「 xiǎng yào pèng jiàn tā men ， wán quán zhǐ néng kào yùn qì ， yī chù yī chù de fēi dào yún céng zhōng qīn zì chá tàn 。」
「想要碰见它们，完全只能靠运气，一处一处的飞到云层中亲自查探。」
"Meeting them requires sheer luck. I have to fly to each cloud layer and personally investigate."
xǔ kè tàn le kǒu qì ， mō le mō guà zài zì jǐ yāo jiān de yí gè qī cǎi jǐn náng ， dū nāng dào ：「 guāng zhǎo dào le hái méi yòng ， hái yào xiǎng bàn fǎ bǎ tā men zhuō zhù 。」
许克叹了口气，摸了摸挂在自己腰间的一个七彩锦囊，嘟囔道：「光找到了还没用，还要想办法把它们捉住。」
Xu Ke sighed, running his hand over a colorful pouch hanging from his waist. He muttered, "Just finding them isn't enough; we need to figure out how to catch them."
「 zhè xiē jiā huo ， bié kàn zhǎng de nà me dà gè ， qí shí bǐ ní qiū dōu yào líng huó 。」
「这些家伙，别看长的那么大个，其实比泥鳅都要灵活。」
"These guys may look big, but they're actually more agile than eels. The slightest disturbance, and they'll vanish through the air. I almost had one several times, but they always managed to escape."
「 zhōu wéi shāo yǒu fēng chuī cǎo dòng ， jiù huì pò kōng ér qù 。 yǒu hǎo jǐ cì wǒ dōu yǐ jīng kuài yào zhuā zhù tā men le ， hái shì bèi tā men táo zǒu le 。」
「周围稍有风吹草动，就会破空而去。有好几次我都已经快要抓住它们了，还是被它们逃走了。」
"Who knows when I can finish what Senior Lu instructed me to do. This is the first time he's taken such a serious approach with me, so I mustn't screw it up."
「 āi ， yě bù zhī dào shá shí hòu néng wán chéng lù yá shī xiōng jiāo dài de rèn wù 。 zhè kě shì tā dì yī cì zhè me rèn zhēn de zhǔ tuō wǒ zuò shì ， wǒ kě qiān wàn bù néng gěi gǎo zá le 。」
「哎，也不知道啥时候能完成陆涯师兄交代的任务。这可是他第一次这么认真的嘱托我做事，我可千万不能给搞砸了。」
...
……
……
Xu Ke rambled on while Li Fan fell into deep thought.
xǔ kè xù xù dāo dāo jiǎng shù zhe ， lǐ fán tīng zhe ， què shì xiàn rù le chén sī 。
许克絮絮叨叨讲述着，李凡听着，却是陷入了沉思。
According to Xu Ke’s description, these dimensional whales were quite different from those Li Fan had seen in the future by several millennia. Not only were they much larger, but their personalities had changed; they no longer shied away and even showed strong aggression.
gēn jù xǔ kè de miáo shù ， zhè shí hòu de liè jiè jīng ， hé shù qiān nián hòu lǐ fán céng jīng jiàn dào guò de ， yǒu zhe bù xiǎo de chā yì 。
根据许克的描述，这时候的裂界鲸，和数千年后李凡曾经见到过的，有着不小的差异。
"More like a sub-species with different habits."
bù jǐn tǐ xíng gèng yào páng dà shù bèi ， xìng gé yě biàn dé bù zài wèi shēng ， shèn zhì hái yǒu le jí qiáng de gōng jī xìng 。
不仅体型更要庞大数倍，性格也变得不再畏生，甚至还有了极强的攻击性。
"With Xu Ke's luck, capturing a group of these dimensional whales shouldn't be too difficult."
「 gèng xiàng shì lìng wài xí xìng de yà zhǒng 。」
「更像是另外习性的亚种。」
"After gathering enough of them, we can use the Imperial Beast Taming Sect’s methods to breed them in a targeted manner..."
「 yǐ xǔ kè de qì yùn ， xiǎng bì bǔ huò liè jiè jīng qún bú shì shén me nán shì 。」
「以许克的气运，想必捕获裂界鲸群不是什么难事。」
Recalling his past conversations with Senior Lu and Emperor San Mo, Li Fan pondered.
