My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar

Chapter 352: Chapter 81: Dividing the Spoils and the New Year Gathering

Zi Luan glanced at Lu Shan and shook his head. "Such a pity. That was three great demons, plus an old monster on the verge of achieving ’Pill Formation.’ If only we could have kept them..."

Lu Shan interrupted, "If we had kept them, Shanwu Road would be swallowed by the Demon Race’s grand army tomorrow!"

Wang Ping replied matter-of-factly, "Then they would have come here only to die!"

He had to back Zi Luan up.

The other Artifact Cultivator immediately pointed at the retreating back of the Mouse Demon and said sarcastically, "Why don’t you two give chase? We’ll just..."

"Enough. Further talk is useless."

Lu Shan cut in, his gaze falling on Wang Ping. "Fellow Daoist Changqing, your timing was perfect."

Wang Ping stated his position at once. "Don’t worry, you’ll get your share of the benefits."

His words were blunt. He could tell that Lu Shan didn’t particularly like him, so there was no need to be overly polite.

Lu Shan didn’t care about Wang Ping’s attitude. As soon as Wang Ping made his stance clear, he said, "Very well. I don’t ask for much. Five Nine Revolutions Pills!"

Zi Luan flickered and landed in front of Wang Ping. "If Yuan Hu has Nine Revolutions Pills on him, then that’s certainly not a problem."

The other Artifact Cultivator responded, "Don’t worry, he has at least ten Nine Revolutions Pills on him!"

The moment he finished speaking, Lu Shan’s icy gaze swept over him.

Wang Ping chuckled. "Heh. So you, my fellow Daoist, had intelligence on Yuan Hu all along." As he spoke, he looked at Zi Luan, who also appeared surprised.

’These old foxes! Once I get promoted, I’ll freeze them all into blocks of ice!’ Yu Lian complained in the Spirit Sea, though she didn’t dare even peek out at the scene.

"I’ll be waiting for my payment!"

Lu Shan wasted no more words. He turned into a streak of light and vanished over the horizon. The other Artifact Cultivator, of course, followed him.

After the two left, Zi Luan looked at Wang Ping. "I thought they were the hired guns, but it turns out we were the ones they hired!"

"They’re in such a hurry for Nine Revolutions Pills. Are they trying to cultivate their Primordial Spirits?" Wang Ping asked, changing the subject. ’The Nine Revolutions Pill is the signature product of the Upper Dan Sect’s Third Realm Cultivators. Its effects are incredibly potent; it can enhance the cohesion of the Primordial Spirit and even gather it back together when it’s on the verge of dissipating.’

"Cultivating the ’Nine Heavens Array’ is extremely draining on the soul. With the help of Nine Revolutions Pills, they have a high probability of successfully cultivating a Primordial Spirit and achieving their so-called ’pinnacle’!" Zi Luan’s tone was filled with disdain. As an heir to the orthodox Mystic Sect, he felt he had the right to look down on Artifact Cultivators.

After speaking, he called out to Wang Ping, "Let’s go. Back to divide the spoils!"

He didn’t rush to ask who Wang Ping had invited to help this time.

...

「Qianmu Temple.」

Late at night, at the Mountain Peak Dojo.

Not long after Wang Ping and Zi Luan landed in the garden, an identification token flared in the sky. It was the temporary token Wang Ping had given to Ruan Chunzi.

Soon after, Ruan Chunzi landed outside Wang Ping’s small courtyard, accompanied by the Kun Cultivator who had ambushed Yuan Hu with him.

"Ah, Fellow Daoist Ruan Chunzi. Long time no see."

Zi Luan greeted him first.

Ruan Chunzi beamed and cupped his fist. "Fellow Daoist Zi Luan, didn’t we just see each other at the Three Seats Meeting a while ago, regarding Fellow Daoist Changqing’s matter?"

Zi Luan chuckled dryly. "Heh. I wouldn’t count a meeting like that."

Their tones were laced with sarcasm. They clearly didn’t get along, though they weren’t exactly hostile—they just looked down on each other.

"Alright, let’s get down to business."

The Kun Cultivator who came with Ruan Chunzi spoke. Her voice was very pleasant, soft with the casual air of a Cultivator.

Wang Ping’s gaze fell upon her. She was elegantly dressed in a light purple silk long-skirt, cinched at the waist with a White Jade Waistband. Over it, she wore a soft, wide-sleeved robe. Her jet-black hair was styled in a simple single-spiral bun, adorned with a golden hairpin. Her face had a delicate, girl-next-door type of beauty—not stunning, but very pretty.

