cóng chén yù róu huàn chū “ wǒ wú dí ” zhè ge míng zì kāi shǐ ， lǐ fán de zhù yì lì jiù jí zhōng dào le sū xiǎo mèi nà biān 。
从沉玉柔唤出“我无敌”这个名字开始，李凡的注意力就集中到了苏小妹那边。
From the moment Shen Yu Rou called out "I Am Invincible," Li Fan's attention shifted to Su Xiaomei.
méi xiǎng dào néng zài zhè zhǒng qíng kuàng xià ， jiàn dào céng zài 【 zuò ér lùn dào 】 zhōng de 【 wǒ wú dí 】。
没想到能在这种情况下，见到曾在【坐而论道】中的【我无敌】。
He hadn't expected to see someone named "I Am Invincible" from their previous encounter in *Sitting and Discussing Dao*.
lǐ fán zì rán shì lái le xìng qù 。
李凡自然是来了兴趣。
Li Fan naturally became interested. Since he had left after devising a strategy to defeat Chapter Brother Zhang, he had vanished without a trace until Chapter Zhang Qianmo was defeated by Zhong Shentong.
zì cóng liú yán xiǎng dào jī bài zhāng shī xiōng de fāng fǎ hòu ， tā jiù xiāo shī bú jiàn 。
自从留言想到击败章师兄的方法后，他就消失不见。
Li Fan originally thought that "I Am Invincible" must have perished. But here he was, alive and well.
yì zhí dào zhāng qiān mò bèi zhōng shén tōng jī bài ， tā dōu méi yǒu zài chū xiàn guò 。
一直到章阡陌被钟神通击败，他都没有再出现过。
"Why didn't he challenge Chapter Brother Zhang later?"
lǐ fán yuán běn hái yǐ wéi tā yǐ jīng yǔn luò le 。
李凡原本还以为他已经陨落了。
Li Fan checked the combat records of *Sitting and Discussing Dao* and felt a bit puzzled. He didn’t seem like someone who would just talk big.
méi xiǎng dào què huó de hǎo hǎo de 。
没想到却活的好好的。
He opened the battle record between Shuofeng and Chapter Zhang Qianmo, noticing that in previous battles, Shuofeng had used eighty-one golden mother-and-child swords.
“ wèi shén me hòu lái tā méi yǒu tiǎo zhàn zhāng shī xiōng le ？”
“为什么后来他没有挑战章师兄了？”
This was quite different from the wooden sword he currently wielded.
lǐ fán chá kàn le yī xià zuò ér lùn dào de duì zhàn jì lù ， xīn zhōng bù miǎn yǒu xiē yí huò 。
李凡查看了一下坐而论道的对战记录，心中不免有些疑惑。
"Was it to preserve his strength?"
tā kàn shàng qù bù xiàng shì kōng shuō dà huà de rén 。
他看上去不像是空说大话的人。
"Or did he retrain?"
ér qiě 。
而且。
Having practiced the Calming Sea Divine Sword and mastered the Twenty-Eight Swords of Cunyun, Li Fan had a basic understanding of sword techniques.
lǐ fán jiāng 【 wǒ wú dí 】 shuò fēng zhī qián gēn zhāng qiān mò de duì zhàn jì lù diǎn kāi 。
李凡将【我无敌】朔锋之前跟章阡陌的对战记录点开。
He repeatedly compared Shuofeng’s battles with both Chapter Zhang Qianmo and Su Xiaomei.
zhī qián de zhàn dòu zhōng ， shuò fēng shǐ yòng de yě shì fēi jiàn bù cuò 。
之前的战斗中，朔锋使用的也是飞剑不错。
Li Fan concluded that this wooden sword was far more powerful than the previous set of golden mother-and-child swords.
dàn què shì yī tào bā shí yī bǐng jīn guāng zi mǔ jiàn 。
但却是一套八十一柄金光子母剑。
"This wooden sword seems to be a celestial wonder?"
hé xiàn zài shǐ yòng de nà bǐng mù jiàn ， xiāng qù shèn yuǎn 。
和现在使用的那柄木剑，相去甚远。
"And its grade..."
“ shì bǎo yǒu shí lì ， hái shì ……”
“是保有实力，还是……”
Without seeing it fully in action, Li Fan couldn't make a definitive judgment. However, he could safely say that it surpassed ordinary wonders.
