"

Wang Ping reached out to pat Yu Lian’s tail, but she dodged. She then swayed her tail, looking it over from all angles.

Seeing Yu Lian’s vain display, Fire Swift soared up on a cloud and spat a mouthful of fire at her. Enraged, Yu Lian immediately counterattacked with an ice spike.

Liu Huai’en refilled Wang Ping’s cup and said, "The business at True Yang Mountain is concluded, so it’s time for me to leave. True Man, you must be careful on the road ahead. I will inform you the moment I have news of the ’Spirit Communication Stone’."

With that, he rose, picked up his cup, and drained it.

Wang Ping naturally stood as well and drained his cup.

Ruan Chunzi also stood up, but he silently stepped aside, quietly watching the two say their farewells. When Liu Huai’en transformed into a streak of invisible white light and vanished between heaven and earth, he cupped his fists and said, "I don’t plan on returning to the True Yang Sect. From now on, I’ll have to rely on Fellow Daoist’s hospitality."

"Of course."

Wang Ping sat back down and said, "I can arrange it at once." After making the promise, his tone shifted. "What exactly happened deep within True Yang Mountain? And why would Wen Yang choose to advance at a time like this?"

Wen Yang was steady and reserved; Wang Ping was confident he hadn’t misjudged the man. Someone like that would never risk advancing at a time like this—it would be tantamount to suicide. Although Wen Yang’s consciousness had stabilized for the moment, and Guang Zuo Taoist had intervened, Wang Ping knew his chances of successfully advancing to the Fourth Realm were minuscule.

Even if he succeeded, Wen Yang would no longer be the same Wen Yang!

There was something strange about all of this. It wasn’t just Wen Yang choosing to advance now; the entire affair at True Yang Mountain reeked of strangeness.

Ruan Chunzi slapped his storage bag, took out a soundproofing array, and placed it on the Stone Table, activating it.

Then he fell into thought, seemingly considering where to begin.

Wang Ping reached for the wine jar, glanced at Ruan Chunzi’s untouched cup, and refilled his own. By the time he set the jar down, Ruan Chunzi’s gaze had fallen on the cup in front of him.

Then, they both raised their cups at the same time and drained them.

"We were too naive about this whole affair," Ruan Chunzi said, setting down his cup and meeting Wang Ping’s gaze. "Not just this affair. We’ve been too naive about the entire world."

Wang Ping stood, picked up the wine jar, and refilled both their cups.

Ruan Chunzi continued, "Chang Jing had a more important destiny, but we, in our cleverness, arranged another for him. Therefore, his original destiny needed someone else to bear it."

Wang Ping understood. Thinking back to Guang Zuo Taoist’s previous attitude, he raised his cup and drained it. As he stood to pour more wine, Yu Lian, sensing his emotional turmoil, draped herself over his shoulder and nuzzled his cheek. Fire Swift also returned to Ruan Chunzi’s side, tilting its head and watching Ruan Chunzi with curiosity.

"The so-called ’true fire spirit’ is nothing more than a consciousness. It needs a Spiritual Body to house it, and it needs to be regularly supplied with Spirit Body Consciousness to nourish it."

Ruan Chunzi continued, "Chang Jing was supposed to be the next Spiritual Body, but we eliminated him."

He lifted his cup, studying the color of the wine intently. "This time, they deliberately showed weakness to the enemy. The goal was to lure a large number of Cultivators to True Yang Mountain, making it easier to seize their Primordial Spirits and Spiritual Bodies."

"As for them moving away from True Yang Mountain this time... one, it was an inevitable trend; two, they have a grand plan in the Northern Country; and three..."

He drained the wine in his cup and met Wang Ping’s eyes. "Three, that so-called ’true fire spirit’ is no longer needed on True Yang Mountain. It is about to be ’used up’!"

"Wen Yang told me all this. He insisted that I relay it to you!"

Wang Ping looked at Ruan Chunzi, who clearly had no intention of saying more. He quickly processed the information. Some things became clear, but his heart filled with even more questions.

"Is there more?" he asked.

"I’ve told you everything I know."

"So the fire spirit was really created by a Saint?" Yu Lian asked curiously.

"Perhaps, but perhaps not." Ruan Chunzi voiced his thoughts. "I’m more inclined to believe it was formed naturally by the Celestial Dao, rather than evolving from the Primordial Spirit or soul of a Cultivator, or being formed through a sacrificial ritual. Oh, right, there is one thing I should clarify. Personally, I don’t like the term ’Celestial Dao.’ I prefer to describe It as the consciousness of the Cosmos."

Yu Lian curled her tail around the wine jar, poured a cup for Ruan Chunzi, and asked for more detail, "You mean the Five Elements Spiritual Qi were originally born naturally from the Celestial Dao—or the ’Cosmic Will’ as you call it—and they all had an initial form?"

Ruan Chunzi lowered his head, staring into his cup, and said, "This is just my personal theory. It’s like when we cast Magic, our Primordial Spirit first directs the Five Elements Spiritual Qi, using that invisible Spiritual Qi to construct the framework of the spell. But in reality, what our Primordial Spirit first communicates with should be the Cosmic Will."

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