lǐ fán zài yì shòu lóng jīng wèi nèi ， zhǎo dào le xǔ duō kē shàng wèi bèi wán quán xiāo huà de liú lí zhū 。
李凡在异兽龙鲸胃内，找到了许多颗尚未被完全消化的琉璃珠。
Li Fan found many unprocessed Lustrous Fish in the stomach of the monstrous whale dragon.
yīng gāi shì lóng jīng tūn shí liú lí yú qún hòu de cán liú wù 。
应该是龙鲸吞食琉璃鱼群后的残留物。
These should be remnants from when the whale had consumed a group of Lustrous Fish.
“ kàn lái ， zì cóng nà tóu jù xíng liú lí yú bèi wǒ gàn diào zhī hòu ， liú lí yú qún de chǔ jìng kān yōu a 。” lǐ fán xīn zhōng àn zì sī cǔn 。
“看来，自从那头巨型琉璃鱼被我干掉之后，琉璃鱼群的处境堪忧啊。”李凡心中暗自思忖。
"Seems that since I killed that giant Lustrous Fish, the situation for these fish is dire," Li Fan thought to himself.
chú le liú lí zhū zhī wài ， hái yǒu bàn jié shān hú 、 yī gēn shǎn zhe guāng liàng de yú gǔ děng qí tā luàn qī bā zāo de dōng xī 。
除了琉璃珠之外，还有半截珊瑚、一根闪着光亮的鱼骨等其他乱七八糟的东西。
Besides the Lustrous Fish, there were also half a coral branch and a glowing fish bone among other miscellaneous items.
lǐ fán yě bù guǎn rèn shí bù rèn shí ， quán dōu tōng tōng dǎ bāo 。
李凡也不管认识不认识，全都通通打包。
Li Fan packed everything without regard for whether he recognized them or not.
zuì hòu ， lǐ fán zài jiǎn chá le yī biàn ， què bǎo zì jǐ méi yǒu yí lòu shén me hòu ， fāng cái qiǎo rán lí qù 。
最后，李凡再检查了一遍，确保自己没有遗漏什么后，方才悄然离去。
After thoroughly checking his findings, he quietly left.
yī lù wú huà ， ān quán de huí dào le wàn xiān dǎo 。
一路无话，安全的回到了万仙岛。
With no further ado, he safely returned to Ten Thousand Immortals Island.
shàng jiāo le yì shòu lóng jīng de shī hái zhī hòu ， lǐ fán yòu jiāng zì qí wèi nèi sōu guā ér lái de dōng xī xuǎn zé yī yī duì huàn chéng gòng xiàn dù 。
上交了异兽龙鲸的尸骸之后，李凡又将自其胃内搜刮而来的东西选择一一兑换成贡献度。
After handing over the whale dragon's corpse, Li Fan exchanged all the items found in its stomach for contribution points.
yī gòng 320 diǎn 。
一共320点。
In total, 320 points.
zhè zhī hòu ， jīng guò yī fān jiàn dìng ， wàn xiān méng yě què rèn le lǐ fán shàng jiāo de lóng jīng shī hái jiù shì zhī qián xí jī dǎo yǔ de nà zhǐ 。
这之后，经过一番鉴定，万仙盟也确认了李凡上交的龙鲸尸骸就是之前袭击岛屿的那只。
Following a鉴定, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance confirmed that the whale dragon's corpse was indeed the one that had attacked the island previously.
yú shì ， rèn wù bào chóu 2000 diǎn dào shǒu 。
于是，任务报酬2000点到手。
Thus, he received his reward of 2000 points.
jiā shàng zhī qián shèng xià de 450 diǎn ， lǐ fán mù qián kě yòng de gòng xiàn dù yī gòng yǒu 2770 diǎn 。
加上之前剩下的450点，李凡目前可用的贡献度一共有2770点。
Adding to the remaining 450 points, Li Fan now had a total of 2770 contribution points available.
