cóng yún hǎi ， tài yǎn zhōu shàng 。
丛云海，太衍舟上。
In the vast Cunyun Sea, aboard the Taiyin Boat.
gāng rù xiū xiān jiè ， yī liǎn xīng fèn de lí jiè zhòng rén zhèng zài jiǎ bǎn shàng sì chù zhāng wàng 。
刚入修仙界，一脸兴奋的离界众人正在甲板上四处张望。
The newly initiated cultivators from the Departed World were bustling about on the deck, their faces aglow with excitement as they took in the endless expanse of sea around them.
ér lǐ fán zé yùn qǐ 《 tōu tiān huàn rì jué 》， guān chá zhe zhòng rén de mìng shù 。
而李凡则运起《偷天换日决》，观察着众人的命数。
Li Fan, however, was using the Steal Heaven and Change Sun Decision to observe everyone's fate lines.
dà duō dōu shì bèi huī chén zhē zhù yì bān ， huì àn wú guāng 。
大多都是被灰尘遮住一般，晦暗无光。
Most of them seemed dim and obscured by a layer of dust. But when he saw Ye Feipeng, his gaze flickered with interest. Because Ye Feipeng’s fate line resembled freshly formed white mist, constantly swirling and changing.
dàn zài kàn dào pàng zi yè fēi péng shí ， lǐ fán de yǎn zhōng què shì bù yóu de liú lù chū yī sī qí sè 。
但在看到胖子叶飞鹏时，李凡的眼中却是不由得流露出一丝奇色。
"This kind of fate..."
yīn wèi ， tā de mìng shù wǎn ruò yī tuán chū shēng de bái wù , zài bù tíng xuán zhuǎn yǎn biàn zhōng 。
因为，他的命数宛若一团初生的白雾, 在不停旋转演变中。
Li Fan recalled the explanation from the technique.
“ zhè zhǒng mìng gé ……”
“这种命格……”
"Flowing with fortune, one change begets countless changes."
lǐ fán huí yì qǐ fǎ jué zhōng duì cǐ de shuō míng 。
李凡回忆起法诀中对此的说明。
It meant that this person's fate was highly influenced by external factors. If he encountered a benefactor who could help him, he might indeed rise as high as his name suggested—like a great bird taking flight on a gust of wind and soaring nine miles into the sky.
“ suí yùn liú zhuǎn ， yī biàn shēng bǎi biàn 。”
“随运流转，一变生百变。”
But if he met with a great evil or disaster, and his own fortune was weak at that time, it was likely he wouldn't be able to withstand the calamity and would meet an untimely end.
yì si shì shuō ， cǐ rén mìng shù jí yì shòu dào wài jiè yǐng xiǎng 。
意思是说，此人命数极易受到外界影响。
For instance, in his previous life, he had sensed Ye Feipeng's sneaky presence and intended to extort him. But Ye Feipeng had simply stabbed him with a dagger.
ruò shì yù dào guì rén tí xié ， biàn jí yǒu kě néng zhēn de xiàng tā míng zì yī yàng ， dà péng yī rì tóng fēng qǐ 、 fú yáo zhí shàng jiǔ wàn lǐ 。
若是遇到贵人提携，便极有可能真的向他名字一样，大鹏一日同风起、扶摇直上九万里。
If the extorting person wasn’t as decisive as Li Fan, he might have ended up being entangled by Ye Feipeng’s persistence, eventually rising due to the ebb and flow of fortune.
dàn tǎng ruò zāo yù dà xiōng dà è zhī rén ， ér nà shí tā zì shēn mìng shù yòu hái shì zài bǐ jiào cuì ruò de qíng kuàng xià ， zé hěn yǒu kě néng káng bú zhù jié nàn , yí mìng wū hū 。
但倘若遭遇大凶大恶之人，而那时他自身命数又还是在比较脆弱的情况下，则很有可能扛不住劫难, 一命呜呼。
Li Fan described such people in eight words: "Prosperous when the wind is favorable, ghostly when it's not."
