tōng guò chuàng jiàn lùn dào zhě ， yǔ qí tā rén wù duì zhàn ， cóng ér zhǎo dào jī bài zhāng qiān mò de fāng fǎ 。
通过创建论道者，与其他人物对战，从而找到击败章阡陌的方法。
Through the trials and tribulations, Li Fan continued to refine his strategies. The day of the Water Sky Heavenly Palace's opening arrived, but this time, his main self did not venture out; he remained in the Tianxuan Mirror, diligently practicing. Only a clone went to Qin Tang for an advanced infant-stage cultivation technique called "Six Desires Without Form." This technique could harness and transform one’s natural desires—joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, and hatred—into different divine arts.
zhè zhǐ shì lǐ fán zhū duō cháng shì zhōng de yī zhǒng ér yǐ 。
这只是李凡诸多尝试中的一种而已。
"Sure enough, as the top cultivator in the Transmission Pavilion, Brother Qin's offerings are endless," Li Fan thought. "Now Sister Su has a cultivation method too."
fǎn zhèng tā xiàn zài bù quē gòng xiàn dù ， suí shǒu nà me yī shì ， jiù suàn shī bài le yě wú fáng 。
反正他现在不缺贡献度，随手那么一试，就算失败了也无妨。
However, he regretted his earlier actions when he recalled how he had learned the Cloud Water Illusory Dream Technique from Tianyi and was hesitant to do so again. He feared that if Brother Qin, who had become rather peculiar, noticed something amiss, he might be forced into a real fight.
“ rú guǒ shí zài bù xíng ， nà zhǐ yǒu děng dào tū pò jīn dān qī ， zhí jiē yòng fù chóng shén tōng bǎ tā ná xià le 。”
“如果实在不行，那只有等到突破金丹期，直接用缚虫神通把他拿下了。”
Thinking of Su Xiaomei and others, Li Fan's thoughts shifted to the deserted island. He had already used the Formless Killing Mechanism to lock onto Ye Feipeng and Xiao Heng for over a year. Now, he found that Xiao Heng had advanced to the middle stage of Qi Cultivation, while Ye Feipeng was just beginning his journey at the same stage.
lǐ fán mò mò xiǎng dào 。
李凡默默想到。
The two were currently sparring. Xiao Heng could already summon nineteen Sea Calming Divine Swords.
zàn shí jiāng cǐ shì pāo zài nǎo hòu ， lǐ fán cóng chǔ wù jiè zhōng ná chū yī méi shēn lán sè shí tou ， xì xì fǔ mō qǐ lái 。
暂时将此事抛在脑后，李凡从储物戒中拿出一枚深蓝色石头，细细抚摸起来。
Blue water swords flew around like dragons, roaring towards Ye Feipeng. Ye Feipeng remained calm and dodged the attacks with ease, leaving behind silent water blades that approached Xiao Heng. Each time they got close, they were blocked by a sudden appearance of water swords.
zhèng shì zhè yī shì zì yī xíng mù zhōng tiān suǒ bǎo hé zhōng qǔ dé de nà méi huà dào shí 。
正是这一世自伊行墓中天锁宝盒中取得的那枚化道石。
Undeterred, Ye Feipeng continued to advance until he was only oneyard away from Xiao Heng, his face showing signs of triumph. However, suddenly, he found himself surrounded by the nineteen Sea Calming Divine Swords, unable to escape!
shàng yī shì méi néng jì zhù tiān suǒ bǎo hé jiě suǒ de fāng shì ， zhè yī shì zài qǐng tiān xuán jìng bāng máng pò jiě shí 。
上一世没能记住天锁宝盒解锁的方式，这一世在请天玄镜帮忙破解时。
"Submit!" Ye Feipeng shouted decisively.
yǐ jīng zhǎng wò le 【 huà dào shén yī 】 mì shù de lǐ fán ， háo wú yā lì de jiù jiāng sì wàn jiǔ qiān jiǔ bǎi jiǔ shí jiǔ zhāng zhǐ de zhèng què pái liè shùn xù jì xià 。
已经掌握了【化道神一】秘术的李凡，毫无压力的就将四万九千九百九十九张纸的正确排列顺序记下。
Xiao Heng smiled and slashed a strand of hair off Ye Feipeng with the Sea Calming Divine Swords.
