Where there was one, there was a second. One martial artist after another flew up to the stone pillar, offering their spatial rings either boldly or hesitantly. Yang Kai gave each one a cursory sweep and returned them untouched.
After the inspection, each martial artist departed with a delighted expression.
In the time it took to burn half a stick of incense, over a hundred people had passed through. Yet under everyone's watchful eyes, Yang Kai hadn't taken a single item from any of their spatial rings.
Hu Yi and several other Open Heaven Realm cultivators had gathered together, baffled.
Everyone had previously assumed Yang Kai intended to claim a share of their harvests—and he had practically said as much himself—but now he was taking absolutely nothing. What did that mean?
Did he look down on what they'd collected, or was he searching for something else?
Regardless, his behavior was good news for the majority.
Another person flew up to the stone pillar. This man wore an obsequious grin. He had the head of a weasel and the eyes of a rat, with pointed lips and sunken cheeks—clearly not a good sort. Like the others, he presented his spatial ring with both hands, his face tense with anxiety.
Yang Kai pinched the spatial ring between his fingers and regarded him with a smile. "Everything in here?"
The man hurriedly replied, "Everything's in there."
"You're certain?"
The man hesitated for a split second, then quickly steeled himself and nodded. "I wouldn't dare deceive you."
Yang Kai snorted coldly and reached out toward him with a grabbing motion. A spatial ring suddenly flew from the man's sleeve, landing in Yang Kai's palm.
"Then what is this?" Yang Kai's eyes turned cold.
The man's expression immediately panicked. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that, despite concealing the spatial ring with a secret technique, it would still be found so easily.
"Spare me, my lord! I was only momentarily confused!"
Yang Kai didn't even look at him, simply flicking his wrist. "Get lost."
A surge of force swept through the air and flung the man directly into the passageway. As for his spatial rings—both of them—those remained behind.
Standing at the entrance to the passageway, the man stared helplessly at the confiscated rings, his heart aching as if several pounds of flesh had been carved from his chest. He weighed his own strength, and in the end, gritted his teeth and slunk away through the exit.
Yang Kai surveyed those below. "If anyone dares to hide anything, I won't kill you—but that man is your example!"
Everyone's expressions turned grave. There had still been a few people plotting the same petty scheme as the man before, thinking they'd found something valuable they could secretly keep. But seeing this, where would they dare find the courage?
Yang Kai indeed hadn't killed the man, but he'd stripped him of everything. How would that fellow ever manage to survive in the Outer Heavens from now on?
Time trickled by. One martial artist after another landed before Yang Kai, and one after another departed again.
Back on the mountaintop, including the people from Emperor Heaven, there had been at least two thousand gathered. Many more had since made their way to this location, so at this point, the number of martial artists congregated in this subterranean depth had to be at least two or three thousand.
Even at Yang Kai's considerable speed, it would take a considerable amount of time to inspect them all.
Yet under everyone's observation, Yang Kai inspected the spatial rings of hundreds of people without taking a single thing. The only exception was that swindler who'd been stripped of his rings.
Hu Yi and the other Open Heaven Realm cultivators had been exchanging divine sense communications continuously.
At some point, Hu Yi suddenly turned to the martial artist beside him and sent a voice transmission: "You go!"
That martial artist nodded, flew forward, and waited in line for half a stick of incense before it was finally his turn.
He handed over his spatial ring and waited with a face full of nervous apprehension. Then he saw that after inspecting his ring, Yang Kai actually offered a slight smile. "Not a bad haul!"
He casually tossed the spatial ring back.
The man was momentarily stunned, then overjoyed. He cupped his fists. "Thank you, my lord!"
His ring contained two fifth-grade Celestial Polarity Divine Stones. He had been worried Yang Kai might take them, but it seemed he'd been overthinking things.
He turned back and shot Hu Yi a look that said everything had gone smoothly. Hu Yi gave a faint nod.
"If it's a blessing, not a curse. If it's a curse, there's no avoiding it. Let's go up too," Hu Yi said.
Having his spatial ring inspected by an Emperor Realm cultivator was humiliating enough, but in the current situation, bowing his head was unavoidable. If they wanted to leave this place, they truly had to depend on his mercy. He controlled two extraordinary beasts in his hands and commanded that Celestial Polarity Divine Light, blocking the entrance to the passageway—resistance was futile.
Several of the Open Heaven Realm cultivators had grown impatient waiting. Hearing Hu Yi's words, they all agreed.
And so, the Open Heaven Realm cultivators led their respective disciples toward the passageway entrance.
After roughly the time it took to finish a cup of tea, it was finally Hu Yi's turn. He handed over his spatial ring and waited in silence.
But this time, Yang Kai's actions were finally different. With a flick of his divine sense, a millstone-sized Celestial Polarity Divine Stone materialized before him, and then he swept it directly into his own spatial ring.
Hu Yi's eyes bulged. He spoke in a deep, strained voice: "Shopkeeper Yang!" His heart ached as though several pounds of flesh had been sliced from it. That Celestial Polarity Divine Stone Yang Kai had taken was sixth-grade—and it was the only sixth-grade Celestial Polarity Divine Stone from his entire harvest on this trip.
Only now did he finally understand. Yang Kai's earlier refusal to take anything wasn't mercy—he'd simply looked down on what those people had collected. His gaze had been fixed on nothing below the sixth grade.
"You have a problem with that?" Yang Kai looked up, Hu Yi's spatial ring still pinched between his fingers.