Jing's eyes widened at the blatant threat, and for some reason, the budding thoughts he had been cultivating of just running away and leaving behind this dangerous and ominous sect were instantly uprooted. The flame that had just entered his heart didn't feel hot, but the exact opposite, it felt like an ice cube that seeped through his skin, muscles, and bones and melted inside of his heart.

The sect master's eyes landed on the various disciples and spoke with a commanding tone, "I am sure your masters have explained the details of what you should be doing, so I won't bother with that." Clicking her fingers together all of the monsters moved at the same time and approached each disciple of their own volition. "The Golden Mountain's entrance test will be in a few days, so we'll depart right now. No need to waste any more time."

Jing who was still processing the unexpected turn of events was startled when he noticed the huge monster that approached him. It had terrifying vicious fangs, and its every exhale was accompanied by a guttural rattle that made him both gulp in fear and retreat a few steps back.

This in turn was pointed out to the others by the same disciple that made fun of him previously resulting in most of them chuckling at the sight.

Noticing all of that Jing's gritted his teeth in anger as he glared at the disciple with unmasked anger. 'What is that guy's problem?' He hatefully thought. The disciple was wearing a dark brown thick robe, high sturdy boots, and a long scarf around his waist.

Jing's steps halted and waited for the monster's approach with a wildly beating heart. 'He's not dangerous,' He comforted himself as the monster inched slowly closer to him. Fortunately, the monsters who he had learned were called Shardfiends had a very docile demeanor, and his body language evoked a sense of safety and lack of aggression even though Jing wasn't really versed in understanding their body language, he could feel it.

When the Shardfiend was but an arm's length away from him, he could feel the immense strength in every inch of its sturdy muscular body. Yet, its eyes looked gentle and harmless.

Exhaling the deep breath he had been holding on, he stretched out his arm and slowly put his right palm above the monster's long nose bridge. Feeling the warmth coursing through his body from it, and the affectionate way it nuzzled against his hand, Jing's smiled in astonishment.

"Wouaah," He murmured, fascinated by the experience. It was then that he noticed how all of the disciples had climbed on top of their designated Shardfiends and slowly followed after the sect master who was riding on a gigantic version of the same monster.

'Alright,' He psyched himself. 'Let's do it.'

He moved beside the monster's body and gripped into the big brown leather saddle. With his left leg on the first stirrup, he gripped the cantle even more tightly and hoisted himself up. Moving the other leg around the monster's body, he tightened both legs in their stirrups.

Witnessing the distant grounds below from his new comfortable position, a huge sense of accomplishment swelled up within him as he widely grinned to the point that his back teeth showed. However, he quickly noticed Peak Master Li Yan glaring at him with a cold look on his face and subsequently awakening him from his short stupor.

He had never rode not even a horse, and so now that he found himself obligated to ride an incomparably stronger monster he felt stumped. But he knew that there was no time to take it slow and learn. Peak Master Li Yan was glaring at him, and the other disciples were leaving him behind.

Gently pulling on the left rein, the monster slowly turned around. Jing softly kicked its abdomen with the sides of his stirrups, and the monster moved forward, resulting in another stupefied look on his face.

Suddenly, he glimpsed a startling sight from the corner of his eye. Twenty wooden stakes bordered the underground world, each one tied several men and women in thick chains. Their lifeless gazes spoke of despair and defeat, shoulders sagging in resignation. As shocking as that was, Jing merely registered the sight for later processing and focused on the dangerous task at hand.

The procession of monsters with disciples on top of them entered another tunnel that led to an unfathomable darkness. Unlike the other tunnels that followed a straight line, this one was positioned on the right side of this territory.

Jing quickly reached the very end of the group, and finally entered into that pitch darkness leaving all of the peak masters and the humanoid monster called Elder Ma behind them.

As the group continued advancing forward they began to encounter a lot of terrifying monsters that made his skin crawl. Some giant centipedes, a group of big golden ants, snakes, and others. Yet, all of them without exceptions scurried away whenever they sensed their approach.

Other than the monsters, Jing was also surprised by how many tunnels they stumbled upon along the way. The sect master who was leading the group never hesitated and seemed to be very well-versed in navigating the underground maze.

One tunnel after the next they marched, and in the end, they emerged into a very wide rocky cavern with a very short ceiling that jotted with spear-like rocks. It had a wide crystal-clear pool to the side where a species of catfish joyfully swam around. A fish that he noticed seemed to terrorize even the giant fearsome monsters that roamed this place as they avoided approaching the pool.

Jing loved every second of it, in fact, tears of excitement bubbled in his eyes. Such a sense of adventure, beauty, and magic left him breathless. However, he noticed how all of the other disciples had already begun separating themselves into groups that gathered close to one another, leaving him behind all alone. It wasn't enough to obstruct the wild joy that he felt in his first adventure.

How long had it been since he last felt like that? He didn't know. Fortunately, his monster proved to be very obedient and didn't give him any problems which made the whole journey even more smooth sailing.