“ zài yǒu xià cì ， jiù bù yòng má fán tiān xuán jìng le ， yě néng shěng diǎn gòng xiàn dù 。”
“再有下次，就不用麻烦天玄镜了，也能省点贡献度。”
"Fatty, you need to try harder. The hair I've collected is enough to make you look like a woman!" Xiao Heng said with a smile.
lǐ fán yǐ shén shí chù pèng shǒu zhōng de huà dào shí ， chà nà jiān ， shēn lán sè guāng huá wēi wēi shǎn dòng 。
李凡以神识触碰手中的化道石，刹那间，深蓝色光华微微闪动。
"Be smug now; one day, I'll beat you up," Ye Feipeng coldly retorted as he retreated.
sī sī néng liàng zì huà dào shí zhōng liú chū ， bèi lǐ fán shén shí suǒ xī shōu 。
丝丝能量自化道石中流出，被李凡神识所吸收。
Upon reaching the shore, Ye Feipeng thought: "I can't keep training on this deserted island. I'm always behind that kid."
ér méi jiān shí hǎi zhōng de nà ge lán sè jīng tǐ ， yě fǎng fú biàn dé gèng jiā shēn suì le yì bān 。
而眉间识海中的那个蓝色晶体，也仿佛变得更加深邃了一般。
"It's a disgrace to be reborn and still lag behind."
“ zhè liǎng méi huà dào shí běn shì yī tǐ ， suī rán bú huì xiàng tiān dì qí wù yì bān ， zì dòng róng hé 。 dàn shì wǒ què kě yǐ yòng 【 huà dào shén yī 】 de mì fǎ ， màn màn jiāng qí xī shōu 。 zuì zhōng yǔ wǒ shí hǎi zhōng de nà méi ， róng wéi yī tǐ 。”
“这两枚化道石本是一体，虽然不会像天地奇物一般，自动融合。但是我却可以用【化道神一】的秘法，慢慢将其吸收。最终与我识海中的那枚，融为一体。”
"I remember Zhang Haibo suddenly rose to prominence next year, transforming from an ordinary person into a middle-stage Qi Cultivator in just one year."
“ rú jīn huà dào shí yī shí nán qiú ， wǒ nǎo hǎi zhōng de nà kē ， yě zhǐ bù guò shì xià pǐn ér yǐ 。 suàn bù dé duō zhēn xī 。”
“如今化道石一石难求，我脑海中的那颗，也只不过是下品而已。算不得多珍稀。”
"Even if I don't know what happened, I can still intercept his opportunities. I'll take them for myself."
“ dàn shì měi lún huí yī cì ， wǒ jiù kě yǐ duō yī kē xià pǐn huà dào shí kě xī shōu 。”
“但是每轮回一次，我就可以多一颗下品化道石可吸收。”
"And the following year, Tianyang Cave will open. Although it's actually for a divine puppet, as long as I manage to escape before he fully manifests, there shouldn't be any issues."
“ jiù suàn yī liǎng kē de xiào guǒ bù zěn me yàng ， nà yào shì chéng bǎi shàng qiān kē ne ？”
“就算一两颗的效果不怎么样，那要是成百上千颗呢？”
"Yes, I'm alone and might struggle. I need to find Xiao Heng and get him to block those guardians. With my speed, I can enter and sweep the place, then retreat safely."
“ liàng biàn ， zú yǐ yǐn qǐ zhì biàn 。”
“量变，足以引起质变。”
With these thoughts in mind, Ye Feipeng wrote "Zhang Haibo" and "Tianyang" on the sand before erasing them.