jiù bǐ rú shàng yī shì ， tā chá jué le lǐ fán guǐ suì de shēn yǐng ， yù xíng lè suǒ zhī shì 。 jié guǒ zhí jiē bèi lǐ fán yī bǐ shǒu gěi tǒng sǐ 。
就比如上一世，他察觉了李凡鬼祟的身影，欲行勒索之事。结果直接被李凡一匕首给捅死。
Apart from Ye Feipeng, only Xiao Heng and Su Xiaomei had particularly unique fate lines. Su Xiaomei’s line was a tangled mix of purple and black, indistinguishable from one another.
dàn tǎng ruò lè suǒ de rén bù xiàng lǐ fán zhè me shā fá guǒ duàn ， zhēn de bèi tā jiū chán shàng de huà 。
但倘若勒索的人不像李凡这么杀伐果断，真的被他纠缠上的话。
Xiao Heng’s line resembled a dragon潜伏在深渊中，which was rare even in the ancient cultivation world—usually taking decades for one to appear in an entire great state.
nà me qì yùn cǐ xiāo bǐ zhǎng zhī xià ， shuō bù dìng tā jiù huì zì cǐ chéng fēng ér qǐ 、 yùn bù kě dāng 。
那么气运此消彼长之下，说不定他就会自此乘风而起、运不可当。
But here, they had all appeared together in this small Departed World, prompting Li Fan to speculate about their connection with that volcano.
lǐ fán yuàn yòng bā gè zì lái xíng róng zhè zhǒng rén ：“ shùn fēng chāo shén ， nì fēng chāo guǐ 。”
李凡愿用八个字来形容这种人：“顺风超神，逆风超鬼。”
...
lí jiè yī gān rén děng ， chú le yè fēi péng zhī wài ， jiù zhǐ yǒu xiāo héng yǔ sū xiǎo mèi mìng shù jiào wéi tè shū le 。
离界一干人等，除了叶飞鹏之外，就只有萧恒与苏小妹命数较为特殊了。
Under pressure of death, Xiao Heng couldn’t sleep. He managed to clear his Immortal-Demon Mist within eight or nine days, much faster than the previous life. After entering the cultivation world, he successfully guided qi into his body in just one day and night, reaching the Qi Refining Stage.
sū xiǎo mèi shì zǐ hēi xiāng hù chán rào ， nán fēn bǐ cǐ 。
苏小妹是紫黑相互缠绕，难分彼此。
Su Xiaomei was even more remarkable. As soon as the Taiyin Boat broke through the Great Desolation Array and entered the cultivation world, Li Fan felt a surge of primordial energy spontaneously rushing to her body.
ér xiāo héng zé shì qián lóng zài yuān zhī xiàng 。
而萧恒则是潜龙在渊之象。
Her body seemed famished, accepting all that came its way like an endless pit.
zhè sān rén zhōng de rèn hé yī wèi ， fàng zài shàng gǔ xiū xiān jiè ， yě dōu jí qí hǎn jiàn de 。
这三人中的任何一位，放在上古修仙界，也都极其罕见的。
This process continued until now.
wǎng wǎng yí gè dà zhōu ， shí nián shí jiān , cái huì chū yí gè 。
往往一个大州，十年时间, 才会出一个。
Seeing Su Changyu’s rapid progress, Su Xiaomei couldn’t help but feel envious. But she didn't lose her composure and instead diligently practiced the Xuanhuang Qixin Spell passed down by Li Fan, working tirelessly as he had done on Lustrous Isle.
dàn xiàn zài , zài zhè xiǎo xiǎo de lí jiè , què zhā duī shì de yì qǐ mào le chū lái 。
但现在, 在这小小的离界, 却扎堆似的一起冒了出来。
...
zhè ràng lǐ fán bù dé bù fú xiǎng lián piān 。
这让李凡不得不浮想联翩。
The Taiyin Boat flew low over the sea, its surroundings a monotonous expanse of water that quickly lost its novelty for the Departed World group. They returned to their cabins to rest.
