Arthur felt his body was compressed from all directions, as if he was being forced through a narrow tunnel barely large enough to contain him. The pressure came from every side at once, twisting space around him like a funnel pulling him toward some distant destination. For a brief moment his senses blurred and his perception was scrambled, the same way one might feel while being dragged through violent rapids.
Then suddenly the pressure vanished and with a loud splash, his body was plunged into cold water.
The impact was unexpected but harmless, the water swallowed him instantly, ripples spreading across the small pond and his senses returned, he could clearly sense several other figures nearby. Arthur opened his eyes beneath the surface and calmly pushed upward, breaking through the water a second later.
The space here felt different from all the worlds he had visited. The space was denser, but filled with energy that was far purer than the spiritual energy in the lower cultivation world. Even a casual breath carried a faint vitality that spread through his lungs.
He felt if he tried to teleport here he would only be able to cover one tenth of the distance. He then swam toward the edge of the pond while quickly observing his surroundings.
The pond itself was not particularly large, perhaps thirty meters across, yet dozens of people were already gathering around its edges. Some were still climbing out of the water while others stood there, scanning the unfamiliar environment with wary expressions.
Arthur stepped onto the stone ground surrounding the pond and evaporated the water off his clothes by increasing his body temperature.
This place resembled a small courtyard carved into the mountainside. Tall stone walls surrounded the pond, and beyond them rose enormous peaks that stretched far into the sky. The clouds above looked strangely distant, and the air carried a faint herbal scent mixed with it.
But what caught Arthur's attention the most were the figures standing near the edges of the courtyard.
Several armored individuals stood there with cold expressions, their presence was unmistakable. Each of them emitted powerful auras that dwarfed the people coming out of the pond. Even without deliberately releasing their energy, Arthur could sense their strength. Some of them were immensely powerful.
The cultivators who had just arrived clearly noticed it as well. Many of them instinctively kept their distance, forming loose clusters while watching the guards cautiously. Arthur quietly joined the crowd, keeping himself near the back of the gathering. And more people continued to emerge from the pond.
One after another, cultivators appeared with splashes of water as the pond continued delivering new arrivals from who knows where.
Some climbed out quickly with excitement shining in their eyes. Others appeared confused or overwhelmed seeing the people gathered here, their expressions were filled with uncertainty as they tried to understand where they had arrived.
The atmosphere was tense but strangely quiet, then a sharp voice broke the silence.
"Move forward!"
A guard shoved one of the newly arrived cultivators roughly toward the crowd seeing he was not moving towards the group. The man stumbled forward and nearly fell, quickly regaining his balance as he hurried toward the others while suppressing his anger after sensing the guard was stronger than him.
The guards showed no patience for hesitation. They stood near the edges of the pond, forcing each new arrival to leave the water and join the main group.
Arthur watched them quietly. From time to time his gaze shifted toward the guards, carefully assessing their strength.
The weakest among them were already stronger than even him which made his blood boil in anticipation for the future. And the strongest guard standing near the front radiated a particularly oppressive aura. Arthur could tell immediately that the man was dangerous.
After roughly fifteen minutes, the pond finally grew still. And no more cultivators emerged from its surface.
The guards glanced toward one another briefly before one of them stepped forward.
He was the man whose aura dominated the courtyard, and his gaze swept across the gathered crowd with clear authority. "We are members of the Five Element Immortal Sect," he announced loudly.
The murmuring among the cultivators faded as all eyes turned toward him.
The guard pointed toward the pond behind him. "That pond you just came out of is called the Ascension Pool. It is under the control of our sect."
His voice grew colder. "And any cultivator that steps out of this Ascension Pool belongs to the Five Element Immortal Sect."
The words struck the crowd like a sudden gust of icy wind and Arthur narrowed his eyes slightly.
The guard continued speaking without pause. "If you try to flee, we will kill you. If you resist our orders, you will become slaves."
A wave of tension spread through the crowd after hearing what the man said. Several cultivators instinctively clenched their fists while others lowered their heads silently.
Arthur noticed the subtle reactions, but he himself remained calm.
The guard's tone softened slightly, though the threat beneath it remained obvious.
"But do not misunderstand our intentions," he said. "The immortal world is far more dangerous than the realms you came from. Without protection, you would be robbed and killed the moment you step outside our territory."
He gestured toward the towering mountains surrounding the courtyard. "Our sect provides shelter, resources, and opportunities for cultivation."
The guard's eyes scanned the crowd again. "All you need to do is follow our orders and perform your duties properly."
Murmurs spread quietly among the newly ascended cultivators. Some looked uncertain while others appeared relieved to hear they would be given protection.
The guard turned toward the other guards and gave a brief command. And the soldiers began organizing the crowd into groups before guiding them out of the courtyard.
Arthur moved with the others, allowing himself to be swept along naturally. They walked along a narrow stone path carved into the mountainside. The journey lasted more than half an hour, and during that time Arthur silently examined everything around him.
