“ bào qiàn 。 cǐ shì wǒ què shí wú néng wéi lì 。 wǒ yù gǎn tū pò zài jí ， liǎng nián nèi bì yào wài chū xún zhǎo jī yuán ， wú fǎ zhèn shǒu liú lí dǎo xǔ duō shí jiān 。”
“抱歉。此事我确实无能为力。我预感突破在即，两年内必要外出寻找机缘，无法镇守琉璃岛许多时间。”
"Sorry. I truly have no power to help with this matter. I sense that a breakthrough is imminent, and within the next two years, I must venture out to seek opportunities, so I can't stay at Lustrous Isle for too long."
yún shuǐ tiān gōng hái yǒu yī nián duō de shí jiān jiù yào kāi qǐ le ， lǐ fán kěn dìng bú huì wèi le zhèn shǒu de nà yì diǎn gòng xiàn dù ， ér cuò guò qiǎng xiān jìn rù qí zhōng de jī huì 。
云水天宫还有一年多的时间就要开启了，李凡肯定不会为了镇守的那一点贡献度，而错过抢先进入其中的机会。
The Heavenly Water Palace would be opening in just over a year, and Li Fan was definitely not going to miss the chance to enter it early by staying behind to guard.
yú shì zhǐ néng gān cuì dì jù jué le hé zhèng hào 。
于是只能干脆地拒绝了何正浩。
Thus, he firmly refused Cao Hong's request.
“ zhè yàng a ， nà wǒ zhǐ néng zài zhǎo qí tā rén le 。 yě zhù dào yǒu zǎo rì zhù jī ！” hé zhèng hào yí hàn huí fù dào 。
“这样啊，那我只能再找其他人了。也祝道友早日筑基！”何正浩遗憾回复道。
"Ah, then I'll have to find someone else. Wishing you success in your foundation establishment!" Cao Hong replied with regret.
tōng xùn líng fú zài méi yǒu xùn xī chuán guò lái 。
通讯灵符再没有讯息传过来。
There was no further communication from the spirit token.
lǐ fán yě méi yǒu zài yì ， huā fèi gòng xiàn dù ， kāi qǐ le fǔ zhù xiū xíng mó shì 。
李凡也没有在意，花费贡献度，开启了辅助修行模式。
Li Fan didn't pay much attention and spent his contribution points to activate an auxiliary cultivation mode.
xiū liàn qǐ le 《 rú yǐng suí xíng jué 》。
修炼起了《如影随形决》。
He began practicing *The Shadow Following Technique*.
bì jìng zhǐ shì fǔ zhù gōng fǎ ，《 rú yǐng suí xíng jué 》 xiū xíng qǐ lái bǐ qí yú liǎng mén gōng fǎ yào jiǎn dān tài duō 。
毕竟只是辅助功法，《如影随形决》修行起来比其余两门功法要简单太多。
After all, it was just an auxiliary technique. The *The Shadow Following Technique* was much simpler to practice than the other two techniques.
qǐ líng hé líng lóng liú lí zhū de shuāng chóng jiā chéng xià ， zhǐ yòng le shí tiān bú dào ， lǐ fán jiù jiāng qí xiū liàn dào le liàn qì hòu qī 。
启灵和玲珑琉璃珠的双重加成下，只用了十天不到，李凡就将其修炼到了炼气后期。
With the dual benefits of启灵 (Awakening Spirit) and the Linglong Lustrous Pearl, Li Fan managed to advance to late-stage Qi Refining in less than ten days.
cǐ kè ， lǐ fán zhèng zài shì yàn 《 rú yǐng suí xíng jué 》 de xiào guǒ 。
此刻，李凡正在试验《如影随形决》的效果。
At this moment, Li Fan was testing the effects of *The Shadow Following Technique*.
tā yòng 100 diǎn gòng xiàn dù ， zài tiān xuán jìng zhōng mó nǐ zhǎn kāi le yī cháng yǔ liàn qì hòu qī xiū shì de zhuī zhú zhàn 。
他用100点贡献度，在天玄镜中模拟展开了一场与炼气后期修士的追逐战。
He used 100 contribution points to simulate a chase with a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator within the Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror.
