In a loud bang, Roy woke up drenched in perspiration. He sat up from a bed and stared at the surroundings.

When he awoke, everything in front of him was pitch black.

The darkness that enveloped Roy caused him to feel frightened at first, his heart pounding with the thought that he had lost his sight. However, as his eyes adjusted, he could make out the faint glow of moonlight filtering through the window screens.

It was nighttime, and the absence of light had caused the room to be shrouded in darkness. With a sigh of relief, Roy realized that his eyesight was intact. Though the night was black, he could still make out the furnishings of the room, illuminated by the pale yellow glow of the moon. Shadows danced across the walls, casting eerie shapes across the room. Despite the initial fear, Roy felt a sense of calm wash over him, a strange comfort in the tranquility of the night.

Recalling back, given that he was still alive despite being in such a perilous situation previously, he wondered if the crazy old man had let him go.

"I remember being blasted out of the cave by that crazy geezer." Roy contemplated a bit "But after that.." he tried to recollect what happened, but to no avail.

He looked around and noticed that he was in a wooden hut.

This wooden hut was very simple, but was neat and clean. There was a tea set, tables, chairs, cabinets and other things. In the middle of the room, there was a fireplace. This gave him a little warmth amidst the chilling atmosphere.

Roy took a deep breath. Despite the fact that his body was still weak, Roy felt very comfortable. He noticed that there was something different in the air of this place that nourished his heart.

"How come the spiritual qi in this place is so abundant? This is.. where exactly is this? If I could have practiced cultivation in this place from young, I would have reached the Spirit Formation Stage in cultivation or even above by now.” he regretted not traveling more when he was younger.

" AH. I forgot. I was still on earth at that time." he facepalmed.

Though he was technically still young, a 15-year-old human boy, or at least he looked like one. Greed has always been a natural human instinct, a bottomless pit which only exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching any satisfaction.

But, looking at his currently non-existent spiritual body root, Roy could only lament. While anger and sorrow collided within him. He figured that it was so hard to live as a mortal in this world, that he was beginning to desire to become a cultivator.

He felt how powerless he was in front of the old geezer. The seemingly weak and fragile old man that he was, he couldn't possibly be weaker than even his 'cheap' father back in the branch family.

Thud thud!

Sounds of footsteps were coming from outside the hut, and soon the door creaked as it was pushed opened lightly. Roy looked up and saw that it was a hunchbacked old man.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

His body was skinny and he was shorter than Roy by a head. He had a head of silverish hair, wrinkles spreading throughout his face, and murky eyes. The old man was wearing a serious face on him and didn't seem to be fond of him.

"You are finally awake. Quickly, get up, get changed, and do your chores." The old man was very stern and staring at Roy with his murky eyes.

Roy observed him and noticed that the old man was wearing something held by a red thread around his neck. This object was a two-inch-long metal rod. At the two edges, it was gold in color and felt like it was made of gold. In the middle, it was black and seemed to be made of black metal.

"This is Supreme Sword Sect, a sect for cultivators."

"Since you are here, you have to remain here for your lifetime. To survive in this place, you have to know the rules of this sect. Since the upper echelon has arranged for you to be here, you have to work diligently. Do not speak frequently, follow the rules, and don't cause me any trouble." the old man threw dark blue clothing onto him before heading to the next room.

".." Roy was bewildered.

'A cultivator sect?

The upper echelon has arranged for me to be here?

What the bloody hell is going on?..'

'Was that crazy geezer brought me here when I was unconscious? then this skinny old man is his retainer?

And in exchange for my impudence, he assigned me to work here at his place? Is that it?'

Roy looked down at his clothes, which were tattered and stained with blood. His memory was hazy, and he couldn't recall anything beyond his battle with the previously terrifying old man. Not really a battle, to be precise, as far as he could remember it was a one-sided assault.

He then took a look at his previously injured right hand and said, "My hand.. already healed, huh? How long was I asleep?"

Before he could resume his wandering thought, the old man walked out from the side room. He brought out a bowl of soup that was still hot and passed it to Roy.

"Drink it."

'Is this ginseng soup?'

Roy was born in the palace and could tell with one look that the ginseng soup had been made with a very old ginseng that had to be very valuable. There were only the two of them in the hut. Clearly, the old man had made this specially for him. Based on this, the old man should be the type that seemed cold externally but kind internally and he didn't dislike him.

"Thank you, Old Uncle. My name is Roy. How should I address you?" He purposely avoided giving his family name, afraid that his real identity would leak since he was no longer part of it.

"You can call me Wang," said the old man as he rushed him to quicken up.

"Uncle Wang." Roy finished the bowl of ginseng soup quickly and instantly felt more refreshed.

The great exhaustion over this period of time had also received some replenishment. This had to be some spiritual medicine of the immortal sect for it to have such an effect!

At this moment, Old Man Wang had already opened the door to the house and stepped out.

"This old man doesn't seem to be too fond of me, huh?" As Roy was still feeling confused, he quickly got up and changed into the new clothing.

After Roy was done changing clothes, he followed behind Old Wang quickly.

He owed a debt of gratitude to him for taking care of him when he was unconscious, after all. Therefore, it was natural for him to listen to the old man's instructions.

Once he stepped out of the door and took a look, he was instantly shocked at the scenery.

As Roy looked out at the breathtaking scenery before him, he was overwhelmed by the beauty of it all. The lush, green forest seemed to stretch on for eternity, and the endless mountain peaks were shrouded in a mystical, immortal fog. Through the mist, he could see a myriad of magnificent palaces and pavilions.. It was as if he had been transported to another world entirely.

Despite the awe-inspiring scenery, Roy couldn't shake the feeling of unease that gnawed at him. He couldn't help but wonder where he was and how he had ended up there.

As he stood there, taking in his surroundings, Roy couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. He knew that this place was unlike anything he had ever encountered before, and that danger lurked around every corner. But despite the fear that gripped him, he couldn't deny the thrill of adventure that coursed through his veins.

"... Wow." he marveled at the magnificent sight.