“ zhè me duō gòng xiàn dù ， yīng gāi gòu tiāo xuǎn yī mén mǎn yì de gōng fǎ le 。”
“这么多贡献度，应该够挑选一门满意的功法了。”
"Such a large amount of contribution points should be enough for me to choose a satisfactory cultivation technique."
mù qián lǐ fán shàng qiàn quē yǐn bì zì shēn qì xī ， yǐ biàn yú zhuī zōng bié rén de shǒu duàn 。
目前李凡尚欠缺隐蔽自身气息，以便于追踪别人的手段。
Currently, Li Fan lacked means to conceal his aura so as to track others. Such techniques were relatively rare, but with 2770 contribution points, he was sure it would suffice even if he only had the ability at the Qi Refining stage.
zhè lèi gōng fǎ yě bǐ jiào xī yǒu ， dàn jǐn jǐn shì liàn qì qī de huà ，2770 diǎn gòng xiàn dù yě jué duì gòu yòng le 。
这类功法也比较稀有，但仅仅是炼气期的话，2770点贡献度也绝对够用了。
Li Fan began selecting in the Realm of Ten Thousand Immortals.
lǐ fán zài tiān xuán jìng zhōng kāi shǐ le tiāo xuǎn 。
李凡在天玄境中开始了挑选。
Meanwhile, within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, a task that had once baffled many Foundation Establishment cultivators to no avail—hunting down the monstrous whale dragon—had been completed by a mere Qi Refining cultivator.
ér cǐ kè ， wàn xiān méng zhōng ， nà ge yí dù lìng zhòng duō zhù jī qī xiū shì dōu shù shǒu wú cè de ， liè shā yì shòu lóng jīng de rèn wù cǐ kè jū rán bèi yī liàn qì xiū shì wán chéng le 。
而此刻，万仙盟中，那个一度令众多筑基期修士都束手无策的，猎杀异兽龙鲸的任务此刻居然被一炼气修士完成了。
This unusual phenomenon immediately caught the attention of many people.
zhè yī fǎn cháng de xiàn xiàng lì kè yǐn qǐ le bù shǎo rén de zhù yì 。
这一反常的现象立刻引起了不少人的注意。
Especially those who had initially joined together to post this mission were filled with confusion.
yóu qí shì dāng chū lián hé qǐ lái fā bù rèn wù de nà qún rén ， gèng shì yǒu zhe nóng nóng de bù jiě 。
尤其是当初联合起来发布任务的那群人，更是有着浓浓的不解。
"Qi Refining Stage, Li Fan? Who is this person? They said that whale could withstand attacks from Core Formation cultivators. How did Li Fan manage to kill it?"
“ liàn qì hòu qī ， lǐ fán ？ zhè shì hé xǔ rén yě ？ nà tóu lóng jīng bú shì shuō néng yìng kàng jīn dān xiū shì de gōng jī ma 。 zhè lǐ fán yòu shì zěn me jiāng qí liè shā de ？”
“炼气后期，李凡？这是何许人也？那头龙鲸不是说能硬抗金丹修士的攻击嘛。这李凡又是怎么将其猎杀的？”
"Could he have concealed his cultivation level?"
“ nán bù chéng ， cǐ rén yǐn cáng le xiū wèi ？”
“难不成，此人隐藏了修为？”
"This friend of yours must be a new member of our Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, right? Wanting to hide your cultivation in front of the Spirit Treasure Mirror? Impossible!"
“ zhè wèi dào yǒu shì xīn jiā rù wǒ wàn xiān méng de ba ， xiǎng yào zài líng bǎo tiān xuán jìng miàn qián yǐn cáng xiū wèi ？ zěn me kě néng ！”
“这位道友是新加入我万仙盟的吧，想要在灵宝天玄镜面前隐藏修为？怎么可能！”
"He certainly has Qi Refining Stage abilities. I checked with someone, and he was recently introduced by He Zhenghao."
“ cǐ rén dí què shì liàn qì hòu qī shí lì wú yí 。 wǒ zhǎo rén què rèn guò le ， tā shì bù jiǔ qián cái bèi hé zhèng hào yǐn jiàn jiā rù wǒ wàn xiān méng de 。”
“此人的确是炼气后期实力无疑。我找人确认过了，他是不久前才被何正浩引荐加入我万仙盟的。”
"Oh? How did he manage to do it?"
