zì cóng zhè dìng yú bó cǎi kāi shǐ zhī hòu ， jiù chéng le cóng yún hǎi xiū shì zuì shòu huān yíng de huó dòng 。
自从这定鱼博彩开始之后，就成了丛云海修士最受欢迎的活动。
Since the start of the Fish Determination Lottery, it had become the most popular activity among cultivators in the Cunyun Sea.
yóu qí shì měi nián mò zuì hòu yī cháng dìng yú ， cān yù de xiū shì shù liàng zhī duō ， jī hū jǐ mǎn le nà zuò gū dǎo 。
尤其是每年末最后一场定鱼，参与的修士数量之多，几乎挤满了那座孤岛。
Especially at the end of each year, when the final Fish Determination was held, so many cultivators participated that they nearly filled up the entire isolated island.
shéi dōu xiǎng zhe yī yè bào fù 。
谁都想着一夜暴富。
Everyone dreamed of a sudden windfall.
máo dìng 16 nián mò de nà chǎng dìng yú ， lǐ fán yě qù còu le gè rè nào 。
锚定16年末的那场定鱼，李凡也去凑了个热闹。
In late 16th Year, Li Fan also went to see the spectacle out of curiosity. He found that there were some tricks involved in this lottery beyond just relying on luck. The fish from various parts of the Cunyun Sea that traveled thousands of miles here weren't weaklings; they had to ensure their survival and accumulate strength over 27 days, preparing for the final leap.
tā fā xiàn ， zhè dìng yú ， hái zhēn yǒu xiē mén dào 。 bù guāng shì jǐn píng yùn qì zhè me jiǎn dān 。
他发现，这定鱼，还真有些门道。不光是仅凭运气这么简单。
On the day when the lake waters erupted, the position each fish was in greatly influenced its ultimate height. In the lakes, millions of fish struggled against each other, with only one lucky winner relying on fate's favor to emerge victorious.
yào zhī dào ， zhè gū dǎo hú pō zhōng de yú ， lái zì cóng yún hǎi gè chù 。
要知道，这孤岛湖泊中的鱼，来自丛云海各处。
Li Fan's divine sense flowed among the myriad fish, but he couldn't find a particularly suitable candidate after much searching. He ended up randomly choosing a seemingly robust fish just before the deadline, which was then devoured by two other fish before it could complete its leap.
néng bá shè qiān wàn lǐ lái dào zhè lǐ de ， měi tiáo shí lì dōu bù chà 。
能跋涉千万里来到这里的，每条实力都不差。
Shaking his head, Li Fan resigned himself to bad luck as the results were announced, revealing that the victor was a white pomfret that looked sickly and unremarkable. This fish had barely managed to survive in the lake but ended up winning the lottery.
èr shí qī tiān de guān chá qī nèi ， zhè xiē yú jì yào bǎo zhèng zì jǐ zài hú pō nèi de shēng cún wèi zhì ， yě yào jī zǎn shí lì 、 wèi zuì hòu de fēi tiān yī yuè zuò zhǔn bèi 。
二十七天的观察期内，这些鱼既要保证自己在湖泊内的生存位置，也要积攒实力、为最后的飞天一跃做准备。
The cultivators watching the replay on the recording stones discovered that this white pomfret's luck was extraordinary. It was positioned at the most turbulent point when the waters erupted, and its accumulated strength gave it a decisive edge, allowing it to leap skyward.
ér zuì zhōng hú shuǐ pēn fā de nà tiān ， shuǐ liú fēi jiàn shí ， gè tiáo yú suǒ chù de wèi zhì ， yě zài hěn dà chéng dù shàng jué dìng le zuì hòu yuè qǐ de gāo dù 。
而最终湖水喷发的那天，水流飞溅时，各条鱼所处的位置，也在很大程度上决定了最后跃起的高度。
No one could predict the outcome, but they watched with mixed feelings as the white pomfret won. Li Fan noted down the appearance of this fish in his mind, pondering if it would still be the victor in their next life.
qiān wàn tiáo yú ， zài zhè hú pō zhōng ， mìng yùn bǐ cǐ jiāo zhī ， hù xiāng zhèng mìng 。
千万条鱼，在这湖泊中，命运彼此交织，互相挣命。
The Fish Determination ended with some happy and others sad. Regardless, the task at hand had to be done. The cultivators worked together to transform all other fish into essence, except for the white pomfret.
