There is a progress bar in my cultivation of immortality

Yu Lian stood there stunned for a moment, then her aquatic energy transformed into a gentle and agile stream of light, cautiously reaching towards the network of rules that was so close at hand.

However, the seemingly within-reach filament of light revealed its true nature the moment her perception and power were about to touch it; it did not exist in ordinary spatial dimensions.

When the power of the rain lotus came into contact with the "appearance" of the rule network, it was as if it were touching a phantom of nothingness, passing through without any hindrance and failing to stir up even a ripple.

It's like a masterpiece painted on transparent glass, hanging in front of you. The viewer can see its magnificence and even feel its meaning, but when you reach out to touch it, all you touch is cold air. The painting itself exists on another plane that overlaps with it but never intersects.

A hint of confusion and surprise flashed in Yu Lian's golden vertical pupils. She concentrated her mind, trying to understand the fluctuations of the network with her primordial spirit, but her primordial spirit perception was like climbing an infinitely high transparent wall. She could clearly see the magnificent scene behind the wall, but she herself was forever isolated outside and could not truly integrate into that ocean of rules.

So close, yet so far away.

Xinghai looked at Yulian and said, "This is the Heavenly Dao rule of this starry sky. Even a Xuanmen True Monarch, whose cultivation path is different, cannot touch this rule; he can only sense its existence."

Yu Lian asked, "Are Tian Gong and the others' lives also dependent on this great net?"

Xinghai nodded matter-of-factly, “Of course, but they themselves represent a network of rules of an attribute, intertwined with the rules of the Heavenly Dao, and cannot be easily erased.”

He paused for a moment and then continued, "Just like Wang Ping, some of his consciousness exists on the Golden Spirit Rule Network. Tiangong can use this to influence him, such as severing his cause and effect, but he cannot harm his essence."

Yu Lian's eyes revealed a look of understanding.

Xinghai continued, "Wang Ping was only influencing him before. If you observe carefully, you'll see that a part of his consciousness has gradually attached itself to this network of rules. However, don't try to communicate with it, because this part of his consciousness is in a divine state."

Yu Lian calmed her mind and immersed herself in it, carefully avoiding the insurmountable dimensional barrier, and instead focused on "feeling" the rhythm emanating from the network of rules.

At first, it was just a chaotic sense of the tide of life, vast and boundless, but the details were hard to discern. But as she patiently perceived it, the subtle details of the network began to reveal themselves to her.

She "saw" that each filament of light was covered with countless points of light, each point of light radiating its own unique life fluctuations. They were as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, together forming the dazzling background of this network.

Then, she vaguely sensed that these points of light represented living beings, from a newly sprouted blade of grass to a soaring eagle, to ordinary people in a bustling city, and even to cultivators who had achieved success in their cultivation...

Their life imprints seem to be recorded in some incomprehensible way, maintained on this huge network of rules.

Above all this, deep within this ocean composed of endless specks of life, Yulian sensed a far greater, more abstract, yet incredibly familiar "consciousness."

That was Wang Ping's aura. She had been with this aura since she became conscious, so she naturally wouldn't mistake it.

However, Wang Ping's consciousness was currently in a state of absolute rational coldness, like a precisely operating instrument, constantly processing the massive flow of information in the rule network.

Gone was Wang Ping's usual gentleness, and there were no more emotional fluctuations belonging to "humans." He simply existed, like a part of the Way of Heaven, impartially and selflessly executing the authority of the Wood Spirit Rules.

Yu Lian could sense that this consciousness possessed unimaginable power. It seemed to be able to easily "read" the state of any living being represented by any point of light. With just a tiny thought, it could pluck the "thread" connecting a point of light and decide its existence or annihilation.

This is not the malice of killing, but an absolute rationality like a gardener pruning branches or a farmer thinning seedlings. In the eyes of this divine consciousness, life and death may just be different states of energy and matter, necessary links to maintain the balance and vitality of the entire network.

Yu Lian felt a sense of fear, awe at this way of "existence" that transcended emotions and was purely composed of rules and logic.

She dared not attempt to communicate, but simply quietly perceived and experienced this vastness and coldness, gaining a deeper understanding of Wang Ping's current state and a different understanding of the path he was walking.

After a short while, Yu Lian withdrew her primordial spirit and looked at Xing Hai, saying, "What is he doing? Is he cultivating his divinity?"

Xinghai shook his head and said, "His cultivation needs to advance further, and this is a necessary process."

