“ ruò shì dào yǒu dān xīn hù bú zhù chǎng zi ， kě yǐ huā diǎn qián xún zhǎo kào shān ma 。”
“若是道友担心护不住场子，可以花点钱寻找靠山嘛。”
"If your dao friend is worried about not being able to protect the place, you can spend some money to find a powerful ally."
“ dà bù liǎo sān qī fēn chéng ， ná xiǎo tóu biàn shì 。”
“大不了三七分成，拿小头便是。”
"Three-sevenths for him and three-sevenths for me at most."
“ zǒng guī shì bǐ zì jǐ sī xià fàn mài ， yào zhuàn de duō de 。”
“总归是比自己私下贩卖，要赚的多的。”
"In any case, it will be more profitable than selling privately."
“ dào yǒu xiū xíng wàn qiān kuǐ lěi dào ， yǔ zhè xiē dà néng dǎ jiāo dào ， bù yòng dān xīn zì jǐ ān quán wèn tí 。 kě yǐ duō jiē chù jǐ gè ， zài zuò jué dìng 。”
“道友修行万千傀儡道，与这些大能打交道，不用担心自己安全问题。可以多接触几个，再做决定。”
"With thousands of puppet techniques under cultivation, your dao friend has no need to worry about personal safety when dealing with these great powers. You can interact with several more before making a decision."
lǐ fán kǒu ruò xuán hé ， yòu xiáng xì wèi jiāo xiū yuǎn jiǎng shù le nǎ xiē xū yào zhù yì de shì xiàng 。
李凡口若悬河，又详细为焦修远讲述了哪些需要注意的事项。
Li Fan spoke eloquently and detailed the matters that needed attention.
fēn xī chū xiàn tè shū zhuàng kuàng hòu ， yòu gāi rú hé qù jiě jué 。
分析出现特殊状况后，又该如何去解决。
He analyzed how to handle special situations and resolve them.
shì wú jù xì ， fǎng fú tā zhēn de céng jīng qīn shēn jīng lì guò yì bān 。
事无巨细，仿佛他真的曾经亲身经历过一般。
His explanation was thorough, as if he had personally experienced everything.
jiāo xiū yuǎn tīng dé rù le shén ， rú chī sì zuì 。
焦修远听得入了神，如痴似醉。
Jiao Xiuyan was entranced by Li Fan's words, lost in his speech.
děng dào lǐ fán yǔ bì ， tā hái jiǔ jiǔ chén zuì qí zhōng ， méi yǒu huǎn guò lái 。
等到李凡语毕，他还久久沉醉其中，没有缓过来。
Only after Li Fan finished speaking did Jiao Xiuyan still linger in a daze.
“ hē hē ， zhè yàng ， dào yǒu hái dān xīn zhè xiē xiǎo yào wáng dǐng mài bù chū qù me ？” lǐ fán xiào zhe wèn dào 。
“呵呵，这样，道友还担心这些小药王鼎卖不出去么？”李凡笑着问道。
"Haha. So, dao friend, are you still worried about selling the little drug king鼎s?"
jiāo xiū yuǎn cóng chén sī zhōng jīng xǐng ， tàn fú dào ：“ dào yǒu zhī cái ， dāng shì shǎo yǒu 。 xǔ duō guān yú shāng dào de qí sī miào xiǎng ， gèng shì wén suǒ wèi wén 。”
焦修远从沉思中惊醒，叹服道：“道友之才，当世少有。许多关于商道的奇思妙想，更是闻所未闻。”
Li Fan asked with a smile.
“ tīng jūn yī xí huà ， zhēn shì dǐ de shàng wǒ jǐ shí nián kǔ xiū a ！”
“听君一席话，真是抵得上我几十年苦修啊！”
Jiao Xiuyan woke from his reverie and said admiringly, "Your talent is rare among contemporaries. Many of your commercial ideas are unheard of."
“ guāng lùn dào yǒu zhī cè de jià zhí ， jiù bǎi bèi yú nà xiǎo dǐng le 。”
“光论道友之策的价值，就百倍于那小鼎了。”
"Listening to you for one session is worth decades of cultivation!"
“ dào yǒu cǐ cì suǒ xū yào wáng dǐng ， wǒ jiù miǎn fèi zèng sòng 。 rì hòu ruò shì zhēn de tōng guò dào yǒu zhī cè ， zài xiǎo yào wáng dǐng shàng huò lì 。 wǒ yě jué bú huì lìn sè 。 dìng rán huì fēn de yī xiē lì rùn gěi nǐ ！” jiāo xiū yuǎn pāi zhe xiōng pú bǎo zhèng dào 。
“道友此次所需药王鼎，我就免费赠送。日后若是真的通过道友之策，在小药王鼎上获利。我也绝不会吝啬。定然会分得一些利润给你！”焦修远拍着胸脯保证道。
"Just considering the value of your strategy alone, it's already worth more than that small鼎."
