yǔ yè píng ér fēn shǒu yǐ hòu ， lín xuān huà wèi yī dào jīng hóng ， chóng xīn fēi shè xiàng le tiān kōng 。 gāng gāng de xiǎo chā qǔ ，
与叶瓶儿分手以后，林轩化为一道惊虹，重新飞射向了天空。刚刚的小插曲，
After breaking up with Ye Pin'er, Lin Xuan transformed into a streak of shocking light and flew back towards the sky. The little incident earlier,
tā zì rán bú huì fàng zài yǎn lǐ ， rú jīn dí dàng wù zhī jí ， shì yào duì yāo líng dǎo de qíng kuàng duō zuò liǎo jiě 。
他自然不会放在眼里，如今的当务之急，是要对妖灵岛的情况多做了解。
he naturally did not take much notice. His current top priority was to gain more understanding about Jiaoling Island.
sú huà shuō ， fáng rén zhī xīn bù kě wú ， xuán fèng mén de xiū shì suī duì zì jǐ bù cuò ， dàn lín xuān zǒng gǎn jué tā men lìng
俗话说，防人之心不可无，玄凤门的修士虽对自己不错，但林轩总感觉他们另
As they say, one should always be wary of others. Although the disciples from Xuanfeng Sect were kind to him, Lin Xuan felt that they had their own ulterior motives and thus needed to secretly guard against them.
yǒu mù dì ， yīn cǐ zì rán yào àn zhōng dī fáng yī xiē 。
有目的，因此自然要暗中提防一些。
The journey was uneventful; he did encounter a few妖兽, but they were all weak first or second-tier creatures which he easily eliminated. As for human cultivators, he hadn't run into any in the past three days, suggesting that Jiaoling Island was indeed sparsely populated.
yī lù wú shì ， suī rán yě pèng jiàn le jǐ tóu yāo shòu ， bù guò dōu shì yī èr jiē de lā jī ， lín xuān háo bú kè qì de
一路无事，虽然也碰见了几头妖兽，不过都是一二阶的垃圾，林轩毫不客气的
However, what surprised Lin Xuan was seeing several small cities of ordinary people. Each city had a population of around ten thousand or so.
shùn shǒu miè qù 。
顺手灭去。
This left him astonished; he never expected such harsh conditions on Jiaoling Island to support human life. Upon inquiry, it turned out that these were descendants of cultivators.
zhì yú rén lèi xiū shì ， què bù zhī wèi hé ， zhè sān tiān jū rán yí gè yě méi yǒu yù dào ， kàn lái yāo líng dǎo zhēn bú shì
至于人类修士，却不知为何，这三天居然一个也没有遇到，看来妖灵岛真不是
Millions of years ago, the five major妖修 led their followers here. Over time, not all of their offspring possessed cultivation资质, leading to the formation of ordinary cities.
yì bān de dì guǎng rén xī 。
一般的地广人稀。
Of course, these cities had some degree of protection from sects or families in the background; otherwise, they would have been wiped out by妖兽 long ago.
bù guò ràng lín xuān jīng yà de shì ， tā jū rán kàn jiàn le jǐ zuò fán rén de xiǎo chéng chí ， guī mó bú shì hěn dà ， yě jiù
不过让林轩惊讶的是，他居然看见了几座凡人的小城池，规模不是很大，也就
In the vicinity of the city, Lin Xuan saw numerous ancient禁制 ruins, with some dating back over a million years—handiwork of ancient cultivators.
shí lái wàn rén ba ！
十来万人吧！
A fortnight passed. On this day, as he continued his journey, he had explored nearly one-third of Jiaoling Island's area in recent days. However, he did not venture into famous dangerous areas like the Yohuan Mountains.
zhè ràng lín xuān è rán bù yǐ ， méi xiǎng dào tiáo jiàn è liè de yāo líng dǎo jū rán hái yǒu fán rén néng gòu shēng cún xià qù 。
这让林轩愕然不已，没想到条件恶劣的妖灵岛居然还有凡人能够生存下去。
Although Lin Xuan once considered it, the legendary ancient teleportation array was said to be deep within that mountain range. After careful consideration, he decided against it due to the numerous妖兽, some of which were at the transmutation stage. Even with his abilities, rashly entering would not yield any benefits.
yī dǎ tīng ， yuán lái zhè xiē dōu shì xiū xiān zhě de hòu yì 。
一打听，原来这些都是修仙者的后裔。
As they say, one must plan before acting; even if he later sought out the ancient teleportation array, proper preparation was necessary.
