My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar

Chapter 364: Chapter 93: Secrets of the True Monarch

The Six Heart Sect’s mountain gate was bustling with activity early this morning. Hundreds of Inner Sect Disciples stood in formation on either side, apparently waiting for someone.

At 7:30 AM, two silhouettes accompanied by a golden identity projection streaked across the southern sky. As they descended, two figures became clear. The one in the lead wore a blue Daoist Robe and a white jade coronet. The robe was unadorned, and the coronet was a pure, snowy white.

The other was a Kun Cultivator in a simple Daoist Robe, her hair neatly coiled and held in place by a jade coronet.

These two were, of course, Wang Ping and Zhao Yu’Er.

The moment Wang Ping landed, the disciples lining the mountain gate immediately performed a fist-and-palm salute, shouting in unison, "We greet Daoist Changqing!"

Wang Ping silently returned the salute, then led Zhao Yu’Er straight through the gate. When he reached the front hall of the Inner Sect, he saw Zi Luan, who had been waiting for some time.

After a brief greeting, Zi Luan said, "Did you see the formation at the gate? We’re welcoming many people today, including the Lord from the Earth Cave Sect."

Wang Ping’s heart skipped a beat. Hiding in his sleeve, Yu Lian felt a rare flicker of nervousness.

"Is it time?" Wang Ping asked.

"I don’t know," Zi Luan replied. "The Lord has summoned you, me, and Junior Brother Xiu Yu." He then made an inviting gesture.

Wang Ping didn’t rush off. He first explained Zhao Yu’Er’s situation, and Zi Luan promptly called over an Inner Sect Disciple to attend to her.

Only then did Wang Ping follow Zi Luan to Xiao Shan Lord’s courtyard Dao Field.

Since they went on foot, it was Half an Hour before they arrived at Xiao Shan Lord’s Dao Field. Xiu Yu was already there.

Xiao Shan Lord no longer looked as casual as when Wang Ping had last seen him. He wore a formal, gray-white Daoist Robe with his hair tied up in a cyan jade coronet. He sat upright beside a round, solid wood table in the courtyard Dao Field.

Intricate golden lines of light radiated from beneath his feet, casting him in a divine aura. A single glance was enough to give Wang Ping the urge to prostrate himself in worship.

’This is a sign of mastery over a Divine Technique.’

"We greet you, Lord."

"We greet you, Master."

Wang Ping and Zi Luan bowed in greeting from the courtyard entrance.

Xiao Shan Lord’s gaze was profound as he looked at them. In the same casual tone as before, he waved them over. "Come in."

The two thanked him and bowed again in unison.

Once they had drawn near, Xiao Shan Lord’s calm gaze swept over the three of them. He then looked to the sky and remarked, "The weather is truly fine today."

The skies above Jinhuai Prefecture were clear and boundless; it was indeed a fine day.

But coming from a Lord, the words felt odd. Xiao Shan Lord looked up into the sunlight streaming from the sky and said, "Since the rise of the Human Dao, many legends of True Monarchs have been recorded. They either saved the masses or drove out the Demon Race, then ascended to become True Monarchs, their hearts filled with compassion for all living things!"

"However, these are all false. In the entire recorded history of the flourishing Human Dao, not a single person has actually ascended to the rank of True Monarch. As for the time before the Human Dao flourished... well, that is a great secret."

Xiao Shan Lord’s laughter held a hint of mockery, but he didn’t continue, seeming to drift into a memory.

Wang Ping was inwardly stunned by these words. He subtly glanced at Zi Luan beside him and saw that he, too, was utterly shocked. Clearly, this was the first time he had ever heard such a claim.

After a silence that lasted more than ten breaths, Xiu Yu ventured, "Dare I ask, Master, if no one has ascended to become a True Monarch since the Human Dao began to flourish, then..."

He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence, for the words that would follow were a blasphemy against True Monarchs, and he did not have the courage to speak them.

