Chapter 307: Unveiling the Hat

The informant left, and soon after, brought back a person cloaked in black.

The newcomer's face was half-hidden beneath the hat's brim, making their features unclear. Standing in front of Zuo Zisheng, the person lifted their face, slightly raising the brim to allow Zuo Zisheng to see them clearly.

The person was none other than Yan Ketao, who had gone missing from Shudaoshan.

Zuo Zisheng's mustache curled into a smile upon seeing him. After waving the informant away, he said gravely, "What urgent matter brings you here personally?"

In this world, the Demonic Path wasn't the only one to plant moles in other sects; the Refining Heaven Sect also employed this tactic. However, they lacked the Demonic Path's resources and ability to orchestrate such large-scale operations. If Shudaoshan hadn't suddenly sent in hundreds of people, the Refining Heaven Sect's mole might not have even had the chance to enter the Divine Fire Realm.

Although only one mole from Shudaoshan managed to enter by chance, they had already played a crucial role at a critical moment.

During the previous Ice Dragon incident on the ice plains, Shudaoshan believed they had been tricked by Shi Chun. Consequently, they used Shi Chun's deception about the five divine fires to trick the Refining Heaven Sect into partnering with them to slaughter the ice dragons on the ice plains.

The real reason the Refining Heaven Sect grew impatient and withdrew halfway was not because they couldn't immediately find the ice dragons.

Those were five divine fires! What's wrong with a little more patience to find them slowly?

The true reason for their withdrawal was Yan Ketao. This mole had proactively contacted Zuo Zisheng and secretly informed him of the truth. Zuo Zisheng, realizing he had been tricked by Shudaoshan, then withdrew his forces.

At the time, had it not been for the fear of exposing Yan Ketao, Zuo Zisheng would certainly have taught Shudaoshan a lesson. It was out of consideration for Yan Ketao that he swallowed his anger, simply made a few complaints, and left.

In fact, he didn't initially know who the mole in Shudaoshan was. Before entering, the sect had only informed him that they had a mole there and instructed him not to activate them unless absolutely necessary, reserving them for crucial moments.

The sect's instructions were very clear: disciples selected by Shudaoshan to enter the Divine Fire Realm were considered quite promising within Shudaoshan, and their future role could be even greater, so they should not be easily exposed.

Now that he had personally sought him out, it was clear the matter was significant.

Yan Ketao whispered, "After the last incident on the ice plains, Shudaoshan and Mingshan Sect have resumed their cooperation."

Zuo Zisheng was startled. "Weren't they betrayed and fell out? How can they cooperate again after so many deaths?"

Yan Ketao: "They claim it was a misunderstanding. After resolving it, Shudaoshan acquired two Ice Blazes; I saw it with my own eyes. But that's not important. What's important is their subsequent cooperation, which I don't quite understand. Their constant rushing around doesn't seem like normal divine fire searching, but I can tell both sides are very pleased with the cooperation. Gu Lianni and her group are also extremely compliant and cooperative with Shi Chun's instructions. The only possible outcome that could make both sides so satisfied is divine fire. From my observations, after each search for divine fire in a location, one person from either side seems to go into seclusion. I suspect they are absorbing divine fire. Their secrecy has been excellent, and I couldn't be sure before. Recently, at Shudaoshan, besides Gu Lianni, Yuan Yao, and Pang Hou, others have also started absorbing divine fire, specifically the Scarlet Blaze Divine Fire. What does this mean? It means they have so much of this type of divine fire that it's beginning to overflow. At Shudaoshan, if Gu Lianni and the other two hadn't absorbed divine fire, it wouldn't have been passed on to other disciples. Mingshan Sect also has three individuals who practice fire-attribute cultivation techniques. In this cooperation, if those three hadn't absorbed divine fire, it's unlikely to have overflowed to other Shudaoshan disciples. This means my judgment is correct: their cooperation has resulted in an overflow of divine fire. I'm not entirely sure about other details, but I can confirm that Gu Lianni alone has gone into seclusion at least five times. It's highly probable that Gu Lianni has already absorbed five divine fires!"

"Five?" Zuo Zisheng gasped in astonishment. He thought he was doing quite well, having only absorbed two himself.

Yan Ketao pulled out a stone, pointing to the scratches on it. "Just the seclusion times I noted after realizing something was amiss, there were thirteen instances. And that doesn't include the ones I didn't record earlier. I suspect they might have found as many as twenty divine fires!"

"What?!" Zuo Zisheng exclaimed in alarm, involuntarily reaching for the stone and examining it in his hand. Besides some etchings, it was just an ordinary stone from the Divine Fire Realm. He counted the marks, and they indeed matched the claim, totaling thirteen. Holding the stone, he said gravely, "Brother Yan, twenty divine fires – do you know what that means? How is that possible? Think again, have you misunderstood something?"