shù bǎi wàn nián qián ， wǔ dà yāo xiū dài lǐng zhuī suí zhě qiān jū yú cǐ ， suì yuè yōu yōu ， tā men de hòu dài yě bù yí dìng
数百万年前，五大妖修带领追随者迁居于此，岁月悠悠，他们的后代也不一定
Suddenly, Lin Xuan's brow raised as a faint gray light appeared in the distance.
quán dōu yōng yǒu xiū xiān zī zhì ， yú shì biàn yǒu le fán rén de chéng chí 。
全都拥有修仙资质，于是便有了凡人的城池。
A cultivator, and quite powerful, already at the condensation core stage.
dāng rán zhè xiē chéng chí bèi hòu ， dōu huò duō huò shǎo yǒu zōng mén jiā zú àn zhōng shǒu hù ， fǒu zé zǎo jiù bèi yāo shòu suǒ tú lù 。
当然这些城池背后，都或多或少有宗门家族暗中守护，否则早就被妖兽所屠戮。
Although just entering this realm recently, his妖力 was incredibly vigorous. It seemed he had some unique cultivation techniques.
lín xuān zài chéng chí sì zhōu ， jiù kàn jiàn le bù shǎo gǔ jìn zhì de yí jì ， yǒu de shèn zhì yǒu shàng bǎi wàn nián lì shǐ ， nǎi
林轩在城池四周，就看见了不少古禁制的遗迹，有的甚至有上百万年历史，乃
Lin Xuan pondered this as the light suddenly changed direction and flew towards him.
shì yuǎn gǔ xiū shì de shǒu bǐ 。
是远古修士的手笔。
It seemed that person had also discovered his presence. He wondered what his intentions were. Nevertheless, Lin Xuan was not afraid of any ill intentions; he stopped in mid-air with a retracted gray light.
yī huǎng yǎn ， bàn yuè guò qù ， zhè rì ， lín xuān jì xù gǎn lù ， zhè xiē tiān ， tā yǐ jiāng yāo líng dǎo tàn suǒ le jìn sān
一晃眼，半月过去，这日，林轩继续赶路，这些天，他已将妖灵岛探索了近三
The gray light wasn't noticeable, but it moved swiftly. After a few breaths, the figure came to a stop before him.
fēn zhī yī de miàn jī 。
分之一的面积。
The light faded, revealing a tall man wearing a gray robe.
dāng rán ， lín xuān bìng méi yǒu shēn rù yī xiē zhù míng xiǎn dì ， bǐ rú yōu huàn shān mài 。
当然，林轩并没有深入一些著名险地，比如幽幻山脉。
Around forty years old, he had thick eyebrows and large eyes. His physique was like an iron tower; in secular society, he would be a formidable warrior.
suī shuō ， lín xuān yě qǐ guò zhè ge niàn tou ， nà chuán shuō zhōng de gǔ chuán sòng zhèn jiù wèi yú cǐ shān shēn chù 。 dàn zǐ xì sī
虽说，林轩也起过这个念头，那传说中的古传送阵就位于此山深处。但仔细思
His gaze swept over Lin Xuan, but his expression changed. The wild look vanished, replaced by respect and admiration as he clasped his hands together.
liàng yǐ hòu ， lín xuān hái shì fàng qì le ， lǐ miàn yāo shòu tài duō ， qí zhōng bù fá huà xíng qī de guài wù ， jí biàn yǐ zì
量以后，林轩还是放弃了，里面妖兽太多，其中不乏化形期的怪物，即便以自
"May I ask, friend, are you also heading to the Mangshan Conference?"
jǐ de shén tōng ， mào rán chuǎng rù ， yě jué duì tǎo bù liǎo hǎo chù 。
己的神通，冒然闯入，也绝对讨不了好处。
"Mangshan Conference?" Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow. "I've never heard of it. What is that thing?"
sú huà shuō ， móu dìng ér hòu dòng ， jiù suàn rì hòu yào xún fǎng gǔ chuán sòng zhèn ， yě bì xū zhǔn bèi chōng fèn cái kě 。
俗话说，谋定而后动，就算日后要寻访古传送阵，也必须准备充分才可。
"Haha, don't joke around," the man said with a smile. "The Mangshan Conference is famous throughout the land. With your cultivation level, how could you possibly ignore it?"
lín xuān yī biān fēi yī biān xiǎng zhe ， tū rán méi tóu yī tiāo ， yuǎn chù chū xiàn le yī dào huī méng méng de dùn guāng 。
林轩一边飞一边想着，突然眉头一挑，远处出现了一道灰蒙蒙的遁光。
The man's expression turned doubtful.
