My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar

When Xia Yao saw Jiangcun, she tried to force a happy expression. But as the Divine Technique’s influence on her grew stronger, many of her desires were suppressed to their absolute minimum—especially romantic love. As a result, her happy expression looked somewhat unnatural.

"How is His Majesty’s condition?" she asked, searching for a topic to keep the atmosphere from becoming awkward.

"The same as yesterday. He’s barely maintaining his condition. But don’t worry, he can hold on. It won’t delay the succession ceremony a month from now." Jiangcun sensed Xia Yao’s reservation. Deep down, an urge to take her back to the Southeast Sea Region surfaced. Yet he knew that even if he could overcome a mountain of obstacles, he could do nothing about the change in her heart.

After a moment’s thought, Jiangcun forcefully suppressed his frustration. ’I’m not going to live so miserably anymore,’ he decided. Then, a liberated smile spread across his face as he said, "Want to go in and see him?"

"Mm."

Xia Yao’s attention was fixed on Dahua Hall, so she didn’t notice the instantaneous shift in Jiangcun’s mood.

The two entered the main gate side by side. The honor guard following them was stopped by the head priest guarding the hall. A moment later, they arrived at the door of a meditation room deep within the palace.

The Vice Commander of the Imperial Guard and the Sacrificial Captain who had previously guarded the meditation room door were gone. In their place stood two Third Realm Star Gods. When they saw Jiangcun and Xia Yao, they simultaneously formed a Spell with their left hands. A green light, flecked with black spots, flashed past the pair.

Jiangcun normally despised such scans, but perhaps because he had just come to a realization, he gave the two Third Realm Star Gods an understanding nod after they finished. Sensing his friendly gaze, the two Star Gods naturally returned the gesture politely.

Upon entering the meditation room, they found the tangible, golden streams of light were still present, and the scent from the incense burner had grown stronger. A game board was set up for a match beneath the window, where a middle-aged man in a narrow-sleeved, gray summer Daoist Robe sat alone on the right side.

"Third Brother!"

Jiangcun greeted the man by the window first.

This person was the Dragon Monarch’s third son, Ao Bing, a Fourth Realm Water Cultivator. He merely gave a slight nod at Jiangcun’s greeting, his gesture devoid of any familial warmth.

Likewise, Jiangcun’s tone held no warmth; his greeting was purely a matter of familial etiquette.

Turning to the Emperor, he was dressed in a thin, white, wide-sleeved long robe, sitting cross-legged on a yellow meditation cushion atop the draconic bed. His entire body was wreathed in a golden glow. The fine golden patterns on his exposed skin were even denser than before. With his eyes closed and his breathing faint, his consciousness teetered on the brink of death.

But he had not truly died. He still retained a final spark of life—enough for him to complete the succession ceremony.

When Xia Yao walked up to the draconic bed, the two members of the Imperial Family standing guard on either side immediately stepped aside.

"I will get myself into peak condition over the next month and a half. Next month..." Xia Yao began, pausing for a moment before continuing, "The sixteenth of next month is an auspicious day."

After more than ten breaths, Emperor Yuanding, still on the draconic bed, seemed to give a strenuous nod.

Seeing this, Xia Yao said no more. After a deep bow, she turned to look at Ao Bing by the window and said, "During my seclusion, all affairs in Shangjing City will be entrusted to my husband."

"You can rest assured."

Ao Bing placed a piece on the board, his eyes fixed on it as he spoke. "Xiao Shan Lord won’t make any unnecessary moves before then. This next month or so will be a rare period of peace. As for you..." He looked up at Xia Yao. "If you have any plans, now is the time to act on them. Both sides are poised for a final, desperate struggle."

"Understood."

Xia Yao exhaled. "However, we’re at the final hour. Xiao Shan Lord and those behind him will certainly be on high alert. Any intricate plans are just castles in the sky. Everything will come down to the final showdown."