“ kǒng pà nà shí hòu ， wǒ zhè fēn shēn zǎo jiù hái dào yú tiān le ！” lǐ fán xīn lǐ zhè me xiǎng zhe ， què shì shén sè bù biàn ， tǎn rán jiē shòu le jiāo xiū yuǎn sòng guò lái de sì zūn xiǎo yào wáng dǐng 。
“恐怕那时候，我这分身早就还道于天了！”李凡心里这么想着，却是神色不变，坦然接受了焦修远送过来的四尊小药王鼎。
"I will give this drug king鼎to you free of charge. If we really make a profit from your strategy in the future, I won't be stingy and will definitely share some profits with you!" Jiao Xiuyan assured, patting his chest.
suí hòu jié shù le yǔ jiāo xiū yuǎn de tán huà 。
随后结束了与焦修远的谈话。
"Perhaps by then, my avatar would already have returned to heaven!" Li Fan thought but remained unperturbed as he accepted the four small drug king鼎s from Jiao Xiuyan.
“ děng jiāo xiū yuǎn bù jú ， shì jiàn fā jiào ， hái xū yī duàn shí jiān 。”
“等焦修远布局，事件发酵，还需一段时间。”
He then concluded their conversation.
“ cǐ cè suī jiǎ shí zhēn ， bù pà bù chéng 。”
“此策虽假实真，不怕不成。”
"It will take some time for Jiao Xiuyan's plan to unfold and events to escalate."
“ wèi le bì miǎn rì hòu yù yán shí xiàn ， fēn shēn bèi dào chá 。 zhè jù fēn shēn yě bù néng yào le ， xū yào zài shì fā zhī qián sòng sǐ 。”
“为了避免日后预言实现，分身被倒查。这具分身也不能要了，需要在事发之前送死。”
"Although this strategy is fake, it is real. There's no need to fear failure."
“ ń ， kě yǐ zài jìn jù lí guān kàn ， cǐ shì de lián shǒu zhū chì yán yǒu shén me bù tóng 。”
“嗯，可以再近距离观看，此世的联手诛赤炎有什么不同。”
"To avoid being traced back in the future when the prophecy comes true, I can't keep this avatar. It needs to be sacrificed before the incident occurs."
“ ér děng dào máo dìng shí wǔ nián ， xīng luò guī cāng wú ， yào wáng dǐng zhēn de fǎn huí xuán huáng jiè zhōng ……”
“而等到锚定十五年，星落归苍梧，药王鼎真的返回玄黄界中……”
"Hmm, we can get closer to observe the differences between this world and the previous one in the joint effort against Scarlet Flame."
“ xiǎng bì xiū xiān jiè yīng gāi yǒu bù shǎo rén ， néng jiāng huǒ liú xīng gēn yào wáng dǐng lián xì qǐ lái 。”
“想必修仙界应该有不少人，能将火流星跟药王鼎联系起来。”
"Once the anchor is set for fifteen years, as stars fall back to苍梧, the drug king鼎actually returns to Xuanhuang..."
“ zhè yī shì de sī shā qiǎng duó ， yě yīng dāng huì tí qián lái lín 。”
“这一世的厮杀抢夺，也应当会提前来临。”
"I'm sure many cultivators will connect the fire meteor with the drug king鼎."
“ bù néng bǎo zhèng méi yǒu yuán yīng yǐ shàng jìng jiè xiū shì huì cān yù qiǎng duó ， zhè yào wáng dǐng wǒ jiù bù fàng zài shēn shàng le 。”
“不能保证没有元婴以上境界修士会参与抢夺，这药王鼎我就不放在身上了。”
"The battles and struggles of this world should come earlier than expected."
“ huò xǔ kě yǐ fēn gěi 【 fù xiān 】 de jǐ wèi xiǎo jiā huo men ， rú guǒ dào shí hòu tā men shí lì zú gòu de huà ……”
“或许可以分给【复仙】的几位小家伙们，如果到时候他们实力足够的话……”
"There might be some Core Formation realm cultivators involved in the competition. I won't keep this drug king鼎on me anymore."
“ duì yú zhè shù qiān nián qián jiù pò kōng ér qù de zhōu dǐng ， wǒ yě dí què shì hào qí de jǐn 。”
“对于这数千年前就破空而去的舟鼎，我也的确是好奇的紧。”
"Perhaps it can be given to a few small fellows from [Rebirth Immortal] if they have enough strength..."
“ jiù yǐ tā men wèi wǒ zhī yǎn ， qù nà yào wáng zhēn dǐng zhōng ， yī tàn jiū jìng 。”
“就以他们为我之眼，去那药王真鼎中，一探究竟。”
"I am indeed curious about that boat鼎that broke through the void thousands of years ago."