“ shèn zhì zuì hòu ， huán yuán dāng chū tài yǎn zōng nà kē 【 huà dào shí mǔ 】， yě bú shì bù kě néng 。”
“甚至最后，还原当初太衍宗那颗【化道石母】，也不是不可能。”
In the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan chuckled: "Sure enough, he's planning to snatch Zhang Haibo’s opportunities. No problem; I've already set things up."
niàn jí cǐ chù ， lǐ fán yǎn zhōng liú lù chū mò míng de sè cǎi 。
念及此处，李凡眼中流露出莫名的色彩。
"Let's see if Ye Feipeng can catch the attention of Cunyunhai's consciousness and bear half a piece of the Sea of Heaven Pearl in this life."
“ wéi yī de xiàn zhì jiù shì ， wǒ shén shí mù qián hái shì tài ruò 。 xī shōu zhuǎn huà de xiào lǜ tài màn 。”
“唯一的限制就是，我神识目前还是太弱。吸收转化的效率太慢。”
Li Fan then turned his attention back to the messages he had received.
“ xiǎng yào zēng qiáng shén shí ， tiān xuán jìng zhōng yī rán hái bù néng sōu suǒ dào jié guǒ 。”
“想要增强神识，天玄镜中依然还不能搜索到结果。”
"A friend, your creation Li Qianmo is too over-the-top. Not only does it revive, but its strength even surpasses after revival? Truly outrageous!"
“ hái shì yào zhǐ wàng yǔn xiān jìng 。”
“还是要指望陨仙境。”
"I've already reported this to the Tianxuan Mirror; something must be wrong. How can a Foundation Establishment cultivator have such insane combat power?"
zhī suǒ yǐ lǐ fán jí zhe yào zài yǔn xiān jìng zhōng huàn gè dì fāng ， jiù shì yīn wèi xī shōu zǐ xiāo zōng lǐ chén de qū qiào ， shǐ de shén shí zēng zhǎng de fāng fǎ ， sì hū zhǐ yǒu dì yī cì yǒu xiào 。
之所以李凡急着要在陨仙境中换个地方，就是因为吸收紫霄宗李尘的躯壳，使得神识增长的方法，似乎只有第一次有效。
"Friend, could you reveal who Li Qianmo is based on? I'm willing to pay 500 points of contribution for that information!"
zhī hòu jǐ cì de sǐ wáng ， dōu méi néng shǐ de lǐ fán de shén shí yǒu suǒ qiáng huà 。
之后几次的死亡，都没能使得李凡的神识有所强化。
These messages were from those who had lost to Chapter Qianmo.
“ hái shì jí bù dé ， xū yào àn bù jiù bān a 。” lǐ fán wēi wēi tàn le kǒu qì 。
“还是急不得，需要按部就班啊。”李凡微微叹了口气。
Li Fan glanced at the recentrecord or achievement of Chapter Qianmo. Eight wins and one draw.
yī xīn duō yòng zhī xià ， lǐ fán tóng shí xiū xíng zuò shān jué ， yǔ xī shōu huà dào shí qǐ lái 。
一心多用之下，李凡同时修行坐山诀，与吸收化道石起来。
The victories were unsurprising, as after Purple Dan rebirth, they were mostly overwhelming. The single draw was intriguing; the opponent's defensive techniques were exceptionally bizarre. Their body was surrounded by turtle-shell-like barriers from all directions, making it impossible for Chapter Qianmo to break through no matter what means he used. Even Purple Heaven Divine Lightning left only a black mark when hitting these barriers, which would instantly recover.
shí guāng qiǎo rán liú shì 。
时光悄然流逝。
Li Fan read the name of this cultivator and couldn't help but sigh: "E Xinren..."
hěn kuài yòu dào le máo dìng 11 nián ， yún shuǐ tiān gōng kāi qǐ de rì zi 。
很快又到了锚定11年，云水天宫开启的日子。
He immediately blocked him and permanently rejected his combat application.
lǐ fán běn zūn méi yǒu chū dòng ， yī rán shì zài tiān xuán jìng zhōng kǔ xiū 。
李凡本尊没有出动，依然是在天玄镜中苦修。
After blocking E Xinren, Li Fan received a communication prompt. He opened it to find that it was from Array Master Zhang Ziliang.
