Having come out of the valley entrance, one could no longer re-enter—regardless of whether or not one was a participant in the Divine Fire Covenant. Once outside, it was strictly prohibited to go back.

At a loss, Zhu Xiangxin felt utterly unsure of her next move. She sat on a slope by the valley entrance, her thoughts caught in a chaotic whirlpool.

Before long, a familiar voice at the entrance snapped her back to reality. Looking ahead, she recognized a familiar figure amidst the night shadows. It was none other than An Wuzhi, who had also been stopped by the entrance guards. He too was denied re-entry, negotiations proving futile, as the guards declared: "Rules are rules."

It wasn't the first time someone had broken the rules to sneak back in.

"Brother An," Zhu Xiangxin craned her neck and called out.

An Wuzhi turned back and saw her sitting there. He froze for a moment, realizing he'd been distracted and hadn't noticed her presence. Without further debate with the guards, he walked over silently and sat quietly beside her, looking somber.

Trying to break the awkward silence, Zhu Xiangxin asked, "You haven't returned to the sect?"

An Wuzhi glanced at her and couldn't help but chuckle, "If our sect knew that we absorbed so many divine flames, do you think we'd have made it back to this exit so quickly?"

His words made Zhu Xiangxin hug her knees and gaze at the stars.

An Wuzhi let out a heavy sigh. "It's truly disheartening! We spent half a year locked away, and not a single word of concern was uttered. They still don't understand. We were naive to assume things might be different. The Master was right—people like us returning would only outshine certain individuals, and that wouldn't sit well. Fine then, sever all ties without any burdens. I refuse to believe we can't find suitable cultivation techniques if we have money, and as for the Master? He's full of ideas. Let's ask him for help later. Don't sit here brooding over the guard post; let's go." He stood up abruptly after finishing.

Zhu Xiangxin tilted her head upward. "Go where?"

An Wuzhi replied, "Where else? To Duan Xiangmei's place."

Of course! Zhu Xiangxin suddenly remembered that even though she was estranged from her sect, she wasn't alone. Her companions were outside the valley too. Thinking of the petite, cheerful girl who often managed errands for the group, her mood brightened substantially. She jumped to her feet and exclaimed, "Let's go find Xiangmei!"

The two walked down the slope together.

The search was not without obstacles—the guesthouse still had rooms left untended, but the occupants were missing...

Disciples from the Li Huo Sect came knocking again, informing them of the new rules before leaving. Shi Chun's laughter boomed skyward, loud and unrestrained. The disciples turned back several times to see, quickened their pace, and fled.

Everyone in the courtyard cast their gazes towards Shi Chun, who was dangerously close to laughing until tears streamed down his face.

Once he eventually caught his breath, Young Master Nan walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "You find this funny? The new rules are clearly targeting you all. They want to test your limits. If you push back, they might just tweak the rules again."

Shi Chun waved dismissively. "I'm laughing at exactly that! To think the entire Artifact Refining World has to repeatedly change its rules just for me, Shi Chun. What an honor! Isn't that worth a laugh?"

Young Master Nan shook his head slightly, deliberated for a moment, but eventually reminded him, "The Divine Fire Covenant fuss is only significant within the Artifact Refining World. For the broader Cultivation World, the Divine Fire Domain and the like are hardly noteworthy events."

Shi Chun chuckled twice. "I just think that the Artifact Refining World's methods are laughably juvenile."

Young Master Nan sighed. "Juvenile or not, they still hold the authority. Verifying qualifying participants comes first; you won't have much choice but to comply."

"Comply? Of course, we'll comply." Shi Chun grinned and waved at Tong Mingshan. "Sect Master, why don't I accompany you on this trip?"

Beneath the laughter, however, lay the frustration of being manipulated—an inescapable truth that even Tong Mingshan couldn't confidently counter. In the end, all they could do was obey and take their chances.

There wasn't much value in delay; the sooner they verified, the sooner they could face the aftermath.

His accompanying wasn't solitary—everyone followed along.

The verification site was in the administrative hall at Qi Yun Valley, the same venue where participants registered for the competition.

With the announcement of new rules, the verification process was taken over by the Ten Great Sects, each stationing elders to oversee the process.

Previously, only about a hundred participants had registered for the event, but with the changes, around thirty to forty people had already rushed over to line up, eager for their turn. Shi Chun and his group were far from early arrivals; though standing in the back, they had already attracted attention from the other factions.

One after another, disciples whispered to the elders stationed in the verification area, prompting occasional glances outside. The eagerly awaited arrivals had come.

The verification itself involved a large mirror within the hall named the 'Fire Soul Primordial Light Mirror.' Originally designed as a magical treasure for observing flame quality during Artifact Refining, it was now repurposed for this assessment. Participants would stand before the mirror, which would naturally reveal their fire essence.

Participants lined up at the main entrance, taking turns going in. Once done, they exited through a side door.

Within the hall, the person under examination would stand beneath the mirror, their fire essence manifesting as colored hues within the mirror's image.

