Chapter 436: Passing the Test

Reaching the valley entrance, they found themselves unable to re-enter. Regardless of whether one was a participant in the Divine Fire Covenant, once they exited, re-entry was forbidden.

Feeling lost and bewildered, Zhu Xiangxin didn't know where to go. She sat dazedly on a hillside near the valley entrance, her mind adrift in a maelstrom of thoughts.

It wasn't long before a familiar voice from the valley entrance roused her. Looking over, she saw a familiar figure in the night—none other than An Wuzhi. He too had been stopped by the guards at the entrance and was not allowed to re-enter. Reasoning with them was useless; the guards declared, "Rules are rules."

In fact, more than one group had managed to break the rules and enter.

"Brother An," Zhu Xiangxin called out, craning her neck.

An Wuzhi looked back, a little startled to see her. He realized he had been so preoccupied that he hadn't noticed someone sitting nearby. He immediately stopped arguing with the guards and walked over, silently taking a seat beside Zhu Xiangxin, appearing very quiet.

Zhu Xiangxin tentatively asked, "You didn't go back to your sect?"

An Wuzhi glanced at her and couldn't help but chuckle. "If our sect knew we absorbed so much divine fire, do you think we would have been able to return to this exit so quickly?"

His words made Zhu Xiangxin hug her knees and gaze at the stars.

An Wuzhi also sighed, looking up at the sky. "This is truly disheartening! We've been imprisoned for over half a year, and not a single person has inquired about us. And I still haven't fully grasped the situation, still clinging to a glimmer of hope. The Grand Boss was right; if people like us return and outshine certain individuals, they might not tolerate us. Oh well, it's better to sever all ties completely and have no more worries. I refuse to believe that with money, we can't find suitable cultivation techniques. Besides, the Grand Boss is resourceful; we'll ask him for ideas later. Let's not sit here guarding the gate anymore. Let's go." With that, he stood up.

Zhu Xiangxin turned her head to look up. "Where are we going?"

An Wuzhi replied, "Where else? To where Duan Xiangmei and the others are staying."

Oh, right. Zhu Xiangxin then remembered that although she had left her home sect, she wasn't alone. She still had companions outside the valley. Remembering the delicate young woman who helped everyone with chores, her mood immediately brightened considerably. She abruptly stood up and said, "Let's go find Xiangmei!"

The two descended the hillside together.

The search process was not without its twists and turns. Their rooms at the inn hadn't been vacated, but the people weren't there...

The Lihuo Sect disciples, who had come to deliver the new rules, promptly left after informing them. Shi Chun's loud laughter echoed as he threw his head back. The Lihuo Sect disciples looked back several times before quickening their pace and departing.

In the courtyard, the group stared at Shi Chun, who was on the verge of tears from laughter.

After he finally managed to stop, Young Master Nan walked over and patted his shoulder. "You can still laugh? These new rules are clearly aimed at you, trying to probe your limits. If that doesn't work, they'll probably keep modifying the rules."

Shi Chun waved his hand. "That's exactly what I'm laughing at! The entire artifact-refining world is repeatedly changing rules just to target me. I, Shi Chun, have reached a point where this happens. What an honor! Isn't that worth a rare laugh?"

Young Master Nan shook his head slightly, thought for a moment, and then reminded him, "This Divine Fire Covenant matter is only a big deal to the artifact-refining world. In the eyes of the entire cultivation world, the Divine Fire Domain itself isn't a huge concern."

Shi Chun chuckled twice. "I just think the methods of the artifact-refining world are rather unimpressive and primitive."

Young Master Nan sighed. "No matter how primitive, they're the ones in charge. You have to accept the qualification verification for the competition, whether you agree or not."

"Agree? Of course, we'll agree." Shi Chun said, then cheerfully waved to Tong Mingshan. "Sect Leader, come on, I'll go with you."

Amidst the laughter, there was also a sense of resignation, of being manipulated and squeezed. For something even Tong Mingshan himself wasn't confident about, Shi Chun could only accompany him to give it a try.

There was nothing to delay; the sooner they were verified, the sooner they could deal with the aftermath.

When he went to accompany them, he wasn't the only one; the entire group followed along.

The verification took place at the same location as the competition registration: a hall within Qi Yun Valley used for official business.

After the new rules were announced, the verification process was once again controlled by the Ten Great Sects. Each sect sent an elder with personnel to oversee it.

Previously, only about a hundred people had registered for the event in total. Currently, thirty to forty people who had heard the news were already queuing. Shi Chun and his group weren't early arrivals; though they were at the back of the line, they had already attracted the attention of the various sects.

At the elders' stations from each sect, people continuously reported to them in whispers, causing them to glance outwards frequently. The people they were waiting for had arrived.

The so-called verification involved placing a mirror, named the 'Fire Soul Primordial Light Mirror,' within the hall. Originally, it was a treasure used for observing the heat during artifact refining, but now it was used for this test. When a person stood before the mirror to be examined, the extent of their fire affinity would be revealed within the treasured mirror.

Those entering formed a long queue at the main entrance, while those exiting used a side door.

Upon entering the hall, anyone standing beneath the mirror would have their reflection in the mirror display a faint, ethereal flame.

After passing, they would leave the mirror, have their identity verified, and be recorded in the register, thus completing the verification process and departing.

Each person's verification was quick, wasting little time. Most of those who could rush to be verified immediately were individuals who had absorbed one divine fire.

Even though they had only absorbed one divine fire, it was already something envied by most artifact refiners.

When Shi Chun's group entered the hall, an elder overseeing the process pointed at them and called out, "Are all of you registered participants?"

