Convincing arguments don't need too many words, just one or two sentences suffice.

People in the lakeside lodge moved overnight to Shi Chun's mansion.

Upon seeing Duan Xiangmei, Xiang Laner and Feng Chi were a bit curious.

However, when Duan Xiangmei saw the beauty of Xiang Laner, she was clearly somewhat ashamed of herself. Wu Jinliang noticed this and quietly spoke ill of Xiang Laner behind her back, saying she had come from a brothel. Then Duan Xiangmei immediately regained her confidence, showing considerable care towards Xiang Laner as if afraid of hurting her feelings.

Wu Jinliang smirked and walked away.

But his laughter didn't last long. The very next day, as he was about to go out for fun, he called out to Shi Chun, who was standing on his own mansion's terrace looking at the distant waterfall, only to be stopped by Shi Chun who turned to him.

Then, he was not allowed to go out, as Shi Chun imposed a restriction on him, barring him from indulging in frivolities. Everyone else could go out, except for him, Wu Jinliang, forcing him to focus and enter a state of cultivation.

With persuasion filled with deep concern, they now had money, leisure, and cultivation resources. If they didn't seize the moment to enhance their cultivation now, then when?

Wu Jinliang was reluctant and sighed, "Chun Tian, after suffering so much in the Land of Exile, I've finally come out to live freely. Can't I just enjoy myself for a while? You shouldn't be so hard on yourself or on me."

Shi Chun was silent for a moment, then bluntly told him, "Jinliang, I can't stop and wait for you!"

He was aware of his own progress in refining the Demon Flames in his cultivation, which was exceptionally fast compared to others. Continuously like this, the gap between himself and Wu Jinliang would only widen. Unable to keep up to another level, he would have to seek helpers from a different level, leaving Wu Jinliang confined to this current level.

Wu Jinliang seemed touched and fell silent.

Shi Chun added, "I'm not pressuring you for the sake of it, but we can't turn back now. If I don't push you, sooner or later someone else will. You're well aware that after the novelty of the Sky Rain Meteor Conference wears off, it won't be a big deal. Once people lose interest in you, what will you have left for them to find intriguing? Do you really want them to regard you as a simpleton?"

"Fine, I'll cultivate," Wu Jinliang grudgingly turned and went back inside.

Then, Shi Chun announced to everyone there that the two of them were officially entering a secluded cultivation state.

He had to intensively refine the Demon Flames within him.

Xiang Laner also reported this situation to her superiors, who, after deliberation, granted them a batch of cultivation resources. She and Feng Chi also entered a secluded cultivation state together.

The daily chores of the residence were mostly handed over to Duan Xiangmei. Since everyone was in secluded cultivation, there weren't many chores left to do. Wu Jinliang didn't mistreat her either; she also entered a semi-secluded state with sufficient cultivation resources that Wu Jinliang managed.

Certainly, her cultivation level was low, only at the Initial Upper Martial Realm, but what Wu Jinliang gave her far surpassed anything she could earn from her hard labor outside. Not to mention the money he gave her, he gave her several bottles of Longevity Pills to use, the ones with a hundred pills each.

Wu Jinliang now had higher-grade Refining Pills to use, downgrading his view on Longevity Pills. This wasn't to say he disregarded them completely; it was more of fulfilling his promise to take care of her for the time being.

Duan Xiangmei was momentarily ecstatic, never having expected she could live such a life abundant with cultivation resources. Knowing her weaker cultivation status, she seized every opportunity to cultivate.

She cherished her current life and was thankful to Wu Jinliang. Every time Wu Jinliang came out to tease her, she felt sweet and adoring towards him.

Occasionally, Feng Chi would also do some chores, maintaining her servant status.

Duan Xiangmei didn't understand why Wu Jinliang asked her to secretly watch Xiang Laner and Feng Chi more carefully and report any anomalies to him. It was clear Wu Jinliang wanted her to be cautious.

This made her realize that not everything was peaceful within this household.

Such quiet days, almost undisturbed except for occasional appearances by Young Master Nan.

After realizing these people were truly in secluded cultivation, gradually, Young Master Nan also stopped bothering them.

Three months later, within the quiet chamber, Shi Chun finally achieved a breakthrough to the High Martial Upper Realm.

This breakthrough was later than anticipated; he had estimated around fifty to sixty days would suffice. This delay once again proved that the rate of cultivation progress couldn't be uniformly judged; the higher the cultivation level, the slower the growth.

To his relief, only a fraction of the Demon Flames stored in his body had been refined, which proved to be of much higher quality than those of Sun Shigang.

As for what to do after the Demon Flames were exhausted, he wasn't worried about it anymore. His move with Wukang Mountain should be enough to keep the Demon Path interested, unlikely to sever ties with him easily. This was also why he was confident enough to focus on his secluded cultivation without fostering a relationship with Xiang Laner at this moment.

He thought briefly of the person in green who had clashed with Bian Que, then, with a resurgence of effort, continued his secluded cultivation to solidify his High Martial Upper Realm status.

He also discovered another issue as his cultivation improved. Despite the accelerated pace of refining the Demon Flames, the rate of his cultivation improvement surprisingly slowed down, which was understandable given that the quality of the Upper Realm far surpassed that of the lesser realms.

Although Wu Jinliang's cultivation progress didn't match that of Shi Chun, relative to others, his progress was rapid, especially with the backing of abundant cultivation resources.

Such cultivation resources were indeed abundant for their realm, so much so that even the disciples of top sects couldn't possibly have access to such plentiful cultivation resources.

