There are many people like them, born in East Nine Plain and scattered across various regions, struggling to survive. Without the capacity to move far, most remain within the Shengshen Continent.

Just like how Shi Chun became famous after the Sky Rain Meteor Conference, this time they began telling others around them about their past connections to Shi Chun, claiming they knew Shi Chun and that both of them came from East Nine Plain.

Unlike last time, when they rushed to seek refuge with Shi Chun upon hearing of his rise to fame, this time, having been shut out previously, they already understood Shi Chun's feelings and thus no one tried to approach him again.

Instead, as they recounted their relationship with Shi Chun to those around them, they furiously accused Shi Chun of being heartless and ungrateful, sharing numerous tales of Shi Chun's past wrongdoings. Some told the truth; others exaggerated, portraying Shi Chun as an irredeemable villain.

The listeners, who had no connection to Shi Chun, felt indifferent towards his virtues or flaws. The kind-hearted ones might respond half-heartedly with a few words of agreement, while the earnest ones merely expressed some sighs of pity. Most treated it as a joke, while the sarcastic ones sneered, "If you were so close to Shi Chun, why didn't you seek him out before his rise to fame?"

Nobody empathized with their suffering. Since they were now irrelevant to Shi Chun, their current state was simply what it was; they didn't even qualify to evoke the slightest emotional ripple in others.

Speaking too much stirred no waves at all; it even invited ridicule. Gradually, they fell silent.

Yet inside, they were far from calm. Once, they believed the world outside was vast, and thought that without the constraints of their leader, life beyond East Nine Plain would be liberating. But now they realized that their leader remained the same bold figure, capable of intimidating anyone, while they had not found the freedom they imagined. Meanwhile, their leader had already infiltrated the Divine Fire Domain, established a sect, and gained renown across the land.

That Wu Giant must also be living the good life, indulging in feasting and merrymaking. They could picture Wu Giant's smug and gleeful expression.

Regret gnawed at their hearts—regret for having parted ways...

Holding the Mother-child Talisman, Qiao Wugong turned and squeezed out of the crowd. The Bai Shuchuan group followed suit.

Once they reached a secluded spot, Qiao Wugong put away the Mother-child Talisman and said to his sect companions, "I've already confirmed with the people in Qi Yun Valley. Shi Chun's group did absorb four Divine Fires, maybe even more. There are two others among them who practice fire-attribute skills."

His tone had an air of heaviness as he spoke.

This meant that the rumors they'd just heard about the Divine Fire Domain were true. Bai Shuchuan wore an alarmed expression and said, "This is the Artifact Refining World's home turf—how are they so formidable? Shi Shu, should we continue carrying out Elder Wu's orders?"

Though Bai Shuchuan himself was the most eager to seek revenge against Shi Chun, he now framed it as Elder Wu's business, distancing himself from the matter. After all, strength often resolved plenty of issues easily.

Qiao Wugong's face darkened as he replied, "There are artifact refiners, alchemists, and combatants specializing in fire-attribute techniques among them—all of whom have absorbed Divine Fire. Given time, who knows who'll settle scores with whom? Setting aside the sect's directives for now—how can this grudge be squared? If we want to resolve it, we must act before they rise to prominence!"

The disciples from Jieyun Mountain nodded repeatedly, deeply agreeing.

Bai Shuchuan's gaze sharpened with resolve as he said, "Alright, I'll take two junior disciples over to monitor them closely."

In the mirrored scene within Qi Yun Valley, all the personnel participating in the competition had already taken their places—135 people in total—each standing before a prepared box.

For those in the Artifact Refining World, the contents of the boxes were clear. Each box contained 120 jin of 'Star Sand,' a granular mineral raw material.

The first step of the competition involved extracting a certain quantity of refining materials from this raw material, a process colloquially referred to in the Artifact Refining World as 'Washing Star Sand.'

Standing at the center of the field, a Li Huo Sect elder had a waist-high copper cauldron-style incense burner behind him. He surveyed the scene to ensure all participants were present. Upon receiving the signal confirming the headcount, he took out a stick of incense, lit it on the spot, placed it in the incense burner, and then spread his arms to cast a spell, announcing loudly, "Begin verification!"

The competition participants, who had been briefed on the rules beforehand, began moving chaotically among the boxes, inspecting and even opening the boxes to examine the metallic, indigo-hued coarse sand within.

Their main aim was to ensure the quantity and quality of each box were identical. If a participant suspected any box to be problematic, they could inspect it. Outsiders might not recognize issues or identify discrepancies, but for those trained in artifact refining, verifying this was a fundamental skill and posed no difficulties.

The verification period lasted for one stick of incense's worth of time, after which the standing positions were also to be randomly reassigned, thus disrupting the initial arrangement.

The initial standing positions were already haphazard.

When the incense expired, the Li Huo Sect elder again spread his arms and cast a spell, calling out, "Return to position!"

The participants, who had been wandering and surveying, immediately selected boxes nearby and stood behind them.

Those unable to find nearby options had to settle for unoccupied spots elsewhere.

Once all participants were in place, the elder spread his arms again and loudly announced, "Recheck!"

This time, each participant began inspecting the 'Star Sand' before them for any issues.