“ rú guǒ zhēn de yǒu shén me dà jī yuán de huà ， wǒ jiù hòu miàn jǐ shì ， zài móu qǔ 。”
“如果真的有什么大机缘的话，我就后面几世，再谋取。”
"I will use them as my eyes, exploring the true鼎of the drug king."
zhǒng zi yǐ jīng mái xià ， zhǐ děng shì jiàn kāi huā jié guǒ le 。
种子已经埋下，只等事件开花结果了。
"In future lives, I might seek out this great opportunity."
“ zhè jù fēn shēn de shǐ mìng yǐ jīng wán chéng 。 kě yǐ kǎo lǜ qù jiǔ shān zhōu wàn fǎ shāng huì yī tàng ， gòu mǎi xiē gōng fǎ huí lái 。”
“这具分身的使命已经完成。可以考虑去九山州万法商会一趟，购买些功法回来。”
The seeds are planted; now we wait for the events to unfold.
lǐ fán zhè me xiǎng zhe ， fēn shēn kāi shǐ zài tiān xuán jìng zhōng ， xún zhǎo qǐ liǎo jié bàn chéng yuán 。
李凡这么想着，分身开始在天玄镜中，寻找起了结伴成员。
"This avatar's mission is complete. I can consider a trip to Nine Mountains State and the Ten Thousand Dao Merchant Guild to purchase some cultivation techniques."
shì qíng hěn shùn lì 。
事情很顺利。
Li Fan thought as his avatar began searching for companions in the Heavenly Xuan Mirror.
qī tiān zhī hòu ， yī zhī yóu yī wèi yuán yīng 、 sān wèi jīn dān 、 shí jǐ wèi zhù jī xiū shì zǔ chéng de duì wǔ ， jiù shùn lì zǔ jiàn le 。
七天之后，一支由一位元婴、三位金丹、十几位筑基修士组成的队伍，就顺利组建了。
Everything went smoothly.
děng dào le yuē dìng chū fā zhī rì ， jiàn dào duì wǔ de zhū wèi chéng yuán 。
等到了约定出发之日，见到队伍的诸位成员。
Seven days later, a team consisting of one Core Formation cultivator, three Golden Core cultivators, and several Core Formation cultivators was successfully assembled.
yī fān xián liáo zhī xià ， lǐ fán cái zhī dào ， zhè wèi dài tóu de yuán yīng xiū shì ， hái shì wèi shú rén 。
一番闲聊之下，李凡才知道，这位带头的元婴修士，还是位熟人。
On the day they were supposed to depart, Li Fan met with the members of the group.
dāng rán shì dān fāng miàn de shú rén 。
当然是单方面的熟人。
After some casual conversation, he realized that the leading Core Formation cultivator was someone familiar to him.
lǐ fán rèn shí tā ， tā bù rèn shí lǐ fán 。
李凡认识他，他不认识李凡。
Of course, it was a one-sided familiarity.
cǐ rén zhèng shì qīng mù huà shēng zhēn jūn 。
此人正是青木化生真君。
Li Fan knew him, but the other did not know Li Fan.
cóng zhī qián líng wù cǎo fēng bō de mù hòu zhuāng jiā ， biàn chéng le cǐ shì de rù jú zhī rén 。
从之前灵雾草风波的幕后庄家，变成了此世的入局之人。
This person was the Green Wood True Lord.
qīng mù huà shēng zhēn jūn yě shì sǔn shī cǎn zhòng 。
青木化生真君也是损失惨重。
He had transformed from the幕后主使 behind the incident with the Spirit Mist Grass into an active participant in this world.
zài jiā shàng mù shǔ xìng dòng tiān de tí qián bào guāng ， qīng mù lài yǐ wéi shēng de líng yào zhòng zhí yè wù ， yě dà shòu dǎ jī 。
再加上木属性洞天的提前曝光，青木赖以为生的灵药种植业务，也大受打击。
The Green Wood True Lord also suffered significant losses.
shōu rù yāo zhǎn zài yāo zhǎn 。
收入腰斩再腰斩。
Furthermore, the premature exposure of his wooden attribute dao realm severely impacted his medicinal herb cultivation business.
wú nài zhì jí de qīng mù ， zhǐ dé kāi shǐ le zì jǐ de yè wù zhuǎn xíng 。
无奈至极的青木，只得开始了自己的业务转型。
His income halved and then halved again.
tā bì jìng shì yuán yīng zhēn jūn ， gè zhǒng rèn wù dōu kě yǐ jiē qǔ 。
他毕竟是元婴真君，各种任务都可以接取。
Green Wood was forced to transform his business.
