lǐ fán zhù liú zài gāo qiáng biān jiè chù ， jiǔ jiǔ méi néng cóng gāng gāng de jù biàn zhōng fǎn yìng guò lái 。
李凡驻留在高墙边界处，久久没能从刚刚的剧变中反应过来。
Li Fan stood there, contemplating the events that had unfolded. The wall seemed to be stirring again, but not from its own side. Instead, it was the entrance leading to the fissure valley that showed signs of movement. A large amount of life force suddenly erupted from within, shooting up like a fountain and reaching towards the star sea.
shí bā zūn xīng líng ， jìng rán zài xiān zhōu jí jiāng héng yuè gāo qiáng de zuì guān jiàn shí kè ， zhòu rán tuō lí ……
十八尊星灵，竟然在仙舟即将横越高墙的最关键时刻，骤然脱离……
Amidst this burst of energy, a figure managed to escape using the force. Li Fan’s eyes widened as he recognized the巧工居士, who had been missing for so long.
kě yǐ kěn dìng ， zhè jué bú shì xīng líng men zì shēn de yì yuàn 。
可以肯定，这绝不是星灵们自身的意愿。
The 巧工居士 seemed elated at his escape, waving his arms about and shouting in excitement. Li Fan extended his hand and directly summoned him over.
xiān zhōu zhòng zhǎng lǎo duì xiān zhōu de guān xīn 、 guà niàn ， wú yōng zhì yí 。 shèn zhì néng wèi le xiān zhōu de yán xù ér háo bù yóu yù de xī shēng zì jǐ de xìng mìng 。
仙舟众长老对仙舟的关心、挂念，毋庸置疑。甚至能为了仙舟的延续而毫不犹豫的牺牲自己的性命。
The scene before him suddenly changed, and 巧工居士 looked pale as he realized he was now in the presence of Saint Teacher Li Fan.
「 shì xīng hǎi běn yuán yì shí ， zài nà shùn jiān ， gǎn shòu dào le shén me 。」
「是星海本源意识，在那瞬间，感受到了什么。」
After confirming it was indeed Li Fan, he exhaled a sigh of relief and said with a formal bow: "I have come to see the Saint Teacher."
lǐ fán yǎn jīng wēi mī ， pǒ wèi jì dàn de 、 yě cháo yuǎn fāng táo dùn le yī duàn jù lí 。
李凡眼睛微眯，颇为忌惮的、也朝远方逃遁了一段距离。
Li Fan replied coolly: "It's been quite some time since we last met. I had gone down to search for you before, but that fissure valley is vast and sprawling, covering the entire star sea. I couldn't find you, so I gave up my search."
「 xīng hǎi yì shí ， àn běn néng xíng shì ， bù zuò shì rén lèi bān xū zhāng shēng shì 。 kàn lái gāng gāng dàng zhēn yǒu mò míng de dà kǒng bù jiàng lín le 。」
「星海意识，按本能行事，不做似人类般虚张声势。看来刚刚当真有莫名的大恐怖降临了。」
"It seems like you've found yourself in a fortunate situation?" Li Fan said with a hint of interest.
「 dàn quán chéng wéi guān de wǒ ， què hún rán bù zhī 。」
「但全程围观的我，却浑然不知。」
Indeed, compared to when he went missing, 巧工居士 appeared more vibrant and energetic. He had clearly experienced some significant changes during his time in the endless fissure valley.
zhè cái shì tā zuì zài yì de dì fāng 。
这才是他最在意的地方。
"Truly, your keen eyesight has seen through my small gains," 巧工居士 said with a hint of pride on his face. "At first, I was quite alarmed when I found myself lost in those continuous underground rivers. But soon enough, I realized that there was abundant life force everywhere, and even if I were trapped for a lifetime, it wouldn't be dangerous to my life."
lǐ fán bù jīn xiǎng qǐ le zhè yàng yī fú huà miàn 。
李凡不禁想起了这样一幅画面。
"Saint Teacher, you know me well; I am used to staying in the laboratory, conducting research without stepping out. In this underground river, it's just another environment. Besides, I have the puppet of 上官 to vent my frustrations on, so I would never feel bored," 巧工居士 continued with a stream of words.