After passing, individuals would leave the mirror's vicinity, confirm their identity, and formally register under the records.

The process was swift, wasting little time. Most rushing for early validation had absorbed a single Divine Fire.

Just one absorbed flame was already enough to stir envy among the majority of Artifact Refiners.

When Shi Chun's group entered the hall, an elder stationed there pointed and asked, "Are you all registered participants?"

Young Master Nan cheerfully responded, "Can't we come along to observe? Your notice didn't exactly forbid spectators, did it?"

Another elder restrained the first with a gentle pat on the arm, preventing further escalation, and replied cordially, "Observers should step aside and leave the line for participants."

Thus, twenty-some individuals walked away to stand off to the side, including ten from Bright Mountain Sect and another ten or so with Young Master Nan.

The queue shortened significantly.

Observing from the sidelines proved more educational than simply standing at the end of the line. Watching individuals undergo verification offered insight into how the process worked.

Soon, it was Tong Mingshan's turn. As he stepped forward, tension gripped not only himself but also Shi Chun.

The other disciples from Mingshan Sect were still unclear about the details, including Wu Jinliang.

Young Master Nan was understandably puzzled; he had doubted the necessity of verification and didn't understand why Shi Chun insisted on registering. Shi Chun refused to explain, leaving Young Master Nan curious to see how many Divine Flames Tong Mingshan had absorbed, to warrant Shi Chun's secrecy.

Tong Mingshan stood under the mirror, and the mirror's operator activated the treasure. A beam of light settled on Tong Mingshan, and soon, his reflection in the mirror blurred and swayed. Four streams of flame hues—black, white, red, and green—danced faintly within the image.

What the hell, only four flames? Young Master Nan's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in disbelief. He stared at Tong Mingshan, then at Shi Chun, who exhaled a relieved sigh. What was going on? What did this mean?

Finally, he understood why they dared to undergo inspection.

At the same time, he didn't understand why the Artifact Refining sects made such a fuss. Were they truly so short-sighted to kill over this?

The Mingshan Sect group snapped out of their daze, including Wu Jinliang, gradually piecing together the situation. They all exchanged glances, realizing the truth—they knew Tong Mingshan had absorbed twenty-six Divine Flames and fused two True Flames.

They now understood how the four flames appeared within the mirror's image.

Spotting Shi Chun, they began to understand. No wonder—he was playing a clever hand and holding back his trump card.

One by one, their expressions turned playful, sensing the magnitude of this ploy—deceptively bold and subtly ruthless.

They realized that the Master never disappointed them, always making unexpected but flawlessly executed decisions. Now, they eagerly anticipated Tong Mingshan's confrontation with the Artifact Refining sects.

After drifting into their thoughts, Wu Jinliang couldn't help but grin slyly.

Tong Mingshan glanced back at Shi Chun. Shi Chun responded with a faint, knowing smile.

The mirror's operator doubted his own eyes, repeating the process on Tong Mingshan several times. At last, he announced loudly, "Tong Mingshan, four Divine Flames. Next!"

The announcement caused quite a stir among those in line.

Previously, only single-flame absorptions had been verified, with not even a two-flame seen. Four-flames? To them, it was practically divine!

Of course, upon hearing the name 'Tong Mingshan,' others grew suspicious. Based on rumors from the Divine Fire Domain, didn't he have more than four flames?

Just as Tong Mingshan was about to step away, a presiding elder abruptly stood and shouted, "Wait!"

The room fell still at the commanding voice. The elder walked up personally, took over the mirror's control, and inspected Tong Mingshan again. Upon confirming the four flames, he retreated, puzzled.

Yet, skepticism filled the hall. Distrusting the results, several elders personally took turns using the mirror.

It wasn't merely individual hesitation—no elder trusted their counterpart, each insisting on personally verifying.

Some, discontented with the results, even reached out with their own hands to inspect Tong Mingshan directly, alarming Shi Chun.

But for Tong Mingshan, this created an opportunity. His True Flames were composed of twelve different Divine Flames each, allowing him to manipulate their properties at will, presenting any single flame for scrutiny.

Finally convinced the four flames were legitimate, the Ten Great Sect elders begrudgingly accepted reality and returned to their seats silently, exchanging resigned glances.

Only at this moment did they realize why Tong Mingshan boldly registered under the new competition rules. With just four flames, anyone would give it a shot.

Relieved elders whispered to themselves, reassured that Tong Mingshan couldn't surpass their sect's disciples. If four flames somehow secured victory, it would require an unparalleled prodigy.

Satisfied, an elder waved to let him pass.

Tong Mingshan finally left for identity and record verification, confirming his details.

The Mingshan Sect spectators collectively exhaled deeply in relief.

Now emboldened, Shi Chun loudly exclaimed, "While waiting outside earlier, I overheard complaints about the fairness of this competition—how the early arrivals enjoyed sufficient rest while the later arrivals remained fatigued, forced to compete in a suboptimal state. As my sect intends to compete, I represent all participants to ask the elders: how will fairness in this regard be upheld?"

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