My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar-Chapter 46: When Conditions Are Ripe

The first step of Foundation Establishment is to circulate Spiritual Qi throughout the body under high pressure. This immense force compresses the Qi Sea, causing the Spiritual Qi inside to liquefy. Once this happens, one must immediately consume a Foundation Establishment Pill and activate the Spirit Gathering Array to devour massive amounts of Spiritual Qi and continue the process.

Of course, equipment to defend against a possible Thunder Tribulation was also essential. Wang Ping had prepared a suit of Inner Armor, which had cost him one hundred thousand taels of silver at the Daoist Scripture Hall.

With all preparations complete, Wang Ping exhaled. He mentally reviewed the text for the Foundation Establishment stage several times, then let his focus sink.

The next moment, his spiritual sense ascended. The Wood Spirit Qi from his Qi Sea rapidly completed a Grand Circulation, flushing through his meridians and his entire body.

After a few breaths, the Dantian and Qi Sea began to slowly contract and compress under the immense pressure. During this process, the Spiritual Qi in the Qi Sea gradually turned into a clearly visible liquid, gathering together drop by drop.

In that single moment, the Spiritual Qi gathered within Wang Ping’s body was completely consumed.

Without hesitation, he swallowed the Foundation Establishment Pill.

The moment the Foundation Establishment Pill entered his stomach, a torrent of Spiritual Qi surged forth. Wang Ping’s Qi Sea instantly converted it into Wood Spirit Qi, then drew it back in, forming a vortex that frantically absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy. In just a few breaths, all the Spiritual Qi around the pagoda tree was gone.

Wang Ping quickly formed a Hand Technique, and the great Spirit Gathering Array on the summit instantly activated...

The next moment, with Wang Ping’s Dantian and Qi Sea as the focal point and the mountaintop garden as the foundation, all the Spiritual Qi on Qianmu Mountain began to stir, converging toward his Dantian and Qi Sea.

All of Qianmu Temple’s Qi Cultivation Disciples stopped their training and looked toward the summit. The ordinary disciples soon followed suit, for the Spiritual Qi atop the mountain had become so dense it was visible to the naked eye.

Down the mountain, Liu Shuang and Yang Zhiping, who had rushed back immediately after hearing their master was attempting Foundation Establishment, also stopped to gaze at the summit. In the azure sky, countless streams of Spiritual Qi were descending toward the peak of Qianmu Mountain.

"Is that an immortal from Qianmu Mountain casting a spell?" a passerby murmured. Many people had already fallen to their knees to pray.

"Hurry!"

Liu Shuang patted Yang Zhiping’s shoulder, and the two disciples’ pace quickened considerably.

On the summit, under the immense influx of Spiritual Qi, the pressure within Wang Ping’s Dantian and Qi Sea surged. The rate at which his Wood Spirit Qi liquefied instantly increased severalfold.

「Ten days later...」

Nearly ninety percent of the Spiritual Qi in Wang Ping’s body had been converted, but the final ten percent refused to change. The surrounding Spiritual Qi clearly wasn’t keeping up, which caused a trace of panic to stir in the meditating Wang Ping.

"Calm down. There is more than enough Spiritual Qi; it will just take a bit more time. We need to slow down now..."

Yu Lian’s voice echoed in his Spirit Sea.

Wang Ping was instantly relieved. He re-centered his focus on his Dantian and slowed the conversion process...

Another ten days passed before the final ten percent of Spiritual Qi was completely converted. But it wasn’t over yet. Wang Ping calmly circulated the Wood Spirit True Essence within his body, slowly completing one Grand Circulation.

Then a second Grand Circulation...

Only after more than sixty Grand Circulations did the Qi Sea achieve a state of self-sustaining circulation.

Even then, Wang Ping did not rush to end his meditation. Instead, he quietly observed his Qi Sea, only breathing a sigh of relief after it had autonomously completed ten Grand Circulations.

’Success!’

’The uncertain Thunder Tribulation never appeared.’

He opened his eyes, only to be stunned...

The once-lush grove of Spirit Wood was now completely withered. The ground was covered in yellowed, dead leaves, and many of the branches had cracked open.

The fields of Spirit Grass were also withered and yellow!

"You really are a spendthrift..." Yu Lian teased in a whisper, coiling around Wang Ping’s arm as she surveyed the surroundings.

At this moment, Wang Ping seemed to think of something. He turned to look at the pagoda tree, and only let out a sigh of relief when he saw it was still lush and leafy. Just then, Yu Cheng Taoist’s figure appeared before him.

"Master!" Wang Ping rose and bowed.

"Very good. A very smooth Foundation Establishment." Yu Cheng Taoist nodded in satisfaction.

"Master, this is..." Wang Ping looked at him questioningly.

"Spirit Wood and Spirit Grass both use Spiritual Qi as sustenance. The Spiritual Qi you absorbed for your Foundation Establishment was their very foundation. When you completed your breakthrough, they naturally withered away."

