Chapter 271: Natural Long Legs

"Yes, you truly went too far!" Chen Wuji chimed in, criticizing them.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!" An Wuzhi bowed repeatedly, apologizing profusely.

Without obtaining the divine flame, everyone had calmed down considerably. They realized they had been driven by obsession and had indeed gone too far. Such a vital matter couldn't be handled so carelessly. If the Boss hadn't been there, they might have turned hostile on the spot.

Zhu Xiangxin also bowed repeatedly, apologizing profusely. "My apologies, I'm truly ashamed; I have no face to say anything. However, gentlemen, I'll say this now: after I absorb this divine flame, if you ever need elixirs or anything else refined, as long as it's within my power, I will not refuse."

As soon as she said this, Chu Jingtang and the other two realized something.

Hao Ji pointed at the divine flame in her hand and asked Shi Chun, "Boss, is the divine flame for her?"

"I was just about to tell you about this," Shi Chun said, his gaze sweeping across the three men's faces. He pointed at Chen Wuji. "She needs to find a place to absorb it. You go with her, act as her protector, keep watch, and ensure you can escape quickly if anything goes wrong."

Chen Wuji, who had nodded slightly, had no objections. However, he couldn't help but exchange glances with Chu Jingtang and the others. In their view, at this point, the divine flame should have been given entirely to Tong Mingshan to increase his chances of winning the championship. If Tong Mingshan truly won, the value of those three treasures alone would be enough for them to live comfortably for a lifetime.

However, the Boss's earlier intention to avoid the Four Cauldron Sect was clear, though they didn't understand why. Also, they couldn't say such things in front of Zhu Xiangxin, so they kept quiet.

"Thank you for your trouble," Zhu Xiangxin said, bowing to Chen Wuji in gratitude.

Chen Wuji waved his hand slightly, indicating it was no trouble, but said nothing.

Shi Chun then asked Zhu Xiangxin, "Are you just going to carry the fire out like that, hoping the Four Cauldron Sect won't see it? Let me tell you, if they see it, I won't be able to protect you. They definitely won't let you absorb it. You'd best find a way to conceal it."

Upon hearing this, Chu Jingtang and the others understood. Indeed, he intended to secretly keep it from the Four Cauldron Sect.

Zhu Xiangxin also grew nervous. This was something she had obtained with great difficulty, nearly losing her life in the process; she couldn't afford to lose it.

She immediately drew her sword and carved a large piece from the relatively soft metal wall, rolling it into an egg shape. She left an opening at the bottom of one end, then inverted it onto her palm, covering the divine flame she was holding, controlling it with fire manipulation techniques.

After completing these preparations, the group left the area and headed outside.

As they exited the cave, Chu Jingtang went out first and looked around. Once he confirmed no one was present, he nodded slightly back into the cave.

Only then did Zhu Xiangxin, carrying the item, and Chen Wuji emerge together. Shi Chun also flew out on his wind scale mount, ascending into the air to observe their surroundings and help them avoid people. The two on the ground simply needed to follow Shi Chun's flight path to evade detection.

Chu Jingtang and the others did not follow. Too many people would be conspicuous, so they stayed behind and watched them leave.

An Wuzhi's face showed an unmistakable sense of loss.

The other two noticed it. Hao Ji, curious, quietly asked, "Why was it given to her?"

An Wuzhi sighed, "Because she's a woman."

"Huh?"

"Oh?"

The two large men immediately perked up. Chu Jingtang, who was stroking his beard, asked, "Is the Boss involved with Zhu Xiangxin?"

An Wuzhi paused, then rolled his eyes. "What are you two idiots thinking?"

Hao Ji blinked. "Wasn't that what you meant?"

"Nonsense! Don't spread rumors about me. If the Boss hears it, who knows how he'll look at me." An Wuzhi, who had been swearing, suddenly remembered his previous misdeeds and softened his tone. "Sigh, you're overthinking it. The Boss meant that one item couldn't be given to two people, and men should yield to women. But I think..."

He stopped there, sighing again.

Chu Jingtang said, "Don't stop halfway. What do you mean? Finish your sentence."

An Wuzhi sighed, "The real reason is what Zhu Xiangxin just said. She's an alchemist, so maybe the Boss thinks the divine flame would be more valuable if she absorbed it. The 'men should yield to women' part might just be an excuse. If it were given to me, I'd just be a fighter at best, and the Boss himself is already very powerful. He doesn't really need a fighter like me."