The mountains stretched endlessly in every direction. Occasionally he spotted distant structures carved into the cliffs, massive buildings connected by bridges that spanned enormous valleys. The scale of the immortal world was far greater than the lower realms.
Eventually they arrived at a wide excavation site and Arthur immediately understood what it was.
A mine.
The entire mountainside had been carved open, revealing enormous caverns filled with veins of crystalline material embedded deep within the rock.
Hundreds ,perhaps thousands of cultivators were already working there. Some swung their pickaxes against the stone walls while others carried baskets filled with glowing crystals toward collection points where guards waited.
The head guard stopped walking and turned toward the newly arrived group. "This is where you will work," he said coldly.
He pointed toward the spirit veins within the cavern walls. "You will mine Immortal Spirit Stones."
A faint glow radiated from the crystals embedded within the rock and Arthur could immediately sense the energy inside them.
It was extremely pure spiritual energy, far superior to the stones used in the lower cultivation world.
The guard continued. "At the end of each day you will submit the spirit stones you mine."
He eyed everyone. "The more you mine, the better will be your rewards."
Then his expression turned icy. "And do not think about hiding them."
A faint killing intent leaked from his aura. "If you are caught hiding even a single spirit stone, you will suffer a fate worse than death."
The message was clear. And it made sense now why they would give protection to strangers, this was not employment, it was forced labor.
The guards began taking their spatial rings from them and separated the cultivators into small groups, each group consisting of five people. The cultivators were unwilling to hand them their spatial rings, but a few threats and the promise they would be returned to them after a year did the work and they begrudgingly handed them to the guards.
Arthur also took out a spatial ring from his dimensional storage and handed it to them since it would appear weird to not have one as a cultivator, he then soon found himself standing with four others, two men and two women.
All of them appeared between twenty-five and forty years old, though appearance meant little among cultivators. Once the guards left, an awkward silence settled over the group.
Finally one of the men spoke. He appeared to be in his forties, with sharp eyes and a confident posture. "Greetings fellow cultivators," he said with a polite smile. "My name is Zhang Haoran."
The others nodded cautiously.
"I know the situation seems worrying," Zhang Haoran continued. "But there is no need to panic."
A woman beside him asked hesitantly. "Brother Haoran… do you know something about this place?"
Zhang Haoran puffed his chest slightly. "Of course."
"My ancestors ascended to the Five Element Immortal Sect generations ago. And they have provided us with records about the immortal world."
The group immediately looked more interested.
"They said that talented cultivators can eventually be recruited as disciples of the immortal sects."
The woman's face brightened. "Really? Are you telling the truth brother Haoran?"
Zhang Haoran nodded proudly. "I am one hundred percent certain." Relief spread across the group.
Arthur watched quietly from the side, then he spoke. "If your ancestors are part of this sect… why haven't they come to pick you up?"
The question instantly disrupted the hopeful mood. Zhang Haoran froze for a moment, his expression stiffened slightly and internally he cursed Arthur.
Still, he quickly recovered his composure. "Young man," he said with a faint laugh, "you clearly do not understand how vast the immortal world is."
He folded his arms. "My ancestors cannot possibly know the exact moment I ascended."
He then smiled magnanimously. "But once they learn I am here, they will definitely come for me."
The others looked impressed.
"And when that happens," Zhang Haoran added confidently, "I will make sure to bring all of you with me."
The group immediately brightened and all three of them began praising him enthusiastically.
Arthur remained silent, he had already understood Zhang Haoran's intentions. By offering them salvation later, he was subtly positioning himself as their leader.
If his ancestors truly existed within the sect, it might even work. But Arthur knew the flaws in his claim. No one knew whether those ancestors were still alive. And even if they were, it was impossible to know when or if at all they would come to rescue them.
Arthur ignored the conversation and examined the pickaxe given to him. The tool was forged from a material he had never seen before. It was extremely durable, easily capable of breaking the rock of the immortal world. But its energy conductivity was terrible.
Arthur could immediately tell the tool was intentionally designed that way. A better weapon might allow cultivators to fight back, this one would only function for mining.
Arthur briefly considered expanding his awareness to scan the surrounding area, but he stopped himself. Someone stronger might notice and in a place like this, even a minor mistake could attract unwanted attention.
Arthur looked toward the guards stationed around the mining area. Then toward the distant mountains beyond the sect's territory.
He could leave, but he chose not to. He did not know the true strength of the powerhouses in this world.
If he acted recklessly and attracted attention, he might find himself imprisoned by forces far stronger than the ones he had faced before.
Arthur also avoided using the Obelisk. If someone stronger sensed the artifact's activation, it might reveal abilities that would only create more problems for him. Till now he had used it without worry because he was strong enough to protect himself, but it was an entirely different matter in this world.
The best option was wait patiently and gather information, Arthur gripped the pickaxe and stepped toward the rock wall assigned to their group. For now, he would remain here and become stronger.
Once he understood the immortal world… leaving the sect would be easy.
***
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