第二百三十二章 木灵果

“ cǐ nǎi zhǎng mén zhēn rén de fēn fù ， qí zhōng bì yǒu shēn yì ， wǒ men zuò wǎn bèi de jiù bú yào duō zuò chuǎi mó ， zhǐ yào jiāng fèn nèi zhī shì zuò hǎo jiù kě yǐ le 。” shuō huà de shì yī sì fāng liǎn táng de xiū shì ， kàn tā suǒ zuò de wèi zhì ， yīng gāi shì cǐ liù rén zhī shǒu 。

“此乃掌门真人的吩咐，其中必有深意，我们做晚辈的就不要多做揣摩，只要将分内之事做好就可以了。”说话的是一四方脸膛的修士，看他所坐的位置，应该是此六人之首。

"This is the instruction from our sect's senior master. There must be a deeper meaning behind it, so as juniors, we shouldn't overthink it; just do our part well," spoke a round-faced cultivator. Judging by his position, he seemed to be the leader of these six.

“ shì ， shī xiōng ！” nà fū sè bái jìng de xiū shì lián máng bì zuǐ ， bù gǎn zài duō shuō shén me 。

“是，师兄！”那肤色白净的修士连忙闭嘴，不敢再多说什么。

"Yes, Senior Brother!" The fair-skinned cultivator quickly shut up and didn’t dare say anything more.

jiē zhe guāng qiú yī zhèn huàng dòng ， bù zài guān zhù lín xuān ， ér chū xiàn le lìng wài yī fú huà miàn ， yòu yí gè zhù jī qī xiū shì bèi jiē yǐn jìn lái ……

接着光球一阵晃动，不再关注林轩，而出现了另外一幅画面，又一个筑基期修士被接引进来……

Then, the light ball started shaking, no longer focusing on Lin Xuan as another scene appeared. Another Foundation Establishment stage cultivator was being brought in...

gēn zhe nà zì chēng zhāng xiǎo dié de **， zǒu le dà yuē yǒu shù bǎi zhàng de jù lí ， qián fāng tū rán huò rán kāi lǎng ， yí gè tuǒ yuán xíng de dà tīng yìng rù yǎn lián 。

跟着那自称张小蝶的**，走了大约有数百丈的距离，前方突然豁然开朗，一个椭圆形的大厅映入眼帘。

Following Zhang Xiaodie's lead, they walked about several hundred feet before a sudden opening revealed an oval hall ahead.

cǐ chù suī rán shēn chù shān fù zhī zhōng ， rán ér dà tīng de sì bì zhī shàng ， què xiāng mǎn le quán tou dà xiǎo de yè míng zhū ， jiāng zhè lǐ zhào dé yǒu rú bái zhòu yī yàng 。

此处虽然深处山腹之中，然而大厅的四壁之上，却镶满了拳头大小的夜明珠，将这里照得有如白昼一样。

Although deep within the mountain, the walls of this hall were adorned with fist-sized night pearls, illuminating it like daylight.

“ qián bèi ， qǐng ！”

“前辈，请！”

"Senior, please!"

nà zhāng xiǎo dié xiàng páng biān yī ràng ， lín xuān diǎn diǎn tóu ， shén shí zài dà tīng zhōng lüè wēi yī sǎo ， méi tóu dùn shí wēi wēi zhòu le qǐ lái 。

那张小蝶像旁边一让，林轩点点头，神识在大厅中略微一扫，眉头顿时微微皱了起来。

Zhang Xiaodie stepped aside. Lin Xuan nodded and used his divine sense to scan the hall briefly; his brows furrowed slightly.

zhǐ jiàn dà tīng zhōng kōng wú yī wù ， rán ér xiū shì què yǒu shù shí rén zhī duō ， fú sè gè yì ， dàn měi yí gè ， dōu xiū wèi bù ruò ， jìng quán shì zhù jī qī de xiū shì 。

只见大厅中空无一物，然而修士却有数十人之多，服色各异，但每一个，都修为不弱，竟全是筑基期的修士。

The hall was empty, but there were dozens of cultivators present, each dressed differently and with varying levels of cultivation, all Foundation Establishment stage.

nà xiē rén tīng jiàn jiǎo bù shēng ， bù yóu zhuǎn guò tóu wàng le guò lái 。

那些人听见脚步声，不由转过头望了过来。

As footsteps approached, several people turned their heads in curiosity.

