My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar

Chapter 288: Chapter 17: Shen Xiaozhu’s Foundation Establishment

"That’s right!"

Old Yang nodded in acknowledgment.

This gave Wang Ping a new perspective on Wulang. He’d heard of Wulang’s character before—frank and magnanimous. Thanks to that, and the influence of his master, Xiu Yu Taoist, he had quickly gathered a large following.

He just never expected Wulang to be so straightforward.

"Wulang loves flattery. Especially when he was in hiding, since all his followers had abandoned him. Every time I visited, all I had to do was say a few flattering words to get a heap of rewards. It was even more effective when I was there with the specific goal of digging up information."

"You’re quite bold..."

"It’s not about being bold; it’s about the art of conversation. Besides, I couldn’t just directly ask about Guanmao Daoist’s background..." Old Yang seemed to be proving his worth, desperate to avoid being locked in the dungeon.

"Anything else to add?"

Wang Ping beckoned to Hu Qianqian at his side, taking the bamboo slip she was using for notes and looking it over. Seeing this, Yu Lian rode a cloud down from the eaves, settled onto Wang Ping’s shoulder, and read the slip along with him.

Hearing the question, Old Yang thought nervously for several breaths, then answered with a slight tremor in his voice, "That’s all I know."

Wang Ping grunted in acknowledgment, continuing to read the bamboo slip without looking up.

The intelligence they’d gathered was substantial. First, there was the information on the ’First Day’ group. The whereabouts of He Feng Taoist alone was a major find. Then there was the intelligence on Wu Ma Daoist. Suddenly, he had two more targets.

"You handle these matters. Keep the individuals on this list under close watch and stay in constant communication with Fellow Daoist Zuo Xuan. Contact me if anything urgent comes up... Also, this Sheep Demon bears the mark of the ’First Day’. Remove it before you make use of him."

Wang Ping took a Puppet Bird from his storage bag and embedded a Blessing Talisman within it. The Puppet Bird instantly sprang to life, hopping about before flying up to land on Hu Qianqian.

A flicker of joy flashed in Hu Qianqian’s eyes. Her fluffy ears twitched out of habit as she cupped her fist and said, "Yes, Master."

"You may go."

Wang Ping took out a special bamboo slip and wrote down the intelligence on Wu Ma Daoist. He glanced at the now-empty Celestial Platform, then took out the Puppet Bird he used to communicate with Zi Luan. He placed the inscribed slip into the bird’s belly and performed a spell.

Once the Puppet Bird was airborne, Wang Ping looked to Yu Lian beside him. "Let’s go," he said. "Time to check on Xiaozhu’s Foundation Establishment."

"Right, right! Hurry, hurry!" Yu Lian suddenly remembered she had something more important to attend to. She tapped Wang Ping’s shoulder with her tail, urging him to move faster.

...

「Qianmu Mountain.」

「In Yu Cheng Taoist’s small courtyard.」

Xia Wen Yi was reading *Annotations on Heaven and Man*, his face twisted in an expression of pure, constipated misery. He had never liked reading, not even as a child. From the time he began practicing the introductory cultivation technique at twelve until he’d succeeded in his Qi Cultivation, the only books he’d ever read willingly were martial arts manuals.

"Grandmaster, why does the book say that weapons are born of wicked thoughts and are inauspicious, yet also part of the way of a gentleman? I don’t understand it at all."

Xia Wen Yi had been staying in Shen Xiaozhu’s courtyard, but since she was about to undergo Foundation Establishment, Yu Cheng Taoist had brought him over to his own.

"The Taoist Ancestor used weaponry as a metaphor for all things. He taught that weapons are instruments of ill omen, which a Saint of the Dao should not use. The way of a gentleman is one of benevolence and virtue. This means that if a person of virtue wields a weapon, they can bring order to the world. But if they lack virtue, they become a calamity for the world. It is because a virtuous person, even armed with a deadly weapon, can still walk the path of peace."

Yu Cheng Taoist explained patiently to Xia Wen Yi. He did so because Xia Wen Yi possessed an excellent constitution, the kind of disciple who could be nurtured to carry on the sect’s lineage.

"The Taoist Ancestor sure spouts a lot of empty rhetoric. What good is it for one person to be virtuous?"

Xia Wen Yi had met all sorts of people and had his own opinions on the matter. "Cultivating virtue only improves yourself. What good does that do the world?"

