My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar-Chapter 33: New Magic

The small courtyard on the mountaintop was as quiet as ever. Liu Shuang and Yang Zhiping stood respectfully at the entrance to the Lin Garden path, waiting to welcome Wang Ping.

"Master!"

Hearing his disciples’ call, Wang Ping felt like he was home. He reached out a large hand and gently patted both their shoulders before leading them back to the small courtyard.

"Master, what are monsters like? Are they just like the storytellers down the mountain say? With the heads of beasts, fangs two feet long, and they bite people’s necks..."

After paying her respects, Liu Shuang was a chatterbox with no end to her words. Yang Zhiping, on the other hand, was as quiet and reserved as ever.

To his disciple’s questions, Wang Ping always responded with, "You’ll find out later." Despite such a perfunctory answer, Liu Shuang didn’t mind at all, and her questions continued to flow endlessly.

"I read in a book that burying a monster’s flesh and blood in the soil can nourish the land, turning an ordinary field into a Spirit Field. Master, did you bring any back?" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Wang Ping shook his head.

"Why not?"

Wang Ping shook his head again, then gently patted Liu Shuang’s shoulder. "Monsters and humans are both expressions of life."

Just as Liu Shuang was about to ask another question, Wang Ping cut in, "How are your studies coming along? Have you been transcribing the scriptures? Have you made any progress with the Chang Chun Technique?"

"I haven’t missed a single day of transcribing the scriptures. As for the Chang Chun Technique... I’m not sure if I’ve made any progress!" Yang Zhiping answered methodically, but Liu Shuang’s gaze was a little evasive.

"First, perform the Chang Chun Technique for me."

"Yes!"

The two first bowed to Wang Ping, then walked to an empty space nearby to regulate their breathing. Liu Shuang finished quickly, while Yang Zhiping was a bit slower.

"How did it feel?" Wang Ping asked.

"I didn’t feel anything special..."

"I feel like my body is still uncoordinated." Yang Zhiping lowered his head.

"It’s alright... You’ll get better with time." After comforting Yang Zhiping, Wang Ping asked, "And what about the scriptures you were supposed to transcribe?"

Just as Wang Ping had imagined, Liu Shuang had only transcribed on the first day and hadn’t touched it since. He guessed her practice was the same.

"The bamboo slips for transcribing scriptures are almost gone. Your punishment is to make one hundred new bamboo slips. Yu Lian, you will supervise her!" Wang Ping pronounced Liu Shuang’s punishment.

Yu Lian, who had been sleeping, opened her eyes. Her vertical pupils sized up Liu Shuang, making her hair stand on end.

After giving his instructions, Wang Ping walked toward his room. Before he went inside, Yu Lian reverted to her original size and leaped into the fur cloak by the door.

Inside, Wang Ping sat cross-legged on his bed and quickly entered a state of meditation. After the leisurely journey of sightseeing, the impact of the battle in Shu County’s North Mountain on his state of mind had mostly faded.

「Two hours later.」

Wang Ping opened his eyes and let out a long breath. He stared blankly at the door for a while, then fell back and went to sleep...

Outside the room, Yu Lian opened her eyes. She glanced at the two children in the courtyard diligently making bamboo slips, then got up and skillfully pulled the door open with her tail. She entered the room, and after studying Wang Ping on the bed for a long moment with her vertical pupils, she climbed onto the bed as well, coiling around his wrist and shrinking back to a foot in length.

Wang Ping slept soundly.

The next day, he rose at the crow of the rooster. Just like before, he first went to the locust tree to practice Qi Cultivation and meditate. At 3:00 AM, his two disciples also got up. Yawning, their first task was to inspect the Spirit Wood in the garden for any dead branches that needed trimming.

They worked until dawn. Liu Shuang went to the kitchen to make breakfast, while Yang Zhiping went to the well to draw water.

By the time breakfast was ready, Wang Ping had just completed his daily six hours of Foundation Establishment practice. He stood up and walked into the courtyard, just in time to hear Liu Shuang call out, "Master, time to eat!"

They ate in the newly built main house. The staple food had become rice porridge. The side dishes were fresh wild vegetables sent up from the mountain base yesterday, which were delicious stir-fried in lard. Additionally, everyone had a piece of air-dried cured meat.

Life at the Daoist Temple was getting better and better...

