My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar

Shanma County.

Shanma County was a county town under the jurisdiction of Jingwu Prefecture, in the southern part of Beiyuan Road. It was only about six miles from the Nong River, and a man-made canal connected the town directly to the river. This waterway was the main route for transporting goods from the Southern Region of Beiyuan Road to Shangjing City.

Because of the war, the waterway had not been used since the Spring Festival. As the military situation took a sharp downturn, the wealthy families of the county town had long since moved north of Shangjing City, leaving behind only the common folk and slaves.

That day, the commoners had planned to take advantage of the heavy rain to plant sweet potato seedlings, a crop that had only been introduced in recent years. They had been working in the fields with their slaves since early morning, but they had barely begun to loosen the soil when scouts started galloping back and forth on the nearby main road.

Around 7:45 AM, a squadron of fast horses rode out from the County Government, followed by constables from the County Magistrate's Office. They rounded up the bewildered commoners and slaves and forced them to kneel on both sides of the main road.

By 7:45 AM, a faint tremor ran through the ground. A large army in light armor advanced slowly from the riverbank. The County Magistrate, accompanied by dozens of officials from the County Government, knelt at the city gates. He held the County Seal aloft with both hands. As the army arrived before the gates, he shouted, "This humble one, leading the more than ninety thousand soldiers and civilians of Shanma County, respectfully welcomes the Celestial Army!"

And so, without a single casualty, the army of the Chu Country captured the first county town in its northward advance.

「One day later.」

The Vanguard Army conquered seven counties in Jingwu Prefecture one after another, completely surrounding the Prefecture City.

The torrential rain stopped at noon. Liu Yu, Commander-in-Chief of the Chu Country's grand army, personally arrived at Xiaoma County Town and established it as his Central Hub of command.

Just as Liu Yu's Central Hub was set up, Liu Zhengzhi—Patriarch of the Liu Family, the largest and most powerful clan on Jianglin Road—humbly suggested to Liu Yu, "General, this subordinate has some acquaintance with Lord Wei Minghuai, the Prefect of Jingwu Prefecture. Why not allow this subordinate to go and have a word with him?"

"Jingwu Prefecture is a trivial matter. Now that my Celestial Soldiers have arrived, we can conquer it in a matter of days. You have more important things to do. Within three days, we must erect Golden Body Divine Statues of the Xiao Shan Lord outside every County Government office. The statues will be forged by Earth Vein Cultivators. Your job is to persuade the local populace to convert their faith to the Xiao Shan Lord. And the slaves—they too must believe in the Xiao Shan Lord."

Liu Yu had long since dismissed Jingwu Prefecture as insignificant. His current objective was to blockade the West Suburb of Shangjing City and spread the faith of the Xiao Shan Lord throughout this region.

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhengzhi's demeanor became even more obsequious. He said, "The common people have long been fed up with the faith of that Pseudo-Emperor in Shangjing City, to say nothing of the slaves. As long as you grant them freedom, they will become the Xiao Shan Lord's most loyal followers."

"You have only three days!"

"Yes, this subordinate will see to it at once."

Liu Zhengzhi accepted the order and hurried away with the two attendants who had followed him. Although Liu Yu hadn't specified the punishment for failure, Liu Zhengzhi knew it would be a price he could not afford to pay.

After Liu Zhengzhi was out of earshot, Liu Yu's eldest son, Liu Jing, glanced at the busy civil officials nearby and said in a low voice, "Having such a sycophant around makes me uneasy. Why not... write a dispatch and have him transferred back to Jinhuai?"

"He is of great use right now. Don't worry, our superiors have already responded, and the transfer orders have been issued. Once he finishes the task at hand, I will send him back."

Liu Yu walked to his Commander's Desk and stood still, staring at the markings on the map. "What's truly important now is besieging Shangjing City. We cannot afford to be lax in this matter."

"Regarding this matter, Father, do you not have any other thoughts?"

Liu Yu glanced back at his eldest son, then at the busy officials nearby. "If you have something to say, say it directly. There's no need to worry about offending anyone."

