At the edge of a dense forest near the mountain's base, a group of outer sect disciples stood together, secretly observing something.
Deep within the forest, seven or eight outer sect disciples were beating up a young boy in a gray robe.
The boy in the gray robe was also an outer sect disciple of Profound Sun Sect, but he was only at the third level of the Body Refinement realm.
Facing seven or eight disciples stronger than him, he could not hold on for long.
After just three exchanges, he was kicked and sent flying.
The boy collided with a large tree, causing it to tremble.
Leaves rustled and fell, scattering all over the ground.
The boy in the gray robe slid down the tree, half-kneeling on the ground, and spat out a mouthful of blood.
His face turned ashen.
The kick just now came from someone at the tenth level of the Body Refinement realm, a powerful strike that even someone at the same level would not dare to withstand.
The kick had landed on someone only at the third level, leaving him gravely injured.
“Where are the spirit stones?” A burly man stepped forward, looking down at the boy in the gray robe with a cold voice.
The boy in the gray robe raised his head, fearlessly meeting his gaze.
“Heh, you stubborn fool, you think you can get away with this?”
The burly man sneered, kicked again, and sent the boy flying seven or eight meters.
This time, the boy propped himself up with his hands but couldn't stand no matter how hard he tried.
The two kicks had severely damaged his internal organs, causing injuries that wouldn’t heal in less than a year and a half.
Even if they did, there was a high chance of lingering internal injuries.
“You’re a real piece of work. Wouldn’t it be easier to just hand over the spirit stones instead of making me do this?” The burly man walked over to the boy, no longer asking questions but searching him directly.
After a thorough search, the burly man frowned. “Huh? Really nothing? How can this be?”
He scanned the boy up and down, confirming there was no storage ring or the sect-issued bag for holding spirit stones.
If there was no storage ring and no bag, where were the spirit stones?
Could the distributing disciple have taken them all?
The burly man dismissed the thought.
While some disciples did skim off the top, they wouldn’t take everything.
Such an act, if discovered, would result in severe punishment or even expulsion.
Most distributing disciples would adjust the amount based on the recipient's status, giving more to those worth currying favor with and less to the weaker ones, but never nothing.
“Tell me! Where did you hide the spirit stones?” The burly man demanded fiercely.
“Kill me if you can. Otherwise, in three years, I, Ye Han, will repay today’s humiliation a hundredfold!” The boy, Ye Han, looked up with cold eyes and said each word with difficulty.
The surrounding outer sect disciples thought simultaneously upon hearing Ye Han's words.
Not handing over the spirit stones was one thing, but making threats was just asking for more trouble.
As expected, the next moment, a trace of malice flashed in the burly man’s eyes.
“You dare threaten me?” he said, grabbing Ye Han’s neck and lifting him off the ground, his grip tightening.
Ye Han’s face turned pale, his life force dwindling.
“Do you think I don’t dare to cripple your cultivation right now? Even if I give you thirty years, what can you do to me?”
Nearby, the burly man's lackeys watched with anticipation.
They knew that their leader, Bai Shaowei, was backed by an inner sect disciple.
While he wouldn’t dare kill someone, crippling an outer sect disciple was easy for him.
As long as no one died, their inner sect backer could cover for them.
In the past, outer sect disciples who were robbed either submitted or faced crippling.
Ye Han’s defiance was rare.
If nothing unexpected happened, Ye Han would follow the fate of those before him, likely even worse due to his threats.
“I’ll ask one last time, where are the spirit stones?” Bai Shaowei asked again.
“Don’t... have... any!”
Ye Han squeezed out the words with difficulty.
Bai Shaowei’s eyes flashed with killing intent, his grip tightening further.
Ye Han’s breath grows fainter, and he’s on the brink of death.
Just then, a clear voice rang out from a distance.
“Bai Shaowei, the first rule of the Profound Sun Sect is to forbid internal strife. Have you forgotten?”