zhōu wéi de kōng jiān biàn huàn chéng le lián mián de qún shān 。
周围的空间变幻成了连绵的群山。
The surrounding space transformed into continuous mountain ranges.
shān lín zhōng ， yī dào shēn yǐng fēi sù cháo zhe yuǎn fāng táo lí 。
山林中，一道身影飞速朝着远方逃离。
In the midst of the forest, a figure fled rapidly towards the distance.
nà shì shè dìng xū yào zhuī zhú de mù biāo 。
那是设定需要追逐的目标。
That was the target he had set for the pursuit.
kàn zhe duì fāng yuè lái yuè yuǎn de bèi yǐng ， lǐ fán shén niàn yī dòng ， shēn xíng dǒu rán biàn àn 。
看着对方越来越远的背影，李凡神念一动，身形陡然变暗。
As Li Fan's divine sense moved, his form suddenly darkened as if covered by a veil. In the shadows that enveloped him everywhere, it became even harder to detect.
fǎng fú méng shàng le yī céng àn shā ， zài wú chǔ bù zài de yīn yǐng de yǎn yìng xià ， gèng xiǎn nán yǐ chá jué 。
仿佛蒙上了一层暗纱，在无处不在的阴影的掩映下，更显难以察觉。
The target was about to disappear from sight when Li Fan suddenly accelerated and followed closely behind.
duì fāng jí jiāng chè dǐ xiāo shī yú shì xiàn ， lǐ fán měng dì jiā sù ， fēi shēn gēn shàng 。
对方即将彻底消失于视线，李凡猛地加速，飞身跟上。
Unlike the simple flying with the wind before, Li Fan's speed had greatly increased now. There seemed to be some connection between his pursuit and the target he was tracking.
bǐ qǐ zhī qián jiǎn dān de yù fēng fēi xíng ， rú jīn lǐ fán de sù dù dé dào le jí dà tí gāo 。
比起之前简单的御风飞行，如今李凡的速度得到了极大提高。
The increase in the target’s speed also contributed to a slight acceleration of Li Fan’s own speed.
gèng yǐn yǐn hé suǒ dìng zhuī zhú de mù biāo chǎn shēng le mǒu zhǒng lián xì 。
更隐隐和锁定追逐的目标产生了某种联系。
It truly felt as if Li Fan had become the shadow of the target, unable to escape it.
duì fāng sù dù de tí shēng ， zài yí dìng chéng dù shàng yě shǐ de lǐ fán de sù dù dé dào jiā kuài 。
对方速度的提升，在一定程度上也使得李凡的速度得到加快。
He could continuously use the shadows on the ground for jumping and dodging.
zhēn de hǎo sì lǐ fán chéng le duì fāng de yǐng zi yì bān ， wú fǎ bǎi tuō 。
真的好似李凡成了对方的影子一般，无法摆脱。
In this way, it didn't take long before he caught up with the figure in front of him.
gèng néng bù duàn de jiè zhe dì miàn shàng de yīn yǐng chuān suō tiào yuè 。
更能不断的借着地面上的阴影穿梭跳跃。
The surrounding scenery blurred, and both the mountains and the cultivator's illusion vanished. It returned to a pitch-black space.
rú cǐ ， gēn běn méi yòng duō jiǔ ， lǐ fán biàn zhuī shàng le qián fāng de nà dào shēn yǐng 。
如此，根本没用多久，李凡便追上了前方的那道身影。
The chase ended, and Li Fan was quite satisfied with *The Shadow Following Technique*.
zhōu wéi jǐng xiàng yī zhèn mó hú ， shān chuān yǔ xiū shì de huàn xiàng tóng shí xiāo shī 。
周围景象一阵模糊，山川与修士的幻象同时消失。
Its ability to conceal one’s presence was already impressive on its own, but paired with the Hiding Form Talisman, it became even harder for others to detect.
yòu chóng xīn biàn huí le yī piàn qī hēi de kōng jiān 。
又重新变回了一片漆黑的空间。
Although Shi Kongyi seemed mysterious, his cultivation level was undoubtedly late-stage Qi Refining.