Ao Bing set down the game piece in his hand and met Xia Yao’s gaze squarely. "That’s right. Rather than waste energy on conspiracies, it’s better to focus on strengthening yourself. Even if you fail in the showdown, the millions in the north will guarantee your safety."

"I will remember that."

With that, Xia Yao cupped her hands in a salute, then glanced again at Emperor Yuanding on the draconic bed. She gave a few words of instruction to the two members of the Royal Family guarding him, then withdrew from the meditation room with Jiangcun. Before long, they had reached the front entrance of the grand hall.

"Once I’m in seclusion, the Cabinet will be entirely in your hands," Xia Yao said, looking at Jiangcun.

"You can count on me," Jiangcun promised.

"Mm."

Xia Yao nodded, then resolutely walked toward her honor guard and headed deeper into the Imperial Palace.

Jiangcun watched her honor guard disappear down the wide, stone-paved road, then a somewhat self-deprecating smile touched his lips as he headed toward the Hall of Discussion.

The palace where Xia Yao would be entering seclusion was the one she had lived in as a child. It had fallen into disrepair before her return to the Imperial Palace. Even after it was renovated, Xia Yao never gave the palace a name plaque.

Upon returning to the palace, Xia Yao led a female disciple into the main hall. She stood in the center, gazing at an octagonal Longsword before her. It rested in the middle of a Divine Technique Formation, one that was connected to the incense-fueled faith of the world and intimately linked to the Imperial Palace’s ancestral altar.

This was the Celestial Sword, forged by the Xia Imperial Family from the faith of its people.

A simple and straightforward name.

"How are the preparations for the rites in Yunhai, Beiyuan Road, and Qingpu Road?" Xia Yao asked softly, her gaze on the Celestial Sword turning distant for a moment.

"They are complete," the female disciple beside her responded.

Upon hearing this, Xia Yao held out her hand. The Celestial Sword, pulsing with golden light, circled once above the hall before landing steadily in her hand.

"Go now."

She took a special scabbard out of her storage pouch, sheathed the Celestial Sword, and handed it to the female disciple beside her.

The female disciple respectfully accepted it with both hands and withdrew from the hall.

Xia Yao turned and stood in place, gazing out at the familiar courtyard. Memories, some beautiful and some sorrowful, surfaced in her mind.

After a long while, she seemed to hear the voices of her elders, teaching her as a child.

With a sigh, Xia Yao used her Divine Technique to suppress all the emotions welling up inside her. She turned and walked toward the sealed chambers for her seclusion.

A dozen breaths later, a dense, golden light from the Divine Technique surged out from the palace, only to vanish without a trace a moment later.

「Outside the Hall of Discussion.」

Jiangcun stopped and gazed toward the depths of the Imperial Palace, where the golden light of the Divine Technique had just flashed. He let out a silent sigh of his own, waiting until the glow had completely faded before stepping into the Hall of Discussion.

The two Sacrificial Captains who used to be in front of the imperial desk were gone. In their place, several Seventh-Grade Imperial Readers were busy organizing official documents at the seats in the very back. When Jiangcun entered, they all cupped their fists in salute.

"Don’t mind me. Carry on with your work."

Jiangcun offered a polite smile and walked to the center of the hall. He gazed at the exquisitely crafted chair behind the imperial desk.

After a moment, Jiangcun let out a soft chuckle. He walked over to the seat of the Minister of Discussion of the Cabinet and sat down. The memorials and official documents on the desk had already been processed by Xia Yao, but that was only a temporary reprieve. New documents would be arriving soon.

And just as he predicted, he had barely sat down when a document from the Ministry of War was delivered. Just as he was about to review it, an Imperial Eunuch approached with a Deputy Commander from the Imperial Guard.

"Ninth Prince, our spies have news from the Northwest Region."

"What news?"

"The True Yang Sect wants to establish a large Daoist Temple in the Northwest, but the Rebel Army has refused. I expect they’ll come into conflict soon."

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