Upon hearing this, Shi Chun felt displeased. There was a question he'd been wanting to ask these bastards for a long time, so he opened his mouth and said, "Yan Sect Master, has anyone in the history of the Hundred Refinement Sect ever obtained Divine Fire?"

It was the kind of question that could be awkward for the one being asked but wasn't necessarily overly embarrassing—after all, it wasn't like their sect was the only one lacking such opportunity. Yan Qufeng sighed and replied, "Regrettably, we haven't had that kind of fortune."

Shi Chun turned his gaze to Tong Mingshan, feeling that perhaps this was the beginning of something.

He immediately shouted toward Luo Wan, "Master Luo, I heard Tong Mingshan say that in the same realm, even if someone's artifact refinement skills aren't as good as their opponent's, as long as they've absorbed three more Divine Fires than the opponent, they can catch up and even surpass them. Was this taught by you?"

Luo Wan couldn't figure out why he was asking this and thought for a moment before replying, "Indeed, I've said that to him before. Why? Is there an issue?"

Shi Chun retorted, "Your sect hasn't obtained any Divine Fire. How do you know that this comparison method is valid?"

Luo Wan, unhappy with Shi Chun's challenge, immediately snorted and spoke in an archaic, self-important tone. "Not everything has to be experienced firsthand. There's something called experience. The theory of differences based on the number of Divine Fires absorbed naturally comes from those powerful sects. Are you doubting the expertise of those great sects? Don't focus only on what's in front of you. The current situation is an exceptionally rare exception."

Shi Chun was having none of it. Seeing that Luo Wan was stubbornly defending his point, he dropped all politeness and countered directly, "The reasoning may not be wrong, but could it be that the 'experience' those grand sects have summarized only applies to comparisons among disciples within their own sects? Might it not be appropriate to compare disciples from grand sects with those from smaller sects?"

This remark caused Yan Qufeng and others to fall into deep thought. Having never obtained Divine Fire themselves, they'd truly never considered this angle before.

Luo Wan waved his hand dismissively, thinking Shi Chun was bringing up extreme cases like Li Hongjiu, and asked in return, "Do you think Tong Mingshan's four Divine Fires are significantly weaker compared to the three held by Huang Chunzhu of Fuming Valley, Yuan Yao of Shudao Mountain, or Xu Mang of Jingyang Palace?"

Well, if we're seriously comparing, Shi Chun found himself completely stumped. He knew full well how many Divine Fires Tong Mingshan had absorbed—twenty-six, along with refining Two-flavor True Fire. Yet here was this old fool comparing that to someone else's mere three Divine Fires.

Utterly outmaneuvered, Shi Chun felt defeated; he couldn't reveal the truth, and thus lost the verbal battle.

Frustrated, he started questioning whether Tong Mingshan had exaggerated his previous claims, though Tong Mingshan didn't seem like the kind of person to boast without reason. Finally, he pinpointed the root of the problem: damn it, it was all thanks to his master teaching him down the wrong path. Even before entering the Divine Fire Domain, his master had already led him into an abyss.

No matter how much planning he did, who the hell could have foreseen this?

If he'd known earlier that the actual comparison of strength worked this way, truthfully, he might not have chosen Tong Mingshan as the core focus for absorbing Divine Fire. He probably would have strategized and selected a more reliable candidate.

Oh well. He turned back to watch the trial, resolved to act as if he hadn't said anything. Fine, you win. I admit defeat!

The other members of the Mingshan Sect also turned their heads simultaneously, their gazes fixed on Luo Wan, who seemed smugly self-satisfied. However, their expressions were off, each one visibly stifled, their emotions betraying their deep frustration. Naturally, they had understood the meaning behind Shi Chun's earlier question and recognized the underlying issue.

Several held back words they wanted to say but ultimately chose to remain silent.

How much would be lost because of this mistake? Wu Jinliang was fuming but had nowhere to direct his anger. He turned to the sect representatives chatting loudly at the rear and cursed, "You old bastards, is your brain full of piss? Why don't you just drop dead?"

His remark drew attention from the surrounding crowd.

Only the members of the Mingshan Sect understood whom he'd been cursing.

Luo Wan's expression changed slightly; the insult hit a bit too close to home. He felt uneasy but had no evidence to confirm it was directed at him.

With no named target for the cursing, the rest of the sect members continued their discussions as usual.

"No way—is the proclaimed Sect Master of Mingshan Sect also attempting to refine the True Exquisite Heart?"

"Is he even capable of that?"

"It must be the influence of Mi Liangmeng and Gu Lianni."

"Ha, has he ever even seen what the True Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart looks like?"