nà shì tā chuān yuè zhī qián ， céng jīng yī cì màn bù zài shī dì gōng yuán zhōng de shuǐ zhōng zhàn dào 。
那是他穿越之前，曾经一次漫步在湿地公园中的水中栈道。
Li Fan interrupted: "Get to the point."
màn bù qí zhōng ， tōng guò tòu míng de bō lí ， néng gòu kàn shuǐ xià de qíng xíng kàn de yì qīng èr chǔ 。 suǒ jiàn xiāng jiào lù dì jǐng guān jié rán bù tóng ， pǒ yǒu yī fān bié yàng zī wèi 。
漫步其中，通过透明的玻璃，能够看水下的情形看的一清二楚。所见相较陆地景观截然不同，颇有一番别样滋味。
巧工居士 paused and chuckled before continuing: "After adapting for some time, out of curiosity, I started researching the endless underground river. One day, by chance, I discovered its secrets!"
shuǐ xià yú lèi ， huì jù jí 、 kào jìn bō lí qiáng tǐ 。
水下鱼类，会聚集、靠近玻璃墙体。
The excitement in 巧工居士's voice was evident as he continued: "That underground river is so complex. Initially, I tried to memorize all the branches, but there were too many, and I failed."
nà xiē nián yòu de ， jí biàn yǒu yóu kè tiē zhe bō lí zhù shì ， yì wú suǒ jué 。 xī xì wán shuǎ yī jiù 。
那些年幼的，即便有游客贴着玻璃注视，亦无所觉。嬉戏玩耍依旧。
"I didn't give up; during that time, my mind was filled with the shapes of the underground rivers. One day, after breaking 上官's puppet, while repairing it, something strange happened. I unknowingly applied the shape of the underground river to 上官's puppet!"
ér nà xiē gè tóu dà 、 sì hū huó le hěn jiǔ de ， rén shàng wèi kào jìn ， biàn shí fēn líng mǐn de gǎn shòu dào le wēi xiǎn 。 shuǎi wěi táo lí ， xiāo shī yú shuǐ shēn chù 。
而那些个头大、似乎活了很久的，人尚未靠近，便十分灵敏的感受到了危险。甩尾逃离，消失于水深处。
"Imagine my surprise when what followed was beyond anything I had ever heard before!" 巧工居士 licked his lips and looked at Li Fan with a mysterious expression.
……
……
Li Fan knew that the 上官 puppet was actually a memory backup of his master, 天机界的长老上官拓. According to the rules in 天机界, while the backup had complete self-awareness, it could only obey the commands of 天机界 cultivators.
cǐ fān qíng jǐng ， gēn gāng gāng fā shēng de nà yí mù ， yòu hé qí xiāng sì ！
此番情景，跟刚刚发生的那一幕，又何其相似！
Despite 巧工居士's somewhat bizarre habit, Li Fan didn't interfere much as he found it amusing. However, seeing his current expression, Li Fan became interested.
guò qù de jì yì zhú jiàn huàn xǐng ， ràng lǐ fán hòu zhī hòu jué de gǎn dào yī zhèn è hán 。
过去的记忆逐渐唤醒，让李凡后知后觉的感到一阵恶寒。
巧工居士 seemed to be reminiscing before saying in a deliberate tone: "I never expected that after the puppet was repaired, it would not only refuse my commands but also curse me profusely..."
「 wǒ xiàn zài de shí lì ， yī jiù shǔ yú wú fǎ chá jué nà wēi jī cún zài de yòu yú 。」
「我现在的实力，依旧属于无法察觉那危机存在的幼鱼。」
"The words were so harsh, they brought back unpleasant memories. I got angry and damaged 上官's puppet again."
「 kǒng pà wéi yǒu xīng hǎi céng miàn ， yì huò zhě shuō xīng hǎi jí xiàn de tài shàng jìng ， cái shì chéng nián yú 。」
「恐怕唯有星海层面，亦或者说星海极限的太上境，才是成年鱼。」
"Only when much later did I regain my senses and suddenly realized something significant had happened!" Li Fan thought deeply.