The other two understood immediately. They exchanged glances, realizing he was feeling emotional.

Chu Jingtang suddenly chuckled and teased, "Old Hao, don't you think this guy is overthinking things?"

Hao Ji scoffed, "He's got issues. He doesn't even consider that if it's about value, there's no need to let Zhu Xiangxin absorb it. It would be far more valuable to give it all to Tong Mingshan to help him win the championship, or to create a true master artificer, rather than some dabbler."

Chu Jingtang added, "Exactly. Given the Boss's cunning nature, how could he not have calculated this?"

An Wuzhi fell silent. However, no matter what the two said, not getting it meant not getting it. He had wanted it so badly that his spirits remained low. This was the closest he had ever come to the divine flame in his life, yet he had watched it slip away.

Not long after, Shi Chun descended from the sky. After landing, he instructed the others, "The person has been sent out of the Iron Forest. You spread out and circle this area a few times to make it look like you're searching, so the Four Cauldron Sect sees you. We'll withdraw shortly."

Hao Ji asked, "Where are we going?"

Shi Chun replied, "To the Ice Plains. You don't need to go. You'll stay behind with the Four Cauldron Sect member, waiting for the Red Cloud Fortress's spy to make contact. You'll need to continue following the Red Cloud Fortress."

Still following them? Hao Ji gave a wry smile but didn't object.

The three then departed in different directions.

Shi Chun, who had been looking around, was about to go find Xu Anchang when he suddenly saw a figure flash towards him. It was none other than Chu Jingtang, who had returned, furtively looking around as he approached.

Shi Chun asked suspiciously, "What are you doing?"

Chu Jingtang also looked puzzled. "Boss, there's something I don't understand. Now that the divine flame has been found, why didn't you leave it for Tong Mingshan? Wouldn't it be better to cultivate a master artificer, whether for the championship or anything else?"

Shi Chun, without hesitation, retorted, "Where is Tong Mingshan?"

"Uh..." Chu Jingtang said, "Didn't he go to the exit with Wu Jinliang?"

Shi Chun: "When will he be back?"

Chu Jingtang hesitated. "Well, since it's about luring the enemy, I'm afraid we can't determine an exact return date."

Shi Chun said, "You don't know, and I don't know either. What if something happens and he can't make it back? Time waits for no one. If there were no other divine flame leads, waiting would be understandable. But the problem now is that if we go to the Ice Plains too late, the divine flame there might be taken by someone else, or it might even be gone already. It's more cost-effective to find another divine flame than to agonize over who gets it. If Tong Mingshan were here, it would be his. If he's not, why can't the opportunity go to An Wuzhi and Zhu Xiangxin? They're all our people."

So that's it? Chu Jingtang was speechless. It was such a direct and straightforward reason; they had truly overthought it.

"Alright, what are you dawdling for? Go on your way." Shi Chun waved his hand and leaped into the air, riding his wind scale mount to find Xu Anchang.

Some things, at certain times, truly are a matter of fate.

Shi Chun flew around in the air. Before he could find Xu Anchang, he saw another wind scale mount rapidly approaching from a distance. The other party likely saw him too and quickly flew towards him. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Wu Jinliang and Tong Mingshan returning.

Seeing that the two were unharmed, Shi Chun knew things had gone smoothly and shouted, "Help me find Xu Anchang. He might have gone into a hole."

Wu Jinliang gave a thumbs-up, indicating it was no problem, and quickly changed his flight direction, flying to another area to help search.

The two searched everywhere but couldn't find him. It seemed highly likely he had indeed gone into a hole.

After all, the surface area within a ten-mile radius was so small; they had already searched it thoroughly by flying around. The possibility of him searching for divine flames underground was greater.

Shi Chun had no time to waste. When he encountered Wu Jinliang in the air again, he made a descending gesture.

The two landed together on a metallic highland. Shi Chun said, "Where's your big saber? Hit the ground and knock him out."

"Alright," Wu Jinliang replied, pulling his saber from his Qiankun Pouch. He slammed the back of the blade against the metal slope with a clang. The powerful shockwave vibrated and echoed into the distance, making their feet tingle.

After hitting, Wu Jinliang suddenly thought of something and asked, "Chuntian, won't our banging scare the divine flame into hiding?"

"No," Shi Chun replied casually, looking around as he saw members of the Four Cauldron Sect emerging one after another.

