He felt a surge of anger that he wanted to unleash, but it vanished without a trace.

From Gu Lianni's face, he could not discern any expression, so he scrutinized the person beside her. Who was this, which disciple was it, and why were they covered so thoroughly? You might as well block the holes for the eyes too.

He didn't know what there was to be afraid of; he had seen several groups before, and no sect was as timid as Shudao Mountain—not even Gu Lianni, who had changed her appearance so much that he almost failed to recognize her initially.

Feeling that Shudao Mountain's prestige had taken a slight hit, he was a little displeased.

Of course, overall, he was still pleased. What did that bright Divine Fire signify? It signified that disciples of Shudao Mountain had found the Divine Fire.

The Divine Fire found by Shudao Mountain on this expedition was first and foremost connected to Gu Lianni; now even the disciple beside her had Divine Fire, which naturally meant that Gu Lianni had it too.

With this, the harvest was not insignificant!

He stroked his beard; having this girl lead the team had caused him some concern, but now it seemed she was more outstanding than he had anticipated.

He glanced sideways at the group of pursuers in the sky, filled with rage. With the current situation, there was even less possibility he would allow anyone to start a fight here. If anyone dared to cause trouble, he wouldn't mind stepping in to teach them a lesson personally!

Under such circumstances, it was clear he needed to back his own people.

The other elders were also sizing up Gu Lianni. Unable to fully recognize even their own sect's disciples, they couldn't possibly remember all of Shudao Mountain's, but they did have some impression of the Sect Leader's daughter. Some had even seen her on multiple occasions.

Their thoughts were somewhat fewer than Elder Jin Guiqi's and more straightforward. It looked like this girl had been sent out for experience and had started to play this game, with not an insignificant gain. Even her companion had Divine Fire, so didn't that mean Shudao Mountain had at least two Divine Fires?

Their expressions were complicated, a mix of admiration, envy, confusion, and concern. They had only entered a short while ago, and Shudao Mountain had secured at least two Divine Fires already, which was incredibly fast.

The group in the sky, wishing they could swoop down and snatch it away, waited in vain, frustration doing them no good. They couldn't afford to waste their limited time here, so they could only leave with bitter resentment.

After they had all disappeared, Gu Lianni formally bowed and said, "Disciple pays her respects to Elder Jin."

Then she turned and bowed to the other elders, saying, "Gu Lianni pays her respects to all the elders."

Tong Mingshan remained silent, nodding and bowing along. He had visited them more than once or twice, and he was worried that being recognized again might lead to a beating, so he kept a low profile.

In the past, he could not have imagined doing something as crazy as this: making a show in front of the elders of the Refining Sects, people whom even the Sect Leader of Hundred Refinement Sect wouldn't dare to cross.

One elder said slowly, "Little Gu, you've picked up some bad habits."

Elder Jin Guiqi immediately interjected, "I'm not just favoring a disciple from my own sect. If other sects can do it and we have not intervened, then we must treat all equally."

The other elders either snorted or smiled half-heartedly.

Elder Jin Guiqi's gaze shifted towards Tong Mingshan, intending to ask who he was, but Gu Lianni's actions caught his attention instead. He saw her produce a stand with a red stone on it. What was this supposed to mean?

Gu Lianni hopped to the top of the mountain, knelt on one knee, and reverently presented the decorative stone with both hands, saying, "Disciple knows the elder is fond of this, and upon encountering this marvelous stone, I immediately collected it. As I was on my way here, I took the opportunity to offer it as a modest token of respect, hoping the elder won't disdain it."

Elder Jin Guiqi's eyelids twitched several times.

The other elders also turned their attention to the stone.

An elder exclaimed, "Jin Guiqi, you have such a hobby too?"

Another reached out, "Let me see what's so special about this marvelous stone."

It wasn't just him; none of the others could see anything extraordinary at first glance either, but they knew Gu Lianni wouldn't have sent just any simple stone as a gift to their elder. They guessed it must have a certain angle, a certain charm to be appreciated, and were curious to examine it.

"A bunch of mountain pigs who can't appreciate the finer things—don't ruin something valuable."

With a shout from Elder Jin Guiqi, he snatched the stone and held it down, not allowing anyone else to see it.

Nor could he allow anyone else to see it, because he knew well, as an artifact refiner who had melted countless stones, he had no inkling of affection for "marvelous stones" or any such hobby.

This girl suddenly attributed such a fantastic hobby to him, so it couldn't be without a covert message.

By hinting in such an implicit way, it was clear there was something noteworthy about the stone, and she was passing on some secret to him; of course, he hurried to accept it.

Upon examining the stone with a minor spell, he immediately sensed something concealed within its stand. There was indeed something special.

The other elders scoffed. They had no interest in idolizing a mere stone, and it was their first time hearing about Elder Jin Guiqi's supposed hobby.

On another mountain peak, Wu Jinliang, peering through a hole, caught a glimpse of the gift-giving scene and suddenly realized something, exclaiming, "Shit, that woman is Gu Lianni! Why the hell would she change her outfit? I almost missed out."

He turned and shouted to Chu Jingtang and Chen Wuji, "Gentlemen, our guest has arrived. Be ready, so we can catch up with them and find the Master."

At the pinnacle, Elder Jin Guiqi patted the stone he was holding, signaling to Gu Lianni that he got the message.

"Elder, the disciple still has matters to attend to, so I won't impose any longer."

As Gu Lianni got up to take her leave, bowing and withdrawing a few steps, she shifted her movement, presenting a faint silver-blue flame with a single palm.

There was no other meaning in this move before departure; it was merely a show-off—a show meant for Elder Jin, as Shi Chun had repeatedly instructed her to do so beforehand, saying it was to give Elder Jin an explanation.

So she really obtained the Divine Fire! Elder Jin Guiqi's brow raised slightly.

He absentmindedly stroked his beard, his eyes twinkling with irrepressible admiration as he looked at the girl before him.

His other hand subconsciously caressed the newly acquired stone, realizing he had indeed underestimated this girl in the past. She wasn't just a canary; she just hadn't been given the opportunity before. Once out of the cage, she began to soar. Impressive, indeed, a dragon begets a dragon, a phoenix a phoenix.

Take this clever tactic of presenting the marvelous stone, a wild and daring move—daring to treat the elders from various sects as if they were blind, courageous in both thought and action. Shudao Mountain surely has a worthy successor!

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