「 dàn wú lùn shì nǎ zhǒng ， gēn gāo qiáng zhī wài de nà shuāng mò mò zhù shì de shuāng yǎn yī bǐ ……」
「但无论是哪种，跟高墙之外的那双默默注视的双眼一比……」
巧工居士 continued: "The shape of the underground river somehow activated 上官's self-awareness!"
xiǎng dào zhè lǐ ， lǐ fán miàn sè yīn chén ， duì gāo qiáng zhī wài yuè fā jǐng tì 。
想到这里，李凡面色阴沉，对高墙之外越发警惕。
Li Fan understood: "So, you mean that the shape of the underground river actually awakened 上官的自我意识?"
「 gāo qiáng zhī wài …… yě bù zhī ， gāng gāng wáng mìng yī bó de xuán xiān zhōu 、 jiū jìng chōng chū gāo qiáng méi yǒu ？」
「高墙之外……也不知，刚刚亡命一搏的玄仙舟、究竟冲出高墙没有？」
巧工居士 shook his head frantically. "That was an awareness backup, with a complete self-awareness from the start. However, it was bound by restrictions set by 天机界 in the past and could only obey my commands."
lǐ fán zǐ xì huí wèi zhe ， xiān zhōu xiāo shī de nà yī shùn shí ， zì jǐ liú zài qí zhōng de gǎn yìng 。
李凡仔细回味着，仙舟消失的那一瞬时，自己留在其中的感应。
"But after imprinting those shapes, things changed," 巧工居士 licked his lips again. "The newly born 上官 is no longer an awareness backup; she has been judged as 上官拓 herself under the restrictions of 天机界!"
xǔ jiǔ zhī hòu ， lǐ fán shén qíng wēi biàn 。 wèi le yìn zhèng zì jǐ suǒ xiǎng ， zài dù huí dào le gāo qiáng fù jìn 。
许久之后，李凡神情微变。为了印证自己所想，再度回到了高墙附近。
"上官拓 died long ago, so this can't be true."
fēn huà chū yī sī shén niàn ， ér hòu cāo zòng zhe 、 jiāng qí cháo zhe wú xíng gāo qiáng hōng qù 。
分化出一丝神念，而后操纵着、将其朝着无形高墙轰去。
"But because of that unknown shape, she was reborn in a certain sense!" 巧工居士 exclaimed.
lǐ fán cǐ jǔ wú yí yì yǐ luǎn jī shí 。
李凡此举无疑义以卵击石。
Li Fan thought to himself: "You mean to say that the imprinting of those shapes somehow brought 上官 back to life?"
gēn gāo qiáng pèng zhuàng shàng de shùn jiān ， cuì ruò de shén niàn jiù bèi gāo qiáng de lì liàng fǎn zhèn de xiāo shī bú jiàn 。
跟高墙碰撞上的瞬间，脆弱的神念就被高墙的力量反震的消失不见。
巧工居士 nodded wildly. "It's just a small part of the underground river's shape, but it's beyond imagination!"
lǐ fán dòng zuò bù tíng ， zài dù tóu shè yī lǚ lǚ shén niàn 。
李凡动作不停，再度投射一缕缕神念。
Hearing 巧工居士's account, Li Fan suddenly understood the purpose of the endless dark fissure valley.
zhōng yú ， zài jīng guò le shàng wàn cì de cháng shì hòu ， fāng cái yǐn yǐn gǎn jué chū lái 。
终于，在经过了上万次的尝试后，方才隐隐感觉出来。
It wasn't merely a reservoir for life force; it was also an immensely powerful divine technique that could endow the star sea sealed by the wall with independent self-awareness.
「 yǔ gāo qiáng pèng zhuàng hòu de xiāo shī ， gēn gāng gāng xiān zhōu nèi de xiāo shī ， yǒu suǒ bù tóng 。」
「与高墙碰撞后的消失，跟刚刚仙舟内的消失，有所不同。」
39314240...
Li Fan stood there, contemplating the events that had unfolded. The wall seemed to be stirring again, but not from its own side. Instead, it was the entrance leading to the fissure valley that showed signs of movement. A large amount of life force suddenly erupted from within, shooting up like a fountain and reaching towards the star sea.