xiū yāo zhě ， ér qiě shí lì bù ruò ， yǐ dào níng dān qī le 。
修妖者，而且实力不弱，已到凝丹期了。
"I won't hide from you. I am an independent cultivator who followed my mentor into cultivation since childhood. For centuries, I have been潜修 in the mountains. This is my first time venturing out…" Lin Xuan remained calm on the surface but spoke with a smooth flow of lies.
suī rán gāng bù rù cǐ jìng jiè bù jiǔ ， dàn cǐ rén tǐ nèi de yāo lì què shí fēn péng bó ， kàn lái xiū liàn de gōng fǎ pǒ
虽然刚步入此境界不久，但此人体内的妖力却十分蓬勃，看来修炼的功法颇
"What?" The man's face showed surprise. While it wasn't unheard of for someone to be new despite having condensed their core, such a situation was rare.
yǒu jǐ fēn dú dào zhī chù 。
有几分独到之处。
Half-believing and half-skeptical, he continued, "That is interesting. My name is Zhang Song; I am also an independent cultivator. Would you like to travel with me to the Mangshan Conference?"
lín xuān xià zhè yàng xiǎng zhe ， nà dùn guāng tū rán fāng xiàng yī gǎi ， cháo zhe zhè biān fēi lái 。
林轩下这样想着，那遁光突然方向一改，朝着这边飞来。
"Of course, it would broaden my horizons," Lin Xuan said with a smile. "But could you explain what this so-called Mangshan Conference is about first?"
kàn lái cǐ rén yě fā xiàn le zì jǐ de xíng zōng ， jiù bù zhī dào tā guò lái shì xiǎng wèi hé ， dāng rán ， yǐ lín xuān de xiū
看来此人也发现了自己的行踪，就不知道他过来是想为何，当然，以林轩的修
"Haha, even if you don't ask, I will clarify." The man waved his hand and spoke openly in a very straightforward manner.
wèi zì rán bù pà duì fāng yǒu bù liáng qǐ tú ， gān cuì dùn guāng yī liǎn ， zài bàn kōng zhōng tíng le xià lái 。
为自然不怕对方有不良企图，干脆遁光一敛，在半空中停了下来。
"The Mangshan Conference is our main event on Jiaoling Island. It takes place every ten years, allowing participants to exchange resources and cultivation materials."
nà huī sè de dùn guāng bìng bù qǐ yǎn ， dàn sù dù què yì diǎn bù màn ， jǐ xī zhī hòu ， jiù lái dào zì jǐ shēn qián 。
那灰色的遁光并不起眼，但速度却一点不慢，几息之后，就来到自己身前。
"Ah, so it's an exchange fair!"
guāng huá shōu liǎn ， xiàn chū le yī wèi shēn chuān huī páo de dà hàn 。
光华收敛，现出了一位身穿灰袍的大汉。
"Haha, you can say that. But the Mangshan Conference isn't just any ordinary exchange fair."
cǐ rén yuē sì shí chū tóu ， nóng méi dà yǎn 。 shēn cái yǒu rú tiě tǎ ， ruò shì fàng zài shì sú ， biàn shì yī jué shì měng jiàng 。
此人约四十出头，浓眉大眼。身材有如铁塔，若是放在世俗，便是一绝世猛将。
"Oh, are there special aspects?" Lin Xuan was intrigued by what he heard.
mù guāng zài lín xuān shēn shàng sǎo guò ， dà hàn de biǎo qíng què biàn le ， kuáng tài shōu liǎn ， lù chū le yī sī jìng zhòng yǔ pèi fú
目光在林轩身上扫过，大汉的表情却变了，狂态收敛，露出了一丝敬重与佩服
"Of course; otherwise, how could it be considered a major event for all cultivators on Jiaoling Island?"
， bào le bào quán ：“ gǎn wèn dào yǒu ， yě shì qù cān jiā máng shān dà huì de me ”
，抱了抱拳：“敢问道友，也是去参加邙山大会的么”
The man grinned widely. "Firstly, its scale. Although this exchange takes place every ten years and doesn't have a fixed location, the various rare items that appear are far superior to any market in Jiaoling Island. With enough晶石, one can bid on many valuable things. Once, someone is said to have bought a later-stage妖兽's tooth."
“ máng shān dà huì ？” lín xuān méi tóu yī tiāo ，“ lín mǒu méi tīng shuō guò ， nà shì shén me dōng xī ？”
“邙山大会？”林轩眉头一挑，“林某没听说过，那是什么东西？”
Later-stage妖兽's teeth?
