The white-haired elder seemed somewhat familiar, yet Li Fan couldn't recall where he had seen him before. With a kind face like a neighborly grandfather, he exuded an approachable aura that naturally drew people in. However, Li Fan was well aware that this elder was no ordinary person. Without a doubt, his cultivation level was far beyond what Li Fan could perceive at the moment. Thus, Li Fan became even more cautious.
He respectfully greeted, "Greetings, Senior."
The white-haired elder chuckled warmly, "No need to be so formal. I'm just an old man who should have died long ago." After a pause, he kindly inquired, "Are you the one submitting the Cloud Water Scroll?"
Li Fan nodded and handed over the colorful model. The elder took the miniature Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, examining it closely, his eyes filled with endless nostalgia.
"Indeed, this is it. Vast Sea, Taiyi, Cloud Brusher... It's been a long time."
Seemingly lost in memories, the elder's eyes grew somewhat cloudy. Li Fan's heart skipped a beat upon hearing the elder's words. He stood silently by the side, not daring to move. From the elder's words, it seemed he was of the same generation as the Turtle Snake Taiyi? The destruction of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace was an event from countless years ago. How could this person have survived from then until now?
It was known that after the great calamity, cultivators were generally targeted by the malice of heaven and earth, no longer able to enjoy the longevity of ancient cultivators. Living for a thousand years was already extremely difficult. What kind of cultivation level was required to live for so long? Nascent Soul? Unity? Li Fan dared not speculate, only becoming more vigilant in his heart.
In a world where celestial arts could no longer be cultivated simultaneously, someone who had survived from the great calamity to the present... If he truly believed that this elder was as "benevolent" as he appeared, it would be far too naive.
The white-haired elder noticed Li Fan's tension and smiled wryly. "What is the current state inside the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace?" he asked.
Li Fan then detailed the petrified Qin Tang, the insect cultivator who refined pills with his own body, and Taiyi, pierced with broken swords.
"If not for special reasons, I wouldn't have been unable to enter the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace and would not have allowed them to suffer," the elder sighed after a long silence. "For you to come out of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace alive, you must be quite astute," he praised, glancing at Li Fan.
"It was just luck," Li Fan replied modestly.
"I have another request. I wonder if you would be willing?" the white-haired elder suddenly asked.
"Please feel free to ask, Senior."
"When you have the time, could you make another trip to the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace and place this item there?" The elder took out a small white jade statue and handed it to Li Fan. The statue emitted no special aura, seemingly carved from ordinary jade. Its likeness was identical to the white-haired elder before him.
"Since I cannot personally enter the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, let this statue accompany them in my stead."
"As for the reward..." The elder pondered for a moment, then pointed at Li Fan's forehead. Instantly, a flood of information surged into Li Fan's mind. Even with his mid-stage Qi Refining divine sense, he felt dizzy and his head swelled.
When he regained his senses, the image of the white-haired elder had vanished from the Profound Mirror, and the ten thousand contribution points had successfully been credited.
After slowly organizing the vast information in his mind, Li Fan finally understood what the elder's reward was: the Celestial Medicine Scripture. It wasn't a cultivation technique but a medical scripture. It encompassed the study of human physiology, pathology, diagnosis, treatment, and pharmacology. Its research subjects even included various animals and plants in the world. It was truly all-encompassing and vast.
The sheer volume of information was so immense that Li Fan estimated it would take him at least a decade just to read through it once. This vast and precious repository of knowledge was casually imparted to Li Fan by the white-haired elder.
"It's a good thing, but it's too time-consuming to learn. I'll have to set it aside for now."
Li Fan dared not delay the elder's request, especially since the elder had already given the reward in advance. Thus, Li Fan made another trip to the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace. He initially thought that upon re-entering, he would undergo Qin Tang's illusionary trial again. However, after a burst of white light from the statue in his storage ring, Li Fan found himself directly at the entrance of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace.
The elder's statue autonomously left Li Fan's storage ring and ascended into the sky, slowly dissolving like melting snow. "Is the task completed just like that? It seemed a bit too simple and smooth," Li Fan mused to himself.
After waiting a while, no unusual occurrences happened within the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace. "I wonder what purpose the statue serves."
Unable to discern any mysteries, Li Fan chose to leave. Safely returning to the Profound Mirror, Li Fan looked at his balance of ten thousand contribution points, lost in thought.
Originally, Li Fan planned to use the ten thousand contribution points his avatar obtained to exchange for the necessary techniques and treasures and then hand them over to his true self. Just like in his previous life when Xiao Heng exchanged the Small Cyclic Water Art and sent it to Li Fan. However, after meeting the white-haired elder, Li Fan dismissed this idea.
For now, it seemed best to avoid any connection between his avatar and true self. The white-haired elder gave Li Fan an extremely dangerous feeling. Since the avatar had already caught his attention, if the true self and avatar recklessly interacted and he discovered their connection, given the miraculous nature of the Heaven-Stealing Sun-Swapping Technique, even if the elder's cultivation was exceedingly high, it couldn't be guaranteed he wouldn't be tempted.
After all, in this dangerous Immortal Cultivation World, people could be refined into wonders of heaven and earth. One couldn't be too cautious.
As for whether the ten thousand contribution points would be wasted in the avatar's hands, there was no need to worry. After all, in this world, the most precious things are the various forms of knowledge, including cultivation techniques. As the avatar browses through various knowledge, it is equivalent to the true self simultaneously learning.
Therefore, spending the ten thousand contribution points through the avatar is as effective as spending it through the true self.
Calming himself, Li Fan first searched for information related to the "Ancient War." While in the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, he had been very concerned about the frontline war repeatedly mentioned by Qin Tang and the insect cultivator. That war seemed quite brutal, lingering in their minds even after they became strange entities.
Soon, Li Fan found some fragmented references. Unfortunately, perhaps due to the passage of time, all related records were vague. It could only be confirmed that such a great war did indeed exist. This war seemed to have lasted for ages, starting before the Celestial Sovereign spread his teachings and continuing until the great calamity descended.
Li Fan then searched for information related to the wonders of heaven and earth.
(End of Chapter)