zhǐ shì ràng fēn shēn zǒu le yī tàng ， zì qín táng nà lǐ hāo lái le yī bù yuán yīng gōng fǎ 《 liù yù wú xiāng 》。
只是让分身走了一趟，自秦堂那里薅来了一部元婴功法《六欲无相》。
They had finally made significant progress in studying the Ten Thousand Mountains River Array. They returned to the Strategy Hall.
kě cuī dòng rén tiān shēng xǐ 、 nù 、 āi 、 jù 、 ài 、 è liù zhǒng yù wàng ， huà wèi liù zhǒng bù tóng de shén tōng 。
可催动人天生喜、怒、哀、惧、爱、恶六种欲望，化为六种不同的神通。
Since joining, Li Fan and Zhang Ziliang had only met once on that island.
“ bù kuì wèi chuán fǎ gé shǒu xí ， qín shī xiōng nà de huò ， kě zhēn shì zěn me táo yě táo bù wán a 。”
“不愧为传法阁首席，秦师兄那的货，可真是怎么淘也淘不完啊。”
Zhang Ziliang called Li Fan for a visit this time to reassess his array techniques and arrange future tasks based on his performance.
“ zhè xià sū xiǎo mèi de gōng fǎ yě yǒu le 。”
“这下苏小妹的功法也有了。”
Li Fan changed into black and yellow Daoist robes and went to the Strategy Hall. Zhang Ziliang was already waiting, along with another unfamiliar Foundation Establishment cultivator who also served as an Array Maintenance Officer.
“ kě xī yǒu le tiān yī de qián chē zhī jiàn ， wǒ xué le tā de yún shuǐ huàn mèng gōng ， què shì bù gǎn zài qù hāo yáng máo le 。”
“可惜有了天医的前车之鉴，我学了他的云水幻梦功，却是不敢再去薅羊毛了。”
After exchanging greetings, Li Fan stood quietly aside while Zhang Ziliang instructed him to wait a moment.
“ jiǎ rú bèi zhè wèi yǐ jīng biàn chéng guǐ yì de qín shī xiōng chá jué dào bú duì ， shuō bù dé yòu yào bèi pò hái zhēn 。”
“假如被这位已经变成诡异的秦师兄察觉到不对，说不得又要被迫还真。”
Soon, three more Foundation Establishment cultivators arrived. Once all five were present, Zhang Ziliang handed each of them a spirit ball and said: "Let's test your array techniques first to see if you've been negligent."
lǐ fán yí hàn de yáo le yáo tóu 。
李凡遗憾的摇了摇头。
Li Fan took the black ball and used his divine sense to answer the questions inside quickly.
xiǎng dào sū xiǎo mèi tā men ， tā niàn tou yī zhuǎn ， shì jiǎo dùn shí qiè huàn dào huāng dǎo nà biān 。
想到苏小妹他们，他念头一转，视角顿时切换到荒岛那边。
The others were still immersed in their tests when Zhang Ziliang collected the balls, nodding approvingly.
zǎo yǐ jīng tōng guò wú xiāng shā jī suǒ dìng le yè fēi péng hé xiāo héng 。
早已经通过无相杀机锁定了叶飞鹏和萧恒。
"Good work," he said with a smile.
cǐ shí zhù yì lì zhuǎn guò qù ， lǐ fán fā xiàn yī nián duō guò qù ， xiāo héng yǐ jīng shì liàn qì zhōng qī xiū wèi 。
此时注意力转过去，李凡发现一年多过去，萧恒已经是炼气中期修为。
After all four completed their tests, Zhang Ziliang's expression turned serious as he addressed one of them: "Sun Ling, you rank third among the five, but I must dismiss you. Do you know why?"
kàn yàng zi ， lí tū pò dào liàn qì hòu qī yě yǐ jīng bù yuǎn le 。
看样子，离突破到炼气后期也已经不远了。
Sun Ling's face paled and tried to speak but ultimately remained silent, answering bitterly: "Junior knows. Junior has been negligent in array studies recently, still at the level from three years ago..."