Wang Ping nodded. ’No wonder the Daoist Scripture Hall is always in business!’

"You’ve just completed Foundation Establishment. Your primary task is to replenish the True Essence in your body. Rest well for two days. After that, come to the small courtyard behind the mountain, and I will explain the matter of the Secret Technique to you!"

"Yes!"

By the time Wang Ping had agreed, Yu Cheng Taoist was already gone.

Having completed Foundation Establishment, the first thing Wang Ping felt was the abundance of Wood Spirit True Essence in his body. Each Grand Circulation felt incredibly real, unlike the ethereal Spiritual Qi from before, which felt like it lacked staying power even when casting Magic.

"Rise!"

Wang Ping formed a Hand Technique and pointed at the Treasure Sword beside the pagoda tree. With a SHING, the Longsword shot from its scabbard into his hand. He then performed the Hand Technique for the Sword Control Technique, and after gathering its power in a graceful arc, the Longsword soared into the heavens.

"It’s much easier than before, and it consumes less energy."

Wang Ping called out to Yu Lian in his Spirit Sea. She immediately shrank and coiled around his wrist. He then performed the Hand Technique for the Cloud Soaring Technique. A cloud of mist instantly enveloped his lower body, and at his command, he rose, following the ascending Longsword. In the blink of an eye, he was hundreds of zhang in the air.

"I’ve never seen you so happy!"

"I still remember how I felt the first time I saw someone arrive by soaring on a cloud. I thought to myself back then, ’When will I be able to do that?’ Now, that dream has finally come true!"

"Is that really a dream? I could do that after sleeping for another five years at most!"

"..."

’Alright, this little one is getting less and less cute.’

Wang Ping ended the conversation, performed a spell to recall the Longsword, and then looked down...

The Qianmu Mountain range was quite large. The dense jungle to the north had been cleared, revealing large, orderly Spirit Fields. A few Dao Fields, nestled among the trees, dotted the mountain ravines and gave off an otherworldly air. A wide river snaked down from further north, where it was split in two by the massive Qianmu Mountain; one branch flowed toward Yongshan County, the other headed west.

Then there was his small courtyard on the summit...

Er, outside the small courtyard was now packed with people, all of them staring intently up at the sky.

Wang Ping coughed awkwardly, then hurriedly descended to the ground and ordered someone to open the main gate...

The first to enter were, of course, Liu Shuang and Yang Zhiping, followed by Zhao Qing and other junior brothers bringing their own disciples to offer congratulations. Everyone wore an expression like they’d seen a ghost upon seeing the withered Spirit Wood.

After Wang Ping explained, everyone had a different expression. Some of the more calculating disciples were already comparing themselves to those around them. Since the Foundation Establishment Materials were a consumable resource, it meant that the number of spots for Foundation Establishment would be limited. The temple would not waste its resources on a good-for-nothing!

"No wonder the people at the Daoist Scripture Hall asked if I was selling Spirit Wood when I bought a Spirit Wood Root last time. I thought it was strange back then." Zhao Qing’s voice broke the silence. He pointed at the Spirit Wood in the garden and asked, "Are you selling these?"

"Sell them? Why? Let’s keep them to renovate the main hall of the temple. We could even set up a small Spirit Gathering Array to increase the Qi Cultivation speed for the disciples," Wang Ping replied.

"That’s not a bad idea either!"

The lively atmosphere came and went quickly. Most people left in a hurry after offering their congratulations, leaving only Liu Shuang and Yang Zhiping behind.

The master and his two disciples, plus Yu Lian, sat in the small courtyard drinking tea and chatting. Knowing Wang Ping’s personality, the two disciples didn’t ask about his experience with Foundation Establishment. Instead, the conversation mostly consisted of the two of them recounting their experiences down the mountain.

Midway through her story, Liu Shuang suddenly said, "Master, in another two or three years, I’ll have gathered all the materials for Foundation Establishment. I want to come back to the mountain..."

Wang Ping nodded casually. "Alright. Go ask your Uncle-Master Zhao Qing for a good place to establish a Dao Field. If you don’t have enough money, you can get it from me!"

Yu Lian said in Wang Ping’s Spirit Sea, "Something is wrong with her mood. Something must have happened... Did she meet a heartless man and get dumped?"

She had been reading many folk tales recently and was particularly fond of the plots involving romance between immortals and mortals.

Wang Ping ignored Yu Lian. Just then, Yang Zhiping spoke up again, "Master, I’ve taken a fancy to the eldest daughter of the Liu Family in Yongshan County. I ask for Master’s blessing to make it happen!"

After speaking, he knelt before Wang Ping.

The change of subject was so abrupt that Wang Ping was caught off guard for a moment.

"Master, just give him your approval. If you don’t, we won’t be able to hide Miss Liu’s belly much longer!" Liu Shuang added in support.