There is a progress bar in my cultivation of immortality

Chapter 1030 Hu Qianqian's Promotion
Xuan Qing, who was seriously playing chess with Wang Ping, heard Lie Yang's words, looked up at Lie Yang, and when he confirmed that Lie Yang was joking, he placed a piece and said, "Isn't it enough for you to control the sun all by yourself?"

After Wang Ping's battle with Di Wen, the True Lords' opinions of him had undergone a complete transformation. For example, Lie Yang might have realized that his words earlier were somewhat inappropriate and would subconsciously consider his language to make amends:

“I was just speaking from the heart. If you really want to fill my dojo with all these flowers and plants, I’m not used to it.” He sat up straight, his gaze falling on the chessboard. “Also, my Mars is just closer to the sun, but it doesn’t govern the sun. Rather, the sun constrains us.”

他一甩袖袍，“要不是有太阳的约束，我早就把天工揍得的龟缩在他的道场。”

Xuanqing looked up at Lieyang again and said, "Fellow Daoist Tiangong just has a slightly different idea, but he has never done anything out of line. Moreover, with his supervision, we are not prone to making mistakes."

Lieyang seemed to be used to Xuanqing's words. He chuckled and did not refute him. Obviously, they had argued about this issue before, and Lieyang had not gained any advantage in the argument, otherwise he would not have had this expression.

He carefully examined the chessboard for a moment, then leaned against the side and picked up a glass of wine to enjoy alone. Wang Ping and Xuan Qing simply played their game in silence. Time passed quietly, and it seemed as if the game had already come to an end in the blink of an eye.

As the game neared its conclusion, Xuanqing suddenly put down his chess piece, cupped his hands to Wang Ping, and asked, "Given your friendship with Yuanwu, he should have brought you back some news, right?"

Wang Ping no longer needed to pretend to be a clueless listener as before. He readily admitted, "That's right. Given Senior Yuanwu's personality, he should have a way to contact you, right? I thought you would hold a meeting immediately, but I didn't expect to hear from you until now."

He put it very directly.

Lieyang, holding a wine jar, said, “Because I know that the other fellow Daoists must have their own ideas about this matter, and a hasty meeting will not yield any results. Moreover, Diwen is in seclusion, and some things will only be effective if we discuss them after he comes out of seclusion. Otherwise, given his personality, he will definitely keep harping on us afterward.”

He was clearly still bothered by what Diwen had just said.

Seeing that Xuan Qing had no intention of continuing the game, Wang Ping put down his chess piece, picked up the wine cup beside him, took a sip of wine, and noticing that neither of them intended to continue speaking, he asked Lie Yang, "What are your plans? What answers do you want from me?"

Lieyang immediately stated, "My idea is to attack directly, or use the rules of the starry sky to reduce everything of the rebels to ashes. In that case, no matter how many plans they have, they will be useless."

Wang Ping nodded in agreement, "That's a good idea."

Xuanqing then said, "But this cannot completely solve the problem of extraterrestrial demonic energy. Thousands of years from now, we will face the same problem. At that time, the situation may be more troublesome than it is now. It is uncertain whether the True Monarchs will be able to gather again."

Lieyang retorted, "This starry sky has witnessed countless ages. Our ancestors must have tried your ideas, but in the end, they still destroyed this path. Why should we bother?"

"Everything now shows that destruction and order can be balanced, so why not give it a try? The attempts of our ancestors are theirs, what does it have to do with us? Do you want to go mad again thousands of years from now?"

Xuan Qing's tone was serious.

Lieyang said confidently, "My consciousness is stable now, all my thoughts are calm, and no pollution can touch me in the slightest."

Xuanqing shook his head and said, "Perhaps we were just as confident back then, but what happened in the end?"

The crux of their argument was actually quite simple: Xuanqing wanted to solve the problem once and for all, even though it might seem difficult and unrealistic; while Lieyang wanted to get rid of their troubles temporarily and deal with the future later.

They have obviously argued about this issue countless times, but neither of them has been able to convince the other, and they probably won't be able to convince each other in the future either. They might only turn back when one of them hits a wall.

Wang Ping calmly sipped his wine. After three cups, the argument between the two gradually subsided, and they both looked at Wang Ping, hoping to get his answer.

"What exactly is your plan, fellow Daoist?"

Wang Ping met Xuan Qing's gaze and asked him about the specific plan. Given Xuan Qing's personality, he would definitely have a detailed plan. Although Wang Ping also had a plan, he would not share it rashly.