“ ó ？ nà cǐ rén jiū jìng shì zěn me zuò dào de ？”
“哦？那此人究竟是怎么做到的？”
"Could it be that he possesses some extraordinary treasure?"
“ mò bú shì ， cǐ rén shēn huái yì bǎo ？”
“莫不是，此人身怀异宝？”
...
……
……
A disdainful voice suddenly interrupted their speculations.
liàn qì xiū shì zuò dào le lián zhù jī xiū shì dōu zuò bú dào de shì qíng ， bù jīn ràng rén fú xiǎng lián piān 。
炼气修士做到了连筑基修士都做不到的事情，不禁让人浮想联翩。
"Don't guess anymore; the latest insider information is that this kid just got lucky." This statement immediately garnered several sideways glances.
jiù zài cǐ shí ， yī dào bù xiè de shēng yīn xiǎng qǐ 。
就在此时，一道不屑的声音响起。
"Friend Zhou Peng, what are you saying?"
“ dōu bié cāi le ， zuì xīn nèi mù xiāo xī ， zhè xiǎo zi zhǐ shì yùn qì hǎo ér yǐ 。” zhè fān huà dùn shí yǐn dé yī zhèn cè mù 。
“都别猜了，最新内幕消息，这小子只是运气好而已。”这番话顿时引得一阵侧目。
"How can luck explain it? It's impossible!"
“ zhōu péng dào yǒu ， zhè yòu shì zěn me shuō ？”
“周鹏道友，这又是怎么说？”
Zhou Peng sighed in agreement: "I too find it hard to believe, but the facts speak for themselves."
“ shì a ， yùn qì hǎo ？ zěn me kě néng ？”
“是啊，运气好？怎么可能？”
"The whale dragon's corpse was analyzed by Senior Public Sun of the Celestial Oracle Hall. The conclusion is that this whale had fought against at least three other monsters of similar level before its death."
……
……
"Most of its wounds were inflicted by these giant beasts."
zhōu péng yě shì gǎn kǎi le shēng ：“ wǒ yě shì bù gǎn xiāng xìn a ， dàn shì shí rú cǐ 。”
周鹏也是感慨了声：“我也是不敢相信啊，但事实如此。”
"This whale was already on its last legs before it died. Even without that kid's intervention, the whale wouldn't have survived much longer."
“ nà yì shòu lóng jīng de shī hái sòng dào le tiān jī táng gōng sūn zhǎng lǎo nà lǐ zuò le fēn xī 。 dé dào de jié lùn shì ， zhè tóu lóng jīng zài sǐ qián ， hé zhì shǎo sān tóu tóng jí bié de hǎi dǐ jù shòu sī shā guò 。”
“那异兽龙鲸的尸骸送到了天机堂公孙长老那里做了分析。得到的结论是，这头龙鲸在死前，和至少三头同级别的海底巨兽厮杀过。”
Zhou Peng's words left a silence around him.
“ tā shēn shàng jué dà duō shù shāng hén ， dōu shì zhè xiē jù shòu suǒ liú 。”
“它身上绝大多数伤痕，都是这些巨兽所留。”
While it seemed unbelievable, everyone had heard of Senior Public Sun of the Celestial Oracle Hall. So his conclusion held some credibility.
“ zài sǐ zhī qián ， zhè yì shòu lóng jīng yǐ jīng yóu jǐn dēng kū le 。 jiù suàn bù yòng nà xiǎo zi chū shǒu ， zhè lóng jīng yě huó bù liǎo duō jiǔ 。”
“在死之前，这异兽龙鲸已经油尽灯枯了。就算不用那小子出手，这龙鲸也活不了多久。”
"It is said that this whale dragon was showing signs of transforming into a dragon. Perhaps because of this reason, other monsters coveted its attention."