“ huò xǔ ， yǔ lí jiè nà zuò huǒ shān yǒu guān 。”
“或许，与离界那座火山有关。”
Having mastered array techniques for nearly two years, Li Fan set up a Conceal Sound and Shape Array on the boat’s exterior. This was a basic small-scale concealment array, but it worked well, effectively hiding sound and form.
……
……
No one discovered them as they successfully returned to Night-Long Island.
zài sǐ wáng de yā lì xià , xiāo héng yè bù néng mèi 。 bǐ shàng yī shì hái kuài , zhǐ yòng le bā jiǔ tiān de sù dù ， jiù qū chú le yī shēn zhàng qì 。
在死亡的压力下, 萧恒夜不能寐。比上一世还快, 只用了八九天的速度，就祛除了一身瘴气。
After informing everyone of the methods to clear the Immortal-Demon Mist, Li Fan entrusted Yin Yuzhen with their care.
suí hòu zài jìn rù xiū xiān jiè hòu , yī tiān yī yè zhī jiān ， biàn yǐn qì rù tǐ chéng gōng ， tà rù liàn qì qī le 。
随后在进入修仙界后, 一天一夜之间，便引气入体成功，踏入炼气期了。
Then he asked about Su Xiaomei’s and Xiao Heng’s future plans. They said they would wait for Su Changyu to guide qi into his body before heading to Ten Thousand Immortals Island together.
sū xiǎo mèi zé gèng shì lí pǔ ， tài yǎn zhōu tū pò xiān jué dà zhèn ， jìn rù xiū xiān jiè de chà nà 。
苏小妹则更是离谱，太衍舟突破仙绝大阵，进入修仙界的刹那。
Li Fan didn’t insist but ran another errand to the Ten Thousand Immortals Island, exchanging two Qi Refining Stage techniques—one for Xiao Heng, The Small Derivative Water Decision, and one for Su Xiaomei, The Heart Anger Fire Flame Technique.
lǐ fán biàn gǎn dào ， tiān dì jiān de líng qì fēng yōng zhe ， zì fā cháo zhe sū xiǎo mèi de tǐ nèi yǒng qù 。
李凡便感到，天地间的灵气蜂拥着，自发朝着苏小妹的体内涌去。
Xiao Heng respectfully accepted the jade slip and bowed to Li Fan. Su Xiaomei was less formal, grinning widely as she thanked her master repeatedly.
ér tā de shēn tǐ ， yě hǎo shì bèi è le xǔ jiǔ yì bān ， lái zhě bù jù 。
而她的身体，也好似被饿了许久一般，来者不拒。
Li Fan ignored them, letting her call him that.
wú dǐ dòng yī yàng ， jiāng zhè xiē líng qì quán dōu xī shōu jìn tǐ nèi 。
无底洞一样，将这些灵气全都吸收进体内。
"Meanwhile, you two should not be idle on Night-Long Island."
zhí dào xiàn zài ， zhè ge guò chéng hái zài jì xù 。
直到现在，这个过程还在继续。
"Help Zhao Erbao gather ancient relics for me; I have a use for them."
sū zhǎng yù kàn zhe shēn biān liǎng rén jìn jìng rú cǐ zhī kuài ， nán miǎn yǒu xiē xiàn mù 。
苏长玉看着身边两人进境如此之快，难免有些羡慕。
Li Fan instructed. Su Xiaomei and Xiao Heng nodded in agreement.
zhǐ shì méi yǒu xīn tài shī héng ， fǎn dào shì yù fā qín fèn de xiū xíng qǐ le lǐ fán chuán tā de 《 xuán huáng qīng xīn zhòu 》。
只是没有心态失衡，反倒是愈发勤奋的修行起了李凡传他的《玄黄清心咒》。
"The path of the Immortal is arduous, but I can only guide you to the door. Your future achievements depend on your own destiny."
fèi qǐn wàng shí ， gēn dāng chū zài liú lí dǎo de lǐ fán rú chū yī zhé 。
废寝忘食，跟当初在琉璃岛的李凡如出一辙。
After leaving them with a communication spirit token, Li Fan left.
lǐ fán kàn le bù yóu de àn àn diǎn tóu 。
李凡看了不由得暗暗点头。
...