Yu Lian flicked her forked tongue. "You mean Wang Ping will enter a state of absolute divinity in the future?"

"This is the path he must take. The control of the rules requires the absolute balance of divinity, while cultivation requires the preservation of humanity. Otherwise, he will no longer be himself, and the meaning of cultivation and the meaning of immortality will be lost."

Xinghai looked at Yulian, "You must help him maintain his humanity."

Yu Lian nodded solemnly, and Xing Hai said nothing more. His figure disappeared in the next moment as the spiritual energy of the Wood Spirit World flowed away.

"According to the information sent back by the secret agents of the Taiyan Sect, Ao Yi has already announced that the Dragon Lord will awaken in two hundred years. I think you should intensify your cultivation and try to awaken before he does. Perhaps you can even disrupt his cultivation. In addition, Shuang'er also needs your help, otherwise her life will soon come to an end."

As Yu Lian spoke, she communicated with the believers of the divine kingdom and tried to connect with Wang Ping's consciousness through the faith of the divine kingdom. As her topic deepened, Wang Ping, who was in a deep sleep, seemed to sense something.

An invisible aura of wood spirit drifted unconsciously to Liu Shuang's Daoist temple on Jupiter, and then merged with her primordial spirit, instinctively repairing Liu Shuang's primordial spirit. However, this aura was too unconscious, and the repair speed was extremely slow, so slow that it was negligible, to the point that even Liu Shuang herself could not detect it.

Liu Shuang's only wish at this moment was to see her disciple and the master who raised her before her lifespan ended. As time went by, she couldn't help but feel anxious, so much so that she had been sitting alone outside Yang Rong's secluded cultivation ground for many years, and she did not participate in the Dharma assembly for Xia Wenyi's advancement to the fourth realm.

A month later.

As the legal accounting process drew to a close, Xia Wenyi came to Liu Shuang's place. He sensed Liu Shuang's current state and realized that she could not reconcile her image with that of her former senior sister no matter what she did.

Liu Shuang's breath was long but weak, like a candle flame about to burn out. Although she remained calm, she could not hide the exhaustion and decay of her primordial spirit. Her eyes were still clear, but they had lost their former liveliness and sharpness, and instead showed a sense of indifference as if she had seen through the world, as well as a deep-seated worry and expectation.

When Xia Wenyi appeared in front of Liu Shuang, Liu Shuang slowly raised her head, a gentle but weary smile on her face: "Junior Brother Wenyi, I haven't congratulated you yet."

Her voice was soft, and she maintained the composure befitting a senior disciple.

Looking at Liu Shuang's current appearance, Xia Wenyi realized that she was very different from the spirited senior sister who had taught and protected him in his memory.

He opened his mouth, a bellyful of concerned words on the tip of his tongue, but swallowed them back. In the end, he simply bowed respectfully, his voice a little strained: "Senior Sister..."

He had so much to say, but he didn't know where to begin. Liu Shuang seemed to read his mind, gently waving her hand for him to sit down. "I'm fine, it's just that I'm getting old, it's inevitable. I'm very happy you came to see me." She changed the subject, "How does it feel to advance to the fourth realm?"

Xia Wenyi sat down as instructed, trying to calm himself, and replied, "Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister. Everything has gone smoothly. With the magic array left by Master and the protection of Zi Luan and the others, nothing went wrong." He paused, his voice lowering, "Senior Sister, if you... need anything, please let me know. Right now, I..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was already clear.

Upon hearing this, Liu Shuang's smile remained gentle, yet carried an undeniable calmness: "I appreciate your kindness, but I know my own situation. Everyone's path of cultivation has its own destiny; forcing things is futile. Now, I only hope..."

She paused slightly, her gaze involuntarily turning towards the direction of Yang Rong's seclusion. That deep-seated anticipation and anxiety resurfaced once more. "I hope Rong'er can emerge from seclusion smoothly, and I hope to see Master again."

She casually attributed her personal life, death, rise and fall to "fate," yet revealed her deep concern for her disciples and master.

Upon hearing this, Xia Wenyi turned his gaze to Yang Rong's secluded cultivation place and said, "Junior Nephew Yang is exceptionally talented and will surely succeed."

Liu Shuang smiled and said nothing more, just quietly gazing into the distance. The two remained silent for a while, and then Xia Wenyi had no choice but to bow silently and take his leave.