“ chóng xiū le ？”
“重修了？”
"Earth’s Wonder?"
xiū xíng guò dìng hǎi shén jiàn ， zhǎng wò cóng yún èr shí bā jiàn de shén tōng 。
修行过定海神剑，掌握丛云二十八剑的神通。
Li Fan pondered. Fortunately, Su Xiaomei was equally curious about the wooden sword and launched an unending barrage of questions.
lǐ fán duì jiàn fǎ ， yě miǎn qiǎng suàn de shàng yǒu yí dìng de liǎo jiě 。
李凡对剑法，也勉强算的上有一定的了解。
"Uncle, your wooden sword is quite impressive! Can I take a look at it?"
jiāng shuò fēng yǔ zhāng qiān mò hé sū xiǎo mèi liǎng rén de duì zhàn guò chéng fǎn fù xiāng hù bǐ duì 。
将朔锋与章阡陌和苏小妹两人的对战过程反复相互比对。
"Is it like the armor on you? Is it some kind of treasure artifact?"
lǐ fán dé chū le ， xiàn zài zhè bǐng mù jiàn de wēi lì ， yào yuǎn qiáng yú zhī qián nà tào jīn guāng zi mǔ jiàn de jié lùn 。
李凡得出了，现在这柄木剑的威力，要远强于之前那套金光子母剑的结论。
"You fight wearing armor; that’s too cheap!"
“ zhè bǐng mù jiàn ， sì hū shì tiān dì qí wù ？”
“这柄木剑，似乎是天地奇物？”
"I can’t break through even with all my strength! You’re really bullying me!"
“ bìng qiě ， tā de pǐn jí ……”
“并且，它的品级……”
...
wèi jiàn mù jiàn fā huī quán bù wēi néng ， lǐ fán bù hǎo mào rán dìng lùn 。
未见木剑发挥全部威能，李凡不好贸然定论。
Shuofeng, somewhat annoyed by this brat, lifted Su Xiaomei and said, "This is a base-level wonder of mine. It's called 'Sword.'"
bù guò ， yīng dāng kě yǐ kěn dìng de shì ， tā chāo chū le yì bān rén zhī qí wù de fàn chóu 。
不过，应当可以肯定的是，它超出了一般人之奇物的范畴。
"Without battle, one should not show it to others."
“ dì zhī qí ？”
“地之奇？”
"As for the golden armor on me..." Shuofeng patted his clothes, looking somewhat helpless.
lǐ fán xīn zhōng wēi dòng 。
李凡心中微动。
"It was crafted by my mother, Scarlet Snow Immortal. Even with your foundation establishment cultivation, or even Chapter Sister Shen Yu Rou's infantile soul, you wouldn’t be able to break through its defenses."
hǎo zài sū xiǎo mèi nà biān ， yě duì zhè bǐng mù jiàn shí fēn hào qí 。
好在苏小妹那边，也对这柄木剑十分好奇。
*The Sword Comes*
tì lǐ fán fā dòng le lián xù bù duàn de xún wèn gōng shì 。
替李凡发动了连续不断的询问攻势。
Su Xiaomei’s eyes widened as she touched the blue fabric of Shuofeng’s clothes, filled with envy.
“ dà shū nǐ gāng gāng de mù jiàn yǒu diǎn lì hài āi ， néng bù néng jiè wǒ kàn kàn ？”
“大叔你刚刚的木剑有点厉害哎，能不能借我看看？”
She shook her head. "With this armor on, who would dare fight you? It’s so boring!"
“ gēn nǐ shēn shàng de nà jù kǎi jiǎ yī yàng ， shì shén me fǎ bǎo ma ？”
“跟你身上的那具铠甲一样，是什么法宝吗？”
Shuofeng sighed, "My mother's command is hard to defy. Only someone like you, unaware of my true strength, dares challenge me. Someone like Chapter Sister Shen Yu Rou wouldn’t even consider it."
“ nǐ dǎ jià hái chuān zhe hù jiǎ ， yě tài lài pí le 。”
“你打架还穿着护甲，也太赖皮了。”
Su Xiaomei asked curiously, "What about your cultivation technique? Why can't you attack proactively? That’s so uninteresting!"