biǎo qíng jué tán bù shàng yǒu hǎo ， shèn zhì yǐn yǐn de hán yǒu dí shì zhī yì 。

表情绝谈不上友好，甚至隐隐的含有敌视之意。

Their expressions weren’t friendly at all, even hinting at hostility.

lín xuān jiàn le cǐ jǐng ， xīn zhōng yī zhèn dí gū ， dàn biǎo miàn shàng ， dāng rán shì sī háo bù lù shēng sè ， bù guò tā mù guāng suǒ jí ， jū rán kàn jiàn le yí gè shú rén 。

林轩见了此景，心中一阵嘀咕，但表面上，当然是丝毫不露声色，不过他目光所及，居然看见了一个熟人。

Seeing this scene, Lin Xuan’s mind churned, yet he kept a neutral expression. However, his gaze caught sight of someone familiar: Tian Xiaojian!

tián xiǎo jiàn ！

田小剑！

The young man was waving excitedly towards him.

cǐ shí nà shào nián zhèng shí fēn xīng fèn dì xiàng tā zhāo shǒu 。

此时那少年正十分兴奋地像他招手。

Lin Xuan smiled and walked over as well. His action drew the attention of nearby cultivators, who were all silent and had cold expressions. He and Tian Xiaojian stood out somewhat.

lín xuān yě liǎn dài xiào róng dì zǒu le guò qù 。 tā dì zhè ge jǔ dòng 。 yǐn dé fù jìn dì xiū shì yī zhèn cè mù 。 yīn wèi lái dào zhè lǐ dì rén 。 quán dōu chén mò bù yǔ 。 biǎo qíng lěng kù 。 tā men liǎng gè 。 jiù xiǎn de pǒ wèi lìng lèi le 。

林轩也脸带笑容地走了过去。他地这个举动。引得附近地修士一阵侧目。因为来到这里地人。全都沉默不语。表情冷酷。他们两个。就显得颇为另类了。

However, once they realized that both of them only had Foundation Establishment First Stage cultivation, others turned away with mocking looks, no longer paying attention.

bù guò zài kàn qīng chǔ liǎng rén zhǐ yǒu zhù jī chū qī dì xiū wèi hòu 。 qí tā rén yě dōu mǎn hán jī fěng dì zhuǎn guò tóu 。 bù zài lǐ cǎi le 。

不过在看清楚两人只有筑基初期地修为后。其他人也都满含讥讽地转过头。不再理睬了。

"Brother Lin, I didn’t expect you to be here too," Tian Xiaojian’s voice was very warm, as if they were old friends who hadn’t seen each other in years.

“ lín dà gē 。 méi xiǎng dào nǐ yě lái zhè lǐ le 。” tián xiǎo jiàn dì shēng yīn xiǎn de shí fēn qīn rè 。 jiù zhēn dì xiàng shì duō nián wèi jiàn dì hǎo yǒu yì bān 。

“林大哥。没想到你也来这里了。”田小剑地声音显得十分亲热。就真地像是多年未见地好友一般。

"Reciprocally, reciprocally. I never thought my brother would come here either," Lin Xuan replied with the same enthusiasm.

“ bǐ cǐ 。 bǐ cǐ 。 wǒ yě méi xiǎng dào xiōng dì yě huì dào zhè lǐ lái 。” lín xuān tóng yàng shí fēn rè qiè dì xiào dào 。

“彼此。彼此。我也没想到兄弟也会到这里来。”林轩同样十分热切地笑道。

"Haha, little brother just wanted to broaden his horizons a bit. The trading fairs for Foundation Establishment stage cultivators aren’t like those in the outer markets; it’s quite lucky that some savings are still in my possession. I hope to find something worth buying." Tian Xiaojian scratched his head and spoke shyly.

