Chapter 301: The Forgetful Immortal Elder Changcun
The matter entrusted by the Mermen Tribe Leader was Jiang Li’s top priority. After leaving the South Sea, he flew straight to the Dao Sect.
“Immortal Elder.”
Immortal Elder Changcun was fully absorbed in his reading. He loved books and collecting them—his collection was more comprehensive than any scripture library in the Nine Provinces.
And it wasn’t just cultivation manuals here. From the most obscure celestial cultivation methods to street romance novels, he had it all. He would even rush to buy the latest titles the moment they hit the market.
“What is it? Here to ask me something again?”
Immortal Elder Changcun closed his book, thinking Jiang Li had come with another question.
After all, this kid never came to catch up with a lonely old man like him—every visit meant there was a reason.
Jiang Li noticed that the book he was reading was a romance novel written by the erotic fiction teacher.
“It’s like this. I heard from the Mermen Tribe that you borrowed a handwritten immortal manuscript left behind by their ancestor two thousand years ago?”
Immortal Elder Changcun thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered, “Now that you mention it—I totally forgot. Yeah, that did happen. Let me look for it.”
He started rummaging through his storage ring. Since he lived in the Sealing Cave, there wasn’t enough room there to keep all his books.
Books stored in the cave were either his favorites or ones he hadn’t read yet. Everything else was in the ring.
Immortal Elder Changcun searched for a good while, then said awkwardly, “Looks like I lost it.”
“……Elder, how am I supposed to explain this to the Mermen Tribe?”
“It’s fine, it’s fine, I remember everything.” Immortal Elder Changcun tapped his head.
“The Mermen Tribe’s ancestor was an immortal, and I’m an immortal too. What I write also counts as an immortal manuscript.”
He picked up a brush and started writing furiously, reproducing the contents of the manuscript from memory.
“This should be everything.”
Jiang Li casually flipped through it. Most of it was about the Mermen Tribe ancestor’s cultivation insights. The content was incredibly advanced—likely only Mermen Tribe members at the Tribulation Stage could even begin to understand it.
There were also descriptions of the Celestial Realm—how cruel it was, survival of the fittest, and how immortals were cold and detached.
“I was wrong in this matter.” Immortal Elder Changcun was ashamed. After all, it wasn’t the original book. How could his own writing compare to the real ancestor’s notes?
He went to the Dao Sect’s treasure vault and brought out some spiritual herbs, elixirs, and spiritual treasures—items of considerable value.
He handed them to Jiang Li along with the manuscript. “Consider this my compensation to them.”
Jiang Li nodded and flew back to the Mermen Tribe.
On his way, he suddenly remembered—since the manuscript was lost and not destroyed, couldn’t he just buy it from the system shop?
He did exactly that—and sure enough, found the Mermen Tribe ancestor’s immortal manuscript in the shop. Without caring how many Source Points it cost, he bought it outright.
“Elder’s memory is amazing—not a single word off,” Jiang Li praised.
“Wait? This page wasn’t written by him.” Jiang Li had just found evidence of the elder’s senility.
“Let’s see what it says. It’s about how she met the Dao Ancestor of the Celestial Realm, and realized he looked exactly like the Dao Sect’s Dao Ancestor. The Celestial Dao Ancestor gave a sermon on the ‘Three Corpses Severing Technique.’ Only after severing and subduing all three corpses to merge into one can one be said to have completed their cultivation.”
“Subduing the three corpses and merging them into one marks cultivation completion,” Jiang Li murmured. “So that means the Dao Sect’s Dao Ancestor really is related to the Celestial Dao Ancestor—maybe one of his three corpses? Did he die before fully merging with the Celestial Dao Ancestor?”
Having obtained the real manuscript, Jiang Li returned to the Dao Sect to tease the elder.
“Elder, look, I found the original book.”
“Huh? How’d that end up in your hands?” The elder was surprised. “So, how’s my memory? Miss anything?”
“You left out the part about the Mermen Tribe ancestor meeting the Celestial Dao Ancestor.”
“Look at this brain of mine—old age really messes with the mind.” Elder Changcun slapped his forehead, clearly regretting it. Just a small reminder, and he remembered everything on that missing page.
“And what about all those spiritual treasures…?”
“Still give them to the Mermen Tribe. Consider it a two-thousand-year overdue book fee.”
Jiang Li asked curiously, “What exactly is the relationship between the Dao Sect’s Dao Ancestor and the Celestial Dao Ancestor? Is he one of the three corpses?”
“No idea. Master always spoke in riddles. He said, ‘You’ll understand when the time comes,’ and then…”
The elder didn’t finish his sentence but shook his head lightly. Jiang Li knew what he meant.
The Dao Ancestor was dead. Unless one ascended to the Celestial Realm, the truth would never be known.
“Then again, maybe he wasn’t one of the three corpses. Maybe Master was just the Celestial Dao Ancestor’s avatar sent down to train.”
Jiang Li didn’t dwell on it. What was the point? Once he reached the Celestial Realm, he’d know everything.
Funny how the Dao Ancestor spoke in riddles, but his disciple—the elder—was an open book.
Jiang Li delivered the real manuscript and the spiritual treasures to the Mermen Tribe Leader.
“This… this is way too much!” She didn’t dare accept them. The ancestor’s notes were only symbolic to them and offered little in terms of cultivation help. But the spiritual treasures could multiply their tribe’s power several times over—she might even be force-fed into the Integration Stage.
“Just take it.” Jiang Li smiled and pushed the items to her. Naturally, he didn’t mention that not only were these Elder Changcun’s compensation, but some of it came from him too.
“Elder felt sorry and wanted to make it up to you. Don’t worry about anyone stealing it. If anyone dares, just tell me—I’ll deal with those blind idiots.”
Unable to refuse Jiang Li, the tribe leader accepted the gifts.
“By the way, when did your ancestor write that manuscript?”
“Twenty thousand years ago. Why?”
“Nothing, just curious.”
With that, the Mermen Tribe matter was finally resolved.
【Claim reward?】
“Claim.”
【You’ve received the ‘True Dragon Blood Medicinal Bath Formula’】
A prescription appeared in Jiang Li’s hand.
A small vial of True Dragon Blood wasn’t enough to soak the whole body. It had to be diluted, and this prescription detailed what herbs to add to maximize the effects of the diluted dragon blood.
【You’ve received a copy of ‘Dragon Transformation Hand’】
This book taught combat techniques that allowed cultivators to fully exploit the advantages of dragon-transformed hands in battle.
Cultivators who soaked in True Dragon Blood had a very slim chance of achieving “dragonization.”
“So based on the system’s timeline, after I help the Mermen Tribe win, they’ll give me the vial of True Dragon Blood as thanks?”
Seeing how both rewards were related to True Dragon Blood, Jiang Li made a logical guess.
But five hundred years ago, he hadn’t obediently participated in the contest with the South Flood Dragon Clan like the system expected.
【You’ve received a set of Invisibility Clothes】
Jiang Li received the set—it matched what the system had mentioned. There were even instructions included.
“Wearing this hides your figure. Even Integration Stage cultivators can’t detect it. Seems pretty powerful.”
For a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, this Invisibility Clothing was practically a divine treasure.
Curious, Jiang Li put it on.
He recited the incantation and shouted, “Invisibility!”
The clothes slowly turned transparent and vanished completely. Even an Integration Stage cultivator using spiritual sense wouldn’t detect a trace.
Jiang Li stood there, bare-*ssed in the sea breeze, looking like a total flasher.
This dumb invisibility outfit only made the clothes disappear.
“D*mn you, system!”