“ hē hē ， dào yǒu shuō xiào le ， máng shān dà huì shēng míng hè hè ， yǐ dào yǒu de xiū wèi ， zěn me kě néng shú shì wú dǔ ？” dà hàn biǎo qíng yī dāi ， liǎn shàng míng xiǎn lù chū jǐ fēn huái yí de shén sè 。
“呵呵，道友说笑了，邙山大会声名赫赫，以道友的修为，怎么可能熟视无睹？”大汉表情一呆，脸上明显露出几分怀疑的神色。
Lin Xuan was taken aback. Such monsters' cultivation levels were comparable to late-stage元婴 cultivators. While their fur and bones were extremely rare, hunting them was almost impossible.
“ bù mán dào yǒu ， lín mǒu nǎi shì sàn xiū ， zì yòu suí ēn shī rù dào ， shù bǎi nián lái ， yì zhí zài shēn shān zhōng qián xiū
“不瞒道友，林某乃是散修，自幼随恩师入道，数百年来，一直在深山中潜修
Their teeth, if used for forging, could easily produce top-notch treasures with decent craftsmanship and a few additional materials.
， zhè cái shì dì yī cì chū lái ……” lín xuān biǎo xiàn bù dòng shēng sè ， kǒu zhōng de huǎng yán què gǔn gǔn ér chū ， rú jīn
，这才是第一次出来……”林轩表现不动声色，口中的谎言却滚滚而出，如今
Could such things actually be bought?
tā biān gù shì yǐ jīng kě yǐ bù zhǎ yǎn le 。
他编故事已经可以不眨眼了。
Even Lin Xuan's stoic expression showed signs of greed.
“ shén me ？” huī páo dà hàn de liǎn shàng mǎn shì jīng róng ， lín xuān suǒ shuō zhè zhǒng qíng kuàng yě bú shì méi yǒu 。 dàn yì bān
“什么？”灰袍大汉的脸上满是惊容，林轩所说这种情况也不是没有。但一般
"Haha, it seems you are interested. But I advise you not to have too high hopes; those items would be fiercely competed for by countless people, often ending up at sky-high prices, something beyond the reach of ordinary independent cultivators," the man said wisely.
shuō lái ， zhù jī chéng gōng yǐ hòu jiù huì xià shān lì liàn ， zhè zhǒng dōu yǐ níng dān què shuō zì jǐ shì xīn rén jiǎn zhí shì wén suǒ
说来，筑基成功以后就会下山历练，这种都已凝丹却说自己是新人简直是闻所
"I understand. But hearing what you say, the Mangshan Conference does sound quite appealing." Lin Xuan smiled.
wèi wén 。
未闻。
"Indeed, even if we can't afford top-tier materials, we might still find useful items—elixirs, cultivation techniques, and various pieces of information…"
xīn zhōng bàn xìn bàn yí ， dàn yě bù hǎo jì xù dǎ tàn xià qù ，“ yuán lái rú cǐ ， zài xià zhāng sōng ， yě shì sàn xiū yī
心中半信半疑，但也不好继续打探下去，“原来如此，在下张松，也是散修一
"Oh, can such information be exchanged for晶石?" Lin Xuan's eyes flashed with interest, but his tone remained calm.
gè ， cǐ qù cān jiā máng shān dà huì ， dào yǒu yuàn yì jié bàn tóng háng me ？”
个，此去参加邙山大会，道友愿意结伴同行么？”
"Of course. Every time the Mangshan Conference is held, countless heroes from all over the Five Great Mountains gather. Various secrets and news can also be exchanged. Some even sell their treasure information," the man said.
After breaking up with Ye Pin'er, Lin Xuan transformed into a streak of shocking light and flew back towards the sky. The little incident earlier,
he naturally did not take much notice. His current top priority was to gain more understanding about Jiaoling Island.
As they say, one should always be wary of others. Although the disciples from Xuanfeng Sect were kind to him, Lin Xuan felt that they had their own ulterior motives and thus needed to secretly guard against them.
The journey was uneventful; he did encounter a few妖兽, but they were all weak first or second-tier creatures which he easily eliminated. As for human cultivators, he hadn't run into any in the past three days, suggesting that Jiaoling Island was indeed sparsely populated.
However, what surprised Lin Xuan was seeing several small cities of ordinary people. Each city had a population of around ten thousand or so.
This left him astonished; he never expected such harsh conditions on Jiaoling Island to support human life. Upon inquiry, it turned out that these were descendants of cultivators.
Millions of years ago, the five major妖修 led their followers here. Over time, not all of their offspring possessed cultivation资质, leading to the formation of ordinary cities.
Of course, these cities had some degree of protection from sects or families in the background; otherwise, they would have been wiped out by妖兽 long ago.