“ wǒ quán lì dǎ shàng qù ， kǎi jiǎ dōu dǎ bù pò ！ zhēn shì qī fù rén a ！”
“我全力打上去，铠甲都打不破！真是欺负人啊！”
Shuofeng gave her a look that said 'you don’t get it' and smiled without replying.
……
……
After some more pestering from Su Xiaomei, seeing no response, she pouted and gave up.
shuò fēng duì zhè xióng hái zi yě yǒu diǎn tóu téng ， bǎ kuài yào guà dào zì jǐ shēn shàng de sū xiǎo mèi līn kāi ， huí dá dào ：“ cǐ nǎi wǒ zhī zhù jī qí wù ，【 jiàn 】。”
朔锋对这熊孩子也有点头疼，把快要挂到自己身上的苏小妹拎开，回答道：“此乃我之筑基奇物，【剑】。”
"It's always you asking me questions. Now it's my turn to ask. Who are you?" Shuofeng asked with a smile.
“ fēi zhàn ， bù kě shì zhī yǐ rén 。”
“非战，不可示之以人。”
"I’m not telling!" Su Xiaomei rolled her eyes and snorted coldly.
“ zhì yú wǒ shēn shàng zhè jù jīn guāng bǎo jiǎ ……” shuò fēng pāi le pāi zì jǐ de yī fú ， liǎn shàng yǒu xiē wú nài 。
“至于我身上这具金光宝甲……”朔锋拍了拍自己的衣服，脸上有些无奈。
Shuofeng was speechless.
“ nǎi shì wǒ de mǔ qīn fēi xuě xiān zūn wèi wǒ liàng shēn dǎ zào de 。 mò shuō nǐ zhù jī xiū wèi ， biàn shì gāng gāng nà wèi yuán yīng chén yù róu ， yě wèi bì néng pò fáng 。”
“乃是我的母亲绯雪仙尊为我量身打造的。莫说你筑基修为，便是刚刚那位元婴沉玉柔，也未必能破防。”
Zhang Haobo remained silent, showing no interest in the conversation.
《 jiàn lái 》
《剑来》
Shuofeng then asked, "Let me guess. You’re definitely not from Nine Mountains Province. You must be here for the Dao Yuan Sect ruins, right?"
sū xiǎo mèi wén yán dèng dà le yǎn jīng ， shēn chū xiǎo shǒu zài shuò fēng lán sè yī fú shàng mō le yòu mō ， yǎn zhōng mǎn shì xiàn mù 。
苏小妹闻言瞪大了眼睛，伸出小手在朔锋蓝色衣服上摸了又摸，眼中满是羡慕。
Su Xiaomei grunted, implicitly agreeing.
suí hòu tā yòu yáo le yáo tóu ：“ nǐ chuān zhe zhè ge ， yì bān rén shuí huì gēn nǐ dǎ jià 。 zhēn wú liáo ！”
随后她又摇了摇头：“你穿着这个，一般人谁会跟你打架。真无聊！”
"Since my destination is there too, shall we travel together?" Shuofeng asked.
shuò fēng yě shì tàn le kǒu qì ：“ jiā mǔ zhī mìng ， shí nán wéi bèi 。 yī lù zǒu lái ， yě zhǐ yǒu xiàng xiǎo mèi nǐ zhè yàng bù zhī wǒ dǐ xì de xiū shì ， cái huì gēn wǒ duì zhàn le 。 rú nà chén yù róu ， jiù suàn wǒ zài zěn me yán yǔ xiāng jī ， yě bú huì zhǔ dòng chū shǒu de 。”
朔锋也是叹了口气：“家母之命，实难违背。一路走来，也只有像小妹你这样不知我底细的修士，才会跟我对战了。如那沉玉柔，就算我再怎么言语相激，也不会主动出手的。”
Su Xiaomei looked up at Shuofeng and said, "Let’s go!"
sū xiǎo mèi bù miǎn wèn dào ：“ nǐ nà gōng fǎ yòu shì zěn me huí shì ， zěn me qí qí guài guài de ？ jū rán bù néng zhǔ dòng chū shǒu ？ nà duō méi yì si ！”
苏小妹不免问道：“你那功法又是怎么回事，怎么奇奇怪怪的？居然不能主动出手？那多没意思！”
She then flew forward.
