Chapter 452: A Real Character

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In a competition designed to make one stand out, only using one divine flame when four were available made it difficult not to attract attention. Fortunately, Tong Mingshan was not foolish; with so many people watching him, it was impossible for him not to notice the anomaly as he glanced around, yet he was not in a hurry to change.

He used a white flame to refine stardust, having his own considerations. He wanted to know if using the Samadhi True Fire would be recognized; his previous assessment was that it wouldn't be easily identified during the day, but that was just a guess. While everyone was observing him, he was also observing everyone else. After seeing no one react with surprise, he released the black flame to continue his cautious observation. It was only then that Shi Chun looked thoughtful, likely having guessed Tong Mingshan's intentions.

By the time he confirmed there were no issues, half of the allotted time had already passed.

Suddenly, someone in the competition arena extinguished the flames in their hands, slowly walked out, and, under everyone's watchful eyes, approached the host in the center. This person had already completed the first round of refining ahead of everyone else. It was none other than Luo Shengsheng, a disciple of the Daming Pavilion, the bald man whose elegant and aloof demeanor was tinged with a hint of dark charm. In one hand, he held a glowing red sphere, smaller than a fist, from which heat still rippled like waves.

At this moment, he was the center of attention. Coupled with his appearance and bearing, his entire being exuded the aura of a first-place winner, inspiring admiration. Many disciples from Daming Pavilion cheered. Pavilion Master Xiao Youhong, whose aged and habitually droopy eyelids had long been closed, now opened them wide, his eyes bright and piercing, as he nodded slightly with a hint of appreciation.

Gu Lianni, who was controlling seven-colored flames for her refining, looked up at Luo Shengsheng, who had already finished, and immediately felt a surge of anxiety. For her, this was not just about winning or losing; it also concerned the honor of her sect. Although her seven divine flames were fewer than his ten, if the gap widened too much, how could she bear the shame? Especially since she was also the daughter of the Shudao Mountain sect leader. Her status was sometimes a burden. She immediately sped up her refining motions. A father knows his daughter best. Gu Yanduo's brows furrowed slightly; he could see his daughter was anxious and eager for quick success.

However, for the audience present, the person everyone most wanted to compare and watch at that moment was still Li Hongjiu. Everyone had now heard Li Hongjiu's earlier arrogant boast: that as long as he, Li Hongjiu, was present, Luo Shengsheng would be unable to win the championship. No one knew where he got the confidence to say such a thing. As it appeared now, his words seemed somewhat exaggerated; Li Hongjiu was still working intensely, while Luo Shengsheng had already finished.

The Yanbao Sect wasn't deaf either; they had naturally heard their own Li Hongjiu's arrogant boast. As the saying goes, words are not spoken without reason. Everyone in the Yanbao Sect, including Sect Master Qu Wuming, was closely watching Li Hongjiu's reaction, hoping he would pull off some extraordinary feat, just as he had suddenly displayed astonishing ability in the Divine Flame Domain. Everyone hoped Li Hongjiu would give them a surprise. However, observing Li Hongjiu's current actions, although he wasn't slacking off, he seemed rather unremarkable. Compared to his opponent, nothing stood out, and his main rival had almost certainly won the first round.

Even the most composed individuals were now finding it hard to maintain their composure. Elder Li Qianqiu quietly asked, "Was Hongjiu's arrogant boast genuine confidence, or was he just joking?" An elder nearby quietly replied, "Even you and I wouldn't have absolute certainty of surpassing the refining power of ten divine flames. A difference of three divine flames is too great." Li Qianqiu wondered, "Then why make such a statement? It will only invite ridicule later, and the Sect Master will again be embarrassed by him." Upon hearing this, Qu Wuming calmly offered a fitting assessment: "He definitely can't win. At that time, he probably wanted to provoke his opponent into a fight."

As soon as these words were spoken, all those from the Yanbao Sect who heard them suddenly understood. They grasped the unspoken meaning: that scoundrel Li Hongjiu had wanted to seize the opportunity to disqualify Luo Shengsheng from the competition, but he hadn't succeeded. Li Qianqiu, understanding, couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile. "Honestly, that Hongjiu fellow has quite a few crooked ideas." Qu Wuming sighed, saying with a touch of melancholy, "He's clever, but he lacks proper discipline and doesn't follow the righteous path." An elder nearby comforted him, saying, "You can't blame him; he's done his best. It's just that too many people secretly held back their true abilities this year. In previous sessions, three divine flames would have been plenty; they wouldn't have appeared in such a cluster like this. On the other hand, being able to fight and control a situation is also a skill, and our Yanbao Sect needs such people." Qu Wuming didn't respond verbally, but he muttered to himself. How could he not understand this principle? But the problem was, if he was unreliable and couldn't take over as sect master, then no matter how good he was at fighting, he would just be a mere enforcer!