In the vicinity of the city, Lin Xuan saw numerous ancient禁制 ruins, with some dating back over a million years—handiwork of ancient cultivators.
A fortnight passed. On this day, as he continued his journey, he had explored nearly one-third of Jiaoling Island's area in recent days. However, he did not venture into famous dangerous areas like the Yohuan Mountains.
Although Lin Xuan once considered it, the legendary ancient teleportation array was said to be deep within that mountain range. After careful consideration, he decided against it due to the numerous妖兽, some of which were at the transmutation stage. Even with his abilities, rashly entering would not yield any benefits.
As they say, one must plan before acting; even if he later sought out the ancient teleportation array, proper preparation was necessary.
Suddenly, Lin Xuan's brow raised as a faint gray light appeared in the distance.
A cultivator, and quite powerful, already at the condensation core stage.
Although just entering this realm recently, his妖力 was incredibly vigorous. It seemed he had some unique cultivation techniques.
Lin Xuan pondered this as the light suddenly changed direction and flew towards him.
It seemed that person had also discovered his presence. He wondered what his intentions were. Nevertheless, Lin Xuan was not afraid of any ill intentions; he stopped in mid-air with a retracted gray light.
The gray light wasn't noticeable, but it moved swiftly. After a few breaths, the figure came to a stop before him.
The light faded, revealing a tall man wearing a gray robe.
Around forty years old, he had thick eyebrows and large eyes. His physique was like an iron tower; in secular society, he would be a formidable warrior.
His gaze swept over Lin Xuan, but his expression changed. The wild look vanished, replaced by respect and admiration as he clasped his hands together.
"May I ask, friend, are you also heading to the Mangshan Conference?"
"Mangshan Conference?" Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow. "I've never heard of it. What is that thing?"
"Haha, don't joke around," the man said with a smile. "The Mangshan Conference is famous throughout the land. With your cultivation level, how could you possibly ignore it?"
The man's expression turned doubtful.
"I won't hide from you. I am an independent cultivator who followed my mentor into cultivation since childhood. For centuries, I have been潜修 in the mountains. This is my first time venturing out…" Lin Xuan remained calm on the surface but spoke with a smooth flow of lies.
"What?" The man's face showed surprise. While it wasn't unheard of for someone to be new despite having condensed their core, such a situation was rare.
Half-believing and half-skeptical, he continued, "That is interesting. My name is Zhang Song; I am also an independent cultivator. Would you like to travel with me to the Mangshan Conference?"
"Of course, it would broaden my horizons," Lin Xuan said with a smile. "But could you explain what this so-called Mangshan Conference is about first?"
"Haha, even if you don't ask, I will clarify." The man waved his hand and spoke openly in a very straightforward manner.
"The Mangshan Conference is our main event on Jiaoling Island. It takes place every ten years, allowing participants to exchange resources and cultivation materials."
"Ah, so it's an exchange fair!"
"Haha, you can say that. But the Mangshan Conference isn't just any ordinary exchange fair."
"Oh, are there special aspects?" Lin Xuan was intrigued by what he heard.
"Of course; otherwise, how could it be considered a major event for all cultivators on Jiaoling Island?"
The man grinned widely. "Firstly, its scale. Although this exchange takes place every ten years and doesn't have a fixed location, the various rare items that appear are far superior to any market in Jiaoling Island. With enough晶石, one can bid on many valuable things. Once, someone is said to have bought a later-stage妖兽's tooth."
Later-stage妖兽's teeth?
Lin Xuan was taken aback. Such monsters' cultivation levels were comparable to late-stage元婴 cultivators. While their fur and bones were extremely rare, hunting them was almost impossible.
Their teeth, if used for forging, could easily produce top-notch treasures with decent craftsmanship and a few additional materials.
Could such things actually be bought?
Even Lin Xuan's stoic expression showed signs of greed.
"Haha, it seems you are interested. But I advise you not to have too high hopes; those items would be fiercely competed for by countless people, often ending up at sky-high prices, something beyond the reach of ordinary independent cultivators," the man said wisely.
"I understand. But hearing what you say, the Mangshan Conference does sound quite appealing." Lin Xuan smiled.
"Indeed, even if we can't afford top-tier materials, we might still find useful items—elixirs, cultivation techniques, and various pieces of information…"
"Oh, can such information be exchanged for晶石?" Lin Xuan's eyes flashed with interest, but his tone remained calm.
"Of course. Every time the Mangshan Conference is held, countless heroes from all over the Five Great Mountains gather. Various secrets and news can also be exchanged. Some even sell their treasure information," the man said.