When all of the competitors had finished their checks and were standing upright, the elder asked loudly, "Any objections?"

Seeing no response, it was clear there were no issues.

The elder then drew another stick of incense, held it overhead, and displayed it to everyone while his voice echoed across the venue, "120 jin of Star Sand—extract at least 3 jin and 6 liang of iron within one stick of incense's time. Any participant who fails or exceeds the time limit will lose eligibility for the next round!"

With that, he lit the incense stick and placed it into the burner, shouting, "Begin!"

The participants encircling the venue immediately bent over and began casting spells to extract iron from the Star Sand. One after the other, virtual flames ignited in their hands, enveloping the sand and burning to refine. A dazzling display of various flame colors filled the competition arena, creating a captivating spectacle that left spectators watching via mirror imagery in awe.

Among the participants was a sect disciple standing behind Mingshan Sect who shook his head and sighed, "Extracting 3 jin and 6 liang of iron in one stick of incense's time—even artifact refiners at the Human Immortal Realm would find it challenging to achieve this within such a short timeframe. For those in the High Martial Realm, only those who've absorbed Divine Fire could possibly manage it."

Another person chuckled and replied, "If they couldn't surpass average individuals, what's the advantage of absorbing Divine Fire?"

Someone else commented, "This first round appears fair but is actually quite unfair."

Upon hearing this, Wu Jinliang immediately turned sideways crab-like and approached, inquiring, "What do you mean by that?"

Nowadays, the Mingshan Sect was considered a celebrated name in the Artifact Refining World, especially with a sect master who had absorbed four Divine Fires. Without any major mishaps, the sect seemed poised to become a noteworthy force in the future—worthy of early respect.

The interlocutor responded candidly, "It depends on the attributes of the Divine Fires absorbed by everyone. Some Divine Fires excel in melting and refining; others lack even high-temperature capabilities, so their suitability for smelting and extraction is evident. Judging by the current competition participants, probably over half will fail the first round."

Wu Jinliang stroked his chin and murmured an "Oh," appearing enlightened.

Unexpectedly, the observer's sect master admonished the commenting disciple sternly, "Foolish boasting! Such rules are established with purpose; those who are eliminated are eliminated for good reason. In artifact refining, the interplay of direct and indirect approaches is essential—dogged reliance on one aspect leads nowhere. If one cannot even master the basics of smelting and refining, there's no point in competing further in the second stage. Their elimination is fully justified."

The disciple quickly admitted his error, saying, "Yes, Master, I understand now."

Wu Jinliang and the Mingshan Sect group, who had been eavesdropping, left with a sense of half-understanding.

Compared to the tense spell-casting of other participants, Tong Mingshan appeared remarkably composed during the competition. He handled a floating batch of Star Sand enveloped in white flame while intermittently glancing left and right at other competitors, primarily observing Luo Shengsheng and Gu Lianni.

This was also in accordance with Shi Chun's prior instructions—during the first round, avoid standing out conspicuously. After all, one could never be certain of the antics that might unfold in the Artifact Refining World, even if rules could be revised on the fly. Thus, caution was imperative.

If decisive victory was possible when rules could no longer be overturned, tougher measures could be employed then.

The aim was to pass the first round without surpassing those who had absorbed considerable Divine Fire, while also keeping an eye on the incense's burning progress. All of this naturally required occasional surveying glances.

While others immersed themselves in their efforts, including Li Hongjiu, Tong Mingshan was the only one strolling his gaze across the venue. The contrast was glaring—it was almost ostentatiously noticeable.

Naturally, he was also the only sect leader participating in the competition in person.

"Tong Mingshan carries himself with ease and composure—truly exuding the demeanor of a great leader!"

Praises were heard from the Hundred Refinement Sect, particularly from elder Pan Gongying, who stroked his beard and sighed.

However, his teacher Luo Wan voiced concern, commenting sternly, "This lad is overconfident. Others exert their full effort, while he relies on just one Divine Fire—this is no place for reckless gamesmanship!"

As his teacher, Luo Wan instinctively criticized his disciple, pointing out flaws.

Upon hearing this, Shi Chun and his peers noticed the issue at hand—Tong Mingshan was using only one white Divine Fire for refining, whereas Luo Shengsheng's ten-colored flame energy, Gu Lianni's seven-colored flame energy, and Li Hongjiu's three-colored flame energy were all fully deployed. All were straining every effort to secure first place for their sect's honor.

The refined iron scrap had already begun falling into their boxes in shimmering jets.

"No worries!" the Hundred Refinement Sect master Yan Qufeng reassured with a tone of indulgence, adding, "With four Divine Fires, passing the first round is guaranteed."

Shi Chun furrowed his brows, crossed his arms, and stroked his chin thoughtfully. He knew Tong Mingshan's One Flavor True Fire concealed twelve strands of authentic Divine Fire intent, but would such an easy first-round victory come across as too effortless—and possibly attract unwanted attention? Now was not the time for a decisive strike nor a moment to draw unnecessary focus. Did Tong Mingshan plan to pass the first round without disguising his proficiency?

Among them were truly discerning individuals; the eyes of numerous sect members had already begun observing Tong Mingshan's Divine Fire with curiosity.

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