The cell stank of blood and people from Earth were chained up. No one was spared. Bruised children were trying not to cry-the guards' whips made sure they stayed silent.
Old people? Useless. Their fate was already decided once they were summoned. First beheaded, then fed to furnaces, their remains refined into pills by the alchemist for cultivation.
This is the so called "cultivation" world and the people who were chained up are the people, who came from Earth-forcefully summoned as expendable pawns, even if you have a talent in cultivation, you'd still be a pawn in the end.
I was one of the few "lucky" ones, that had a little talent, that piqued the interest of the people that summoned me.
On Earth, small portals appeared above people's heads , including mine.
I laughed at first. A prank? This early in the morning?
I looked beside me, where my girlfriend was and said
"Is this your doing? "
Before she could even mutter a single word, blue chains materialized in an instant and wrapped around me yeeting me up the air, into the portal.
Before I could open my eyes, my head felt like crushed. It was so painful, I couldn't bear it anymore and fell unconscious
After waking up with a dried throat, I saw many people... they seemed to be figuring out what was happening."
Suddenly-
"Adam! Is that you?"
I turned around. A fat guy , with a big belly. Andy, an old friend stood there-but still lost as I was.
"Dụ ma-Fuck they also brought you here. Listen! I think they are sorting us, the old people were directly beheaded, people who don't meet their requirement are good as dead!"
"Did you see Lina? She was als-"
"FORGET ABOUT HER" Andy clenched his fist. "you will never see her again, she was probably sorted already or dead"
Then reality hit me. I knew what he meant. Even if Lina were here, so what? Could I go back to Earth? Can I decide my fate here? Where we are chained up? Andy gave me the confirmation, to deal with my situation first.
As I was sighing and thinking about Lina, collar on our necks emitted blue light before Struck us with strong pain once again, knowledge out of nowhere appearing in my head. After 5 hours the transfer was done. A quarter of people who couldn't handle the pain died convulsing on the ground, their eyes burst open by pressure and blood pools forming on the ground.
Seeing this scene made my mind at state of confusion and fear. Unable to hold it anymore I puked.
Andy recovered faster than I did and helped me get up.
Ten minutes later
"Clink"
The cell doors opened
A courageous group of men, that planned this beforehand charged at the guards, that seems to be unarmed. This is not Earth. The guards simply waved their hand emitting blueish light
"BOOM"
Lifeless bodies, bones and organs on the ground, they didn't have a chance. Seeing this scene made the crowd panick, the guards unmoved by the commotion shouted in a loud and suppressive voice.
"LINE UP"
Those who were panicking, are paralyzed and people slowly made a line. It was silent, no one was talking.
"Don't react, we must survive this " Andy whispered with determination.
The guards snips his finger activating our chains, that transforms into collars and everyone received a branding with a hot piece of metal with the name "Xinmen" on the chest.
As I was the one in the queue my collar emits blue color. Invisible energy holds me still. The branding iron seared into my chest. The burning lasted ten seconds
Grasping in pain, the guards kicked me to move on.
"Any attempts are futile, you will always be tracked, you will do as we command, you are tools , be proud you are now property of Xinmen sect" The guard explained with a smile.
After twenty minutes, everyone was branded. Then a guard guided us, as we walked through the hall, I see people thrown into furnaces and screams in agony made me fear this place. An eternity passed before we saw room that says "Aptitude test"
"Go in one by one" one guard said bored.
The weight of everything pressed down on me. This was it—the moment that decided my fate. I hope Lina is going to be okay. Before I could think about what happens next , it was my turn ,moving into the room I look behind me, glancing maybe the last time to Andy. In the room a guard emitting a strong aura before me says
"Put your hand on the ball"
Sweat beaded on my face, I put my hand onto the ball, the ball emits light black color and the number 64 appearing on the ball the guard seeing the results he mutters
"Mediocre"
"Your name?" he asked.
"Adam"
After writing something down he tossed a Token with the letter "C" and says "Go out, follow the servant, do something funny and we will know"
When I am mediocre, I wonder what Lina is.
A servant with lifeless eyes and a collar guided me to a room.
Already she is dead inside, is that my fate?
In the room I see Fewer people remained than in the original cell. The room is minimalistic placed with many beds, that's probably the place we sleep in and there were two guards standing around and it seems they are waiting for the other people. No one seems to be socializing it, it was silent. One more person was put into the room
I searched andy through the crowd and then.
I realized
Did he fail the test?
Is it even possible to get home?
My face turned ugly.
As there are no more people to come out of our batch , the guard introduce himself as Zhang
"I'm here to train you to the Qi Condensation stage, regardless if you want it or not." He said
Zhang glared at a trembling-no older than seventeen-holding an "E" token. Kicking him as if as if it was worthless, sending him on ground-breaking his arm.
"AERHHH" The boy screamed
"Worthless pig" Zhang spat on him. "Your body is full of impurities, there is no point in nurturing you."
A guard pulled him by the hair. The boy cried, leaving the crowd terrified.
Seeing this scene. I tightened my grip on the "C" token.
It seems this boy is not only unfortunate looking, but also has bad luck-I sighed.
In a luxurious room a man 1.9 meters tall, with sharp eyebrows ,black haired and a handsome face. On his lap was a beautiful girl with a chain on her neck. As he fondles her breast.
A servant appears in the room kowtowing, with sweat beads on his face visible he says "This lowly worm greets Sect leader of Xinmen "
"How many did we get this time?" with a dominating tone
"F-Five hundred thousand" the servant stuttered before saying "Only two hundred thousand may form cores."
As Sect leader's face turned ugly, he ripped the breast out of the beautiful girl and before she could scream, he flicked his finger.
shockwave appeared
Disintegrating her and forming a Bloody mist.
The servant seeing this, fearfully stays silent and awaits the sect leaders orders.
"Disappointing" the sect leader murmured. "Feed the useless to the furnace and as for the pawns, E and D rank are sold as slave. Those above are trained until Qi Condensation"
"As you command" Said the servant before vanishing.
The last harvest and yet so much effort wasted... for a mere two hundred thousand? -The sect leader face turned ugly.