nà wéi yī de xìng yùn ér ， bù jǐn yào zhàn shèng tā de jìng zhēng duì shǒu ， zuì zhōng hái yào yī kào hú shuǐ de “ tiān mìng ”， cái néng chéng wéi nà ge zuì hòu de yíng jiā 。
那唯一的幸运儿，不仅要战胜它的竞争对手，最终还要依靠湖水的“天命”，才能成为那个最后的赢家。
The white pomfret devoured this essence, instantly swelling several times its size. Its teeth sharpened like blades, and blood-red stripes appeared on its scales as a sinister aura emerged from within. In just a short time, it had undergone a transformation that other fish would have struggled to achieve in their lifetimes.
hé qí nán yě ！
何其难也！
Releasing the white pomfret back into the sea, the cultivators left together, including Li Fan. Halfway through their journey, Li Fan suddenly stopped, sensing that the transformed white pomfret's aura was rapidly weakening.
lǐ fán shén niàn zài qiān wàn tiáo yú jiān liú tǎng ， zhuàn yōu le xǔ jiǔ ， yě méi zhǎo dào tè bié hé shì de 。
李凡神念在千万条鱼间流淌，转悠了许久，也没找到特别合适的。
"What's going on?" Li Fan wondered, activating his Heaven and Earth Sensing Technique.
zuì zhōng zhǐ néng zài shí jiān jié zhǐ zhī qián ， suí yì xuǎn zé le yī tiáo kàn shàng qù hái suàn qiáng zhuàng de yú 。
最终只能在时间截止之前，随意选择了一条看上去还算强壮的鱼。
The scene showed five ugly, fierce fish surrounding the white pomfret. Each of these fish possessed strength comparable to the recently transformed white pomfret. They easily overpowered it, leaving it critically injured.
jié guǒ zhè tiáo yú jū rán méi néng chēng guò shèng xià de sān tiān ， zài hú shuǐ pēn bó zhī qián ， jiù bèi lìng wài liǎng tiáo yú hé huǒ gěi tūn shí le 。
结果这条鱼居然没能撑过剩下的三天，在湖水喷薄之前，就被另外两条鱼合伙给吞食了。
Li Fan observed that their bodies contained a mixture of essence and blood, indicating they had been artificially cultivated rather than naturally evolved.
lǐ fán yáo le yáo tóu ， zhǐ dé zì rèn dǎo méi 。
李凡摇了摇头，只得自认倒霉。
"Interesting; are all these victors from previous years?" Li Fan deduced. These fish with bestowed blessings couldn't re-enter the lake due to the outer array's barrier but had developed enough intelligence to know that new champions were born every month.
zuì zhōng jié guǒ chū lái ， nà gāo yuè yú suǒ yǒu yú zhī shàng de ， jū rán shì yī tiáo kàn shàng qǐ bìng yān yān 、 háo bù qǐ yǎn de bái sè chāng yú 。
最终结果出来，那高跃于所有鱼之上的，居然是一条看上起病恹恹、毫不起眼的白色鲳鱼。
Thus, they stayed and collectively attacked newly crowned champions, feasting on their flesh. Without the blessing, eating blessed fish was almost as good.
zhè tiáo yú zhī qián yě zhǐ shì miǎn qiǎng néng zài hú pō zhōng gǒu huó ér yǐ ， méi xiǎng dào què shì tā xiào dào le zuì hòu 。
这条鱼之前也只是勉强能在湖泊中苟活而已，没想到却是它笑到了最后。
Under Li Fan's gaze, the white pomfret, once hailed for its luck, was devoured by the five fish. Only a faint red bloodstain marked where it had been.
zhòng xiū shì tōng guò huí fàng liú yǐng shí jì lù xià de huà miàn ， cái fā xiàn ， yuán lái zhè bái sè chāng yú yùn qì hǎo dào nì tiān 。
众修士通过回放留影石记录下的画面，才发现，原来这白色鲳鱼运气好到逆天。
After satisfying themselves, the five strange fish swelled with essence and left contentedly.
hú shuǐ pēn fā shí ， zhèng hǎo chù zài shuǐ liú zuì wèi jī liè de nà ge diǎn shàng 。
湖水喷发时，正好处在水流最为激烈的那个点上。
Li Fan pondered this scene deeply as he returned to the Ten Thousand Immortals Island without closing himself off in the Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror. Instead, he looked up at the sky and the statue of a high-crowned elder overlooking the island, feeling increasingly profound.
zài jiā shàng tā zhī qián yě yì zhí zài jī xù zhuó lì liàng ， duō zhǒng yīn sù jiā chí zhī xià ， cái néng yī fēi chōng tiān ， bá dé tóu chóu 。
再加上它之前也一直在积蓄着力量，多种因素加持之下，才能一飞冲天，拔得头筹。
"Perhaps there are no truly new things in this world..."