Xuanqing seemed to be waiting for Wang Ping's question, and immediately said upon hearing it, "I plan to establish some ecological zones near the Star Barrier to experiment with the balance between demonic cultivation techniques and the rules of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements. With your help, fellow Daoist, this attempt will be even more successful."

Wang Ping knew that Xuan Qing wanted to use his puppet as a test, which would minimize the danger and keep everything within a controllable range, which was exactly what he wanted to do.

“This is a method we can try,” Wang Ping said, looking at Lieyang. “It doesn’t conflict with your idea, fellow Daoist. We can do both at the same time.”

"You mean we can destroy the extraterrestrial rebels first, and then conduct Fellow Daoist Xuanqing's experiment?" Lieyang asked.

"Is there a problem?" Wang Ping asked in return.

“To conduct the Xuanqing experiment, we first need to find a way to obtain the Demon Source, and right now the rebels should be the easiest place to get it,” Lieyang said, shaking his head.

"Leave the problem of the demonic source to me. I can simulate all matter with the rules of the Golden Core, so the demonic source needed for demonic cultivators to enter the realm shouldn't be too difficult," Xuan Qing said. He then added, "However, it will take some time. We can try using demonic energy to cultivate qi, gather qi, and build a foundation first."

Wang Ping didn't actually agree presumptuously, but instead looked at Lieyang and asked, "What do you think, fellow Daoist?"

Lieyang appreciated Wang Ping's modesty and, after thinking for more than ten breaths, replied, "How about this, if you agree, Xuanqing will be in charge of the ecological zone near the Star Barrier, while Fellow Daoist Changqing will be in charge of the specific experiments. Xuanqing still needs to find a suitable source of magic, and I will supervise the two of you. Before everything begins, we need to discuss all the rules of conduct, and I will use these rules to restrain you."

Xuanqing carefully considered Lieyang's method and chose to compromise.

Wang Ping carefully examined Lieyang. This True Lord Lieyang clearly had a plan in mind, yet he insisted on arguing with Xuanqing, and Xuanqing cooperated with him in the argument.

“I have no problem either. You can call me anytime once Fellow Daoist Xuanqing’s ecological zone is completed.” Wang Ping wouldn’t be foolish enough to expose the ecological zone he set up next to the Star Barrier. He wanted to improve his experiment through the cooperation of the three of them.

The other two probably have their own plans as well, but these things are best kept to themselves and don't need to be discussed.

The three then discussed detailed guidelines for conduct. Wang Ping first proposed the basic framework of the experiment, Xuan Qing added a few safety restrictions, and Lie Yang emphasized the need for stricter protective measures.

The three argued for a long time about the scope of the experiment. Xuanqing believed that too small a scope would affect the results, while Lieyang insisted that safety must be ensured.

They spent a long time discussing the monitoring frequency, and finally compromised on recording three times a month. The biggest controversy was about the concentration of demonic energy, and the upper limit was determined after repeated negotiations.

A month later, they finally reached an agreement and signed this secret agreement, which contained more than 300 detailed rules covering all the content they had discussed.

After signing the agreement, the three of them put it away. Then Lieyang said, "I estimate that soon, Tiangong will ask me to convene a meeting. We don't need to express any opinions; we just need to wait for them to speak."

Wang Ping nodded. He knew that only now could he truly be considered part of the alliance between Xuanqing and Lieyang. Before, he was at most a pawn.

The three briefly discussed some matters concerning the upcoming meeting, and then Lieyang and Xuanqing took their leave one after the other.

Looking at the mess around the Spirit Tree, Wang Ping gave the puppets an order and went to the edge of the cliff to observe the rain lotus below the river.

Yu Lian's breathing was steady, and her consciousness was equally stable. "Do you think the Dragon Lord's slumber might be because they're too annoying?" Wang Ping said, then burst into laughter.

After he laughed, he felt a little more cheerful, and his gaze involuntarily drifted to the distant mountains. Soon after, he entered a meditative state.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he opened his eyes when he sensed Hu Qianqian's presence.

"Master!"

Hu Qianqian landed behind Wang Ping and bowed.

Wang Ping got up and led Hu Qianqian towards the courtyard. The puppet had already cleaned up the area around the spirit tree, but the ground was bare. Wang Ping casually pointed with his left hand, and lush spirit grass grew on the bare ground.

"Are you planning to advance to the fourth realm?" Wang Ping returned to the courtyard, sat down at the stone table, and asked Hu Qianqian, who had obediently followed him in.