zhuī zhú zhàn jié shù ， lǐ fán duì yú 《 rú yǐng suí xíng jué 》 hái shì hěn mǎn yì de 。
追逐战结束，李凡对于《如影随形决》还是很满意的。
With all this preparation, he had an advantage over the target. Plotting *The Cloud Water Scroll* should be relatively straightforward.
běn shēn tā de yǐn nì qì xī de xiào guǒ jiù bù sú ， zài dā pèi shàng cáng xíng fú de huà ， nà jiù gèng bù róng yì bèi rén chá jué le 。
本身它的隐匿气息的效果就不俗，再搭配上藏形符的话，那就更不容易被人察觉了。
Now that everything was in place, he just needed to wait for news from Jiao Xiuyuan and the official opening of the Heavenly Water Palace.
nà sī kōng yí suī rán yǒu xiē shén mì ， dàn xiū wèi yīng gāi shì liàn qì hòu qī wú wù 。
那司空宜虽然有些神秘，但修为应该是炼气后期无误。
---
zì jǐ tí qián zhǔn bèi le zhè me duō ， gèng shì yǐ yǒu xīn suàn wú xīn 。
自己提前准备了这么多，更是以有心算无心。
In the Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror, Li Fan's gaze was distant as he stared into the distance.
tú móu 《 yún shuǐ fú lù 》， yīng gāi wèn tí bú shì hěn dà 。
图谋《云水符箓》，应该问题不是很大。
...
rú jīn wàn shì jù bèi ， zhǐ děng jiāo xiū yuǎn nà biān qíng bào chuán lái ， yǐ jí yún shuǐ tiān gōng zhèng shì kāi qǐ le 。
如今万事具备，只等焦修远那边情报传来，以及云水天宫正式开启了。
Two months later, on Ten Thousand Immortals Island at the Thousand Mile Hall.
tiān xuán jìng zhōng ， lǐ fán mù guāng yōu yōu ， níng shì yuǎn fāng 。
天玄镜中，李凡目光幽幽，凝视远方。
Upon receiving a message from Jiao Xiuyuan, Li Fan activated his Hiding Form Talisman and rushed over.
……
……
Meeting Jiao Xiuyuan, he pretended to be angry: "What's going on with your Thousand Mile Hall? It took such a long time just to gather information on a mere late-stage Qi Refining cultivator! I thought you had forgotten about it and were planning to find someone else."
liǎng gè yuè hòu ， wàn xiān dǎo ， qiān lǐ táng 。
两个月后，万仙岛，千里堂。
Jiao Xiuyuan was somewhat embarrassed but quickly pulled Li Fan aside, activating the array within the shop to shield them from prying eyes.
dé dào jiāo xiū yuǎn chuán xùn de lǐ fán ， jī fā le cáng xíng fú hòu jiù cōng cōng gǎn lái 。
得到焦修远传讯的李凡，激发了藏形符后就匆匆赶来。
He whispered, "Shh! It took so long because there's a reason for this delay."
yī yù jiàn jiāo xiū yuǎn biàn yáng zhuāng fā nù ：“ nǐ men qiān lǐ táng zěn me bàn shì de ？ bù guò yí gè xiǎo xiǎo de liàn qì xiū shì ér yǐ ， dǎ tàn gè qíng bào dōu yòng le zhè me jiǔ 。 wǒ hái yǐ wéi nǐ men bǎ zhè shì gěi wàng le ， zhǔn bèi lìng wài zhǎo rén bàn ne ！”
一遇见焦修远便佯装发怒：“你们千里堂怎么办事的？不过一个小小的炼气修士而已，打探个情报都用了这么久。我还以为你们把这事给忘了，准备另外找人办呢！”
"Ah?" Li Fan’s expression changed as he waited for more details.
jiāo xiū yuǎn yǒu xiē gān gà ， bù guò tā lián máng lā zhù lǐ fán ， shùn zhe dài jiāng diàn pù de zhèn fǎ kāi qǐ ， gé jué wài jiè kuī tàn 。
焦修远有些尴尬，不过他连忙拉住李凡，顺着带将店铺的阵法开启，隔绝外界窥探。
"Um, I admit it. The difficulty of this mission was beyond my expectations. Fifty contribution points you set last time were too low!" Jiao Xiuyuan looked at Li Fan with pleading eyes, his intentions clear.
zhè cái xiǎo shēng jiě shì dào ：“ nín xiǎo shēng diǎn ！ dān gē le zhè me jiǔ ， shí zài shì shì chū yǒu yīn nà 。”
这才小声解释道：“您小声点！耽搁了这么久，实在是事出有因那。”
"How so? Are you going to break the agreement?" Li Fan’s eyes narrowed as he stared intently at Jiao Xiuyuan.
