jì shī ne ？ tā yǒu méi yǒu mí shī le shén zhì ？」 lǐ fán mǐn ruì de chá jué dào le wèn tí de guān jiàn ， chū shēng wèn dào 。
纪师呢？他有没有迷失了神智？」李凡敏锐的察觉到了问题的关键，出声问道。
Ji Shi? Did he lose his mental clarity?" Li Fan敏锐ly sensed the key issue and asked out loud.
huáng fǔ sōng kàn le lǐ fán yī yǎn ， qīng le qīng sǎng zi ：「 jì yuàn zhǎng xiū wèi gāo shēn mò cè ， zì rán bù kě néng shī qù zì wǒ yì zhì 。」
皇甫松看了李凡一眼，清了清嗓子：「纪院长修为高深莫测，自然不可能失去自我意志。」
Huangfu Song glanced at Li Fan, cleared his throat, and said, "Dean Ji's cultivation is unfathomable; naturally, it’s impossible for him to lose his will."
「 kě xī nà xiē suí xíng xiū shì ， xiū wèi gè gè yě bù ruò 。 lián qǐ shǒu lái ， jì yuàn zhǎng yī shí jiān yě yǒu xiē nán yǐ zhāo jià 。」
「可惜那些随行修士，修为各个也不弱。联起手来，纪院长一时间也有些难以招架。」
"Unfortunately, those accompanying cultivators are not weak either. Working together, Dean Ji found it hard to handle them in the short term."
「 pò yú zì bǎo ， jì yuàn zhǎng zhǐ dé bǎ tā men dōu gěi shā le 。」
「迫于自保，纪院长只得把他们都给杀了。」
"In order to protect himself, Dean Ji had no choice but to kill them all."
huáng fǔ sōng shí fēn wǎn xī de yàng zi 。
皇甫松十分惋惜的样子。
Huangfu Song looked extremely regretful.
lǐ fán děng rén wén yán ， bù jīn wēi wēi yí zhèng 。
李凡等人闻言，不禁微微一怔。
Upon hearing this, Li Fan and others were slightly stunned.
suí hòu ruò yǒu suǒ wù ， què bù gǎn xì xiǎng 。
随后若有所悟，却不敢细想。
Then they seemed to understand something but didn’t dare to think about it deeply.
「 què shí tài guò xiōng xiǎn ， nán guài yào bǎ tā zàn shí fēng suǒ qǐ lái 。」 lǐ fán shēn yǐ wéi rán dào 。
「确实太过凶险，难怪要把它暂时封锁起来。」李凡深以为然道。
"Indeed too dangerous; that’s why it needs to be sealed for now," Li Fan said in agreement.
huáng fǔ sōng yòng jǐng gào de mù guāng sǎo shì le yǎn lǐ fán ， chuán yīn dào ：「 xiǎo zi ， gāi gào sù nǐ de yǐ jīng gào sù nǐ le 。 kě bié dé cùn jìn chǐ le 。」
皇甫松用警告的目光扫视了眼李凡，传音道：「小子，该告诉你的已经告诉你了。可别得寸进尺了。」
Huangfu Song glanced at Li Fan with a warning look and whispered, "Kid, I’ve already told you what you need to know. Don’t overstep your bounds."
lǐ fán zhǐ shì jiǎ zhuāng méi yǒu tīng jiàn 。
李凡只是假装没有听见。
Li Fan pretended not to hear him.
「 wǒ míng rì jí jiāng qián wǎng qí tā dì yù ， dū bàn zhèn fǎ jiàn zào shì yí 。」
「我明日即将前往其他地域，督办阵法建造事宜。」
"I will soon head to other regions to oversee the construction of the arrays," Huangfu Song said with a smile as he addressed Xue Mu and Jiang Qigui.