……
……
"I hope Xiao Heng and Su Xiaomei’s extraordinary fortune will help speed up our collection of Dao韵 relics before the Crimson Flame Devouring Sea."
tài yǎn zhōu tiē zhe hǎi miàn ， kuài sù fēi xíng 。
太衍舟贴着海面，快速飞行。
That night, Li Fan deepened Zhao Erbao's painful memories using Cloud Water Illusory Dream Technique as a warning. Then he hurried back to Ten Thousand Immortals Island.
sì zhōu dōu shì yí wàng wú jì de dà hǎi ， kū zào chóng fù de jǐng sè hěn kuài ràng lí jiè zhòng rén shī qù le xīn xiān gǎn 。
四周都是一望无际的大海，枯燥重复的景色很快让离界众人失去了新鲜感。
He received a message from Gong Biyu.
fēn fēn huí dào chuán cāng zhōng xiū xī 。
纷纷回到船舱中休息。
Wang Zhenghao’s posthumous work, The Diagram of the Mountain and River’s Hundred Veins Array, was now complete.
xué xí le kuài liǎng nián duō zhèn fǎ de lǐ fán xiǎo shì niú dāo ， zài tài yǎn zhōu wài bù zhì le yí gè 【 nì shēng cáng xíng zhèn 】。
学习了快两年多阵法的李凡小试牛刀，在太衍舟外布置了一个【匿声藏形阵】。
Li Fan arrived at the Strategy Hall, where Gong Biyu had already sent someone to meet him. Entering the metallic cube-like building, Xiao Fang quickly led Li Fan into a large meeting room.
cǐ nǎi zuì chū jí de xiǎo xíng zhē yǎn fǎ zhèn ， dàn xiào guǒ bù cuò , néng gòu yǐn cáng shēng xíng 。
此乃最初级的小型遮掩法阵，但效果不错, 能够隐藏声形。
Apart from Gong Biyu, six other cultivators were seated there, all in their forties or fifties, with indiscernible auras that indicated they were not weak.
yī lù shàng méi yǒu bèi rén fā xiàn ， lǐ fán dài zhe yī qún rén , shùn lì de fǎn huí le yè lán dǎo 。
一路上没有被人发现，李凡带着一群人, 顺利的返回了夜阑岛。
Gong Biyu welcomed Li Fan and said happily, "Thanks to the efforts of these old friends, we finally managed to complete Wang Zhenghao’s work after much deliberation. It's truly something to celebrate!"
jiāng qū chú zhàng qì de jǐ zhǒng fāng fǎ gào zhī zhòng rén zhī hòu , lǐ fán yòu ràng yīn yuè tíng fù zé ān zhì 。
将祛除瘴气的几种方法告之众人之后, 李凡又让殷玥婷负责安置。
Li Fan nodded. "If Daoist Wang had a spirit, he would be very relieved."
suí hòu ， tā yòu wèn qǐ le sū xiǎo mèi sān rén jiāng lái de dǎ suàn 。
随后，他又问起了苏小妹三人将来的打算。
Gong Biyu took out a square jade block from his pocket and handed it to Li Fan.
sū xiǎo mèi hé xiāo héng dōu shuō ， yào děng sū zhǎng yù yǐn qì rù tǐ chéng gōng hòu ， zài yì qǐ qù wàn xiān dǎo 。
苏小妹和萧恒都说，要等苏长玉引气入体成功后，再一起去万仙岛。
Li Fan carefully examined the unfamiliar jade block in his hand. The eight corners were replaced with different colored metals, while intricate patterns covered its surface. Golden light flowed like rivers between these patterns.