“ ń ？” lǐ fán shén sè wēi dòng ， děng dài xià wén 。
“嗯？”李凡神色微动，等待下文。
Jiao Xiuyuan scratched his head: "Add a little more..."
“ hēi hēi ， bù mán nín shuō ， zhè cì rèn wù de nán dù kě shí zài shì chū hū wǒ de yì liào zhī wài 。 shàng cì gēn nín yuē dìng de wǔ shí diǎn gòng xiàn dù shí zài shì tài shǎo le a ！ yào zhī dào zhè cì de shì wǒ kě shì qǐng le yī wèi zhù jī hòu qī de qián bèi bāng máng ， cái gǎo dìng de ……” jiāo xiū yuǎn yǎn bā bā dì kàn zhe lǐ fán ， yì si zhāo rán ruò jiē 。
“嘿嘿，不瞒您说，这次任务的难度可实在是出乎我的意料之外。上次跟您约定的五十点贡献度实在是太少了啊！要知道这次的事我可是请了一位筑基后期的前辈帮忙，才搞定的……”焦修远眼巴巴地看着李凡，意思昭然若揭。
Li Fan turned to leave.
“ zěn me ， nǐ yào wéi yuē ？” lǐ fán yǎn jīng wēi mī ， miàn lù bù shàn de dīng zhe jiāo xiū yuǎn 。
“怎么，你要违约？”李凡眼睛微眯，面露不善的盯着焦修远。
"Ah! My dear grandfather, my luck has been terrible this year!" Jiao Xiuyuan almost jumped up.
jiāo xiū yuǎn mō le mō nǎo dài ：“ nín duō shǎo jiā diǎn ……”
焦修远摸了摸脑袋：“您多少加点……”
"Alright, alright! Stick to the agreement—fifty is fifty," he gritted his teeth.
lǐ fán zhuǎn shēn yù zǒu 。
李凡转身欲走。
"Here, plus the down payment, it's exactly fifty contribution points." Li Fan coldly threw over four middle-grade spirit stones.
jiāo xiū yuǎn jí de chà diǎn bèng qǐ lái ：“ āi yō ， wǒ de qīn lǎo yé ， wǒ kě zhēn shì liú nián bù lì a ！ lián xù liǎng dān dōu shì zhè kuī běn mǎi mài 。”
焦修远急的差点蹦起来：“哎哟，我的亲姥爷，我可真是流年不利啊！连续两单都是这亏本买卖。”
"It’s not easy for me to earn this much money." Jiao Xiuyuan frowned as he accepted the spirit stones and then handed an jade scroll to Li Fan.
“ hǎo hǎo hǎo ！ jiù àn shuō hǎo de lái ， wǔ shí jiù wǔ shí ！” tā yǎo yá shuō dào 。
“好好好！就按说好的来，五十就五十！”他咬牙说道。
Li Fan took the jade scroll and checked its contents with his divine sense, his expression changing.
“ zhè lǐ ， zài jiā shàng zhī qián de dìng jīn ， zhèng hǎo shì wǔ shí gòng xiàn dù 。” lǐ fán lěng lěng dì shuō zhe ， jiāng sì méi zhōng pǐn líng shí rēng le guò qù 。
“这里，再加上之前的定金，正好是五十贡献度。”李凡冷冷地说着，将四枚中品灵石扔了过去。
Afterward, he put away the jade scroll and left.