“ hē hē ， xiǎo dì bù guò shì xiǎng kāi kāi yǎn jiè ér yǐ ， nà xiē wèi zhù jī qī xiū shì kāi bàn de jiāo yì huì kě bú shì wài miàn dì fāng shì kě bǐ ， còu qiǎo ， xiǎo dì shēn shàng hái yǒu yī xiē jī xù ， kàn néng bù néng mǎi dào zhōng yì de dōng xī 。” tián xiǎo jiàn náo le náo tóu ， yǒu xiē miǎn tiǎn de dào 。

“呵呵，小弟不过是想开开眼界而已，那些为筑基期修士开办的交易会可不是外面地坊市可比，凑巧，小弟身上还有一些积蓄，看能不能买到中意的东西。”田小剑挠了挠头，有些腼腆的道。

Lin Xuan's mind stirred, and he replied with a slight surprise: "Could it be that all these cultivators came here for higher-level trading fairs?"

lín xuān xīn zhōng yī dòng ， wēi dài yà rán de kāi kǒu ：“ nán dào zhè lǐ de xiū shì ， dōu shì lái cān jiā gāo yī jí de jiāo yì huì de ma ？”

林轩心中一动，微带讶然的开口：“难道这里的修士，都是来参加高一级的交易会的吗？”

"Yes, probably so. According to what little brother knows, only three Foundation Establishment stage cultivators are allowed into the higher-level trading fairs each time," Tian Xiaojian said.

“ ń 。 yīng gāi shì ba ， bù guò jù xiǎo dì suǒ zhī ， měi yī cì huò zhǔn jìn rù gāo yī jí jiāo yì huì de zhù jī qī xiū shì 。 bù guò qū qū sān gè ér yǐ 。”

“嗯。应该是吧，不过据小弟所知，每一次获准进入高一级交易会的筑基期修士。不过区区三个而已。”

"Three?" Lin Xuan frowned as there were many people in front of him.

“ sān gè ？” lín xuān zhòu le zhòu méi ， yǎn qián yǒu nà me duō 。

“三个？”林轩皱了皱眉，眼前有那么多。

Seeing his expression, Tian Xiaojian smiled slightly: "Of course, it’s through a selection process. However, the conditions set by our sect vary each year; we don’t know what they’ll come up with this time."

jiāng tā de biǎo qíng kàn zài yǎn lǐ ， tián xiǎo jiàn wēi wēi yī xiào ：“ dāng rán shì yào jīng guò yī fān shāi xuǎn ， bù guò měi cì tiān mù pài tí chū lái dì tiáo jiàn dōu bù yí yàng ， jiù bù zhī dào jīn nián ， tā men yòu huì yǒu shén me xīn huā yàng 。”

将他的表情看在眼里，田小剑微微一笑：“当然是要经过一番筛选，不过每次天目派提出来地条件都不一样，就不知道今年，他们又会有什么新花样。”

Just as they were speaking, a loud noise echoed, and a stone door opened, revealing someone.

liǎng rén zhèng shuō dào zhè lǐ ， hōng lōng yī shēng ， qián fāng de shí mén dǎ kāi ， zǒu chū le yí gè rén lái 。

两人正说到这里，轰隆一声，前方的石门打开，走出了一个人来。

This person was around forty years old, dressed in an apricot-colored Daoist robe, had thick eyebrows and large eyes, exuding an imposing presence. His cultivation level was at the peak of Foundation Establishment stage.

cǐ rén dà yuē sì shí yú suì zuǒ yòu 。 shēn chuān xìng huáng dào páo ， nóng méi dà yǎn ， qì shì fēi fán ， xiū wèi gèng shì dào le zhù jī qī dà yuán mǎn 。

此人大约四十余岁左右。身穿杏黄道袍，浓眉大眼，气势非凡，修为更是到了筑基期大圆满。

He glanced around the hall, gave a bow, and then spoke freely:

tā sǎo shì le dà tīng yī yǎn ， bào le bào quán ， jiù chàng rán kāi kǒu dào ：

他扫视了大厅一眼，抱了抱拳，就畅然开口道：

"Hello everyone, welcome to Mount Tianzhu. Since you’re here, it means you wish to participate in our trading fair for Condensation Core stage seniors."

“ zài xià zhōu hǎi ， huān yíng gè wèi tóng dào lái dào wǒ tiān mù shān ， dà jiā jì rán dào le cǐ chù ， nà jiù shì xiǎng yào cān jiā wèi níng dān qī qián bèi jǔ xíng de jiāo yì huì le 。”

“在下周海，欢迎各位同道来到我天目山，大家既然到了此处，那就是想要参加为凝丹期前辈举行的交易会了。”

"While this sect also wants to meet your needs, the cultivation world is one where strength speaks. If we allowed all of you to join, with too many participants, it might upset the far-traveling Condensation Core seniors. According to tradition, only three lucky individuals can enter each time."

