1: I don't want to be an ant!

“Yesterday, it seems people died at the Ore field again.”

“I heard about it too. Some say Demonic Beasts rushed into the Ore cave.”

“This is the third time. It seems the person who died this time was transferred from the Family not long ago. What if it’s our turn next?”

Voices in conversation drifted over, and Lin Xiu slowly opened his eyes, his expression a little muddled.

Above his head was a straw shed, and the ground was covered with a large amount of fodder.

“Where is this?” Looking around, Lin Xiu saw a reddish-brown steed and felt like he was in a stable.

The voices grew fainter and fainter, and as the figures of several people disappeared around the corner of the wall, they became completely inaudible.

“Their clothes?” Withdrawing his gaze, Lin Xiu was surprised to find that he and they were wearing the same coarse short clothes, the fabric very rough and the color dull.

A sudden sharp pain shot through his head, and Lin Xiu clutched his head, kneeling on the ground.

After a long while, he looked up, his eyes filled with shock. “I Transmigrated!”

Memories of his original body slowly unfolded before Lin Xiu’s eyes.

He lived in the Lin Family of Te Lan City, a servant of the Lin Family, currently primarily responsible for raising horses for the Young Master.

Secondly, this was a world without magic, only Dou Qi.

“Dou Qi…” Suddenly, four words flashed through Lin Xiu’s mind—the title of a book.

Just as he was about to delve deeper into thought, Lin Xiu’s train of thought was interrupted by a voice from afar.

“Lin Xiu, Lin Xiu…” A young man of seventeen or eighteen, his face full of panic, ran towards the stable, his voice tinged with a hint of a sob.

Lin Dong, a servant of the Lin Family, and his roommate.

Memories of the other person surfaced, and Lin Xiu stood up, patted his backside, “What are you crying about for no reason?”

“I’ve been chosen! Lin Xiu, I’ve been chosen!” As if encountering something terrifying, Lin Dong’s lips trembled, and his face was devoid of color.

“What are you saying?” Lin Xiu was initially confused but quickly reacted, “They’re sending you to the Ore field?”

The Lin Family lived in Te Lan City, part of the Gama Empire. The nearest Demon Beast Mountain Range had an Ore discovered by the Lin Family, so they set up an Ore field there.

However, recently, there had been continuous fatalities at the Ore field, causing many miners to refuse to work. The Lin Family was simultaneously looking for people to solve the Ore field problem and arranging for their own servants to temporarily fill in.

Lin Dong’s face was ashen. “Yes.”

The Ore field was now a bottomless pit that devoured people. Lin Xiu couldn’t think of any comforting words and just patted the other’s shoulder.

Because of their status as servants, they could not disobey Family orders, otherwise, no one would care if they were beaten to death.

“Lin Xiu, I plan to escape. Do you want to come with me?”

Lin Dong suddenly lowered his voice. “The Ore field problem can’t be solved in the short term. If this continues, it will be your turn sooner or later.”

“Lin Dong, don’t be impulsive.” Although Lin Xiu had just Transmigrated, he understood the situation. They weren’t even Fighters.

If they escaped, there was a high probability they would be caught by the Lin Family’s Fighters, and then they would surely die.

Although going to the Ore cave was dangerous, there was at least a glimmer of hope.

“No, I am very calm.” Lin Dong’s eyes showed determination, and he turned to leave without being persuaded.

Standing by the stable, Lin Xiu’s mood was somewhat complex. In this world where strength was revered and the weak were preyed upon, the lives of ordinary people were truly insignificant.

“Fortunately, I have my horse, so the Ore cave matter won’t be my turn for now.” Lin Xiu looked at the only steed in the stable.

It was a steed with reddish-brown fur, a first-order Demonic Beast called a Red Mane Horse. Because of its particularly beautiful fur color, it had always been deeply loved by the Young Master of the Lin Family.