"So you have ambitions for the world?"

"No. I just think that if you’re going to cultivate the Dao only to sit in meditation your whole life, isn’t that a complete waste of all your cultivation? You might as well not have cultivated at all!"

"Haha!"

Yu Cheng Taoist laughed heartily. "Everyone has their own ideas. When I first started my cultivation, I was just like you, always having one thought or another. But regardless, you must remember to abide by the rules of the Taoist Sect in all your future actions. It doesn’t matter if the world is at peace or in chaos, and it doesn’t matter if anyone is watching you."

"Fine!"

Xia Wen Yi clearly hadn’t taken the words to heart. His mind was still lost in the lives of the great heroes from storybooks.

Just then, Yu Cheng Taoist raised his head. He looked toward a streak of light that flashed across the horizon and said, "Your master is back."

Xia Wen Yi followed Yu Cheng Taoist’s gaze, and his demeanor instantly shifted from lively to stiff and solemn. He didn’t know why, but he was simply terrified of Wang Ping, whereas he felt very close to Yu Cheng Taoist.

As they neared Qianmu Mountain, Yu Lian separated from Wang Ping and descended toward Shen Xiaozhu’s Dao Field. Wang Ping’s Primordial Spirit Consciousness drifted out, easily taking in the entire situation in Shen Xiaozhu’s courtyard.

The Spiritual Qi in the courtyard was already dense enough for Foundation Establishment. If it proved insufficient, Wang Ping could always adjust the Spiritual Qi flow from the Nine Extremes Array.

Next was Shen Xiaozhu’s condition. With his current level of cultivation, Wang Ping could ascertain it clearly with a single glance from a distance. The Wood Spirit Vein implanted within her was very stable, and the scholar tree she’d planted was also being well-nourished.

After speaking with Shen Xiaozhu for a while, Yu Lian brought her to the Mountain Peak Dojo.

Wang Ping carefully re-examined the state of his direct disciple’s Qi Sea, then personally went to Shen Xiaozhu’s Dao Field to inspect the Spirit Gathering Array.

"CLATTER"

The divination blocks landed on the ground in front of a newly grown scholar tree.

A Holy Trigram!

With a grasp at the empty air, Wang Ping recalled the divination blocks to his hand. He looked at Shen Xiaozhu beside him and asked, "When do you plan to enter meditation for your Foundation Establishment?" fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm

"Reporting to Master, I am ready at any time," Shen Xiaozhu replied, full of confidence.

"Good!"

A smile touched Wang Ping’s lips. As he tossed the divination blocks, the space around him flickered once, bright then dark. He had used a Luck-Borrowing Talisman.

Another Holy Trigram!

"In that case, begin your meditation now."

"Yes!"

Shen Xiaozhu calmly walked to the scholar tree and sat down cross-legged. Wang Ping, with Yu Lian, retreated from the Spirit Gathering Array and hovered in mid-air, standing guard to prevent any thoughtless disciples from barging in.

「Four hours later.」

Having adjusted herself to a perfect state, Shen Xiaozhu first manifested her soul. She used her soul to drive the Wood Spirit Qi within her, completing a Grand Circulation at top speed to flush her meridians and her entire body.

The black Spirit Cat leaped about around Shen Xiaozhu, connecting its own Qi Sea to hers to help her absorb Spiritual Qi.

For one of the few times, a feeling of nervousness bloomed within Yu Lian.

「A quarter of an hour later.」

Shen Xiaozhu swallowed the Foundation Establishment Pill she had held ready in her mouth. Soon, a Spiritual Qi vortex formed around her. High in the sky, visible streams of Spiritual Qi began to descend, converging on her position.

The disciples within the monastery were no longer surprised by such sights, and the mortals outside the mountain could no longer see what was happening within.

In the blink of an eye, it was the morning of the third day.

Just as the assembly in the Daoist Scripture Hall was about to resume, a Puppet Bird landed in Wang Ping’s hand. fгeewebnovёl.com

It was He Jiu’s Puppet Bird.

It contained a single sentence: The ’First Day’ cultivators on Mozhou Road have suddenly become active, and there is evidence indicating they are in close contact with Qingjiang of Five Gods Mountain.

Qingjiang!

He was another of Xiu Yu Taoist’s disciples, and just as famous as Wulang.