shuò fēng yī fù nǐ bù dǒng de biǎo qíng ， xiào ér bù dá 。
朔锋一副你不懂的表情，笑而不答。
Shuofeng smiled and shook his head before following leisurely.
sū xiǎo mèi yòu jiū chán zhe le yī huì ， jiàn shuò fēng shǐ zhōng méi yǒu huí dá de yì si ， zhǐ hǎo juē le juē zuǐ 、 zuò bà 。
苏小妹又纠缠着了一会，见朔锋始终没有回答的意思，只好撅了噘嘴、作罢。
Thus, the group traveling to Dao Yuan Sect ruins grew from two to three.
“ yì zhí dōu shì nǐ wèn wǒ ， xiàn zài lún dào wǒ tí wèn le ba 。 nǐ yòu shì shuí jiā de zǐ dì ？” shuò fēng xiào zhe wèn dào 。
“一直都是你问我，现在轮到我提问了吧。你又是谁家的子弟？”朔锋笑着问道。
They bickered along the way, occasionally sparring again.
“ bù gào sù nǐ ！” sū xiǎo mèi bái le tā yī yǎn ， lěng hēng dào 。
“不告诉你！”苏小妹白了他一眼，冷哼道。
Nine Mountains Province was vast, and they still had some time left until reaching their destination.
shuò fēng yǎ rán 。
朔锋哑然。
Meanwhile, Li Fan, after months of waiting, sensed a new opportunity and could once again enter the陨仙境.
yī páng de zhāng hào bō yě shì bì kǒu bù yán ， shì bù guān jǐ de yàng zi 。
一旁的张浩波也是闭口不言，事不关己的样子。
"Venerable Xuanhuang!"
shuò fēng zhǐ hǎo yòu wèn dào ：“ nà ràng wǒ cāi cāi ， nǐ men kěn dìng bú shì jiǔ shān zhōu běn dì rén 。 cǐ fān dào lái ， xiǎng bì shì wèi le nà cháo yuán zōng yí jì ba ？”
朔锋只好又问道：“那让我猜猜，你们肯定不是九山州本地人。此番到来，想必是为了那朝元宗遗迹吧？”
The ritual began, and Li Fan arrived outside Ningyuan City once more.
sū xiǎo mèi yòu shì hēng le yī shēng ， zhè cì què suàn shì mò rèn le 。
苏小妹又是哼了一声，这次却算是默认了。
This time, he used the same excuse to persuade Chapter Brother Zhang to secretly enter the city and then split up for reconnaissance.
shuò fēng wèn dào ：“ zhèng hǎo wǒ de mù dì dì yě shì nà lǐ 。 shùn lù yì qǐ ， rú hé ？”
朔锋问道：“正好我的目的地也是那里。顺路一起，如何？”
Li Fan’s goal was clear this time.
sū xiǎo mèi yǎng tóu kàn le kàn shuò fēng 。
苏小妹仰头看了看朔锋。
He borrowed some silver from a wealthy merchant in town to gather information about "Mr. Bai."
“ nà zǒu ba ！” tā shuō dào 。
“那走吧！”她说道。
Money seemed to have no effect; despite throwing it around, Li Fan couldn’t find any useful information about Mr. Bai. It appeared as if he didn’t exist within the city.
suí hòu shuài xiān cháo qián fāng fēi qù 。
随后率先朝前方飞去。
Li Fan changed his approach and asked who were the most handsome young men in the city.
shuò fēng xiào le xiào ， àn zì yáo tóu 。
朔锋笑了笑，暗自摇头。
In the residents' strange gazes, Li Fan gathered three candidates.
jiē zhe yě bù jǐn bù màn dì gēn shàng 。
接着也不紧不慢地跟上。
After some investigation, Li Fan ruled out the first two; they were just ordinary people who happened to look good.
jiù zhè yàng ， qián wǎng cháo yuán zōng yí jì de duì wǔ ， yóu liǎng rén biàn chéng le sān rén 。
就这样，前往朝元宗遗迹的队伍，由两人变成了三人。
He approached the last candidate's house—a small, dilapidated courtyard.
yī lù shàng duō yǒu bàn zuǐ 。
一路上多有拌嘴。
According to the residents, the owner was a somewhat weak-looking young man who wasn’t from the area and had come with refugees two years ago. He bought this courtyard with his remaining silver and settled down there.