In the spectator stands, everyone from the Laintian Sect, the number one sect in the refining world, had rather grim expressions. There were simply too many strong competitors this time, and they all knew that the Laintian Sect was doomed to lose, completely out of the running for the championship. Sect Master Luo Yan's face showed no expression, but a hint of gloom was visible in his eyes. For him, winning the championship was now secondary. The biggest problem was the potential displayed by other sects, which would challenge the Laintian Sect's standing. Therefore, the secret method for finding divine flames would be especially important for the Laintian Sect. Luo Yan's gaze intentionally or unintentionally drifted towards Shi Chun. He then couldn't help but turn his head to look at Mulan Jin's location on the mountaintop, wondering if things would turn out well for Shi Chun.

Regarding the competition, Situ Gu said he was paying attention, but not very much; he was occasionally whispering explanations to Zhen'er, who understood nothing. However, he didn't need to speak out loud to answer; with his cultivation at the Heavenly Immortal realm, he could transmit sound secretly. Zhen'er, newly arrived in the mortal world, was curious about many things. Situ Gu still seemed to be the "little brother" who was once under her command, and this "little brother's" future could also be said to have been given by her.

On the field, Zuo Zisheng, as the competition disciple from the number one sect in the refining world, felt even greater pressure and likewise did not want to lose too badly. Just then, his eyes flashed as he looked towards Gu Lianni. The flames in Gu Lianni's hands had already extinguished, and she too came forward, holding a glowing red iron sphere. She walked proudly towards the referee, immediately earning a round of cheers from the Shudao Mountain disciples. Zuo Zisheng grew even more anxious. Not getting first or second would be one thing, but if he couldn't even secure a spot within the top six, how could he, an outstanding disciple of the number one sect, bear the shame? So he intensified his efforts with his hands.

Young Master Nan on the mountainside, however, found it amusing. Estimating that things were settled and stable, he even had someone bring a chair so he could sit back and enjoy the show at leisure.

In the center of the arena, at the referee's stand, the personnel responsible for verification were also jointly sent by the Ten Great Sects. The surface of the glowing red iron sphere Luo Shengsheng had refined had already turned black, becoming indigo. After weighing, it met the standard of three jin and six liang, and was then successively inspected by verification personnel from the Ten Sects, who confirmed its impurity content also met the standard. Thus, he was the first to successfully pass. Therefore, he didn't need to leave the arena and could return to his competition spot to rest. As he passed by the approaching Gu Lianni, both of them turned their heads to look at each other.

Gu Lianni slightly raised her chin, revealing a hint of defiance. She wasn't sure what psychological reason prompted this action, but deep down, she knew it was because her opponent was the strongest present and his appearance and demeanor were very attractive to women. She wanted to attract his attention. Luo Shengsheng, however, simply cast a casual glance at the finished product in her hand, then looked straight ahead, his gaze devoid of any emotion. That disdain and disregard were so obvious, and it deeply hurt Gu Lianni's self-esteem. After her item was submitted for inspection, it also successfully passed, securing her qualification to remain in the arena and continue the competition.

When returning to her competition spot, she deliberately controlled herself not to look at Luo Shengsheng again. Instead, she looked at Tong Mingshan, observing his progress, as she had always been doubtful about the number of divine flames he had absorbed. At this moment, Tong Mingshan was also using four divine flames of different colors simultaneously.

Not long after, Mi Liangmeng of the Golden Aspect Hall, ranked fifth in the refining world and having absorbed four divine flames, also stopped his refining actions. He came forward holding a glowing red iron sphere, likewise earning a round of cheers from the Golden Aspect Hall disciples. It seemed as if he had surpassed Tong Mingshan, who had also absorbed four divine flames.

