Programmer Dies of Overwork, Soul Lands on Buzhou Mountain

Lin Xuan's last conscious thought was fixed on the cold, flickering numbers in the bottom right corner of the screen—3:47 AM. Seventy-two hours of non-stop overtime had gripped his heart like an invisible hand. He tried to reach for the coffee mug on his desk, but his fingertips spasmed violently and uncontrollably. Then, the entire world plunged into an endless darkness.

Cold. Stinging.

It felt like being thrown naked into the Siberian wind, every pore screaming.

Then came an indescribable suffocation, like being submerged ten thousand meters beneath the sea, immense pressure threatening to crush every bone into dust.

Lin Xuan's eyes snapped open. It wasn't the oppressive ceiling of his cubicle, nor the sterile white lights of a hospital.

What greeted his eyes was a vastness and desolation beyond words.

The sky was a shade of azure he'd never seen, almost transparent, so pure it was unnerving. Gigantic, jagged mountain ranges snaked like the spines of prehistoric beasts, stretching to the horizon. But the most breathtaking sight was the colossal shadow in the distance, supporting the heavens and the earth, a shape that couldn't be described as merely a "mountain"! It connected heaven and earth, so immense it surpassed the limits of vision, as if the weight of the entire universe pressed down upon it, exuding an ancient, wild majesty that made his soul tremble.

"Where... is this?"

Lin Xuan struggled to sit up, only to find himself utterly weak. His limbs seemed to have shrunk, making him feel like a gangly teenager. He looked around. He was lying in a valley filled with jagged rocks. The air was thick with the scent of earth and some strange herbs. Inhaling it sent a burning sting through his lungs, yet it was strangely imbued with unimaginable vitality.

"Didn't I... die of overwork?" He rubbed his throbbing temples, memories flooding back like a tide—flickering code, his project manager's roar, the moment his heart stopped...

Could it be... transmigration?

As a modern youth who had devoured countless web novels, the thought couldn't be suppressed. He endured the discomfort and carefully observed his surroundings. The trees here were absurdly tall; any one of them would require several people to encircle. Moss covered the rocks, which faintly pulsed with a strange luster. The "pressure" in the air was astonishing; just standing felt like carrying a hundred pounds.

He looked up again at the colossal shadow supporting the heavens and the earth. An ancient mythical name struck his mind like lightning—

Buzhou Mountain!

The pillar of heaven and earth said to have formed from Pangu's spine after he separated the heavens and earth!

"Holy crap... could this be... the Primordial Era?" Lin Xuan's voice trembled with disbelief. The thought was terrifying. If this truly was the Primordial Era, how dangerous would it be? Immortals as common as dogs, Great Sovereigns everywhere? No, there might even be more terrifying existences!

A bone-chilling cold shot from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. He, a programmer with no combat skills, thrown into such a mythical era, would likely not even qualify as cannon fodder! Any wild beast, any gust of wind, could obliterate him.

The instinct for survival drove him; he had to act immediately. He tried to find a water source and a safe hiding place. Every step was incredibly difficult, the pressure in the air leaving him breathless. He realized his physical condition seemed to have been strengthened by some power; otherwise, he probably wouldn't even be able to stand.

Just then, a low, menacing hiss came from behind him to his side. Lin Xuan's hair stood on end. He spun around abruptly and saw a creature resembling a wild boar, but with two curved tusks protruding from its mouth and its body covered in rough, rock-like scales. It stared at him with a pair of crimson eyes. The beast wasn't large, but it exuded a ferocious aura.

"It's over..." Lin Xuan's heart sank. He was unarmed, and this body was frail.

The rock boar pawed the ground and charged at him with astonishing speed!

Almost purely on instinct, Lin Xuan scrambled and tumbled into a crevice between two giant rocks. The rock boar slammed into the boulder with a "boom," sending shattered stone flying, demonstrating its terrifying power.