“ wǒ zhēng nín zhè diǎn qián róng yì ma 。” jiāo xiū yuǎn kǔ zhe liǎn ， jiāng líng shí jiè zhù ， zhī hòu cái jiāng yī méi yù jiǎn dì gěi le lǐ fán 。
“我挣您这点钱容易嘛。”焦修远苦着脸，将灵石借住，之后才将一枚玉简递给了李凡。
Watching Li Fan’s retreating figure, Jiao Xiuyuan's obsequious demeanor vanished instantly. He caressed the spirit stones in his hand, emitting a series of cold laughter.
lǐ fán jiē guò yù jiǎn ， shén shí chá kàn le yī fān ， miàn lù yì sè 。
李凡接过玉简，神识查看了一番，面露异色。
"Someone who is mysterious and whose origins are unknown; someone who can’t be seen by others with ulterior motives."
suí hòu jiāng yù jiǎn shōu qǐ ， shōu shēn lí kāi 。
随后将玉简收起，收身离开。
"I wonder what these two want to do."
kàn zhe lǐ fán yuǎn qù de bèi yǐng ， jiāo xiū yuǎn yuán xiān chǎn mèi de shén sè dǒu rán xiāo shī 。
看着李凡远去的背影，焦修远原先谄媚的神色陡然消失。
---
tā fǔ mō zhuó shǒu zhōng de líng shí ， fā chū zhèn zhèn lěng xiào 。
他抚摸着手中的灵石，发出阵阵冷笑。
In the Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror, Li Fan carefully read through the contents of another jade scroll before destroying it.
“ yí gè shén shén mì mì ， lái lì bù míng ； yí gè jiàn bù dé rén ， dòng jī pǒ cè 。”
“一个神神秘秘，来历不明；一个见不得人，动机叵测。”
"Two people?"
“ wǒ dǎo shì yào kàn kàn nǐ men liǎng dào dǐ yào gàn má 。”
“我倒是要看看你们两到底要干嘛。”
Li Fan frowned, feeling a bit棘手 (tricky).
……
……
According to Jiao Xiuyuan’s intelligence, Shi Kongyi was usually reclusive and rarely appeared in public.
tiān xuán jìng zhōng ， lǐ fán yòu zǐ xì yuè dú le yī piàn yù jiǎn zhōng de nèi róng ， zuì hòu cái jiāng yù jiǎn cuī huǐ 。
天玄镜中，李凡又仔细阅读了一片玉简中的内容，最后才将玉简摧毁。
He had a friend named Bai Li Chen, also a male cultivator, who was slightly weaker with mid-stage Qi Refining cultivation.
“ liǎng gè rén ？”
“两个人？”
Shi Kongyi and Bai Li Chen seemed to have an extremely close relationship. They always traveled together, inseparable.
lǐ fán méi tóu wēi zhòu ， dùn shí gǎn dào yǒu diǎn jí shǒu 。
李凡眉头微皱，顿时感到有点棘手。
Moreover, the two of them seemed to practice some form of combined attack technique.
yuán lái ， gēn jù jiāo xiū yuǎn sōu jí dào de qíng bào ， zhè sī kōng yí píng rì lǐ shēn jū jiǎn chū ， bù zěn me lòu miàn 。
原来，根据焦修远搜集到的情报，这司空宜平日里深居简出，不怎么露面。
---
tā hái yǒu yī míng hǎo yǒu ， jiào zuò bǎi lǐ chén ， yě shì wèi nán xiū shì 。
他还有一名好友，叫做百里尘，也是位男修士。
In battle, they worked in perfect harmony, their minds communicating as if one person.
zhè bǎi lǐ chén shí lì shāo ruò ， shì liàn qì zhōng qī xiū wèi 。
这百里尘实力稍弱，是炼气中期修为。
They generally stayed within Ten Thousand Immortals Island, only venturing out to gather contribution points for missions.
sī kōng yí hé bǎi lǐ chén guān xì sì hū jí hǎo ， měi cì wài chū xíng dòng ， zhè èr rén zǒng shì dài zài yì qǐ ， xíng yǐng bù lí 。
司空宜和百里尘关系似乎极好，每次外出行动，这二人总是待在一起，形影不离。
However, during Jiao Xiuyuan’s investigation, these two had mysteriously disappeared once and then vanished after leaving the island, no one knowing where they went.
bìng qiě ， èr rén sì hū huì mǒu zhǒng hé jī zhī shù 。
并且，二人似乎会某种合击之术。
"Why do I have no memory of Bai Li Chen?" Li Fan carefully recalled his memories but found no information on Bai Li Chen.
