Chapter 263: Our Advantage

Despite Xu Anchang's confirmation, Tong Mingshan still couldn't believe it. He pointed at the fire crocodile, then at himself, asking, "For me?"

Shi Chun didn't want to explain a long list of reasons if the conversation continued, so he simply turned with Xu Anchang to look at the fire crocodile.

The fire crocodile was still gasping, its body, constricted by the net, slowly shrinking. Some Four Tripod Sect disciples continued to stab it with their swords, making it shrink even faster.

Led by Xu Anchang and Shi Chun, the Ming Shan Sect group also flew over to observe.

The fire crocodile didn't bleed; instead, petal-like red fiery wisps continuously drifted from its wounds. These wisps could be stirred by touch but felt insubstantial and left no stain. A few feet away from the creature, their color gradually faded until they vanished into thin air.

Shi Chun pointed at the long, pointed shovel piercing the fire crocodile's neck. "Such a long shovel, what kind of weapon is this?" he asked.

Xu Anchang looked at him and chuckled, "As expected, you're not involved in artifact refining. Ask him." He gestured towards Tong Mingshan.

Shi Chun looked over. Still somewhat dazed, Tong Mingshan quickly explained, "It's a fire shovel, one of the tools used in refining artifacts, for working with fire."

After another moment, the fire crocodile, having shrunk to the size of a desk, suddenly disintegrated into countless red fiery wisps. The net was left empty, and within the wisps, a ball of blood-red light seemed to flash.

Xu Anchang waved his sleeve, dispersing the floating red wisps. Simultaneously, several people moved to restrain a ball of red flame that attempted to drift away, holding it suspended in the air.

The flame was about a foot high, hovering in the air, strikingly vibrant. Its color was an extraordinarily intense red, almost unreal.

Xu Anchang slowly reached out and cradled it, gesturing for everyone to release their hold. Using a single-palm spell, he brought the intensely colored flame closer, examined it, and exclaimed, "There's no mistake. This is indeed the Divine Blazing Flame!"

Everyone who practiced fire-attribute cultivation techniques had their eyes light up with excitement. Some even showed signs of greed and longing, but no one dared to act rashly, especially with so many people present.

Under everyone's gaze, Xu Anchang turned to Tong Mingshan, carrying the vibrant flame, and walked towards him. He held it out and said, "Here."

"Huh?" Tong Mingshan looked dumbfounded and shocked, still wondering, "Is this real or fake?"

He glanced at Shi Chun, highly skeptical. "We killed their leader, and now they're giving me this Divine Flame they worked so hard to subdue? This feels too unreal."

Shi Chun nodded slightly. "Take it. I'm not kidding. If I said it's yours, then it's yours."

"How is this possible?" Tong Mingshan still couldn't believe it, looking around at everyone.

Such a reaction couldn't be faked. Xu Anchang could tell that this person genuinely didn't expect such good fortune. It seemed Shi Chun hadn't revealed anything to him beforehand, keeping a very tight lip.

Wu Jinliang suddenly spoke up, "Sect Master, just say whether you want it or not. If you don't, someone else will take it. Hey, you..."

This prompt spurred Tong Mingshan to quickly say, "Yes, yes, yes, I want it!"

He quickly extended his hand, used a fire-attribute cultivation technique, and held the foot-high, intense Divine Flame floating above his palm.

He could feel a restless sentience within the Divine Flame, seemingly trying to escape his control. It would require considerable spiritual power for him to restrain it.

Seeing that Tong Mingshan had truly acquired the Divine Flame, An Wuzhi and Zhu Xiangxin were filled with immense, endless envy.

Shi Chun asked, "How does one absorb it?"

Xu Anchang replied, "We need to find a place where he can absorb it quietly. While the Divine Flame's spiritual power is currently weak and easier to absorb, let's leave this area first."

Without hesitation, the group immediately mounted their Wind Scales and departed, showing no lingering attachment whatsoever.

The place wasn't worth lingering over. Divine Flames were like "two tigers cannot share one mountain"; it was said that it was impossible for two Divine Flames to exist in the same area.

They didn't travel far, returning to a spot not too distant from the ten elders, where they could still see the mountain peak in the distance. There, they excavated a cave.

The ten elders heard the sound of them digging into the mountain and watched from afar.

Tong Mingshan, carrying the Divine Flame, entered the cave. He suddenly turned back, marveling at something he could never have dreamed of, something countless people sought in vain, had inexplicably fallen into his hands.

Looking at Shi Chun smiling outside the cave, he was at a loss for how to express his gratitude. He bowed deeply, conveying everything without words.

Although he didn't know why the Four Tripod Sect would yield the Divine Flame to him, he knew it was definitely the result of the Chief Steward's arrangements.

Only today did he realize that the title of "number one" at the Heavenly Meteor Shower Assembly was no mere fluke. He now firmly believed he had not made the wrong choice.

Shi Chun nodded with a smile, and then someone sealed the cave entrance, enclosing Tong Mingshan inside so he could absorb the Blazing Divine Flame undisturbed.

Looking at the sealed cave entrance, An Wuzhi and Zhu Xiangxin felt a twinge of bitterness. After hearing the Chief Steward's earlier words, they already understood why Tong Mingshan had received this opportunity.

Both of them felt a bit of regret, wishing they hadn't hesitated and cowered when Shi Chun had called upon them earlier.

They could only envy the reward Tong Mingshan had earned through his desperate risks.

"Brother Chun," Xu Anchang said, gesturing to Shi Chun to speak in private.

After they flew to a nearby mountaintop, Xu Anchang looked around, pulled out a tobacco pipe, took a puff, and sighed with seemingly endless emotion. "To be honest," he said, "when you suggested returning to the entrance area, I was quite reluctant. But thinking about it now, the higher-ups were right; I should listen to your advice more often. Otherwise, we would definitely have missed out."