méi rén néng yù liào dào ， yě zhǐ néng bù wú wǎn xī de kàn zhe zhè tiáo bái sè chāng yú 。
没人能预料到，也只能不无惋惜的看着这条白色鲳鱼。
Li Fan realized.
lǐ fán zé shì wú xiāng shā jī jiāng qí suǒ dìng ， jiāng tā de mú yàng zǐ xì jì zài xīn dǐ 。
李凡则是无相杀机将其锁定，将它的模样仔细记在心底。
Time passed steadily. By 17th Year, Zhang Haibo's cultivation had advanced to the Foundation Establishment中期 stage. Li Fan observed that he was no longer repeatedly practicing the "Determination of the Sea Divine Sword." Instead, he resumed his journey with the wind, forming a massive blue sword from one hundred and eight Determination of the Sea divine swords.
“ bù zhī dào ， xià yī shì ， shì bú shì hái shì zhè tiáo yú zuì zhōng shèng chū ？” lǐ fán mò míng xiǎng dào 。
“不知道，下一世，是不是还是这条鱼最终胜出？”李凡莫名想到。
Facing the howling winds, Zhang Haibo wielded his sword against them, seemingly weakening their strength. However, this was barely noticeable without Li Fan's Heaven and Earth Sensing Technique revealing it all.
dìng yú jié shù ， yǒu rén huān xǐ yǒu rén yōu chóu 。
定鱼结束，有人欢喜有人忧愁。
Despite this, Zhang Haibo remained unperturbed, persistently chasing one wind disaster after another to hone his sword intent in the midst of the storm.
bù guò gāi zuò de hái shì yào zuò de 。
不过该做的还是要做的。
"It seems he won't be far from breaking through again," Li Fan thought with no envy for Zhang Haibo's rapid progress. Since entering the cultivation world with the "True Virtue" seal, Li Fan knew that cultivation speed was irrelevant. Accumulating over countless lifetimes to build an unshakable foundation was what mattered.
yī zhòng xiū shì lián shǒu ， hěn kuài ， hú pō zhōng chú le nà tiáo bái sè chāng yú ， qí tā yú dōu zài chà nà jiān bèi liàn huà chéng le jīng qì 。
一众修士联手，很快，湖泊中除了那条白色鲳鱼，其他鱼都在刹那间被炼化成了精气。
Seeing the white pomfret devoured further solidified his resolve. A hundred lifetimes of practice might offer a slim chance to escape their predicament.
bái sè chāng yú tūn shí le zhè tuán jīng qì ， shēn qū shùn jiān péng zhàng le shù bèi 。
白色鲳鱼吞食了这团精气，身躯瞬间膨胀了数倍。
...
yá chǐ biàn dé dāo piàn bān fēng lì ， lín piàn jiān gèng shì xiǎn xiàn chū xuè hóng sè de dào dào tiáo wén ， yī gǔ xiōng shà de qì xī zì qí tǐ nèi yǒng xiàn 。
牙齿变得刀片般锋利，鳞片间更是显现出血红色的道道条纹，一股凶煞的气息自其体内涌现。
Li Fan's life on Ten Thousand Immortals Island remained as peaceful as ever. In mid-17th Year, he accumulated over 8,000 contribution points and purchased two lower-grade human treasures before venturing out to unlock the second anchor point for "True Virtue."
duǎn duǎn shí jiān nèi ， zhè bái sè chāng yú yǎn rán yǐ jīng wán chéng le qí tā yú xīn xīn kǔ kǔ yī bèi zi dōu wèi bì néng wán chéng de tuì biàn 。
短短时间内，这白色鲳鱼俨然已经完成了其他鱼辛辛苦苦一辈子都未必能完成的蜕变。
He didn't immediately set a new anchor but planned to see how the third anchor point unlocked before making any decisions. However, his peaceful life was soon disrupted when he received a message from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance's Celestial Oracle Hall requesting his assistance in investigating a mysterious death case involving two元婴 cultivators, six金丹, nineteen Foundation Establishment cultivators, and several Qi Condensation practitioners.
Since the start of the Fish Determination Lottery, it had become the most popular activity among cultivators in the Cunyun Sea.
Especially at the end of each year, when the final Fish Determination was held, so many cultivators participated that they nearly filled up the entire isolated island.
Everyone dreamed of a sudden windfall.
In late 16th Year, Li Fan also went to see the spectacle out of curiosity. He found that there were some tricks involved in this lottery beyond just relying on luck. The fish from various parts of the Cunyun Sea that traveled thousands of miles here weren't weaklings; they had to ensure their survival and accumulate strength over 27 days, preparing for the final leap.