「 zhuā dào zú gòu duō de shù liàng zhī hòu ， zài tōng guò yù shòu zōng de shǒu duàn jìn xíng dìng xiàng péi yù ……」
「抓到足够多的数量之后，再通过御兽宗的手段进行定向培育……」
"Was catching these dimensional whales actually Mr. Bai's request?"
lián xiǎng dào shàng yī shì céng tīng dào de lù yá hé dì sān mò èr rén de duì huà ， lǐ fán ruò yǒu suǒ sī 。
联想到上一世曾听到的陆涯和帝三貘二人的对话，李凡若有所思。
"Then that group of free-roaming dimensional whales outside this world must also be his doing?"
「 zhuā bǔ liè jiè jīng ， qí shí shì bái xiān shēng de yāo qiú ？」
「抓捕裂界鲸，其实是白先生的要求？」
Pulling at Xu Ke’s hair, Li Fan felt confused. When he first saw the dimensional whales pushing the human realm away from the cultivation world, he had marveled at how much the ancient cultivators despised humans.
「 zhè me shuō lái ， xiǎo shì jiè zhī wài nà qún yóu yè de liè jiè jīng qún ， yě shì tā de shǒu bǐ ？」
「这么说来，小世界之外那群游曳的裂界鲸群，也是他的手笔？」
From his perspective as a seeker of immortality, separating humans and the cultivation world was seen as a punishment for humanity.
yòng lì chě le chě xǔ kè de tóu fà ， lǐ fán bù jīn yǒu xiē mí huò qǐ lái 。
用力扯了扯许克的头发，李凡不禁有些迷惑起来。
But now that Li Fan truly experienced life in the cultivation world and understood how cultivators treated humans, his views changed.
zài dì yī cì jiàn dào chéng qún jié duì 、 yào jiāng fán rén xiǎo shì jiè tuī lí xiū xiān jiè de liè jiè jīng de shí hòu ， lǐ fán céng jīng fā chū 「 dāng nián de xiū xiān zhě jiū jìng shì yǒu duō me yuàn hèn fán rén 」 de gǎn tàn 。
在第一次见到成群结队、要将凡人小世界推离修仙界的裂界鲸的时候，李凡曾经发出「当年的修仙者究竟是有多么怨恨凡人」的感叹。
Cultivators regarded humans like ants, taking what they wanted without restraint. Even treating them like livestock, using arrays to extract their essence...
cóng tā dāng shí yī xīn qiú xiān de jiǎo dù lái kàn ， ràng fán rén hé xiū xiān jiè chè dǐ fēn lí 、 duàn jué xiān tú ， zì rán shì yī zhǒng duì fán rén de chéng fá 。
从他当时一心求仙的角度来看，让凡人和修仙界彻底分离、断绝仙途，自然是一种对凡人的惩罚。
This was after all a time when humans had the Immortal-Demon Mist within them, and cultivator actions were somewhat restrained.
dàn rú jīn dāng lǐ fán zhēn zhèng zài xiū xiān jiè jīng lì zhǒng zhǒng 、 liǎo jiě le xiū shì shì rú hé duì dài fán rén zhī hòu ， tā yòu chǎn shēng le bù yí yàng de xiǎng fǎ 。
但如今当李凡真正在修仙界经历种种、了解了修士是如何对待凡人之后，他又产生了不一样的想法。
In ancient times, human suffering was even more severe—used as materials for cultivation fruits, with no regard for human lives in conflicts between cultivators…
xiū shì shì fán rén rú lóu yǐ ， yú qǔ yú duó 。
修士视凡人如蝼蚁，予取予夺。
For humans to break free from the control of immortals might not be such a bad thing after all.
shèn zhì rú tóng duì dài shēng chù yì bān quān yǎng ， yòng zhèn fǎ chōu qǔ jīng qì 。
甚至如同对待牲畜一般圈养，用阵法抽取精气。
"Could it be that Mr. Bai is indeed the great benefactor of the world, as those orphans in Ning Yuan City say?"
zhè hái shì fán rén tǐ nèi yǒu xiān fán zhàng 、 xiū shì zhǒng zhǒng xíng jìng yǒu suǒ shōu liǎn de xiàn zài 。
这还是凡人体内有仙凡瘴、修士种种行径有所收敛的现在。
Li Fan’s mind wandered with this thought.
