Alan arrived at the place where the flames were emanating. There, two young Taoist priests were resting. Allen did not rush forward recklessly; he hid in the grass and observed the two. They looked exhausted, likely having traveled for several days. From their appearance, Alan sensed no dangerous aura around them, and their cultivation levels should not be very high. After confirming there was no danger, Allen emerged and approached the two.
The two Taoist priests initially looked at Allen with some nervousness. When they saw that he was just a human rather than a beast, they relaxed. Allen hurriedly stepped forward to greet them, saying, "Friends, I'm sorry to startle you. I'm lost here and happened to see a fire. I came over to ask for directions."
"Fellow cultivator, how come you're alone coming to this Zhoutian Mountain?" the young Taoist asked. "If you don't mind, you can come out with us. We're heading out of this forest."
"Thank you. Is this place called Zhoutian Mountain? I don't know how I got here. When I woke up, I was already in this forest," Alan replied. Indeed, he had no idea what had happened before he was transported here.
The two Taoist priests looked at Allen with some surprise, puzzled about how he woke up and arrived here—after all, Zhoutian Mountain was surrounded by many beasts, and people with low cultivation levels usually wouldn't come here alone. "So, fellow cultivator, where are you planning to go? It looks like you're also a cultivator. May I ask which sect you belong to?"
"Cultivator? What does that mean? I don't know where I should go. I feel like I've lost my memory, and I only remember my name—Alan," Alan said, not daring to reveal that he had been suddenly transported by a formation. He figured it was safer to pretend he was suffering from amnesia until he understood what had happened.
"Amnesia? In that case, why don't you come back to our Taoist temple with us and let our master take a look? He's quite experienced and might be able to help you," the young Taoist said. They didn't seem suspicious of Alan; as impoverished Taoist priests, they likely had no enemies or people vying for their possessions.
"Then I'll trouble you both. May I ask your names?" Alan quickly agreed—at least he wouldn't have to wander around aimlessly asking people. These two Taoists seemed quite hospitable, and they had already begun chatting with Alan.
From their conversation, Allen learned that the more lively Taoist, who kept talking, was called Qingming, while the quieter one was Qinghua. They were from a small nearby Taoist temple and was returning there after running some errands outside. Most importantly, Alan finally understood what kind of world he had arrived in.
According to Alan's understanding, this is a world of cultivation. Though there are different countries and ordinary people, many people attempt to cultivate. Not everyone can reach the beginner level, but those with talent often join various sects to acquire cultivation resources. The beginner stage is what Alan is currently in—called the Qi Condensation stage. Above that is the Foundation Establishment stage, then higher realms. Cultivation levels increase exponentially over the years; starting with ten years in the Qi Condensation stage, then twenty in the Foundation Establishment stage, then forty, then eighty, and so on. However, due to individual talent, some people can reach ten years of cultivation in just one or two years; they're not actually cultivating for ten years, but their talent allows rapid progress.
Their current location, Zhoutian Mountain, is in a mountain range near Lingnan City. Beasts often appear here; the deeper into the mountains, the stronger the beasts. The magical wolf Alan encountered earlier was only of medium strength, but it's dangerous because they tend to attack in groups. Ordinary people entering here usually avoid provoking them to avoid trouble.
While Alan was still digesting this information, a wolf's howl echoed from afar...