「 nǐ men rú guǒ shuí yǒu xū qiú de ， zài zhè zhī qián ， kě yǐ lái zhǎo wǒ 。」
「你们如果谁有需求的，在这之前，可以来找我。」
As for Li Fan, he ignored them all and left in a huff.
dào dá yǒng héng xiān lěi hòu ， huáng fǔ sōng lù chū yī fù xiào liǎn ， duì zhù xuē mù hé jiāng qí guì shuō dào 。
到达永恒仙垒后，皇甫松露出一副笑脸，对著薛幕和姜其贵说道。
Li Fan didn’t mind it much.
zhì yú lǐ fán ， zé shì kàn dōu bù kàn yī yǎn ， fú xiù ér qù 。
至于李凡，则是看都不看一眼，拂袖而去。
After years of hard work, his efforts finally bore fruit.
lǐ fán yě bù yǐ wéi yì 。
李凡也不以为意。
The first thing everyone did upon returning to the Finger-Strangling Immortal City was to check their rankings on the Golden List.
xīn kǔ shù nián ， yī zhāo gōng chéng 。
辛苦数年，一朝功成。
In just five days, the ranking list had undergone a complete transformation.
zhòng rén huí dào duàn zhǎng xiān chéng hòu de dì yī jiàn shì ， jiù shì chá kàn zì jǐ de jīn bǎng pái míng 。
众人回到断掌仙城后的第一件事，就是查看自己的金榜排名。
Jiang Qigui’s contributions surged due to his role in hosting the Heaven Xuan Array枢.
zài zhè wǔ tiān nèi ， jī fēn bǎng yě yíng lái le fān tiān fù dì de biàn huà 。
在这五天内，积分榜也迎来了翻天覆地的变化。
Li Fan only managed to edge out a bit more in total points with his previous advantages.
jiāng qí guì yóu yú zhǔ chí le tiān xuán zhèn shū de rù zhèn ， gòng xiàn bào zhǎng 。
姜其贵由于主持了天玄阵枢的入阵，贡献暴涨。
But both of them fell from the top ten and were close to the twentieth rank.
lǐ fán yě zhǐ shì kào zhù xiān qián de yōu shì ， zǒng jī fēn bǐ tā shāo duō yì diǎn ér yǐ 。
李凡也只是靠著先前的优势，总积分比他稍多一点而已。
"From this, it seems that many places have successfully constructed the Heaven Xuan Locking Spirit Array. Some unfamiliar faces even appear at the top of the ranking list."
dàn liǎng rén què dōu shì cóng qián shí diē chū ， kuài yào jiē jìn èr shí míng zuǒ yòu le 。
但两人却都是从前十跌出，快要接近二十名左右了。
"I think it’s unfair. Building a magical array on the Roaring Abyss is much harder than searching for the Constellation Region. The积分 Li Master and others should get more points,"
「 zhè me yī kàn ， zhè jǐ tiān lǐ ， wán chéng tiān xuán suǒ líng zhèn de dì fāng yǒu bù shǎo a 。 jī fēn bǎng qián liè ， shèn zhì hái chū xiàn le xiē mò shēng de miàn kǒng 。」
「这么一看，这几天里，完成天玄锁灵阵的地方有不少啊。积分榜前列，甚至还出现了些陌生的面孔。」
"Is there any possibility that the difficulty has been factored in? Although the Roaring Abyss is perilous, it might not be the most dangerous place in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance."
「 wǒ dǎo shì jué de yǒu xiē bù gōng píng 。 wǒ men zài chì zhà shēn yuān zhī shàng jiàn zào fǎ zhèn ， kě bǐ xún cháng zhōu yù yào nán duō le 。 lǐ dà shī tā men suǒ huò dé jī fēn yīng gāi gèng duō diǎn cái shì 。」
「我倒是觉得有些不公平。我们在叱咤深渊之上建造法阵，可比寻常州域要难多了。李大师他们所获得积分应该更多点才是。」
...
「 yǒu méi yǒu yī zhǒng kě néng ， jī fēn yǐ jīng jīng guò nán dù jiā chéng le ne ？ bì jìng chì zhà shēn yuān suī xiǎn ， dàn què wèi bì shì wàn xiān méng zuì wēi xiǎn zhī dì 。」
「有没有一种可能，积分已经经过难度加成了呢？毕竟叱咤深渊虽险，但却未必是万仙盟最危险之地。」
"Li Fan, look! Guo Ye Zhong actually climbed to 300th place!"
……
……
Amidst everyone’s discussions, Xue Mu whispered a reminder.
「 lǐ fán dào yǒu ， nǐ kàn ， nà guō yè zhòng ， jū rán cuàn dào sān bǎi míng le ！」
「李凡道友，你看，那郭叶仲，居然窜到三百名了！」
"Hmm, I noticed too. What do you think?" Li Fan asked.
zhòng rén yì lùn shēng zhōng ， xuē mù chuán yīn tí shì dào 。
众人议论声中，薛幕传音提示道。
"The积分 of everyone isn’t static; they are constantly increasing. In such a situation, how could Guo Ye Zhong still manage to rise so quickly?"
