Drawing the line so low, even personally excluding his own daughter, yet he remains composed, showing no concern at all.

Indeed, there's really nothing to worry about.

From the moment he decided to eliminate the Mingshan Sect from the competition, he had this all planned out, ready to use it as needed.

As for the oath sworn by his daughter and Shi Chun, claiming that Shudao Mountain wouldn't compete for first place against Mingshan Sect, or else he'd die a miserable death—

He doesn't believe he's broken any sort of vow. Has Shudao Mountain competed on the same stage as Mingshan Sect? You don't even qualify to participate. That's not something Shudao Mountain can dictate—it competes with others, not with your Mingshan Sect.

Before anyone else could speak, not daring to wait for some voices to be heard, Luo Yan immediately interjected, "No need to push the bottom line back to two flames. Our primary focus is still the group from Mingshan Sect; there's no need to target the entire Artifact Refining World."

He had to quickly set the narrative. If the majority supported the idea and he opposed it later, he'd be forcing something against public consensus. After all, the principle of majority rule holds true anywhere.

By speaking first, he wielded the authority of the leading sect, making others hesitate to directly confront him.

In reality, he was well aware of Gu Yanduo's intentions. Others might not know how much Divine Fire the disciples of Shudao Mountain had absorbed, but with spies planted at Shudao Mountain, the reports he received were not without basis.

Gu's daughter likely absorbed over five flames, and Shudao Mountain's disciples who had absorbed the fire included not only members of the second tier but even the third tier as well.

This left her confident and fearless—if anyone dared to strip away her daughter's right to compete, she would eliminate the elite talents of each sect, paving the way for her own sect's second- and third-tier disciples.

Her daughter had truthfully acquired Divine Fire. Whether she personally claimed first place was hardly relevant anymore. As long as the top spot was taken by a Shudao Mountain disciple, it would suffice.

Qu Wuming quickly chimed in, "Indeed, it's not exactly targeting Mingshan Sect, more about some people reaching too far, crossing boundaries. While we might hesitate to comment on this, the Cultivation World demands clarity on such matters. Once the boundaries of the Artifact Refining World are breached, it isn't just decoration. No matter who it is, when it's time to retaliate, there will be no courtesy."

He couldn't disagree, not when his own disappointing disciple, Li Hongjiu, had absorbed at least two flames—even grudgingly, pressured by other disciples.

Despite his disciple's lackluster efforts, their innate talents still stood out. With the additional boost from the Divine Fire, claiming victory remained a strong possibility—how could he permit exclusion?

Voicing agreement with Luo Yan's stance was also a deliberate move to gather momentum. If the leading sect and third-ranking sect opposed, it could pressure those inclined to agree.

Su Qiao, Sect Master of the Extreme Fire Sect, found himself wavering, unsure whether to oppose or support this. After all, their best hope to win, Black Tiger, had been slain. Yin Tianlu, who had absorbed some flames due to Black Tiger's efforts, remained a questionable contender for victory.

If neither option promised success, would it be better to drag the other leading sects down?

Yet he had already revealed his last-resort treasure, the Desolate Broken Blade—would he abandon everything just like this?

The main issue was his uncertainty regarding the actual number of Divine Fires obtained by other sects. If Yin Tianlu had even a chance at victory, supporting Gu Yanduo's bottom limit of two flames might turn into a self-defeating move.

While hesitating, Luo Yan from Refining Heaven Sect had already seized the conversation, and before Su Qiao could recover, Qu Wuming of Yanbao Sect had claimed his chance to speak.

By the time he tried to interject, Meng Tianyang, Sect Leader of Golden Appearance Hall, had already stepped in, stating, "Sect Master Luo and Sect Master Qu are right. We're targeting Mingshan Sect, not the entirety of the Artifact Refining World. Other sects should stick to the usual practices of relying on their own skills—it's unwise to alter the rules lightly. Let's proceed as Sect Leader Gu initially suggested: violators exceeding ten flames will not participate in the final competition."

Meng Tianyang also lacked clarity on how many flames various sects had obtained. Gu Yanduo setting a limit of two flames was puzzling—was the rumor wrong, and Shudao Mountain had acquired far fewer flames?

Golden Appearance Hall, meanwhile, had devised a deliberate strategy for this venture into the Divine Fire Domain. They had secretly prepared some trump cards and already acquired seven flames. Their leading disciple, Mi Liangmeng, alone had absorbed four flames. Coupled with Mi Liangmeng's exceptional artifact-refining talent, estimates suggested he wouldn't necessarily fall short compared to those who had absorbed six or seven flames.

This time, the hall was executing a strategy akin to "playing the fool to catch the tiger." There was no way they'd allow arbitrary new rules to eliminate their top disciple with a two-flame restriction.

What Meng Tianyang truly wanted was to set the elimination threshold at five flames but felt that might be too blatant and risk exposing their hand.

Even so, his words immediately drew suspicious and contemplative gazes from the leaders of various sects, including Gu Yanduo, and even sparked murmurs from others.

At this moment, Pavilion Master Xiao Youhong of Daming Pavilion, ranked sixth in the Artifact Refining World, appeared to awaken from his half-drowsy, elderly demeanor and sighed faintly, "Very well, let's proceed as such. Violators exceeding ten flames shall be disqualified. Those below are not subject to this rule."

