"Don't worry."
Zhong Chen patted Lin Fan on the shoulder. "It's difficult for you, and it's difficult for him. It's highly likely you'll both fail, and it'll be a draw."
Lin Fan's heart sank upon hearing this.
It was only the first match, and Zhong Chen already felt no one would win. Wouldn't the subsequent matches be even harder?
As the distance was not far and travel by vehicle was inconvenient, both factions proceeded on foot.
Zhong Chen seized the opportunity to brief Lin Fan about the environment of Gushan, lest any mistakes be made. If he were to point to a famous ancient tomb by mistake, the joke would be on him.
Guo Cheng also earnestly instructed the Li Yusheng siblings.
This competition was different from the past. Even though the siblings had already ventured into the martial world and made a name for themselves, they had to proceed with extreme caution.
It was a clear and sunny day in early spring.
Lin Fan and his party, a grand procession, advanced towards Gushan along the ancient Xiling Bridge.
As one of the "Three Lover's Bridges" alongside Changqiao and Duanqiao, Xiling Bridge naturally attracted many couples, taking photos. There were also many beautiful girls in Hanfu, gracefully walking among them, holding various fans.
Lin Fan, after a few stern glances from Zhong Chen, finally withdrew his gaze and dutifully listened to him speak.
At this moment, Lin Fan felt an overwhelming sense of dejection.
He vowed never to engage in such matters again.
Others came out to enjoy themselves, happy and content, admiring flowers and scenery.
Yet, here he was, accompanying a group of old men to find some "dragon's lairs."
Weren't those just tombs!
Fortunately, others didn't know what they were doing, or they might have been chased away.
Li Yurou, with her cheerful disposition, kept her eyes fixed on a young woman with an ancient and beautiful appearance, dressed in Hanfu, her eyes sparkling.
She felt a pang of regret, wishing she could change into a Hanfu right now and explore the entire West Lake.
"Ahem."
Li Yusheng coughed lightly, reminding her to be mindful of her demeanor.
"Oh?"
Li Yurou turned her head and saw Guo Cheng's ashen face. She quickly apologized, "Uncle-master, I'm sorry, I..."
She didn't know what else to say.
She knew her master and uncle-master's wish was for her brother to ascend to the position of the Jiangxiang Sect Leader.
The importance of this competition was evident.
Guo Cheng's expression softened slightly, and he promised, "Yurou, after this is over, I'll let you explore Gan Shui City to your heart's content."
Li Yurou beamed with joy.
She decided to buy all the beautiful Hanfu she could find and wear them in rotation, visiting every scenic spot in Gan Shui City.
"But now, you need to concentrate. For the first match, you must win, not lose!"
Guo Cheng's tone shifted abruptly to one of extreme seriousness.
Ever since he heard that Lin Fansheng possessed peculiar eyes, he had shed any prior contempt for the Northern Faction.
His own martial nephew had never failed since his debut; they absolutely could not stumble in such an important competition.
Passing through the long Xiling Bridge, they stepped onto Gushan, the largest island in West Lake.
Lin Fan looked up and was immediately stunned.
"This is called a mountain?"
In Lin Fan's memory, even Mount Luofeng, a mountain range stretching for a hundred miles, was not famous.
And Gushan, praised by so many scholars, should at least be precipitous and rugged!
But the Gushan before him, though surrounded by clear waters and lush with flowers and trees, truly couldn't be called a mountain!
Lin Fan let out a wry smile, once again feeling a sense of injustice for the Mount Luofeng of his hometown.
It was a good mountain, it just happened to be in the wrong place. If it were here, it would surely be as crowded and bustling with tourists as Gushan.
"President Zhong, are you ready?"
Guo Cheng walked over and handed Lin Fan a walkie-talkie.
"Xiao Fan, are you ready?"
"Mm."
Lin Fan took the walkie-talkie. The buttons were extremely simple and intuitive.