「 ń ， wǒ yě zhù yì dào le 。 dào yǒu nǐ zěn me kàn ？」 lǐ fán wèn dào 。
「嗯，我也注意到了。道友你怎么看？」李凡问道。
"And this happened after most of the arrays were completed."
「 dà jiā de jī fēn bú shì yī chéng bù biàn de ， ér shì dōu zài shí kè zēng zhǎng 。 zhè zhǒng qíng kuàng xià ， guō yè zhòng jū rán hái néng hòu lái jū shàng 。」
「大家的积分不是一成不变的，而是都在时刻增长。这种情况下，郭叶仲居然还能后来居上。」
"I believe that perhaps he once participated in the initial design of the Heaven Xuan Locking Spirit Array," Xue Mu, though appearing dull, was far from unintelligent.
「 ér qiě hái shì zài zhū duō zhèn fǎ jiàn zào wán chéng hòu ， cái yíng lái zhè bào fā shì de tí shēng 」
「而且还是在诸多阵法建造完成后，才迎来这爆发式的提升」
He calmly analyzed, "Dean Ji said that the积分 is based on contributions during array construction. As the founder of the array, he naturally has a share of the credit for each completed array."
「 wǒ rèn wéi ， huò xǔ cǐ rén céng jīng cān yù guò tiān xuán suǒ líng zhèn de zuì chū shè jì 。」
「我认为，或许此人曾经参与过天玄锁灵阵的最初设计。」
"This can explain the current situation."
xuē mù suī rán kàn shàng qù mù nè ， dàn què jué bú shì yú dùn 。
薛幕虽然看上去木讷，但却绝不是愚钝。
Li Fan recalled Guo Ye Zhong’s appearance in the Universe Separate Villa back then.
cǐ kè ， tā lěng jìng de fēn xī dào ：「 jì yuàn zhǎng céng shuō guò ， jī fēn duō shǎo ， shì gēn jù zhèn fǎ jiàn zào wán chéng zhōng de gòng xiàn lái jué dìng de 。」
此刻，他冷静的分析道：「纪院长曾说过，积分多少，是根据阵法建造完成中的贡献来决定的。」
"Could it be possible that he was only a Golden Core Array Mage at that time?" Li Fan asked with a smile.
「 ér zuò wéi zhèn fǎ de chuàng shǐ zhě ， zì rán měi yí gè zhèn fǎ jiàn zào wán chéng ， dōu yǒu tā de yī fèn gōng láo 。」
「而作为阵法的创始者，自然每一个阵法建造完成，都有他的一份功劳。」
Xue Mu also seemed hesitant upon hearing this.
「 rú cǐ ， cái néng jiě shì mù qián de zhè zhǒng qíng kuàng 。」
「如此，才能解释目前的这种情况。」
"Perhaps, just came up with one idea?" Xue Mu hesitated.
lǐ fán huí xiǎng zhe dāng chū zài huán yǔ bié yuàn zhōng jiàn dào de guō yè zhòng de mú yàng 。
李凡回想着当初在寰宇别院中见到的郭叶仲的模样。
"There's no point overthinking. Just focus on our own work," Li Fan advised.
「 tā dāng shí bù guò jīn dān zhèn fǎ shī ， kě néng ma ？」 wēi xiào zhe wèn dào 。
「他当时不过金丹阵法师，可能嘛？」微笑着问道。
Looking at the aged Li Fan, Xue Mu’s expression turned serious and he nodded in agreement.
xuē mù yī tīng ， yě jué de yǒu xiē chí yí 。
薛幕一听，也觉得有些迟疑。
"Participating in the initial design of the Heaven Xuan Locking Spirit Array, then reaping the benefits."
「 huò xǔ ， zhǐ shì chū le qí zhōng yí gè diǎn zi ？」 tā yóu yù dào 。
「或许，只是出了其中一个点子？」他犹豫道。
"Not only will I gain a huge amount of积分 from this grand competition, but my status and position are sure to rise significantly once the array is fully implemented."