shā dí zhī shí ， pèi hé wú jiàn ， xīn líng xiāng tōng ， wǎn ruò yī rén 。
杀敌之时，配合无间，心灵相通，宛若一人。
"Looks like this person must have perished in the ruins of the Heavenly Water Palace."
zhè èr rén yì bān dōu dài zài wàn xiān dǎo nèi ， chú le zuò rèn wù jī zǎn gòng xiàn dù ， yì bān dōu bù wài chū 。
这二人一般都待在万仙岛内，除了做任务积攒贡献度，一般都不外出。
"But it’s unexpected that we need to target another cultivator. My current preparations might not be enough."
zhǐ shì zài jiāo xiū yuǎn diào chá qī jiān ， zhè èr rén céng jīng mò míng shī zōng guò yī cì 。
只是在焦修远调查期间，这二人曾经莫名失踪过一次。
"Fortunately, I still have plenty of time."
chū le wàn xiān dǎo hòu biàn shī qù le zōng jì ， bù zhī qián wǎng le hé fāng 。
出了万仙岛后便失去了踪迹，不知前往了何方。
His mind racing with thoughts, Li Fan began his new plans...
“ zhè bǎi lǐ chén shì shén me rén ， wèi shén me wǒ yì diǎn yìn xiàng méi yǒu ？” lǐ fán zǐ xì huí xiǎng le xià ， méi yǒu cóng jì yì zhōng zhǎo dào bǎi lǐ chén de xìn xī 。
“这百里尘是什么人，为什么我一点印象没有？”李凡仔细回想了下，没有从记忆中找到百里尘的信息。
---
“ kàn lái ， cǐ rén yīng gāi shì yǔn luò zài le yún shuǐ tiān gōng yí jì zhōng 。”
“看来，此人应该是陨落在了云水天宫遗迹中。”
A year later.
“ bù guò ， méi xiǎng dào yào zhēn duì de xiū shì duō le yī rén 。 wǒ mù qián zhè diǎn zhǔn bèi ， sì hū hái bù gòu 。”
“不过，没想到要针对的修士多了一人。我目前这点准备，似乎还不够。”
The central sea of the Cloudy Sea, anchored in the eleventh year.
“ hǎo zài ， hái yǒu bù shǎo shí jiān 。”
“好在，还有不少时间。”
Thunderstorms had been brewing in the sky for months and continued to rumble.
nǎo hǎi zhōng sī xù fān yǒng ， lǐ fán chóng xīn kāi shǐ le móu huà 。
脑海中思绪翻涌，李凡重新开始了谋划。
Thick vortex clouds had turned black, slowly rotating as they accumulated power.
……
……
The clouds seemed like walls protecting the center of the vortex.
yī nián hòu 。
一年后。
There, flashes of blue light continuously flickered.
máo dìng shí yī nián ， cóng yún hǎi zhōng yāng hǎi yù 。
锚定十一年，丛云海中央海域。
With each flash, this central sea underwent some indescribable changes.
tiān kōng zhōng yùn niàng le jǐ gè yuè de léi bào bù duàn hōng míng 。
天空中酝酿了几个月的雷暴不断轰鸣。
This anomaly attracted many cultivators.
hòu hòu de xuán wō yún céng yǐ jīng bèi rǎn chéng hēi sè ， huǎn màn de xuán zhuǎn zhe ， bù duàn jī xù zhuó lì liàng 。
厚厚的漩涡云层已经被染成黑色，缓慢的旋转着，不断积蓄着力量。
Even rumors suggested that an ancient sect’s ruins might appear here soon.
yún céng fǎng fú yī dǔ dǔ gāo qiáng ， hù wèi zhe xuán wō zhōng xīn 。
云层仿佛一堵堵高墙，护卫着漩涡中心。
Thus, more and more cultivators gathered in these months.
nà lǐ ， yǒu yī dào dào lán guāng bù tíng de shǎn shuò 。
那里，有一道道蓝光不停的闪烁。
Li Fan was among them.