“ suī rán běn pài yě xiǎng mǎn zú zhū wèi tóng dào dì yāo qiú 。 dàn xiū xiān jiè bì jìng shì yòng shí lì shuō huà de dì fāng ， rú guǒ fàng rèn zhū wèi tóng dào quán dōu cān jiā ， rén shù tài duō ， kǒng pà huì yǐn dé yuǎn dào ér lái de zhū wèi níng dān qián bèi men bù mǎn ， suǒ yǐ àn zhào wǎng jiè de guī jǔ ， zhǐ néng xuǎn chū sān wèi xìng yùn de tóng dào ér yǐ 。”

“虽然本派也想满足诸位同道地要求。但修仙界毕竟是用实力说话的地方，如果放任诸位同道全都参加，人数太多，恐怕会引得远道而来的诸位凝丹前辈们不满，所以按照往届的规矩，只能选出三位幸运的同道而已。”

After saying that, Zhou Hai paused and observed everyone's reactions. Most cultivators showed no surprise or dissatisfaction, while a few looked surprised but remained silent.

zhōu hǎi shuō dào zhè lǐ ， dùn le yī dùn ， dǎ liàng le yī yǎn zhòng rén de fǎn yìng ， jié guǒ chū le shǎo shù xiū shì lù chū jīng yà yǔ bù mǎn wài 。 qí tā rén quán dōu biǎo qíng mù rán 。 kàn lái dào cǐ chù de rén ， dà duō zǎo jiù zhī dào le tiān mù shān de guī jǔ 。 nà shǎo shù rén jiàn qí tā xiū shì mò bù zuò shēng ， yě dōu hěn shí qù de bì zuǐ 。

周海说到这里，顿了一顿，打量了一眼众人的反应，结果出了少数修士露出惊讶与不满外。其他人全都表情木然。看来到此处的人，大多早就知道了天目山的规矩。那少数人见其他修士默不作声，也都很识趣的闭嘴。

"Alright, since there are no objections from all of you, I’ll now state the conditions for this selection."

“ hǎo ， jì rán zhū wèi dào yǒu méi yǒu yì yì ， nà wǒ jiù shuō chū cǐ cì shāi xuǎn dì tiáo jiàn 。”

“好，既然诸位道友没有异议，那我就说出此次筛选地条件。”

The critical moment had arrived; the faces of the cultivators turned serious as they listened intently. A couple seemed unconcerned due to some hidden support.

guān jiàn de shí kè dào le ， zhòng xiū shì de biǎo qíng dōu biàn dé níng zhòng qǐ lái ， liú shén qīng tīng ， dāng rán ， qí zhōng yě yǒu yī liǎng gè huò xǔ shì yǒu shén me píng yī ， lù chū mǎn bù zài hū de yàng zi 。

关键的时刻到了，众修士的表情都变得凝重起来，留神倾听，当然，其中也有一两个或许是有什么凭依，露出满不在乎的样子。

Lin Xuan stared ahead with his peripheral vision capturing everyone's reactions.

lín xuān suī rán tóng yàng dīng zhe qián miàn ， dàn yǎn jiǎo de yú guāng què jiāng zhòng rén de fǎn yìng yī yī jìn shōu yǎn dǐ 。

林轩虽然同样盯着前面，但眼角的余光却将众人的反应一一尽收眼底。

Zhou Hai flipped his hand, revealing a fist-sized fruit in his palm. The fruit resembled a duck pear from the mortal world but had a green exterior and emitted only faint essence energy.

zhōu hǎi yòu shǒu yī fān ， zhǎng xīn zhōng yǐ duō chū le yí gè quán tou dà xiǎo de guǒ zi lái ， nà guǒ zi zhǎng dé yǒu diǎn xiàng shì sú jiān de yā lí ， rán ér biǎo pí què shì qīng sè ， háo bù qǐ yǎn ， jǐn jǐn yǒu yì diǎn dàn dàn de líng qì sàn fà chū lái 。

周海右手一翻，掌心中已多出了一个拳头大小的果子来，那果子长得有点像世俗间的鸭梨，然而表皮却是青色，毫不起眼，仅仅有一点淡淡的灵气散发出来。

"This is called Wood Spirit Fruit; it’s not considered a rare treasure. It merely has some health benefits when consumed. Although ordinary, this fruit is unique to Mount Tianzhu and can’t be found elsewhere."

