My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar-Chapter 37: Selecting a Site and Building for the Array
The Inner Sect of Qianmu Temple...
After years of development, the Inner Sect had become a well-arranged complex of buildings on the mountainside. West of the Inner Sect, past a bamboo forest, was Yu Cheng Taoist’s residence. Straight up toward the summit was Wang Ping’s small courtyard.
The Inner Sect’s building complex was divided into five sections: the Inner Courtyard, the Pill Hall, the Martial Arts Institute, the Artifact Institute, and the Precepts Institute. They managed Qianmu Temple’s internal affairs, elixirs and Spirit Fields, cultivation, Artifact Refining, and the rewarding of good and punishment of evil, respectively.
The Inner Courtyard was a three-story pavilion situated in the very center. The Martial Arts Institute was to the east of the Inner Courtyard, right next to it. The Precepts Institute, a single-story courtyard, was to its west. The Pill Hall was even farther west, beyond the bamboo forest, located in the middle of a Spirit Field. The newly established Artifact Institute was perched on a cliff to the east, positioned to channel the strong winds from the mountain stream to guide the Earth Fire.
At this very moment, behind the Inner Courtyard, on the eastern edge of the bamboo forest, Yu Cheng Taoist and the visiting Gu Heng Taoist were each holding a Feng Shui Disc, concentrating on their measurements.
"This is the spot. The place where yin and yang converge most clearly. It’s also a treasured Feng Shui location," Gu Heng said, standing on a green boulder and looking at Yu Cheng. "I hope this really works!"
Wang Ping wanted to set up a Yin-Yang Body Refining Array, so naturally, he had to inform Yu Cheng Taoist first. The very next day, Yu Cheng Taoist had sought out Gu Heng to survey the Feng Shui.
"You don’t seem very optimistic, do you?" Yu Cheng Taoist asked.
"We have to at least try, even if it’s incredibly expensive... But it seems you’re not short on money anymore. Speaking of which, were those Power Pills you’ve been selling these past few years really something your disciple deciphered from the ruins in Shu County?"
"You went to see them?"
"Yes. They’re relics left behind by the ancient Demon Race. It would take decades just to translate the script on them. Why would I bother?" Gu Heng flicked his sleeves nonchalantly, then added, "But that stuff is a real gold mine. The Imperial Family is buying it up like their lives depend on it. That’s why I destroyed the murals after I took a look!"
"Any other discoveries?" Yu Cheng Taoist asked. By ’other discoveries,’ he was referring to Sanhe Temple’s research on the other murals in the ruins.
"Nothing significant. The only valuable mural recorded them praying to another Saint, and it seems they even received a response," Gu Heng said with a sigh.
"The Nine Heavens Great Celestial Venerable from the Heavenly Gate?" 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
"That’s the one!"
"Can you determine the age of the ruins?"
"No..."
Yu Cheng Taoist nodded, and the conversation about the ruins ended there. He then turned and surveyed his surroundings. He casually picked up four dead branches, tossed them in four directions to mark out a plot of land, and then waved to Zhao Qing in the distance.
"Master!"
Zhao Qing walked over and bowed respectfully.
Yu Cheng Taoist said softly, "Build a tower in the area I’ve marked out. The interior space must be large enough, and there can’t be any pillars obstructing the internal structure. Can you do it?"
Zhao Qing quickly glanced at the boundaries Yu Cheng Taoist had marked. The plot was over a mu in size. To build a tower with no internal pillars would be extremely difficult, but he still agreed without hesitation. "I’ll make the arrangements immediately!"
"Think carefully before you answer. Can it actually be built? This is no simple matter!" Gu Heng reminded him seriously.
This time, Zhao Qing didn’t rush to answer. He glanced at Yu Cheng Taoist, thought for a few breaths, then replied, "Theoretically, it’s possible. We just need to build a sufficiently large frame."
He left one thing unsaid. ’A sufficiently large frame would require sufficiently large building materials, which would have to be purchased from Hu Mountain Country. The shipping costs alone would be astronomical.’
"Discuss the rest with your Senior Brother!"
After saying this to Zhao Qing, Yu Cheng Taoist looked at Gu Heng. With a shared understanding, the two of them transformed into streaks of light and flew toward the back of the mountain.
