Of course, whether the Divine Fire Spirit Gate opens inward or outward depends entirely on the people outside.

The standard activation rule is to open it once in each direction—clockwise and counterclockwise—because the energy consumption for activation is enormous. The cross-space power accumulated isn't gained out of thin air. It's also designed to prevent cheating by excessive entry and exit.

Yet, judging by what the paper says, it seems to request him to deliver a message to someone outside, inviting a certain senior to come in briefly and then rescuing the person in front of him.

But the question is, which senior has the capability to alter the rules of the Divine Fire Covenant and reverse the Divine Fire Spirit Gate's activation?

He couldn't think of anyone capable—at least not within the Artifact Refining World. To put it bluntly, even the king of one of the Four Great Continents would struggle. Unless forcefully compelled, it would be nearly impossible to alter the game's rules, especially at this critical stage of the competition. No external interference would be tolerated.

Someone has to leave while others are invited in. How could that be possible?

Feng Zuoyi, consumed by bewilderment, flipped to the next page, only to find it was identical to the previous one. He glanced up at Shi Chun in disbelief before moving on to the third page.

The third page contained more text. It read: Brother Nan, your brother has become the target of envy here. Someone is guarding the exit, and I fear they won't easily let me leave. If Brother Nan wants to send someone in for a look, it might not be too difficult. Refining Heaven Sect, Shudao Mountain, and Yanbao Sect each harbor ulterior motives and might go along with it. I hope Brother Nan will make this happen.

Feng Zuoyi's eyelid twitched repeatedly as he read. The mention of 'Brother Nan' gave him an idea of who it referred to, but the contents made his heart race. Is this something I should even be seeing?

Damn it, if the Divine Fire Spirit Gate really gets reversed, wouldn't I have insider knowledge of the top three sects in the Artifact Refining World secretly sabotaging the rules?

If this gets exposed, the entire Artifact Refining World will fly into a rage.

By merely reading the words on this page, he already felt trapped, like stepping into a mud pit that would stick to him regardless of interpretation.

He could refuse to do what was being asked, but if he declined, the other party would just find someone else to do it. Should the plan succeed, it wouldn't matter. However, if word got out, he—being in the know—would be implicated all the same.

Hell. And now Li Hongjiu is somehow involved in this too? What exactly is going on?

Though the air was cold, he felt sweat forming on his back.

Now, it seemed increasingly plausible that they genuinely intended to give him a Divine Fire. It left him both anxious and excited.

When it came to the fourth page, he hesitated. Each successive page was more shocking than the last. He worried about what the next might reveal.

But now that he had come this far, what was the point of not reading it?

Summoning his courage, he flipped to the fourth page and was somewhat relieved to find that it was identical to the third.

In other words, the four pages simply consisted of two identical copies.

Previously unwilling to discuss it further, he now quickly folded the papers and signaled behind him. Excluding two fellow sect members authorized to make decisions, he dismissed everyone else.

Shi Chun smiled faintly and nodded towards someone beside him.

Wu Jinliang chuckled mischievously on cue, keeping tabs on the group from the Mingshan Sect and motioning for them to stay away if they approached.

Finally, Feng Zuoyi handed the four pieces of paper to the two junior sect members, Xie Wanti and Chi Anlan, for their review.

Taking advantage of this moment, Feng Zuoyi turned to Shi Chun, asking, "Why us of all people?"

Shi Chun replied with a faint smile, "Because not one of your twenty sect members is missing, proving that you didn't participate in the attack against me. As such, I want to give your sect another chance."

Feng Zuoyi frowned. "You're giving Fengluo Sect another chance? What do you mean?"

Shi Chun teased, "Did Li Hongjiu not ask you about Jieyun Mountain's plans concerning me?"

"..." Feng Zuoyi was momentarily speechless, then rebutted, "Yes, Jieyun Mountain approached Fengluo Sect, but as you can see, they did their thing, and we ignored them completely."

By now, the two junior sect members had finished reading the papers, their faces pale with dread. They exchanged uneasy glances, stunned into silence.

Shi Chun chuckled, not at them, but at Li Hongjiu. As expected, when Jieyun Mountain's plans were mentioned, the cunning, smiling tiger went out to verify them.