「 duō xiǎng wú yì ， zuò hǎo wǒ men zì jǐ de jiù xíng le 。」 lǐ fán quàn jiè dào 。
「多想无益，做好我们自己的就行了。」李凡劝诫道。
"What a good plan!"
xuē mù kàn zhe cāng lǎo wú bǐ de lǐ fán ， miàn sè yī sù ， diǎn tóu chēng shì 。
薛幕看着苍老无比的李凡，面色一肃，点头称是。
After parting ways with Xue Mu, Li Fan couldn’t help but think as he returned to his room.
「 cān yù zuì chū de tiān xuán suǒ líng zhèn shè jì ， suí hòu zuò xiǎng qí chéng 。」
「参与最初的天玄锁灵阵设计，随后坐享其成。」
"If time could go back thirty years, I would be the one who knows the Heaven Xuan Locking Spirit Array best in this world."
「 bù jǐn cǐ cì dà bǐ néng píng kōng huò dé jù liàng de jī fēn ， děng suǒ líng zhèn wán quán pǔ jí zhī hòu ， shēn fèn dì wèi dìng rán yě yào shàng shēng yí gè dàng cì 。」
「不仅此次大比能凭空获得巨量的积分，等锁灵阵完全普及之后，身份地位定然也要上升一个档次。」
"Brilliant! But revealing it requires caution..."
「 shì gè hǎo bàn fǎ ！」
「是个好办法！」
Li Fan mused.
yǔ xuē mù fēn bié ， huí dào zì jǐ fáng jiān de lǐ fán bù jīn rú cǐ xiǎng dào 。
与薛幕分别，回到自己房间的李凡不禁如此想到。
As night fell, Li Fan quietly came to Huangfu Song’s place.
「 ruò shì shí guāng nì zhuǎn sān shí nián ， zhè shì shàng kǒng pà jiù méi yǒu bǐ wǒ gèng liǎo jiě tiān xuán suǒ líng zhèn de le 。」
「若是时光逆转三十年，这世上恐怕就没有比我更了解天玄锁灵阵的了。」
It seemed as if he anticipated Li Fan’s visit; a bowl of immortal tea was already on the table, waiting for him.
「 miào zāi ！ jiù shì tòu lù shí yào zhù yì fēn cùn ……」
「妙哉！就是透露时要注意分寸……」
"Dragon's须 can extend your life by ten years. It might just keep you alive," Huangfu Song said with a slight mockery.
lǐ fán yōu rán shén sī 。
李凡悠然神思。
Li Fan didn’t bother with formalities and drank it all in one go.
rù yè hòu ， lǐ fán qiǎo rán lái dào huáng fǔ sōng chù 。
入夜后，李凡悄然来到皇甫松处。
He tasted his lips and looked at the 真面板. @j_h_s_s_d_c_o_m首发更新~~
tā fǎng fú zǎo liào dào lǐ fán huì lái ， zhuō shàng yǐ jīng bǎi shàng le yī wǎn líng chá ， děng hòu duō shí le 。
他仿佛早料到李凡会来，桌上已经摆上了一碗灵茶，等候多时了。
His physical age limit only increased by one year.
「 qīng lóng xū ， kě yán shòu shí zài 。 miǎn qiǎng kě yǐ diào yī diào nǐ de xiǎo mìng 。」 huáng fǔ sōng wēi cháo dào 。
「青龙须，可延寿十载。勉强可以吊一吊你的小命。」皇甫松微嘲道。
"Truly barely enough," Li Fan shook his head, looking rather unsatisfied.
lǐ fán yě bù gēn tā kè qì ， yī yǐn ér jǐn 。
李凡也不跟他客气，一饮而尽。
Huangfu Song was almost laughing but didn’t纠缠 in this matter; instead, he asked directly, "You say you’re about to die and still want to struggle so much? Why not just enjoy the rest of your life?"
zā le zā zuǐ ， kàn xiàng hái zhēn miàn bǎn 。@ jīng huá _ shū gé …j_h_s_s_d_c_o_m shǒu . fā . gèng . xīn ~~
咂了咂嘴，看向还真面板。@精华_书阁…j_h_s_s_d_c_o_m首.发.更.新~~
"And do you still have hopes for ranking? What are you thinking?"
zhǐ zēng zhǎng le yī nián de shēng lǐ nián líng shàng xiàn 。
只增长了一年的生理年龄上限。
Li Fan no longer showed his usual selflessness and high moral standards before others. Instead, he changed his tone.
