Chapter 253: Purely Personal Preference

The buzzing sound from the sky suddenly changed. People in the valley looked up, as did the previously distracted guests outside the mountain. Seeing the metal ring suspended motionless in the air, everyone realized something significant had occurred.

The eight people on the terrace were greatly invigorated. The leader shouted again, "Now!"

The phantom flames on him surged dramatically, and the same happened to the other seven.

As all eight exerted their full power, the phantom flames on them condensed into an iridescent beam of light, which shot onto the entire metal ring. The metal ring's rotation speed increased rapidly, yet the turbulent winds became weaker, and the buzzing sound gradually softened. However, a faint, persistent sound lingered in everyone's ears, causing discomfort.

Some tried to block their ears with magic but could still hear the disorienting sound. Some even felt nauseous.

It was a sensation as if their internal organs were boiling in hot water.

Distant birds scattered further away again, and every grain of sand on the beach seemed to tremble.

On the palatial, luxurious ship, the distinguished guests could no longer sit still and rose to their feet. They saw the ocean waves become completely chaotic, trembling with irregular ripples.

Suddenly, the back of the metal ring, facing the sky, burst forth with a massive, pulsating glow. Where the light was uneven, a void-like darkness appeared, flattening the irregular light, or as if the void devoured the light.

The uncomfortable sound also suddenly vanished, seemingly swallowed by the void.

In an instant, the world grew quiet and peaceful. Everyone immediately recovered from their daze and stared intently at the anomaly in the sky.

For those standing on the mountaintop, facing the metal ring, they saw swirling, orange-yellow clouds appearing in the hollow center of the ring.

The eight people on the terrace smiled. "It's done!"

The eight individuals gradually ceased their actions. The phantom flames on them receded back into their bodies, and they successively wiped sweat from their brows. After half a night of exertion, they were clearly exhausted.

The metal ring in the sky, although no longer controlled by magic, maintained its rotation as before, without stopping.

Situ Gu, watching from below the platform, calmly said, "It's open. You can enter."

Someone then faced the valley and, using magic, announced loudly, "The Divine Fire Domain is now open! Those named in the alliance agreement, ascend the mountain in order, and enter the Divine Fire Domain in sequence. Begin!"

Upon the command's issuance, the order-keepers at the base of the mountain immediately gave instructions, pointing to those currently at that part of the mountain's foot: "Starting from here, one sect at a time, proceed. Don't rush, don't push. You go first, and the following sects should line up properly."

The leader of the designated sect did a final headcount, confirming there were indeed twenty people. With an excited wave, they led their fellow disciples rushing up the mountain.

Upon reaching the mountaintop, even though they had read the distributed guidelines beforehand, someone still instructed them again on what to do.

Each person first displayed the iron ring on their wrist. These rings had been locked onto everyone's wrists upon arrival, after identity verification and inspection.

Then, they held up a lotus lamp with a budding flower. The tip of the bud had a sharp thorn, which was inserted into a hole on the wrist iron ring. With a sharp pain, blood immediately seeped out. The iron ring then clicked open, rotating as it moved into the bud, simultaneously pushing all the petals of the metal lotus lamp open into a blooming state.

The iron ring ultimately locked into the flower bud, becoming an inner ring. Inside, there was an ice-like substance called "Ice Sheep."

The Divine Fire Domain has no breathable air, and some areas even contain toxic gases. The gas emitted by "Ice Sheep" provides breathable air. One "Ice Sheep" is enough to last two months, easily sufficient for the forty-nine days (seven times seven days).

After reaching in and taking out the "Ice Sheep," a one-foot wide, four-foot tall beam of green light instantly shot out from within the lotus lamp. A vertical silhouette of green characters appeared, corresponding to the person's origin, sect, and name.

The moment the green light bloomed, the lotus lamp also began to rotate, floating lightly into the air. It flew away from everyone's hands, soaring out beyond the mountain and hovering motionlessly in the air. They did not interfere with or collide with each other, and their floating height was perfectly uniform.

Seeing that all the life-signaling lamps of the first group were correctly lit, someone pointed at the rotating metal ring in the sky and announced loudly, "Just fly into the ring!"

The leader of the first group shouted, "Go!"

