An hour later, Yuan Liang sat down on the ground, exhausted and panting.
Inside the array, the horned caterpillar was curled up, trembling.
In its vision, it found itself in an ancient battlefield, where the sky was stained blood-red, and the earth shook violently as lava erupted sporadically.
All around lay the corpses of dragons, in various shapes and forms—some with wings, some serpent-like.
In the sky, countless dragons were locked in fierce combat until one dragon appeared.
This dragon was pitch black and of immense size, larger than the entire sky.
With a single gulp, it swallowed the entire sky.
The horned caterpillar stared in horror as the sky was devoured, and everything plunged into darkness.
At that moment, a colossal horned dragon clamped its jaws on the black dragon's wing, and the two began to battle ferociously.
The black dragon, unable to withstand the horned dragon's might, fell to the ground with a thunderous crash, landing right in front of the horned caterpillar.
Boom!
The ground trembled violently as the black dragon lay before it, bleeding and lifting its blood-red eyes to gaze directly at the horned caterpillar, its slit pupils boring into it.
A deep-seated fear arose from the caterpillar's very bloodline.
At that moment, subtle changes began to take place on the caterpillar's body.
Its color darkened, and the horn on its head started to shrink.
It felt a burning sensation rising within.
When it opened its eyes again, everything was back to normal.
It felt a surge of spirit power coursing through it, and its eyes now had a faint red tinge.
The terrifying scene it had just witnessed was nothing more than a nightmare.
Noticing the slight change in the horned caterpillar's appearance, Yuan Liang was thrilled.
He immediately leaned down and asked, "How do you feel? Do you notice any changes?"
Yuan Liang had no idea what the horned caterpillar had just seen.
At that moment, he crouched excitedly, his bottom sticking out as he observed the caterpillar eagerly.
He hadn't expected that his alchemy skills would work in this world.
The bloodline awakening array he had used was something he'd once seen in an alchemy notebook.
Although he'd tried it before, the results had never been significant.
The horned caterpillar, equally excited, squirmed on the ground in ecstasy, but it couldn't speak.
However, Yuan Liang seemed to understand.
"You saw a lot of dragons? On a battlefield? A black dragon and a giant horned dragon fighting?"
The horned caterpillar nodded frantically.
Yuan Liang stroked his chin, deep in thought, and said, "We'll have to ask Elder Huo about it when we get a chance—she knows a lot."
"Have you learned any new skills?" Yuan Liang asked, eyes shining with anticipation.
The horned caterpillar paused and then spat out a thread.
Yuan Liang was initially disappointed, but his expression quickly shifted to surprise.
The thread was black, razor-sharp, and impossible to break.
The horned caterpillar had mutated.
…
After seven days of intense cultivation, Yuan Liang had finally reached the early stage of the Black Iron Realm.
The horned caterpillar looked at him with pride, as if witnessing a child growing up.
They had already formed a contract.
Yuan Liang's stomach was growling, and he was seeing double from hunger.
The past seven days had been grueling; every morning, he'd wake up and dive straight into cultivation.
For food, he had been digging up wild vegetables from the back mountain or fishing in the nearby river.
Although there was a cafeteria for outer disciples, it cost money.
Whenever other disciples heard the word "cafeteria," they would shake their heads in terror, advising others to stay away.
Each one wore an expression of dread.
Most outer disciples would head to the nearby town to buy food or hunt wild beasts in the surrounding mountains, as it was cheaper and didn't require much money.
After using the bloodline awakening array, Yuan Liang had depleted his last two spirit stones.
"This can't go on. We need to find a way to make money."
"How about working in a textile factory?" Yuan Liang suggested, looking at the horned caterpillar, reminded of silk.
The caterpillar looked annoyed.
It hadn't expected that it would still have to work.
But it eventually nodded because it hadn't eaten mulberry leaves in days and was nearly starving.
The textile factory was located at the foot of the mountain, occupying a vast area.
All the silk produced in the Great Love Sect was processed here before being sold throughout the sect.
At the factory entrance, a senior sister with a weary face greeted them.
"Are you here to buy clothes?" she asked slowly.
Yuan Liang could tell that she was another unfortunate soul battered by the workload.
Before coming to the textile factory, he'd checked out the mission hall.
There were many tasks offered by the sect, covering all sorts of fields.
Mining, farming, weaving, and even breeding tasks to produce high-quality spirit beasts, saving the sect the trouble of capturing them outside.
However, very few people took on these tasks.
Feeling a bit shy, Yuan Liang replied, "Senior Sister, I'm here to find work."
The senior sister looked at the horned caterpillar beside him, then nodded and said, "The textile factory needs help. Don't worry; you'll be well taken care of."
Seeing someone actually willing to work at the textile factory, she lit up with excitement, as if spotting a fool walking into a trap.
She grabbed Yuan Liang's hand firmly, refusing to let him go.
Yuan Liang tried to pull his hand back, but the senior sister held on tight.
Clutching the caterpillar in her other hand.
The caterpillar looked at Yuan Liang with a face full of grievance.
This is your fault, it thought.
Now we're both trapped.
Yuan Liang also felt like crying but couldn't shed a tear.
…
"Oh, my back!" Yuan Liang groaned, pushing the door open while supporting his waist.
From dawn till dusk, he'd been working non-stop.
His hands were sore from constantly weaving silk threads, and his fingers were even bleeding.
The horned caterpillar, lying exhausted on Yuan Liang's shoulder, had shrunk to nearly half its size.
It was completely drained, unable to produce even a single thread of silk.
Yuan Liang collapsed onto his bed without moving. "Make me a meal with four dishes and a soup—I want meat."
In protest, the caterpillar shot a thin, needle-like thread at Yuan Liang's rear.
'You should be the one making the meal', it seemed to say, looking up at him defiantly.
Yuan Liang winced as he removed the tiny needle, ready to scold the caterpillar.
But looking at the needle, he suddenly had an idea.
"Hey, do you think you could shoot your threads like needles, hitting someone from a distance where they can't see it, and maybe even kill them?"
The horned caterpillar seemed lost in thought.
It hadn't considered that before. After a moment, it shook its head, then nodded.
…
The next morning, Yuan Liang was up before dawn and headed to the mission hall.
He had no intention of returning to the textile factory, which was a nightmare.
The Great Love Sect used a unique currency that looked like small, pink, heart-shaped coins, which everyone referred to as "Love Coins."
No one knew who had come up with such a peculiar currency.
The mission hall was already bustling, with even some inner disciples there to pick up tasks.
"Junior Brother Yuan, what are you doing here?" Luo Xiangming called out.
Yuan Liang turned at the sound of his voice and saw Luo Xiangming.
"Senior Brother Luo, what are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to be guarding the caterpillars?"
"My task is complete; I'm here to submit it. I'm heading back to Grass Wood Peak—care to join me?"
Surprised by the invitation, Yuan Liang immediately nodded.