「 hái zhēn shì miǎn miǎn qiǎng qiáng 。」 lǐ fán yáo yáo tóu ， yī fù shí zài bù zǎ dì de biǎo qíng 。
「还真是勉勉强强。」李凡摇摇头，一副实在不咋地的表情。
"Because I’m running out of time, I must strive even harder."
huáng fǔ sōng yǒu diǎn bèi qì xiào le ， bù guò yě méi zài zhè fāng biàn gēn tā jiū chán ， ér shì kāi mén jiàn shān zhí jiē wèn dào ：「 nǐ shuō nǐ yī jiāng sǐ zhī rén ， hái yào zhè me pīn gàn má ？」
皇甫松有点被气笑了，不过也没在这方便跟他纠缠，而是开门见山直接问道：「你说你一将死之人，还要这么拼干嘛？」
"This way, I can seek survival in death and hold onto a sliver of hope," Li Fan said firmly.
「 yōu zāi yōu zāi guò wán yú shēng bù hǎo me 。」
「悠哉悠哉过完余生不好么。」
"Oh? How so?" Huangfu Song became interested.
「 hái xiǎng zhe zhēng bǎng ？ nǐ zěn me xiǎng de ？」
「还想着争榜？你怎么想的？」
"I was caught by the demonic sound tide and devouring essence white fog by accident. Almost exhausting my lifespan to seek help wasn’t part of my plan."
huáng fǔ sōng miàn qián ， lǐ fán què shì bù zài biǎo xiàn chū wài rén yǎn zhōng de wú sī fèng xiàn 、 gāo fēng liàng jié ， ér shì huàn le fù shuō cí 。
皇甫松面前，李凡却是不再表现出外人眼中的无私奉献、高风亮节，而是换了副说辞。
"I haven’t been here for more than a hundred years, yet I’m about to die and vanish. How can I accept that?"
「 zhèng yīn wèi dà xiàn jiāng zhì ， wǒ cái gèng yào pīn mìng 。」
「正因为大限将至，我才更要拼命。」
"Of course, I want to live."
「 rú cǐ ， fāng néng sǐ zhōng qiú shēng ， wǎn huí yī xiàn shēng jī 。」
「如此，方能死中求生，挽回一线生机。」
"But those longevity treasures are too precious for me; it might take the rest of my life just to obtain one."
lǐ fán zhì dì yǒu shēng dào 。
李凡掷地有声道。
"To survive, I must find another way, a roundabout approach."
「 ó ？ cǐ huà zěn jiǎng ？」 huáng fǔ sōng lái le xìng qù 。
「哦？此话怎讲？」皇甫松来了兴趣。
"Although there’s no absolute certainty, it’s definitely worth gambling on."
「 bèi kùn mó yīn dà cháo yǔ shì yuán bái wù zhōng ， shí zhǔ yì wài 。 wèi le qiú yuán ér jī hū hào jìn shòu yuán ， yě bù zài wǒ de yì liào zhī zhōng 。」
「被困魔音大潮与噬元白雾中，实属意外。为了求援而几乎耗尽寿元，也不在我的意料之中。」
Li Fan’s eyes sparkled, which was extremely incongruous with his extremely aged appearance.
「 wǒ lái shì shàng ， hái bù gòu bǎi zài 。 jiù yào shēn sǐ dào xiāo ， zhè ràng wǒ rú hé néng gòu jiē shòu ？」
「我来世上，还不够百载。就要身死道消，这让我如何能够接受？」
Huangfu Song became even more curious: "Gambling? What are you betting?"
「 wǒ zì rán shì xiǎng yào huó xià qù de 。」
「我自然是想要活下去的。」
Li Fan spoke solemnly and clearly, "I bet..."
「 ér nà xiē yán shòu bǎo wù ， duì yú wǒ lái shuō què shì tài guò zhēn guì ， kǒng pà yòng jǐn yú shēng ， yě wú fǎ móu dé yī jiàn 。」
「而那些延寿宝物，对于我来说却是太过珍贵，恐怕用尽余生，也无法谋得一件。」
"The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance rewards those who have contributed!"
「 xiǎng yào huó mìng ， wǒ zì rán yào huàn zhǒng fāng fǎ ， qū xiàn jiù guó 。」
「想要活命，我自然要换种方法，曲线救国。」
"Especially for the construction of the Heaven Xuan Locking Spirit Array!"