The other three in the courtyard understood what Xiu Yu was implying. Wang Ping and Zi Luan were also intensely curious. But Xiao Shan Lord simply shook his head. "I don’t know the answer to your question either. That is why I have chosen to attempt my own ascension. If I succeed, perhaps I will find the answer. But I cannot guarantee I will be able to share it with you."

He met the gazes of Wang Ping and the other two, then let out a soft chuckle. "If I fail, everything will return to square one."

Wang Ping’s heart tensed. ’Should I declare my loyalty?’ he wondered. But Xiao Shan Lord continued, "I know the three of you have your own thoughts. Zi Luan, for instance. You’ve always suspected you’re nothing more than a puppet I created. You’re so paranoid every day, you’ve nearly driven yourself mad, haven’t you?"

Zi Luan instinctively dropped to his knees. He said nothing, but his posture made his feelings clear.

Xiao Shan Lord gazed at the kneeling Zi Luan and chuckled softly. "I seem to recall the first time I met you. Your body was so abundant with spiritual nature that your mind was constantly entangled by a True Spirit. Your parents knelt before me, begging me to help you. I saw that you were promising material, so I helped you, and I took you away from them."

"What? Has it been so long that you doubt your own past? Do you remember how your mother kowtowed until her forehead was bleeding just to save you?"

Zi Luan’s body trembled slightly. "This disciple... is terrified," he said in a low voice. "The past feels like smoke, hazy and distant. I don’t know what’s real and what isn’t."

"Fine. Then I will tell you now: it was real. Remember that from now on, and doubt it no more. Otherwise, you will never take another step forward in your cultivation."

"Thank you for dispelling my doubts, Master!"

Zi Luan’s voice boomed, and he kowtowed deeply.

The sudden shout startled Wang Ping so much that his Primordial Spirit trembled, and he unconsciously lowered his head further.

"Rise."

"Thank you, Master!"

As Zi Luan rose, his aura seemed to undergo a subtle change.

Xiao Shan Lord smiled as he sized up Zi Luan, then turned his gaze to Xiu Yu.

Feeling Xiao Shan Lord’s gaze upon him, Xiu Yu spoke first. "This disciple has never held such doubts as Senior Brother Zi Luan!"

"Correct. You have always been extremely confident, your goals always clear. But your focus is so narrow that it has become a detriment. You’ve attempted to ascend many times, have you not?"

"Yes. But this disciple is slow-witted and has never succeeded!"

"You are not slow-witted. On the contrary, you’re very clever. But you are too clever for your own good. You always overcomplicate simple matters and oversimplify complex ones. Evading the secrets of heaven is not as simple as hiding away in a Dao Field."

Xiu Yu hurriedly knelt. "Dare I ask, Master, how does one evade the secrets of heaven?"

’A good question!’

Wang Ping praised inwardly, his expression growing focused. Zi Luan did the same.

Xiao Shan Lord was silent for several breaths before speaking. "I have been waiting for you to ask me that question for over five hundred years!" He let out a sigh—the sigh of a master for his disciple. "How can the secrets of heaven possibly be evaded? They cannot. But they can be deceived. Or, you can have exceptionally good luck."

"Let’s first speak of deception. You can seize another’s ascension. For example, when another Taiyan Cultivator is in the process of ascending, you kill them and take their place. You use their Primordial Spirit as bait to deceive the heavens, while you seize the opportunity to inscribe the ’Heaven-Covering Talisman.’ Remember, the Primordial Spirit used as bait cannot carry the slightest trace of your own aura. Otherwise, your body will perish and your Dao will be extinguished!"

"As for luck..."

Xiao Shan Lord glanced at Wang Ping, perhaps thinking of Wang Ping’s own uncanny luck. "You use yourself as the guide and heaven and earth as the chart to calculate that one ethereal, fleeting moment. Then, in that instant, you inscribe the ’Heaven-Covering Talisman.’ But this method exists only in theory. You would need to divine a transient opportunity in an impossibly short amount of time. For you, at the Third Realm, it is utterly impossible!"

"Besides these two methods, there is a third. It is the method I used to ascend to the Fourth Realm—a Secret Technique passed down by Huishan True Monarch..."