Now hurry up and take this vulgar pile of gold and silver to the village chief’s house! We don’t want such worldly filth to taint the Sea God’s presence!”
Xiong…
Well, that surname was certainly fitting. She was a real bear of a woman.
The adults scolded the girl for a while before dispersing without punishing her. Meanwhile, the villagers began searching the area for their so-called “Sea God.”
Li Changshou continued his silent observation.
This village was odd, and that was precisely why he had chosen to remain a hundred miles away instead of leaving outright.
Something unusual was definitely at play.
And where there was strangeness… there was often treasure.
The village housed over a thousand humans, sustaining themselves through fishing, hunting, and farming. Their lives were relatively prosperous, and the land was blessed with favorable weather—free from natural disasters.
As for man-made disasters…
A mortal kingdom’s tribal army, even with thousands of trained soldiers, might not be able to conquer this village—let alone small groups of bandits or pirates.
Yet, even though most people in this village had no cultivation and were mere mortals, they all possessed the same robust physiques as that young woman. It didn’t quite add up.
For one, their nutrition would never be sufficient to support such muscular growth.
Not to mention, none of them seemed to engage in any form of deliberate strength training…
Among the possible explanations that came to mind, the most plausible was that this village had access to a unique water source or special food—something abundant and highly nourishing.
Oftentimes, things that mortals overlook as ordinary could turn out to be rare and valuable treasures for alchemy, artifact refinement, formations, or cultivation.
Moreover, there were no signs of any external cultivators in the area. The few individuals in the village who had reached the Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment stages likely obtained some incomplete cultivation techniques—something not uncommon in the mortal world.
This piqued Li Changshou’s interest just enough for him to linger a little longer, choosing to observe from a distance.
The villagers conducted a thorough search within the village but found no trace of him. And so, the entire “bear clan” mobilized.
After exhausting their efforts for half a day, an elderly villager finally sighed and declared:
“The Sea God has returned to the ocean!”
With that, the villagers—most of whom bore the surname “Xiong” (Bear)—returned to the village and held a grand bonfire celebration to bid farewell to the Sea God.
Li Changshou observed for three days, personally inspecting the water sources, investigating the local food supply, and searching within a several-hundred-mile radius. Yet, he found nothing out of the ordinary.
Could it just be a hereditary trait?
Not wanting to waste any more time, he decided to leave.
At midnight, Li Changshou slipped out from within the tree trunk, transformed into a medium-sized fish, and dove into the warm ocean, setting off in search of a secluded place to resume his closed-door cultivation.
This region lay in the southwestern part of the Southern Continent, within the jurisdiction of the South Sea Dragon Palace.
However, since the South Sea Dragon Palace was far from land and not as active as the East Sea Dragon Palace, these waters remained unusually peaceful. Li Changshou quickly found a small uninhabited island and settled in for seclusion.
Three months later.
His injuries had fully healed. His proficiency in Water Escape and Earth Escape had advanced significantly. He also took the opportunity to refine the Three True Flames once more, condensing a fresh source of immortal fire.
Five months later.
Sitting cross-legged inside a rocky cavern, Li Changshou had completely restrained his immortal aura. His breathing was so natural that no trace of his vital essence leaked out. His eyes no longer radiated divine light, and even the subtle fragrance that once lingered around him had vanished.
Standing up, he inspected himself—his presence had been entirely concealed.
Walking to the edge of the reef, he quietly observed the sea creatures’ reactions.
Previously, the pressure of his immortal aura would send fish and shrimp scattering in fear.
Now, as he stood there, the marine life merely reacted to the initial disturbance before resuming their idle play…
After some thought, Li Changshou first simulated the aura of a Nascent Soul cultivator at the seventh stage. Then, he concealed that and revealed the aura of a Nascent Soul cultivator at the third stage.
The third version of the Immortal Tortoise Breath Technique—successfully mastered.
‘When I return, I should pass the second version to Ling’e.’
Letting out a soft breath, he felt quite satisfied. Wasting no time, he prepared to return to his hidden cave to continue cultivating.
Just as he was about to turn around, a streak of multicolored divine light suddenly appeared in the northern sky.
Li Changshou immediately extended his immortal senses and traced the source—right back to that village where the iron-tower-like girl, Xiong Lingli, lived…
So, there was something valuable hidden in that village after all!
However, with such an eye-catching spectacle, it was bound to attract the attention of other cultivators. If he rushed in recklessly, he might end up in a dangerous situation.
After some deliberation, Li Changshou retrieved a paper effigy from his sleeve and gently breathed into it.
The paper effigy trembled for a moment before slowly coming to life, stretching its tiny limbs. With a light hop, it landed on the water’s surface.
The small paper figure took a few steps across the waves before suddenly transforming into the form of a middle-aged Daoist. It caught the three storage pouches Li Changshou tossed over, then turned and slipped into the ocean, vanishing from sight.
Li Changshou returned to his rocky cavern, closed his eyes, and focused his mind, linking his consciousness to the paper effigy.
He remained completely at ease.
If there was a treasure to be found, he would claim it. If it required anything more than simple retrieval, he would have the effigy retreat.
After all, as his cultivation level increased, creating high-tier paper effigies became more demanding.
Besides, this was the mortal realm—it was unlikely that anything truly formidable could be hidden there.
…
At the boundary between the South Sea and East Sea, on an island resembling a giant turtle’s shell.
“Fellow Daoists, I swear I’m not making this up!”
An elderly Daoist sat by a sacred pool, regaling a group of over a dozen cultivators with an animated tale.
“On my way back last time, I happened to witness someone undergoing the Nine Heavens Demon Tribulation! I was certain he wouldn’t survive, but he did!
After that, he even got struck by Heaven’s Punishment! At that point, I knew he was doomed! But guess what?”
Beneath the pool’s surface, in a concealed crevice, a young azure dragon lay coiled in silence…
The primordial world was truly terrifying.
The nightmares still haunted him, but Ao Yi had personally requested Dragon Mother to send him back to the lands of the Jie Sect immortals.
He had realized something—there were humans among the Jie Sect as well. By observing them, he could learn what the dragon race lacked.
Above all else, he needed to learn their cunning and scheming.
As the Daoists continued their idle chatter, the topic eventually shifted toward the young dragon resting at the bottom of the pool.
One person sighed, “The formation sealing the crevice below has been reinforced.”
Another chuckled, “It’s not uncommon for a youngster to rebel against their elders. He’s just a child.”
The elderly Daoist who had been telling stories earlier stroked his beard and said with a smile, “Worry not. As long as we treat this Dragon Palace Prince well, he will eventually appreciate our kindness and settle down.”
The surrounding cultivators all nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, at the bottom of the pool, Ao Yi shifted slightly but remained silent.
wannaberecluse On SRTT Chapter 50.1