High above the clouds, in an undisclosed area, a man filled with a youthful aura smiled. His eyes are all white, not a single blemish in them. Standing in the air, nothing below his feet, the man stood tall, chest pushed outward.
"Another has arrived."
A smile spread on the man's face, before turning around and walking away, casually stepping in the air.
…
Deep in a forest, a teenage boy turned his head around, his looks average, his eyes containing such depth in them. Despite being so young, he carried an ancient aura around himself. A melancholic look in his eyes as he smiled lightly.
"Is he… like me?"
…
"Fate! This is fate!! Hauahhahaha!"
Inside a dark cell, an old man laughed wildly, his arms tied to chains. His hair is long and unruly, his beard unkempt and shaggy.
"Shut it you lunatic!"
Bang!
Hitting the bars fiercely, a guard roared.
"Hehehe!"
…
Many mysterious and hidden figures all over the world turned to look at the same area. Every one of them with their hidden agenda, their own motives.
The very figure who had created such commotion unaware, was laying down on a bed with a beautiful pale woman sitting at the edge. Her bare shoulders were covered by a black robe and she stood up, she turned her gaze to Heaven.
Her mouth didn't move, but her gaze revealed a slight fondness for him. Cai Ling turned her head, ready to leave, but before she took a step away from the bed, something grabbed her fair hand.
"Dear Ling… can you bring me something? To distract myself, it gets boring here."
Heaven revealed a weary smile to Cai Ling's side eye. Letting go of her wrist, he looked at how she narrowed her eyes at him slightly before turning and leaving.
Without a nod or a shake of her head, leaving him a little anxious.
"What a tease…" muttered Heaven, shaking his head lightly.
He was bored, there was nothing to help him feel distracted. For two whole weeks, he has been waiting for something to happen. During those two weeks, aside from waiting, he trained in his Great Body Forging Technique.
It no longer did anything for him. No strength increase since two days ago, all that happened was promoting the growth of this inner force.
This time, it wasn't like what happened previously. It's more like the Great Body Forging Technique had finally 'forged' his body to its maximum.
His inner force is growing at a decent pace, at one unit every two days. A good speed, considering the inner force is extremely stable and is extremely tough.
Its capabilities are mysterious, and even with his comprehensive abilities, Heaven finds it difficult to completely grasp it's strengths.
For now, it's good enough that he's gaining more inner force.
Sighing, he stretched and laid back on the bed.
***
After hearing Heaven's request, Cai Ling actually went to the sect's library to grab some books. The library where anyone can enter to grab books from the mortal world, notes, and other various books spread around publicly by other sects and powerful individuals.
She planned on grabbing any random book and bringing it back to Heaven. After entering the sect's library, Cai Ling felt her senses dull and her surroundings change. Her eyes glowed momentarily and she turned to face a corner of the library, finding her master Jae-Hwa leaning against a wall in the darkness.
Closing the book in her hand, her master stepped away from the wall and approached her disciple.
"My disciple, your little toy has been getting bored, hm?" Jae-Hwa smiled, seeing through her young disciple so easily. Chuckling, Jae-Hwa gave Cai Ling a couple of books.
"Let him read, to distract himself. They're simple books that the slaves of our Yin Desires need to read to help us in our day to day cultivation. Some basic information that the mortals of Paradise don't know of."
Smiling, the master of the young woman, dispersed into black smoke and disappeared, returning to her own abode.
Looking at the books in her hands, Cai Ling looked at them curiously.
Truth of Paradise
Yin Desires' History
Art of Massage
Arts For The Mind
Medical Practices
Anatomy & Physiology
150 Herbs & Plants
Planting & Growing
A total of 8 books.
Usually, slaves only read 'Arts For The Mind' and 'Planting & Growing' books. The more loyal and smarter slaves get to read the 'Art of Massage' and 'Medical Practices'.
'Anatomy & Physiology' and '150 Herbs & Plants' are books that lay the foundational knowledge for the other books. Simple and easy books.
…
Thud!
Thick and heavy books fell to the ground and created a loud noise.
On the bed, Heaven was meditating. With the disturbance of the loud noise, he opened his eyes and looked at the pale beauty looking at him.
Looking at her eyes, it was like she tried to convey her thoughts and feelings through just her eyes. Somehow, Heaven understood a little of what she tried to convey.
He smiled.
"Thank you."
Cai Ling nodded and left shortly after. Presumably to do whatever it is that makes her stronger.
Turning his gaze to the books on the ground, Heaven jumped off the bed and picked up the books curiously. One of them in particular drawing more attention than the others.
'Truth of Paradise'
Grabbing the book curiously, Heaven read through it. Each word carrying immense weight that made him pale and his heart pump anxiously.
Paradise
That is the name of the world he is in.
It reveals the truth of the world, a truth that only the powerful people of the world know. This world, unlike its name implies, is actually a prison. A prison world made many millions of years ago.
Paradise contains energy that the residents use to cultivate and grow stronger, elevating their being to a higher status. To become supreme and powerful beings, but as more cultivators appear, the less energy there is in the world.
However, that's because the sole purpose of the world is to imprison and cast out strange and powerful individuals. Not to nurture them and make them even stronger. Each of these imprisoned individuals have a curious set of abilities that make them strong and 'dangerous'. Two phrases were common between most of these strange figures.
'Golden Finger' and 'Reincarnation'
Most of the residents didn't know what 'Golden Finger' is, but they very clearly knew what reincarnation was.
