"Listen up, all of you! This tree was planted by me, this mountain was opened by me. Anyone who wishes to pass through this mountain must leave behind the toll money!" The massive body of the great toad stood wide and imposing before Ye Jingyu and the others, its powerful divine sense radiating outwards.

Ye Jingyu was speechless, Jiu Feng was speechless, and both Hu Yanqi and Hu Yanmeng were equally dumbfounded. Where had this creature learned such a line?

Only Liang Xiaoke’s eyes darted around restlessly. The surroundings were utterly flat; not a single mountain, not even a small hill could be found. As for trees? Well, there were a few blades of grass, perhaps?

"Um... where is the tree? Where is the mountain?" Liang Xiaoke asked with genuine seriousness, his divine sense conveying the question directly. His face was filled with an inquisitive gaze, as if he were a diligent student who always asked when confused.

The colossal toad was momentarily stunned by Liang Xiaoke’s query. Its eyes, the size of fists, rotated. The vista stretched endlessly; indeed, there were no mountains and no large trees. How was he supposed to answer this?

"Listen here, brother. If you're going to be a bandit, at least be professional, alright? There’s no mountain or tree here, and you just pop up saying you opened the place. Tell me, who would believe that?" Liang Xiaoke spoke aloud while simultaneously transmitting his thoughts through divine sense...

"Then what should I do?" The great toad lifted its head in utter confusion, its eyes glazed with bewilderment. How many years had it been since the Ha Clan practiced such a promising profession as banditry? The line he remembered was something his great-great-grandfather had told him while recounting a story.

"What to do? To be a bandit, you need the proper imposing presence, don't you? Look at you, you’re as fat as a pig, and frankly, quite adorable. You don't match the image of a bandit at all. To be a bandit, you at least need a kerchief on your head. If conditions allow, an eye patch would be nice too. Best to get some tattoos on your body, and when you speak, you must be fierce..." Liang Xiaoke rambled on, recounting every image of a Caribbean pirate in his memory. His fingers jabbed incessantly at the giant toad's body, clearly having graduated from the role of the inquisitive student to that of a strict mentor. Even the great toad and all the other demons listened with rapt attention. Some who understood the concept of tattoos were already asking what designs looked good.

"Now, do you understand?" Seeing these giants engrossed, Liang Xiaoke suddenly raised his voice. The fact that he could switch from communication via divine sense to spoken language demonstrated his natural talent as a teacher. At least, he had managed to teach these demons a foreign language in such a short time; that was proof enough...

"We understand!" Over three hundred demons spoke in unison.

"Excellent, that’s the presence I was looking for..." Liang Xiaoke nodded with satisfaction.

Immediately afterward, the largest toad stepped forward. Its entire hind legs straightened, and its toad-like head suddenly contorted, somehow forming a neck. Its head morphed to resemble a human's, complete with a bandanna and a single eye patch miraculously appearing on its brow. A wisp of beard even materialized on its lips, giving it quite the Caribbean pirate look. Its forelimbs stretched out, transforming into human palms, and in its hand, a dagger appeared, pressed directly against Liang Xiaoke’s chest.

"Now, hand over the loot! Give me everything valuable you have, or don't blame my brothers for being impolite!" Its voice was deep and filled with savage menace, several times more potent than before.

Seeing his student perform so brilliantly and immediately apply the lesson, Liang Xiaoke nodded with profound satisfaction, even patting the toad's shoulder encouragingly. "Good, very good, this is exactly it, truly excellent!"

"Since it’s so good, then hand over the valuables, or I'll stab you dead!" the toad growled, the sharp dagger already piercing Liang Xiaoke’s skin.

"Hahaha... wait a minute... you’re not actually going to rob me, are you?" Liang Xiaoke’s smile became slightly strained. The joke had escalated too quickly. These creatures flipped their demeanor alarmingly fast! Just a moment ago they were eager students, and now they were turning hostile. Did that mean everything he taught them was wasted?

"Stop with the nonsense! If you don't hand it over right now, I'll kill you!" the great toad snarled, pressing the dagger forcefully against Liang Xiaoke's sternum...

Feeling the sheer sharpness of the blade, Liang Xiaoke’s expression shifted. This dagger was something he had conjured just moments ago, yet it could actually injure him now. Since advancing to the Feitian Yaksha realm, his physical defense had increased many times over; even ordinary immortal swords might not be able to pierce him. Why, then, could the dagger he manifested so easily break his outer skin?

Ye Jingyu, standing nearby, also noticed the strange change. These toads were at most at the Earthly Realm in power, none reaching the Heavenly Realm. Yet, their scales, including the dagger conjured by the lead toad, were incredibly tough, sharper even than typical Immortal Artifacts—Heavenly Grade magical treasures. This was utterly unbelievable!

"Um... listen, buddy, I was your teacher, after all. I taught you how to rob people; are you really going to bite the hand that fed you?" Liang Xiaoke muttered, feeling the cold edge of the dagger.

"You just taught us that a true bandit must be ruthless, so you can't blame us! Hand over every single thing you possess that is related to metal, or else..." A sinister grin spread across the toad's face; it seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the thrill of this robbery.

"Why do you need metal things?" Liang Xiaoke asked, slightly surprised.

"To eat, of course..." the great toad replied matter-of-factly.

Ye Jingyu and Liang Xiaoke exchanged a look. Had they stumbled upon the legendary Metal-Eating Demons? Creatures who subsisted on devouring metal yet could manifest weapons harder than metal itself? If that were true, they had hit the jackpot this time. They certainly weren't lacking in weapons and artifacts, but what about those selected to enter the Shanhe Sheji Tu? They wouldn't have many fine weapons. If they could each be equipped with a Heavenly Grade weapon, their combat strength would increase severalfold, wouldn't it?

The moment this thought crossed their minds, both men's eyes shone with a distinct, greedy light, and the way they looked at the group of Metal-Eaters became significantly friendlier...

"Say, did I mention to you guys that there’s one most crucial rule for being a bandit: always know your limits?" Liang Xiaoke said with a smile...