Once, when Shi Chun came out of seclusion to adjust his body and mind, he saw Wu Jinliang crafting something by hand under the eaves outside. It looked like he was making a gourd.

He couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing?"

Wu Jinliang glanced around and, seeing no one nearby, whispered, "That gourd you abruptly took out was too conspicuous—it could diminish the effect of a surprise attack. I'm making a fake one to carry in and out often. Let people investigate it, let people check it, and when they get used to it, if one day... hehehe."

Oh, Shi Chun understood and didn't feel there was anything sinister about it. It was correct, so he didn't interrupt and let him continue.

This meeting also let Wu Jinliang realize that Shi Chun had broken through to the High Martial Upper Realm.

Wu Jinliang was shocked. So quickly? It seemed a bit exaggerated, especially since he had broken through to the High Martial Realm before Shi Chun did.

The result was that Wu Jinliang finally felt real pressure and came to understand what Shi Chun meant by not waiting for him anymore—putting aside all thoughts of play and fun, he stopped thinking about it entirely and seriously entered a state of dedicated cultivation.

The fate of those old brothers from the East Nine Plain was a clear warning; they couldn't keep up anymore, and he did not want to follow in their footsteps.

He was well aware that, despite seemingly having a substantial amount of money, the rate of resource consumption meant that it wouldn't last more than a few years, especially since this didn't even account for expenditures on other cultivation resources.

With ample cultivation resources to aid her, Duan Xiangmei's cultivation had also advanced to the Great Success Initial Martial Realm during this period, which overjoyed her. She celebrated quietly in her room.

Five Waterfalls Mountain was the area where Shi Chun's family lived. Bai Shuchuan, who was again in the capital for business, couldn't resist wandering around the Protection Array outside the area once more.

His grudge against Shi Chun for slapping him was etched deeply in his memory and fuelled his hatred; he swore not to rest until he had his revenge.

Although Young Master Nan had also hit him—harder, even knocking out his teeth—Bai Shuchuan did not currently intend to seek revenge on him.

The news of Shi Chun obtaining Wei Mo's inscription was no longer a secret. Wu Handong, upon realizing he had been fooled, was furious, and the beaten Bai Shuchuan found it even harder to accept.

Jieyun Mountain had wanted to settle scores with Shi Chun for a long time and had struggled to locate him, only to find they couldn't enter the territory; even if they managed to get in, they dared not cause trouble inside.

Being able to set up a Protection Array and profit from it in the capital wasn't just about providing security for the guests; the backing behind it was not something Jieyun Mountain could easily shake. Moreover, Shi Chun and the others stayed indoors without involving themselves in outside affairs, giving them no opportunity to strike.

"I don't believe you'll hide in there forever!" Bai Shuchuan spat bitterly as he walked away.

Cultivating in seclusion was like years passing in the mountains; in the blink of an eye, half a year later...

Feng Chi, rarely descending the mountain, went out to purchase some items. On returning, he woke Xiang Laner, who was still in seclusion, then closed the doors and windows and discreetly told her, "They want to activate Shi Chun."

Xiang Laner frowned slightly and asked, "Miao Yilan or Wukang Mountain?"

Feng Chi shook his head, "Neither, it's the grand competition of the Artifact Refining Sects across the Cultivation World that's about to begin."

Xiang Laner was startled and blurted out, "The Divine Fire Covenant?"

Feng Chi nodded, "Correct. According to the senses and deductions of the experts from those Artifact Refining Sects, the Divine Fire Domain is about to open again."

Once confirmed, Xiang Laner looked puzzled. It was a matter well-known to those quite informed in the Cultivation World; those who followed the path of artifact refining were mostly accompanied by fire in their lifetimes, and most practiced Fire Attribute Skills, making fire essential for artifact refining.

In short, fire is categorized into several ranks, and for those who have cultivated Fire Attribute Skills, the higher the rank of the fire element, the greater the nourishment. Absorbing the power of high-rank fire could not only enhance one's cultivation and strength but also improve their smelting abilities accordingly.

Yet the Divine Fire Domain was as rare as a comet in the night sky, appearing only once every two or three hundred years. The moment it could be accessed was very brief, yet incredibly valuable to those Artifact Refining Sects.

Thus, when the time came, each sect would send their elite disciples into the Divine Fire Domain to seek that opportunity.

Not just any disciple could enter; only those who had reached the Human Immortal level, transcended the mundane with their physical bodies, and solidified their own attributes. For them, absorbing Divine Fire was pointless—it was like how many skills required practicing foundational techniques from a young age.

Given that the Divine Fire available in the domain was limited, what was the point of countless people rushing in to snatch it away? Thus, an alliance was formed among these sects, agreeing to only send elite disciples below the Human Immortal Realm.

But there were always those looking to exploit loopholes in the rules, especially the more powerful sects, who undoubtedly wanted to send more disciples inside. The more disciples that entered, the greater the chances of obtaining transformative opportunities.

Thus, a reward was created for the victors who entered the Divine Fire Domain.

Each participating sect was asked to contribute treasures as prizes, and these treasures couldn't just be offered without reason; based on the ranking of the treasures, the number of disciples a sect could send would be appropriately increased.

Small sects couldn't produce any significant treasures, and while the rules seemed fair and reasonable, they really didn't stand a chance.

However, Divine Fire wasn't of much use to other monks; besides, not everyone had the talent for Fire Attribute Skills, so Xiang Laner was puzzled—there seemed to be no connection, "This has nothing to do with activating Shi Chun, does it?"

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