Chapter 421: Each Harboring Hidden Motives

He set the bar so low, essentially disqualifying even his own daughter, yet he remained completely unconcerned.

There was, in fact, nothing for him to worry about.

He had already thought through this matter ever since he prepared to exclude the Mingshan Sect from the competition. He could implement it effortlessly.

As for the oath his daughter and Shi Chun had sworn – that Shudao Mountain would not compete with Mingshan Sect for first place, or they would meet a terrible end –

He didn't believe he had violated the oath. Was Shudao Mountain even competing with Mingshan Sect? Mingshan Sect didn't even qualify to participate. Shudao Mountain was contending with other parties, not with them.

Before anyone else could speak, or rather, not daring to wait for certain individuals to voice their opinions, Luo Yan immediately interjected, "There's no need to lower the threshold to two Spirit Flames. Our primary target is the Mingshan Sect group; there's no need to alienate the entire artifact-refining world."

He had to quickly define the terms, for if the majority agreed, his subsequent opposition would be seen as imposing his will. The principle of majority rule applied everywhere.

By speaking first, the authority of the leading sect still held sway, making others deliberate whether to openly challenge him.

He was actually aware of Gu Yanduo's intentions. While others might not know how many Spirit Flames the Shudao Mountain disciples had absorbed, he had an informant within their ranks. Could the information relayed back to him be inaccurate?

Gu's daughter must have absorbed at least five Spirit Flames, and among their disciples who absorbed Spirit Flames, there were also those from the second and even third tiers.

This was why they were so confident and fearless. If others dared to disqualify Gu's daughter from the competition, Shudao Mountain would eliminate all the top elites from other sects, clearing the path for their own second and third-tier disciples.

Since his daughter had genuinely acquired the Spirit Flames, whether she personally claimed first place was irrelevant; as long as a Shudao Mountain disciple won, that was all that mattered.

Qu Wuming quickly echoed his agreement, "Indeed. It's not necessarily targeting the Mingshan Sect, but rather that some individuals have overstepped their bounds. While we may not openly state it, we must clearly define the boundaries for everyone in the cultivation world. The artifact-refining world is not a mere showpiece. Anyone who crosses its bottom line will be met with firm retaliation."

He couldn't afford to disagree. His underperforming disciple, Li Hongjiu, had reluctantly absorbed more than two Spirit Flames, even being begged by other disciples to do so. Setting the threshold at just two would be unacceptable.

While his disciple might be disappointing in some ways, his talent was undeniable. With the blessing of the Spirit Flames, there was still a strong possibility of him winning the championship. He couldn't allow him to be disqualified.

His eager agreement with Luo Yan was also to build momentum. With both the largest and third-largest sects opposing, it would put considerable pressure on anyone else intending to agree with the initial proposal.

Su Qiao, the Sect Master of Extreme Flame Sect, found himself in a state of indecision, unsure whether to object. Their hope for the championship, Black Tiger, had been killed. Although Yin Tianlu had also benefited from Black Tiger and absorbed some Spirit Flames, Su Qiao was still contemplating whether Yin Tianlu possessed the strength to claim victory.

If winning was out of the question regardless, should he simply drag the other major sects down with them?

However, he had already brought out their ultimate treasure, the 'Broken Wasteland Blade.' Could he simply give up now?

The main issue was that he also had no clear idea how many Spirit Flames other sects had acquired. If Yin Tianlu still had a chance at winning, agreeing with Gu Yanduo's two-Spirit-Flame proposal would be a self-inflicted wound.

As he hesitated, Luo Yan, the Sect Master of Sky Refining Sect, preempted him. Just as he recovered, Qu Wuming, the Sect Master of Treasure Origin Sect, spoke up before him again.

When he finally prepared to speak, Meng Tianyang, the Head of Golden Aspect Hall, interjected first, "Sect Master Luo and Sect Master Qu are correct. We are targeting the Mingshan Sect, not the entire artifact-refining world. All other sects will continue to compete under the old rules, each relying on their own abilities. Rules should not be altered lightly. Let's proceed as Headmaster Gu initially suggested: those who acquire more than ten Spirit Flames will be disqualified from the final decisive competition."

He, too, was unclear about how many Spirit Flames each sect had acquired. What did Gu Yanduo mean by drawing the line at two Spirit Flames? Could the rumors be false, and Shudao Mountain hadn't actually obtained that many Spirit Flames?

However, his Golden Aspect Hall had entered the Spirit Flame Domain with a hidden advantage. They had already acquired seven Spirit Flames, with the leading disciple, Mi Liangmeng, personally absorbing four. Combined with Mi Liangmeng's exceptional talent in artifact refining, older generations who had absorbed Spirit Flames estimated that he might not be inferior to someone who had absorbed six or seven Spirit Flames.

Golden Aspect Hall had planned to play innocent and then reveal their true strength. They couldn't allow others to arbitrarily establish a rule, a two-Spirit-Flame threshold, and disqualify their own elites.

He had initially wanted to set the disqualification threshold at five Spirit Flames, but deemed it too obvious, fearing it would reveal their true capabilities.

Nevertheless, his words instantly drew the astonished and uncertain gazes of sect masters and high-ranking officials from various factions. Even Gu Yanduo secretly whispered his doubts, let alone the other sects.

Just then, Xiao Youhong, the Head of Grand Ming Pavilion, the sixth-ranked sect in the artifact-refining world, seemed to awaken from a semi-slumbering state. He let out a soft sigh and declared, "Very well, then. Violators who have acquired more than ten Spirit Flames shall be disqualified from the competition. Those who have not exceeded this number are exempt."

Among the sect masters, he appeared to be the oldest. However, his aged appearance was merely due to being a late bloomer, having achieved breakthroughs in certain realms later in life.

