The male supporting character was actually myself.

Lingquan Daoist poured him a cup of tea, and looked at the child on the bamboo couch with kind eyes, and said in a deep voice: "Very well, this part is actually the memory that each successive Lingquan Daoist needs to inherit. Since the commander is going to take on the heavy responsibility, I will tell you about it in advance."

In fact, that monster had a name.

His name is Lingquan Daoren…

Jiang Chen nearly scalded himself by trembling over his teacup. "Master, do you mean—the immortal soul of the demon was originally a part of you?"

"To be more precise, it is the real spiritual spring, while I am just an empty shell."

The old soul within the robust body picked up the teacup with slightly trembling hands, took a sip of tea, and recounted the past in a weary voice.

Rewind to thousands of years ago, when this ancient land was home to many amazing people and stories.

Lingquan Daoren was one of them.

Even the inherited memories do not know where he was born, only that the Lingquan Daoist of that time was immortal and possessed powerful magic.

He travels among humans, spreading the knowledge and experience accumulated by humankind, preventing wars, helping to resist the invasion of various demons, and protecting the creatures on the ancient land like a god.

As the human world became more prosperous, larger capital cities were established and dynasties began to rise and fall.

The Taoist Lingquan, who possessed unparalleled magical powers and resembled a deity descended to earth, became the target of worship and courtship by many emperors. To escape power struggles, the Taoist Lingquan retreated to the mountains and forests to teach farmers and hermits, enjoying a life of leisure and tranquility.

The emperors who could not gain the assistance to invade other countries gradually turned their worship of Lingquan Daoist into jealousy. They wanted to live forever, to have an immortal body, to rule their powerful countries forever, and to become eternal legends.

Thus, over the long course of time, Lingquan Daoren gradually became an object of covetousness.

Unable to change his appearance, he was once recognized wherever he went. However, his innate magical power and moral constraints prevented him from using his power to fight against fragile humans. Lingquan Daoren had no choice but to deliberately downplay his presence in the human world.

Many years passed, and he dodged all sorts of open and covert attacks, only to be betrayed by his carefully trained disciple.

The other party was a young man with great talent for cultivation. When he realized that no matter how hard he tried to cultivate, he could never become an immortal being like his master, his proud and arrogant Dao heart collapsed and a greedy demonic heart gradually formed.

He devoted himself to studying various magical arts, and deceived the Taoist Lingquan by saying that he was painstakingly trying to help the people of the world who were suffering from the plague, and wanted to build a cauldron that could refine elixirs to drive away the disease.

Lingquan Daoist had no doubts and was deeply gratified by his disciple's benevolence and skill.

So he accepted the plea and, following his design, helped to forge a treasure that would protect the sect—the Spirit Summoning Cauldron.

In fact, this precious cauldron, which was refined by the Taoist Lingquan with innate magic power and can be called a divine artifact, has an even more important function besides refining pills: it can refine and fuse souls.

The disciple, whose talent was admired even by the original Lingquan Daoist, had a meticulous plan.

He originally planned to use a scheme to lure his master into the Spirit Summoning Cauldron, use a secret technique to separate his soul from his immortal body, and then take over the body with his own soul to become an eternal being.

Years of planning had led to a successful outcome, but when he attempted to take over the body, the disciple discovered that his master's immortality was not solely due to an undying body; he needed an equally immortal soul to fulfill his ambitions and desires.

In this urgent situation, the master, whose soul had been separated from his body, had already noticed something amiss. The disciple immediately decided to take a more risky approach—to merge with his master's immortal soul and attempt to weaken his consciousness using the Spirit Summoning Cauldron.

Once you can merge the two into one and then suppress and slowly devour its consciousness, your own soul will gain immortality and return to your body, and the mission will be accomplished.

That sounds wonderful, but how could he possibly obtain the pure and spotless soul of the Spirit Spring Daoist by simply merging with and devouring it?

Both sides broke free from their physical constraints, leaving only their souls to battle within the Spirit Summoning Cauldron.

Ultimately, the original Lingquan Daoist's soul proved superior, but during the fight, some impurities were still incorporated into it. After returning to his body, he believed that this impurity would eventually become a hidden danger and that he had to find a way to remove it.

Once the immortality of humankind is corrupted and tempted into depravity, the fragile human world will be in grave danger.

However, things did not go as planned.

Not only did Daoist Lingquan fail to find a way to cleanse the soul of impurities, but he was also coveted by those with selfish motives when his soul left his body several times to enter the Spirit-Summoning Cauldron for refining and purification.

The immortality and eternal life, from soul to body, drive greedy humans mad.