zhè jǐ nián lái ， tōng guò zhǒng zhǒng cháng shì ， qīng mù hái zhēn zhǎo dào yī tiáo bǐ jiào qīng sōng zhuàn qǔ gòng xiàn dù de mén lù 。
这几年来，通过种种尝试，青木还真找到一条比较轻松赚取贡献度的门路。
As a Core Formation true lord, he could take on various tasks.
nà jiù shì dǎo mǎi dǎo mài le 。
那就是倒买倒卖了。
Over the past few years, through numerous attempts, Green Wood had found a relatively easy way to earn contributions: buying and selling.
yuǎn qù jiǔ shān zhōu wàn fǎ shāng huì ， gòu mǎi yī xiē wù zī 。 suí hòu dài huí cóng yún hǎi sī xià mài diào ， zhuàn qǔ chā jià 。
远去九山州万法商会，购买一些物资。随后带回丛云海私下卖掉，赚取差价。
He traveled to Nine Mountains State's Ten Thousand Dao Merchant Guild, purchased some supplies, then sold them privately in the Cloudy Sea for a profit.
lái huí yī tàng ， huò lì pǒ fēng 。
来回一趟，获利颇丰。
Each trip brought substantial gains.
suī shuō jiǔ shān zhōu bǐ jiào hùn luàn ， wàn xiān méng tǒng zhì lì bó ruò ， suí shí dōu yǒu bèi xí jī de fēng xiǎn 。
虽说九山州比较混乱，万仙盟统治力薄弱，随时都有被袭击的风险。
Although Nine Mountains was chaotic with weak governance from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, posing constant risks of attacks,
dàn yǐ tā yuán yīng jìng de shí lì ， zì bǎo bù chéng wèn tí 。
但以他元婴境的实力，自保不成问题。
Green Wood, with his Core Formation realm strength, could easily defend himself.
jiù zhè yàng ， cháng dào tián tóu de qīng mù ， bǐng zhe néng duō zhēng yì diǎn shì yì diǎn de yuán zé ， yòu kāi shǐ zuò qǐ le dài duì de shēng yì 。
就这样，尝到甜头的青木，秉着能多挣一点是一点的原则，又开始做起了带队的生意。
Thus, he continued to take on leading roles, earning contributions in exchange for protection.
zhǐ yào jiāo fù yí dìng de gòng xiàn dù ， jiù néng jiā rù jìn qīng mù de duì wǔ zhōng ， yī lù shàng dé dào qīng mù de bì yòu 。
只要交付一定的贡献度，就能加入进青木的队伍中，一路上得到青木的庇佑。
A thousand contributions for Core Formation cultivators and six hundred for Golden Core cultivators.
zhù jī yī qiān 、 jīn dān liù bǎi 。
筑基一千、金丹六百。
Each trip earned Green Wood nearly twenty thousand contributions.
yī tàng qīng mù yě néng zhēng gè jiāng jìn liǎng wàn duō gòng xiàn dù 。
一趟青木也能挣个将近两万多贡献度。
Li Fan paid the contributions and joined the group as they set off.
lǐ fán shuǎng kuài de jiǎo nà le gòng xiàn dù hòu ， biàn gēn zhe duì wǔ chū fā le 。
李凡爽快的缴纳了贡献度后，便跟着队伍出发了。
Due to the high cost involved, they did not use inter-state teleportation directly.
yīn wèi xiāo hào tài dà de yuán gù ， zhòng rén méi yǒu zhí jiē cǎi yòng kuà zhōu chuán sòng de fāng shì 。
因为消耗太大的缘故，众人没有直接采用跨州传送的方式。
Instead, they first teleported to the outskirts of Cloudy Sea, entering Shi Lin State's territory.
ér shì xiān chuán sòng dào cóng yún hǎi biān chuí ， xiān jìn rù shí lín zhōu jìng nèi 。
而是先传送到丛云海边陲，先进入石临州境内。
Then, through Shi Lin City's teleportation array, they arrived at Suspension Stone City near Nine Mountains State.
suí hòu zài tōng guò shí lín chéng de chuán sòng zhèn zhōng zhuǎn ， lái dào kào jìn jiǔ shān zhōu de xuán shí chéng 。
随后再通过石临城的传送阵中转，来到靠近九山州的悬石城。
From there, they flew towards Nine Mountains State.
zhī hòu cóng xuán shí chéng ， yī lù fēi wǎng jiǔ shān zhōu 。
之后从悬石城，一路飞往九山州。
Nine Mountains State was named for its nine continuous mountain ranges.
jiǔ shān zhōu ， yīn jìng nèi jiǔ tiáo lián mián bù jué de shān mài dé míng 。
九山州，因境内九条连绵不绝的山脉得名。
Each range stood like a towering wall across the land.