Beyond the cavern, Jing could feel that they began gradually climbing up as they ventured deep into a winding dirt path. True to his expectations, after a few minutes he saw a notable change ahead. As he glanced up, he noticed a different color other than the thick dark brown of the rich soil surrounding them.

A Midnight Blue color!

'The sky!' He exclaimed in his mind. As they climbed even more, he began hearing the sound of the pouring rain, and he even caught a glimpse of the heavy foliage of a faraway tree.

The more they advanced, the wider the opening began to appear and the sound of the rain landing on the leaves was so loud that it was accompanied by the rich smell of the damp ground that washed away all of Jing's worries.

However, just as abruptly as that sense of comfort arrived, it disappeared. The sect master didn't seem to intend to stop to wait out the rain but continued with her giant monster into the muddy terrain beyond the hole from where they were coming in.

The moment his monster made its first step into the muddy ground was when one cold droplet after the other landed on various parts of his body. He was still wearing just a simple white robe, boxer briefs, and a wooden sandal. Thus, several raindrops trickled down his spine, making him shiver.

In an attempt to warm himself, he let go of the reins, letting the Shardfiends follow his kind on its own. He raised up his shoulders and tucked his robe tightly around him to stop any more droplets from flowing down his back. Though as cold and uncomfortable as he was, his sense of wonder was still flowing as he studied the new world with wide eyes.

The group emerged into a dark forest with tall thick trees that reached to the skies with dark green leaves at the top and some circular light green fruits. Big black birds that resembled parrots with long tail feathers nestled against the leaves and collar branches at the top seeking some semblance of warmth dazzled him with their intelligent but wary look as they gazed down at the group.

Owl hoots from opposite directions of the forest dominated one another as the group continued meandering through the trees. From time to time, a terrifying roar would thunder through the forest, and an intense silence would follow after it that was only interrupted by the Shardfiends's claws breaking random sticks in half or the occasional dead leaf as all of the other monsters would cower in fright. Even the disciples' incessant chattering had come to a full stop the moment they set foot in the dark forest.

In but a few minutes Jing was completely drenched, and the cold breeze of the night felt even more pronounced all over his body. He no longer bothered covering his back because it began to get adjusted to the cold temperature. He grabbed the wet and cold reins once again and resumed his journey.

Even with all of those factors, his enjoyment couldn't be taken away by mere raindrops. With his reins in hand, he commanded the Shardfiend's moves to remain close to the group, afraid that someone from the back might snatch him away. Throughout all of this, he felt like a well-known Hobbit riding his pony and going on his very first adventure with a tall bearded wizard and a group of dwarves.

The darkness overhead gradually began to dissolve, becoming lighter, and lighter. Until an intense bright light suddenly hit Jing's right in the eyes causing him to squint hard. Glancing to his left, he noticed that the sun had begun its daily ritual. However, its light was quickly obstructed by the thick rain clouds that dominated the skies stretching well below the east horizons.

The rain cascaded upon them relentlessly, akin to an endless waterfall. Despite the passage of time, it showed no signs of stopping, as if determined to saturate the entire world with its rich life-giving drops.

The forest with the tall dense trees was already left behind, and now they were trekking through a rocky terrain with sparse grass with a towering white mountain range that stabbed the thick clouds in front of them.

He remembered how the first thing he saw in this new place was the corpse of a giant bunny with vicious long fangs that made his heart shudder in fear. Who killed such a fearsome creature wasn't something he wanted to see at that moment.

"Aukhman," He suddenly whispered.

The demon appeared out of thin air as he always does, catching Jing off guard. But he understood that only he was able to see him.

The familiar mental bridge was once again established and he spoke through it, "Will this long journey be detrimental to the first episode?" He asked.

Shaking his head with a smile Aukhman assured, "No, it's a very good way to show the world and all of your reactions to the new things." He paused for a while and continued, "After all, this series is called The Great Reincarnation, so I have to emphasize that angle. I know it'll quickly become meaningless as you adapt, but these are the Great Emperor's wishes."

"I see," Jing softly said in both of their minds, appearing deep in thought. Whenever he spoke to the demon hundreds of questions would emerge out of nowhere, overwhelming in the process. Just like now. After sorting through his priorities, he asked, "You said there are 100 players in this world, will they be able to find me?"

The demon had already sat down in mid-air, and yet without ever moving his legs, he was always just a few paces away from Jing. Regardless of how much the Shardfiend moved, it wasn't able to shake him off. As if he existed on a dimension of his own that didn't obey the laws of this world.

"In the beginning, only if you want," He said with a smile. "There is a function you can activate that would allow you to detect players in a 100 KM radius. However, if you do activate it, they will be able to sense your existence as well."

Jing who was overly curious about everything related to the game, immediately asked, "How?"

"Just say the word and I'll do it," Aukhman said.

"Do it!" Jing ordered with anticipation.

The moment the words left his dry lips, a golden signal echoed from the deepest part of his own body travelling in a ripple with him at the center.

Players Detected: 1 Human