In the reflection, the Exquisite Heart held in his hand, his face, and his white hair.

Shi Chun and his group were speechless, shocked by Tong Mingshan's hair, as white as snow. A companion who was once with them day and night suddenly appearing like this was beyond their comprehension, bringing indescribable inner shock that overshadowed their eagerness for victory.

Gu Yanduo, who personally intervened to save his daughter, also turned around to stare intently at the completed Tong Mingshan.

Gu Lianni was still unconscious, unable to see what had occurred.

Mi Liangmeng and Luo Shengsheng, who had left the arena, forgot their fatigue and stared at the abrupt visual impact inside the arena.

The entire venue was shocked and silent.

On the mountain peak, Mulan Jin looked on coldly.

At the valley entrance, An Wuzhi and Zhu Xiangxin looked up, equally silent and stunned.

Lan Qiaoyan and Gong Yuanzhi, seated on the terrace, stood up instinctively, focusing on Tong Mingshan's white hair. Whether Tong Mingshan would win no longer mattered to these spectators; the anomaly before their eyes was more impactful.

On the stands at the Shengshen Continent Royal Capital Arena, Wei Mo and others also stood up subconsciously, pacing to the railing to stare at Tong Mingshan's white hair. They remembered clearly that Tong Mingshan had black hair when he entered the arena; had it been this distinctive white, they couldn't have been mistaken.

Bian Weiyin, an old acquaintance of Tong Mingshan, was equally bewildered by the sudden transformation. The bewilderment was hard to articulate.

Among the beach crowd, Duan Xiangmei felt the same, more shocked, covering her mouth, unable to believe this was the Tong Mingshan who lived in the same place, greeting her almost daily.

Feng Chi, standing outside the crowd, clasped her hands before her chest, fingers intertwined, unsure if she was in shock or in prayer.

The Green-clothed Man and Xiang Laner, coming back to their senses, also focused their gazes on Feng Chi, occasionally glancing at the Exquisite Heart in the reflection, both suspicious. Had this woman predicted again?

Someone in the beach crowd suddenly broke the silence, yelling, "Did you all see it? Did you all see it? There are already two coughing up blood, and this one turned white within half an incense stick time. They always said we overpriced; now they see how tough artifact refining is, don't they?"

Discussion erupted immediately.

Within Qi Yun Valley, noise gradually returned; discussions, both inside and outside the valley, were similar. Some discussed why Tong Mingshan's black hair suddenly turned white, while others debated if Tong Mingshan truly refined the 'True Heart'.

Li Hongjiu, whose Divine Fire still blazed in his hand, was dumbfounded by Tong Mingshan. He cursed inwardly for respect, wondering how much effort that fool had to make to turn his hair white.

As for Tong Mingshan himself, after calming his weary spirit, he dared not waste the last moment and stepped towards the judgment area.

Taking just one step, he paused, encountering the same confusion as before, suddenly dizzy and nearly fainting. Forcing himself to stabilize, he circulated his blood and energy, recovered gradually. Reopening his eyes, he moved forward with more caution, stepping slowly.

Personnel from the Ten Great Sects and Li Huo Sect, forming the judgment center, also focused on him as he walked, then glanced at another figure approaching.

On the field, besides Li Hongjiu, there was no other.

Li Hongjiu's fire was still burning; yet he, as if bewitched by Tong Mingshan, abandoned his own refining and even followed along.

This made those supervising the contest nervous, fearing Li Hongjiu might lash out due to losing ground. Knowing this guy's unreliability, who knew what he might do.

Unbeknownst to them, they had worried too much.

To Li Hongjiu, if Tong Mingshan truly refined the True Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart, then what's the point of his refining? His Seven Orifices were as far as he could go. In the remaining time, completing the Eighth Orifice was impossible, let alone discussing the Ninth Orifice.

He just wanted to come over and see for himself, to observe clearly, whether it was real or fake. Was it refined just like that?

Previously, he hadn't noticed anything praiseworthy about this guy named Tong.

Carrying refining materials and Divine Fire across the contest arena, he was the first.

His master, Qu Wuming, looked displeased again, not understanding why a perfectly good person couldn't do normal things. Whether a nerve was missing or extra, he couldn't figure out.

As he was about to approach Tong Mingshan, an elder from Yanbao Sect participating in the judgment couldn't hold back, pointing at him and shouting, "Stop right there, what are you doing?"

Li Hongjiu smiled wryly, "What else can I do? I want to see if he really refined it, if he has, then this contest is over."

Still intending to get closer, he was stopped by the elder pointing at his feet. Fine, staying a bit further, he stretched his neck to look.

Tong Mingshan, sparing no energy for disputes, approached the adjudicators, offering his refined item with both hands, "Mingshan Sect's Tong Mingshan has completed refining, respectfully requesting the senior's judgment."

His voice sounded weak.

The elder from Li Huo Sect acknowledged, took it personally, and inspected it first.

The valley quieted again; everyone was watching, waiting for the outcome.

At this moment, Shi Chun's thoughts turned to the victory, hurriedly whispering to Yan Qufeng beside him, "Yan Sect Master, after Tong Mingshan completed his refining, a layer seemed to fall off, reducing the weight. Will this affect the judgment result?"

Recalling the situation he described, Yan Qufeng shook his head slightly, "You've overthought it; it can't increase weight. Adding weight would be the problem, losing some isn't. Simply put, using fewer materials to refine an item only proves superior skill."

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