měi yī tiáo shān mài ， dōu rú gāo sǒng de chéng qiáng yì bān ， héng gèn zài dà dì zhī shàng 。
每一条山脉，都如高耸的城墙一般，横亘在大地之上。
Moreover, each of these nine mountains had unique characteristics.
bìng qiě ， zhè jiǔ tiáo shān mài ， dōu gè yǒu xuán miào 。
并且，这九条山脉，都各有玄妙。
Core Formation realm cultivators could only fly over them after cultivating their dao realms.
yuán yīng zhī xià xiū shì ， méi yǒu xiū chéng dòng tiān fǎ yù ， biàn wú fǎ cóng shān mài zhī shàng fēi guò 。
元婴之下修士，没有修成洞天法域，便无法从山脉之上飞过。
Otherwise, they had to traverse the mountain passes as ordinary people.
zhǐ néng rú tóng fán rén yì bān ， cóng shān jiān xíng dào ， chuān shān ér guò 。
只能如同凡人一般，从山间陉道，穿山而过。
Every year, some daring cultivators would die trying to leap over Nine Mountains.
měi nián dōu yǒu bù xìn xié de xiū shì ， yīn wèi wàng tú fēi yuè jiǔ shān ， zhí jiē yī tóu shuāi sǐ zài shān bì shàng 。
每年都有不信邪的修士，因为妄图飞跃九山，直接一头摔死在山壁上。
The Ten Thousand Dao Merchant Guild was located on the last mountain, Tian Chang Mountain.
ér wàn fǎ shāng huì de suǒ zài dì ， jiù zài jiǔ shān zuì hòu yī shān ， tiān zhǎng shān shàng 。
而万法商会的所在地，就在九山最后一山，天长山上。
Li Fan's avatar followed the group towards their destination.
lǐ fán fēn shēn gēn zhe duì wǔ ， cháo zhe mù dì dì chū fā le 。
李凡分身跟着队伍，朝着目的地出发了。
Meanwhile, his main body, after three months of cultivation, suddenly awoke from seclusion.
ér běn zūn zhè biān ， zài xiū xíng le sān gè yuè hòu ， què shì tū rán cóng bì guān zhōng sū xǐng 。
而本尊这边，在修行了三个月后，却是突然从闭关中苏醒。
He sensed that Ye Feipeng on the deserted island was starting to stir.
yīn wèi ， tā gǎn dào le huāng dǎo shàng de yè fēi péng ， kāi shǐ chǔn chǔn yù dòng le 。
因为，他感到了荒岛上的叶飞鹏，开始蠢蠢欲动了。
视角转向荒岛。
shì jiǎo zhuǎn dào huāng dǎo shàng 。
视角转到荒岛上。
Ye Feipeng hid in the shadows as Vang恒 practiced his killing technique, Water Dragon Ode.
zhǐ jiàn yè fēi péng duǒ zài yī biān ， kàn zhe xiāo héng zhèng zài xiū liàn shā zhāo 【 shuǐ lóng yín 】。
只见叶飞鹏躲在一边，看着萧恒正在修炼杀招【水龙吟】。
The sight of hundreds of water dragons dancing in the air made Ye Feipeng envious.
qiān bǎi tiáo shuǐ lóng yī qí fēi wǔ de zhuàng guān jǐng xiàng ， ràng yè fēi péng kàn de yǎn chán 。
千百条水龙一齐飞舞的壮观景象，让叶飞鹏看的眼馋。
"Although my cultivation technique, Ocean Treading and Heaven Questioning from the Great Sea Treading, is powerful, it still doesn't match Vang's technique in terms of appearance. The practical effect seems to be slightly inferior."
“ suī shuō wǒ suǒ xiū gōng fǎ ， cāng hǎi tà làng zhōng ， yě yǒu yī shì 【 tà làng wèn tiān 】， wēi lì bù sú 。 dàn bì jìng bù rú xiāo héng zhè zhāo kàn shàng qù bà qì diǎn 。 shí zhàn xiào guǒ hǎo xiàng yě chà shàng nà me yī xiē 。”
“虽说我所修功法，沧海踏浪中，也有一式【踏浪问天】，威力不俗。但毕竟不如萧恒这招看上去霸气点。实战效果好像也差上那么一些。”
Ye Feipeng's eyes darted as he pondered.
yè fēi péng yǎn zhū zhí zhuǎn ， àn zì sī suǒ zhe 。
叶飞鹏眼珠直转，暗自思索着。
"No good. I can't compete with Vang in cultivation techniques or talent."
“ bù xíng ， gōng fǎ bǐ bù guò xiāo héng ， xiū liàn tiān fù yě bǐ bù guò 。”
“不行，功法比不过萧恒，修炼天赋也比不过。”
"Otherwise, I will fall further behind."