Shortly after, they also saw Xu Anchang, who had appeared from somewhere unknown, riding his wind scale mount and circling overhead, observing what was happening.

Shi Chun pointed at the big saber, then at the ground.

Wu Jinliang struck the ground with his saber twice more, not hitting hard this time, just enough to be heard and attract attention.

As expected, Xu Anchang immediately flew over and landed. Seeing Wu Jinliang and the other, he knew things had gone smoothly and smiled, "You're back." He then asked, "Was that you knocking just now?"

Shi Chun: "We've been looking for you for a long time and couldn't find you anywhere. We were getting anxious, so we had no choice but to resort to this."

Xu Anchang asked, puzzled, "What's the rush?"

Shi Chun: "We've been unable to find it here for too long. I'm worried that if we keep wasting time, the divine flame on the Ice Plains might be taken by others. So, I suggest your Four Cauldron Sect continues searching here, while I take the Mingshan Sect members to the Ice Plains first to see if we can still make it in time."

At these words, Wu Jinliang's eyes immediately showed suspicion, and his gaze flickered towards Shi Chun.

He knew Shi Chun too well. Giving up here without obtaining anything, with such a reason, was completely unlike the Boss's style. If he was worried about the divine flame on the Ice Plains, wasn't he worried about the one here?

More importantly, he knew about Shi Chun's unique ability with his right eye.

After a quick glance at Shi Chun, he immediately controlled his facial expression, appearing to nod thoughtfully and seriously.

Tong Mingshan had also initially thought they should tackle one thing at a time. However, seeing Wu Jinliang's reaction, he immediately doubted his own idea and began to re-evaluate whether his approach was too hasty.

Xu Anchang looked bewildered, then gave a wry smile. "No, brother, this is the first time I've heard of someone rushing to find divine flames like this. Don't we always take things one step at a time? You can't get fat from one bite; you have to do things one by one. I understand your eagerness, but rushing won't help. From ancient times, divine flames have never been easy to find. We always do it this way: first, we locate the target area, then we search carefully, and once we find it, we figure out how to obtain it. Those with good luck get it quickly. Those with bad luck might struggle for a long time to catch one. We're already lucky to have discovered this target location so quickly; we should cherish it. You should know that most people leave the Divine Flame Domain empty-handed. Our success in the lava region before was sheer luck; it's impossible to get things so quickly every time. Furthermore, the Ice Plains are home to Shudao Mountain, the second-ranked sect in the artifact refining world, and their power is extraordinary. If you rush over there to compete with them, frankly speaking, you're asking for death. You'll go in vain. Focusing on what's right in front of us is the correct approach."

Shi Chun said, "I don't intend to compete with them. Haven't these two returned?"

What does that have to do with them? Xu Anchang was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Shi Chun: "If we can lure away Red Cloud Fortress, we can lure away Shudao Mountain. At worst, we'll just have these two run again."

Xu Anchang instantly understood his meaning and was speechless.

Wu Jinliang chuckled, "No problem. We're tall with naturally long legs, and we're best at running errands. A small matter like this is nothing to us."

Tong Mingshan was suspicious, remembering that this fellow had complained about how tiring running away was when he was previously meditating to recover.

Shi Chun then persuaded him again: "Brother Xu, here's the thing. My trip isn't about finding the divine flame right away. It's because we've been dragging our feet here for too long, and I'm worried Shudao Mountain will take the divine flame from the Ice Plains. My search for the divine flame is secondary. My main goal is to lure away the people from Shudao Mountain, just like Red Cloud Fortress thought we had taken the divine flame here and saw no need to return. By the same logic, once the people from Shudao Mountain are lured away, the divine flame on the Ice Plains becomes ours for the taking. We can go find it whenever we want. We can even leave it there for now, find the divine flame here first, and then go to the Ice Plains at our leisure, with no competition and no pressure. The only crucial thing now is to lure them away *before* they find the divine flame; otherwise, it will be meaningless. That's why I'm in such a rush!"

"Exactly," Wu Jinliang nodded seriously, though he knew perfectly well that if he hadn't returned, there would have been no such argument or plan.

Tong Mingshan, however, had an epiphany. Looking at Wu Jinliang again, he realized he had indeed been too simplistic in his thinking.

Xu Anchang's expression also grew solemn. He realized there was indeed a reason for this person's assignment from above; he truly had foresight, and Xu Anchang himself had been short-sighted.