Ruan Chunzi noticed Wang Ping’s gaze and promptly made the introduction. "This is a friend from the Star Alliance. You can call her Miaoyu."

"Fellow Daoist Miaoyu!"

Wang Ping greeted her with a cupped fist.

Miaoyu returned the gesture casually. "Fellow Daoist Changqing, there’s no need for pleasantries. You too, Fellow Daoist Zi Luan. Let’s get down to business first."

She seemed a bit impatient. As she spoke, she extended her right hand while her left hand rapidly formed a spell. A flash of invisible, light-purple light shot out, dispelling the illusory glow in the courtyard and leaving only a faint violet radiance.

At the same time, a purple sphere materialized above her right hand. The sphere seemed to contain one of the fundamental laws of this world.

As the purple sphere spun, a vortex formed in the space before her. Within the vortex, a Different Dimension Space seemed to be generating. Inside it was a person, charred completely black. His Primordial Spirit was listless, his spiritual nature was on the verge of collapse, and crystals were constantly emerging from the surface of his Spiritual Body.

It was Yuan Hu!

He was still alive, just not in good shape.

CLATTER. Ruan Chunzi tossed two storage bags onto the ground. "I haven’t touched a single thing inside!"

"If we delay any longer, his Primordial Spirit might go insane."

As Miaoyu spoke, she dispelled the barrier imprisoning Yuan Hu.

As the master of this place, Wang Ping instantly summoned his own Primordial Spirit the moment the barrier was released to suppress Yuan Hu’s. He then formed a spell with his hands to repair Yuan Hu’s Spiritual Body and suppress the consciousness that was about to awaken within it.

"Don’t bother with all that trouble. Just finish him off to avoid any complications. Don’t worry, the Samadhi True Flame within his Spiritual Body is still there!"

Zi Luan suggested.

The other two nodded, and Ruan Chunzi added, "That’s right!"

Wang Ping also cast aside what little pity he had left. His Primordial Spirit’s face twisted into a ferocious expression as it forcefully yanked Yuan Hu’s weakened Primordial Spirit out of his body. He then took out two Sealed Wooden Boxes and sealed the Spiritual Body and the Primordial Spirit separately.

"The Primordial Spirit is yours. I’ll take the Spirit Body."

Wang Ping handed the Sealed Wooden Box containing the Primordial Spirit to Zi Luan.

Zi Luan didn’t stand on ceremony. While taking the wooden box, he also collected the two storage bags from the ground. He looked at Ruan Chunzi and Miaoyu and said, "Lu Shan from Shanwu Road wants five Nine Revolutions Pills. Do you two have any objections?"

"So greedy!"

Miaoyu frowned but didn’t object.

Ruan Chunzi simply nodded.

The next steps were relatively simple, yet quite complicated to execute. Yuan Hu wasn’t carrying all of his wealth, so they had to send people to infiltrate the Northwest Region based on his memories and slowly uncover the riches he had hidden over the years.

However, Wang Ping didn’t need to worry about these matters.

He had to prepare for the New Year now.

Over the past half a month, he had received letters from many of his disciples.

On the morning of New Year’s Eve.

The first greeting card to arrive was from Zhang Xinghuai, followed by ones from Wang Yang, Su Sea, and Wang Ping’s junior brother, Xingshan. Xingshan had also gone to the Northern Battlefield last year, attempting to emulate Wang Kang and establish unparalleled achievements.

Su Sea had specially returned from the Northern Border this year to celebrate the New Year. Xingshan had to remain in the north, while Wang Yang and Zhang Xinghuai were also on their way back.

The only ones who could make it today were Hu Qianqian, Shen Xiaozhu, and Xia Wen Yi. Unlike Shen Xiaozhu, Liu Shuang was already in Death Seclusion and wouldn’t come out early unless absolutely necessary. The others would arrive on New Year’s Day.

By noon, Hu Qianqian, Shen Xiaozhu, and Xia Wen Yi had arrived one after another at the Mountain Peak Dojo. Wang Ping took them to the back courtyard to pay their respects to Yu Cheng Taoist, but after just a few words, Yu Cheng Taoist sent them away, as he had an old friend visiting.

In the afternoon, Liu Shuang’s Direct Disciple, Yang Rong, who had been out gaining experience, appeared at the Dao Field’s main gate looking travel-worn. Dressed like a Female Knight, she had actually succeeded in her Foundation Establishment!

Theoretically, this should have been impossible. After Yu Lian asked, she explained, "I got lucky. While exploring a Demon Race ruin with some friends on the Far East Continent, I came across a strange, massive Array..."