zhōu péng shuō wán ， zhōu wéi dùn shí yī piàn ān jìng 。
周鹏说完，周围顿时一片安静。
"That makes sense. For creatures capable of devouring each other to evolve, such as awakening ancestral bloodlines, it would be the most beneficial."
suī rán fěi yí suǒ sī le diǎn ， dàn tiān jī táng gōng sūn zhǎng lǎo zhī míng ， dà jiā dōu duō shǎo tīng shuō guò 。
虽然匪夷所思了点，但天机堂公孙长老之名，大家都多少听说过。
"Ah! This Qi Refining kid has such good luck. Truly enviable; that's 2000 contribution points!"
suǒ yǐ tā dé chū de jié lùn ， hái shì bǐ jiào kě xìn de 。
所以他得出的结论，还是比较可信的。
The people around him nodded in agreement.
“ jù shuō ， nà tóu lóng jīng yǒu zhe jí jiāng huà lóng de jì xiàng 。 huò xǔ shì yīn wèi zhè ge yuán yīn ， cái yǐn qǐ le bié de jù shòu de jì yú 。”
“据说，那头龙鲸有着即将化龙的迹象。或许是因为这个原因，才引起了别的巨兽的觊觎。”
...
“ hěn yǒu dào lǐ 。 duì yú néng hù xiāng tūn shì jìn huà de yì shòu lái shuō ， zhè zhǒng jué xǐng le xiān zǔ xuè mài de ， zuì shì dà bǔ le 。”
“很有道理。对于能互相吞噬进化的异兽来说，这种觉醒了先祖血脉的，最是大补了。”
Li Fan had already anticipated the potential impact of completing this reward for hunting the monstrous whale dragon.
“ āi yā ， zhè liàn qì xiǎo zi jū rán yùn qì rú cǐ zhī hǎo 。 zhēn shì ràng rén xiàn mù ， nà kě shì 2000 diǎn gòng xiàn dù a ！”
“哎呀，这炼气小子居然运气如此之好。真是让人羡慕，那可是2000点贡献度啊！”
However, he wasn't entirely afraid either.
zhōu wéi rén wén yán yě shì fēn fēn diǎn tóu 。
周围人闻言也是纷纷点头。
After all, the whale was killed by mutual combat between other monsters. He just got lucky and picked up an easy win.
……
……
For 2000 contribution points, a little risk was worth it.
duì yú wán chéng yì shòu lóng jīng xuán shǎng rèn wù kě néng dài lái de yǐng xiǎng ， lǐ fán xīn zhōng zǎo yǐ yǒu suǒ zhǔn bèi 。
对于完成异兽龙鲸悬赏任务可能带来的影响，李凡心中早已有所准备。
Setting aside these thoughts, after some time of searching and comparing, Li Fan confirmed his target cultivation technique: *The Like Shadow Technique*.
bù guò tā yě bù wán quán bù pà 。
不过他也不完全不怕。
This technique's essence lies in the phrase "Like Shadow."
yīn wèi wú lùn zěn me kàn ， zhè lóng jīng dōu shì sǐ yú jù shòu jiān de hù xiāng cán shā 。 tā zhǐ shì yùn qì hǎo ， lù guò jiǎn le gè pián yi ér yǐ 。
因为无论怎么看，这龙鲸都是死于巨兽间的互相残杀。他只是运气好，路过捡了个便宜而已。
It excels at tracking and concealment. Once locked onto an opponent, one can follow them like a shadow, making it hard for the other to shake off. It also allows one to hide like a shadow in darkness, making the target unaware of their presence.
wèi le 2000 diǎn gòng xiàn dù ， shāo wēi mào yì diǎn fēng xiǎn yě shì zhí de de 。
为了2000点贡献度，稍微冒一点风险也是值得的。
...
jiāng cǐ shì fàng zài yī biān ， jīng guò yī duàn shí jiān de sōu xún 、 bǐ duì zhī hòu ， lǐ fán què dìng le zì jǐ de mù biāo gōng fǎ 。
将此事放在一边，经过一段时间的搜寻、比对之后，李凡确定了自己的目标功法。
The effect was so remarkable that the price was naturally high—1800 contribution points.
