When he shouted like that, the resident elders of the various sects felt as though a perfectly decent crowd had been infiltrated by a pest—everyone else seemed fine, but he was full of problems.

Yet, he was openly voicing his grievance under the mantle of being part of the Artifact Refining World, leaving them wondering: Are you really one of its members? Don't you have a clue yourself?

That said, after the commotion in the Divine Fire Domain, the elders couldn't deny that this fellow was indeed different from the average person.

Moreover, the people from the Stargazing Pavilion were standing by, clearly waiting for this odd fellow.

In any case, taking action was tricky, but not acting left them dissatisfied—they all wanted to pry the secrets out of him. All in all, he was someone who left people feeling conflicted.

As the resident elders listened, they glanced at the subsequent individuals queued for inspection.

The disciples caught under their gaze all plastered on innocent faces, silently saying, "I didn't say anything, and I'm definitely not among those ambiguous 'many people.'"

The elders didn't refute Shi Chun's words, since, after all, he wasn't speaking nonsense—what he said was reasonable.

What he said made sense, and ignoring it would make them seem overtly unjust, so one elder casually replied, "You're worrying too much. Appropriate considerations will naturally be made."

Alright, since they responded that way, Shi Chun couldn't press further for now. He had already expressed his opinion; if there was no reaction later, he could simply shout louder. For now, he let it rest, cupped his hands respectfully to the elders, and turned to wave his group forward to leave.

Except for Tong Mingshan, who likely grasped the Master's intentions, the others—including Young Master Nan's faction—looked puzzled, unsure of what Shi Chun's actions meant...

"Four flames? Are you sure it's four flames?"

At Shudao Mountain's temporary lodging, after hearing Elder Tu Wenjing's report, Gu Yanduo questioned repeatedly in disbelief. It wasn't just him—everyone else was equally filled with disbelief.

Faced with their reactions, Elder Tu Wenjing smiled bitterly and explained, "I thought there might be a mistake too, so I personally operated the Fire Soul Primordial Light Mirror to inspect Tong Mingshan. I even personally pinned him down and employed a technique for verification—not just me, but the other sects also conducted repeated tests. There's absolutely no error—it's indeed four flames."

After a brief silence, Gu Yanduo turned to the disciple guarding the entrance and said, "Go summon Gu Lianni."

"Understood." The disciple complied and headed out.

Soon, Gu Lianni arrived quickly and formally greeted the gathered higher-ups.

Gu Yanduo signaled to Elder Tu, who then recounted the inspection conducted on Tong Mingshan to Gu Lianni in rough terms.

After hearing this, Gu Lianni widened her eyes in shock and exclaimed, "How is that possible?"

Gu Yanduo solemnly replied, "But that is the reality we're facing now. I ask you, with regard to Tong Mingshan absorbing Divine Fire, can you confirm the exact number of flames?"

Gu Lianni was about to say she could confirm it, but hesitated as she realized she couldn't guarantee it with certainty. After all, Elder Tu's statement made her second-guess herself. Weighing her thoughts, she answered hesitantly, "I saw him take Divine Fire into the cave to absorb, and he came out empty-handed. If he didn't absorb it, could it have possibly been a failed attempt? Moreover, Shi Chun also exchanged different Divine Fires with us, totaling at least ten flames."

She then turned to everyone and questioned in return, "Is it even possible to fail at absorbing Divine Fire?"

Everyone fell into thoughtful silence. After a while, Gu Yanduo mused, "Failures in absorption do happen. Our usual calculations rely on our fire attribute cultivation techniques. For those from smaller sects, the probability of successfully absorbing Divine Fire might be lower. Especially in this case, where Tong Mingshan was expelled from his sect—the completeness of his cultivation technique remains questionable. Speaking of which, the lower success rate of small sects might indeed be tied to these factors."

No one could provide an answer to this theory for the time being.

Elder Tu added, "Regardless, I can guarantee Tong Mingshan's body contains only the attributes of four flames. Furthermore, it's not just my judgment; surely the elders from the Ten Great Sects aren't all blind, are they? Even if he conceals it somehow, when he competes to seize the championship, he'll inevitably reveal his strength. At that point, we'll all see. If he displays more than ten flames, we can still rule him disqualified according to the rules. If he doesn't reveal them, he won't have a way to win the championship."

Another elder nodded, "That's exactly the case. Tong Mingshan must be aware of this reality too, meaning it's entirely possible he only absorbed four flames."

As they spoke, everyone turned their eyes to Gu Lianni. She struggled to come up with a rebuttal since she genuinely didn't know the truth of it. Personally, she felt it was impossible for Tong Mingshan to only have four flames, but the reality before her suggested otherwise.

"Elder Tu's reasoning makes sense." Gu Yanduo first clarified the situation, then addressed his daughter, "Your cooperation with Shi Chun's group was interrupted, yet maintaining normal interactions is within reason. You might as well personally visit Shi Chun and ask him about this matter."

Gu Lianni was eager to comply and readily agreed, "Alright, I'll go right away."

She saluted the group and turned to leave.

Gu Yanduo, however, called out to stop her: "As for that thing in his possession, whether he chooses to disclose its origins is one thing, but you should try to probe as well. Everything can be negotiated; whatever conditions he sets, as long as our Shudao Mountain can fulfill them, it's worth discussing."

Elder Tu and the others nodded slightly upon hearing this—they knew exactly what "that item" in Shi Chun's possession referred to and regarded it as a key advantage their group held over other sects.

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