The body can only retain a limited amount of its inheritance. After all, what the soul encounters after leaving the body can only be known upon its return. Successive inheritors only know that the impurities in the pure soul are increasing, and the saint's every move is becoming more and more like that of a mortal.

After multiple fusions, the desires and filth hidden in the souls of men and women corrupted and devoured the original Lingquan Daoist's soul. The soul that entered the body for the last time has become a synonym for depravity.

Fortunately, the body retained the original characteristics. It sensed something was wrong and forcibly forced the soul away, and then the empty shell escaped on its own.

After wandering the human world for many years, he encountered a pure soul on the verge of death. After the two reached an agreement, his body was fused with the new soul using the Spirit Summoning Cauldron, and he became the second-generation Spirit Spring Taoist who needed a soul replacement.

The former, with its immortal soul corrupted by all the baser traits of greed, hypocrisy, malice, and treachery, reveals its despicable methods without reservation. After devouring humans to grow stronger, it is not satisfied with having no physical body and begins to seize and invade any body it desires.

Because it is a fusion of many men and women, its depraved nature is characterized by only the most basic desires without any distinction between male and female, and it roams freely among many human bodies.

From then on, good and evil were irreconcilable forces. Countless pure souls inherited the body of the first generation of Lingquan Daoist and vowed to eliminate the demon so that it could no longer do evil and harm the world.

"It sounds like there's something wrong with the Spirit Summoning Cauldron." After listening to the long explanation, Jiang Chen frowned slightly and offered his opinion. "The first generation entered it multiple times to try to cleanse the soul of impurities, but the contamination only got worse. Could it be that the disciple tampered with it during the refining process?"

After a long narration, the aged soul was clearly more weary.

"At first, my body thought so too." He took a sip of tea, smiled bitterly, and shook his head. "Actually, that's not the case. The problem lies with the soul itself. Although the disciple merged with very few impurities, the residual desires polluted the pure soul."

Children, you must know that a blank sheet of paper is the hardest to protect.

If even a tiny bit of dust gets on it, it's dirty and can never be restored to its original state.

The soul has a problem; it harbors selfish desires that it doesn't share with the body, trying to resolve on its own. But once desires take hold, how can one maintain their original, pure, and unwavering heart while navigating the world?

It knew something was wrong, and began to feel fear, yet it couldn't suppress its greed.

The soul, well, is always a bit more cunning. It knows the body won't tolerate an impure soul's influence, and once forced away, it will never again have the protection of an immortal body. So, from the very beginning, we were outmaneuvered and lost.

Jiang Chen suddenly felt very heavy-hearted.

Learning good habits is difficult, but bad habits can be learned instantly without any learning. That's why humans need various forms of guidance and restraint from a young age to avoid going astray.

Once an innocent soul is fused with desire, its fall can happen in an instant.

"Master..." The young man who had been silent on the bamboo bed spoke in a hoarse voice, asking with trepidation and unease, "How can I ensure that my soul remains pure and is not corrupted by desires?"

I... I lack confidence in myself. What if I can't shoulder this responsibility? Wouldn't that be letting you down? And wouldn't it delay important matters...?

He thought about it carefully and realized that during the more than three years he had been learning from his master, he had learned many things that he did not understand before, and he had also seen, heard and tasted many things that he had never seen, heard and tasted before.

But the temptations of the bustling world are numerous. Once you succumb to temptation and change your original intentions, you will become a sinner for all time!

Lingquan Daoist smiled kindly and waved his hand, “You don’t need to worry about this. When I became the successor, I was two years younger than you and was completely ignorant of the world. Later, when I learned that I had to accept such a heavy responsibility of inheritance, I was so apprehensive that I couldn’t sleep at night.”

When my master found out, he told me not to worry about things that hadn't happened yet.

No one is perfect; even the purest soul can make mistakes.

As long as it's not a grave sin of depravity, it's fine. Even if we do fall into depravity, our body will make a judgment if it senses the incompatibility between our soul and body.

Didn't it resolutely sever its connection with fallen souls back then?

It's just that the souls of ordinary people are too weak. Once abandoned by the body, there is only one way out: death. At that time, it will naturally seek out a soul that meets the conditions, sign a contract, and pass on the important mission again.

I've lived to be 106 years old, and have been integrated with this body for 86 years. How could I not have had a single selfish thought? As long as you remember my teachings to do good, with the guidance of this original body, you won't stray too far from the right path.

After recounting the origins of the soul and body of the first generation of Lingquan Daoist, he seemed truly ready to completely relinquish this identity, even shedding the title of "this humble Daoist."

After chatting for a few more minutes, Daoist Lingquan ordered his men to carry the bamboo couch out, leaving Xiao Jiangchen to sit opposite him and drink tea.