Yan Ketao replied gravely, "When I first saw them go into seclusion, I suspected divine fire, but the acquisition speed was truly hard for me to believe, just as you find it hard to believe now. That's why I didn't react immediately, until I saw the divine fire overflowing to other Shudaoshan disciples. Only then did I confirm that my suspicions were correct. If it weren't such a crucial matter, forcing me to make a decision, how could I possibly have slipped away from there and come directly to you?"

Indeed, Zuo Zisheng said, his voice filled with doubt and surprise, "Twenty... If Gu Lianni didn’t have a good father, she might not even have been chosen to enter the Divine Fire Realm. Does she really possess such ability? Have I underestimated her?"

Yan Ketao sighed, "Brother Zuo, it's clear as day. This isn't Gu Lianni's ability at all; it's mainly Shi Chun's. I'm quite familiar with the people from Shudaoshan. If they hadn't partnered with Shi Chun, Shudaoshan wouldn't be able to pull off these confusing tricks that even their own people don't understand. I still haven't figured out what's going on. The top contender from the Heavenly Rain Meteorite Assembly truly cannot be underestimated!"

"The top contender from the Heavenly Rain Meteorite Assembly…" Zuo Zisheng murmured. He truly hadn't paid much attention to this so-called top contender before.

Even though the sect had previously instructed him to be wary of Shi Chun, it hadn't changed his view of Shi Chun as a mere scoundrel from the land of exile, an insignificant figure only capable of petty tricks.

He naturally had the confidence to disregard him, for he was the most outstanding disciple of his generation from the world's foremost artifact-refining sect. Otherwise, how could he have been entrusted with leading such a crucial mission?

Now, it seemed he had indeed underestimated him. Finding so many divine fires probably couldn't be explained by mere deception or trickery.

Turning his thoughts back, he once again recalled the sect’s instructions and warnings. This time, he finally paid full attention, asking, "Brother Yan, last time it wasn't convenient for you to reveal details, and the situation wasn't entirely clear. Since you're here now, please trouble yourself to thoroughly explain the cooperation between Shudaoshan and Mingshan Sect to me."

"Alright." Yan Ketao naturally wouldn't hide anything from him. He immediately recounted the entire sequence of events in detail, everything he had seen and known, clearly and thoroughly.

Zuo Zisheng listened very intently and carefully this time, occasionally interjecting with questions during the narration.

While appearing cloaked could indeed conceal one's appearance, in this environment, it also made one more noticeable. Those searching back and forth in the underground space all noticed this mysterious figure.

Those with keen eyes had already slowed their pace of searching for divine fire, moving back and forth without leaving the vicinity, lingering and observing.

After learning the detailed account of the cooperation between Mingshan Sect and Shudaoshan, Zuo Zisheng’s mustachioed lips pursed repeatedly as he fell into deep thought. He still couldn't understand how this cooperation allowed them to find divine fires so quickly.

After much thought, he slowly said, "It seems the key to the problem lies in the steps they are concealing."

Yan Ketao: "Exactly, I think so too. The people from Mingshan Sect who periodically disappear and reappear must be the ones providing clues about the divine fires. Most of the time, we only set off for the next search location after the missing individuals return. I'm just puzzled as to how a few of them could find so many divine fire clues, and I can't fathom the efficiency with which Shi Chun and Gu Lianni find divine fires."

Zuo Zisheng’s keenness was fully evident on his face as he looked at his bared forearm, where his sleeve was rolled up. "This means that as long as we figure out how those Mingshan Sect people find divine fire clues, we might be able to unravel the mystery of their rapid divine fire acquisition. Failing that, if we get leverage over their method of finding clues, we can disrupt them at any time, or even force them to let us join and share the spoils. The key question is, how do we find those people, and will it be convenient for you to return to Shudaoshan?"

He wasn't necessarily aiming for first place; while being first was good, acquiring tangible divine fires was more important. If Shudaoshan was willing to share, he could concede the top spot.

Yan Ketao hesitated, "Are you suggesting we track those people from Mingshan Sect who come and go?"

Zuo Zisheng nodded. "We'll stay on the periphery of Shudaoshan. Once you spot anyone from Mingshan Sect coming or going, send a signal, and I'll immediately dispatch people to track and investigate."