“ zhè yàng xià qù ， zhēn de yào bèi chè dǐ lā kāi chā jù le 。”
“这样下去，真的要被彻底拉开差距了。”
"Calculating, it looks like Zhang Haobo is about to receive his opportunity..."
“ suàn yī suàn ， hǎo xiàng lí zhāng hào bō dé dào jī yuán de rì zi yě kuài dào le ……”
“算一算，好像离张浩波得到机缘的日子也快到了……”
Ye Feipeng made a decision.
yè fēi péng dùn shí zuò le jué dìng 。
叶飞鹏顿时做了决定。
Taking advantage of Vang恒's focus on practice, Ye Feipeng left the island secretly and flew towards Lian Yu Island.
chèn zhe xiāo héng zhèng chén jìn zài xiū liàn zhōng de gōng fu ， yè fēi péng yí gè rén ， qiāo qiāo lí kāi le huāng dǎo 。
趁着萧恒正沉浸在修炼中的功夫，叶飞鹏一个人，悄悄离开了荒岛。
Li Fan smiled and arrived at Lian Yu Island first through the teleportation array.
cháo zhe jì yì zhōng liú lí dǎo de fāng xiàng fēi qù 。
朝着记忆中琉璃岛的方向飞去。
To ensure that everything unfolded as planned, he needed to be present in person.
lǐ fán wēi wēi yī xiào ， tōng guò chuán sòng zhèn ， xiān yī bù lái dào le liú lí dǎo shàng 。
李凡微微一笑，通过传送阵，先一步来到了琉璃岛上。
Seven days later,
wèi le què bǎo shì qíng de zǒu xiàng zài tā de kòng zhì zhī zhōng ， lǐ fán hái xū qīn zì dào chǎng 。
为了确保事情的走向在他的控制之中，李凡还需亲自到场。
Zhang Haobo, still a mere mortal, led the Cang Yuan ship on another fishing voyage.
qī tiān hòu 。
七天后。
Zhang Haobo was unaware of the pair of eyes watching him intently from above.
réng rán zhǐ shì yī wèi fán rén de zhāng hào bō ， shuài lǐng zhe cāng yuǎn hào ， kāi shǐ le yòu yī cì de chū hǎi bǔ yú zhī lǚ 。
仍然只是一位凡人的张浩波，率领着沧远号，开始了又一次的出海捕鱼之旅。
Ye Feipeng, who was monitoring Zhang Haobo, did not notice that even farther away, another pair of eyes were observing them.
zhāng hào bō zì rán bú huì chá jué dào ， tóu dǐng yì zhí yǒu yī shuāng yǎn jīng ， sǐ sǐ de dīng zhe tā 。
张浩波自然不会察觉到，头顶一直有一双眼睛，死死的盯着他。
On the Cang Yuan ship, Zhang Haobo's mind was somewhat vague as he looked around the sea.
ér zhèng jiān shì zhe zhāng hào bō de yè fēi péng ， yě méi yǒu fā xiàn ， zài gèng yuǎn de dì fāng ， lìng yǒu yī shuāng yǎn jīng ， zài yáo wàng zhe tā men 。
而正监视着张浩波的叶飞鹏，也没有发现，在更远的地方，另有一双眼睛，在遥望着他们。
A strange sense of familiarity suddenly washed over him.
cāng yuǎn hào shàng ， zhāng hào bō shén sè yǒu xiē huǎng hū 。
沧远号上，张浩波神色有些恍惚。
Suddenly, he noticed a reef that seemed familiar in front.
sì chù dǎ liàng zhe zhōu wéi de hǎi yù ， yī zhǒng mò míng de shú xī gǎn tū rán yǒng shàng xīn tóu 。
四处打量着周围的海域，一种莫名的熟悉感突然涌上心头。
His spirit surged, and he ordered his subordinates to drop the anchor and stop the boat here.
hū rán ， tā fā xiàn le qián fāng yī chù kàn shàng qù yǒu xiē yǎn shú de àn jiāo 。
忽然，他发现了前方一处看上去有些眼熟的暗礁。
Taking advantage of his good swimming skills, he dived into the water.
jīng shén yī zhèn ， mìng lìng shǒu xià bǎ chuán máo rēng xià ， jiāng chuán tíng zài cǐ chù 。
精神一震，命令手下把船锚扔下，将船停在此处。
In this relatively shallow area, Zhang Haobo searched around based on his intuition.
suí hòu zhàng zhe shuǐ xìng hǎo ， yī tóu zhā jìn hǎi zhōng 。
随后仗着水性好，一头扎进海中。
Soon, an underwater skeleton caught his attention.
zài zhè chù bù suàn shēn de hǎi dǐ ， zhāng hào bō píng jiè zhè xīn zhōng de yù gǎn ， sì chù sōu xún 。
在这处不算深的海底，张浩波凭借这心中的预感，四处搜寻。
Returning to the surface for a breath, he dived back in to investigate further.
