The hall master who had come from the Extreme Fire Sect was named Qiu Ben. He looked about fifty, with a sturdy build and a steady, dependable face. His eyes were intimidating, his face square, his beard and hair short. One glance told you he often shaved both his head and his beard.
Disguising himself was quite convenient: once his hair and beard grew out, his appearance changed.
Probably to keep anyone from recognizing him, he had also covered himself with a gray cloth cloak. Pulling up its hood would conceal half his face.
He was the master of the Extreme Fire Sect's Martial Hall. As the name implied, he was responsible for the fighting side of things within the artifact-refining school.
Those who could become Martial Hall masters were among their sects' more accomplished fighters, and Qiu Ben's cultivation had already reached minor attainment in the Heavenly Immortal Realm.
In a top-tier sect like the Extreme Fire Sect, anyone below the Heavenly Immortal Realm could never become the Martial Hall master. The previous master had already been promoted to an elder of the Extreme Fire Sect.
For the mighty Extreme Fire Sect to dispatch its Martial Hall master against Shi Chun was already an extraordinarily disproportionate response. It showed just how seriously the sect took this matter, and how determined it was to succeed.
Hearing that something was afoot on Hua Chong's side too, Qiu Ben asked for the details, then instructed Xi Quan, "Since Shi Chun may have seen you before, stay away from him. Your sole responsibility will be coordinating our people to watch the two who climbed into Hua Chong's house."
"Yes," Xi Quan answered.
By the time all the arrangements were made, dawn was almost upon them.
Under the Extreme Fire Sect's surveillance, Shi Chun