suí zhe tā de měi yī cì de shǎn shuò ， zhè piàn zhōng yāng hǎi yù sì hū dōu fā shēng le mǒu zhǒng shuō bù qīng dào bù míng de biàn huà 。
随着它的每一次的闪烁，这片中央海域似乎都发生了某种说不清道不明的变化。
He scanned the crowd, pausing briefly on Shi Kongyi and Bai Li Chen.
zhè zhǒng yì zhuàng zì shì xī yǐn le bù xiū shì 。
这种异状自是吸引了不修士。
Then he spotted Jiao Xiuyuan's figure.
shèn zhì yǐn yǐn yǒu chuán yán ， zhè lǐ jí jiāng yǒu yī zuò shàng gǔ zōng mén yí jì jí jiāng xiàn shì 。
甚至隐隐有传言，这里即将有一座上古宗门遗迹即将现世。
Jiao Xiuyuan stared at the vortex clouds in the sky with a look of excitement.
yú shì ， zhè jǐ gè yuè ， jù jí de xiū shì yuè lái yuè duō 。
于是，这几个月，聚集的修士越来越多。
"Perhaps this person thinks they've found an opportunity to gain something."
lǐ fán zì rán yě zài qí zhōng 。
李凡自然也在其中。
"Little do they know, it’s just leading them to their doom."
mù guāng sǎo guò rén qún ， bù zhe hén jì de zài sī kōng yí hé bǎi lǐ chén èr rén shēn shàng dùn le dùn 。
目光扫过人群，不着痕迹的在司空宜和百里尘二人身上顿了顿。
A cold glint flashed across Li Fan's eyes.
"Sorry. I truly have no power to help with this matter. I sense that a breakthrough is imminent, and within the next two years, I must venture out to seek opportunities, so I can't stay at Lustrous Isle for too long."
The Heavenly Water Palace would be opening in just over a year, and Li Fan was definitely not going to miss the chance to enter it early by staying behind to guard.
Thus, he firmly refused Cao Hong's request.
"Ah, then I'll have to find someone else. Wishing you success in your foundation establishment!" Cao Hong replied with regret.
There was no further communication from the spirit token.
Li Fan didn't pay much attention and spent his contribution points to activate an auxiliary cultivation mode.
He began practicing *The Shadow Following Technique*.
After all, it was just an auxiliary technique. The *The Shadow Following Technique* was much simpler to practice than the other two techniques.
With the dual benefits of启灵 (Awakening Spirit) and the Linglong Lustrous Pearl, Li Fan managed to advance to late-stage Qi Refining in less than ten days.
At this moment, Li Fan was testing the effects of *The Shadow Following Technique*.
He used 100 contribution points to simulate a chase with a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator within the Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror.
The surrounding space transformed into continuous mountain ranges.
In the midst of the forest, a figure fled rapidly towards the distance.
That was the target he had set for the pursuit.
As Li Fan's divine sense moved, his form suddenly darkened as if covered by a veil. In the shadows that enveloped him everywhere, it became even harder to detect.
The target was about to disappear from sight when Li Fan suddenly accelerated and followed closely behind.
Unlike the simple flying with the wind before, Li Fan's speed had greatly increased now. There seemed to be some connection between his pursuit and the target he was tracking.
The increase in the target’s speed also contributed to a slight acceleration of Li Fan’s own speed.
It truly felt as if Li Fan had become the shadow of the target, unable to escape it.
He could continuously use the shadows on the ground for jumping and dodging.
In this way, it didn't take long before he caught up with the figure in front of him.
The surrounding scenery blurred, and both the mountains and the cultivator's illusion vanished. It returned to a pitch-black space.
The chase ended, and Li Fan was quite satisfied with *The Shadow Following Technique*.
Its ability to conceal one’s presence was already impressive on its own, but paired with the Hiding Form Talisman, it became even harder for others to detect.
Although Shi Kongyi seemed mysterious, his cultivation level was undoubtedly late-stage Qi Refining.
With all this preparation, he had an advantage over the target. Plotting *The Cloud Water Scroll* should be relatively straightforward.
Now that everything was in place, he just needed to wait for news from Jiao Xiuyuan and the official opening of the Heavenly Water Palace.
---
In the Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror, Li Fan's gaze was distant as he stared into the distance.
...
Two months later, on Ten Thousand Immortals Island at the Thousand Mile Hall.