lǐ fán yě bù miǎn qiǎng 。
李凡也不勉强。
"This is our Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance's encrypted jade slip. Each one can only be read by specific cultivators; if others try to access it, a preset destruction禁制 will trigger and self-destruct."
zhǐ shì yòu pǎo le yī tàng wàn xiān dǎo ， duì huàn le liǎng mén liàn qì qī gōng fǎ 。
只是又跑了一趟万仙岛，兑换了两门炼气期功法。
"This one is for you, containing the completed Diagram of the Mountain and River’s Hundred Veins Array."
yī mén zì rán shì gěi xiāo héng de 《 xiǎo yǎn shuǐ jué 》。
一门自然是给萧恒的《小衍水决》。
Gong Biyu explained.
lìng wài yī mén zé shì gěi sū xiǎo mèi zhǔn bèi de 《 xīn nù huǒ yán gōng 》。
另外一门则是给苏小妹准备的《心怒火炎功》。
Li Fan nodded and activated his divine sense to view the contents. Images of diverse mountains appeared in his mind. Each grain of soil and stone on those mountains was a miniature array. Countless tiny arrays stacked together formed a complete mountain, an entire large array shaped like a mountain. The amount of data contained therein left Li Fan gasping.
xiāo héng xiǎo xīn yì yì de jiē guò yù jiǎn ， gěi lǐ fán kē le gè tóu 。
萧恒小心翼翼的接过玉简，给李凡磕了个头。
This wasn’t something for Qi Refining cultivators to handle.
In the vast Cunyun Sea, aboard the Taiyin Boat.
The newly initiated cultivators from the Departed World were bustling about on the deck, their faces aglow with excitement as they took in the endless expanse of sea around them.
Li Fan, however, was using the Steal Heaven and Change Sun Decision to observe everyone's fate lines.
Most of them seemed dim and obscured by a layer of dust. But when he saw Ye Feipeng, his gaze flickered with interest. Because Ye Feipeng’s fate line resembled freshly formed white mist, constantly swirling and changing.
"This kind of fate..."
Li Fan recalled the explanation from the technique.
"Flowing with fortune, one change begets countless changes."
It meant that this person's fate was highly influenced by external factors. If he encountered a benefactor who could help him, he might indeed rise as high as his name suggested—like a great bird taking flight on a gust of wind and soaring nine miles into the sky.
But if he met with a great evil or disaster, and his own fortune was weak at that time, it was likely he wouldn't be able to withstand the calamity and would meet an untimely end.
For instance, in his previous life, he had sensed Ye Feipeng's sneaky presence and intended to extort him. But Ye Feipeng had simply stabbed him with a dagger.
If the extorting person wasn’t as decisive as Li Fan, he might have ended up being entangled by Ye Feipeng’s persistence, eventually rising due to the ebb and flow of fortune.
Li Fan described such people in eight words: "Prosperous when the wind is favorable, ghostly when it's not."
Apart from Ye Feipeng, only Xiao Heng and Su Xiaomei had particularly unique fate lines. Su Xiaomei’s line was a tangled mix of purple and black, indistinguishable from one another.
Xiao Heng’s line resembled a dragon潜伏在深渊中，which was rare even in the ancient cultivation world—usually taking decades for one to appear in an entire great state.
But here, they had all appeared together in this small Departed World, prompting Li Fan to speculate about their connection with that volcano.
...
Under pressure of death, Xiao Heng couldn’t sleep. He managed to clear his Immortal-Demon Mist within eight or nine days, much faster than the previous life. After entering the cultivation world, he successfully guided qi into his body in just one day and night, reaching the Qi Refining Stage.
Su Xiaomei was even more remarkable. As soon as the Taiyin Boat broke through the Great Desolation Array and entered the cultivation world, Li Fan felt a surge of primordial energy spontaneously rushing to her body.