zài shàng gǔ xiū xiān jiè ， fán rén de zāo yù kě wèi shì gèng jiā bēi cǎn 。
在上古修仙界，凡人的遭遇可谓是更加悲惨。
...
bèi dàng zuò liàn zhì 【 wǎng shēng shòu guǒ 】 de cái liào 、 xiū shì bǐ cǐ jiān jiāo shǒu yě quán rán bú huì gù jì fán rén de sǐ huó ……
被当做炼制【往生寿果】的材料、修士彼此间交手也全然不会顾忌凡人的死活……
"It's hard to say now; we need more information."
bǎi tuō xiān rén de zhǎng wò ， duì yú fán rén lái jiǎng ， zhēn wèi bì shì shén me huài shì 。
摆脱仙人的掌握，对于凡人来讲，真未必是什么坏事。
With another sharp tug on Xu Ke, Li Fan urged him to find the dimensional whales quickly. Meanwhile, he settled into his hair, cultivating and contemplating the Transformation Furnace Technique while running the Secret Art of My Will in Heaven.
「 nán bù chéng ， zhēn rú níng yuǎn chéng de nà xiē gū ér suǒ jiǎng ， bái xiān shēng shì xīn xì tiān xià de dà shàn rén ？」
「难不成，真如宁远城的那些孤儿所讲，白先生是心系天下的大善人？」
Helping Xu Ke gather his luck.
lǐ fán nǎo hǎi zhōng bù jīn fú xiàn chū zhè ge niàn tou 。
李凡脑海中不禁浮现出这个念头。
After repeated failures, Xu Ke, who was usually carefree, began to grow anxious.
「 jiū jìng rú hé ， xiàn zài yě bù néng xià dìng lùn 。」
「究竟如何，现在也不能下定论。」
"Dimensional whales, dimensional whales! Where are you?"
「 hái xū zài sōu jí gèng duō diǎn xìn xī 。」
「还需再搜集更多点信息。」
He repeatedly muttered this, his eyes filled with hope.
dāng xià lǐ fán yòu shì yī zhǎo ， hěn hěn náo le xià xǔ kè ， cuī cù tā kuài diǎn xún zhǎo qù liè jiè jīng 。
当下李凡又是一爪，狠狠挠了下许克，催促他快点寻找去裂界鲸。
Li Fan suddenly looked up. He noticed that the purple aura above Xu Ke’s head seemed to dissipate a bit as Xu Ke spoke.
ér lǐ fán zì jǐ ， zé shì wō zài tóu fà lǐ ， xiū xíng 、 tǐ wù zào huà hōng lú gōng de tóng shí 、 yùn zhuàn 【 tiān mìng zài wǒ 】 mì fǎ 。
而李凡自己，则是窝在头发里，修行、体悟造化烘炉功的同时、运转【天命在我】秘法。
Wherever it went, the loss of luck had an immediate effect. The frequency of spotting dimensional whales increased significantly after just a few days.
bāng zhù xǔ kè níng jù qì yùn 。
帮助许克凝聚气运。
Through repeated attempts, Xu Ke eventually found a way to approach them without being detected. However, capturing strange beasts with the Ten Thousand Beast Pouch was no easy task, especially for a beginner like Xu Ke.
yī cì yòu yī cì de wú gōng ér fǎn hòu ， xiàng lái shén jīng dà tiáo de xǔ kè ， yě bù miǎn biàn dé yǒu xiē jiāo jí qǐ lái 。….
一次又一次的无功而返后，向来神经大条的许克，也不免变得有些焦急起来。….
After some time, he managed to escape again, exhausted and nearly collapsing from fatigue.