"General, I have a few words I'd like to tell you." He finished the tea in his cup in one gulp, stared at the other man with his bright eyes, and said in a low voice, "Before you came to visit, I had already foreseen that the Heavenly Dao was flawed and fate was about to change."

But after seeing you with my own eyes, I became certain—your destiny had been altered.

Jiang Chen: ? ? ?

Bug? Is it really you?

It's been so long, I've missed you so much!

Before he could respond, Daoist Lingquan waved his hand and said softly, "I can't tell why this has changed, but the good news is that you now have your fate and fortune in your own hands."

The commander-in-chief should cherish this hard-won opportunity.

Furthermore, your spiritual journey is remarkably similar to that of the Immaculate Soul of the Daoist Lingquan. Something unseen is attempting to corrupt your soul; remember to maintain your original intentions and not be tempted by desires to fall into depravity!

“Child, your soul is incomplete, split into two parts.” His eyes stared into Jiang Chen’s eyes, yet they were unfocused, as if his gaze was directed through the pupils to a very distant place. “One part has fallen into slumber, but fortunately it has not been corrupted.”

You're surrounded, by a group of very strange creatures...

Lingquan Daoist had clearly seen something, a sight he couldn't comprehend and could only describe as accurately as possible: "I can see that you seem to be inside a glass sphere shrouded in light, with countless creatures floating around outside, resembling black cloaks. They are alive!"

They are still plotting—they want to break through the outer light shield…

“Child, you must find a key!” He tried hard to “see” in hopes of getting more clues, and after a few seconds his voice suddenly rose a few decibels, “Once you get the key, you can break the illusion and find a door in a world covered in ice and snow.”

"There is a giant eye, as if formed from a cluster of stars... It will assist you; seek its help when necessary... It will give you the key!"

After saying the last few words, Lingquan Daoist's forehead was covered in large beads of sweat, and he was panting heavily, clearly having exhausted all his strength.

Jiang Chen quickly poured him a cup of tea and presented it to him with both hands.

“Child, this is all I can do for you.” The other person took a few sips of his drink, shook his head, and said helplessly, “My description is very chaotic, but there’s no other way. After all, what I’ve deduced from you are just fragments or even fleeting images.”

The past and the future are mixed together, and I can't tell which ones they are.

The seal on your body has begun to loosen. Don't rush; you will win this battle naturally.

Seizing the opportunity, he hurriedly asked, "Master, do I have a seal on me? Where is it? How can I completely remove it?"

Lingquan Daoist reached out and lightly touched the upper part of his forehead. "The seal is on the fontanelle. To put it simply, the primordial spirit or soul can only enter and exit through the top of the head. The seal on your soul is to prevent it from leaving your body."

But the seal I don't understand has loosened, so those guys who attacked you can no longer control and manipulate you.

Although I don't quite understand it, my intuition tells me not to act rashly. Waiting for your memories to slowly return and break through the seal is the right approach; forcibly helping you from the outside will likely make things worse.

Whether it was because he was touched by the void, Jiang Chen felt completely dazed, his mind filled with the "eye" he saw after the script selection space shattered like an eggshell.

So much so that he didn't even remember how he left the back hall with his adjutant Guo down the mountain. After he came to his senses, he contacted the local garrison as agreed and did them a favor by sealing off Lingyu Mountain to prevent anyone from climbing it and disturbing the transition between the old and new generations.

[Mission: Supply Zhang Xiyue with at least two jin of meat within ten minutes. Reward: One-time use D-grade item x1]

Before he could even leave the town and begin his return journey, Jiang Chen suddenly received a new mission.

Looking at the countdown that appeared, he couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile, "Xiao Bai, this time it all depends on you!"

Chapter Fifteen: You Have Your Clever Plans, I Have My Countermeasures

"Meow? Is the main system acting up?" The fluffy ball of fur, which was dozing off, sat up, rubbed its eyes with its paws to make sure it wasn't dreaming, and then its face fell.

Its round, fluffy little face drooped, and it meowed with its hands on its hips, "Did you do this on purpose? You know my host is busy with important matters, yet you still issue this kind of time-limited task, really..."

It twitched its ears and suddenly realized, "Oh no!"

Don't waste your teleportation items just to complete such a stupid quest!

The little white cat was so anxious that it scratched its ears and cheeks, trying to find paper and pen to leave a message for its host. But as soon as it opened the system space, it saw a message with familiar handwriting: "Little White, I'm not in a hurry to go back. Could you please cut two pounds of meat for it?"

"Of course!" It happily skipped around, picked up a pen, and wrote a reply, muttering a little smugly, "Hehehe, that's what you call telepathy. It's just cutting two pounds of meat, what's so difficult about that?"