Fearless and excited, the first person leaped forward, darting into the ring's swirling phantom light and clouds, and instantly vanishing within.

The disciples following behind did the same.

The sects waiting behind immediately took the places of those who had just entered. They followed the procedures, and after releasing their lotus lamps, also entered one after another.

With continuous succession, a rhythm gradually formed, and the flow rate increased.

The high-ranking officials of the Ten Great Sects personally stood by and supervised, almost as if they were personally reviewing every single person entering the Divine Fire Domain.

On the mountain path below, the continuous lines of sects stretched out like long snakes. Inside the restricted small building, the sect leaders and their disciples peered out, appearing even more anxious than the participants.

After observing the base of the mountain for a while, Qu Wuming, the Sect Leader of Yanbao Sect, who had missed out on more entry slots for his disciples, suddenly asked, "Does anyone know the group from Mingshan Sect?"

Someone nearby replied, "They haven't come up yet. It's said they're easy to spot: thirteen people wearing thirteen different outfits. And there's a tall person carrying a large gourd. You'll recognize them as soon as they arrive."

Su Qiao, the Sect Leader of Jihuo Sect, who had benefited and was now gloating, chuckled, "Why bother getting to know them? What, are you, Sect Leader Qu, hoping they'll lend a hand to your Yanbao Sect?"

Qu Wuming retorted, "Stop gloating. Young Master Nan is gambling again, and he's set up another betting pool. I heard that Young Master Nan brought the Mingshan Sect in to stir things up. If they really cause trouble for your Jihuo Sect and make you lose that 'Desolate Edge Fragment' for nothing, let's see if you can still laugh."

Su Qiao's expression tightened at these words. He snorted, "If Mingshan Sect dares to cause trouble, my Jihuo Sect disciples will eliminate them."

Qu Wuming pointed to his head. "How did they get first place in the Heaven-Rain Meteorite Conference? They used their brains. We really don't know who will eliminate whom."

Su Qiao's eyes flickered slightly, but he calmly said, "Stop trying to instigate trouble. Don't think I don't know what you're up to."

Hearing this, many people smiled faintly.

As they spoke, a large group of people came up, a bustling crowd of over a hundred. They were disciples of the Liantian Sect.

After releasing their lotus lamps, they all bowed respectfully to Luo Yan and the others.

Luo Yan and the other high-ranking sect officials extended their hands in a gesture of support. Their eyes filled with expectations for these young disciples. They watched until the last person leaped and vanished into the Divine Fire Spiritual Gate before retracting their gaze.

Teams passed through quickly. It didn't take long before all the disciples from the top ten sects had passed.

After waiting and waiting, someone suddenly snorted, "Mingshan Sect is here."

Everyone's gaze turned downhill. Indeed, a much smaller group appeared on the mountain path. Their clothes were all different, and there was a tall person. It matched the information they had received perfectly.

The mountaintop was already bathed in sunlight; the light was much better than in the valley.

Shi Chun's group paused and waited before the last step of the mountaintop platform. They craned their necks to observe how the previous team proceeded, checking if the actual situation matched what was written in the guidelines.

Unlike the excitement of the other teams, many in this group had anxious expressions.

For Chu Jingting and others, they genuinely did not want to enter, as there were no benefits other than risk. They were essentially being forced into it.

Once the previous team departed, the supervising personnel waved them forward, and Shi Chun and his group quickly ascended to the mountaintop platform.

Before they could proceed to the next step, Su Qiao, the Sect Leader of Jihuo Sect, suddenly stepped forward. "Wait!"

Shi Chun and the others, who had just revealed the iron rings on their wrists, froze. They all turned to look at him, unsure what he meant.

The important figures from various sects, who were in charge of supervision, also looked at Su Qiao, curious and surprised. They wondered if Qu Wuming had really succeeded in instigating him.

As Su Qiao walked, he pointed at the large gourd on Wu Jinliang's back. "Is there any contraband in that gourd?"

It wasn't that he was truly instigated by Qu Wuming, but Qu Wuming's taunts had made him a bit more cautious. And the large gourd on Wu Jinliang's back gave off an impression of ill intent.

