If even after absorbing seven Divine Fires, she still couldn't surpass Mi Liangmeng, then she truly had no face to meet the world.

She was, after all, the daughter of the Sect Leader of the second-largest artifact-refining sect in the world. Those who could defeat her were all disciples from sects ranked below Shudao Mountain. How could Shudao Mountain preserve its dignity?

Clenching her teeth and closing her eyes, she plunged into the refining process with an unprecedented resolve.

In contrast, Mi Liangmeng was perhaps the only one besides Tong Mingshan who was entirely unaffected by the external commotion. Once he set his mind on refining the True Exquisite Heart, he became wholly absorbed in his own refining world.

He was well aware that success or failure all hinged on this one gamble.

He had merely figured it out earlier and went for it…

On the rooftop, Lan Qiaoyan and Gong Yuanzhi were leisurely seated. Though they weren't experts in artifact refining, they were well entertained by their future son-in-law, who had brought in an expert surnamed Wang to provide commentary.

Seeing the mirrored projection freeze on Tong Mingshan and hearing that Tong Mingshan might be attempting to refine the True Exquisite Heart, even Miao Yilan and Gong Shaoci were surprised, let alone Lan Qiaoyan and Gong Yuanzhi.

They might not know much else, but they were fully aware of what it meant to refine the True Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart. It symbolized that one's artifact refining skills had reached an entirely new realm—stepping onto the threshold of crafting advanced Magical Treasures.

For an Artifact Refiner, this was no trivial matter.

What's more, considering Tong Mingshan's age and cultivation, if it were true, his potential was limitless.

But the expert surnamed Wang, who appeared a bit scruffy and had a habit of stroking his short beard, still couldn't confirm it. He muttered to himself as he watched, "It seems he's been using only two Divine Fires. If he truly is refining the True Exquisite Heart, why wouldn't he use all four Divine Fires? Even occasional assistance from them would be beneficial, no?"

Listening to his persistent mutterings, Gong Yuanzhi, who was fixated on the mirrored projection, seemed increasingly intrigued by Tong Mingshan. He asked, "Judging by the reactions of the experts present, doesn't it seem unlikely that everyone's instincts here could be so off?"

The expert surnamed Wang thought for a moment, tugged at his beard, and nodded slightly. "You're making sense." Fixing his gaze back on the projection, he muttered to himself again, "If this is true, then it's truly extraordinary."

Gong Yuanzhi let out a curious "Oh?" and said, "Why so? I'd like to hear your insights."

The expert surnamed Wang pointed at the projection. "Given his background, age, and cultivation level, without any extraordinary encounters, relying solely on the teachings of that Hundred Refinement Sect, not to mention four Divine Fires—even with ten, he might not be able to refine even a single orifice of the True Heart in such a short time.

From the start, he wasn't even working on the True Exquisite Heart. His initial refining actions matched his background and inherent conditions.

It was only when the incense stick burned down to its last fifth that he restarted. So what was the purpose of wasting that time earlier? Was he deliberately pretending to conceal something? But there's no point to such pretense if you're going to reveal it in the end—it only draws more attention.

If the final outcome proves he was genuinely refining the True Exquisite Heart, then it's very possible that..."

Suddenly, he yanked off a beard hair, his eyes lighting up as he exclaimed, "I've realized it!"

"Realized what?" Gong Yuanzhi asked in puzzlement.

The expert flicked away the broken hair, nodding as he spoke, "The refining technique he's using now doesn't resemble any known cultivation technique in the Cultivation World. It's possible that he's been working on developing his own refining key method. Something he couldn't grasp was suddenly understood just now due to a fortuitous moment. This boy may very well have had some extraordinary encounter in the Divine Fire Domain. After all, many ancient sages perished in it, and it's entirely plausible he inherited someone's legacy."

Staring fixated on the mirrored projection, he added, "The glow of radiance in the artifact's area is becoming increasingly transparent. It may very well be that he's working on refining the True Exquisite Heart."

Those present exchanged glances before Gong Yuanzhi suddenly turned to Lan Qiaoyan and laughed. "If that's really the case, then Shi Chun's luck isn't half bad, having someone like this under them."