ér yè fēi péng de xiū liàn sù dù shāo màn ， sì hū gāng gāng tū pò dào liàn qì zhōng qī ， qì xī hái yǒu diǎn bù wěn 。
而叶飞鹏的修炼速度稍慢，似乎刚刚突破到炼气中期，气息还有点不稳。
Zhang Ziliang waved his hand dismissively: "Good enough; go now!"
cǐ shí èr rén zhèng zài qiē cuō duì zhàn 。
此时二人正在切磋对战。
Sun Ling bowed and left dejectedly.
xiāo héng cǐ shí yǐ jīng néng gòu níng jù chū shí jiǔ bǐng dìng hǎi shén jiàn 。
萧恒此时已经能够凝聚出十九柄定海神剑。
The other four cultivators looked solemn as Zhang Ziliang said: "Don't worry. You all did well."
lán sè shuǐ jiàn shàng xià fān fēi ， wǎn ruò yóu lóng fēi wǔ ， páo xiāo zhe xiàng yè fēi péng xí qù 。
蓝色水剑上下翻飞，宛若游龙飞舞，咆哮着向叶飞鹏袭去。
"Because of special circumstances, I haven't taught you for a long time," he continued with a smile.
ér yè fēi péng chù jīng bù luàn ， shēn xíng hǎo sì guǐ mèi ， zhuō mō bù dìng 。
而叶飞鹏处惊不乱，身形好似鬼魅，捉摸不定。
"The Sea Communication Island's protective array was recently attacked and damaged severely; we need to repair it."
jiǎo xià shēng fēng ， qīng yì jiù jiāng shuǐ jiàn de gōng jī zhú yī shǎn guò 。
脚下生风，轻易就将水剑的攻击逐一闪过。
"You will join me in this task and learn about the construction and maintenance of large-scale arrays."
měi tà chū yī bù ， jiǎo xià hái huì tóng shí shēng chéng yī bǎ shuǐ rèn ， qiāo wú shēng xī de fēi xiàng xiāo héng 。
每踏出一步，脚下还会同时生成一把水刃，悄无声息的飞向萧恒。
The other three nodded in agreement.
dàn měi cì gāng jìn dào xiāo héng shēn biān ， jiù bèi tū rán chū xiàn de shuǐ jiàn dǎng zhù 。
但每次刚近到萧恒身边，就被突然出现的水剑挡住。
Li Fan asked, "Master Zhang, I remember that Sea Communication Island is near Yongliang Prefecture in the northern border of Cunyunhai. This sudden attack..."
yè fēi péng yě bù qì něi ， ér shì yī rán bù duàn cháo zhe xiāo héng bī jìn 。
叶飞鹏也不气馁，而是依然不断朝着萧恒逼近。
"Could it be a trick by the Five Elders Association?"
màn màn de ， jiù zài tā lí xiāo héng yǐ jīng yī zhàng zhī yuǎn ， liǎn shàng lù chū yīn móu dé chěng de xiào róng zhī shí 。
慢慢的，就在他离萧恒已经一丈之远，脸上露出阴谋得逞的笑容之时。
Zhang Ziliang nodded: "Indeed, an Infant-stage cultivator from the Five Elders Association caused this."
què tū rán fā xiàn ， zì jǐ bù zhī shén me shí hòu ， yǐ jīng bèi shí jiǔ bǐng dìng hǎi shén jiàn ， sǐ sǐ wéi zài le zhōng yāng ！
却突然发现，自己不知什么时候，已经被十九柄定海神剑，死死围在了中央！
"But since we were at fault, we have no choice but to accept it."
shēn fǎ zài hǎo ， yě dùn bù chū qù le ！
身法再好，也遁不出去了！
Li Fan was puzzled: "Why are we at fault? What happened?"
“ wǒ tóu xiáng ！” yè fēi péng dāng jī lì duàn ， dà shēng hǎn dào 。
“我投降！”叶飞鹏当机立断，大声喊道。
Zhang Ziliang sighed: "It's all due to Jiang Zhengji from the Martial Hall. He chased after a fraud and ended up in Yongliang Prefecture."
xiāo héng wēi wēi yī xiào ， dìng hǎi shén jiàn hū xiào cā guò ， qiè xià le yè fēi péng de yī lǚ tóu fà 。
萧恒微微一笑，定海神剑呼啸擦过，切下了叶飞鹏的一缕头发。
"Unsuccessfully finding the culprit, he was discovered by the Five Elders Association instead."
