"Wait!" Yang Kai suddenly spoke up.
"What is it?" Chen Qian's delicate brows furrowed at the sound of his voice. She eyed him with suspicion, unsure of what he was planning.
The others all turned their gazes toward him as well.
Yang Kai's expression was calm. He turned to face the direction where Wen Zishan sat and clasped his fists. "My Star Marks can certainly be handed over — that was agreed upon beforehand. You just need to leave me with one. But before that, there's something I'd like to ask Temple Master Wen."
"Oh?" Wen Zishan smiled at hearing this and nodded. "Go ahead. What question does the Temple Master need to answer?"
Yang Kai said, "Elder Gao previously mentioned that all excess Star Marks must be turned in to the Divine Temple. My qualification to enter the Four Seasons Domain was also provided by the Divine Temple, so handing over these six excess Star Marks is entirely proper." He paused briefly, then continued, "Elder Gao also said that after the Star Marks are turned in, the Divine Temple would provide corresponding rewards..."
"So that's what this is about!" Wen Zishan laughed. "You can rest easy. Even though you're not a disciple of our Divine Temple, we won't bully you. You'll receive exactly the reward you're owed..."
"Then may I make a request of my own?" Yang Kai asked.
"What request? Let's hear it." Wen Zishan regarded him with keen interest.
"Temple Master Wen must still remember my original reason for entering the Four Seasons Domain?" Yang Kai answered with a question of his own.
Wen Zishan thought for a moment. "To obtain a Calamity Tribulation Fruit? Ah yes, I never asked — did you find any on this trip?"
Yang Kai shook his head. "No. But I did discover the Calamity Tribulation Fruit tree in the Winter Domain. There were spiritual fruits growing on it, but unfortunately someone beat me to the punch and picked them clean..."
"That is indeed a pity." A look of regret surfaced on Wen Zishan's face as well.
"The request I wish to make is this: I ask the Divine Temple to help me find one of those spiritual fruits! If Temple Master Wen can agree, I'll hand over all six Star Marks without hesitation!" Yang Kai said gravely.
The moment these words left his mouth, the Emperor realm powerhouses in the great hall couldn't help but furrow their brows.
It wasn't that Yang Kai's request was particularly unreasonable — it was simply that the matter was exceedingly difficult to handle.
So many sects and families had entered the Four Seasons Domain, nearly all of them from across the Southern Domain. No one had seen who had harvested the Calamity Tribulation Fruit in the Winter Domain. If the Green Sun Divine Temple were to take up the search, it would require an enormous expenditure of manpower and effort to even track down the responsible party.
And even if they did locate them, obtaining the fruit was far from guaranteed. The other party would surely demand something in exchange — in other words, the Green Sun Divine Temple would have to pay a certain price before there was any hope of acquiring the Calamity Tribulation Fruit.
If some disciple of a minor sect or small clan had obtained the fruit, that would be one thing — the Green Sun Divine Temple could simply apply a measure of pressure, and the other side would surely comply.
The real concern was if a disciple of Wuhua Palace, the Tianwu Sacred Land, or even the Star God Palace had gotten their hands on it. Then it would no longer be a matter of a single spiritual fruit, but a matter between two great sects. One misstep and they would owe an enormous debt of favor.
The intricate web of personal relationships and sectarian interests involved — Yang Kai might not have thought of all of them, but how could the higher-ups of the Green Sun Divine Temple fail to consider them?
So after Yang Kai made his request, everyone fell into silence.
Seeing their reaction, Yang Kai didn't press them. He simply waited quietly in place.
After a long while, Wen Zishan finally spoke. "If I recall correctly, that Calamity Tribulation Fruit wasn't for your own use — you were acting on someone else's behalf, weren't you?"
"That's right." Yang Kai nodded.
"Since you failed to obtain it in the Four Seasons Domain, you did your best. Why persist in this request? You could simply propose a condition that benefits you personally. For example—" At this point, Wen Zishan suddenly displayed an odd, sly smile, his voice taking on a deeply persuasive quality. He lowered his tone and said, "Have the Temple Master personally perform a direct cultivation infusion and boost your power by a considerable margin."
Yang Kai frowned. "When one accepts a task, one sees it through to the end. Why must the Temple Master test me?"
"Heh heh…" Wen Zishan, having been seen through, showed no embarrassment. He simply smiled and said candidly, "Very well. The Temple Master agrees to your request. The Divine Temple will help you search for that Calamity Tribulation Fruit."
"It must be found within three months!" Yang Kai said gravely. "If too much time passes, I fear… that side won't be able to hold on."
"Three months is more than sufficient!" Wen Zishan smiled and turned his head toward Qiu Ran. "Vice Temple Master Qiu, you will be responsible for this matter. Make absolutely sure to bring the Calamity Tribulation Fruit before this young man named Yang within three months."
Qiu Ran rose to his feet and clasped his fists. "This subordinate obeys! I will absolutely not fail the Temple Master's trust!"
With those words, he departed the great hall right then and there, looking for all the world as though he intended to dispatch people on the search immediately.
Seeing this, Yang Kai couldn't help but let out a small sigh of relief.
With a powerful sect like the Green Sun Divine Temple helping to search for the fruit, the chances of success had increased dramatically. If even the Green Sun Divine Temple couldn't find it, Yang Kai truly had no other options and would have to return to Maple Forest City to explain the situation to Qin Zhaoyang.
"Is that satisfactory, then?" Wen Zishan asked with a smile, looking at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai nodded gently and turned his gaze toward Chen Qian. "I'll trouble Elder Chen!"
Chen Qian said nothing. Her divine sense swept over Yang Kai's body. With one hand she held the incense burner aloft, and with the other she formed spirit seals, flicking several strikes of spiritual energy toward Yang Kai in quick succession.