"Welcome, little rabbits, to the Black Box." He spoke with a wide grin stretching across his face.
The man's face was sharp and bony, his features gaunt as if carved from stone. Long black hair flowed down to his shoulders, and he wore a simple robe tied loosely with a white rope around his waist.
"Take that. Wear it."
With a flick of his hand, black robes were tossed toward them. They floated through the air, landing neatly at everyone's feet.
The moment the fabric touched their legs, the restraints binding their bodies loosened.
Usually, one would think about running away, but the man exuded so much pressure that running felt like it was just courting death.
"This is just so odd. Why is he giving us these clothes?"
Lian inspected the robe carefully, though faintly he could tell that arrays had been drawn on them.
"Everything is a mess now. I know where those damn beasts are—but how am I supposed to get m—"
His thoughts cut off.
From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Yue Xing.
He was bloodied and bruised, and his normal cocky façade was gone now; his face was hardened.
"He must have had a rough time as well…"
Lian clenched his jaw.
"But as long as he's here, I still have a chance to meet his father.
They'll come looking for him, I'm sure of it.
And by then… I'll be strong enough to kill him."
"Hah! What are you waiting for?"
The man's voice boomed again, carrying terrifying authority.
"Do you not know how to wear clothes? Strip and put those on."
The pressure behind his words slammed into the group. One boy immediately foamed at the mouth and collapsed.
"Tsk."
The man clicked his tongue.
"Bo, you brought trash here." He turned his face to meet Bo, who was casually leaning against a pillar, eating some snacks.
He flicked a finger.
The boy burst into black flames, his screams cut short as his body burned away, leaving nothing behind but drifting ash.
"How merciless…"
Lian didn't hesitate. He stripped off his clothes and put on the black robe. The moment he tied the sash around his waist, an overwhelming weight crashed down on his body.
He staggered back a step—then steadied himself.
His muscles screamed. His bones felt compressed.
Lian's eyes flicked around.
"It's not just me," he realised.
"Everyone's experiencing the same thing."
They all came to the same realization.
These people were merciless.
One mistake—and you were gone.
"By the way," the man added casually, "your spatial bags and storage rings won't work here."
A ripple of unease spread through the group.
"We only need fifty of you," he continued. "I don't care how you do it—but in one month, I'll return."
He reached into his pocket and produced a green jade. An inscription of a tiger was carved into its surface; vividly, its mouth was open.
"There are fifty jades like this scattered inside," he said, holding it up.
"Have at least one when I come back—if you want to live."
His lips curled into something resembling a smile.
"Now, good luck. Try your best to survive."
"I'm sure you'll find this whole thing… entertaining."
He tapped the ground twice.
"In there, you'll find some foxes. Be careful, little rabbits."
The ground beneath them lit up as an array flared to life. Before anyone could react—
The world twisted.
And in the next moment, they were gone.
"Hey, Bo," the man said afterwards, already lifting a gourd to his lips and drinking deeply.
"Do you think we'll get a good vessel this time? The last group were all nothing but trash."
Bo watched the empty space where the youths had vanished.
"I'm not sure," he said, taking the gourd when it was passed to him.
"But this batch has better potential."
He paused.
"The leader's soul is far too strong. Most vessels can't even endure him for ten years."
"But this time… we went to a good lower realm."
Bo smiled faintly.
"There were a few talented brats."
"Even a dragonoid among them."
"What—!? That's brilliant!" the man exclaimed, eyes wide with excitement.
"Then what use are the other brats? Bring that dragonoid here—the master can use him. That body should be more than strong enough!"
"…Ahhh—about that," Bo said, giggling awkwardly.
"We couldn't bring him along. Wang played around too much, and a true dragon descended into the youngling."
Bo raised his hands, sticking out his tongue with a silly grin.
"We would've died if we hadn't crushed the reverse scale."
"You idiots…!"
The man roared, veins bulging violently across his forehead, his face twisting with fury.
"Do you have any idea how important this is?!" he shouted, words tumbling over each other as spit flew from his mouth.
"If the Leader doesn't restore his power soon, the window to move on to the next world will be lost!"
"Oh, calm down, Wing Xang," Bo replied lazily, lifting the gourd and taking another long drink.
"As I said—we've got strong candidates this time."
He lowered the gourd, eyes glinting with quiet confidence.
"Most of them are hiding secrets," Bo continued.
"Secrets that are no less valuable than a dragonoid's body. I'm sure we will get one that is suitable for the master" Bo sat down, and his eyes stretched to the ground.
"Especially that Kid who was fighting against the dragonoid brat, there is something special about his karma, He will grow great." Bo thought to himself.
When Lian landed, his eyes were immediately drawn to the vast place they were in.
Tall trees stretched endlessly in every direction, and a soft, pulsing Qi buzzed through the air.
Around him were both familiar and unfamiliar faces.
"It seems they took people from all over," Lian thought, his eyes scanning the environment carefully.
"There are around two hundred of us… meaning more than three-quarters will die."
"I need a high place to understand the geography," he decided.
Without hesitation, Lian turned and ran toward a tall tree visible in the distance, leaving the group behind.
"Hey—what do you think?" someone whispered.
"We should form a group. That way, it'll be easier to survive. We can find the jades faster."
Murmuring spread quickly.
"Yes! I want to be in Zhou Lung's group!"
"That's the safest choice!"
"How foolish," Lian thought, breathing steadily as he ran.
"Can't they see it? In a place like this, only the strong matter. Grouping together will only make you targets—tools to be exploited."
As he neared the foot of the tree, he frowned.
"Huh… these robes," Lian muttered internally.
"They're absorbing my Qi as well."