The noise from the sky, as if a fierce beast were roaring, continued unabated. It seemed that several massive metallic hoops, stirred by soaring illusory flames, were floating about unpredictably.

"What are they doing?"

"They are positioning the Divine Fire Domain. The coordinates must be precise; even the slightest deviation could lead to a thousand miles of error."

In the valley where the Artifact Refiners waited, someone asked, and someone answered. Shi Chun and the others, who overheard this, also gained some insight.

Of course, the Artifact Refiners attending the gathering would occasionally size them up.

Everyone basically knew that Mingshan Sect's participation was an exception.

You can't wrestle down an arm with thighs. Although each sect had agreed to Mingshan Sect's attendance, behind closed doors, they had each reminded their own disciples that Shi Chun was cunning, and to be very careful upon encountering him.

As a result, Shi Chun's deception at the Sky Rain Meteor Conference was known to all the attendees without exception.

And each sect had tried their best to make their disciples recognize Shi Chun's face, yet still, few had actually seen him in person.

No help for it, Shi Chun and his group had registered late and didn't give them enough time.

But there was still a way to identify him—Shi Chun had a conspicuously tall individual by his side, who was said to either carry an exaggeratedly huge blade or a big gourd on his back.

So, as the chaos in the sky continued for quite some time, and people grew impatient with waiting, Shi Chun and his group noticed that people around them seemed to be sizing them up, pointing fingers, and some even tiptoed to get a better view.

Shi Chun and his companions could understand this, since their attendance was an exception, after all.

Of course, they also took this opportunity to observe the people around them, realizing that the level of this event was indeed much higher than the Sky Rain Meteor Conference. Many sect members had a Qiankun Bag hanging from their waist. Roughly one in five of the surrounding spectators had one—almost every one of the Five Sects had brought a Qiankun Bag.

Though the numbers were far fewer than the Sky Rain Meteor Conference, the strength here far exceeded it. The hundreds of thousands at the Sky Rain Meteor Conference would likely only be slaughtered by these thirty thousand or so people.

Young Master Nan sent a gift to Shi Chun: a collection of information about the participants from the various sects. The number of participants was too vast for Shi Chun to review all at once, but the compiled information indicated there were more than two thousand experts in the Great Achievement Realm.

On the mountain, after observing the strange phenomena in the sky for a long while, the people emerging from the inns, large and small, also grew impatient, whispering among themselves.

Bai Shuchuan, standing on the rooftop, couldn't help but ask the middle-aged man dressed in white snow-like garments next to him, "Junior Master Qiao, do you think the Four Sects will go all out to help eliminate Shi Chun?"

His feelings about seeking help were complicated, or rather, he didn't even hope the Four Sects would succeed.

The reason was that if he couldn't see how Shi Chun died, it wouldn't quell the hatred in his heart—he'd prefer to personally torment Shi Chun to death.

However, his Junior Master Qiao didn't think the same, prioritizing completing the mission given by their sect over letting Shi Chun escape back to his stronghold.

Since open combat was forbidden here, they would have to find someone to act within the Divine Fire Domain—bringing back Shi Chun's head would suffice.

The middle-aged man, named Qiao Wugong, replied, "I don't know, but the Four Sects' Masters have all agreed to help. If that doesn't work, we'll have to see if there's an opportunity to act on his return journey."

Bai Shuchuan nodded and seemed to murmur, "What on earth is Shi Chun trying to do in the Divine Fire Domain? Surely, he isn't sincerely trying to secure victory for Mingshan Sect?"

A fellow sect member speculated, "It's very possible. The Residual Dragon Artifact Spirit, the True Fire Ruyi Tower, the Desolate Blade—these three reward items touted as the coveted bounties of the Divine Fire Covenant, are considered priceless treasures by Artifact Refiners. If they claim victory and seize those rewards, that would truly be striking it rich."

The rewards of the Divine Fire Covenant differed from other events; there were no rankings but only a distinction between first place and the others, with all rewards going to the victor alone.

For most Artifact Refining sects, it wasn't about claiming first place; what really mattered was whether they could absorb Divine Fire.

Without the boost of Divine Fire in Artifact Refining skills, it was very difficult to forge magical treasures with spatial properties, and most high-level magical treasures possess at least some spatial attributes.

This forging ability is precisely what many Artifact Refining sects lack.

Thus, one can imagine what it would mean for an ordinary Artifact Refining sect to absorb Divine Fire—it would signify a qualitative leap, propelling the entire sect to achieve an ascension across layers.

Some of the big Refining Sects today rose to prominence through such opportunities in earlier times.

Of course, on top of having absorbed Divine Fire, securing first place and the rewards would naturally be better, but that possibility was beyond most sects.

Qiao Wugong spoke out, "You're thinking too much. With the Divine Fire Covenant, no outsider has a chance at victory; otherwise, those Artifact Refiners wouldn't have opened their mouths to let them in."

Bai Shuchuan reminded, "Junior Master Qiao, the Sect Leader of Mingshan Sect is also from an Artifact Refining background."

Qiao Wugong replied, "Even so, it's impossible. Do you think the big Refining Sects that offer those treasures are willing to gift something so precious to a small sect?

