Chapter 243: Excessive to the Point of Absurdity

The startled reaction was because of Shi Chun; otherwise, seeing the name wouldn't have made them think of their own disciples, whose expulsion from the sect had been due to Shi Chun.

Yan Qufeng suddenly asked, "Is the disciple who was expelled from the sect also named Tong Mingshan?"

The elder who was checking the names, Pan Gongying, replied, "Yes, that's the name."

Another elder, Jielun Guang, hesitated and said, "If it's that Tong Mingshan who was expelled, how could he possibly become the leader of a sect?"

Pan Gongying mused, "The Mingshan Sect. The name doesn't avoid our sect's name. Could Tong Mingshan be the one who founded the sect, naming it after himself?"

Jielun Guang laughed, "What qualifications does he have to found a sect? If it's true, it must be a newly established sect. How could it possibly be on the alliance roster?"

Indeed, the few people in the hall fell silent.

A moment later, Yan Qufeng stood up and said, "Let's go and see. We'll know once we see for ourselves."

Soon after, seven or eight people, led by them, exited the building together. They ambled along the boardwalk and arrived at a noisy gathering of people in the valley.

"Is this Shi Chun the same Shi Chun from the Heavenly Rain Meteorite Assembly?"

In the crowd, newcomers were asking.

"Certainly. His associate, Wu Jinliang, is also here. It can't be a coincidence that these two names appear from the same sect."

Then came a barrage of questions, challenging Shi Chun's right to participate in this alliance.

The commotion was primarily caused by people from Shengzhou. Most from the other three continents were merely observing; after all, they hadn't personally experienced the Heavenly Rain Meteorite Assembly, nor had the news spread widely in their regions. At most, they had only heard faint rumors and couldn't truly empathize.

The reason the sects from Shengzhou were making noise was because they inexplicably felt threatened.

After a long period of commotion, the person in charge of the area arrived. He walked into the midst of the crowd and, after listening to their grievances, announced loudly, "After the Heavenly Rain Meteorite Assembly in Shengzhou, Shi Chun was expelled from Wukang Mountain. He was expelled even before we artificers realized when the Divine Fire Domain would approach. Since then, he has sought a new path, shifting to cultivating the artificer path and joining an artificer sect. Is there anything wrong with that? Is it not permissible for his sect to assign him to the Divine Fire Alliance? Does his sect need your permission to decide which disciple attends the assembly?"

The ability to make such a statement indicated that preparations had long been made in this regard; otherwise, how would the artificer sects of Zhambu Continent be so clear about Shi Chun's affairs?

These consecutive questions left the noisy group speechless. They wanted to speak but held back, and with limited information at hand, they couldn't articulate any strong arguments. Many among the observer sects from the other three continents let out suppressed laughter, likely amused by the Shengzhou people's overreaction. They wondered how something not conforming to rules and regulations could easily gain entry to the Divine Fire Alliance.

The crowd of onlookers, including those making noise, had not yet realized one key issue: that this sect was newly established. This was because they were unaware of the status of other members of the Mingshan Sect, and, coincidentally, no one there recognized who Tong Mingshan, the leader of the Mingshan Sect, was.

Only Yan Qufeng and the others, who were exchanging glances, knew the crux of the problem. However, they were still uncertain, as they hadn't yet seen the person to confirm. They also didn't know that the so-called thirteen members of the Mingshan Sect were entirely composed of exiles expelled from various sects. Given their status, they only knew that eleven sects' disciples had foolishly followed Shi Chun during the Heavenly Rain Meteorite Assembly. They wouldn't bother remembering names like Chu Jing-tang's.

After the crowd dispersed, Yan Qufeng quickly caught up to the person in charge and introduced himself. This immediately drew a respectful bow and polite greeting from the person in charge, "So it's Sect Leader Yan. How may I help you?"

Yan Qufeng gestured subtly, indicating that they needn't bow, then asked, "May I ask where the Mingshan Sect members are staying?"

The person in charge shook his head. "They haven't checked in yet. They probably haven't arrived."

Yan Qufeng felt his own group had already arrived late. He asked, puzzled, "They haven't arrived yet? Aren't they coming early to familiarize themselves with the environment?"

The person in charge smiled. "I'm not sure about that. It's their sect's business; they can come whenever they wish, or even not come at all, and we can't influence that. Is there a problem, Sect Leader Yan?"

Yan Qufeng replied, "I have an acquaintance in the Mingshan Sect and just wanted to meet and say hello."

The person in charge uttered an "Oh," then turned and instructed his attendant, "If the Mingshan Sect members report their arrival, remember to send someone to inform Sect Leader Yan."

"Yes, sir," the attendant replied.

Yan Qufeng immediately cupped his hands and said, "Much obliged."

The person in charge returned the bow. "Ensuring your smooth stay here is my duty. If Sect Leader Yan has no further instructions, I shall not disturb you."

Yan Qufeng nodded, "Please attend to your duties; don't mind us."

With that, they parted ways.

After a brief watch, Yan Qufeng turned back, looked at his fellow disciples, and said hesitantly, "They haven't arrived yet..."

If they hadn't arrived, what could be done but wait?