...
「Half a month later.」
Zhao Qing came to find Wang Ping with a carpenter in tow. He described the proposed tower in detail and then quoted a price. "It will cost at least one million two hundred thousand taels of silver."
Wang Ping wasn’t too bothered when he heard the price, as the fire crystals he had bought cost just as much.
"Not enough silver?" He could see Zhao Qing’s hesitation.
"What is the tower being built for?" Zhao Qing couldn’t hold back the question in his heart. ’One million two hundred thousand taels of silver is enough to tear down and rebuild Qianmu Temple twice over!’
"Feeling the sting of the cost?" Wang Ping asked.
Just then, Yu Lian, who had been sleeping on the eaves, woke up. She performed a Cloud Soaring Technique, did two flips in the air, and landed on Wang Ping. She then rested her head on the table and said in Wang Ping’s Spirit Sea, ’I want some tea, too.’
Zhao Qing watched as Wang Ping poured tea for Yu Lian and said in a low voice, "Even though we’ve made a lot of money these past few years, still..."
Wang Ping cut him off before he could finish. "Are you envious of Yu Lian’s Cloud Soaring Technique? I know you are. If I told you that once this building is complete, it will allow you to continue your future cultivation... would you still think it’s expensive?"
Zhao Qing was stunned, then dumbfounded. After he processed Wang Ping’s words, he murmured, "Not expensive..."
’Why does he look like he’s about to go crazy?’
Yu Lian spoke in Wang Ping’s Spirit Sea as she sipped her tea. Her pair of vertical pupils studied Zhao Qing with curiosity, as if waiting for him to lose his mind.
’He won’t go crazy!’
’But his emotions already have...’
When Zhao Qing left, his steps were quick, making him look like an excited child. This struck Liu Shuang and Yang Zhiping, who were practicing the Qianmu Sword Technique nearby, as very strange.
The tower was indeed a difficult undertaking. It took a full two years to complete. Just compacting the earth for the foundation took half a year. The subsequent construction even required the involvement of the Yongshan County Prefecture Magistrate’s Office, which conscripted six hundred laborers to finish the work within the two-year timeframe.
Wang Ping’s Foundation Establishment had just entered its tenth year. His progress in gathering Qi reached (50/100), and the Spiritual Qi concentration in his Lin Garden reached (52/100).
「The second day of the fourth month.」
After urging his two disciples to finish their Qi Cultivation, Wang Ping tossed the divination blocks to ask for a sign.
Permission granted!
A good omen.
Afterward, he walked out of Lin Garden and headed down the mountain...
Arriving before the completed, towering pavilion, he noticed the nearby bamboo forest seemed denser than before. A set of white jade steps had also been built leading up to the pavilion, and two Qi Cultivators from the Inner Sect stood guard at the entrance.
"Yige Pavilion..."
"Master named it. He said it was based on the Feng Shui," Zhao Qing said, walking up quickly from behind.
Wang Ping nodded. Just as he was about to enter the pavilion, he sensed something and looked up at the azure sky. Two streaks of light approached from the distance, landing beside Wang Ping in the blink of an eye.
It was Yu Cheng Taoist and Gu Heng Taoist.
"Let’s go. Let this humble Daoist see if you were just bragging!" Gu Heng urged impatiently as soon as he materialized.
Wang Ping, however, unhurriedly bowed to his elders, then stepped aside to let them go first...
With the heavy sound of the doors opening, a pleasant, woody fragrance filled the air. Wang Ping saw a vast, empty hall. Looking up... the dazzling mortise and tenon structure, with over ten massive beams intersecting with the main body of the pavilion, was a dizzying sight.
"This money... I hope it wasn’t spent in vain!" Even Gu Heng was marveling at the tower’s exquisite and magnificent construction. "Looking at this structure, it must have required at least a hundred ironwood trees, each over three hundred years old."
"One hundred and nine, to be exact!" Zhao Qing replied, a hint of pride in his voice.
Yu Cheng Taoist, however, did not continue the topic. He instructed Zhao Qing, "Bring in all the prepared materials. We will be entering seclusion here for a while. No one is to disturb us during this time."
