There is a progress bar in my cultivation of immortality

Zhongshan State.

The people of Zhongzhou call it a bitter and cold place, but in fact it is richer than any other region. Pavilions and towers inlaid with gold can be seen almost everywhere.

In addition, Zhongshan State had plenty of sunshine, was mostly plains, was surrounded by the sea on three sides, and was close to an inland sea. The output of seafood and grain was extremely sufficient, and the people rarely went hungry.

Therefore, the entire country only needed a small number of people to work to feed a large population. As time went on, a very strict hierarchy was formed within Zhongshan State.

The highest level is the Buddhist monks of Vajra Temple, followed by the royal family and nobles, then the owners of various landowners' estates, and at the bottom are the people engaged in production.

Moreover, the country has this hierarchy written into their laws.

Fortunately, the lower-class people can change their own destiny by worshiping Buddha, which also forms a perfect closed loop for the hierarchical system established for them.

Vajra Temple.

Located in the central area of ​​Zhongshan Kingdom, there is a lake and mountain here, which is one of the few high mountains in the country, named Jinding Mountain. Vajra Temple is built on this mountain. There is a wide river around the mountain. It appears golden under the reflection of the magnificent pavilions and towers, so it is named Jinjiang.

The Jinjiang River connects the inland sea to the east and the strait to the west of Zhongshan State. It and its tributaries have nurtured more than 10 million people in Zhongshan State. There are also a large number of Buddhist practitioners who have comprehended Buddhism by the river, which makes the Jinjiang River occupy a very important position in various mythological stories in Zhongshan State.

There is a magnificent city surrounding Jinding Mountain and Jinjiang River. There are no less than a thousand temples of all sizes in the city. The main streets are full of passing monks and foreign caravans. The lower-class people can only walk in the alleys or follow the monks as their attendants.

The city looked orderly and everyone had a pious expression on their face, but there was no vitality, at least not visible from the outside.

At the Vajra Temple on Jinding Mountain, many novice monks chant sutras and worship Buddha every day, and the two independent passages leading up the mountain are crowded with common people and nobles who come to worship.

There is a golden tower on the top of the mountain. The tower is twenty meters high and was built with huge logs using complex craftsmanship. The surface is inlaid with gold foil. Under the sunlight, it emits a golden glow, so that the people living at the foot of the mountain can see it from hundreds of miles away.

The tower was surrounded by lush golden trees. Above the open gate was a plaque with the word "Vajra" written in Zhongzhou's common language. Walking through the gate was a more magnificent hall. Directly in front of the hall was a Buddha statue made of pure gold. The statue maintained a solemn and dignified look, but it was not of any True Lord or Lord of the Mansion.

In order to promote their doctrines, Vajra Temple has created many myths and legends out of thin air. This Buddha statue represents the "true Buddha" who knows all the truth.

There were several cushions beneath the True Buddha. Kaiyun sat on the middle cushion, with Ao Bing and Cangji sitting on his left and right. Kaiyun had no expression of sadness or joy at this moment. When the connection of consciousness was cut off, he looked calmly at the open door. The sky outside the door had darkened, but it was not completely night yet.

"I told you that the True Yang Sect is acting strangely this time." Ao Bing said to Kai Yun after cutting off the connection with his consciousness: "What do you think? Do you really want to go to war with the True Yang Sect?"

There was an expectant look in his eyes.

Kaiyun said softly: "War is the last resort. You can try to talk to other people first, such as Taoist Changqing, who has always been very rational, or Zhigong, who is someone worth winning over."

Ao Bing was immediately displeased. "What is there to discuss? If you want to discuss, go ahead and discuss. I will go back and send troops to Zhongzhou immediately."

Kaiyun did not stop Ao Bing and said, "It would be good to occupy the Liangjiang area by force in the name of Linshui Prefecture." He turned to look at Cangji and reminded him, "I hope you will cooperate."

"As long as you are responsible for the supplies, my people can be there at any time." Cangji promised.

“Don’t worry, I will take care of the supplies.” Kering also made a commitment.

Ao Bing stood up immediately after hearing this and said, "Then I will go back and organize the people first. You just wait for my good news. If there is no cultivation world, those old soldiers in Zhongzhou will not have much combat power at all."

After he finished speaking confidently, he turned into a stream of light and rushed out of the hall, then disappeared into the sky.

Kaiyun looked at Ao Bing's hurriedly disappearing back and said, "Have you investigated the True Yang Cult's purpose this time?"

Cang Ji shook his head, "I can't find out the specific situation. I only know that the fourth level promotion of the 'First Day' has officially begun. The Sun Cult used the 'Glass Lamp' and 'True Fire Banner' in their hands to set up a magic circle to help the disciples of the 'First Day' to advance."

After a long silence, Kaiyun asked, "What did you guess?"