bù jiǔ zhī hòu ， yī jù cháng mián yú hǎi dǐ de kū lóu xī yǐn le tā de zhù yì lì 。
不久之后，一具长眠于海底的骷髅吸引了他的注意力。
But when he tried to explore again, Zhang Haobo found that the skeleton had vanished.
fǎn huí shuǐ miàn ， huàn le kǒu qì 。
返回水面，换了口气。
He did not see Ye Feipeng, who was excitedly retrieving the jade slip from the skeleton's hand.
děng tā zài cì qián rù shuǐ dǐ ， xiǎng yào yī tàn jiū jìng de shí hòu 。
等他再次潜入水底，想要一探究竟的时候。
Ye Feipeng read it carefully.
zhāng hào bō què máng rán de fā xiàn ， gāng gāng hái zài nà lǐ de kū lóu ， què dǒu rán jiān xiāo shī bú jiàn le 。
张浩波却茫然的发现，刚刚还在那里的骷髅，却陡然间消失不见了。
"Shocking Palm, covering hands turn into vast ocean..."
tā méi yǒu kàn dào ， bù yuǎn chù ， yè fēi péng mǎn huái jī dòng zhī qíng ， jiāng kū lóu huái zhōng de yù jiǎn qǔ chū 。
他没有看到，不远处，叶飞鹏满怀激动之情，将骷髅怀中的玉简取出。
"All living beings have consciousness."
zǐ xì yuè dú qǐ lái 。
仔细阅读起来。
"The Cloudy Sea is no exception..."
“ jīng tiān yī zhǎng ， fù shǒu huà cāng hǎi ……”
“惊天一掌，覆手化沧海……”
"Ah, I understand. Ah, I understand..."
“ wàn wù shēng líng ， gè yǒu yì shí 。”
“万物生灵，各有意识。”
A glimmer of enlightenment flashed in Ye Feipeng's eyes.
"If your dao friend is worried about not being able to protect the place, you can spend some money to find a powerful ally."
"Three-sevenths for him and three-sevenths for me at most."
"In any case, it will be more profitable than selling privately."
"With thousands of puppet techniques under cultivation, your dao friend has no need to worry about personal safety when dealing with these great powers. You can interact with several more before making a decision."
Li Fan spoke eloquently and detailed the matters that needed attention.
He analyzed how to handle special situations and resolve them.
His explanation was thorough, as if he had personally experienced everything.
Jiao Xiuyan was entranced by Li Fan's words, lost in his speech.
Only after Li Fan finished speaking did Jiao Xiuyan still linger in a daze.
"Haha. So, dao friend, are you still worried about selling the little drug king鼎s?"
Li Fan asked with a smile.
Jiao Xiuyan woke from his reverie and said admiringly, "Your talent is rare among contemporaries. Many of your commercial ideas are unheard of."
"Listening to you for one session is worth decades of cultivation!"
"Just considering the value of your strategy alone, it's already worth more than that small鼎."
"I will give this drug king鼎to you free of charge. If we really make a profit from your strategy in the future, I won't be stingy and will definitely share some profits with you!" Jiao Xiuyan assured, patting his chest.
"Perhaps by then, my avatar would already have returned to heaven!" Li Fan thought but remained unperturbed as he accepted the four small drug king鼎s from Jiao Xiuyan.
He then concluded their conversation.
"It will take some time for Jiao Xiuyan's plan to unfold and events to escalate."
"Although this strategy is fake, it is real. There's no need to fear failure."
"To avoid being traced back in the future when the prophecy comes true, I can't keep this avatar. It needs to be sacrificed before the incident occurs."
"Hmm, we can get closer to observe the differences between this world and the previous one in the joint effort against Scarlet Flame."
"Once the anchor is set for fifteen years, as stars fall back to苍梧, the drug king鼎actually returns to Xuanhuang..."
"I'm sure many cultivators will connect the fire meteor with the drug king鼎."
"The battles and struggles of this world should come earlier than expected."
"There might be some Core Formation realm cultivators involved in the competition. I won't keep this drug king鼎on me anymore."
"Perhaps it can be given to a few small fellows from [Rebirth Immortal] if they have enough strength..."
"I am indeed curious about that boat鼎that broke through the void thousands of years ago."
"I will use them as my eyes, exploring the true鼎of the drug king."
"In future lives, I might seek out this great opportunity."
The seeds are planted; now we wait for the events to unfold.
"This avatar's mission is complete. I can consider a trip to Nine Mountains State and the Ten Thousand Dao Merchant Guild to purchase some cultivation techniques."
Li Fan thought as his avatar began searching for companions in the Heavenly Xuan Mirror.
Everything went smoothly.
