Love city was bustling with activity. People came and went only for them to suddenly stop and look at the palace gate.
"A new couple" one girl said hushed.
The residents from young to old stared in curiosity, until an old man came over to welcome them.
"Welcome to love city! We are delighted to have a new couple join us, for this once in a few centuries event. Would you like a tour around the city or a place to rest and relax."
"Just a place to rest for now would be perfect" Gu Xiao said as Gu Zhi was leaning against her shoulder.
He was still in a rough condition do to the extreme use of his body.
"Right this way, their is a grand hotel here just for couples like you."
The man lead them deeper into the city, they saw different people doing what people always did. They gave them glances as soon as they saw their badge, and the condition they were in as well.
"Here it is" the man said.
In front of them was a huge pagoda, massive in size and opulence, it towered over other buildings and was obviously made from better materials with delicate artisanship and looked well maintained.
"This is a hotel exclusive for participants in the trial such as yourself, make sure you don't lose your badge as you will need it for several things. You can sell and buy resources here in the city with an exclusive discount with that badge, as well as some free commodities and exclusive benefits only you are privy to, in other parts of the city as well. Now if you'll excuse me, farewell and have a nice stay at our city." the man said as he went about his business once again.
Gu Xiao made it inside where they met a receptionist, proved their identity, and got themselves a room.
"Ugh".
Gu Xiao gently laid Gu Zhi onto the bed now that they were home free. If Gu Xiao's math was correct they should have a least a week full of rest before they had to move on to the next trial.
She already knew a lot about the city due to earlier intelligence from previous contestants. The world surrounding love city changed vastly every time you opened the gates, but the inside of the city remained generally the same.
The residents of the city were allowed to leave anytime they wanted but leaving meant going into random wilderness in a random world. They didn't even know if the residents were transported to their world or not.
What they did know however was this was an unpopular decision made by the residents of love city. Love city was no paradise but it was a comfortable city to live in, There were problems with resources as they had barely any access to the wider world. But they had food, shelter, comfort, and most importantly, love. This place was where all their lovers, friends, family and extended family lived, to move into the untamed wilds instead of love city was like asking a goat to move into the desert.
Because of this closed ecosystem that the city had with its residents they had some population problems, accidental incest was getting harder to avoid, every genetic disability was a burden on the entire population, they couldn't have too many kids for fear of overpopulation, and they couldn't have to little or they risk extinction.
The city officials had tried many solutions to this problem but one of those solutions involved the new contestants, specifically the males.
If the cities population had some periodic injection of "new blood" in their mix it could postpone the problem giving the city more time to think of newer solutions.
This led to a new culture arriving in the city were the residents desperately try to get the male contestants to "spread their seed" every time there was a new competition.
From young hot women, to powerful aphrodisiacs, to lavish gifts to bribe a response. The residents were desperate for new babies outside of their gene pool.
Perhaps this itself was a trial or test that the creator of love city made. An elaborate ploy to test the loyalty and trust of some couples.
Whatever it was, it was still a problem for the residents.
As Gu Zhi slipped into sleep he dreamed a strange dream. Back on earth when his prayers were answered for a new afterlife he saw glimpses of things he didn't yet understand. When god - the god he had prayed to - came to him and spoke of a warning yet to come, a warning that might save his life.
"Huahh".
Gu Zhi awoke from his slumber taking a big gasp of air. His wife who was sleeping next to him heard it and woke up from her slumber.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"I had a strange dream... it was a warning" he responded.
"A warning?" she asked with visible confusion on her face.
Prophetic dreams did happen, they were proven to be real and sometimes occurred in the cultivation world. That being said the people who had them were rare, and not everyone trusted their dreams.
"Someone escaped" he said with a grave tone.
"Someone? You mean a witness to your massacre escaped?" she said in an alarming voice.
"Yes, but that's not all... he doesn't know our names, only our faces".
She seemed visibly relieved before becoming worried again.
"We will deal with this in the morning, for now we need sleep. Once the sun rises we can discuss in depth on how we can avoid this crisis." she said before trying to go back to sleep again.
As Gu Zhi rested his head back on the bed, the reality of what might be waiting for him outside of the palace set in.