Mu State, Great Mu Dynasty, at the foot of Heavenly Sky Mountain.

"I don't accept it!"

A young man, clad in brocade garments, his face flushed with anger, stood defiantly before an elderly man dressed in black robes. His voice was filled with resentment and unwillingness.

Boom!

In an instant, a terrifying pressure descended upon the area. A massive hand, stretching over ten feet long and ablaze with roaring flames, materialized out of thin air.

With a thunderous crack, it slapped down on the young man. The impact sent a scorching wave of heat across the area, knocking back the boys and girls who had been standing nearby. As they regained their footing and looked ahead, their eyes widened in shock.

The flames vanished, a gray wind swept through, and the dust settled. The young man had been reduced to nothing but ashes.

"My Heavenly Sky Sect is not a place where you can run wild," the old man in black robes declared coldly. "Even if you become registered disciples, remember that the rules of the sect must be followed. Otherwise, death awaits."

A chilling silence fell over the crowd. No one dared to breathe loudly. The young man had been a new disciple like them just moments ago. Yet, for a mere jest, he had been obliterated, his life snuffed out like a candle in the wind.

"Human life is so fragile... not even as good as ants?" murmured a young man standing at a distance, his face pale.

This was Lei Ming, the young master of Black Wind Village, three hundred miles southeast of Liucheng. Despite his experience with life and death, the scene before him shook him to the core. In the martial world, feuds and fights were common, but they rarely ended in such utter annihilation. At least the bodies could be collected afterward. But here, even a corpse was denied.

"I thought I had imagined the cruelty of the world of immortal cultivation, but I still underestimated it," he muttered. "Heaven and earth are merciless and treat all things as straw dogs! This world of immortal cultivators is far more ruthless than the Jianghu."

Lei Ming felt a shiver run down his spine. Human lives were as cheap as grass, worse than flies. A single palm strike could obliterate a person, leaving not even a fragment of their body behind.

"It seems I must be more cautious," he whispered to himself. "This world is far more terrifying than I imagined."

But Lei Ming was no ordinary person. He was a transmigrator, a soul from another world—Earth.

"The 9999th check-in point required by the system is the valley of the Heavenly Sky Sect," he thought. "If I want to awaken the system, I must become a registered disciple."

His eyes flashed with determination. Lei Ming had abandoned his life as the young master of Black Wind Village and chosen to tread the treacherous path of immortal cultivation, not only in pursuit of longevity but for another reason—a reason buried deep in his heart.

Before his unexpected transmigration, his parents had still been alive. Despite the chance to live an ordinary, happy life, he had ended up in this alien realm. He had a family that loved him, a promising career, and a girlfriend he had just started dating. But his life had been cut short while performing a righteous act. Even in death, he had felt no regret, until now.

Lei Ming's thoughts were drawn back to his previous world. He yearned to see his parents once more. But to do that, he needed to unlock his system. A system that had remained dormant for almost 18 years since his arrival.

"Just like all time travelers, I have a system," he thought wryly. "But I don't even know what it does. I only know that I must check in at 9999 different 'spiritual places' to unlock it."

He had almost completed this task. Every spiritual place within three thousand miles of the Mu State had been visited. Only one remained—the valley within the Heavenly Sky Sect.

"But the Heavenly Sky Sect is not part of the Mu Dynasty," he reminded himself. "The world of immortal cultivators is far more dangerous than the mortal dynasties' Jianghu. I must tread carefully."

Lei Ming watched the crowd carefully, knowing that the boy who had just perished had been the son of the Lord of Yuncheng City, a powerful young master in his own right. Yet, in front of the old man in black robes, he had been less than an ant.

"If I accidentally provoke someone, I can't afford to, I'll end up like that young Lord—nothing but ashes," Lei Ming thought, his heart racing. "But I must be here. The last spiritual place is within the Heavenly Sky Sect."

"Haoran, make it clear to these little ones—no one defies the rules of the Heavenly Sky Sect!" the old man in black robes commanded, and with a swift motion, he disappeared into the sky, leaving only a streak of light.

As murmurs of awe spread among the disciples, Lei Ming took a deep breath. This was the last chance to unlock the system. He had to act now.

He stealthily moved through the crowd, pretending to look for his dormitory, but his mind was focused on the glowing red dot on the system's map. The final check-in point was near.

"It's close," he muttered. "Just a little further."

Following the system's prompt, Lei Ming found himself standing before a small, humble room marked "Human, No. 666." His heart raced.

"This is it. The last spiritual place," he whispered. Without hesitation, he stepped inside and called out silently, "Check in!"

Ding!

"Congratulations, Master. The 9999th check-in at a Spiritual Land has been successful. The system is now unlocking."

Ding! The system has been successfully unlocked.

"Spirit Enlightenment System for All Things, begin binding..."

A surge of power flooded through Lei Ming. The system, dormant for so long, had finally awakened. His journey as an immortal cultivator was just beginning.