Chapter 416: Letting People Envy

The Tang Sect Leader couldn't understand what Master Nan was mumbling, but he could grasp the peculiar surprise on the other's face. He himself had been equally surprised at first and presumed Master Nan would soon ask the same questions he had.

Because of this, he was somewhat worried, fearing Master Nan wouldn't dare deliver the letter to Situ Gu. He himself wouldn't dare deliver it, and some things are truly relatable.

He admitted that Master Nan was an important figure for his Fengluo Sect. However, Master Nan's so-called extensive connections seemed a bit hollow compared to someone like Situ Gu, who possessed genuine strength and was himself the most powerful connection.

Without true strength, there can be no genuine connections; as a sect leader, he had a clear understanding of this.

Facing a truly formidable figure like Situ Gu, would Master Nan's connections genuinely dare to intervene?

As for him, the deed was already done, and the disciples in the Divine Fire Domain were still waiting for assistance from here.

Then, just as he expected, Master Nan suddenly seemed to snap out of a trance. He looked up, raised the letter in his hand, and asked in surprise and doubt, "Um, are you sure this letter is for Situ Gu?"

The Tang Sect Leader gave a bitter smile, as Master Nan's question was almost identical to what he had asked his two disciples, with only a few words different. He nodded, confirming with a very certain tone, "Yes, it's for Situ Gu, Elder of the Refining Heaven Sect."

Master Nan's facial muscles on one side still couldn't help but twitch. He felt a bit like he had a toothache and couldn't help but swallow dryly.

He really wanted to ask Shi Chun right then what the letter meant. Had he misunderstood? "You didn't kidnap Situ Gu's people to blackmail him, did you? Don't mess around, alright? This isn't a land of exile; there are basic rules here. Do you think kidnapping a Refining Heaven Sect disciple in the Divine Fire Domain can threaten someone of Situ Gu's caliber?"

Even if we take ten thousand steps back, is Situ Gu someone you can afford to provoke?

However, on second thought, he felt something was off. Given Shi Chun's intelligence, he wouldn't be ignorant of this principle. Could there be some special circumstances between the kidnapped Refining Heaven Sect disciple and Situ Gu?

With this doubt, his gaze fell on another letter on the table. He suddenly realized he was overthinking things. Hadn't Shi Chun specifically given him a letter? It should be there to clarify his confusion.

At the same time, he couldn't help but look up at the three people opposite him. He felt that Shi Chun's way of sending the letter was a bit improper; sending it like this, wouldn't the contents be exposed to outsiders?

It was obvious they had already read it. He didn't like his privacy being spied on by strangers. However, it was meaningless to pursue that now; it was better to understand the situation first.

He immediately picked up the other letter, shaking it to examine. Well, it was still that handwriting from someone severely injured.

This writing style made it difficult for unaccustomed readers to understand fluently, causing them to subconsciously read aloud, "Brother Nan, I've made others jealous inside..."

Shi Chun knew how to write letters; he knew what the recipient would be interested in.

His murmuring reading suddenly stopped. Just at the first sentence, Master Nan keenly detected the key within the words: "made others jealous."

In that moment, how could he endure such a stimulus?

A buzz instantly sent a rush of blood to his head; his recent unbearable burdens seemed to dissipate in an instant.

Bang! He abruptly slapped the table and shot up, his eyes instantly widening and his heart rate quickening. He almost startled the three Fengluo Sect members.

He wasn't stupid. In the Divine Fire Domain, what else could make people jealous?

He immediately realized that his brother Shi Chun might not have disappointed him; he might genuinely be able to resolve the burden he was currently facing.

He immediately steadied himself, took a deep breath, and continued to silently read the rest of the content word by word: "Someone is guarding the exit; I'm afraid they won't let me out easily. Brother Nan, if you wish to send someone in to take a look, it might not be difficult. The Refining Heaven Sect, Shudao Mountain, and Yanbao Sect each have their own ulterior motives and might facilitate it. I hope Brother Nan will bring it to fruition..."

After reading, he quickly reread the letter's content several times.

The letter seemed to lack a clear beginning or end, but it wasn't difficult to understand. It was asking for his help, telling him that the gains were significant, causing jealousy. The artifact-refining sects had guarded the exit, likely intending to play tricks, so he needed to help from the outside.

Of course, he could also sit by and do nothing. Didn't the letter say, "Brother Nan, if you wish to send someone in to take a look, it might not be difficult"? It implied no coercion, just "help if you want, as long as you don't regret it later."

However, this request for help truly stumped him, as this was not a situation he could easily control.

But what did it mean that the Refining Heaven Sect, Shudao Mountain, and Yanbao Sect would "facilitate it"? Would the three top sects in the artifact-refining world allow Master Nan to send people into the Divine Fire Domain to check? Wasn't this a joke?

What did it mean for him to send people in? It meant that the currently open Divine Fire Spirit Gate would have to close, then be reversed and opened again for people to enter. It also meant that the Divine Fire Spirit Gate would have to close and reverse again later. Master Nan didn't believe he had that much influence.

Forget Master Nan; even if the top few figures in the cultivation world came, the artifact-refining world wouldn't agree to such an absurd request. Opening and closing the Divine Fire Spirit Gate repeatedly—were they playing games? Who would be responsible if it broke down?

The Ming Shan Sect group's earlier entry was justified; regardless of their true caliber, no one could deny that it was indeed an artifact-refining sect.

However, to say that the content of the letter was nonsense seemed unlikely, as Shi Chun had already clearly stated in the letter that the three top sects in the artifact-refining world would cooperate.

"Each with their own ulterior motives"—what ulterior motives did those three sects have, and why would they cooperate with such a thing?