Though he was regarded as the eldest among the sect masters, his appearance deceived—his long-delayed breakthrough in cultivation had aged his features prematurely.

In the Cultivation World, age was rarely judged by appearance.

With this statement, many turned to look at him.

The collective reaction among the sects surprised and puzzled Gu Yanduo. His daughter Gu Lianni had absorbed seven flames, and he'd established the ten-flame threshold for bargaining room—not expecting he wouldn't need to lower it at all.

Now it was his turn to worry. Could there be someone hiding a "playing the fool to catch the tiger" strategy by actually acquiring ten flames?

With so many already supporting the decision, there was little room for dissent. The majority rule principle stood firm, and the matter was settled.

The next step involved notifying the sect leaders convened for discussion. The Ten Great Sects had jointly decided the matter, and without support from individuals aligned with Young Master Qian, the smaller sects dared not oppose—with no standing to refuse.

Of course, the warnings from Young Master Qian were also to be passed along. His words carried weight. After all, demands for oversight within the Divine Fire Domain—regarding violations such as illegal pursuit of Mingshan Sect—were warranted.

Not everyone could leave the mountaintop yet, as the Divine Fire Spirit Gate remained open. After appointing some of their members to guard it, the Ten Great Sects began descending the mountain.

On the winding stone path downhill, the Sect Master of Refining Heaven Sect, Luo Yan, abruptly halted his steps, fixating on the departing figures of the other sect masters.

An elder following nearby paused and asked, "What is it?"

Luo Yan's eyes darkened as he replied slowly, "There's something off about this crowd in this year's gathering..." Then, turning to Situ Gu, he remarked, "Junior Brother, Qian She doesn't represent the Qian Family. You should understand why I agreed to that fellow's unreasonable demands this time."

The Divine Fire Covenant's competition for first place had already become secondary for him. His actions earlier were nothing more than an eye-blocking skill.

Situ Gu nodded slightly; he understood. Due to his brother Luo Yan's earlier remarks, Sect Master Luo had simply gone with the flow.

Luo Yan: "As long as you understand. Let me ask once more—are you confident you can locate Shi Chun after entering?"

Situ Gu answered with confidence, "I believe it won't be a major issue. I should be able to find him."

"Good." Luo Yan lowered his voice, "The Rebirth Mirror is in our hands. I'll send others in to cover you. Locate him and secretly bring him out. Request any resources you need—our human and material support is at your disposal."

Situ Gu silently nodded.

Assured by the affirmation, Luo Yan then descended the mountain gracefully...

Back at the rendezvous courtyard's main hall, Gu Yanduo turned with a wave of his hand to seal the creaking doors. Within the hall, the firelight flickered across solemn faces.

Sweeping his gaze over the gathered individuals, Gu Yanduo spoke gravely, "Shi Chun's cooperation with us remains intact. Gu Lianni even swore an oath with him. When he displayed the Fire God Incense before Gu Lianni and her group, it indicated he had no intention of hiding the Secret Technique to find Divine Fire from us right from the start. His options are limited; the cost of switching allegiances is too high. We remain his best choice, so he's likely still seeking an opportunity to contact us. That's our advantage. Dispatch enough personnel to find him ahead of others, and bring him out secretly. Once located, destroy the Rebirth Mirror at the exit…"

In the temporary courtyard assigned to Daming Pavilion, a group descended from the mountain entered the hall, where Pavilion Master Xiao Youhong sat cross-legged atop the center dais.

The hall's doors were closed personally by a senior elder, who, upon returning, chuckled lowly, "Everyone, based on their discussions earlier, it seems each sect's harvested Divine Flames have likely not exceeded ten. If that's true, Luo Shengsheng's ten flames may indeed be the maximum."

Luo Shengsheng, the leading disciple representing Daming Pavilion this time.

Daming Pavilion avoided involvement in the pursuit of Mingshan Sect's group within the Divine Fire Domain. They opted out because their sect had also sent covert operatives and deployed a multi-generational effort artifact—"Fire Stabilizing Divine Needle."

Daming Pavilion acquired numerous Divine Flames; Luo Shengsheng absorbed the most, carefully collecting ten flames across different types.

With such backing, neither Daming Pavilion's representatives nor their disciples intended to squander time on pointless pursuits. Instead, they focused on quiet gains.

Another elder smiled, "We heard Shi Chun's faction retrieved over a hundred flames. Initially, we thought the Fire Stabilizing Divine Needle came at an inopportune time, but it turned out favorably—they're changing the competition rules outright, effectively disqualifying Mingshan Sect's group. I was stunned when I heard; there's rarely such fortuitous news, almost laughed aloud." He couldn't help rubbing his forehead as he chuckled.

Yet another elder hesitated, "Mingshan Sect has three disciples cultivating Fire Attribute Skills…"

The elder rubbing his forehead mockingly dismissed, "Overthinking. Gu Yanduo's daughter mingled with Mingshan Sect's group for ages. Gu Yanduo drawing the elimination line likely targets their talented artifact refiner. The other two aren't refining artifacts—no matter how many flames they've absorbed, under the revised rules, they won't know artifact refining soon enough to compete. Otherwise, every Artifact Refining World member may as well slam their heads into a block of tofu."

Half-drowsy on the dais, Xiao Youhong muttered, "Not a single easy adversary among them. Until the end, nothing's certain. Watch your words! As for attending the sect leader meeting, I won't go myself—send someone as my representative instead."

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