Seven days later, a team consisting of one Core Formation cultivator, three Golden Core cultivators, and several Core Formation cultivators was successfully assembled.
On the day they were supposed to depart, Li Fan met with the members of the group.
After some casual conversation, he realized that the leading Core Formation cultivator was someone familiar to him.
Of course, it was a one-sided familiarity.
Li Fan knew him, but the other did not know Li Fan.
This person was the Green Wood True Lord.
He had transformed from the幕后主使 behind the incident with the Spirit Mist Grass into an active participant in this world.
The Green Wood True Lord also suffered significant losses.
Furthermore, the premature exposure of his wooden attribute dao realm severely impacted his medicinal herb cultivation business.
His income halved and then halved again.
Green Wood was forced to transform his business.
As a Core Formation true lord, he could take on various tasks.
Over the past few years, through numerous attempts, Green Wood had found a relatively easy way to earn contributions: buying and selling.
He traveled to Nine Mountains State's Ten Thousand Dao Merchant Guild, purchased some supplies, then sold them privately in the Cloudy Sea for a profit.
Each trip brought substantial gains.
Although Nine Mountains was chaotic with weak governance from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, posing constant risks of attacks,
Green Wood, with his Core Formation realm strength, could easily defend himself.
Thus, he continued to take on leading roles, earning contributions in exchange for protection.
A thousand contributions for Core Formation cultivators and six hundred for Golden Core cultivators.
Each trip earned Green Wood nearly twenty thousand contributions.
Li Fan paid the contributions and joined the group as they set off.
Due to the high cost involved, they did not use inter-state teleportation directly.
Instead, they first teleported to the outskirts of Cloudy Sea, entering Shi Lin State's territory.
Then, through Shi Lin City's teleportation array, they arrived at Suspension Stone City near Nine Mountains State.
From there, they flew towards Nine Mountains State.
Nine Mountains State was named for its nine continuous mountain ranges.
Each range stood like a towering wall across the land.
Moreover, each of these nine mountains had unique characteristics.
Core Formation realm cultivators could only fly over them after cultivating their dao realms.
Otherwise, they had to traverse the mountain passes as ordinary people.
Every year, some daring cultivators would die trying to leap over Nine Mountains.
The Ten Thousand Dao Merchant Guild was located on the last mountain, Tian Chang Mountain.
Li Fan's avatar followed the group towards their destination.
Meanwhile, his main body, after three months of cultivation, suddenly awoke from seclusion.
He sensed that Ye Feipeng on the deserted island was starting to stir.
视角转向荒岛。
Ye Feipeng hid in the shadows as Vang恒 practiced his killing technique, Water Dragon Ode.
The sight of hundreds of water dragons dancing in the air made Ye Feipeng envious.
"Although my cultivation technique, Ocean Treading and Heaven Questioning from the Great Sea Treading, is powerful, it still doesn't match Vang's technique in terms of appearance. The practical effect seems to be slightly inferior."
Ye Feipeng's eyes darted as he pondered.
"No good. I can't compete with Vang in cultivation techniques or talent."
"Otherwise, I will fall further behind."
"Calculating, it looks like Zhang Haobo is about to receive his opportunity..."
Ye Feipeng made a decision.
Taking advantage of Vang恒's focus on practice, Ye Feipeng left the island secretly and flew towards Lian Yu Island.
Li Fan smiled and arrived at Lian Yu Island first through the teleportation array.
To ensure that everything unfolded as planned, he needed to be present in person.
Seven days later,
Zhang Haobo, still a mere mortal, led the Cang Yuan ship on another fishing voyage.
Zhang Haobo was unaware of the pair of eyes watching him intently from above.
Ye Feipeng, who was monitoring Zhang Haobo, did not notice that even farther away, another pair of eyes were observing them.
On the Cang Yuan ship, Zhang Haobo's mind was somewhat vague as he looked around the sea.
A strange sense of familiarity suddenly washed over him.
Suddenly, he noticed a reef that seemed familiar in front.
His spirit surged, and he ordered his subordinates to drop the anchor and stop the boat here.
Taking advantage of his good swimming skills, he dived into the water.
In this relatively shallow area, Zhang Haobo searched around based on his intuition.
Soon, an underwater skeleton caught his attention.
Returning to the surface for a breath, he dived back in to investigate further.
But when he tried to explore again, Zhang Haobo found that the skeleton had vanished.
He did not see Ye Feipeng, who was excitedly retrieving the jade slip from the skeleton's hand.
Ye Feipeng read it carefully.
"Shocking Palm, covering hands turn into vast ocean..."
"All living beings have consciousness."
"The Cloudy Sea is no exception..."
"Ah, I understand. Ah, I understand..."
A glimmer of enlightenment flashed in Ye Feipeng's eyes.