He had no other intention. He just wanted to expose the truth about this gourd publicly so that those entering later would see, and also to send a message to those already inside. In case anything happened, at least some people would be informed.

The high-ranking officials of various sects exchanged glances. They probably all understood Su Qiao's intention. This was somewhat intentionally difficult and against the rules, but since it was aimed at Shi Chun's group, no one said anything.

Shi Chun's group couldn't help but exchange confused glances. They were very puzzled. They had scoured the guidelines and found no mention of contraband. There wasn't even a body search requirement for entering the Divine Fire Domain. Any treasures or means could be brought in. What did it mean for contraband to suddenly be an issue for them?

They all suspected he was intentionally creating trouble to prevent them from entering.

Chu Jingting and the others, seeing this, actually hoped it was true. But the problem was they knew there was nothing special inside Wu Jinliang's gourd; they had all played with it.

Tong Mingshan and the two others who cultivated fire-attribute techniques were extremely worried. If someone truly wanted to cause trouble, they could find any excuse.

Wu Jinliang explained, "There's no contraband. It's just drinking water. Isn't the water in the Divine Fire Domain undrinkable?"

"Drinking water? Are you trying to fool a three-year-old? You're a cultivator; even if the water inside isn't potable, you can use magic to extract moisture. Why would you bother filling such a large gourd with water just to go to the Divine Fire Domain?" Su Qiao was very skeptical. He reached out and patted the gourd's base, listening to the sound.

And indeed, it truly sounded like it was full of liquid.

Wu Jinliang further explained, "It's different. I'm particular about the water I drink."

As he spoke, he unslung the large gourd from his back. To prove his innocence, he publicly uncorked the gourd, then raised it and guzzled down several mouthfuls. Afterward, he even spat out a spray of water for everyone to see. "Isn't this normal?" he seemed to ask.

Chu Jingting and the others secretly wondered, "When did this fellow fill the empty gourd with water?"

Those queuing on the mountain path were also puzzled. "Why has the advancing line stopped?"

Su Qiao on the mountain reached out and demanded, "Let me see?"

Wu Jinliang was very generous, immediately offering the large gourd with both hands.

Su Qiao felt it was very heavy when he took it. He immediately used magic to carefully inspect inside. He found nothing but liquid within, and the gourd's material didn't seem to be any special wood.

He brought his nostrils to the gourd's opening and sniffed, detecting no special scent.

Yet, he still didn't believe there was nothing to the gourd. Only a fool would carry such a large gourd filled with water everywhere.

To truly verify, he conjured a small stream of water that floated through the air like a tiny snake. After a few moments of hesitation, he opened his mouth and received the water Wu Jinliang had drunk. He slowly savored and felt it. It tasted like ordinary water. After carefully swallowing it, he didn't detect any other unusual reactions.

After a delay, he pushed the gourd back and said irritably, "Are you crazy, kid? Don't you find it heavy? Don't you have a Qiankun Pouch on your waist?"

He was somewhat annoyed at having to taste Wu Jinliang's saliva.

The high-ranking officials of the various sects understood immediately. There was indeed no issue, but they all wondered if the large simpleton wasn't quite right in the head.

Wu Jinliang capped the gourd and slung it back over his shoulder. He chuckled, "Drinking water is just a personal hobby. For a respectable cultivator, such a small weight isn't heavy. Senior, doesn't my water taste better than ordinary water, doesn't it..."

Su Qiao waved his hand, interrupting him, too lazy to argue further. He gestured for them to hurry.

Unexpectedly, Qu Wuming suddenly spoke up again, "Which one is Shi Chun?"

They didn't need to ask who Sect Leader Tong Mingshan was. As smiths, they could tell who was a smith just by their skin color.

Shi Chun, holding the lotus lamp, was puzzled, but still honestly admitted, "This humble junior, Shi Chun, is indeed here. May I ask what instructions Senior has?"

Qu Wuming pointed at Su Qiao and said, "This person just now is Su Qiao, the Sect Leader of Jihuo Sect. The 'Desolate Edge Fragment' among this year's prizes was donated by Jihuo Sect. Jihuo Sect has sent over a hundred people inside; they are determined to win this time. You all felt Sect Leader Su's 'special attention' just now, didn't you?"