He then held up a finger to Shi Chun and chuckled, "This is only our first day in here, right? And we've already obtained a Divine Flame on the very first day. The higher-ups probably couldn't even dream we'd be this fast."

Shi Chun also chuckled, "Just luck."

"Oh, no," Xu Anchang waved his hand, "this is more than just luck. If you hadn't insisted on checking, none of this would have happened. What do we do next? I still want to hear your opinion."

Shi Chun asked, "How long will it take Tong Mingshan to absorb this Divine Flame?"

Xu Anchang replied, "It shouldn't take long. It mainly depends on the practitioner's fire-attribute cultivation technique, the level of repulsion between it and the specific Divine Flame, and their comprehension. It's said that some take one or two days, while others can finish in half a day."

Shi Chun said, "Then leave a few people to guard him, and we'll continue searching for other Divine Flames."

Xu Anchang paused, "We're not waiting for him to finish absorbing it and leave together?"

Shi Chun responded, "We only have forty-nine days. If we wait one or two days every time we encounter a Divine Flame, plus the time spent searching, when will we ever finish? Let me be frank with you. Since the higher-ups sent me here, I must give them a satisfactory answer. Finding just one or two Divine Flames to pass the task is not my style. I wouldn't have come at all if I wasn't aiming for first place. Since there are thirty-six types of Divine Flames, I just want to know if I can find them all within forty-nine days."

It was still the same tactic: boast as much as possible. If he didn't seize the opportunity of this fortuitous Divine Flame acquisition to establish his authority, when else would he?

Regardless of the truth, the current achievement was undeniable. Xu Anchang was invigorated by Shi Chun's confidence, which seemed to defy all others. He laughed heartily, "No wonder the higher-ups sent Brother Chun here! Alright, thirty-six types it is. We'll do our best to acquire them all."

Shi Chun asked, "Don't you have five other people? Where are they?"

Xu Anchang explained, "They are undercover, infiltrated into five other sects. The higher-ups put a lot of effort into ensuring they had a chance to participate in this assembly within their respective sects. What, Brother Chun, do you feel our current manpower is insufficient? I was actually planning to call them back to serve us."

Shi Chun retorted, "So, you can contact them at any time?"

"Of course," Xu Anchang replied. "The higher-ups arranged for them to come in specifically to assist us. It was agreed that from the point we separated, they would leave markers along their path, making it easy for us to find them if needed."

Shi Chun thought for a moment and asked, "Before you came in, did the higher-ups give you any operational plans?"

Xu Anchang said, "What plans? The higher-ups have limited knowledge of the situation in here. Not just them, even the experienced major sects don't have a complete understanding of the entire Divine Flame Domain. Each time the Divine Flame Spirit Gate opens and people are sent in, the entry points are never the same, confusing even experienced major sects. However, I've heard that once experienced major sects enter, they immediately try to locate places where older generations harvested Divine Flames. Due to environmental conditions, original Divine Flame breeding grounds might give birth to new Divine Flames after two or three hundred years. Those locations are top-secret for the major sects. Once inside, they immediately fly off to find those places, and it's highly unlikely for outsiders to keep up. Given this situation, how could the higher-ups formulate a detailed plan? Besides trying to increase our manpower, they have no other way; they mainly rely on us to adapt on the fly."

Shi Chun slowly said, "If that's the case, then there's no need to call them back to assist us. Instead, we should dispatch ten more people to reinforce them."

Xu Anchang gasped, "We'd lose nine people at once! We're already short-staffed, and now we're sending ten more people to them? This..."

He wanted to ask, "What exactly are you trying to achieve?"

Shi Chun patted his arm. "Brother Xu, listen to me. Precisely because we are short-staffed, we need to leverage the strength of those five undercover agents. Once their power is unleashed, the manpower of those five sects will effectively become our scouts."

Xu Anchang said, "I understand your intention, but I must remind you that the five sects are not weak; they are stronger than the Four Tripod Sect. If we want to snatch food from their mouths, our teeth might not be strong enough."

Shi Chun waved his hand. "Whether we can snatch it or not, we need to assess the situation first. If we're too afraid to even investigate, or simply give up because they're strong, then we'll certainly never snatch anything. Since we have an opportunity to understand them, why should we voluntarily abandon it? Besides, to compete for first place, if we don't try to snatch from others and just rely on us, who have no advantages, to search blindly, do you think we can ever come in first? As it stands, our advantage lies with those five undercover agents. Since it's an advantage, we must find a way to magnify it; there's no reason to waste it."

Shi Anchang was silenced by his words. After a moment to process, he said, "Tell me first what you plan to do."

The final decision still rested with him. Before coming, the higher-ups had instructed him to listen to the other party's opinions, but not to accept everything; only to consider what was beneficial.

Shi Chun outlined, "You and I will each send five people, forming ten people into five pairs. They will go to find those five undercover agents. Once contact is established, their sole task will be to continuously tail those five sects. Regardless of which sect discovers traces of Divine Flame, or indirectly finds that another sect has discovered them, and no matter how strong the opposing sect is, our trailing personnel must immediately relay the information back. I refuse to believe that with five sects searching along the way, not a single trace of Divine Flame will be found. If we can utilize the information from five sects for our own benefit, our forty-nine days should be quite productive. As for the opponents' strength, let them be strong. We'll seize what we can. Everyone competes based on their own abilities; whether we win or lose, there will be no complaints. In short, if we can seize it, we seize it. If we can't, we figure out a way to win. We will never give up as long as there's an opportunity, and only when there is truly no opportunity left."