Cangji did not answer immediately, but asked: "What about you? What can you think of?"

Kaiyun was silent for a long time before answering: "This matter involves the True Lord, so we should not make blind guesses. We should just follow the instructions and do our best to do the job well."

After that, he stood up and took two steps forward. "Let's use the old method. Don't move yet. Let Ao Bing stir up the situation. He has the Dragon Lord behind him. Let's talk to Changqing and Zhigong first."

Cangji also stood up and said casually: "You go and talk, and tell me the result. However, I don't think there will be any result. And I think Lord Rongyang is very determined. You have to be prepared in advance. He may take action first."

Kaiyun heard this and whispered, "Saint, be merciful. It would be best if we can avoid using weapons. We should try it if there is a glimmer of hope."

Cang Ji said no more. He silently bowed to Kai Yun, then turned into a stream of light and rushed out of the door, disappearing under the increasingly darkening sky outside.

Kaiyun slowly walked out of the hall, passed through the woods outside, and came to the fence built of white marble, looking at the city below in the night. The city seemed solemn and everyone was worshiping Buddha devoutly, but in fact, it was filthy everywhere.

“When will I be able to escape from this sea of ​​suffering?”

Kaiyun sighed softly and walked forward along the white marble fence until he came to the edge of a cliff. There was a stone table and two stone benches, and on the stone table there was an unfinished chess game.

He sat down on a stone bench, picked up a black piece at random, and stared at the remaining chess piece for a long time before putting it down.

Time passed slowly and the sky brightened unknowingly. Kaiyun returned to the main hall to finish his morning homework, then took out a communication jade token from his storage bag and activated it.

At this time, a novice monk appeared at the gate and bowed, saying, "Master, breakfast is ready."

Upon hearing this, Kaiyun stood up and walked to the side hall on the left. A little monk soon came in with a tray containing two fried cakes and a bowl of batter with minced meat.

The Buddhists in Zhongshan State had supreme power, and the royal family and nobles did not dare to suppress them and prevent them from eating meat. Zhongzhou prohibited Buddhists from eating meat and getting married because of the suppression of Buddhist practices.

After breakfast, Kaiyun lay on the Arhat bed in the side hall and took a nap very relaxedly. When the sunlight shone into the main hall, a monk in light yellow robes walked to the door of the side hall under the guidance of the little novice monk.

This monk is Mingxin. He has a solemn expression at the moment, unlike when he is outside and always has a stern face. Before the little monk can speak, Kaiyun opens his eyes and looks at Mingxin behind him.

"I've met Master!"

Mingxin performed the one-handed Buddhist salute.

Kaiyun remained in a reclining position, casually looking at Mingxin, and asked, "How long has it been since you went out to practice?"

Mingxin was startled for a moment, then responded: "To reply to the master, it has been sixty years."

"The situation in the world is changing in a strange way. It's a good opportunity for you to go and see this boundless sea of ​​suffering. It will be good for you to worship Buddha." Kaiyun said as he took out a visiting card from his hand. "You are familiar with Ziluan of the Six Heart Sect. Ask him to take you to Qianmu Temple and deliver this visiting card."

Ming Xin immediately stepped forward and took the visiting card with both hands, saying, "Disciple will go to Zhongzhou now."

Zhongzhou.

Qianmuguan.

The sea breeze is howling between heaven and earth, and a rainstorm is baptizing this prosperous land.

The inner and outer disciples in the temple repeat their daily practice routine. The immortal platform at the mountain gate is the same as in the past. Every day, a large number of young people with dreams go up the mountain, and old people leave in loneliness.

Passing through the mountains, you can see countless temples where inner disciples live and practice. The sky here is still clear. Most of the disciples here lead a life of inaction and apathy. After breakfast, they gather in groups of three or four to discuss the problems encountered in their practice. Some older monks are surrounded by many young people, who listen carefully to the practice experience of their predecessors and ask one or two questions from time to time.

Occasionally, there would be brothers who had gone out for training returning to the sect in the front hall square. When they finished their tasks and walked out of the side hall, they would be immediately surrounded by many fellow brothers and sisters. There were always some disciples fighting ferociously on some martial arts stages around the square, which attracted loud cheers from the disciples watching nearby.

In the surrounding mountains, some spells cast by incoming monks suddenly rose into the air, causing some Qigong disciples to look up and watch. The occasional fights among the spirit pets in the mountains and forests also caused headaches for the patrolling disciples.

There are a lot of high-level monks in the square today. Some disciples asked each other what happened. The news they got was that the disciples of the Lord of the Mansion would return to the temple today. They gathered here to see if any of the Lord of the Mansion would take a fancy to them and accept them as a disciple, so that they could make the leap from a fish to a dragon.