「 liè jiè jīng 、 liè jiè jīng ， nǐ men dào dǐ zài nǎ lǐ a ！」
「裂界鲸、裂界鲸，你们到底在哪里啊！」
Sitting on the ground, Xu Ke was filled with regret. But soon, he regained his spirits and set off to find another dimensional whale’s whereabouts.
tā zuǐ lǐ bù duàn ní nán chóng fù zhe ， yǎn zhōng chōng mǎn le kě wàng 。
他嘴里不断呢喃重复着，眼中充满了渴望。
With persistent efforts, the purple-golden aura column continued to diminish faster than Li Fan could replenish it through his secret art.
lǐ fán huò rán tái qǐ tóu 。
李凡霍然抬起头。
Eventually, it appeared slightly dimmer than before.
tā guān chá dào ， xǔ kè tóu dǐng de zǐ sè qì yùn guāng huá ， sì hū suí zhe xǔ kè de dī yǔ ， yì sàn le yī bù fèn 。
他观察到，许克头顶的紫色气运光华，似乎随着许克的低语，溢散了一部分。
But it wasn’t in vain.
bù zhī qù wǎng le hé fāng 。
不知去往了何方。
Four months later, Xu Ke finally successfully captured a dimensional whale. The Ten Thousand Beast Pouch floated quietly in mid-air, no longer shaking violently.
qì yùn de xiāo shī ， xiào guǒ què shì lì gān jiàn yǐng 。
气运的消失，效果却是立竿见影。
Excitedly holding onto the pouch, Xu Ke shouted with joy.
yuán běn wǎng wǎng shí duō tiān cái néng fā xiàn yī cì liè jiè jīng de zōng jì ， zhī hòu chá jué de yuè lái yuè pín fán 。
原本往往十多天才能发现一次裂界鲸的踪迹，之后察觉的越来越频繁。
"Finally finished my task! I can go back and report to Senior Lu!"
ér jīng guò bù duàn de cháng shì ， xǔ kè yě màn màn zhǎo dào le jiē jìn liè jiè jīng 、 ér bù bèi tā fā xiàn de fāng fǎ 。
而经过不断的尝试，许克也慢慢找到了接近裂界鲸、而不被它发现的方法。
"Little Qing! Home!" He called out his phoenix bird and hopped onto her back.
dàn shì yǐ 【 wàn shòu náng 】 shēng qín yì shòu ， yě bú shì yī jiàn róng yì
但是以【万兽囊】生擒异兽，也不是一件容易
Li Fan’s gaze sharpened as he stared at Little Qing. She ignored him, nuzzling Xu Ke affectionately before spreading her wings and flying towards the heavens.
de shì qíng 。
的事情。
"I never thought that in thousands of years, she would become the Empire's Saint Teacher." Sensing the familiar aura on Little Qing, Li Fan was surprised to confirm his earlier guess.
yóu qí duì yú xǔ kè zhè yàng de xīn shǒu lái jiǎng 。
尤其对于许克这样的新手来讲。
More than three years had passed since he last saw her. She looked much more majestic compared to when he first met her in the陨仙境 (a realm beyond death).
jiāng chí le yī fān hòu ， zuì zhōng hái shì bèi qí tuō kùn ér chū 。
僵持了一番后，最终还是被其脱困而出。
Not only did she fly faster by several times, but during flight, a faint blue light would surround Xu Ke and Li Fan, muffling sounds and making travel more comfortable.
mǎn tóu dà hán 、 lèi de jìn hū xū tuō de xǔ kè ， tuí rán dì zuò zài dì shàng ， ào nǎo bù yǐ 。
满头大汗、累的近乎虚脱的许克，颓然地坐在地上，懊恼不已。
Tired from lack of rest, Xu Ke fell asleep on Little Qing’s back.
bù guò hěn kuài tā jiù zài dù dǎ qǐ le jīng shén ， chū fā xún zhǎo xià yī tóu liè jiè jīng de zōng jì 。
不过很快他就再度打起了精神，出发寻找下一头裂界鲸的踪迹。
Little Qing continued to fly with determination.
