Chapter 251: Unless

The roaring sound, as if from a ferocious beast, continued in the air. Giant metal rings, seemingly agitated by several surging flames, floated erratically.

"What are they doing?"

"They're pinpointing the location of the Divine Fire Domain. Even a tiny deviation won't do; a miss is as good as a mile."

Among the artifact refiners waiting in the valley, some asked questions, others answered. Shi Chun and his companions, who overheard, also gained some knowledge.

Of course, the surrounding refiners attending the conference occasionally glanced at them. Everyone mostly knew that the Ming Mountain Sect's presence was an exception. Ultimately, though the various sects agreed to the Ming Mountain Sect's participation, they privately instructed their disciples that Shi Chun was cunning and to be extremely careful if they encountered him. Therefore, all participants at the Heavenly Rain Meteorite Conference were aware of Shi Chun's deceptive acts. The various sects had also done their best to ensure their participating disciples recognized Shi Chun's appearance, but only a few had actually seen him in person. There was no helping it; Shi Chun and his group reported late, not giving them enough time. However, there was still a way to identify him: Shi Chun was accompanied by a very noticeable tall man, who was said to carry either an exaggeratedly large saber or a large gourd.

Thus, after the commotion in the air continued for quite some time, and people grew impatient, Shi Chun and his group noticed that those around them seemed to be constantly staring and pointing, with some even standing on tiptoes to get a better look. Shi Chun and his companions could understand this, as they were exceptions to the conference.

Of course, they also took the opportunity to observe the people around them, discovering that the caliber of this event was indeed much higher than the Heavenly Rain Meteorite Conference. Many sect members had storage pouches hanging from their waists; a quick glance revealed about a fifth of the attendees possessed them, meaning roughly one in every five sects had brought them. Although the number of participants was far fewer than at the Heavenly Rain Meteorite Conference, their strength was vastly superior. The millions from the Heavenly Rain Meteorite Conference would likely be slaughtered if they faced these thirty thousand or so individuals.

Young Master Nan had given Shi Chun a compiled summary of the general situation of the participating sects. There were too many people for Shi Chun to read through all at once, even if he wanted to, but the statistics showed over two thousand experts at the Grand Completion realm.

On the other side of the mountain, people emerging from various inns, big and small, watched the unusual phenomenon in the sky for a long time. They too grew impatient and began whispering among themselves.

Standing on a rooftop, Bai Shuchuan couldn't help but ask the equally white-robed middle-aged man beside him, "Uncle-Master Qiao, do you think those four sects will fully help us eliminate Shi Chun?" His feelings about seeking help were complex; in fact, he didn't even wish for the four sects to succeed. The reason was that if he couldn't even see how Shi Chun died, his hatred would remain unquenched; he wanted to torture Shi Chun to death with his own hands. However, his Uncle-Master Qiao didn't think that way. For him, completing the sect's mission was paramount, and Shi Chun couldn't be allowed to escape back to his lair. Since they had been warned against taking action here, they would find someone to act in the Divine Fire Domain. As long as they could bring Shi Chun's head back, it would suffice.

The middle-aged man, Qiao Wugong, replied, "I don't know, but the four sect leaders have all promised to help. If that fails, we'll just have to see if there's an opportunity to act on his return journey."

Bai Shuchuan nodded, seemingly muttering, "What exactly does that fellow Shi Chun want to do by entering the Divine Fire Domain? Could it really be to help the Ming Mountain Sect win first place?"

A fellow disciple next to him said, "It's highly possible. The three reward treasures for winning the treasure competition within the Divine Fire Covenant – the Residual Dragon Artifact Spirit, the True Fire Ruyi Pagoda, and the Desolate-Breaking Remnant Blade – are said to be priceless in the eyes of artifact refiners. If they could get their hands on these by winning, they would truly hit the jackpot."

The rewards of the Divine Fire Covenant were somewhat different from other events. There was no ranking; it was only first place versus everyone else, and all rewards went solely to the champion. For most artifact refining sects, whether they came first wasn't the main concern; what truly mattered was whether they could absorb the divine fire. It's important to note that without the enhancement of divine fire on refining techniques, it's very difficult to refine artifacts with spatial attributes, and truly advanced artifacts possess some degree of spatial properties. This refining ability is precisely what many artifact refining sects lack. One can imagine what absorbing divine fire would mean for an ordinary artifact refining sect: it would lead to a qualitative leap, propelling the entire sect to a higher level. Some of the major artifact refining sects today rose precisely because of such opportunities in their early years. Of course, after absorbing the divine fire, winning first place and claiming the rewards would naturally be even better, but that possibility was beyond the reach of most sects.

Qiao Wugong spoke up, "You're overthinking it. For outsiders, there's no possibility of winning the Divine Fire Covenant. Otherwise, no one would ever let those refiners agree to let them in."

Bai Shuchuan reminded him, "Uncle-Master Qiao, the sect leader of Ming Mountain Sect is also an artifact refiner by origin."