The championship of the Divine Fire Covenant is essentially tailored for the big Refining Sects. It's not decided solely by the quantity of Divine Fire absorbed; after emerging, one must face the challenge of Artifact Refining skills. Considering Tong Mingshan's background, it's unlikely that his forging skills are very high. Even if he absorbs one or two more types of Divine Fire, it's improbable that he'll surpass the disciples of those big sects who have absorbed Divine Fire."

At sea, on a palace-like luxurious ship, some people who had brought out chairs to sit and watch the spectacle were also discussing the same issue.

"Young Master Nan, do you think Mingshan Sect stands a chance of claiming victory?" a man in plain clothes casually inquired.

Before Young Master Nan could reply, the man sipping tea beside them laughed, "Let them in, if they can stir up some trouble, that's enough. It's impossible for them to win the competition, even if they absorb the Divine Fire. They won't win the subsequent Artifact Refining competition anyway."

With a faint smile, Young Master Nan said, "Who knows."

What was meant as a casual remark ended up causing some trouble.

Of course, he said it because there was a subconscious thought in his mind.

The tea-sipping man felt as if his words were being questioned. He seemed a bit unhappy as if he didn't like having his views challenged. He snorted, "According to you, you think Mingshan Sect still has a chance of winning? Since we're all gambling anyway, why don't we make a bet? If Mingshan Sect doesn't win, you give me half of your earnings from this time. If Mingshan Sect does win, I'll give you all of my earnings! How about it, dare to bet?"

No sooner had he spoken than the group around perked up, each person sitting up straight to watch the scene with great interest, as if things had finally gotten exciting.

Young Master Nan had almost instinctively wanted to refuse outright, but seeing everyone's reaction made him hesitate.

Though he was in it to make money, sometimes it was indeed more important to keep these people entertained and make them find playing this game with him interesting.

But the amount of money involved was truly not small, so he couldn't help but hesitate.

However, seeing that everyone found it thrilling, he thought it over and over again under everyone's watchful eyes. Slowly reaching over to the side table to pick up his teacup, he sipped his tea leisurely, keeping everyone in suspense. Finally, he said with an air of nonchalance, "I'll take the bet!"

He exhibited a demeanor that said he could afford to play this game.

"Whoa!"

"Good!"

The crowd instantly became as if injected with adrenaline, their eyes shining with excitement. This was the thrill of making a big bet against the odds!

The tea-sipping man's eyes shone even brighter; he stood up and gestured to everyone, "You all saw and heard. Let's all bear witness together, and no backing out afterward!"

"Okay, we'll be your witnesses."

"You can't back out either."

Watching these people, who had been somber just a moment ago, suddenly come to life, Young Master Nan sipped his tea with a faint smile on his face, a hint of distraction in his eyes. He knew it was unlikely, but he still harbored some hope for Shi Chun.

There was one reason for that hope: he didn't believe Shi Chun's tall tales about just wanting to visit the Divine Fire Domain for fun—as if he were fooling ghosts, not having ambitions of all things.

Those who were in the know thought he had managed to get Shi Chun into the domain because of the betting pool, but only he himself knew that it was Shi Chun's own desire to enter that came first.

Meanwhile, Shi Chun, standing amid the crowd, was also pondering the prospect of victory. After carefully weighing his options, he subtly weaved his way back to where Tong Mingshan was standing.

Their placement created a bit of confusion; the Sect Leader was positioned behind him and Wu Jinliang.

After getting close enough, amid the noise of the crowd, Shi Chun asked in a low voice, "If you manage to absorb the Divine Fire, do you think you have a chance of winning?"

This was a question he had long wanted to ask but feared would alert the prey, exposing his intentions and scaring Tong Mingshan.

The Mingshan Sect disciples standing around them overheard and turned to look at Tong Mingshan, with Wu Jinliang craning his neck to see his own Big Gourd, then decisively turning to face them.

Tong Mingshan was startled for a moment, not understanding why the Master would consider such an idea; it was almost like lowering his expectations, and he denied it flatly, "No."

Shi Chun hesitated before asking, "Not even if you absorb slightly more Divine Fire than the others?"

Tong Mingshan shook his head, "No, I'm far behind the elite disciples of the Big Sects in Artifact Refining skills. Absorbing one or two more Divine Fires won't make up for that gap, unless..."

He then shook his head again and chuckled bitterly, feeling he might be thinking too much.

But Shi Chun persisted, "Unless what?"

Trying to make light of it, Tong Mingshan joked, "Unless I absorb so much Divine Fire that it evens out the skill difference. Like having so much strength that I could roll an iron block as if it were dough—achieving a miracle through brute force."

Shi Chun continued seriously, "How many Divine Fires would you need to absorb to achieve the effect you're describing?"

Tong Mingshan bitterly smiled, "Master, let's not daydream, all right?"

Most of their peers couldn't help but laugh at this point.

However, Shi Chun patted him on the back, insisting, "Tell us, let's hear it. It could be educational."

Taking the question seriously, Tong Mingshan pondered for a while before slowly answering, "Six, I'd estimate. I'm six Divine Fires behind them, at the very least."

"Six?" Shi Chun mused, stroking his chin. "Is that a lot? It's not as if it's impossible. That Refining Heaven Sect's what, someone managed to achieve that, didn't they..."

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