"I bet not even the sect he originated from has managed to refine one."

Mocking remarks swelled and receded like tidal waves, flowing unabated among the disciples of various sects. Ridicule was far more common than applause.

Those participating in the trial couldn't help but spare a glance at Tong Mingshan, including Luo Shengsheng and Li Hongjiu. Nonetheless, they weren't treating him as a competitor and promptly returned their focus to their own tasks.

Even Situ Gu, regarded as the refining world's first expert, unexpectedly turned his attention to Tong Mingshan, finding himself unable to decipher Tong Mingshan's intentions.

On the mountainside, hearing the debates from below, Young Master Nan leaned forward in his seat, resting his upper body on his thighs while staring intently at the scene.

As for the audience outside watching the mirrored display, unable to hear the discussions at the site, there weren't many who could make sense of what was happening. Even people like Shi Chun had to rely on explanations from others present to understand the critical nuances.

An elder from the Refining Heaven Sect approached Luo Yan and whispered, "Sect Master, at this rate, Zuo Zisheng might actually have a chance to take the crown."

Luo Yan didn't need to be told; his glittering eyes had already discerned some clues. Among those seemingly ranked above Zuo Zisheng in competitiveness, several, inexplicably, were all dabbling with the refinement of the True Exquisite Heart. If they failed, Zuo Zisheng's eight orifices might indeed clinch the top prize.

He refrained from making any direct comments and remained noncommittal.

Amidst the external world's waves of discussion and mockery, Tong Mingshan tuned out involuntarily after hearing some of it, focusing his mind entirely on the refinement attempt before him.

There's no such thing as smooth sailing or effortlessly fulfilling one's desires, nor does success come so easily.

Though it's said that starting is always the hardest, still, upon first diving into the task, he began to grasp faint traces of comprehension amid his stumbling efforts.

Through repeated failures, manipulating the Two-flavor True Fire with precision wasn't difficult—after all, he'd become sufficiently adept at wielding it over the past few days.

The real challenge lay in detecting every subtle structure of the heart while simultaneously driving his intent to maneuver the True Fire for refinement—or perhaps more accurately, replication.

He had to ensure that whatever detail he observed, the True Fire would instantly begin shaping that exact intricacy. While perfect synchronization wasn't demanded, they still needed to align closely.

The heart's intricate structures were overwhelmingly complex. If his observations weren't matched by synchronized refinement, not only would he fail to master it beforehand, but his consciousness might easily lose track of previously studied areas when switching focus to fire control and back again.

The senses had to work in tandem with intent, and the intent had to harmonize with the refinement driven by the True Fire.

Following repeated failures, he dared not waste excessive time on tangents. After reevaluating the process, he swiftly adopted a step-by-step approach to streamline it.

Wherever things got stuck, he addressed them systematically.

Given the tight timeframe, he simply couldn't come up with better alternatives.

Thankfully, despite the heart's internal structure appearing unbelievably intricate, upon concentrated study, he discovered that its numerous foundational inner components were actually quite similar to one another.

The dissimilar sections presented clear structural variations; even if he momentarily lost focus, it was relatively easy to locate his initial working area again.

Put simply, mastering the refinement of fundamental structures temporarily would greatly smoothen the flow of his process.

Once his mindset adapted to refining the basics seamlessly, guiding his perception through the refinement became far more fluid.

Seizing upon a particular region of the heart's fibrous architecture, Tong Mingshan focused meticulously, driving his intent to refine this component repeatedly.

It must be said—the potency inherent in the Two-flavor True Fire was indeed remarkable. The specific refinement capabilities it offered met his requirements almost perfectly.

In finer precision work, if the flame's heat surged too high or cooling was needed, its fire attributes naturally adjusted, suppressing excessive heat and dissipating instability.

In delicate regions requiring the preservation of flexible thin-wall properties, the Divine Fire naturally shielded those areas thoroughly, preventing incursions by neighboring flames while enabling others to pass effectively.

Altogether, it destroyed and created; within its microscopic intricacies, it surged with immense vitality.

It felt as though countless artisan craftsmen were wielding chisels, cleaving through obstacles, while hammering and forging in unison—varied roles cooperating to push the crafting project forward at great speed.

Areas refined and completed were promptly reinforced by corresponding Divine Fire energies to solidify and stabilize them.

Wherever the Two-flavor True Fire, guided by Tong Mingshan's intent, passed, every detail—its carving, forging, and finalization—was meticulously recreated without pause.

The traces left behind by the True Fire consisted of fully refined and completed components, sparing Tong Mingshan the need for additional spells to preserve and shape the newly crafted sections, unlike others.

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