ǒu ěr xiǎo mèi hé shuò fēng yě huì zài cì bǐ shì qiē cuō 。
偶尔小妹和朔锋也会再次比试切磋。
The youth rarely appeared in public, teaching calligraphy for a living among the wealthy families of the city.
jiǔ shān zhōu dì yù guǎng kuò 。
九山州地域广阔。
Li Fan felt no life force within him but swiftly entered the courtyard.
lí dào dá mù dì dì hái yǒu yī duàn shí jiān 。
离到达目的地还有一段时间。
His divine sense swept across the place without finding anything unusual. However, Li Fan knew that Mr. Bai had an *Absolute Immortal Stone* statue that could shield his presence from detection.
ér shuò fēng tā men zhèng zài lù tú zhōng de shí hòu ， lǐ fán zhè biān ， jīng guò jǐ gè yuè de shí jiān ， xīn zhōng chuán lái gǎn yìng ， yòu kě yǐ zài cì jìn rù yǔn xiān jìng zhōng le 。
而朔锋他们正在路途中的时候，李凡这边，经过几个月的时间，心中传来感应，又可以再次进入陨仙境中了。
He didn’t give up and pushed open each door to examine inside carefully.
“ fú shēng xuán huáng tiān zūn ！”
“福生玄黄天尊！”
At a storage room in the western part of the courtyard, Li Fan paused.
yí shì fā dòng ， lǐ fán zài dù lái dào níng yuǎn chéng wài 。
仪式发动，李凡再度来到宁远城外。
He pushed aside some clutter and lifted a thin stone slab on the ground, revealing a dark hole below.
cǐ fān ， lǐ fán yī rán xuǎn zé shì gēn shàng yī cì yī yàng de shuō cí 。
此番，李凡依然选择是跟上一次一样的说辞。
"Absolute Immortal Stone..."
shuō fú zhāng shī xiōng àn zhōng qián rù chéng nèi ， suí hòu fēn tóu xíng dòng ， gè zì dǎ tàn 。
说服章师兄暗中潜入城内，随后分头行动，各自打探。
"This must be it!"
lǐ fán zhè cì mù biāo míng què 。
李凡这次目标明确。
A smile crept onto Li Fan’s lips as he leaped into the secret chamber.
shùn shǒu cóng chéng nèi fù shāng shēn shàng jiè le diǎn yín liǎng ， dǎ tàn qǐ le yǒu guān “ bái xiān shēng ” de xiāo xī 。
顺手从城内富商身上借了点银两，打探起了有关“白先生”的消息。
Upon landing, a faint scent of blood greeted him.
From the moment Shen Yu Rou called out "I Am Invincible," Li Fan's attention shifted to Su Xiaomei.
He hadn't expected to see someone named "I Am Invincible" from their previous encounter in *Sitting and Discussing Dao*.
Li Fan naturally became interested. Since he had left after devising a strategy to defeat Chapter Brother Zhang, he had vanished without a trace until Chapter Zhang Qianmo was defeated by Zhong Shentong.
Li Fan originally thought that "I Am Invincible" must have perished. But here he was, alive and well.
"Why didn't he challenge Chapter Brother Zhang later?"
Li Fan checked the combat records of *Sitting and Discussing Dao* and felt a bit puzzled. He didn’t seem like someone who would just talk big.
He opened the battle record between Shuofeng and Chapter Zhang Qianmo, noticing that in previous battles, Shuofeng had used eighty-one golden mother-and-child swords.
This was quite different from the wooden sword he currently wielded.
"Was it to preserve his strength?"
"Or did he retrain?"
Having practiced the Calming Sea Divine Sword and mastered the Twenty-Eight Swords of Cunyun, Li Fan had a basic understanding of sword techniques.
He repeatedly compared Shuofeng’s battles with both Chapter Zhang Qianmo and Su Xiaomei.
Li Fan concluded that this wooden sword was far more powerful than the previous set of golden mother-and-child swords.
"This wooden sword seems to be a celestial wonder?"
"And its grade..."
Without seeing it fully in action, Li Fan couldn't make a definitive judgment. However, he could safely say that it surpassed ordinary wonders.
