Grux was a massive country with a vast land that spanned hundreds of thousands of li in all directions. A majority of its surface were filled with rocks, mountains, and hills and thus didn't have Presba's lush greenery and a myriad of races. However, it wasn't all bad. Due to its geographical topography, it lacked disaster beasts and therefore was relatively safe. Its rocky area makes it perfect for mining material for armaments and buildings.
Of course, safety and a good resource that many could tap into due to its immensity had its own issues.
Overpopulation.
This level of overpopulation was extraordinary. For every child born in Presba, ten was born in Grux. Due to its overpopulation, relative safety, and abundant resource that literally anyone can mine to make it on their own, forces with power started massively dominating territories. Not only that, they launched a system of indentured servitude. In truth, it was just massive slavery. Since you can't expect elite cultivators to spend hundreds upon hundreds of years wasting their time mining every minute, they simply got others to do so, willing or not.
The imperial palace of Grux was the central hub to the strongest individuals with the highest amount of slaves in the entire country. They also possessed the most amount of mineral deposits in the entire country, making their wealth extraordinary. Unlike normal countries that fight for resources like pills, essence materials, or heavenly materials, Grux fights for slaves.
People were resources.
The more you had, the easier it was for you to earn. That was its policy. Because of this, the millions of islands and the other three countries were their highest buyers. If you had to say where a majority of the armaments materials came from in this world, it'll be in Grux.
Yan Zaizen hated this place.
If you're weak or weren't born into a great family, you were treated like a commodity. Then, those who were treated like a commodity, the few who can excel and rise in strength, treated others as commodities in return. It was a normal way of life for this country. You either make it as a slave owner or stay a slave for your entire life in the mines.
There were upsides to this, however. Because of the extraordinarily large slave market, many workers have to offer excellent conditions for their slaves, otherwise it may instigate a revolt or lead to others taking them. If you treat your people good, they'll work till their bones were brittle and their backs were broken.
When Yan Zaizen was young, his father once told him about this place, and how industrialized it was. He informed him that out of all the countries, Grux had the best conditions for the lower class. With the bad always comes the good.
He let out a sigh.
The good was only for those who weren't given punishments for crimes they didn't intend to commit. Those who were branded as criminals were given the absolute worst level of conditions. Carried off like a piece of meat, he was placed in a well-structured cell, awaiting his assignment.
"Five hundred years...screw that. If my soul energy can be reawakened, I could simply leave. Even if that middle-aged man wanted me to stay; I could still leave!" He hated how his soul form was currently undergoing some sort of transformation. However, you have to make do with what you have. He needed to build up his strength, unfortunately…
"These cuffs are causing any qi I create to dissipate." He looked at the black metallic cuffs on his wrists and although they weren't connected, they still restricted him from condensing qi. His soul energy wasn't affected nor was his vital energies, but his qi was. It wasn't simply that. He couldn't absorb essence energy from the world. His qi cultivation wouldn't be able to advance in that case.
"I can still cultivate my vital energies. It's likely because they intend to use me to work the mines. If I can't use my vital energies, I can't mine effectively. However, body cultivation requires essence tempering or resources to do. This means people couldn't cultivate their body either. As for soul cultivation, they probably didn't even consider due to the sheer difficulty. This would be my benefit, but...I can't use my soul energy." He quietly murmured his analysis of the situation.
If he recovers his vital energies, he'll be able to use his refined body to its maximum, but escaping with only a Qi-Unification combat prowess would be impossible. Since he didn't know how long it would be before his soul cultivation returned, he had to plan for the immediate.
The Immortal Herculean Method!
The Nascent Herculean Physique only required fierce will, not resources. With this, he can increase his strength continuously. If he reaches the perfection-level, he may be able to leave if an opportunity presented itself. This was the plan. It was his only plan.
After several hours, he was taken away, placed on a ship filled with unsavory characters, and transported elsewhere. He looked around and realized there wasn't just grown men, but women and children here too. They must've committed some crime. Some of these women looked like they were recently well taken care of, and so did the children.
"These people belonged to an enemy force of another. They were forcefully taken after their defeat, and to survive, had to agree to work the Deep Mines." A gruff voice spoke. Yan Zaizen was surprised at the narration, looking towards the man who spoke. He had a set of torn robes, a dirty face, and a skinny appearance. He reminded him of a beggar on the streets. The only things noticeable were his eyes had a grey-blue color to it, making it a sight of beauty.
"Name's Tao." He said, his voice still deep and filled with masculinity.
"I didn't ask." Yan Zaizen stated plainly.
"But you were curious." The man said with a smile, his teeth abnormally white. It was a sharp comparison to his dirty face and robes. He added, "You're not from around here, are you?"
Remaining calm outwardly, but inwardly he was vigilant. This man named Tao, without a family name, without a clan name was simply too perceptive. He contemplated for a second, "How did you know?"
"Your eyes."
"My eyes?" He asked.
"They're not filled with hopelessness despite me mentioning the Deep Mines," Tao spoke with an ambiguous smile on his face.