Chapter 306: As Long As Luck Is Good, Even a Stray Dog Can Become Immortal

【Quest issued: The Mermen Tribe, to thank you for helping them win the competition, has gifted you a jar of True Dragon Blood. After soaking in a medicinal bath of True Dragon Blood, your body’s strength has greatly improved, and your arms have acquired “Dragon Transformation.” After leaving the South Sea, you arrive at the Martial Dynasty, just as the Void Cave Secret Realm is about to open. Because your name is not well-known, others believe you won’t gain any rewards from entering the realm and assume you’re just there to make up the numbers.】

【Your task: Obtain the final reward in the Void Cave Secret Realm.】

【This quest can be abandoned.】

【Quest rewards: Cultivation technique A Thousand Gold Toss, unlock Source Borrowing Point feature, one Heavenly Infant Fruit.】

Generally speaking, for quests that could be skipped, Jiang Li usually wouldn’t bother. But the Void Cave Secret Realm was an exception.

The secret realm’s master was named Daoist Dongxu, an old-school Fusion Stage cultivator who was still active in the Nine Provinces.

Daoist Dongxu believed he had seen through the truth of the world and proposed that hard work was useless, talent was meaningless—cultivation relied entirely on luck. If your luck was good enough, even a stray dog could become immortal.

And there really were such stories in the history of the Nine Provinces—or rather, in unofficial records.

Forty thousand years ago, there was a stray dog without spiritual awareness, not even at the first level of Qi Refinement. But its luck was absurdly good. It was protected by spiritual artifacts, had treasures fall from the sky, and had heavenly materials and earthly treasures delivered right to its mouth. By a series of coincidences, it managed to ascend.

The demon race valued bloodlines. The stronger the bloodline, the brighter the future. But this dog’s ancestors had been scavengers for 500 generations. For such a beast to become immortal completely overturned the demon race’s understanding.

Some demons believed the tale was fabricated—how could a stray dog become immortal?

But Immortal Elder Changcun publicly verified that forty thousand years ago, a stray dog did indeed ascend, just as the story claimed.

This became the basis for Daoist Dongxu’s belief that effort could not compare to luck.

The Void Cave Secret Realm didn’t test cultivation level, didn’t test combat skills, and didn’t even test intelligence. It purely tested luck.

Whoever had better luck would pass the test and earn a reward. These people were seen by Daoist Dongxu as extraordinarily lucky, and he would form karmic ties with them in hopes of future blessings.

Five hundred years ago, Jiang Li had suffered a crushing defeat in the Void Cave Secret Realm and only received a consolation prize—a towel—failing to form any karmic connection with Daoist Dongxu.

Jiang Li believed that over the past five hundred years, his luck had improved significantly. The best evidence? Even Black and White Impermanence had appeared before him.

D*mn ghostly luck.

He wanted to make a comeback and prove his luck in the Void Cave Secret Realm.

Five hundred years ago, Bai Hongtu hadn’t been to the realm. After all, he came from the Dao Sect and wasn’t a loose cultivator like Jiang Li. He didn’t lack resources and had no need to scavenge through secret realms.

“Anything I should be aware of before going into the Void Cave Secret Realm?” Bai Hongtu had only heard that it tested luck, and nothing more.

He hadn’t interacted much with Daoist Dongxu either.

Jiang Li thought for a moment and asked, “How’s your luck?”

“Not bad. Aside from the bad luck of running into you during the Human Sovereign competition, everything else tends to go my way.”

“Then you should do fine in the secret realm.”

…

Martial Nation, near the Void Cave Secret Realm.

As the realm was about to open, the place was packed—men and women, young and old.

The Void Cave Secret Realm didn’t limit cultivation level, only age. Anyone under one hundred years old could enter.

“Thank goodness, I’m under a hundred,” Bai Hongtu sighed in relief upon hearing the criteria.

Jiang Li followed up, “True, as the ancients said—there once was a Great Chun of the ancient times, for whom one spring lasted eight thousand years, and one autumn another eight thousand. By that calculation, we’re not even a month old.”

“…Under a month is pushing it,” even Bai Hongtu felt awkward saying he was under a month old. “In the southern state of Chu, there’s a dark spirit whose seasons last five hundred years each. That would make us about three months old.”

“What are they doing?” Bai Hongtu noticed a crowd gathered at the secret realm’s entrance, holding offerings and muttering.

“Looks like some kind of ritual. Maybe they’re worshipping a Buddha,” Jiang Li was very familiar with this scene. Near Buddhist sects, many cultivators prayed and kowtowed toward them for luck.

“Human Sovereign Jiang, please bless me with great rewards in the Void Cave Secret Realm.”

“Heaven above, Human Sovereign above, if I can reach the end of the Void Cave Secret Realm, I’ll definitely return to the Human Sovereign Hall to repay the favor!”

“Human Sovereign Jiang, Commander Liu, Second Sect Master Li, Sect Master Bai, Sword Sovereign, Empress Yu Yin… all past Tribulation Stage powerhouses, please bless me to make a name for myself and earn Daoist Dongxu’s recognition.”

“Immortal Elder Changcun, bless me with luck like an immortal!”

Statues whose genders were indistinguishable stood in a line, with names like Jiang Li and Bai Hongtu inscribed below. People murmured prayers and sincerely placed spirit stones in front of the statues.

“……”

“……”

Jiang Li looked at Bai Hongtu, “Seems like a lot of people are praying to you.”

“More are praying to you,” Bai Hongtu replied, noticing a group preparing to pray. “By the way, do prayers to you even work? Maybe I should try it too?”

Jiang Li asked curiously, “What’s your wish?”

“To beat you and become the Human Sovereign.”

“…Praying to others, maybe. But if you’re praying to me, that wish definitely won’t come true.”

“Would you two like to pick a mighty figure to pray to as well?” A young man approached Jiang Li and Bai Hongtu, as if seeing new business opportunities.

“Do you need spirit stones?”

“That depends on your sincerity,” the young man chuckled slyly.

Jiang Li flicked the youth’s head, “You dare scam me? Haven’t seen you in a few years and your guts have gotten bigger, Qin Luan.”

“M-Mister Jiang?” The youth’s smile froze—it was indeed Qin Luan. Even though Jiang Li had changed his appearance, Qin Luan could tell from the familiar tone.

Yuan Wuxing quickly came out to explain, hoping Jiang Li wouldn’t be angry, “Please forgive us, Mister Jiang. We spent all our spirit stones at the auction a few days ago. We’re completely broke. My poor disciple came up with a terrible scheme—setting up statues outside the secret realm to attract offerings from eager cultivators. We thought it might earn us something.”

“Wuxing, don’t be so nervous. I’m not going to get mad over something like this. And besides, no one’s actually praying to me, right?”

“What do you mean?” Qin Luan didn’t understand. Weren’t people praying in front of Jiang Li’s statue and chanting his name?

“Look closely at the name under the statue.”

With Jiang Li’s reminder, Qin Luan suddenly realized.

The name carved under the statue was “Wang Li.”

Qin Luan turned to look at Yuan Wuxing. His master had been responsible for making the statues, so the names must have been his doing.

Yuan Wuxing looked embarrassed, “I thought using your real name without permission might be inappropriate, so I tweaked it slightly. Didn’t expect so many people would still pray—maybe they were too anxious and didn’t read the name properly.”

Jiang Li wasn’t surprised.

“People pray for peace of mind. Who they’re praying to doesn’t really matter.”