Drip, drip.
Water hit the ground with a crisp sound.
The air smelled like a dead rat, mixed with the damp scent of stone bricks.
Yuan Liang was an Earthling, who, for some unknown reason, had crossed over into an Alchemy World.
Not long ago, he obtained the legendary spatial stone, and excitedly created a teleportation array, eager to step inside.
The moment he opened his eyes.
Before he could figure out what was happening, he was knocked unconscious and taken away by strangers.
Remembering this, Yuan Liang slowly opened his eyes and scanned his surroundings.
He was locked in a prison cell.
"Up so early today?" a lazy voice sounded.
Yuan Liang put on a sorrowful expression and said, "How could I possibly sleep when I'm about to die?"
Besides Yuan Liang, there was one other person in the prison, a man named Xu Hong.
Yuan Liang stood up from the ground, anxiously pacing around the cell.
"Don't waste your energy," Xu Hong said again, casting a glance at Yuan Liang.
"Is there really no way out of here?" Yuan Liang was truly desperate.
As an alchemist, he was confident he could escape if he had enough materials.
But there was nothing here, and everything on him had been confiscated.
"Relax, we won't die."
"Why?" Yuan Liang couldn't understand why Xu Hong remained so calm from the start.
"We were captured by the Death Corpse Sect."
"If they wanted us dead, we'd already be dead."
"They capture ordinary people with good physiques or low-level cultivators, selling them to the nefarious sects to be used as resources."
"The usual outcome is either becoming a vessel for a cultivator's soul possession, or being refined into human pills."
Yuan Liang frowned as he listened to this.
He had crossed from the Alchemy World to a Cultivation World.
But he didn't expect this Cultivation World to be even more corrupt than the Alchemy World.
It seemed the people here had no moral bottom line.
"How on earth can we break out of here!" Yuan Liang scratched his head in frustration.
Xu Hong looked at Yuan Liang with a smile but didn't answer.
Yuan Liang opened his mouth but said nothing in the end.
The two of them fell silent.
...
Yuan Liang hadn't eaten or slept well in days and was now completely exhausted.
Just as he was about to lie down to sleepā
Boom!!
A loud sound echoed, shaking the entire prison, and dust fell from the ceiling.
Xu Hong's eyes snapped open, and he rushed over, grabbing Yuan Liang's hand. "Don't move."
The sounds of chaos erupted outside, with fighting noises growing louder.
Hearing the commotion, Yuan Liang said excitedly, "Now's the perfect chance to escape!"
Xu Hong peeked outside, covering Yuan Liang's mouth.
The next momentā
The stone wall cracked, dust filled the air, and with flying debris, the prison gate was smashed open.
Standing before Yuan Liang was an imposing black tiger, towering at least three heads taller than Yuan Liang.
The black tiger's muscles bulged, its eyes were blood-red, and saliva dripped from its fanged mouth as it spoke in human language.
"I could smell the fragrance from afarā¦ smells delicious..."
At the tiger's words, the smile on Yuan Liang's face instantly vanished.
Feeling the stench coming from the tiger's mouth, Yuan Liang's heart pounded faster, sweat beading on his forehead, his mouth dry.
"Pleaseā¦ don't eat me. Just let me say a few wordsā¦" Yuan Liang's mind raced, thinking of a way to convince the tiger not to eat him.
But in the next second, Xu Hong's words left him wide-eyed.
"Elder Black Tiger." Xu Hong had already stepped out of the collapsed prison, brushing the dust off himself.
With a respectful bow to the tiger, he said, "He's just a mortal with no trace of spirit power; there's no need to scare him."
"Oh, very well. I won't scare him then."
The black tiger licked its paw, looking at Xu Hong. "You've done well this time. I will request a reward for you from the lord."
"All the cultivators here have been dealt with. I'll leave the rest to others to clean up..."
After speaking, the black tiger glanced at Yuan Liang, licking its claws.
Hearing this, Xu Hong suddenly laughed and turned to look at Yuan Liang.
At this moment, Yuan Liang could do nothing but remain silent.
They were on the same side, and I was the only victim?
Xu Hong smiled at Yuan Liang and said, "I am Xu Hong, an inner disciple of the Beast Taming Faction of the Great Love Sect."
"I intentionally got captured here to provide intelligence for our sect."
"Now that the Death Corpse Sect's base has been destroyed, you don't need to worry about your life anymore."
Yuan Liang looked up at the black tiger and Xu Hong.
At some point, the black tiger had donned a dark robe that draped over its body.
"Our meeting is fate. Would you be interested in joining me at the Great Love Sect as a disciple?" Xu Hong asked, his voice filled with enthusiasm.
"Great Love Sect?" Yuan Liang was a bit puzzled; the name sounded strange.
"Yes, the Great Love Sect!"
Xu Hong patiently explained, "The Great Love Sect is a renowned and righteous sect, recognized across the Myriad Spirits Continent."
Although Yuan Liang accepted his words, he couldn't shake off the unease from seeing the black tiger's drool earlier.
In truth, he had always been interested in cultivating.
After all, it promised power and immortality.
He decided to join this Great Love Sect.
Even if the name was a little odd.
He already had a vision of a bright future forming in his mind.
At this moment, the black tiger spoke up, "Joining the Great Love Sect is the best choice. Many wish to join but cannot."
"I'm willing to join the Great Love Sect!" Yuan Liang quickly responded, fearing the offer might be retracted.
"Good, good." Xu Hong beamed at Yuan Liang's acceptance. "From now on, you may call me senior brother Xu. Let's return to the sect!"
The black tiger sniffed the air, sensing a presence swiftly approaching. "This place is unsafe; for our safety, let's head back to the sect immediately."
"My lord is Elder Huo of the Beast Taming Faction in the Great Love Sect."
"If you wish to officially become a disciple, you'll need to pass the test."
Ever since coming to this world, Yuan Liang had lived in constant fear.
Life here was even harder than in the Alchemy World.
At this moment, he almost wanted to slap himself. If he had known, he would never have stepped into that teleportation array.
Staying safely in the Alchemy World wasn't so bad, after all.
The black tiger broke through a nearby wall, and the two men followed him quickly.
Just after the three of them left the prison, footsteps echoed as a group of people arrived outside.
A middle-aged man with a scar on his face stepped into the prison, his face darkening as he surveyed the destruction.
"No matter the cost, make sure those who dared to break into the prison pay!"Ā
With that, the man slammed his hand against the wall of the cell where Yuan Liang and Xu Hong had been held, causing it to collapse.