"Earth’s Wonder?"
Li Fan pondered. Fortunately, Su Xiaomei was equally curious about the wooden sword and launched an unending barrage of questions.
"Uncle, your wooden sword is quite impressive! Can I take a look at it?"
"Is it like the armor on you? Is it some kind of treasure artifact?"
"You fight wearing armor; that’s too cheap!"
"I can’t break through even with all my strength! You’re really bullying me!"
...
Shuofeng, somewhat annoyed by this brat, lifted Su Xiaomei and said, "This is a base-level wonder of mine. It's called 'Sword.'"
"Without battle, one should not show it to others."
"As for the golden armor on me..." Shuofeng patted his clothes, looking somewhat helpless.
"It was crafted by my mother, Scarlet Snow Immortal. Even with your foundation establishment cultivation, or even Chapter Sister Shen Yu Rou's infantile soul, you wouldn’t be able to break through its defenses."
*The Sword Comes*
Su Xiaomei’s eyes widened as she touched the blue fabric of Shuofeng’s clothes, filled with envy.
She shook her head. "With this armor on, who would dare fight you? It’s so boring!"
Shuofeng sighed, "My mother's command is hard to defy. Only someone like you, unaware of my true strength, dares challenge me. Someone like Chapter Sister Shen Yu Rou wouldn’t even consider it."
Su Xiaomei asked curiously, "What about your cultivation technique? Why can't you attack proactively? That’s so uninteresting!"
Shuofeng gave her a look that said 'you don’t get it' and smiled without replying.
After some more pestering from Su Xiaomei, seeing no response, she pouted and gave up.
"It's always you asking me questions. Now it's my turn to ask. Who are you?" Shuofeng asked with a smile.
"I’m not telling!" Su Xiaomei rolled her eyes and snorted coldly.
Shuofeng was speechless.
Zhang Haobo remained silent, showing no interest in the conversation.
Shuofeng then asked, "Let me guess. You’re definitely not from Nine Mountains Province. You must be here for the Dao Yuan Sect ruins, right?"
Su Xiaomei grunted, implicitly agreeing.
"Since my destination is there too, shall we travel together?" Shuofeng asked.
Su Xiaomei looked up at Shuofeng and said, "Let’s go!"
She then flew forward.
Shuofeng smiled and shook his head before following leisurely.
Thus, the group traveling to Dao Yuan Sect ruins grew from two to three.
They bickered along the way, occasionally sparring again.
Nine Mountains Province was vast, and they still had some time left until reaching their destination.
Meanwhile, Li Fan, after months of waiting, sensed a new opportunity and could once again enter the陨仙境.
"Venerable Xuanhuang!"
The ritual began, and Li Fan arrived outside Ningyuan City once more.
This time, he used the same excuse to persuade Chapter Brother Zhang to secretly enter the city and then split up for reconnaissance.
Li Fan’s goal was clear this time.
He borrowed some silver from a wealthy merchant in town to gather information about "Mr. Bai."
Money seemed to have no effect; despite throwing it around, Li Fan couldn’t find any useful information about Mr. Bai. It appeared as if he didn’t exist within the city.
Li Fan changed his approach and asked who were the most handsome young men in the city.
In the residents' strange gazes, Li Fan gathered three candidates.
After some investigation, Li Fan ruled out the first two; they were just ordinary people who happened to look good.
He approached the last candidate's house—a small, dilapidated courtyard.
According to the residents, the owner was a somewhat weak-looking young man who wasn’t from the area and had come with refugees two years ago. He bought this courtyard with his remaining silver and settled down there.
The youth rarely appeared in public, teaching calligraphy for a living among the wealthy families of the city.
Li Fan felt no life force within him but swiftly entered the courtyard.
His divine sense swept across the place without finding anything unusual. However, Li Fan knew that Mr. Bai had an *Absolute Immortal Stone* statue that could shield his presence from detection.
He didn’t give up and pushed open each door to examine inside carefully.
At a storage room in the western part of the courtyard, Li Fan paused.
He pushed aside some clutter and lifted a thin stone slab on the ground, revealing a dark hole below.
"Absolute Immortal Stone..."
"This must be it!"
A smile crept onto Li Fan’s lips as he leaped into the secret chamber.
Upon landing, a faint scent of blood greeted him.