diff --git a/kernel/api/setting.go b/kernel/api/setting.go
index 3848dd326..00efef01a 100644
--- a/kernel/api/setting.go
+++ b/kernel/api/setting.go
@@ -215,7 +215,6 @@ func setSearch(c *gin.Context) {
 	if s.CaseSensitive != oldCaseSensitive {
 		model.FullReindex()
 	}
-	sql.ClearVirtualRefKeywords()
 	ret.Data = s
 }
 
diff --git a/kernel/model/search.go b/kernel/model/search.go
index daa97f4ad..ff93044aa 100644
--- a/kernel/model/search.go
+++ b/kernel/model/search.go
@@ -672,52 +672,25 @@ func markReplaceSpan(n *ast.Node, unlinks *[]*ast.Node, text string, keywords []
 
 // markReplaceSpanWithSplit 用于处理虚拟引用和反链提及高亮。
 func markReplaceSpanWithSplit(text string, keywords []string, replacementStart, replacementEnd string) (ret string) {
-	// 调用该函数前参数 keywords 必须使用 prepareMarkKeywords 函数进行预处理
+	tmp := search.EncloseHighlighting(text, keywords, replacementStart, replacementEnd, Conf.Search.CaseSensitive)
+	parts := strings.Split(tmp, replacementEnd)
+	buf := bytes.Buffer{}
+	for i := 0; i < len(parts); i++ {
+		if i >= len(parts)-1 {
+			buf.WriteString(parts[i])
+			break
+		}
 
-	parts := strings.Split(text, " ")
-	for i, part := range parts {
-		if "" == part {
+		if nextPart := parts[i+1]; 0 < len(nextPart) && lex.IsASCIILetter(nextPart[0]) {
+			// 取消已经高亮的部分
+			part := strings.ReplaceAll(parts[i], replacementStart, "")
+			buf.WriteString(part)
 			continue
 		}
 
-		var hitKeywords []string
-		for _, k := range keywords {
-			tmpPart := part
-			tmpK := k
-			if !Conf.Search.CaseSensitive {
-				tmpPart = strings.ToLower(part)
-				tmpK = strings.ToLower(k)
-			}
-
-			if gulu.Str.IsASCII(tmpK) {
-				if gulu.Str.IsASCII(tmpPart) {
-					if tmpPart == tmpK {
-						hitKeywords = append(hitKeywords, k)
-					}
-				} else {
-					if strings.Contains(tmpPart, tmpK) {
-						hitKeywords = append(hitKeywords, k)
-					}
-				}
-			} else {
-				if strings.Contains(tmpPart, tmpK) {
-					hitKeywords = append(hitKeywords, k)
-				}
-			}
-		}
-		if 0 < len(hitKeywords) {
-			parts[i] = search.EncloseHighlighting(part, hitKeywords, replacementStart, replacementEnd, Conf.Search.CaseSensitive)
-		}
-	}
-
-	ret = strings.Join(parts, " ")
-	if ret != text {
-		return
-	}
-
-	// 非 ASCII 文本并且不包含空格时再试试不分词匹配
-	if !gulu.Str.IsASCII(text) && !strings.Contains(text, " ") {
-		ret = search.EncloseHighlighting(text, keywords, replacementStart, replacementEnd, Conf.Search.CaseSensitive)
+		buf.WriteString(parts[i])
+		buf.WriteString(replacementEnd)
 	}
+	ret = buf.String()
 	return
 }
diff --git a/kernel/model/virutalref.go b/kernel/model/virutalref.go
index 91c3930bd..7fd370eec 100644
--- a/kernel/model/virutalref.go
+++ b/kernel/model/virutalref.go
@@ -109,20 +109,17 @@ func getVirtualRefKeywords(docName string) (ret []string) {
 	// 虚拟引用排除当前文档名 https://github.com/siyuan-note/siyuan/issues/4537
 	ret = gulu.Str.ExcludeElem(ret, []string{docName})
 	ret = prepareMarkKeywords(ret)
+	// 虚拟引用搜索关键字最多支持 `512` 个 https://github.com/siyuan-note/siyuan/issues/6603
+	if 512 < len(ret) {
+		ret = ret[:512]
+	}
 	return
 }
 
 func prepareMarkKeywords(keywords []string) (ret []string) {
-	keywords = gulu.Str.RemoveDuplicatedElem(keywords)
-	for _, k := range keywords {
-		if strings.ContainsAny(k, "?*!@#$%^&()[]{}\\|;:'\",.<>~`") {
-			continue
-		}
-		ret = append(ret, k)
-	}
-
+	ret = gulu.Str.RemoveDuplicatedElem(keywords)
 	sort.SliceStable(ret, func(i, j int) bool {
-		return len(ret[i]) < len(ret[j])
+		return len(ret[i]) > len(ret[j])
 	})
 	return
 }
diff --git a/kernel/sql/block_ref_query.go b/kernel/sql/block_ref_query.go
index 4227f3796..e1e43394b 100644
--- a/kernel/sql/block_ref_query.go
+++ b/kernel/sql/block_ref_query.go
@@ -28,11 +28,6 @@ import (
 )
 
 func QueryVirtualRefKeywords(name, alias, anchor, doc bool) (ret []string) {
-	ret, ok := getVirtualRefKeywordsCache()
-	if ok {
-		return ret
-	}
-
 	if name {
 		ret = append(ret, queryNames()...)
 	}
@@ -49,7 +44,6 @@ func QueryVirtualRefKeywords(name, alias, anchor, doc bool) (ret []string) {
 	sort.SliceStable(ret, func(i, j int) bool {
 		return len(ret[i]) >= len(ret[j])
 	})
-	setVirtualRefKeywords(ret)
 	return
 }
 
diff --git a/kernel/sql/cache.go b/kernel/sql/cache.go
index f9ecaddfd..b97b6cc99 100644
--- a/kernel/sql/cache.go
+++ b/kernel/sql/cache.go
@@ -70,29 +70,6 @@ func removeBlockCache(id string) {
 	removeRefCacheByDefID(id)
 }
 
-func getVirtualRefKeywordsCache() ([]string, bool) {
-	if disabled {
-		return nil, false
-	}
-
-	if val, ok := memCache.Get("virtual_ref"); ok {
-		return val.([]string), true
-	}
-	return nil, false
-}
-
-func setVirtualRefKeywords(keywords []string) {
-	if disabled {
-		return
-	}
-
-	memCache.Set("virtual_ref", keywords, 1)
-}
-
-func ClearVirtualRefKeywords() {
-	memCache.Del("virtual_ref")
-}
-
 var defIDRefsCache = gcache.New(30*time.Minute, 5*time.Minute) // [defBlockID]map[refBlockID]*Ref
 
 func GetRefsCacheByDefID(defID string) (ret []*Ref) {