"Understood." Gu Lianni accepted the order and left.

After watching her leave, one elder remarked, "If it weren't for Mulan Jin stepping in suddenly, worrying that kid might have ties to the Demon Path, I fear all the sects would be scrambling to make contact."

Gu Yanduo replied, "Let's hope he can pass Mulan Jin's test. If he can't, it would at least be good to figure out the origin of that artifact beforehand."

Mingshan Sect was also keeping a close watch on the number of Divine Fires absorbed by the other sects.

It wasn't as though they were overly concerned. Since they aimed for the top leader position, it was always better to have a clear grasp of the situation with the competition. For this, they had to rely on Young Master Nan, who had some connections to gather intel.

However, the gathered intel left Shi Chun puzzled. Based on the current results from other sects' examinations, most had absorbed only one Divine Fire. Beyond that, only one person had absorbed two, and another had absorbed four.

The person who absorbed four was none other than Tong Mingshan.

Among the Ten Great Sects, only a few participants had undergone examination so far.

What did this mean? As they were still puzzling over it, Xiao Sheng, the gatekeeper, rushed in to report that Gu Lianni had arrived.

A visitor, and an old acquaintance at that—naturally, they had to be invited in.

The visitors weren't just Gu Lianni; Yuan Yao had accompanied her.

Welcoming them, Shi Chun chuckled and teased, "Big Sister, Brother Yuan, what wind blew you here?"

Had he gotten too used to calling her 'Big Sister'? He still blurted it out outside formalities. Gu Lianni raised her brows, placed her hands on her hips in a provocative stance, and retorted, "What, not happy to see me?"

"How could that be?" Shi Chun said cheerfully, gesturing for the guests to enter.

Once seated in the hall, there wasn't much to offer them in the way of refreshments.

Gu Lianni didn't need any special treatment. She had planned to get straight to the point but found Young Master Nan had slipped in to eavesdrop. Awkwardly, she ended up engaging in superficial pleasantries instead. She remarked on how she regretted not heeding Shi Chun's past advice, leading to her getting briefly held hostage by the Refining Heaven Sect and their ilk.

Eventually, Shi Chun steered the conversation back on track, asking, "What brings the two of you here? Any commands?"

He didn't believe for a second they'd come because of such insignificant past events to apologize.

Gu and Yuan exchanged a glance, then both turned their gaze toward Young Master Nan, their expressions betraying hesitation.

Fine. Young Master Nan caught on that he was unwelcome yet again. He joked, "You guys continue," and sensibly made his way out.

Wu Jinliang watched him leave and chuckled. He had no intention to step out.

With no outsiders left, Gu Lianni rose abruptly and approached Shi Chun, demanding, "I heard Tong Mingshan only absorbed four Divine Fires. What's going on?"

Shi Chun spread his hands. "What else could it be? He absorbed four Divine Fires as reported."

Gu Lianni glared. "Impossible. Just by what I saw alone, he had nearly ten Divine Fires in hand to absorb. Now you're telling me four?"

Shi Chun retorted irritably, "Big Sister, you've been a disciple of a prominent sect for too long. Do you even understand the hardships of ordinary folk? Tong Mingshan's Fire Attribute Skill is hardly comparable to your Shudao Mountain sect's. He was expelled from his sect midway and hasn't fully cultivated his Fire Attribute Skill. The success rate of absorbing Divine Fire for him isn't as high."

Could this really be the case? Gu Lianni and Yuan Yao exchanged uncertain glances.

Still unsatisfied, Gu Lianni rolled up her sleeves, stormed outside, and—ignoring all social decorum—went straight to Tong Mingshan in the courtyard, grabbed him, and performed a magical analysis.

Tong Mingshan looked back toward Shi Chun, who was standing at the hall's doorway and winked at him.

A moment later, Gu Lianni quietly lowered her hands and glanced at Tong Mingshan with a look of heartbroken dismay. Then she spun around and stormed back into the hall, pacing about restlessly.

Shi Chun walked in and asked, "Fidgeting like an ant on a hot pan—what's wrong?"

Gu Lianni clapped her hand over her backside and groaned in agony. "What a waste! So many Divine Fires, and only four absorbed successfully. You're too wasteful. I'd have made better use of them had I known!"

Yuan Yao shook his head and sighed. He almost had the urge to punch Shi Chun.

Shi Chun, however, remained calm and composed. "If not for some wastage, absorbing even four might've been impossible."

"You…" Gu Lianni pointed a finger at his nose but eventually waved it off.

Shi Chun added matter-of-factly, "Four is quite sufficient. Although our Sect Master isn't skilled in absorbing Divine Fire, his Artifact Refining talent is one of a kind and may even surpass yours."

As if Artifact Refining mattered! Gu Lianni was too heartbroken to even respond.

Suddenly, Shi Chun shifted the topic. "Speaking of Divine Fire absorption count, why haven't you guys undergone the inspection? Don't tell me you aren't planning to join the competition."

"Rules are rules. Of course, every sect will adhere to them. None can escape inspection. We prestigious disciples won't rush into line and waste time for others. We'll head there in due time."

Gu Lianni dismissed his question casually, but she knew the rules primarily targeted other sects, particularly Mingshan Sect. As for the Ten Great Sects, they had reached a consensus to undergo inspections only right before the competition began.

As she spoke, she signaled Yuan Yao with a glance.

Yuan Yao promptly went to close the hall's door.

Once they ensured some privacy, Gu Lianni skipped further pretense, knowing Shi Chun was slippery and wouldn't respond to roundabout tactics. She leaned in close and lowered her voice, asking directly, "Where did you get the 'Fire God Incense'?"

Getting this close, Shi Chun could catch a whiff of her scent. His gaze involuntarily lingered on her for a moment before he smirked. "Why should I tell you?"

Gu Lianni retorted, "You're a clever man. You should understand that the proverb 'A man of virtue cannot protect his jade' applies here. I won't say more. Name your terms, and we can negotiate."

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