Thus, in the cultivation world, one's age was generally not judged by their outward appearance.

His declaration once again drew the gazes of everyone present.

The reactions from the various sects at the scene surprised Gu Yanduo considerably. Gu Lianni had absorbed seven Spirit Flames, and he had set the boundary at ten, intending to leave room for negotiation. He hadn't anticipated that he wouldn't need to concede even a single one.

Now, it was his turn to be secretly surprised and suspicious. "Could someone here be playing the long game, hiding their true strength? Could someone actually have absorbed ten Spirit Flames?"

With so many already in agreement, what more could others say? With influential figures leading the way and facing the outcome of the minority yielding to the majority, the matter was thus settled.

All that remained was to gather the sect masters from the participating factions to inform them. Once the ten major sects had reached an agreement, and if they chose not to support the factions that had been approached by Young Master Qian's group, those factions would find themselves without leverage and with no right to object.

Naturally, Young Master Qian's threats also had to be relayed. What he said was logical: regarding the unauthorized pursuit within the Spirit Flame Domain, his demand for supervision was entirely reasonable.

Not everyone could leave the mountaintop, as the Spirit Flame Gate was still open. After a portion of their personnel remained to guard it, the ten major sects gradually descended the mountain.

As they descended the winding stone steps, Luo Yan, the Sect Master of Sky Refining Sect, who was bringing up the rear, suddenly paused, gazing intently at the various sect leaders making their way down the mountain.

An elder who had stopped alongside him inquired, "What's the matter?"

With a profound gaze, Luo Yan slowly remarked, "There's something unusually off about these people this time..." He then turned and fixed his eyes on Situ Gu, saying, "Junior Brother, Qian She cannot truly represent the Qian family. You should understand why I agreed to that fellow's unreasonable demands this time."

For him, winning the Spirit Flame Alliance championship had become a secondary concern. His actions earlier, in front of the other sects, had merely been a diversion.

Situ Gu nodded slightly, understanding that his Sect Master had simply gone with the flow because of his earlier words.

Luo Yan said, "Good that you understand. I'll ask again: are you certain you can find Shi Chun once you enter?"

Situ Gu was confident in this matter. He nodded and replied, "It shouldn't be a major issue. I should be able to find him."

"Good," Luo Yan lowered his voice. "The 'Rebirth Mirror' is in our possession. We will send additional personnel inside to provide cover for you. Find him, bring him out secretly. Inform us of any cooperation you require; you will have full access to all available personnel."

Situ Gu nodded silently.

Only after receiving a clear affirmation did Luo Yan gracefully descend the mountain.

Back in the main hall of their temporary courtyard, Gu Yanduo turned and waved his hand. The door creaked shut, and the flickering firelight danced across the faces within the room.

Gu Yanduo's gaze swept across the assembled individuals as he stated gravely, "Shi Chun's cooperative relationship with us remains. Gu Lianni also swore a solemn oath to him. The fact that he demonstrated the 'Fire God Incense' in front of Gu Lianni and others suggests he likely never intended to conceal the secret method for finding Spirit Flames from us. He has limited options, and the cost of choosing a new ally is too high. We remain his best choice, so it's highly probable he's still seeking an opportunity to contact us. This is our advantage. Deploy ample personnel; you must find him before anyone else and retrieve him secretly. Once he is located, first destroy the 'Rebirth Mirror' at the exit..."

At the temporary courtyard where Grand Ming Pavilion was staying, after their group descended from the mountain and entered, Pavilion Master Xiao Youhong settled onto the main couch in a cross-legged position.

An elder personally closed the main door. Upon his return, he chuckled softly and whispered, "Everyone, judging by their discussion just now, it seems no sect has absorbed more than ten Spirit Flames. This implies that the ten Spirit Flames absorbed by Luo Shengsheng might be the highest count."

Luo Shengsheng was Grand Ming Pavilion's leading disciple for this assembly.

Grand Ming Pavilion had not involved itself in the pursuit of the Mingshan Sect group within the Spirit Flame Domain this time. The reason was that they had brought a secret weapon into the domain: a secret treasure, refined over several generations, known as the 'Flame-Stabilizing Divine Needle.'

Grand Ming Pavilion had discovered many Spirit Flames this time, and their leader, Luo Shengsheng, had absorbed the most—precisely ten Spirit Flames of various types.

Given such a strong advantage, why would Grand Ming Pavilion's participants waste time on endless pursuits? It was better to quietly amass their gains.

Another elder smiled faintly and said, "I heard Shi Chun's group found hundreds of Spirit Flames. We even thought our 'Flame-Stabilizing Divine Needle' was born at an inopportune time. I never expected them to pull such a stunt, forcibly altering the competition rules and directly kicking the Mingshan Sect group out of the contest. I was utterly bewildered when I heard it – such a fortunate turn of events! I almost burst out laughing." He chuckled, rubbing his forehead continuously.

Yet another elder hesitated, "The Mingshan Sect has three disciples who practice fire-attribute cultivation methods..."

The elder who had been laughing released his hand and waved it dismissively, "You're overthinking it. Gu Yanduo's daughter has been involved with the Mingshan Sect group for so long. The one Gu Yanduo intended to disqualify is definitely the artifact refiner among them. The other two, who are not artifact refiners, even if the Spirit Flames they absorbed are within the permissible limits, couldn't possibly learn artifact refining in such a short time, let alone compete. Otherwise, everyone in the artifact-refining world might as well bash their heads against a tofu block and die."

Xiao Youhong, seated cross-legged, spoke in a half-awake, half-asleep tone, "None of them are easy to deal with. No one can say what will happen until the very end. Mind your words! I won't attend the meeting with the other sect masters; one of you should go in my stead."