「 suī rán méi yǒu jué duì de bǎ wò ， dàn què jué duì zhí de wǒ dǔ shàng yī cháng 。」
「虽然没有绝对的把握，但却绝对值得我赌上一场。」
Huangfu Song stared at Li Fan as he drank his Dragon's须 tea.
lǐ fán yǎn zhōng jīng guāng ， hé tā cāng lǎo zhì jí de wài mào ， jí bù xiāng chèn 。
李凡眼中精光，和他苍老至极的外貌，极不相称。
Li Fan continued without pause, "Both you and I know the importance of the Heaven Xuan Locking Spirit Array."
huáng fǔ sōng gèng jiā hào qí le ：「 dǔ ？ dǔ shén me ？」
皇甫松更加好奇了：「赌？赌什么？」
"And my efforts to build it have been widely known. Who did this? No need to say more."
lǐ fán shì shén sè yán sù 、 yī zì yī dùn ：「 wǒ dǔ ……」
李凡事神色严肃、一字一顿：「我赌……」
"Before all arrays are completed, is it better for me, a symbol of the entire world, to die in misery or for the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance to save my life?"
「 xiān méng bù kuī yǒu gōng rén ！」
「仙盟不亏有功人！」
"Compared to some longevity treasures, slightly extending my lifespan shouldn’t matter much,"
「 yóu qí zài jiàn zào tiān xuán suǒ líng zhèn zhè jiàn shì shàng ！」
「尤其在建造天玄锁灵阵这件事上！」
"So, currently, I’m not afraid of dying old; on the contrary, I wish I had more time!"
huáng fǔ sōng zhēng zhēng dì dǎ liàng zhù lǐ fán ， jiāng zì jǐ miàn qián de qīng lóng xū chá hē xià 。
皇甫松怔怔地打量著李凡，将自己面前的青龙须茶喝下。
"Senior Huangfu, your tea almost cost me my life just now."
lǐ fán huà yǔ bù tíng ， zhèn zhèn yǒu cí ：「 nǐ wǒ jiē zhī tiān xuán suǒ líng zhèn de zhòng yào xìng 。」
李凡话语不停，振振有词：「你我皆知天玄锁灵阵的重要性。」
"How do you plan to compensate?" Li Fan asked as he looked at Huangfu Song.
Ji Shi? Did he lose his mental clarity?" Li Fan敏锐ly sensed the key issue and asked out loud.
Huangfu Song glanced at Li Fan, cleared his throat, and said, "Dean Ji's cultivation is unfathomable; naturally, it’s impossible for him to lose his will."
"Unfortunately, those accompanying cultivators are not weak either. Working together, Dean Ji found it hard to handle them in the short term."
"In order to protect himself, Dean Ji had no choice but to kill them all."
Huangfu Song looked extremely regretful.
Upon hearing this, Li Fan and others were slightly stunned.
Then they seemed to understand something but didn’t dare to think about it deeply.
"Indeed too dangerous; that’s why it needs to be sealed for now," Li Fan said in agreement.
Huangfu Song glanced at Li Fan with a warning look and whispered, "Kid, I’ve already told you what you need to know. Don’t overstep your bounds."
Li Fan pretended not to hear him.
"I will soon head to other regions to oversee the construction of the arrays," Huangfu Song said with a smile as he addressed Xue Mu and Jiang Qigui.
As for Li Fan, he ignored them all and left in a huff.
Li Fan didn’t mind it much.
After years of hard work, his efforts finally bore fruit.
The first thing everyone did upon returning to the Finger-Strangling Immortal City was to check their rankings on the Golden List.
In just five days, the ranking list had undergone a complete transformation.
Jiang Qigui’s contributions surged due to his role in hosting the Heaven Xuan Array枢.
Li Fan only managed to edge out a bit more in total points with his previous advantages.
But both of them fell from the top ten and were close to the twentieth rank.
"From this, it seems that many places have successfully constructed the Heaven Xuan Locking Spirit Array. Some unfamiliar faces even appear at the top of the ranking list."
"I think it’s unfair. Building a magical array on the Roaring Abyss is much harder than searching for the Constellation Region. The积分 Li Master and others should get more points,"
"Is there any possibility that the difficulty has been factored in? Although the Roaring Abyss is perilous, it might not be the most dangerous place in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance."