When dealing with someone like Li Hongjiu, Shi Chun knew he couldn't resort to fabrications; only genuine material would suffice to deceive him.

After laughing silently to himself, Shi Chun asked, "Didn't you wonder how I learned about Fengluo Sect's covert dealings with Jieyun Mountain?"

Feng Zuoyi hesitated, for he had indeed been pondering that question.

But his two younger sect mates remained clueless. Xie Wanti ventured, "Senior brother, what's going on exactly?"

Truthfully, the two juniors were afraid. The contents of the papers weren't something their sect could afford to get involved with. Fengluo Sect, insignificant compared to the major factions, could be crushed effortlessly.

"Sigh, it started with the Sky Rain Meteor Conference, escalated at Wukang Mountain, and then he offended Jieyun Mountain. You both should already know this…" Feng Zuoyi quickly summarized the situation with Jieyun Mountain, admitting he knew little beyond that.

Shi Chun took over, saying, "You must've heard of Young Master Nan—an immensely powerful figure. He's the one who made the Artifact Refining World bend its rules to let me in and revealed that Jieyun Mountain conspired with you to harm me.

Do you know why he let me in? Surely you've heard of the gambling operations he's running outside. If anything happens to me in here, do you think he won't settle accounts with Fengluo Sect? Admittedly, he might not be able to touch the entire Artifact Refining World or the major sects, but Fengluo Sect? I doubt you'd escape unscathed."

He paused, letting the three sect members—whose expressions had grown progressively darker—digest his words. Wu Jinliang chuckled again, intentionally adding to their tension and making them feel increasingly trapped.

After waiting a moment, Shi Chun shrugged. "All you have to do is deliver this message to him. Will these problems even remain problems?"

Chi Anlan muttered cautiously, "You won't silence us afterward, right?"

Shi Chun retorted, "Silence you? Do you seriously think you're in a position to make decisions? Let's be clear: once you're out, you'll report to your sect. The real decisions will be made by your seniors, who will naturally devise means to mitigate risks.

As long as Fengluo Sect keeps quiet, nothing will happen. But if you spread rumors, rest assured, someone will deal with you. Wouldn't it be better to secretly reap the rewards rather than bring trouble upon yourself?"

He gestured towards the letter clutched in their hands and pointed at the two 'eggs' cradled by An Wuzhi nearby. "You know how rare Divine Fire is. This is simply about delivering a message, and you'd gain two Divine Fires with ease. If I were in your position, I wouldn't hesitate. Besides, you're not the ones in charge. You're simply messengers. Get it to your sect and let them decide. The burden won't fall on you."

Fully aware of the allure Divine Fire held for any Artifact Refining Sect, Shi Chun was confident his offer would be nearly irresistible.

The three exchanged glances, struggling to find a reason to refuse.

The problem was that Shi Chun had approached this so skillfully that they were cornered. They wanted the Divine Fire, they didn't have to make decisions, and they couldn't even argue against it.

Seeing no objections, Feng Zuoyi collected the papers again and probed, "One copy goes to Young Master Nan; that's understood. But who's the 'senior' mentioned?"

Shi Chun calmly replied, "Situ Gu."

"Ah…" The three collectively gasped, flabbergasted that the letters implicated the Cultivation World's foremost Artifact Refining master…

Wu Jinliang's signature chuckling filled the air. Even he had only learned of this part earlier when Shi Chun prepared the letters.

Ignoring their astonishment, Shi Chun directed instructions at the papers. "To ensure success, deliver both copies to your sect. Send one directly to Situ Gu as indicated. The rest, including the second letter, must go to Young Master Nan. If you're unable to hand it to Situ Gu, let Young Master Nan handle it. Be honest with him if he questions you. And remember, the letters must be handed to him personally."

Even if just for the Divine Fire, the three committed the instructions to memory.

The tricky part was that there were three of them but only two Divine Fires, meaning one person wouldn't receive a Divine Fire for delivering the messages.

Shi Chun didn't concern himself with that. It was their problem to solve. He wasn't worried about jealousy or sabotage, as all those involved would eventually leave. Accountability was inevitable in their sect.

"Also, if Li Hongjiu inquires about me, just tell him you've never seen me…"

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