However, the Mingshan Sect group remained remarkably calm, with no sign of discomfort on their faces. They quietly watched the competition, their gazes often not even on Tong Mingshan, as if winning or losing had nothing to do with them. The nearby Bailian Sect, however, was much more nervous and concerned than them. After noticing the Mingshan Sect's calm reaction, these neighbors understood, assuming it was simply normal for them to consider themselves no match for the larger sects. Little did they know that An Wuzhi and Zhu Xiangxin, who were watching the mirror outside the Qi Cloud Valley exit, were equally calm and well-aware of the situation. They saw that Tong Mingshan was merely pretending to be low-key. How else could it be? Grand Sect Master Tong had absorbed over twenty-six divine flames and had even refined two stages of the Samadhi True Fire; how could he possibly fail even the preliminary screening? Of course, both still regretted not being able to watch the event live.

Zuo Zisheng, the Laintian Sect contestant, finally lived up to his desperate efforts. With the strength gained from absorbing three divine flames, he managed to finish before Tong Mingshan. As he stepped forward, he immediately looked back at Tong Mingshan, let out a sigh of relief, and, holding the glowing red iron sphere, quickly walked towards the referee's central area.

Yanbao Sect Master Qu Wuming looked at Li Hongjiu, who was still busy, and frowned. Tong Mingshan also looked up and glanced at Zuo Zisheng. Then his hands sped up their movements; a large amount of dross began to fall from the refining fire ball, until only a glowing red, swirling liquid iron sphere remained. He withdrew his four-colored flames, extended one palm to hold the sphere, then calmly walked out, also heading towards the referee's central area.

Seeing him finish his work, Shi Chun smiled slightly.

"Good!" Wu Jinliang was the first to let out a whoop, then started wailing excitedly, "Once the Sect Master appears!" Only half a sentence was spoken, with the latter half missing. The Mingshan Sect group was stunned for a moment, then Chu Jingdang loudly continued, and the others then joined in the shouting. Wu Jinliang shouted again, "Once the Sect Master appears!" The Mingshan Sect group immediately chanted in unison. Shi Chun felt he still needed to maintain a refined appearance under everyone's gaze. Cheerfully picking his ear with his pinky finger, he regarded the Mingshan Sect group as a foil to highlight his own decorum.

"Once the Sect Master appears!"

The shouting repeated endlessly. Those outside the mirror couldn't hear, but those inside the arena all looked like they were watching idiots again, realizing this group truly had no shame. They had been utterly defeated by several contestants, yet they still wanted to compete? Chu Jingdang and a few others found it undignified, but the key was that Wu Jinliang shamelessly kept shouting. They felt awkward not supporting him, as it would otherwise seem they weren't united enough. They weren't so high-profile before. In their original sects, they wouldn't have had the standing or dared to be so conspicuous. Heaven knows how they gradually became like this. Of course, they felt unnatural at first, but after shouting for a long time, they got used to it; after all, they weren't shouting alone.

Finally, the presiding elder in the arena couldn't stand it anymore. He used his magic and shouted, "Silence! Do not interfere with other people's competition!" Upon hearing this, Wu Jinliang immediately became displeased and loudly retorted, "When other sects were shouting, why didn't you stop them? When the Laintian Sect was just shouting, why didn't you stop them?" The presiding elder said in a deep voice, "Don't you think you've been shouting for too long? It will affect other people's competition." Wu Jinliang's retort came instantly: "Laintian Sect has many people; more people are shouting, and the sound interference is even greater. Why don't you say anything about that? We have fewer people, so what's wrong with shouting a few more times to cheer for our sect master? Aren't you just bullying us because we're a small sect? If you, a major sect like Lihuo Sect, have the guts, try scolding us again."

These words immediately drew a ripple of snickers from the audience. Mulan Jin on the mountaintop also smiled faintly as she looked over, muttering, "What a character." Everyone from the Lihuo Sect had strained expressions. Young Master Nan, watching from the mountainside, also found it hard to sit still. He stood up, looking speechless, realizing that Wu Hehei's high-profile behavior was just as remarkable as his tall stature.

"You..." The presiding elder was also left speechless. He gritted his teeth, about to use his authority as host to issue a warning. Fortunately, Shi Chun did not merely stand by. He reprimanded Wu Jinliang, "You shut up!" He then repeatedly clasped his hands in apology towards the presiding elder, making it seem as if he was the only refined person from the Mingshan Sect. The Bailian Sect group nearby looked at the Mingshan Sect group as if they were watching monsters, or rather, realized how audacious these people were. Setting aside everything else, the Lihuo Sect was not a small sect; how could they dare to speak to them like that? At the very least, his Bailian Sect wouldn't dare.

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