However, the matter eventually spread, first back to Shengzhou. While not everyone recognized the thirteen members of the Mingshan Sect, some in Shengzhou did. Some sharp-eyed and well-informed individuals, upon receiving the Mingshan Sect's roster, were shocked to see it. "What on earth? These guys actually teamed up to found a sect?" they exclaimed. "They're so bold, why didn't they also bring in that woman from the brothel for everyone to see?"

Some people saw through it, and quite a few did. Consequently, the matter could no longer be kept secret. The news naturally spread to the other three continents, gradually causing a huge uproar in the cultivation world. The artificer world, in particular, was in an absolute frenzy.

"What is this nonsense? What a mess!" people exclaimed. "Initially, it was thought to be just Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang, but it turns out the entire Mingshan Sect just recently entered the artificer world. Of course, their sect leader, Tong Mingshan, might be an exception. What's even more unexpected is that disciples from alchemy and other fire-element cultivation sects have also snuck in. What are they doing? This isn't just a violation; they're here to disrupt things. It's utterly outrageous!"

Anger flared, and many were enraged. "Putting aside the absurdity of a newly established sect, what right does it have to participate in the Divine Fire Alliance? If everyone can do this, it would be too easy to exploit loopholes. When the Divine Fire Domain approaches again in the future, will everyone in the cultivation world be able to temporarily establish a sect and sneak into the Divine Fire Domain? What would be the point of artificers forming that alliance then?"

Feng Chi and Xiang Lan'er, who were from the demonic path, truly hadn't expected the matter to escalate so much. They were also fortunate not to have infiltrated Shi Chun's group. Currently, every single one of the thirteen people in the group was being singled out and scrutinized repeatedly. No suspicion could escape notice.

At Wukang Mountain, inside the sect's council hall, this matter was actually brought up. Bian Weiying listened from beginning to end without interjecting. The group of Wukang Mountain's high-ranking officials found it truly hard to believe that Shi Chun had caused such a huge stir again. The matter had exploded in an extremely short time and was still spreading.

Deep within a mountain forest in the capital of Heniu Continent, by a tranquil and elegant waterside pavilion, Young Master Nan lounged among several men dressed in simple yet elegant attire. After some casual conversation and sips of wine, he also brought up the matter. He finally reminded them, "It's not good if things escalate too much. I hear some artificer sects here in Heniu Continent are quite hot-headed. They should be appeased. The issues in the other three continents aren't major."

The man resting with closed eyes on a nearby lounge chair slightly opened his eyes. His gaze was somewhat heavy. He slowly turned his head and said to the person on the other side, "See which ones need addressing, and greet each sect individually."

"Understood," the person beside him nodded.

Young Master Nan drained the wine in his cup in one gulp. He patted the armrest and stood up. "You all have fun, I'm leaving first. My life is tough; I still have to run errands for you." He waved his hand and left.

Traveling extensively, he eventually reached Lihuo Island. He contacted Shi Chun, called him out, and they walked together on the coconut-lined beach.

Shi Chun hadn't expected the matter to explode so suddenly. After discussing the situation, he said with no small amount of worry, "This commotion is quite significant. Even on this island, everyone is talking about it. I don't dare let those eleven people go out. I've made them stay inside to cultivate in seclusion. The Divine Fire Domain opens tomorrow. Nothing will go wrong, will it?"

Young Master Nan stroked his mustache and smiled. "Things are already like this. Either the noisy people will have to swallow it, or those handling this matter will. Who do you think will swallow it in the end? Don't worry, the commotion will pass. Everything will be fine."

He spoke as if he were very experienced in such matters. His arrival indeed seemed like a rain dousing a fire on the island. Although the discussion's intensity remained, the anger of the major artificer sects was rapidly subsiding. On one hand, people from all four continents were privately greeting various sects. On the other hand, prominent artificer sects and grand artificer masters stepped forward to provide guarantees.

Then, detailed explanations also emerged. The thirteen expelled individuals were classified into various categories, but ultimately, all of them gravitated towards the artificer world. "What does this indicate?" people asked. The artificer sects and grand artificer masters who recommended them naturally had their foresightful considerations. Then, people were asked to look at the composition of the thirteen individuals. Not a single one of them had reached the Grand Martial Arts Completion realm. "What harm could there be in letting them enter and observe? If there were truly an issue, how could they be so incomplete as to draw everyone's attention? They surely would have gathered all twenty people."

In any case, various explanations to calm the anger began to appear within those artificer sects. The final outcome was that as long as the artificer sects had no objections, whatever spread or was discussed outside would be utterly inconsequential and couldn't affect anything.

Yan Qufeng, Sect Leader of the Bailian Sect, stood with his hands behind his back by the window, occasionally pacing inside the room. Although he hadn't met Tong Mingshan in person, the matter was now clear. The one who founded the sect was indeed a disciple expelled from his Bailian Sect. This in itself wasn't an issue. The problem was, his Bailian Sect had also become famous because of it. People from other artificer sects frequently came to bother him, asking about Tong Mingshan's situation. He himself wanted to find Tong Mingshan to inquire about the situation, but the man had never arrived. What was annoying was that his Bailian Sect was there for the Divine Fire Alliance, not for Tong Mingshan. He had almost worn out his lips explaining it.