“ pàng zi ， nǐ kě yào jiā bǎ jìn a 。 wǒ zhè lǐ shōu jí de tóu fà ， dōu zú gòu bǎ nǐ dǎ bàn chéng le dà gū niáng le ！” xiāo héng xiào zhe shuō dào 。
“胖子，你可要加把劲啊。我这里收集的头发，都足够把你打扮成了大姑娘了！”萧恒笑着说道。
"Jiang Zhengji and Du Xingchang are both skilled," Zhang Ziliang continued. "Together, they managed to escape from an encirclement by one Infant-stage cultivator and several Foundation Establishment cultivators."
Through the trials and tribulations, Li Fan continued to refine his strategies. The day of the Water Sky Heavenly Palace's opening arrived, but this time, his main self did not venture out; he remained in the Tianxuan Mirror, diligently practicing. Only a clone went to Qin Tang for an advanced infant-stage cultivation technique called "Six Desires Without Form." This technique could harness and transform one’s natural desires—joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, and hatred—into different divine arts.
"Sure enough, as the top cultivator in the Transmission Pavilion, Brother Qin's offerings are endless," Li Fan thought. "Now Sister Su has a cultivation method too."
However, he regretted his earlier actions when he recalled how he had learned the Cloud Water Illusory Dream Technique from Tianyi and was hesitant to do so again. He feared that if Brother Qin, who had become rather peculiar, noticed something amiss, he might be forced into a real fight.
Thinking of Su Xiaomei and others, Li Fan's thoughts shifted to the deserted island. He had already used the Formless Killing Mechanism to lock onto Ye Feipeng and Xiao Heng for over a year. Now, he found that Xiao Heng had advanced to the middle stage of Qi Cultivation, while Ye Feipeng was just beginning his journey at the same stage.
The two were currently sparring. Xiao Heng could already summon nineteen Sea Calming Divine Swords.
Blue water swords flew around like dragons, roaring towards Ye Feipeng. Ye Feipeng remained calm and dodged the attacks with ease, leaving behind silent water blades that approached Xiao Heng. Each time they got close, they were blocked by a sudden appearance of water swords.
Undeterred, Ye Feipeng continued to advance until he was only oneyard away from Xiao Heng, his face showing signs of triumph. However, suddenly, he found himself surrounded by the nineteen Sea Calming Divine Swords, unable to escape!
"Submit!" Ye Feipeng shouted decisively.
Xiao Heng smiled and slashed a strand of hair off Ye Feipeng with the Sea Calming Divine Swords.
"Fatty, you need to try harder. The hair I've collected is enough to make you look like a woman!" Xiao Heng said with a smile.
"Be smug now; one day, I'll beat you up," Ye Feipeng coldly retorted as he retreated.
Upon reaching the shore, Ye Feipeng thought: "I can't keep training on this deserted island. I'm always behind that kid."
"It's a disgrace to be reborn and still lag behind."
"I remember Zhang Haibo suddenly rose to prominence next year, transforming from an ordinary person into a middle-stage Qi Cultivator in just one year."
"Even if I don't know what happened, I can still intercept his opportunities. I'll take them for myself."
"And the following year, Tianyang Cave will open. Although it's actually for a divine puppet, as long as I manage to escape before he fully manifests, there shouldn't be any issues."
"Yes, I'm alone and might struggle. I need to find Xiao Heng and get him to block those guardians. With my speed, I can enter and sweep the place, then retreat safely."
With these thoughts in mind, Ye Feipeng wrote "Zhang Haibo" and "Tianyang" on the sand before erasing them.
In the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan chuckled: "Sure enough, he's planning to snatch Zhang Haibo’s opportunities. No problem; I've already set things up."
