Jingyun Sect.
Clouds curled around the peaks, the mountains were lush and the waters clear, and row upon row of pavilions rose from the ground as immortal light shimmered.
It was said that every great hall had an "immortal" presiding over it.
The martial arts training ground.
Three elders stood atop the high platform, surveying the entire scene.
Below, dozens of disciples dressed in outer sect robes stood tall, hoping to catch an elder's eye and be taken as a disciple. Then they could receive the chance to pursue immortality and rise to the heavens in a single bound.
Everyone waited with bated breath.
"Our Jingyun Sect is a major sect in the Southern Region. We recruit disciples to vanquish demons and defend the Dao, and to strengthen Jingyun!"
"Since you've passed the outer sect trials, you are fated to join our sect."
"You must therefore guard against arrogance and impatience, and strive to knock on the gates of immortality as soon as possible, so you may enjoy eternal life."
Just empty words.
Yet they worked wonders on these youths newly arrived in the world. Their spirits lifted, and they were fired up as if they'd been injected with chicken blood.
Seeing that the mood had been properly stirred, the elder nodded in satisfaction.
Another elder, in charge of assigning their posts, took over.
"Now, I will announce where each of you will be assigned."
"Qi Yuan, fire-tending menial at the Alchemy Pavilion."
"Long Tengfei, ordinary member of the patrol team."
"Xu Kaiming, gatekeeping menial."
One name after another followed from the elder's lips.
Some lit up with joy, while others looked as though their parents had just died, their faces pale and drawn.
No one dared raise even the slightest objection, no matter whether their assignment was good or bad.
They all accepted it respectfully.
"Lin Cheng, sweeping menial at the Library Pavilion."
The moment those words were spoken, the entire crowd was shaken!
In an instant, every gaze turned toward the thin young man at the very end of the line. Their expressions were complicated, their eyes filled with pity.
Some even took pleasure in his misfortune.
The Scripture Depository and the Library Pavilion differed by only one word, but the gap between them was as vast as heaven and earth.
The former housed countless martial arts manuals, while the latter was nothing more than an ordinary library. There was no comparison between the two; it was one of the most obscure and least promising assignments.
Without exception, every menial assigned to the Library Pavilion over the years had amounted to nothing and lived out their days in gloom.
Rather than a menial post, it was more like being banished to the cold palace.
It was no exaggeration to say that once you entered the Library Pavilion, your life was as good as over.
Everyone turned to look at Lin Cheng, curious to see just how colorful his expression would be.
In particular, some of the disciples who'd drawn poor assignments looked over with an inexplicable air of expectation.
People were always like that.
They liked to build their happiness on the pain of others.
Even immortals were no exception.
But they were destined to be disappointed.
The young man before them wasn't the least bit dejected, resentful, broken, or despairing. Instead, he looked thoroughly "calm and composed."
Lin Cheng was completely dumbfounded.
He didn't understand why he'd inexplicably transmigrated to another world, become an ordinary outer sect disciple of the Jingyun Sect, and then somehow ended up as a sweeping menial at the Library Pavilion. Why was his life so miserable?
He looked at the strange, mysterious surroundings, then at the three elders on the platform.
For a moment, Lin Cheng felt like a husky that had wandered into a pack of wolves.
He didn't dare move.
He was afraid they'd notice something was wrong and that some ruthless cultivator would take him away to be cut apart for experiments.
For that very reason,
when he suddenly discovered he'd been assigned to a "relaxed" post, Lin Cheng not only felt no resentment or bitterness—he even wanted to laugh a little.
His urgent priority was to get away from this dangerous place, then stay cooped up for the rest of his life.
All he had to do was sweep. It was safe, and he wouldn't have to worry about food or drink.
He'd even get paid!
What was there not to like?
It was better than those exhausting jobs where he'd have to serve people like a slave.
As for the great path of cultivation, was it really more important than staying alive?
Before long, the assignments were complete.
The elder surveyed those below and spoke sternly. "Don't wear such long faces. Even if you're only menials, you must remember that you are all members of the Jingyun Sect. You must always think of the sect and never slack off, not even for a day! The sect protects you now; in the future, you must repay the sect!"
"Our Jingyun Sect does not support idlers!"
"We will heed the elder's teachings!"
Everyone quickly bowed and answered in unison.
After delivering their lecture, the three elders rode off on clouds, leaving behind a group of new disciples full of envy. Attendants led them to their respective posts, Lin Cheng among them.
Following the guard, Lin Cheng wound his way through the vast Jingyun Sect, turning this way and that. At last, in an extremely remote spot, he came upon an old, somewhat dilapidated pavilion: the Library Pavilion.
The guard left.
With mixed feelings, Lin Cheng stepped inside the Library Pavilion.
It wasn't that he didn't want to cultivate.
After all, as a model corporate drone in the twenty-first century who'd worked nine-nine-six, who hadn't dreamed, during those midnight hours, of cultivating to become an immortal and roaming the world with a sword?
Unfortunately, compared to his life, none of that mattered.
"How dangerous is it out there? If I cultivate, I'll have to go adventuring in dangerous places every day. If you walk by the river often enough, how can you avoid getting your shoes wet?
"One of these days, I might lose my life in the Yellow Springs...
"Forget it. Why deceive myself? I'm just envious.
"But no matter how envious I am, I'm only an ordinary sweeping menial. I might never get the chance to set foot on the path of cultivation in this lifetime. I should stop deceiving myself." Lin Cheng gazed at the three characters, Library Pavilion, and let out a heavy sigh. Then, as if resigning himself to fate, he lowered his head and stepped inside.
He'd spent decades living an ordinary life in his last life.
It seemed this time, too, he was destined to spend the rest of his days in the Library Pavilion.
In a corner, he found the cleaning tools left behind by the previous Library Pavilion menial when he'd departed. Lin Cheng was just about to start cleaning the pavilion—after all, it was his job.
Just then,
"Ding! Host No. 99,999 detected entering the Library Pavilion. God-Level Sign-in System binding in progress..."
"Binding complete!"
"Congratulations, host, on successfully binding the system. You can receive rewards by signing in anywhere. The system has automatically designated the Library Pavilion as a permanent sign-in location. Sign in once a day to receive rewards. The more sign-ins you make and the longer you keep it up, the richer the rewards!"
"Time remaining before the permanent sign-in location can next be changed: one hundred years."
"Would you like to sign in for the first time?"
Lin Cheng's face lit up. My cheat has arrived!
A Sign-in System?
Just what I wanted!
I wouldn't have to fight and kill all day, and I could keep getting rewards. It couldn't suit me better!
To hell with living like a salted fish!
I'm going to cultivate!
Without hesitation, he swept his hand through the air.
"System, sign me in!"
"Ding! Congratulations, host, on successfully signing in for the first time. Reward received: Perfect-grade cultivation technique, Nine Transformations of the True Spirit!"
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