Upon receiving a message from Jiao Xiuyuan, Li Fan activated his Hiding Form Talisman and rushed over.
Meeting Jiao Xiuyuan, he pretended to be angry: "What's going on with your Thousand Mile Hall? It took such a long time just to gather information on a mere late-stage Qi Refining cultivator! I thought you had forgotten about it and were planning to find someone else."
Jiao Xiuyuan was somewhat embarrassed but quickly pulled Li Fan aside, activating the array within the shop to shield them from prying eyes.
He whispered, "Shh! It took so long because there's a reason for this delay."
"Ah?" Li Fan’s expression changed as he waited for more details.
"Um, I admit it. The difficulty of this mission was beyond my expectations. Fifty contribution points you set last time were too low!" Jiao Xiuyuan looked at Li Fan with pleading eyes, his intentions clear.
"How so? Are you going to break the agreement?" Li Fan’s eyes narrowed as he stared intently at Jiao Xiuyuan.
Jiao Xiuyuan scratched his head: "Add a little more..."
Li Fan turned to leave.
"Ah! My dear grandfather, my luck has been terrible this year!" Jiao Xiuyuan almost jumped up.
"Alright, alright! Stick to the agreement—fifty is fifty," he gritted his teeth.
"Here, plus the down payment, it's exactly fifty contribution points." Li Fan coldly threw over four middle-grade spirit stones.
"It’s not easy for me to earn this much money." Jiao Xiuyuan frowned as he accepted the spirit stones and then handed an jade scroll to Li Fan.
Li Fan took the jade scroll and checked its contents with his divine sense, his expression changing.
Afterward, he put away the jade scroll and left.
Watching Li Fan’s retreating figure, Jiao Xiuyuan's obsequious demeanor vanished instantly. He caressed the spirit stones in his hand, emitting a series of cold laughter.
"Someone who is mysterious and whose origins are unknown; someone who can’t be seen by others with ulterior motives."
"I wonder what these two want to do."
---
In the Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror, Li Fan carefully read through the contents of another jade scroll before destroying it.
"Two people?"
Li Fan frowned, feeling a bit棘手 (tricky).
According to Jiao Xiuyuan’s intelligence, Shi Kongyi was usually reclusive and rarely appeared in public.
He had a friend named Bai Li Chen, also a male cultivator, who was slightly weaker with mid-stage Qi Refining cultivation.
Shi Kongyi and Bai Li Chen seemed to have an extremely close relationship. They always traveled together, inseparable.
Moreover, the two of them seemed to practice some form of combined attack technique.
---
In battle, they worked in perfect harmony, their minds communicating as if one person.
They generally stayed within Ten Thousand Immortals Island, only venturing out to gather contribution points for missions.
However, during Jiao Xiuyuan’s investigation, these two had mysteriously disappeared once and then vanished after leaving the island, no one knowing where they went.
"Why do I have no memory of Bai Li Chen?" Li Fan carefully recalled his memories but found no information on Bai Li Chen.
"Looks like this person must have perished in the ruins of the Heavenly Water Palace."
"But it’s unexpected that we need to target another cultivator. My current preparations might not be enough."
"Fortunately, I still have plenty of time."
His mind racing with thoughts, Li Fan began his new plans...
---
A year later.
The central sea of the Cloudy Sea, anchored in the eleventh year.
Thunderstorms had been brewing in the sky for months and continued to rumble.
Thick vortex clouds had turned black, slowly rotating as they accumulated power.
The clouds seemed like walls protecting the center of the vortex.
There, flashes of blue light continuously flickered.
With each flash, this central sea underwent some indescribable changes.
This anomaly attracted many cultivators.
Even rumors suggested that an ancient sect’s ruins might appear here soon.
Thus, more and more cultivators gathered in these months.
Li Fan was among them.
He scanned the crowd, pausing briefly on Shi Kongyi and Bai Li Chen.
Then he spotted Jiao Xiuyuan's figure.
Jiao Xiuyuan stared at the vortex clouds in the sky with a look of excitement.
"Perhaps this person thinks they've found an opportunity to gain something."
"Little do they know, it’s just leading them to their doom."
A cold glint flashed across Li Fan's eyes.