《 rú yǐng suí xíng jué 》。
《如影随形决》。
Li Fan didn't hesitate and bought it outright.
cǐ mén gōng fǎ de yào yì ， jiù tǐ xiàn zài rú yǐng suí xíng sì gè zì zhōng 。
此门功法的要义，就体现在如影随形四个字中。
Just as he prepared to seclude himself for cultivation, he suddenly received a Spirit Talisman communication from He Zhenghao.
gōng fǎ shàn cháng zhuī zōng 、 yǐn nì 。
功法擅长追踪、隐匿。
"Friend Li Fan! Ah, I never expected that the one who killed the whale dragon really was you! I thought it might be another cultivator with the same name and level!"
yí dàn suǒ dìng duì fāng ， jiù néng rú tóng duì fāng de yǐng zi yì bān ， jǐn jǐn xiāng suí 。 duì fāng nán yǐ bǎi tuō 。
一旦锁定对方，就能如同对方的影子一般，紧紧相随。对方难以摆脱。
"Some people asked about your situation, which helped me confirm that it was indeed you who killed that whale."
gèng néng rú tóng yǐng zi cáng yú yīn yǐng zhōng yì bān ， ràng qí wú fǎ chá jué 。
更能如同影子藏于阴影中一般，让其无法察觉。
He Zhenghao seemed unusually excited.
rú cǐ shén xiào ， jià gé yě zì rán bù fēi 。
如此神效，价格也自然不菲。
"Good, good. You finally avenged my humiliation! Can't tell you how many times I've woken up to see the plummeting price of Spirit Fog Grass."
1800 diǎn gòng xiàn dù 。
1800点贡献度。
...
lǐ fán yě shì háo bù lìn sè ， zhí jiē mǎi xià 。
李凡也是毫不吝啬，直接买下。
Li Fan remained silent for a moment before replying: "It was just luck; I happened upon the whale dragon and other monsters fighting together, so I picked up an easy win while performing the task."
zhèng dāng lǐ fán zhǔn bèi bì guān xiū liàn zhī shí ， tā què hū rán jiē dào le hé zhèng hào de líng fú tōng xùn 。
正当李凡准备闭关修炼之时，他却忽然接到了何正浩的灵符通讯。
Shortly after sending his message, He Zhenghao replied.
“ lǐ fán dào yǒu ！ āi yā ， méi xiǎng dào nà ge liè shā le lóng jīng de xiū shì zhēn de shì nǐ a ！ wǒ hái yǐ wéi zhǐ shì gēn nǐ tóng míng tóng xìng tóng jìng jiè de lìng wài yí gè xiū shì ne ！”
“李凡道友！哎呀，没想到那个猎杀了龙鲸的修士真的是你啊！我还以为只是跟你同名同姓同境界的另外一个修士呢！”
"Even luck is part of one's strength. With such extraordinary talent and fortune, your future is bright indeed!"
“ hái shì yǒu rén zhǎo wǒ xún wèn nǐ de qíng kuàng ， wǒ cái què dìng ， zhēn de shì nǐ shā de nà tóu lóng jīng a ！”
“还是有人找我询问你的情况，我才确定，真的是你杀的那头龙鲸啊！”
Before Li Fan could reply, He Zhenghao sent another message: "I have something to request from you; do you think it's possible?"
hé zhèng hào xiǎn de yì cháng jī dòng 。
何正浩显得异常激动。
"Oh? What is it?"
“ hǎo hǎo hǎo ， kě suàn shì tì wǒ chū le yī kǒu è qì a ！ nǐ dōu bù zhī dào ， zhè xiē tiān ， wǒ yī bì shàng yǎn ， dōu shì nà líng wù cǎo jià gé bào diē de huà miàn 。”
“好好好，可算是替我出了一口恶气啊！你都不知道，这些天，我一闭上眼，都是那灵雾草价格暴跌的画面。”
"Yes. I wish to ask if you can temporarily take over the role of defending Lustrous Island for me. How about it?"