There was no need to bandy about superficial pleasantries here; everyone knew that Tong Mingshan was essentially one of Shi Chun's underlings…

At the competition site, the remaining participants—those no longer the center of everyone's attention—continued to submit their refined products for judging.

Aside from a few stalwarts still locked in fierce competition, there weren't many people left.

"Three orifices! He's refining the fourth orifice now!"

Suddenly, gasps erupted as the mirrored projection froze on Luo Shengsheng.

Luo Shengsheng had fully redirected his Divine Fire to forge the fourth orifice.

Yet beads of sweat were already rolling down from his bald head in droplets. Under the flickering light of the flames, his complexion seemed utterly pale, as if blood had drained away from his face. The proud, aloof gleam in his eyes was now dim, and after glancing at Tong Mingshan and Li Hongjiu, he ignored even the timekeeping incense and continued with closed eyes.

The Daming Pavilion members could clearly see that he was pushing himself to the limit.

Pavilion Master Xiao Youhong muttered, sighing, "That's enough, that's enough."

But Luo Shengsheng wasn't the only one. Gu Lianni's face was also drenched in sweat. Her closed eyes twitched occasionally due to over-exertion, as if she were trapped in a nightmare.

Shudao Mountain's members collectively held their breaths, sensing that their Sect Leader's daughter was nearing her limits.

Gu Yanduo, his face taut with tension, stared closely at his daughter, his expression grim. He knew all too well—forcing a worn-out horse to appear as a qilin was a perilous overreach that could cost someone their life.

But at this point, he found it difficult to persuade his daughter to withdraw. Seven Divine Fires—if she couldn't even enter the top three, fine. But at the very least, Gu Lianni needed to produce some respectable result to answer to the entire sect.

Would the lives of so many people be sacrificed for a useless daughter just because she was the Sect Leader's daughter?

Later, when disciples faced mockery from other sects, they wouldn't refrain from whispering behind closed doors, questioning how Gu Lianni had been chosen to represent Shudao Mountain in the Divine Fire Domain. Was it just because she was the Sect Leader's daughter?

"The fifth orifice! Li Hongjiu is crafting the fifth orifice!"

The exclamations surrounding Luo Shengsheng had scarcely subsided when another wave broke out, this time for Li Hongjiu.

Li Hongjiu stole a glance over at Tong Mingshan, and instantly cursed inwardly. He found that the glow radiating from the artifact in Tong Mingshan's hands had already risen to nearly half its height.

It was obvious—once Tong Mingshan completed the refinement, it would mean all nine orifices were crafted in one go.

Meanwhile, he still had to inch his way forward, orifice by orifice. Damn it all, this competition seemed intent on driving him mad!

Had he known it would come to this, he would've abandoned watching Luo Shengsheng and pushed himself past his limits earlier, perhaps managing to craft an extra orifice.

Cursing himself inwardly, Li Hongjiu didn't dare waste any more time. He immediately closed his eyes and continued, sweat now forming in fine droplets across his forehead, and his breathing turning labored.

Qu Sect Master of the Yanbao Sect watched with a grave expression. It was the first time he'd seen this unreliable disciple of his break out into such a sweat and take something so seriously. He also realized that his eccentric disciple was giving it everything he had this time.

"Old An, look at Tong Mingshan's hair!"

Just outside Qi Yun Valley's exit, Zhu Xiangxin suddenly reached out and tapped An Wuzhi on the arm, signaling for him to look.

The keen awareness of women was on full display as she was the first to notice something unusual in the mirrored projection.

An Wuzhi immediately focused, studying closely. Under the flickering light of the refining process, it wouldn't have been noticeable without careful observation. But upon closer inspection, he realized that Tong Mingshan's head full of black hair appeared to be gradually fading, turning gray.

Startled, his lips quivered. "Is… is it turning white?"

Shi Chun's camp, seated among the spectators, had long since fallen silent. They stared fixedly at the final stages of competition, barely daring to breathe.

By now, the changing radiance within the artifact Tong Mingshan was crafting had made one thing abundantly clear: They had deeply underestimated him. Tong Mingshan had never given up; he was truly contending for the supreme throne in the Artifact Refining World—a title that emerged only once every few centuries.

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