The buzzing sound in the sky suddenly changed, causing people in the valley to look up, and the guests outside the mountain, now each distracted, also raised their heads. Seeing the metal ring fixed in midair, they all realized something.

On the terrace, the spirits of the eight surged, and the leader shouted once more, "Now is the time!"

The illusory flames on their bodies suddenly intensified, as did those of the other seven.

With all their might, the eight of them focused their illusory flames into a rainbow-colored pillar of light that shot onto the entire metal ring. The ring's spinning speed increased, while the raging wind began to subside, and the buzzing sound gradually decreased as well, but a faint hum lingered in everyone's ears, causing discomfort.

Some cast spells to cover their ears, yet they could still hear the unsettling noise, and some even felt nauseous enough to vomit.

It was as if all of their internal organs were being boiled in scalding water.

Birds in the distance again fled far away, and every grain of sand on the beach seemed to tremble.

On the palatial luxurious ship, the noble guests couldn't sit still any longer, and they all stood up, only to see the ocean waves utterly disrupted, trembling with irregular ripples.

Suddenly, the backside of the metal ring, facing the sky, burst forth with a vast swallowing twilight radiance. Where the light was uneven, shadows appeared, flattening the uneven light as if the shadows were swallowing the light.

The unsettling sound also suddenly vanished, as if swallowed by the shadows too.

In an instant, tranquility fell upon the land, and people instantly recovered from their dazed state, fixing their eyes on the surreal phenomena in the sky.

For those standing on the mountain top directly facing the metal ring, they saw an orange-yellow cloud stirring in the center of the ring's void.

The eight on the terrace revealed smiles—they had succeeded!

One by one, the eight retracted their hands and the illusory flames within them, simultaneously wiping sweat from their brows; half a night's effort had left them significantly fatigued.

The metal ring in the sky, though no longer driven by Mana, maintained its self-spin and did not stop.

Situ Gu calmly said from below the platform, "It's open, you can enter now."

Accordingly, someone facing the valley declared with a loud spell, "The Divine Fire Domain is open, those named in the covenant, climb the mountain in order, enter the Divine Fire Domain in order, begin!"

Following the decree, those maintaining order at the foot of the mountain immediately issued commands, pointing to people just at the foot of the mountain, "Start from here, one sect after another, no rush, no fighting. You go first, and the other sects line up."

The commanded sect leader, after double-checking the number of twenty people, excitedly waved and led his fellow sect members rushing up the mountain.

Upon reaching the summit, despite having already reviewed the issued rules beforehand, there were still prompts on what to do next.

Each flashed an iron ring on their wrist, which had been locked onto every individual's wrist upon entry after inspection and identity verification.

Next, holding a budding lotus lamp, the tip of the bud with a spike pierced a hole on the wrist iron ring. Under the painful prick, blood oozed out immediately, and with a click, the iron ring unlocked, it rotated into the bud, simultaneously pushing all petals of the metal lotus lamp open into a bloomed state.

The iron ring finally locked inside the bud, forming an inner ring with something similar to an ice block inside called "ice sheep".

The Divine Fire Domain had no air for breathing, and some places even had poisonous gases. The gas released from the "ice sheep" allowed for respiration, and one "ice sheep" could last two months, covering forty-nine days without issues.

After taking the "ice sheep", a beam of green light, about a foot wide and four feet tall, shot out from inside the lotus lamp—a vertical shadow of green light displayed the person's origin, sect, and name.

The moment the green light blossomed, the lotus lamp began to rotate, lightly floating up, departing from everyone's hands, flying out beyond the mountain, hanging motionlessly in the air with each on the same exact height.

Seeing that the first group's life lamps were all lit correctly, someone pointed at the spinning metal ring in the sky and loudly said, "Fly into the ring and you can enter!"

The team leader of the first group shouted, "Go!"

Without fear or hesitation, and quite excited, the first person leaped into the swirl of light in the ring, disappearing instantly inside.

His fellow sect members followed suit one after another.

The sects waiting behind immediately took the places of those who had just left, doing as instructed, they released the lotus lamps and also entered one after another.

Following in succession, a pattern gradually formed, and the speed began to flow smoothly.

The high-level members of the top ten sects personally stood by, supervising, essentially seeing each person entering the Divine Fire Domain.

Down the mountain path, sects continuously sending teams lined up like a long snake; sect leaders and members within the small buildings stretched their necks, watching more nervously than the participants.

Glancing down the mountain for a moment, Qu Wuming of Yanbao Sect, who had missed out on more disciples entering, suddenly asked, "Anyone recognize the Mingshan Sect group?"

Someone nearby responded, "They haven't come up yet. They say they're easy to recognize, thirteen people wearing thirteen different outfits, and one tall guy carrying a Big Gourd; you can recognize them right when they arrive."

The opportunistic Su Qiao of Extreme Fire Sect chuckled, "Why bother recognizing them? What, do you, Sect Master Qu, expect them to help your Yanbao Sect?"

Qu Wuming replied bitterly, "Don't gloat over my misfortune. That Young Master Nan is gambling again, creating another betting pool. I heard Mingshan Sect is stirred into this by that Young Master Nan. If they mess up and your Extreme Fire Sect ends up giving away the 'Desolate Blade' for nothing, let's see if you can still laugh."

These words made Su Qiao frown, snorting, "If Mingshan Sect dares to mess around, my disciples of Extreme Fire Sect will put an end to them."

Qu Wuming pointed at his head, "How did you win first place at the Sky Rain Meteor Conference? It was by wits. You really don't know who will end whom."

Su Qiao looked slightly hesitant, yet calmly said, "Don't try to incite trouble; you think I don't know what you're up to."

At this, many chuckled.

During their conversation, a large group of people arrived, over a hundred, precisely the disciples of Refining Heaven Sect.