……
……
"Temporarily defend?" Li Fan was curious.
lǐ fán yī zhèn chén mò ， guò le piàn kè ， fāng cái huí fù dào ：“ zhǐ shì yùn qì hǎo bà le ， zuò rèn wù de shí hòu qià qiǎo yù jiàn nà lóng jīng hé bié de jù shòu sī shā zài yì qǐ ， yīn cǐ jiǎn le pián yi 。”
李凡一阵沉默，过了片刻，方才回复道：“只是运气好罢了，做任务的时候恰巧遇见那龙鲸和别的巨兽厮杀在一起，因此捡了便宜。”
He Zhenghao quickly explained: "Due to the Spirit Fog Grass incident, I've lost most of my savings in recent years. The Qi Formation cultivation technique I want is getting further away from me, and I can't bear that."
xùn xī fā chū bù jiǔ ， hé zhèng hào jiù lì mǎ huí fù guò lái 。
讯息发出不久，何正浩就立马回复过来。
"Recently, a few friends discovered an ancient cave. They invited me to explore it with them. According to them, this cave was sealed before the Great Tribulation; there must be many treasures inside, and even some cultivation techniques might exist."
“ yùn qì yě shì shí lì de yī bù fèn ma ， dào yǒu tiān fù 、 yùn dào jiē rú cǐ bù fán ， wèi lái bì dìng shì dà dào kě qī a ！”
“运气也是实力的一部分嘛，道友天赋、运道皆如此不凡，未来必定是大道可期啊！”
"If we manage to find something valuable, it could at least partially offset my losses. So I decided to take a chance."
lǐ fán hái méi xiǎng hǎo zěn me huí fù ， què jiàn hé zhèng hào yòu chuán lái yī dào xùn xī 。
李凡还没想好怎么回复，却见何正浩又传来一道讯息。
Li Fan thought for a moment but didn't immediately reply, instead asking: "How long do you need me to defend?"
“ zhèng hǎo wǒ yǒu yī shì ， yào qǐng dào yǒu bāng máng ， bù zhī kě fǒu ？”
“正好我有一事，要请道友帮忙，不知可否？”
He Zhenghao replied quickly: "It won't take long; just one or two years, maybe up to three or four."
Li Fan found many unprocessed Lustrous Fish in the stomach of the monstrous whale dragon.
These should be remnants from when the whale had consumed a group of Lustrous Fish.
"Seems that since I killed that giant Lustrous Fish, the situation for these fish is dire," Li Fan thought to himself.
Besides the Lustrous Fish, there were also half a coral branch and a glowing fish bone among other miscellaneous items.
Li Fan packed everything without regard for whether he recognized them or not.
After thoroughly checking his findings, he quietly left.
With no further ado, he safely returned to Ten Thousand Immortals Island.
After handing over the whale dragon's corpse, Li Fan exchanged all the items found in its stomach for contribution points.
In total, 320 points.
Following a鉴定, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance confirmed that the whale dragon's corpse was indeed the one that had attacked the island previously.
Thus, he received his reward of 2000 points.
Adding to the remaining 450 points, Li Fan now had a total of 2770 contribution points available.
"Such a large amount of contribution points should be enough for me to choose a satisfactory cultivation technique."
Currently, Li Fan lacked means to conceal his aura so as to track others. Such techniques were relatively rare, but with 2770 contribution points, he was sure it would suffice even if he only had the ability at the Qi Refining stage.
Li Fan began selecting in the Realm of Ten Thousand Immortals.
Meanwhile, within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, a task that had once baffled many Foundation Establishment cultivators to no avail—hunting down the monstrous whale dragon—had been completed by a mere Qi Refining cultivator.
This unusual phenomenon immediately caught the attention of many people.
Especially those who had initially joined together to post this mission were filled with confusion.
"Qi Refining Stage, Li Fan? Who is this person? They said that whale could withstand attacks from Core Formation cultivators. How did Li Fan manage to kill it?"
"Could he have concealed his cultivation level?"
"This friend of yours must be a new member of our Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, right? Wanting to hide your cultivation in front of the Spirit Treasure Mirror? Impossible!"