Paradise is located in another realm, far from any other world or reality. A realm dubbed the 'Outcast Realm' by those powerful figures that imprisoned them in this world. They were imprisoned for being a danger to the other realms and realities, based solely on their existence.
Which is why Paradise is impossible to escape from. Many strong figures from Paradise had tried leaving through various methods.
Technology, power, mysterious techniques, teleportation, and control space itself. However, none of it worked.
Space in the outcast realm is split into two categories, within Paradise, and outside of Paradise.
The space within Paradise is extremely solid and stable, impossible for the many strange figures that reside in Paradise to control. There aren't many with the ability of knowledge to be able to control or alter space. Those with the ability have either died trying to leave, or are afraid of what lies outside.
Controlling space within Paradise is feasible, teleporting and traveling around is possible. However, the moment they try connecting to another world or reality, the chaotic space around Paradise causes it to collapse. The one controlling the space would receive a backlash and die.
Those lucky enough to survive had turned fearful and no longer attempted to control space.
From most of those strange and powerful imprisoned figures, some perished whilst others continued to live on. Some became supreme beings in this prison world, whilst others were turned into slaves or prisoners. After millions of years, they all left descendants.
Various of the current residents of this world are those very descendants. None of them knew of what had happened in the distant past and remained clueless.
At a loss for words, Heaven closed the book.
He didn't know what to think. The possibility of being able to leave this world grew more difficult. Letting go of such thoughts, he wasn't going to worry about that just yet.
First, he needs to grow stronger and find a way to get rid of the chain.
Shaking his head, he turned his attention to the other books. He got to reading them and spent his time doing that and memorizing everything in the books.
Aside from his Great Body Forging Technique and spending his time with Cai Ling, Heaven spent his time reading and comprehending the books.
There wasn't much to comprehend however. Although the books did present some new techniques and knowledge he didn't have before. It made him smile, igniting his greed and desire for knowledge and to explore this weird prison world.
Yin Desires' History book only gave him information and backstory of the sect he was brought to. Primarily, it used to be an orthodox sect, filled with decent and good people. However, since this world's energy was growing thin and the path to cultivation was being cut off, the women turned to other ways to attain cultivation.
Stealing the essence and life of others to further their own cultivation.
Ever since they started down this path 50 years ago, the Yin Desires had fallen to a demonic sect.
Aside from this book and the 'Truth of Paradise', the other books were more normal. As far as Heaven knew.
They provided foundational knowledge and some basic techniques. With the books, it was obvious that Cai Ling's master, Jae-Hwa, wanted him to become a servant and to take care of Cai Ling's abode.
Books for him to become a massager, a physician, to learn the arts like music, poetry, painting and other arts, all to entertain Cai Ling. And finally, to become a pharmacist.
They were demanding a lot.
Luckily, he didn't need to go and grab each thing he needs himself. Jae-Hwa had sent it all to him personally, handing each item and glaring at him as she did so.
"You need to practice well and make my disciple happy," she glared.
Smiling wryly, Heaven couldn't say anything besides agreeing with her. "I will do my best!"
Jae-Hwa looked at him, neither with hate nor fondness. She was completely emotionless right before him, standing a couple of feet away. Her lithe and seductive body twisting as she stepped toward him.
"My poor disciple is doing everything she can to make you happy, so be obedient." Jae-Hwa muttered as she narrowed her inky black eyes. "She has no obligation to make you happy.
I can keep you locked up and force feed you. I have crueler methods to make you obedient and to keep you alive for a lo~ong time."
Jae-Hwa's whispering voice was chilly, and her presence lowered the temperature of the room by several levels. Every breath Heaven took was entirely visible under this cold temperature.
"I see that, and I'm willing to thank Cai Ling," he replied with a smile. Truthfully, Heaven was quite grateful to Yin Desires and both Cai Ling and her master despite the questionable things they have done.
If it wasn't thanks to them, he would have been stuck or even dead by now. The Yin Desires' History book contained a couple of maps. One of those maps being based on the area he had been brought to by that old lady soul.
That area is empty. Nothing in sight for many kilometers. No water, no animals, not a single person in sight.
It was all luck that he was found by two disciples of Yin Desires.
"That's good," Jae-Hwa nodded.
"And I'm also willing to thank you as well."
Looking at the powerful woman in the eyes, he didn't reveal any weakness. Without any arrogance or pride.
"Thank me?" Jae-Hwa scoffed. "That will be difficult for a mortal like you."
Heaven chuckled.
"A mortal like me? I have various strengths that not many mortal men can compare to. Do you wish to try one of them?"
Revealing a smirk on his face to Jae-Hwa, Heaven was suddenly tossed to a wall. A powerful force pressing him against it. He couldn't feel what it was, it was like wind pressing him back and keeping him off his feet.
"Keep quiet. I can have that tongue ripped out of your mouth," Jae-Hwa angrily spat. "You are my disciple's property. I will not take something away from her."
She stepped forward, a deathly aura striking Heaven.
Her gaze softened, her cold hand holding his chin. She looked at his lips and then up at his golden eyes, pressing her lips together.
"No matter how delicious it may look.
I am only keeping you alive for her sake. Now, keep quiet and don't spout nonsense."
Gritting her teeth, she turned.
"Ugh… I'm not anyone's property. Sooner or later… I will prove that," Heaven spoke through the heavy force pressing down on him.
Jae-Hwa paused for a second.
She turned her head, fiercely glaring at Heaven from the corner of her eyes. Walking away, one would believe she was angry about Heaven's declaration.
But the small smirk on her face said otherwise.
'Let's see if you can prove it, mortal.'