Qiao Wugong replied, "Even so, it's impossible. Do you think the major artifact refining sects who put up those valuable treasures would be willing to give them to a small, ordinary sect? The top position in the Divine Fire Covenant is basically tailor-made for those major artifact refining sects. It's not just determined by the amount of divine fire absorbed; they also have to face the refining technique challenge afterward. Given Tong Mingshan's background, his refining techniques couldn't be that high. Even if he absorbed one or two more types of divine fire, it's highly unlikely his refining techniques would surpass those of the disciples from major sects who have absorbed divine fire."

On the luxurious palace-like ship at sea, some people who had already brought out chairs and were watching the spectacle from the deck were also discussing this issue.

"Young Master Nan, do you think the Ming Mountain Sect has a chance to win first place?" a man in plain clothes asked casually.

Before Young Master Nan could reply, the man sipping tea beside him chuckled, "Letting them in is enough to stir up some trouble; winning is impossible. Even if they absorb divine fire, they won't win the refining competition afterward."

Young Master Nan smiled faintly, "Who knows."

What was originally a casual remark caused some trouble. Of course, his saying this also stemmed from some subconscious thoughts. The man sipping tea, however, felt challenged. He seemed displeased that his opinion wasn't simply agreed with, and he scoffed, "According to you, then, you think the Ming Mountain Sect still has a chance to win. If that's the case, since we're both gambling anyway, why don't we make a bet? If the Ming Mountain Sect doesn't win, half of your earnings from this event go to me. If the Ming Mountain Sect wins, all of my earnings from this event go to you! How about it, do you dare to bet?"

As soon as these words were uttered, the group of people present instantly perked up. They all sat upright, watching intently, fully engrossed. Finally, some excitement had arrived.

With almost no chance of winning, Young Master Nan had intended to refuse outright. However, seeing everyone's reaction, he hesitated. Although he was also making money, sometimes making these people happy was more important, making them feel that playing with him was more interesting. But the amount of money involved was indeed considerable, so he had to hesitate.

However, since everyone found it exciting, he pondered it repeatedly. Under everyone's gaze, he slowly reached for the teacup on the side table, took a delicate sip, and after keeping everyone in suspense, he casually uttered, "It's a bet!" He had an air of someone who could afford to play.

"Hooray!"

"Good!"

The group instantly cheered as if injected with adrenaline, their eyes sparkling, genuinely invigorated. To bet so big against someone when knowing there was almost no chance of winning was simply "exciting!" The tea-drinking man's eyes gleamed even brighter. He stood up and gestured to the crowd, "Everyone saw and heard it! All of you, please bear witness. No backing out afterward!" "Alright, we'll witness for you." "You too, no backing out."

Watching these guys, who had been listless moments before, suddenly spring to life, Young Master Nan, sipping his tea slowly, wore a faint smile. His eyes held a hint of distraction; although he knew it was impossible, he still held a sliver of hope for Shi Chun. The sole reason for his hope was that he didn't believe Shi Chun's nonsense about just entering the Divine Fire Domain "for fun." That story might fool a ghost, but it would be strange if he didn't have ambitions. Those in the know thought he had orchestrated Shi Chun's entry to affect the betting, but only he knew that Shi Chun himself wanted to go in first.

At this moment, Shi Chun, in the midst of the crowd, was also contemplating the matter of winning first place. After repeated deliberation, he slowly moved backward, squeezing next to Tong Mingshan. Their previous positions were a bit messed up; the Sect Leader was actually standing behind him and Wu Jinliang.

Getting closer, he whispered amidst the clamor, "If you absorb divine fire, do you think you have a chance to win first place?" He had wanted to ask this for a long time but was afraid of beating the grass to startle the snake, afraid of revealing his intentions and alarming Tong Mingshan. The fellow disciples of Ming Mountain Sect standing around them also heard this and turned to look at Tong Mingshan. Wu Jinliang twisted his head around, saw his gourd, and then simply turned his entire body.

Tong Mingshan was stunned, not knowing why the Great Chief had this idea; wasn't it belittling him? He denied it very straightforwardly, "No."

Shi Chun hesitated, "Even if you absorb a bit more divine fire than others, still no?"

Tong Mingshan shook his head, "No. My artifact refining techniques are too far behind those elite disciples from the major sects. Absorbing one or two more types of divine fire can't compensate for that gap, unless..." He then shook his head again with a bitter smile, feeling he might be overthinking.

Shi Chun, however, pressed on, "Unless what?"

Tong Mingshan chuckled as if telling a joke, "Unless the amount of divine fire absorbed is enough, so much that it can level out the skill gap. For example, if you're strong enough to knead metal blocks as easily as dough. It's the idea that miracles happen with immense power."

Shi Chun, however, looked very serious and continued to ask, "Then how many more types of divine fire would you need to absorb to achieve the effect you're talking about?"

Tong Mingshan gave a bitter smile, "Great Chief, let's not dream, alright?"

Several fellow disciples who heard this couldn't help but laugh.

Shi Chun, however, patted him on the back, "Tell me, let's hear it. Let's broaden our horizons."

With that encouragement, Tong Mingshan actually lowered his head and considered it seriously. Then he slowly said, "Six types, I estimate the gap between me and them is about six types of divine fire. That's the minimum I'm talking about."

"Six types?" Shi Chun muttered, stroking his chin, "Is that a lot? It's not impossible, isn't there someone from that Heaven-Refining Sect who can achieve it..."