His predecessor, having a little experience in horse-rearing, was specifically assigned by the Young Master of the Lin Family to feed it.

During this year and more of feeding, Lin Xiu’s life was considerably better than that of other servants.

After a moment of daze, Lin Xiu, following his predecessor’s memories, fed the horse and cleaned the stable.

When it was time, Lin Xiu went to eat dinner. He saw other servants there, but perhaps because he had just Transmigrated, he didn’t go up to talk. He quietly finished his meal and returned to his room to rest.

The next day.

Lin Xiu, in bed, opened his eyes, looked at the unchanged room, and sighed, “It’s not a dream, I really Transmigrated.”

Lin Dong’s bed opposite was empty; he hadn’t returned all night.

“I hope you can escape successfully…” After offering a silent blessing, Lin Xiu withdrew his attention, his expression becoming somewhat nervous and expectant. “I actually have a day to Cultivate Dou Qi.”

Sitting cross-legged, following the movements from his memory, Lin Xiu formed hand seals, and his mind gradually calmed.

A faint, very weak Qi emerged in the air, entering his body with his breath and sinking into his Dantian.

Cultivating Qi for the first time, Lin Xiu’s spirits lifted, as if he saw a future Dou Di waving at him.

But soon, he noticed that the Qi had disappeared, and no matter what he did, he couldn’t find it.

“The amount of Qi each person can sense each day is limited, and it seems to be related to one’s innate talent and Aptitude. Once the upper limit is reached, continued Cultivation is useless.”

Lin Xiu felt that this body’s talent was very weak. The amount of Qi he had just Cultivated felt like a fart would produce more Dou Qi than he managed to Cultivate.

It should be known that the Dou Qi Continent highly values talent, especially at the Dou Qi stage. Only by cultivating ten segments of Dou Qi can one condense a Qi vortex to become a Fighter and begin Cultivating Cultivation Techniques.

By the standard of the Families in Te Lan City, only those who possessed seven segments of Dou Qi by the age of sixteen were considered worthy of Family cultivation. Those who failed to meet the requirements would be assigned to Family industries.

Lin Xiu’s current body was already seventeen years old. He didn’t know how many segments of Dou Qi he had since it hadn’t been tested, but he estimated it wouldn’t be high.

After finishing his Cultivation, Lin Xiu began his day’s work: feeding horses, washing horses, and cleaning the stable.

After a busy period, Lin Xiu wiped his sweat and glimpsed several people passing outside the stable, the items in their hands vaguely familiar.

“Wait a moment.” Lin Xiu stopped them. “You’re carrying Lin Dong’s things, aren’t you?”

“You’re Lin Xiu?” the leader asked.

A faint sense of oppression emanated from the other person, like a Fighter.

Lin Xiu nodded.

“Lin Dong escaped yesterday and was beaten to death. According to the rules, his belongings must be disposed of.”

The man showed a hint of indifference. “You people always fail to understand your place. You live with Lin Dong. If you have similar ideas, it’s best to extinguish them, otherwise, your end will be very miserable!”

After they left, Lin Xiu remained standing still, his hands and feet somewhat cold.

How cheap life was—Lin Xiu fully realized it at that moment.

Lin Dong, with whom he had conversed just yesterday, had died just like that!

“Become stronger! I Transmigrated here not to be trampled like an ant!” Lin Xiu secretly swore in his heart.

However, in the evening, a person came to the stable.

“Lin Xiu, prepare yourself. You’re going to the Ore field tomorrow.” Steward Lin of the Lin Family spoke as if it were a trivial matter.

But this matter could affect a person’s life or death.

“Steward Lin, I can’t go.” Lin Xiu turned to look at the Red Mane Horse in the stable. “The Young Master ordered me to take care of it. Unless the Young Master says it himself, I’m not going anywhere.”

“It?” His gaze swept over the figure in the stable, and Steward Lin frowned. He looked at Lin Xiu for two seconds, said nothing, and turned to leave.