My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar

Chapter 292: Chapter 21: Prerequisites for the Fourth Realm

Wang Ping wasn’t overly surprised by the intelligence Wen Yang brought. After all, according to Old Yang, First Day still had a Fourth Realm Fire Cultivator in the Southern Four Roads, and Qingjiang’s words had also hinted that the group was planning a major move.

Wang Ping had already sent out his scouts; the only thing to do now was wait for their reports. As for his own plans, his long-term goal was to stabilize the situation in Nanlin Road and wait for an opportunity to qualify for the Fourth Realm. His mid-term goal was to secure the greatest possible benefits during Xiao Shan Lord’s promotion.

And his short-term goals? To merge with the Heaven-Reaching Talisman, refine the Pocket World Mirror, shape a new Spirit Body consciousness, and then use the Enlightenment Skill to forge better puppets.

He could set aside his long-term goal for now; he just needed to manage his home base well. The mid-term goal involved his arrangements and operations in the Northwest, Shangjing, and the north. When it was time for Xiao Shan Lord’s promotion, these plans would become useful. At the very least, it shouldn’t be difficult to protect himself.

Time flew by.

The Daoist Scripture Hall’s assembly finally concluded. The last spot went to the True Yang Sect. In other words, Lishui Prefecture and the True Yang Sect had struck a deal during the vote, securing both spots for the smallest price.

Although Wang Ping regretted not being able to get another handout, it didn’t matter. After all, he wasn’t in a position to worry about how the benefits of the third seat were divided.

Three days after the assembly ended, the Daoist Scripture Hall headquarters contacted Wang Ping directly via a Communication Token, telling him to head to Shangjing City as soon as possible to update his identification token.

Meanwhile, Shen Xiaozhu’s Foundation Establishment had reached its most critical stage.

Nearly eighty percent of the Spiritual Qi in her body had been converted, but her situation was just like Wang Ping’s own Foundation Establishment—the surrounding Spiritual Qi couldn’t seem to keep up with the consumption of her Qi Sea.

However, Shen Xiaozhu’s state of mind was clearly far more stable than Wang Ping’s had been. She wasn’t nervous in the slightest. Upon sensing the insufficient Spiritual Qi, she calmly slowed her progress, intending to take more time to complete the final twenty percent of the conversion.

「Ten days later.」

Shen Xiaozhu reached the most critical moment.

Wang Ping had just finished his daily cultivation routine and was about to catch a couple of Spiritual Creatures for an experiment when a Puppet Bird, silhouetted against the morning glow, landed on his shoulder.

It was He Jiu’s Puppet Bird!

A bad feeling suddenly pricked at Wang Ping. With a sense of unease, he removed the report from the Puppet Bird’s abdomen. He was stunned by what he read.

He Jiu’s report claimed that someone was apparently planning to make a move against Ren Kong! freewёbnoνel.com

Sensing Wang Ping’s mood, Yu Lian’s tail curled around the bamboo slip, and she quickly read its contents. Just as she was about to speak, another Puppet Bird descended.

This time, it was a report from Zuo Xuan...

She wrote about Wu Ma Daoist’s situation. Her agents had discovered that Wu Ma Daoist’s junior apprentice, Yu An, had clashed with cultivators under Ren Kong. On the surface, however, it looked like First Day was stirring up trouble.

"Heh." ƒrēewebnovel.com

After reading the report, Wang Ping let out a soft laugh, then stared at the two messages, lost in thought. One report claimed First Day was planning a major move, while the other suggested Yu An was causing trouble under the guise of First Day.

Before long, the image of Xiu Yu surfaced in his mind.

"What do you think Xiu Yu is really up to?" Wang Ping asked in a low voice, looking down at Shen Xiaozhu below.

"I don’t know, but I know we can’t let him succeed so easily!"

Yu Lian had barely finished speaking when Zi Luan’s Puppet Bird descended from the sky.

Wang Ping took out the letter. As expected, Zi Luan was anxious and had invited him to the Daoist Scripture Hall for a meeting. Wang Ping, however, remained calm. He sent replies to He Jiu and Zuo Xuan.

"You go handle your business. I’ll watch over Xiaozhu," Yu Lian said.

"Alright!"

Wang Ping nodded, transformed into a streak of light, and headed towards Jinhuai Prefecture.

「Two hours later.」

When Wang Ping’s figure descended from the clouds and appeared in front of the Daoist Scripture Hall’s main building, the cultivators guarding the area immediately parted to make way for him.

Zi Luan’s aura was already on the top floor of the pavilion. According to the Daoist Scripture Hall’s rules, he shouldn’t have been qualified to enter the top floor, but all the guards had been trained by him.

Wang Ping glanced at the surrounding guards. They all had their heads bowed, looking incredibly submissive and respectful.

He didn’t make an issue of it and landed directly on the Celestial Platform.

Zi Luan was seated in the guest’s position on the right. When he saw Wang Ping appear, he immediately stood up and bowed in greeting. "My apologies for disturbing your Pure Cultivation, Fellow Daoist."

"Not at all."

Wang Ping returned the polite gesture, invited Zi Luan to sit again, and then took his rightful place on the cattail cushion to the left. "Fellow Daoist," he asked, "are you here about the situation in Mozhou Road?"

"Yes!"

Zi Luan nodded. "I underestimated Xiu Yu. He’s clearly using the fact that we’ve backed off to orchestrate something big. On the surface, it looks like he’s plotted against Wu Ma Daoist, but in reality, he may have obtained some unexpected benefits—like meeting some of the prerequisites for advancing to the Fourth Realm."

Wang Ping took the opportunity to ask, "What are the prerequisites for advancing to the Fourth Realm?"

Zi Luan first let out a laugh, then said, "Fellow Daoist, you must have heard that the Taiyan Fourth Realm is also known as the Heaven-Covering Realm. As the name implies, the final advancement requires one to block the senses of heaven and earth. Our predecessors tried countless methods and finally found the most reliable one..."

"...to find several secluded locations, and then use puppets bearing the imprint of your own Primordial Spirit to simultaneously inscribe the Heaven-Covering Talisman along with your true body. Well, that’s as much as I can tell you. It sounds simple, but the reality is far more complex. For starters, your puppets must have the power of the Taiyan Second Realm, and you need at least three of them!"

Zi Luan paused, then added a reminder, "Also, the most important point is that you must know how to hide yourself. Xiu Yu is very clever; he has hidden his aura for several hundred years."

After hearing all this, the first thing that came to Wang Ping’s mind was the discourse on "Nothingness" in the fourth volume of the *Taiyan Talisman*. Then, he remembered Old Yang telling him that Xiu Yu, with Wu Ma Daoist’s help, had found a place in the Southern Sea Region to attempt his advancement.

"Based on the latest intelligence, First Day seems to be targeting Ren Kong. I’m certain they’re after a promotion slot to the Third Realm. I don’t know what deal Xiu Yu struck with them, but I know that White Crane Mountain will be completely eradicated this time. Once that happens, the Lord won’t hold Xiu Yu responsible!"

This was Zi Luan’s conclusion.

Wang Ping had also reached a similar conclusion, but not as decisively as Zi Luan. He said doubtfully, "But isn’t there a Third Realm Fire Cultivator on White Crane Mountain?"

"Yes!"

"Then..."

Wang Ping didn’t finish his sentence.

Zi Luan said quickly, "Whatever their plan is, we need to make our move. At the very least, we should gather our forces and wait for the right moment to strike. If we time it right, we can be the oriole waiting in the wings!"