Yan Ketao thought for a moment and said, "Returning to Shudaoshan shouldn't be a problem. If some strange anomaly occurs in the Divine Fire Realm, I can just make up an excuse about getting lost; at most, I'll get a scolding. I know them; they wouldn't be overly suspicious and think I'm a mole from another sect. The problem is, after so long, if they have divine fire clues, they probably won't wait for me in one spot. They might search for me a bit, but they won't delay their search for divine fires for my sake. If they're not there, then I'll just have to wait at the exit, and I don't know when we'd meet. Oh, and actually, I've always suspected that the Mingshan Sect people who come and go might be heading towards the exit area. If I really go to the exit, I could investigate and confirm that too."

He truly didn't know about Wu Jinliang's group investigating divine fire clues at the exit, as Wu Jinliang's group had hidden at the exit and never exposed themselves to Shudaoshan.

Gu Lianni and the other two knew, but that was a crucial secret, and combined with Shi Chun’s instructions, they hadn't revealed to their subordinates that Wu Jinliang and his group were hiding at the exit. Even when they led people to the exit to play a trick to lure the tiger out of its den, Wu Jinliang and his group were never seen by anyone from Shudaoshan.

The elders knew a little, but crucially, they hadn't spoken of it to others either.

"The exit?" Zuo Zisheng was somewhat puzzled. What divine fire clues could be at the exit? He asked, "Why do you suspect this?"

Yan Ketao: "Based on the directions of Mingshan Sect's personnel coming and going. Everyone is constantly rushing around abruptly; those of us below have long been disoriented and lost. The only constant is the direction indicated by the sunrise and sunset. When Mingshan Sect personnel exchange places, the newcomers seem to guide the departing ones, and the direction the departing ones take always seems to be towards the exit. Of course, this is just my guess."

Zuo Zisheng nodded. "Whether it is or not, we'll verify it as you said. First, search their original location to see if they're still there. If not, go to the exit. If all else fails, I'll scatter my forces to search and do everything I can to help you find Shudaoshan's team."

"So you're abandoning this area?" Yan Ketao glanced around the underground space. "With your search efforts, you must have made some discoveries, right?"

Zuo Zisheng: "Nearly half the time has passed, and we've only found two divine fires. You say they've found twenty. Do you still think our discoveries here are important?"

Indeed, Yan Ketao nodded slightly in thought. If that weren't the case, he wouldn't have come running.

The two then clarified Shudaoshan's previous location. Zuo Zisheng told Yan Ketao to go back first, and they would gather their forces and then follow him to search. In short, they would proceed according to the plan they had just formulated.

Yan Ketao, pulling down his hat brim, turned and left. After several swift movements through the underground space, he found a narrow cave passage, which was evidently the only way through.

As soon as he entered the passage, he was blocked by two Refining Heaven Sect disciples approaching him. The passage was narrow, so he immediately turned sideways to let them pass.

To his surprise, as one person walked past him, they suddenly reached out, yanked off his hood, and jovially remarked, "Who is this, all covered up?"

Yan Ketao, whose true face was suddenly exposed, stiffened, looking somewhat stunned. He hadn't expected such an encounter.

Before he could put his hat back on, someone had already drawn a blade and pressed it against his neck. "You're not one of us. Who are you?" The person even deliberately pulled out a piece of sandalwood gold and shone it on his face. "Hmm, why do you look familiar?"

Yan Ketao was speechless. Fighting was not an option, so he reluctantly said, "Would you trouble Brother Zuo Zisheng to come over for a moment?"

As he spoke, two more people entered the passage. A smaller, thinner figure questioned, "What are you doing? Let him go quickly; he's Elder Brother Zuo's guest."

After being released, Yan Ketao quickly put his hat back on and, without a word, swiftly turned and left.

After he was out of sight, the one who had drawn the blade mumbled, "Don't you think he looked familiar?"

Someone replied, "Familiar with what? We saw him before on the ice plains; he's from Shudaoshan."

The person next to him asked curiously, "Why would someone from Shudaoshan come looking for Elder Brother Zuo?"

The smaller, thinner figure blinked and said, "Probably talking about cooperation again, just like before. Alright, let's get back to work."

The one who had drawn the blade, while sheathing it, reminded him, "You're the one who instigated me to pull off his hat. If he complains later, you all have to speak up for me."

"Alright, alright, I get it. It's just a misunderstanding; he wouldn't go complaining about that, would he? Let's go." The smaller, thinner figure waved dismissively and turned around.

As the group emerged from the cave entrance, another smiling Refining Heaven Sect disciple blocked their way, asking, "What's going on? Who was that covered-up person?"

The smaller, thinner figure vaguely replied, "Nothing, never mind who it was."

But the one who had drawn the blade blurted out, "Someone from Shudaoshan."

The smaller, thinner figure immediately turned and glared at him, and so the group quickly departed.

The smiling disciple watched them leave, then looked towards the cave entrance, frowning in thought. Just then, a loud whistle suddenly echoed, and he quickly darted towards the sound to gather with the others.