"Let's see if Ye Feipeng can catch the attention of Cunyunhai's consciousness and bear half a piece of the Sea of Heaven Pearl in this life."
Li Fan then turned his attention back to the messages he had received.
"A friend, your creation Li Qianmo is too over-the-top. Not only does it revive, but its strength even surpasses after revival? Truly outrageous!"
"I've already reported this to the Tianxuan Mirror; something must be wrong. How can a Foundation Establishment cultivator have such insane combat power?"
"Friend, could you reveal who Li Qianmo is based on? I'm willing to pay 500 points of contribution for that information!"
These messages were from those who had lost to Chapter Qianmo.
Li Fan glanced at the recentrecord or achievement of Chapter Qianmo. Eight wins and one draw.
The victories were unsurprising, as after Purple Dan rebirth, they were mostly overwhelming. The single draw was intriguing; the opponent's defensive techniques were exceptionally bizarre. Their body was surrounded by turtle-shell-like barriers from all directions, making it impossible for Chapter Qianmo to break through no matter what means he used. Even Purple Heaven Divine Lightning left only a black mark when hitting these barriers, which would instantly recover.
Li Fan read the name of this cultivator and couldn't help but sigh: "E Xinren..."
He immediately blocked him and permanently rejected his combat application.
After blocking E Xinren, Li Fan received a communication prompt. He opened it to find that it was from Array Master Zhang Ziliang.
They had finally made significant progress in studying the Ten Thousand Mountains River Array. They returned to the Strategy Hall.
Since joining, Li Fan and Zhang Ziliang had only met once on that island.
Zhang Ziliang called Li Fan for a visit this time to reassess his array techniques and arrange future tasks based on his performance.
Li Fan changed into black and yellow Daoist robes and went to the Strategy Hall. Zhang Ziliang was already waiting, along with another unfamiliar Foundation Establishment cultivator who also served as an Array Maintenance Officer.
After exchanging greetings, Li Fan stood quietly aside while Zhang Ziliang instructed him to wait a moment.
Soon, three more Foundation Establishment cultivators arrived. Once all five were present, Zhang Ziliang handed each of them a spirit ball and said: "Let's test your array techniques first to see if you've been negligent."
Li Fan took the black ball and used his divine sense to answer the questions inside quickly.
The others were still immersed in their tests when Zhang Ziliang collected the balls, nodding approvingly.
"Good work," he said with a smile.
After all four completed their tests, Zhang Ziliang's expression turned serious as he addressed one of them: "Sun Ling, you rank third among the five, but I must dismiss you. Do you know why?"
Sun Ling's face paled and tried to speak but ultimately remained silent, answering bitterly: "Junior knows. Junior has been negligent in array studies recently, still at the level from three years ago..."
Zhang Ziliang waved his hand dismissively: "Good enough; go now!"
Sun Ling bowed and left dejectedly.
The other four cultivators looked solemn as Zhang Ziliang said: "Don't worry. You all did well."
"Because of special circumstances, I haven't taught you for a long time," he continued with a smile.
"The Sea Communication Island's protective array was recently attacked and damaged severely; we need to repair it."
"You will join me in this task and learn about the construction and maintenance of large-scale arrays."
The other three nodded in agreement.
Li Fan asked, "Master Zhang, I remember that Sea Communication Island is near Yongliang Prefecture in the northern border of Cunyunhai. This sudden attack..."
"Could it be a trick by the Five Elders Association?"
Zhang Ziliang nodded: "Indeed, an Infant-stage cultivator from the Five Elders Association caused this."
"But since we were at fault, we have no choice but to accept it."
Li Fan was puzzled: "Why are we at fault? What happened?"
Zhang Ziliang sighed: "It's all due to Jiang Zhengji from the Martial Hall. He chased after a fraud and ended up in Yongliang Prefecture."
"Unsuccessfully finding the culprit, he was discovered by the Five Elders Association instead."
"Jiang Zhengji and Du Xingchang are both skilled," Zhang Ziliang continued. "Together, they managed to escape from an encirclement by one Infant-stage cultivator and several Foundation Establishment cultivators."