Liu Jing still seemed hesitant and timid. He swallowed hard and mustered his courage. "Father, Great-Grandmother and Senior Zuo Xuan did not cross the river. Most of the cultivators who have reached the Third Realm have also remained south of the Nong River. Shouldn't we leave ourselves an escape route?"

Liu Yu marked two points on the map with a piece of charcoal. After a long silence, he asked, "It's the twelfth today, isn't it?"

"It's the eleventh!"

"In that case, you are to supervise the Liu Family and ensure they complete their task. Then, follow them back to Jinhuai City."

"You mean..."

"It is absolutely impossible for me to retreat. If I were to retreat..."

A sudden sound of footsteps interrupted Liu Yu. He turned to see one of his Golden Armor Generals, distinguished by a White Feather Helmet, stride in. Following behind him were two Female Officials dressed in purple court robes.

"General Liu, the Duke has a decree..."

The Golden Armor General clasped his fist in a salute to Liu Yu, then turned and stepped aside to make way for the two Female Officials behind him.

The Female Official on the left held a document bordered with silk brocade and announced, "General Liu, by order of the Duke..."

At these words, everyone in the Central Hub stopped what they were doing, clasped their fists, and bowed toward the document, waiting for the Female Official to read its contents.

"General of the Front and Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, Liu Yu, possesses both talent and virtue. He is wise, brave, and truly a pillar of the state... Henceforth, you are promoted to General of the Northern Expedition, with the honorary rank of Minister of War."

"My thanks to the Duke!"

Liu Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

The Female Official stepped forward and handed the document to Liu Yu. She then produced another one. "This document must be read aloud by you." She lowered her voice and added, "The Duke will ascend True Yang Mountain on the fifteenth of March to proclaim himself emperor. On that day, you must announce the ascension of the new emperor to the people of Jianglin Road and Beiyuan Road!"

"Yes!"

Liu Yu solemnly accepted the document.

The Female Official continued, "When the Duke proclaims himself emperor, the Lord's will shall descend upon the Golden Body Divine Statues in every region. You must be prepared. You must tell all the people under heaven that the Duke's imperial authority was personally bestowed by the Lord!"

"Yes!"

Liu Yu struggled to keep his expression neutral.

After Liu Yu's assent, the Female Official took a step back, clasped her fist, and said, "This subordinate has other important matters to attend to and will take her leave."

At his side, Liu Jing immediately took two steps forward, accepted a stack of silver banknotes from the Chief Historian, and discreetly slipped them into the Female Official's hand. "Allow me to see you two superiors off!" he said smoothly.

"We couldn't possibly accept such a generous gift from the Junior General."

Smiling and making a show of refusal, the two Female Officials left the great hall of the Prefecture Magistrate's Office, escorted by Liu Jing.

「Fifteen minutes later.」

Liu Jing returned. Father and son exchanged a look, and Liu Jing said, "We just need to hold on until the Xiao Shan Lord descends upon Shangjing City..."

Before he could finish, Liu Yu waved his hand dismissively. "Go and attend to your duties. Leave with Liu Zhengzhi in three days."

"Go on. This war has been fought to this point. If it is for the Xiao Shan Lord, then I must see it through to the end. Otherwise, wouldn't the deaths of my brothers-in-arms who fell before be in vain?"

His reasoning was simple, unburdened by grand ideals or ambitions.

Liu Jing said no more.

「Three days later.」

Liu Jing removed his Junior General's armor. Accompanied by several attendants, he and Liu Zhengzhi's group hastily crossed the Nong River. Suddenly, he saw several brilliant streams of light rise from the peak of a mountain ahead and fly off in different directions.

This was the peak of the mountain where Wang Ping was stationed.

A quarter of an hour ago, the Xiao Shan Lord had sent down a formal order: that afternoon, all Third Realm Cultivators stationed at the Six Heart Sect were to rush to the front lines. They were to take full command of the Chu Country's army.

The order Wang Ping received was to remain in place and await new instructions.

This order meant that the missions for Zhi Gong, Hu Yin, and the Mountain Guards were over; the streaks of light he had just seen were their departing figures. Huaimo, however, had explicitly told Wang Ping that he was waiting there for Zi Luan. Wu Quan and Ganxing had also stayed behind for the same reason.

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