While he was still pondering the letter's content, the Tang Sect Leader beside him grew impatient. He needed to buy time for the disciples inside, so he reminded, "Regarding matters of the artifact-refining world, the three major sects can be said to represent it. If it's something they unanimously approve, the resistance will be much smaller. If you can also find relevant people to exert some pressure on other sects, reducing resistance for the three major sects, the chances of success are quite high."

Master Nan glanced at him, thinking, "It's easy for you to say, standing there. Do I need you to explain this principle? The key is, finding people to pressure other sects isn't as simple as opening your mouth, and time is limited now."

He was also trying to find a solution. However, the Tang Sect Leader's active and proactive stance in helping Shi Chun against the artifact-refining world piqued his curiosity. He then remembered there was a serious question he hadn't had a chance to ask, and immediately asked, "What exactly happened to Shi Chun and his group in the Divine Fire Domain?"

The Tang Sect Leader quickly pointed to Xie Wantian and Chi Anlan. "I've brought the relevant disciples from my sect for you. Feel free to ask them anything you don't understand, though their knowledge is limited."

He then turned back and instructed the two, "Answer whatever Master Nan asks. You may speak freely and tell him everything you know."

"Yes," Xie Wantian and Chi Anlan replied in unison, accepting the order.

Xie Wantian then formally replied to Master Nan, "Actually, we don't know much either. After entering the Divine Fire Domain, we only saw Shi Chun's group from a distance. We then separated from other sects when we began searching for the divine fire. We haven't seen them since, but we heard an astonishing rumor: that Shi Chun has a secret method for finding divine fire, that he's cooperating with Shudao Mountain, and has already found over a hundred divine fires..."

Even Master Nan, who wasn't from the artifact-refining circle, couldn't help but twitch his eyebrows violently upon hearing about "over a hundred divine fires." His mouth twitched as if in a spasm, and he almost doubted if he had misheard. "Over a hundred divine fires"—wasn't that incredibly exaggerated? How was that possible?

However, in Xie Wantian's subsequent statements, the same number was repeatedly mentioned, proving that he hadn't misheard.

Hearing that the various sects were acting shamelessly, uniting to pursue Shi Chun's group in order to seize the secret method for finding divine fire, Master Nan's small mustache curled up. He bared his teeth, and his eyes even showed a fierce glint.

When he heard that the leaders were the top sects in the artifact-refining world, he could only curl his lip and drop the matter.

There was nothing he could do. While he had good connections, it didn't mean he could lay a harmful hand on those top major sects.

No matter which faction they belonged to or what their profession was, anyone who stood at the peak of their field would naturally find others at the peak of different fields willing to interact.

Moreover, most of those major sects also had disciples serving as officials in the Heavenly Court or the Royal Court. This was a fixed strategy for those major sects, and some already held considerable weight. If Master Nan dared to act recklessly or touch their foundations, he would have to weigh the consequences. Did he really think top sects were easy targets?

During the narration, Li Hongjiu's stunning appearance truly impressed Master Nan. He secretly sighed, "As expected of a major sect with profound heritage; it truly produces many talented individuals!"

He knew very well that once such a talent matured, they would be able to shield the Yanbao Sect from many years of hardship.

Among the information he had gathered beforehand, he had somewhat suspected Li Hongjiu's extraordinary nature, but he never expected her cultivation talent to be so high.

While he was still secretly marveling at Li Hongjiu's formidable abilities, Xie Wantian suddenly changed the subject and spoke of Li Hongjiu finding them and arranging for them to meet with Shi Chun.

"What is all this nonsense? What's going on?" Master Nan almost couldn't comprehend it. He heard the words clearly, but he didn't understand the meaning. He quickly interrupted, "Wait, what did you say? Li Hongjiu helped Shi Chun arrange for you to meet him? Wasn't he pursuing Shi Chun? Why would he run errands for Shi Chun?"

At this, Xie Wantian gave a bitter smile. "Master Nan, we don't know what happened either, but that is indeed what occurred..."

He then continued to recount all the relevant details, holding nothing back.

As Master Nan listened, a thoughtful expression appeared on his face. He secretly counted on his fingers, calculating: Shi Chun had previously gotten involved and cooperated with Shudao Mountain. Then, he had an unclear relationship with Li Hongjiu, which meant he also had an unclear relationship with the Yanbao Sect. And then...

His gaze fell on the letter for Situ Gu on the table. He vaguely understood something; it seemed this was the reason the Refining Heaven Sect would also "facilitate it."

When he heard that Shi Chun actually had two extra divine fires that he couldn't use, Master Nan grinned widely. His haggard appearance, combined with his two small mustaches, made him look like he was foolishly grinning.

There was nothing he could do. Since the Divine Fire Pact was first enacted, there had never been a case of someone having divine fires they couldn't use and wanting to give them away. It seemed the number of divine fires Shi Chun had acquired was indeed ridiculously high. Although he didn't know how many divine fires the Refining Heaven Sect had absorbed, it was highly likely that Shi Chun's side would surpass them.

The key to turning the tide in the betting pool was clear; how could he not be happy?

He just didn't understand. Where did Shi Chun get this secret method for divine fire? For countless years, all previous Divine Fire Pact Conventions had proceeded as usual. How did Shi Chun suddenly come up with a secret method for finding divine fire as soon as he entered?

However, he finally understood why the Fengluo Sect came to run errands and deliver letters for Shi Chun, and why Shi Chun dared to let the Fengluo Sect see the letter's contents. So that's how it was! It truly amused him; his mouth couldn't help but split open like Wu Jinliang's.