Her body seemed famished, accepting all that came its way like an endless pit.
This process continued until now.
Seeing Su Changyu’s rapid progress, Su Xiaomei couldn’t help but feel envious. But she didn't lose her composure and instead diligently practiced the Xuanhuang Qixin Spell passed down by Li Fan, working tirelessly as he had done on Lustrous Isle.
...
The Taiyin Boat flew low over the sea, its surroundings a monotonous expanse of water that quickly lost its novelty for the Departed World group. They returned to their cabins to rest.
Having mastered array techniques for nearly two years, Li Fan set up a Conceal Sound and Shape Array on the boat’s exterior. This was a basic small-scale concealment array, but it worked well, effectively hiding sound and form.
No one discovered them as they successfully returned to Night-Long Island.
After informing everyone of the methods to clear the Immortal-Demon Mist, Li Fan entrusted Yin Yuzhen with their care.
Then he asked about Su Xiaomei’s and Xiao Heng’s future plans. They said they would wait for Su Changyu to guide qi into his body before heading to Ten Thousand Immortals Island together.
Li Fan didn’t insist but ran another errand to the Ten Thousand Immortals Island, exchanging two Qi Refining Stage techniques—one for Xiao Heng, The Small Derivative Water Decision, and one for Su Xiaomei, The Heart Anger Fire Flame Technique.
Xiao Heng respectfully accepted the jade slip and bowed to Li Fan. Su Xiaomei was less formal, grinning widely as she thanked her master repeatedly.
Li Fan ignored them, letting her call him that.
"Meanwhile, you two should not be idle on Night-Long Island."
"Help Zhao Erbao gather ancient relics for me; I have a use for them."
Li Fan instructed. Su Xiaomei and Xiao Heng nodded in agreement.
"The path of the Immortal is arduous, but I can only guide you to the door. Your future achievements depend on your own destiny."
After leaving them with a communication spirit token, Li Fan left.
...
"I hope Xiao Heng and Su Xiaomei’s extraordinary fortune will help speed up our collection of Dao韵 relics before the Crimson Flame Devouring Sea."
That night, Li Fan deepened Zhao Erbao's painful memories using Cloud Water Illusory Dream Technique as a warning. Then he hurried back to Ten Thousand Immortals Island.
He received a message from Gong Biyu.
Wang Zhenghao’s posthumous work, The Diagram of the Mountain and River’s Hundred Veins Array, was now complete.
Li Fan arrived at the Strategy Hall, where Gong Biyu had already sent someone to meet him. Entering the metallic cube-like building, Xiao Fang quickly led Li Fan into a large meeting room.
Apart from Gong Biyu, six other cultivators were seated there, all in their forties or fifties, with indiscernible auras that indicated they were not weak.
Gong Biyu welcomed Li Fan and said happily, "Thanks to the efforts of these old friends, we finally managed to complete Wang Zhenghao’s work after much deliberation. It's truly something to celebrate!"
Li Fan nodded. "If Daoist Wang had a spirit, he would be very relieved."
Gong Biyu took out a square jade block from his pocket and handed it to Li Fan.
Li Fan carefully examined the unfamiliar jade block in his hand. The eight corners were replaced with different colored metals, while intricate patterns covered its surface. Golden light flowed like rivers between these patterns.
"This is our Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance's encrypted jade slip. Each one can only be read by specific cultivators; if others try to access it, a preset destruction禁制 will trigger and self-destruct."
"This one is for you, containing the completed Diagram of the Mountain and River’s Hundred Veins Array."
Gong Biyu explained.
Li Fan nodded and activated his divine sense to view the contents. Images of diverse mountains appeared in his mind. Each grain of soil and stone on those mountains was a miniature array. Countless tiny arrays stacked together formed a complete mountain, an entire large array shaped like a mountain. The amount of data contained therein left Li Fan gasping.
This wasn’t something for Qi Refining cultivators to handle.