After breakfast, the two disciples began cleaning the small courtyard and the Lin Garden, just as Wang Ping had done ten years ago. Meanwhile, Wang Ping called up the "Five Elements Condensation Technique" and the "Yin Yang Body Refining Array" to study them...

The Body Refining Array was out of the question for now; just gathering the materials for the two array cores of extreme yin and extreme yang would take some time. The condensation technique, however, was worth a try. The temple had plenty of Spirit Medicine, enough for him to perform the condensation ten times a day.

So, he summoned Liu Shuang and told her to go down the mountain to the main temple and find Zhao Qing.

Liu Shuang was overjoyed to hear the command. She wasn’t the type to sit still and loved excitement and gossip, but the personalities of Wang Ping and Yang Zhiping were the complete opposite of hers.

Taking advantage of the break, Wang Ping found a new magic technique to practice in the Magic Book from Yu Cheng Taoist. As for the ’Cloud Soaring Technique’ he had practiced before, Wang Ping now knew he needed to at least complete his Foundation Establishment. Only a cloud constructed with True Essence could possibly support his body and allow him to fly.

The new magic Wang Ping selected was the ’Cleaning Spell’. During the battle in the North Mountain Forest, the thing that annoyed him most was getting monster blood on his clothes. Every time, he had to ask Feng Miao or Xia Yao to use a ’Cleaning Spell’, which he found awkward.

After he finished reading the casting requirements for the ’Cleaning Spell’, the light-screen panel popped up as expected:

[Cleaning Spell: Use Spiritual Qi to sense stains on clothes, your body, or in a space, and then strip them away. Given your sensitivity to Spiritual Qi, you can master it after 20 practice attempts (Progress 0/20)]

[Note: The Hand Technique for this magic is not fixed. It is highly recommended that you set a cool-looking Hand Technique for yourself.]

"..."

This was the first time Wang Ping had seen the light-screen panel be so cheeky. But it wasn’t wrong. Feng Miao’s custom Hand Technique was very cool, and she even had several variations.

For his first attempt, he definitely couldn’t experiment on himself. Wang Ping looked at the Stone Table in the courtyard, but then glanced at Yang Zhiping, who was sweeping nearby. He decided it would be better to go back to his room and study it slowly.

"I am going to practice an important magic technique. If you need anything, just call for me from outside the door." Wang Ping walked to the doorway and instructed Yang Zhiping with great solemnity.

"Yes, Master!"

For his first practice attempt, Wang Ping used his table as the test subject.

Sensing the stains on the object’s surface with Spiritual Qi was easy, but stripping and pulverizing them was not. As expected, his first attempt failed.

As he began his second attempt, Yu Lian opened her eyes, slowly crawled onto Wang Ping’s left arm, and curiously observed him casting the ’Cleaning Spell’, involuntarily starting to learn it herself.

The 20 practice attempts were over quickly. Wang Ping gained new insights with each try. After the 20th attempt, he successfully cleaned the tabletop and the chair.

He had succeeded, yes, but he wasn’t very proficient yet. He hadn’t reached the point where he could activate it just by performing a set Hand Technique.

He practiced two more times, increasing his proficiency a little. Just as he was about to continue, Liu Shuang’s voice came from outside the door: "Master, Martial Uncle Zhao is waiting for you in the main house."

Wang Ping immediately stopped practicing. After straightening his clothes, he pushed the door open and walked out.

When Zhao Qing saw Wang Ping, he immediately stood up, walked out of the main house, and cupped his hands in greeting. "Senior Brother..."

Wang Ping returned the gesture. After the two politely entered the main house, Liu Shuang had Yang Zhiping bring two cups of tea. After a sip of tea, Wang Ping cut the small talk short and began to discuss business with Zhao Qing.

"Aren’t Elixirs for consumption? Can they also be used as weapons?" Zhao Qing asked, confused.

"Some are for eating, and some can be made into weapons. It just depends on how you use them. Like poisons, for example..."

"If we succeed in making them, can we sell them to outsiders?" Zhao Qing asked subconsciously, then quickly explained, "The temple still owes the Daoist Scripture Hall some silver. The spoils from the monster extermination in Shu County can be used to pay back the silver, but... exchange points can’t be bought with silver. You need good Spiritual Objects or Elixirs for that."