After releasing the lotus lanterns, they all bowed towards Luo Yan and the others.

Luo Yan and the other high-ranking members of the sects reached out to virtually support them, their eyes full of expectations for these young disciples. They watched until the last person leaped into the Divine Fire Spirit Gate before withdrawing their gazes.

Teams of personnel passed quickly; it wasn't long before all the disciples from the top ten sects had passed through.

As they waited, someone hummed, "Mingshan Sect is coming."

Everyone's gaze shifted toward the foot of the mountain, and indeed, a somewhat smaller group appeared on the mountain path. Their clothes were all different, and there was a tall man, matching the information they had received.

The top of the mountain was already basking in sunlight, the light much better than in the valley.

Shi Chun and his group paused at the final step at the mountain peak, craning their necks to observe the team ahead to see if the reality matched the rules written down.

Unlike the excited atmosphere of other teams, many in this group wore uneasy expressions.

For Chu Jingtang and the others, they truly did not wish to enter as, apart from the risk, there was no benefit at all. They were really pushed into this reluctantly.

As soon as the previous team moved on, the guards waved them forward, and Shi Chun and his group hurriedly ascended to the mountain-top platform.

Before they could proceed to the next step, Sect Leader Su Qiao of the Extreme Fire Sect suddenly stepped forward, "Hold on!"

Shi Chun and the others, revealing the iron rings on their wrists, turned back in surprise, not understanding his intention.

The overseeing dignitaries from various sects also turned their attention toward Su Qiao, curious and surprised, wondering if Qu Wuming's provocation had indeed succeeded?

While Su Qiao walked, he pointed at the Big Gourd carried on Wu Jinliang's back, "Is there any contraband in that gourd?"

Being provoked by Qu Wuming wouldn't usually matter, but it had made him a bit more cautious, and the presence of Wu Jinliang's Big Gourd did give others an unwelcoming feeling.

He had no other intention but to expose what was in the gourd in public, to reassure those entering later and to send a message to those inside. In case something happened, at least someone would be aware.

The high-ranking members exchanged looks, roughly guessing Su Qiao's intention. This seemed a bit like deliberately making trouble, against the rules, but since it targeted Shi Chun's group, no one said anything.

Shi Chun and his group exchanged looks, puzzled. They had looked over the rules, and there was no mention of contraband. Even body searches weren't required to enter the Divine Fire Domain; any treasures or methods could be brought inside. Why then was contraband being mentioned now?

They suspected it was deliberate, to prevent them from entering.

Chu Jingtang and the others hoped it was indeed so, but they also knew that Wu Jinliang's gourd really contained nothing special; they had all played with it before.

Tong Mingshan and the other two disciples cultivating fire attribute skills were particularly worried; if someone wanted to cause trouble deliberately, any excuse would do.

Wu Jinliang explained, "There's no contraband, it's just drinking water. Isn't the water in the Divine Fire Domain undrinkable?"

"Drinking water? You're fooling a three-year-old. As a monk, even if the water inside is undrinkable, you could use magic to extract moisture. Do you need to lug such a huge gourd of water?" Su Qiao was highly skeptical. He even tapped the gourd's bottom to listen to the sound.

Indeed, it echoed back as if filled with liquid.

Wu Jinliang further explained, "It's not the same; I'm particular about the water I drink."

Saying so, he took down the Big Gourd he was carrying. In order to prove his innocence, he opened the gourd and lifted it, guzzling several mouthfuls before spitting out a splash for all to see. Normal, right?

Chu Jingtang and the others quietly marveled. When had this guy filled the empty gourd with water?

People in line on the mountain path also began to wonder. Why had the advancing team stopped?

On the mountain, Su Qiao extended his hand, asking, "May I take a look?"

Wu Jinliang, feeling generous, immediately handed over the Big Gourd with both hands.

Su Qiao, feeling the weight in his hands, first used his magic to probe inside thoroughly, only to find nothing but liquid, and the gourd's material also seemed nothing special.

He even sniffed at the mouth of the gourd but detected no unusual scent.

Yet he still couldn't believe the gourd held nothing significant; only a fool would carry such a large water-filled gourd everywhere.

To thoroughly confirm, he magically forced a small stream of water to float like a snake into the air. After hesitating for a moment, he opened his mouth and imbibed the water Wu Jinliang had drunk, slowly savoring it. It truly tasted like regular water, and after swallowing, he detected no unusual reaction.

After some delay, he pushed the gourd back, annoyed, "Are you sick? Isn't it heavy? Don't you have a Qiankun Bag on your belt?"

He was a bit irritated, having to drink his saliva.

The high-ranking members from the sects understood at a glance that there really was no issue, but they wondered if this big guy was a bit simple-minded.

Wu Jinliang sealed the gourd, slinging it back over his shoulder, chuckling, "Drinking water is purely a personal preference. A monk like me doesn't find this little weight bothersome. Senior, doesn't this water taste better than regular water, doesn't it…"

Su Qiao waved him off, cutting him short, unwilling to argue further, signaling him to move along.

Just then, Qu Wuming suddenly spoke, "Which one of you is Shi Chun?"

They didn't need to ask who Sect Master Tong Mingshan was; being artifact refiners, one could tell by their skin color.

Shi Chun, holding a lotus lamp, was puzzled but honestly admitted, "This junior is indeed Shi Chun, may I ask what instruction you have, senior?"

Qu Wuming pointed at Su Qiao, "This person here is Sect Leader Su Qiao of the Extreme Fire Sect; the 'Desolate Blade' which is a prize at this event was provided by the Extreme Fire Sect. They have sent over a hundred people, intent on winning it this time. You must have felt the 'special care' from Sect Leader Su just now, right?"

With that, he said no more.

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