...
"Li Fan, look! Guo Ye Zhong actually climbed to 300th place!"
Amidst everyone’s discussions, Xue Mu whispered a reminder.
"Hmm, I noticed too. What do you think?" Li Fan asked.
"The积分 of everyone isn’t static; they are constantly increasing. In such a situation, how could Guo Ye Zhong still manage to rise so quickly?"
"And this happened after most of the arrays were completed."
"I believe that perhaps he once participated in the initial design of the Heaven Xuan Locking Spirit Array," Xue Mu, though appearing dull, was far from unintelligent.
He calmly analyzed, "Dean Ji said that the积分 is based on contributions during array construction. As the founder of the array, he naturally has a share of the credit for each completed array."
"This can explain the current situation."
Li Fan recalled Guo Ye Zhong’s appearance in the Universe Separate Villa back then.
"Could it be possible that he was only a Golden Core Array Mage at that time?" Li Fan asked with a smile.
Xue Mu also seemed hesitant upon hearing this.
"Perhaps, just came up with one idea?" Xue Mu hesitated.
"There's no point overthinking. Just focus on our own work," Li Fan advised.
Looking at the aged Li Fan, Xue Mu’s expression turned serious and he nodded in agreement.
"Participating in the initial design of the Heaven Xuan Locking Spirit Array, then reaping the benefits."
"Not only will I gain a huge amount of积分 from this grand competition, but my status and position are sure to rise significantly once the array is fully implemented."
"What a good plan!"
After parting ways with Xue Mu, Li Fan couldn’t help but think as he returned to his room.
"If time could go back thirty years, I would be the one who knows the Heaven Xuan Locking Spirit Array best in this world."
"Brilliant! But revealing it requires caution..."
Li Fan mused.
As night fell, Li Fan quietly came to Huangfu Song’s place.
It seemed as if he anticipated Li Fan’s visit; a bowl of immortal tea was already on the table, waiting for him.
"Dragon's须 can extend your life by ten years. It might just keep you alive," Huangfu Song said with a slight mockery.
Li Fan didn’t bother with formalities and drank it all in one go.
He tasted his lips and looked at the 真面板. @j_h_s_s_d_c_o_m首发更新~~
His physical age limit only increased by one year.
"Truly barely enough," Li Fan shook his head, looking rather unsatisfied.
Huangfu Song was almost laughing but didn’t纠缠 in this matter; instead, he asked directly, "You say you’re about to die and still want to struggle so much? Why not just enjoy the rest of your life?"
"And do you still have hopes for ranking? What are you thinking?"
Li Fan no longer showed his usual selflessness and high moral standards before others. Instead, he changed his tone.
"Because I’m running out of time, I must strive even harder."
"This way, I can seek survival in death and hold onto a sliver of hope," Li Fan said firmly.
"Oh? How so?" Huangfu Song became interested.
"I was caught by the demonic sound tide and devouring essence white fog by accident. Almost exhausting my lifespan to seek help wasn’t part of my plan."
"I haven’t been here for more than a hundred years, yet I’m about to die and vanish. How can I accept that?"
"Of course, I want to live."
"But those longevity treasures are too precious for me; it might take the rest of my life just to obtain one."
"To survive, I must find another way, a roundabout approach."
"Although there’s no absolute certainty, it’s definitely worth gambling on."
Li Fan’s eyes sparkled, which was extremely incongruous with his extremely aged appearance.
Huangfu Song became even more curious: "Gambling? What are you betting?"
Li Fan spoke solemnly and clearly, "I bet..."
"The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance rewards those who have contributed!"
"Especially for the construction of the Heaven Xuan Locking Spirit Array!"
Huangfu Song stared at Li Fan as he drank his Dragon's须 tea.
Li Fan continued without pause, "Both you and I know the importance of the Heaven Xuan Locking Spirit Array."
"And my efforts to build it have been widely known. Who did this? No need to say more."
"Before all arrays are completed, is it better for me, a symbol of the entire world, to die in misery or for the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance to save my life?"
"Compared to some longevity treasures, slightly extending my lifespan shouldn’t matter much,"
"So, currently, I’m not afraid of dying old; on the contrary, I wish I had more time!"
"Senior Huangfu, your tea almost cost me my life just now."
"How do you plan to compensate?" Li Fan asked as he looked at Huangfu Song.