qiè ér bù shě de cháng shì zhōng ， zǐ jīn qì yùn guāng zhù chí xù xiāo hào 。
锲而不舍的尝试中，紫金气运光柱持续消耗。
After a long while, Li Fan slowly收回了他的目光。
sǔn hào de sù dù yuǎn yuǎn chāo guò le lǐ fán yǐ mì fǎ bǔ chōng de sù dù 。
损耗的速度远远超过了李凡以秘法补充的速度。
随着青鸾鸟越飞越高，Li Fan站在Xu Ke头顶向下望去。才发现这处小世界与其说是类似一线天的峡谷，倒不如说更像一道被利器生生斩开的伤痕。
zuì zhōng ， tā kàn shàng qù bǐ qǐ xiān qián yào àn dàn le nà me shǎo xǔ 。
最终，它看上去比起先前要黯淡了那么少许。
但这道伤痕带来了生机。除了这条长长的裂隙之外，这个世界尽是一片焦土。
dàn bìng fēi shì wú yòng gōng 。
但并非是无用功。
赤红色的烈焰灼烧着大地，狰狞的熔岩肆意流淌。
sì gè yuè hòu ， lì jīng qiān xīn wàn kǔ de xǔ kè zhōng yú chéng gōng bǔ huò le yī tóu liè jiè jīng 。
四个月后，历经千辛万苦的许克终于成功捕获了一头裂界鲸。
所有这些毁灭性的力量都被阻隔在了裂隙之外。
wàn shòu náng jìng jìng de piāo fú zài xū kōng zhōng ， bù zài jù liè huàng dòng 。
万兽囊静静的漂浮在虚空中，不再剧烈晃动。
斩出峡谷的力量仍然萦绕不散，阻止了烈焰的侵蚀，在这片炼狱般的小世界中创造了一片生机勃勃的土地。
xǔ kè jī dòng de jiāng qí sǐ sǐ zhuā zài shǒu zhōng ， fā chū xīng fèn de nà hǎn 。
许克激动的将其死死抓在手中，发出兴奋的呐喊。
"Looking at the same problem from different angles can lead to entirely different conclusions."
「 zhōng yú wán chéng rèn wù le ， zhè xià kě yǐ huí qù xiàng lù yá shī xiōng jiāo chāi le ！」
「终于完成任务了，这下可以回去向陆涯师兄交差了！」
Li Fan recalled his previous thoughts on humans leaving the Yellow and Green World, gaining a new understanding.
「 xiǎo qīng ！ wǒ men huí jiā ！」 xǔ kè huàn chū qīng luán niǎo ， què yuè zhe kuà zuò zài tā de shēn shàng 。
「小青！我们回家！」许克唤出青鸾鸟，雀跃着跨坐在她的身上。
Passing through an invisible passage in the sky, they returned to the Yellow and Green World.
lǐ fán mù guāng yī níng ， dīng zhe qīng luán niǎo 、 zǐ xì dǎ liàng 。
李凡目光一凝，盯着青鸾鸟、仔细打量。
The dim white light slowly faded. When Li Fan saw the scenery before him, he was surprised.
qīng luán niǎo zé shì wán quán wú shì le lǐ fán ， zhǐ shì qīn nì dì yòng bó zi cèng le cèng xǔ kè 。
青鸾鸟则是完全无视了李凡，只是亲昵地用脖子蹭了蹭许克。
They had just flown out of a painting.
suí hòu shēn zhǎn shuāng chì ， zài zhe tā cháo zhe tiān wài fēi qù 。
随后伸展双翅，载着他朝着天外飞去。
Angry squid.
"Meeting them requires sheer luck. I have to fly to each cloud layer and personally investigate."
Xu Ke sighed, running his hand over a colorful pouch hanging from his waist. He muttered, "Just finding them isn't enough; we need to figure out how to catch them."
"These guys may look big, but they're actually more agile than eels. The slightest disturbance, and they'll vanish through the air. I almost had one several times, but they always managed to escape."
"Who knows when I can finish what Senior Lu instructed me to do. This is the first time he's taken such a serious approach with me, so I mustn't screw it up."
...
Xu Ke rambled on while Li Fan fell into deep thought.
According to Xu Ke’s description, these dimensional whales were quite different from those Li Fan had seen in the future by several millennia. Not only were they much larger, but their personalities had changed; they no longer shied away and even showed strong aggression.
"More like a sub-species with different habits."
"With Xu Ke's luck, capturing a group of these dimensional whales shouldn't be too difficult."
"After gathering enough of them, we can use the Imperial Beast Taming Sect’s methods to breed them in a targeted manner..."
Recalling his past conversations with Senior Lu and Emperor San Mo, Li Fan pondered.
"Was catching these dimensional whales actually Mr. Bai's request?"
"Then that group of free-roaming dimensional whales outside this world must also be his doing?"
Pulling at Xu Ke’s hair, Li Fan felt confused. When he first saw the dimensional whales pushing the human realm away from the cultivation world, he had marveled at how much the ancient cultivators despised humans.