There are dozens of demon disciples in the south corner of the square. Qianmu Temple recruits disciples in the mortal world every once in a while. They enter the temple through a series of tests at Qianmu Temple. Over the years, many demon disciples have signed up, but only a few can pass. However, all the demons who pass can be compared to human cultivators with superior roots, and their practice progress is advancing by leaps and bounds.

Because of Qianmuguan's lead, many cultivation sects in the south are now recruiting disciples from the demon clan. However, the recruitment conditions are not as high as Qianmuguan, which has also led to many problems. However, those sects are still vying to follow suit because they find that demon clan disciples are sometimes very useful, especially when acting as thugs.

By noon, as the sky flickered with starlight, a figure appeared on the high platform in the front hall. It was Hu Qianqian. She saw the disciples gathered in the square and blinked.

"Meet Mr. Lake!"

The demon disciples bowed first.

Hu Qianqian wagged her tail happily, but soon she felt the hostility of some of the humanitarian monks. She flipped her furry ears slightly and turned around, walking towards the side hall where Liu Shuang was waiting.

Liu Shuang was still as busy as before. When she saw Hu Qianqian, she said directly, "Junior sister, please go to Master's dojo directly. I'll be there soon."

Hu Qianqian clasped her fists and bowed, and asked, "Master, what is the matter that you summoned us for this time?"

Liu Shuang shook his head. "I don't know either. Lian Quecai and Li Miaolin have both called the meeting this time. I guess it's about the dispute over the divine weapon in Zhongzhou. The three-chair meeting is almost unable to suppress the situation in various places. I think the lords of the palaces have also seen this situation and reached some agreement."

Hu Qianqian nodded. She had guessed the same thing. She then chatted with Liu Shuang for a while. Seeing that Liu Shuang was really busy, she said goodbye and left. Walking out of the door of the side hall, she met the gazes of the disciples on the square, turned into a stream of light and flew towards Qianmu Mountain. In just a few breaths, she landed outside the gate of the dojo on the top of the mountain.

A disciple who was supposed to guide her had been waiting for a long time. After greeting the disciple, Hu Qianqian walked into the gate, crossed the garden path and saw the old locust tree, but she did not see her master under the tree. So she took two quick steps to the outside of the courtyard, and then she saw her master.

Wang Ping sat upright on a stone bench in the courtyard, reading the book "Annotations on Heaven and Man", while the tea on the stone table next to him was steaming.

"Master."

Hu Qianqian bowed.

When Wang Ping looked up at Hu Qianqian, Hu Qianqian's furry ears subconsciously flipped back.

"Come in and sit down." Wang Ping said, "Take out all the stools in the room. Wen Yi and the others should be here soon."

As Hu Qianqian walked into the house, the calico cat next to her jumped onto her shoulder and gently nudged her cheek with its head, causing her to laugh softly.

Yu Lian, who was lying on the eaves, turned over and felt the warmth of the sunlight comfortably.

After the second meeting ended yesterday, Wang Ping received a message from Rong Yang using a communication token, inviting Wang Ping to go to Zhenyang Sect in three days to reminisce and talk.

This was an invitation that could not be refused, but before that, Wang Ping first summoned his disciples and several main third-level cultivators of the Taiyan Sect to the Taoist temple. He needed to explain the agreement reached at the second meeting to these people in person, so that it would appear more formal. Otherwise, some people would definitely not take it seriously, such as Xia Wenyi from Mozhou Road.

When Hu Qianqian moved the stools out and placed them one by one on the open space in front of the stone table, Xia Wenyi and Xuan Ling appeared at the door of the courtyard at the same time. After a brief greeting, Wang Ping called them in and asked them to sit down.

"Yu Lian, I want to challenge you!"

Yuan Yuan, who had been promoted to the third realm, jumped out from Xia Wenyi's sleeve. Her body became two meters long and she shouted to Yu Lian who was lying on the eaves basking in the sun.

The two sisters immediately started fighting. When Yu Lian beat Yuan Yuan so hard that she begged for mercy, Que Cai, Zi Luan and Li Miaolin appeared at the gate of the courtyard under the guidance of the disciples. When they were about to salute, Liu Shuang fell directly from the sky.

Wang Ping called them into the courtyard and chatted with them one by one.

After reminiscing about the past, Wang Ping looked at everyone and warned them, "The battle for the Central Plains divine weapon has been confirmed at the Second Seat Meeting. It can begin now, but there is a restriction. Cultivators who have entered the country or above are prohibited from participating in the battle. The Dao Palace will send the Qigong cultivators of the Seventh Seat to supervise the entire process. This is an unquestionable decision."

Among all the disciples, only Xia Wenyi was somewhat moved after hearing this. After Wang Ping finished speaking, he swept his eyes over all the disciples one by one. Naturally, he noticed the change in Xia Wenyi, but he did not say anything. He then looked at Liu Shuang and ordered: "Also, recall all the cultivators above the second realm of Taiyan Sect." (End of this chapter)