Amidst this burst of energy, a figure managed to escape using the force. Li Fan’s eyes widened as he recognized the巧工居士, who had been missing for so long.
The 巧工居士 seemed elated at his escape, waving his arms about and shouting in excitement. Li Fan extended his hand and directly summoned him over.
The scene before him suddenly changed, and 巧工居士 looked pale as he realized he was now in the presence of Saint Teacher Li Fan.
After confirming it was indeed Li Fan, he exhaled a sigh of relief and said with a formal bow: "I have come to see the Saint Teacher."
Li Fan replied coolly: "It's been quite some time since we last met. I had gone down to search for you before, but that fissure valley is vast and sprawling, covering the entire star sea. I couldn't find you, so I gave up my search."
"It seems like you've found yourself in a fortunate situation?" Li Fan said with a hint of interest.
Indeed, compared to when he went missing, 巧工居士 appeared more vibrant and energetic. He had clearly experienced some significant changes during his time in the endless fissure valley.
"Truly, your keen eyesight has seen through my small gains," 巧工居士 said with a hint of pride on his face. "At first, I was quite alarmed when I found myself lost in those continuous underground rivers. But soon enough, I realized that there was abundant life force everywhere, and even if I were trapped for a lifetime, it wouldn't be dangerous to my life."
"Saint Teacher, you know me well; I am used to staying in the laboratory, conducting research without stepping out. In this underground river, it's just another environment. Besides, I have the puppet of 上官 to vent my frustrations on, so I would never feel bored," 巧工居士 continued with a stream of words.
Li Fan interrupted: "Get to the point."
巧工居士 paused and chuckled before continuing: "After adapting for some time, out of curiosity, I started researching the endless underground river. One day, by chance, I discovered its secrets!"
The excitement in 巧工居士's voice was evident as he continued: "That underground river is so complex. Initially, I tried to memorize all the branches, but there were too many, and I failed."
"I didn't give up; during that time, my mind was filled with the shapes of the underground rivers. One day, after breaking 上官's puppet, while repairing it, something strange happened. I unknowingly applied the shape of the underground river to 上官's puppet!"
"Imagine my surprise when what followed was beyond anything I had ever heard before!" 巧工居士 licked his lips and looked at Li Fan with a mysterious expression.
Li Fan knew that the 上官 puppet was actually a memory backup of his master, 天机界的长老上官拓. According to the rules in 天机界, while the backup had complete self-awareness, it could only obey the commands of 天机界 cultivators.
Despite 巧工居士's somewhat bizarre habit, Li Fan didn't interfere much as he found it amusing. However, seeing his current expression, Li Fan became interested.
巧工居士 seemed to be reminiscing before saying in a deliberate tone: "I never expected that after the puppet was repaired, it would not only refuse my commands but also curse me profusely..."
"The words were so harsh, they brought back unpleasant memories. I got angry and damaged 上官's puppet again."
"Only when much later did I regain my senses and suddenly realized something significant had happened!" Li Fan thought deeply.
巧工居士 continued: "The shape of the underground river somehow activated 上官's self-awareness!"
Li Fan understood: "So, you mean that the shape of the underground river actually awakened 上官的自我意识?"
巧工居士 shook his head frantically. "That was an awareness backup, with a complete self-awareness from the start. However, it was bound by restrictions set by 天机界 in the past and could only obey my commands."
"But after imprinting those shapes, things changed," 巧工居士 licked his lips again. "The newly born 上官 is no longer an awareness backup; she has been judged as 上官拓 herself under the restrictions of 天机界!"
"上官拓 died long ago, so this can't be true."
"But because of that unknown shape, she was reborn in a certain sense!" 巧工居士 exclaimed.
Li Fan thought to himself: "You mean to say that the imprinting of those shapes somehow brought 上官 back to life?"
巧工居士 nodded wildly. "It's just a small part of the underground river's shape, but it's beyond imagination!"
Hearing 巧工居士's account, Li Fan suddenly understood the purpose of the endless dark fissure valley.
It wasn't merely a reservoir for life force; it was also an immensely powerful divine technique that could endow the star sea sealed by the wall with independent self-awareness.
39314240...