From his perspective as a seeker of immortality, separating humans and the cultivation world was seen as a punishment for humanity.
But now that Li Fan truly experienced life in the cultivation world and understood how cultivators treated humans, his views changed.
Cultivators regarded humans like ants, taking what they wanted without restraint. Even treating them like livestock, using arrays to extract their essence...
This was after all a time when humans had the Immortal-Demon Mist within them, and cultivator actions were somewhat restrained.
In ancient times, human suffering was even more severe—used as materials for cultivation fruits, with no regard for human lives in conflicts between cultivators…
For humans to break free from the control of immortals might not be such a bad thing after all.
"Could it be that Mr. Bai is indeed the great benefactor of the world, as those orphans in Ning Yuan City say?"
Li Fan’s mind wandered with this thought.
...
"It's hard to say now; we need more information."
With another sharp tug on Xu Ke, Li Fan urged him to find the dimensional whales quickly. Meanwhile, he settled into his hair, cultivating and contemplating the Transformation Furnace Technique while running the Secret Art of My Will in Heaven.
Helping Xu Ke gather his luck.
After repeated failures, Xu Ke, who was usually carefree, began to grow anxious.
"Dimensional whales, dimensional whales! Where are you?"
He repeatedly muttered this, his eyes filled with hope.
Li Fan suddenly looked up. He noticed that the purple aura above Xu Ke’s head seemed to dissipate a bit as Xu Ke spoke.
Wherever it went, the loss of luck had an immediate effect. The frequency of spotting dimensional whales increased significantly after just a few days.
Through repeated attempts, Xu Ke eventually found a way to approach them without being detected. However, capturing strange beasts with the Ten Thousand Beast Pouch was no easy task, especially for a beginner like Xu Ke.
After some time, he managed to escape again, exhausted and nearly collapsing from fatigue.
Sitting on the ground, Xu Ke was filled with regret. But soon, he regained his spirits and set off to find another dimensional whale’s whereabouts.
With persistent efforts, the purple-golden aura column continued to diminish faster than Li Fan could replenish it through his secret art.
Eventually, it appeared slightly dimmer than before.
But it wasn’t in vain.
Four months later, Xu Ke finally successfully captured a dimensional whale. The Ten Thousand Beast Pouch floated quietly in mid-air, no longer shaking violently.
Excitedly holding onto the pouch, Xu Ke shouted with joy.
"Finally finished my task! I can go back and report to Senior Lu!"
"Little Qing! Home!" He called out his phoenix bird and hopped onto her back.
Li Fan’s gaze sharpened as he stared at Little Qing. She ignored him, nuzzling Xu Ke affectionately before spreading her wings and flying towards the heavens.
"I never thought that in thousands of years, she would become the Empire's Saint Teacher." Sensing the familiar aura on Little Qing, Li Fan was surprised to confirm his earlier guess.
More than three years had passed since he last saw her. She looked much more majestic compared to when he first met her in the陨仙境 (a realm beyond death).
Not only did she fly faster by several times, but during flight, a faint blue light would surround Xu Ke and Li Fan, muffling sounds and making travel more comfortable.
Tired from lack of rest, Xu Ke fell asleep on Little Qing’s back.
Little Qing continued to fly with determination.
After a long while, Li Fan slowly收回了他的目光。
随着青鸾鸟越飞越高，Li Fan站在Xu Ke头顶向下望去。才发现这处小世界与其说是类似一线天的峡谷，倒不如说更像一道被利器生生斩开的伤痕。
但这道伤痕带来了生机。除了这条长长的裂隙之外，这个世界尽是一片焦土。
赤红色的烈焰灼烧着大地，狰狞的熔岩肆意流淌。
所有这些毁灭性的力量都被阻隔在了裂隙之外。
斩出峡谷的力量仍然萦绕不散，阻止了烈焰的侵蚀，在这片炼狱般的小世界中创造了一片生机勃勃的土地。
"Looking at the same problem from different angles can lead to entirely different conclusions."
Li Fan recalled his previous thoughts on humans leaving the Yellow and Green World, gaining a new understanding.
Passing through an invisible passage in the sky, they returned to the Yellow and Green World.
The dim white light slowly faded. When Li Fan saw the scenery before him, he was surprised.
They had just flown out of a painting.
Angry squid.