"Yes, disciple has come to inform Master." Hu Qianqian's fluffy ears twitched slightly.

"Are you confident?"

"Yes, barring any unforeseen circumstances, I will definitely be able to advance." Hu Qianqian was quite confident in this regard.

"Your promotion will be without surprises!" Wang Ping said confidently, extending his right hand as he spoke, and a blessing talisman was immediately injected into Hu Qianqian's body.

"Thank you for your blessing, Master!" Hu Qianqian seemed very happy.

"Where do you plan to go into seclusion?"

"I'm looking for a place on Jupiter; my dojo is too noisy," Hu Qianqian said directly.

"Just go wherever you fancy. Even my dojo can be yours first," Wang Ping said casually.

"Thank you, Master!" Hu Qianqian said again.

Wang Ping thought for a moment, then took out a jade slip from his storage bag, infused it with some of his own magic power, and handed it to Hu Qianqian, saying, "If you need any resources, just ask Xuan Ling for them. This jade slip will allow you to mobilize most of the Taiyan Sect's power."

"Thank you, Master!" Hu Qianqian thanked him repeatedly, and each time it was genuine.

"How is your junior brother doing now?" Wang Ping asked about Xia Wenyi.

"He's slowly recovering, but he needs to forget some things, which isn't easy for someone with his personality," Hu Qianqian answered truthfully.

"Once he takes this step, with his talent, he will have a long road ahead of him."

"He plans to go and see an extraterrestrial planet."

"Then let him go. His vision is indeed too narrow."

"Yes!"

The master and apprentice had a pleasant chat.

They didn't know how much time had passed when a ray of sunlight fell on the courtyard, and the master and apprentice chatted until the sun was high in the sky.

Hu Qianqian sat down at the stone table, on which was a tea set. Wang Ping was playing with a blue teacup in his hand. It was a gift that Hu Qianqian had just given him. It was carved from Five Elements Stone and had been bought in Zhonghui City. The carved landscape was the Thousand Trees View Mountains as seen by ordinary people.

Looking at the carvings on the surface of the teacup, Wang Ping couldn't help but recall the scene when he first came into this world, watching the Thousand Trees Temple under the guidance of his parents.

Hu Qianqian's fluffy tail swayed gently behind her as she said, "Master, I have studied Taoist scriptures over the years and have made some progress. I have compiled them into a summary, intending to teach them to the clansmen in the future. I hope you will give me your guidance."

Her ears twitched slightly as she took out a book made of special materials from her storage bag.

Wang Ping was somewhat surprised as he took the book from Hu Qianqian. The book had a yellow cover, felt very soft to the touch, and the paper inside was as white as jade and extremely flexible.

Opening the book, I saw the neat handwriting; it turned out to be Hu Qianqian's own handwriting.

Wang Ping flipped through the book very quickly. In less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, he had completely memorized the contents of the nameless book. The book did not expound any great principles, but rather aimed at learning and pursuing the Way. The purpose of learning is naturally to increase knowledge, while the purpose of pursuing the Way is to improve one's own spiritual realm, which in the cultivation world means enriching one's human nature and thinking.

"It's very suitable for your lively tribesmen, but the learning process can easily lead them astray, and the outcome may not be what you want to see," Wang Ping commented.

"Disciples will establish clan rules to govern the clan members," Hu Qianqian replied softly, her tail wagging continuously, clearly in a good mood.

"We still need to teach them to understand the principles; the clan rules are just to help them understand what to choose and what to discard."

“Master is right. The principle seems simple, but it is the most difficult.”

"No rush, take your time."

"Ok!"

The master and disciple talked for a while longer, and then Wang Ping returned the book to Hu Qianqian. With the approval of this True Lord, the scripture was now considered legitimate.

Not long after, Hu Qianqian took her leave.

Wang Ping did not try to stop her. During the short time he spent with his apprentice, his humanity had become incredibly rich, and his mood had naturally improved a lot. He watched as the mirror array around him unfolded, connecting to the puppets in various places, and he continued to study the improvement technology of the flying boat with great interest.

When his inner joy subsided, he finished improving the flying boat technology. Just as he was about to enter into meditation, an energy fluctuation came from the communication token of a meeting.

As Wang Ping had expected, Lieyang informed him that the meeting would be held in three standard days, and specifically mentioned that the Diwen Society would participate in the meeting, instructing him to monitor the communication devices to ensure there were no problems.

(End of this chapter)