"Damn it, I just transmigrated and I'm about to be pig feed?" Lin Xuan was both shocked and furious. The shadow of death had never felt so close. He grabbed a sharp-edged stone from the ground, staring intently at the beast as it turned to charge again. Adrenaline surged, momentarily making him forget his exhaustion and fear.

At this critical moment, a cold, emotionless voice, tinged with a mechanical mockery, echoed directly in the depths of his mind:

[Detected host soul strength meets standard, eligible for binding... Scanning surrounding environment... Environment energy level too high! Too high! Warning! Incorrect novice village placement?!]

Lin Xuan froze.

[Error Code #%&*... Forcibly binding... Ding! Great Dao Sign-in System bound successfully!]

[Greetings, Host. I am your System (though your starting location is so awful it makes me want to format myself).]

Lin Xuan: "???"

Why did this system's opening line carry such heavy undertones of overworked corporate drone resentment and snarky commentary?

[Given the host's current survival rate of 0.0001%, in the spirit of humanitarianism (or perhaps System-tarianism?), the initial mission is now being issued.]

[Initial Mission: Complete one sign-in at the foot of Buzhou Mountain (current location).]

[Mission Reward: One Novice Gift Pack.]

[Mission Failure: Congratulations, Host, you can experience a day trip to the Primordial Underworld ahead of schedule (if any soul remains).]

"Sign... sign-in?" Lin Xuan couldn't bother to retort to the "jerk system's" tone; the desire to survive overwhelmed everything. He almost roared, "Sign in! Sign in now!"

[Ding! Sign-in successful! Congratulations, Host, for completing your first sign-in at the foot of Buzhou Mountain. You have received a Novice Gift Pack! Do you wish to open it immediately?]

"Open it! Open it quickly!" Lin Xuan frantically shouted in his mind while nervously watching the rock boar preparing to charge again.

[Opening Novice Gift Pack...]

[Congratulations, Host, you have received:]

[Cultivation Technique] Nine Revolutions Profound Technique - Novice Stage (Direct lineage of Great God Pangu, foundation for physical sainthood. Unbeatable Primordial top-tier, just a bit difficult to practice. Host, you're on your own.)

[Spirit Treasure] Chaos Bead (Fragment) (Grade unknown, currently extremely incomplete. Function: Contains a ten cubic meter mustard seed space, can shield detection from beings below the Golden Immortal level. Note: Although it's junk, for you right now, it's like an extra life. Be secretly happy.)

Two torrents of powerful information surged into Lin Xuan's mind. One was an extremely profound and obscure cultivation technique mantra and diagram, yet imbued with supreme power—the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique! The other was a sensation related to a grey, slightly cracked bead. With a thought, he could sense a small, hazy space.

Almost simultaneously, the faint aura of the Chaos Bead (Fragment) naturally enveloped Lin Xuan's body.

The rock boar, about to attack again, suddenly had a flicker of primal fear in its crimson eyes. It sensed an indescribable, high-level life-force pressure emanating from the weak prey. It let out a low growl, actually took two steps back, gave Lin Xuan a wary glance, and finally, unwillingly, turned and disappeared into the nearby jungle.

The crisis... was temporarily averted.

Lin Xuan collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air. Cold sweat had already soaked his tattered clothes. The relief of surviving and the immense influx of information left his mind blank.

After a long while, he regained his senses, feeling the supreme cultivation technique named Nine Revolutions Profound Technique in his mind, as well as the mustard seed space he could activate at any time.

"Chaos Bead... Nine Revolutions Profound Technique..." he murmured, a spark reigniting in his eyes. "Primordial Era... perhaps, I can really survive?"

He looked up again at the towering Buzhou Mountain, exuding endless majesty. What surged in his heart was no longer just fear, but a faint flicker of a flame called "hope."

However, a more pressing problem lay before him. How to cultivate this technique? What other uses could this damaged bead have? Here at the foot of the perilous Buzhou Mountain, when would the next threat arrive?

And what kind of path would this seemingly unreliable "jerk system" lead him down?