Not long after Xia Wenyi left, Xuan Ling also came to pay his respects. However, Liu Shuang and Xuan Ling did not have much of a senior-junior relationship, so the two only exchanged a few polite words.

After Xuan Ling left, Liu Shuang looked up at the azure sky, a smile on her face, and murmured to herself, "The ways of fate in this world are truly wondrous."

"Wang~"

The spirit dog, which was resting in the distance, barked when it heard Liu Shuang's voice.

Liu Shuang laughed out loud, her mind involuntarily recalling the night she was chosen to go up the mountain. She was afraid yet expectant. What was her biggest wish at that time?

"what is it then?"

Liu Shuang frowned slightly. She had actually forgotten what she was thinking at that time, and even the details of her cultivation. She only remembered that she was very happy for a long time after that night. Her parents began to love her, her brothers and sisters indulged her, and she received her master's teachings.

"Forget it, I don't want to."

She acted unusually open-mindedly, not thinking about things she couldn't think of.

Several years passed in the blink of an eye. Suddenly, a surge of wood spirit energy rose into the sky from Yang Rong's secluded cultivation place. Just as Liu Shuang looked up, this power disappeared again.

The next moment, Liu Shuang's face lit up with joy, because she sensed Yang Rong's active presence. Just as she stood up, Yang Rong appeared beside her and knelt in front of her, saying, "Disciple is unfilial and has kept Master waiting."

Liu Shuang looked at her disciple kneeling in front of her, reached out and stroked Yang Rong's head. She was somewhat incredulous, as if she was afraid that the person in front of her was just an illusion.

"Rong'er...it really is you, you succeeded?" Her long-held expectations and worries turned into excitement.

Yang Rong raised her head, her eyes sparkling with joy: "Master, it's me, I've succeeded! I'm sorry to have worried you, I'm so unfilial."

She sensed that Liu Shuang's aura was much weaker than she remembered, and her heart clenched. She quickly got up and supported her master's arm.

With her disciple's support, Liu Shuang carefully examined Yang Rong. Her disciple's aura was powerful and long, indicating that she had completely stabilized in the fourth realm.

"Good, good, good!"

Liu Shuang said "good" three times in a row, "I knew it, I knew you could do it!"

She gripped Yang Rong's hand tightly, as if grasping at a lifeline, but then realized something in the next moment, tried to calm herself down, and gently patted the back of Yang Rong's hand.

At this moment, Yu Lian's aura suddenly descended, followed by a rich aura of water. In an instant, Yu Lian's figure coiled around the two of them, surrounded by auspicious clouds.

"very good."

Yu Lian made her assessment of Yang Rong, then subconsciously glanced at Liu Shuang. A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes as she detected a pure yet subtle elemental aura of wood spirit swirling around Liu Shuang, slowing down the dissipation of Liu Shuang's primordial spirit.

Just as she was about to say something, a starlight flashed across the sky, and Hu Qianqian appeared to the side. She first looked at Yang Rong and said, "Very good, the internal energy is stable, and the core of the wood spirit is also stable."

Then she looked at Liu Shuang, her eyes flashing as she smiled and said, "Although Master is asleep, this concern has long since become an instinct and merged into the Great Dao, protecting Senior Sister with the Wood Spirit Qi."

“Your master is not biased towards you. If you, Qianqian, are in danger, your master will definitely help you.”

Yu Lian picked up the conversation, looking at Liu Shuang as he spoke: "I also sensed just now that an extremely pure aura of wood spirit essence was lingering around you, quietly slowing down the dissipation of your primordial spirit. Only your master in the world can do this."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shuang seemed to sense something and was about to say something when a chaotic and frenzied energy suddenly appeared from the direction of the Taiyan Sect, causing the monitoring array above Jupiter to emit a series of warning emerald halos.

"It's Fellow Daoist Leng's aura, but something's not right..."

Hu Qianqian spoke first.

Yu Lian immediately realized something and quickly said, "It's most likely that the advancement failed, causing the physical body and primordial spirit to go berserk."

As soon as she finished speaking, a chaotic and frenzied energy suddenly erupted from the direction of the Taiyan Sect, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up a thousand layers of turbulent waves.

The monitoring array at the Taiyan Sect's base was instantly activated, with streaks of emerald green alert light flashing rapidly, weaving into a massive net in an attempt to lock onto and suppress the out-of-control energy source. Simultaneously, several auras of the Fourth Realm surged into the sky. (End of Chapter)