"He certainly has Qi Refining Stage abilities. I checked with someone, and he was recently introduced by He Zhenghao."
"Oh? How did he manage to do it?"
"Could it be that he possesses some extraordinary treasure?"
...
A disdainful voice suddenly interrupted their speculations.
"Don't guess anymore; the latest insider information is that this kid just got lucky." This statement immediately garnered several sideways glances.
"Friend Zhou Peng, what are you saying?"
"How can luck explain it? It's impossible!"
Zhou Peng sighed in agreement: "I too find it hard to believe, but the facts speak for themselves."
"The whale dragon's corpse was analyzed by Senior Public Sun of the Celestial Oracle Hall. The conclusion is that this whale had fought against at least three other monsters of similar level before its death."
"Most of its wounds were inflicted by these giant beasts."
"This whale was already on its last legs before it died. Even without that kid's intervention, the whale wouldn't have survived much longer."
Zhou Peng's words left a silence around him.
While it seemed unbelievable, everyone had heard of Senior Public Sun of the Celestial Oracle Hall. So his conclusion held some credibility.
"It is said that this whale dragon was showing signs of transforming into a dragon. Perhaps because of this reason, other monsters coveted its attention."
"That makes sense. For creatures capable of devouring each other to evolve, such as awakening ancestral bloodlines, it would be the most beneficial."
"Ah! This Qi Refining kid has such good luck. Truly enviable; that's 2000 contribution points!"
The people around him nodded in agreement.
...
Li Fan had already anticipated the potential impact of completing this reward for hunting the monstrous whale dragon.
However, he wasn't entirely afraid either.
After all, the whale was killed by mutual combat between other monsters. He just got lucky and picked up an easy win.
For 2000 contribution points, a little risk was worth it.
Setting aside these thoughts, after some time of searching and comparing, Li Fan confirmed his target cultivation technique: *The Like Shadow Technique*.
This technique's essence lies in the phrase "Like Shadow."
It excels at tracking and concealment. Once locked onto an opponent, one can follow them like a shadow, making it hard for the other to shake off. It also allows one to hide like a shadow in darkness, making the target unaware of their presence.
...
The effect was so remarkable that the price was naturally high—1800 contribution points.
Li Fan didn't hesitate and bought it outright.
Just as he prepared to seclude himself for cultivation, he suddenly received a Spirit Talisman communication from He Zhenghao.
"Friend Li Fan! Ah, I never expected that the one who killed the whale dragon really was you! I thought it might be another cultivator with the same name and level!"
"Some people asked about your situation, which helped me confirm that it was indeed you who killed that whale."
He Zhenghao seemed unusually excited.
"Good, good. You finally avenged my humiliation! Can't tell you how many times I've woken up to see the plummeting price of Spirit Fog Grass."
...
Li Fan remained silent for a moment before replying: "It was just luck; I happened upon the whale dragon and other monsters fighting together, so I picked up an easy win while performing the task."
Shortly after sending his message, He Zhenghao replied.
"Even luck is part of one's strength. With such extraordinary talent and fortune, your future is bright indeed!"
Before Li Fan could reply, He Zhenghao sent another message: "I have something to request from you; do you think it's possible?"
"Oh? What is it?"
"Yes. I wish to ask if you can temporarily take over the role of defending Lustrous Island for me. How about it?"
"Temporarily defend?" Li Fan was curious.
He Zhenghao quickly explained: "Due to the Spirit Fog Grass incident, I've lost most of my savings in recent years. The Qi Formation cultivation technique I want is getting further away from me, and I can't bear that."
"Recently, a few friends discovered an ancient cave. They invited me to explore it with them. According to them, this cave was sealed before the Great Tribulation; there must be many treasures inside, and even some cultivation techniques might exist."
"If we manage to find something valuable, it could at least partially offset my losses. So I decided to take a chance."
Li Fan thought for a moment but didn't immediately reply, instead asking: "How long do you need me to defend?"
He Zhenghao replied quickly: "It won't take long; just one or two years, maybe up to three or four."