“ cǐ wù míng jiào mù líng guǒ ， bìng bù suàn shén me tiān cái dì bǎo ， jǐn jǐn shì chī le yǒu yì diǎn qiáng shēn jiàn tǐ dì gōng xiào ， rán ér mù líng guǒ suī rán píng fán ， què shì wǒ tiān mù shān tè yǒu zhī wù ， wài jiè shì jué duì méi yǒu de 。”

“此物名叫木灵果，并不算什么天材地宝，仅仅是吃了有一点强身健体地功效，然而木灵果虽然平凡，却是我天目山特有之物，外界是绝对没有的。”

The cultivators were taken aback, unsure of Zhou Hai's sudden appearance with the fruit. They remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

zhòng xiū shì yī dāi ， bù zhī dào zhōu hǎi tū rán ná chū mù líng guǒ lái yǒu hé yòng yì ， dàn yě dōu méi yǒu kāi kǒu ， jìng jìng de děng zhe duì fāng shuō xià qù 。

众修士一呆，不知道周海突然拿出木灵果来有何用意，但也都没有开口，静静的等着对方说下去。

"Shortly, I will randomly divide you into three groups. Each group will have several Wood Spirit Trees in their designated area. Your task is to gather as many fruits as possible within three hours. The person who gathers the most from each group can enter the trading fair. Of course, while searching for these trees, be wary of others stealing your fruit; otherwise, you’ll still lose."

“ yī huì er wǒ huì suí yì jiāng zhū wèi tóng dào fēn chéng sān zǔ ， měi yī zǔ bèi chuán sòng dào dì fāng dū huì yǒu jǐ zhū mù líng guǒ shù ， dà jiā de rèn wù jiù shì jǐn liàng cǎi gèng duō de cǐ guǒ ， shí jiān shì sān gè shí chén ， měi yī zǔ cǎi dé zuì duō zhī rén jiù kě yǐ huò zhǔn jìn rù jiāo yì huì le ， dāng rán ， zhū wèi dào yǒu chú le xún zhǎo mù líng guǒ shù wài yě yào zhù yì zì jǐ de guǒ zi bú yào bèi bié rén qiǎng zǒu ， fǒu zé tóng yàng suàn shū 。”

“一会儿我会随意将诸位同道分成三组，每一组被传送到地方都会有几株木灵果树，大家的任务就是尽量采更多的此果，时间是三个时辰，每一组采得最多之人就可以获准进入交易会了，当然，诸位道友除了寻找木灵果树外也要注意自己的果子不要被别人抢走，否则同样算输。”

The cultivators exchanged glances, their faces turning grim at Zhou Hai's last statement.

tīng dào hòu miàn yī jù zhòng xiū shì miàn miàn xiāng qù ， liǎn sè dōu biàn dé fēi cháng nán kàn le qǐ lái ， nà zhōu hǎi de huà suī rán shuō dé wěi wǎn ， kě yì sī què fēi cháng míng xiǎn 。

听到后面一句众修士面面相觑，脸色都变得非常难看了起来，那周海的话虽然说得委婉，可意思却非常明显。

Although his words were gentle, the meaning was clear: protect your own fruit from being stolen, implying that they could snatch others' fruits freely.

zì jǐ de guǒ zi bú yào bèi bié rén qiǎng zǒu le ， huàn yán zhī ， jiù shì kě yǐ suí yì qiǎng bié rén de dōng xī 。

自己的果子不要被别人抢走了，换言之，就是可以随意抢别人的东西。

Isn’t this clearly encouraging mutual slaughter?

zhè bú shì bǎi míng liǎo ràng dà jiā hù xiāng cán shā ma ？

这不是摆明了让大家互相残杀吗？

Is there a mistake? It’s just about getting into the trading fair, not competing for some treasure. Why does it have to be so brutal?

yǒu méi yǒu gǎo cuò ， bù guò shì qǔ dé cān jiā jiāo yì huì dì zī gé ， yòu bú shì zhēng duó shén me fǎ bǎo líng wù ， jū rán nòng dé yào xìng mìng xiàng bó ？

有没有搞错，不过是取得参加交易会地资格，又不是争夺什么法宝灵物，居然弄得要性命相搏？

Although the cultivation world is inherently bloody, such an excuse was too absurd. Could there be any hidden plot?