"To prevent cheating and interference from others, there are three walkie-talkies in total. You two will each have one. Whoever finds a dragon's lair will notify us, report their location, and we'll go together to verify it."
Guo Cheng pondered for a moment and added, "Remember, the time limit is two and a half hours. Not finding it means losing. Pointing to the wrong spot means losing. The location of the dragon's lair being unsuitable also means losing."
"Do you understand?"
Guo Cheng's voice was naturally loud. His shout immediately drew the attention of many tourists.
The tourists thought there was a fight breaking out.
"Understood."
"Got it."
Lin Fan and Li Yusheng replied sequentially.
"Now, the competition begins!"
With Guo Cheng's command, Lin Fan took off.
Li Yusheng, however, chose a different path.
"Uncle-master, can I go wander around the island?"
Li Yurou pleaded with Guo Cheng, clinging to his arm.
"Go, go."
Guo Cheng pretended to be helpless and waved his hand.
Zhong Chen glanced over, not taking it to heart.
Just a young girl.
Besides, finding dragon's lairs relied on skill, not on the number of people.
Lin Fan activated his Purple Extreme Spirit Eyes and observed the flow of earth qi along the wide Gushan Road.
He found a secluded spot, concentrated the purple qi in his dantian, and his eyes flashed with purple light.
"Truly a prosperous place where culture converges."
In his vision, surging spiritual energy enveloped the entire Gushan like ethereal mist.
And its shape resembled a majestic Xuanwu tortoise, exuding an indescribable aura of power and solemnity, inspiring awe.
"Got it."
Lin Fan observed for a moment and discovered a place where the spiritual energy was swirling and slowly converging.
His spirit lifted; he hadn't expected to find his target so quickly.
...
On the other side, Li Yurou had just reunited with her brother.
"Sister, you're finally here."
Li Yusheng rejoiced, his confidence greatly boosted.
"Brother, let's not waste time. That Lin Fansheng has peculiar eyes, so his dragon-finding and lair-pointing skills are likely not bad."
Li Yurou glanced back.
They were taking the rear path of Gushan. Most tourists would first explore the Gushan Road and then exit from here.
The two walked in opposite directions, with no one following them.
As they walked, Li Yurou said, "I observed the terrain around West Lake earlier. Gushan is a place where nine dragons gather qi. There are nine dragon's lairs, and seven of them are already occupied by famous ancient tombs. We need to find the remaining two dragon's lairs."
"Oh?"
Li Yusheng was very nervous.
This meant not a single mistake could be made. Gushan was neither too big nor too small. They had only visited West Lake a day in advance, and due to time constraints, they hadn't even gone onto the island.
Now, they had to avoid the seven ancient tombs from before and find a dragon's lair within two and a half hours.
This...
Most crucially, between the remaining two dragon's lairs, which one was better?
Li Yusheng's mind was in a turmoil.
"Don't worry, brother."
Li Yurou spoke rapidly, "Gushan is surrounded by water on all sides, embraced by a jade belt. The mountain is not high, which is a typical horizontal water formation with a flat structure. This place has eight dragon's lairs related to metal, wood, water, fire, earth, clarity, turbidity, and fierceness. I fear the worst one, the fierce star dragon's lair, is unoccupied. If we point to a fierce lair, we'll surely lose."
Li Yusheng heard this and asked, "What about the other one?"
"There's another one, where nine dragons converge. It's a middle-grade imperial dragon's lair. Unfortunately, Gushan's dragon veins are shallow and short. A true emperor would surely disdain this place. Without an emperor's destiny, if one were to be forcibly buried here, their descendants would surely face fatal calamities."
Li Yurou analyzed calmly, "What we need to find is this middle-grade imperial dragon's lair."
She took out her compass and began to survey. "There are mountains and dragons. We are taking the rear path of Gushan, which belongs to the Yin dragon lineage."
After calculating with her fingers, she took her brother's arm. "Let's go this way."