Young Master Nan cheerfully replied, "Can't we just follow in and watch? You didn't say observers weren't allowed when you gave notice."

Someone pressed the elder's arm, stopping the confrontational argument. Then, a conciliatory voice replied, "Observers shouldn't mix in with the queue. Observers, please step out and stand to the side."

Consequently, over twenty people rustled out and stood to the side. There was no helping it; ten were from the Bright Mountain Sect, and another dozen or so were with Young Master Nan.

The queue immediately shortened significantly.

While observing from the side, unlike being at the back, they watched each person undergoing verification and finally understood what the 'verification' was all about.

Soon, it was Tong Mingshan's turn. The moment he stepped forward, not only was he nervous, but Shi Chun's heart also tightened.

The others from the Bright Mountain Sect, including Wu Jinliang, were still unsure what was happening.

Young Master Nan was naturally more puzzled, feeling there was no need for this verification. He had even thought there was no need to register in the first place. He couldn't figure out what Shi Chun was up to, and Shi Chun refused to explain the situation to him. So he was quite curious to see how many divine fires Tong Mingshan had absorbed, enough to make Shi Chun so hesitant and embarrassed to tell the truth.

After Tong Mingshan stood ready before the mirror, the person operating the 'Fire Soul Primordial Light Mirror' cast a spell to control the treasure. Immediately, a faint light from the mirror shone upon Tong Mingshan. Before long, Tong Mingshan's reflection in the mirror began to waver and blur, and four faint, ethereal flames of black, white, red, and cyan subtly flickered within the image.

"What the hell? Only four?" Young Master Nan's eyes widened, almost popping out of their sockets, his face filled with disbelief. He looked at Tong Mingshan, then at the relieved Shi Chun. What was going on? What did this mean?

He finally understood why this group dared to come for inspection.

At the same time, he completely failed to understand whether those artifact-refining sects were inexperienced or what, that they would unite to suppress them over such a trivial amount.

The Bright Mountain Sect group, including Wu Jinliang, snapped out of their daze, all experiencing a sudden realization. They exchanged glances, vaguely understanding what was going on, because they knew Tong Mingshan had absorbed twenty-six divine fires and even fused them into two true fires.

They now understood how the four divine fires in the mirror reflection came to be.

Their gazes gradually shifted towards Shi Chun. No wonder! So this is how it could be played—a hidden lethal move to stab them in the back.

One by one, a playful glint appeared in their eyes. They felt that this time, the stakes were quite high, and the scheme was incredibly devious.

They realized that no matter what decisions the Grand Boss made, he never truly disappointed them. They were now greatly looking forward to the scene where Tong Mingshan would step forward and compete against the various sects of the artifact-refining world.

After daydreaming, Wu Jinliang couldn't help but grin mischievously again.

Tong Mingshan looked back at Shi Chun. Shi Chun offered a slight, smiling nod.

The person holding the treasure seemed unable to believe his eyes, thus wasting a considerable amount of time on Tong Mingshan. After repeated verification, he announced, "Tong Mingshan, four divine fires. Next!"

When the announcement carried out, the people in the queue behind were already astir with exclamations of surprise.

Before this, it had always been one divine fire at a time, without even a single person showing two. Four divine fires was already an astonishing number for those in line.

Of course, upon hearing the name 'Tong Mingshan,' everyone found it strange. According to what they had heard in the Divine Fire Domain, it shouldn't have been only four.

As Tong Mingshan was about to step away, an elder overseeing the process abruptly stood up and shouted, "Wait!"

The activity on site halted. The elder personally walked over and dismissed the treasure handler. He then stepped forward himself, personally operating the 'Fire Soul Primordial Light Mirror' to verify Tong Mingshan. After confirming that there were indeed only four divine fires, he withdrew, still perplexed.

However, the other elders still didn't believe him, suspecting some collusion or a staged act. So, others stepped forward themselves to personally operate the magic treasure for verification.

It wasn't just one elder distrusting everyone; rather, no one trusted the elders from other sects. Each insisted on performing the verification themselves.

A few unresigned individuals even directly laid hands on Tong Mingshan. This action, however, made Shi Chun nervous.

For Tong Mingshan, however, this was actually easier to handle. His true fire was formed by the fusion of twelve different divine fires, so he could artificially manipulate each true fire to mimic the fire properties of any of the twelve different divine fires, allowing him to choose any one for others to perceive.

After confirming that there were indeed only four types of divine fires, the elders from the Ten Great Sects could only accept this reality. They silently glanced at each other and returned to their seats.

Only at this moment did they truly understand why Tong Mingshan dared to register for the competition despite the new rules. So, it was just four divine fires. With four divine fires, why wouldn't one register and try? Anyone would try, right?

Some elders felt a weight lift from their minds. They knew Tong Mingshan couldn't possibly outperform their own disciples. If four divine fires were enough to surpass their own disciples and win the championship, then it could only mean that an unparalleled prodigy had emerged in the artifact-refining world.

"That's enough, it's fine," an elder said, waving his hand as a signal to let him go.

Only then did Tong Mingshan turn and leave, heading to the registry verification area to re-enter his name.

The Bright Mountain Sect group, who had been anxiously watching, secretly let out a sigh of relief.

Shi Chun, now feeling confident, immediately spoke up loudly. "Earlier, while queuing outside, I heard many people saying this competition is unfair. They claim that those who exited early had ample time to rest, while those who came out later are exhausted and haven't had enough rest. They'll have to compete in a semi-fatigued state against others who are at their peak. I, Shi Chun, deeply agree with this. After all, my Bright Mountain Sect will also participate in the competition. So, on behalf of the participants from all sects, I ask you elders: how do you intend to ensure fairness in this regard?"