On the day when the lake waters erupted, the position each fish was in greatly influenced its ultimate height. In the lakes, millions of fish struggled against each other, with only one lucky winner relying on fate's favor to emerge victorious.
Li Fan's divine sense flowed among the myriad fish, but he couldn't find a particularly suitable candidate after much searching. He ended up randomly choosing a seemingly robust fish just before the deadline, which was then devoured by two other fish before it could complete its leap.
Shaking his head, Li Fan resigned himself to bad luck as the results were announced, revealing that the victor was a white pomfret that looked sickly and unremarkable. This fish had barely managed to survive in the lake but ended up winning the lottery.
The cultivators watching the replay on the recording stones discovered that this white pomfret's luck was extraordinary. It was positioned at the most turbulent point when the waters erupted, and its accumulated strength gave it a decisive edge, allowing it to leap skyward.
No one could predict the outcome, but they watched with mixed feelings as the white pomfret won. Li Fan noted down the appearance of this fish in his mind, pondering if it would still be the victor in their next life.
The Fish Determination ended with some happy and others sad. Regardless, the task at hand had to be done. The cultivators worked together to transform all other fish into essence, except for the white pomfret.
The white pomfret devoured this essence, instantly swelling several times its size. Its teeth sharpened like blades, and blood-red stripes appeared on its scales as a sinister aura emerged from within. In just a short time, it had undergone a transformation that other fish would have struggled to achieve in their lifetimes.
Releasing the white pomfret back into the sea, the cultivators left together, including Li Fan. Halfway through their journey, Li Fan suddenly stopped, sensing that the transformed white pomfret's aura was rapidly weakening.
"What's going on?" Li Fan wondered, activating his Heaven and Earth Sensing Technique.
The scene showed five ugly, fierce fish surrounding the white pomfret. Each of these fish possessed strength comparable to the recently transformed white pomfret. They easily overpowered it, leaving it critically injured.
Li Fan observed that their bodies contained a mixture of essence and blood, indicating they had been artificially cultivated rather than naturally evolved.
"Interesting; are all these victors from previous years?" Li Fan deduced. These fish with bestowed blessings couldn't re-enter the lake due to the outer array's barrier but had developed enough intelligence to know that new champions were born every month.
Thus, they stayed and collectively attacked newly crowned champions, feasting on their flesh. Without the blessing, eating blessed fish was almost as good.
Under Li Fan's gaze, the white pomfret, once hailed for its luck, was devoured by the five fish. Only a faint red bloodstain marked where it had been.
After satisfying themselves, the five strange fish swelled with essence and left contentedly.
Li Fan pondered this scene deeply as he returned to the Ten Thousand Immortals Island without closing himself off in the Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror. Instead, he looked up at the sky and the statue of a high-crowned elder overlooking the island, feeling increasingly profound.
"Perhaps there are no truly new things in this world..."
Li Fan realized.
Time passed steadily. By 17th Year, Zhang Haibo's cultivation had advanced to the Foundation Establishment中期 stage. Li Fan observed that he was no longer repeatedly practicing the "Determination of the Sea Divine Sword." Instead, he resumed his journey with the wind, forming a massive blue sword from one hundred and eight Determination of the Sea divine swords.
Facing the howling winds, Zhang Haibo wielded his sword against them, seemingly weakening their strength. However, this was barely noticeable without Li Fan's Heaven and Earth Sensing Technique revealing it all.
Despite this, Zhang Haibo remained unperturbed, persistently chasing one wind disaster after another to hone his sword intent in the midst of the storm.
"It seems he won't be far from breaking through again," Li Fan thought with no envy for Zhang Haibo's rapid progress. Since entering the cultivation world with the "True Virtue" seal, Li Fan knew that cultivation speed was irrelevant. Accumulating over countless lifetimes to build an unshakable foundation was what mattered.
Seeing the white pomfret devoured further solidified his resolve. A hundred lifetimes of practice might offer a slim chance to escape their predicament.
...
Li Fan's life on Ten Thousand Immortals Island remained as peaceful as ever. In mid-17th Year, he accumulated over 8,000 contribution points and purchased two lower-grade human treasures before venturing out to unlock the second anchor point for "True Virtue."
He didn't immediately set a new anchor but planned to see how the third anchor point unlocked before making any decisions. However, his peaceful life was soon disrupted when he received a message from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance's Celestial Oracle Hall requesting his assistance in investigating a mysterious death case involving two元婴 cultivators, six金丹, nineteen Foundation Establishment cultivators, and several Qi Condensation practitioners.