Chapter One: Transcendence

The sky above was shrouded in a dim gloom, as though some ancient melancholy had congealed within the clouds, refusing to dissipate. Upon the barren, ruined earth, a primordial chant seemed to coalesce into a ceaseless summons, echoing endlessly in the air...

“Mm...”

Roused from slumber by the distant sounds, Zhou Xu furrowed his brow, consciousness hazy as he slowly opened his eyes.

The very next instant, an utterly unfamiliar sky unfolded before him, filling his face with bewilderment.

Before he could gather his thoughts, an icy chill crept up his back, accompanied by a biting wind that sent him shivering uncontrollably, making him instinctively curl up.

Zhou Xu quickly realized that he was lying stark naked atop an altar constructed of piled stones, strange symbols drawn upon its surface to form a circular array about five meters in diameter.

His expression grew subtly complicated as he gazed at the circle.

At that moment, a chorus of chanting voices rose from the periphery, prompting him to glance up.

What he saw was a desolate, alien landscape, and below the altar, some two or three dozen figures—disheveled and filthy, clad in animal pelts like primitive men—crawled upon the ground.

Upon seeing him sit up, they all raised their arms toward the heavens, kneeling and shouting phrases utterly unintelligible to his ears.

A strange land, a tongue he could not comprehend, a naked body, and this bizarre spectacle—Zhou Xu’s nerves tensed in an instant.

His gaze drifted back to the peculiar ritual circle, and he arched a brow...

Good heavens, is this some kind of cult ritual I’ve landed in?

Hardly had the thought flashed through his mind when a gaunt, pallid-faced woman among the crowd stepped forward, bowed low before him, then knelt and offered an animal pelt—presumably his clothing.

Though he knew his situation was dire, and the nature of these people dubious and unsettling, his current state left him in no position to refuse. Clothes, at least, were necessary.

Casting a quick glance at the woman who kept her head bowed, Zhou Xu snatched the pelt, shook it out, gave it a cursory inspection, and then wrapped it about himself, feeling somewhat less exposed.

During this, a man below approached as well, carrying something atop another animal skin.

Zhou Xu instinctively looked up.

What he saw made his heart clench in terror.

For what the man presented was a horribly disfigured human head!

Despite his past fondness for all manner of horror and gore films, even relishing them at times, Zhou Xu was by no means unhinged.

Confronted with an actual human head placed before him, the shock was nothing like the illusory images of a screen.

Though his face remained composed, Zhou Xu’s nerves were taut as wire. As thoughts raced through his mind, the man had already knelt before him, just as the woman had, and raised the head high, presenting it solemnly.

Faced with this, Zhou Xu instinctively tried to recoil—only to find, inexplicably, that he had lost control of his own body.

A deeper instinct seemed to compel him, guiding his hands to take the head.

As his eyes met the ruined face, Zhou Xu saw that within its sockets, two ghostly flames flickered and danced—proof enough that this head was far from ordinary.

He had no time to reflect. The instant his gaze locked with the twin flames, they seemed drawn to him, surging as streams of energy into his eyes.

Yet, for reasons unknown, fear deserted him at this moment; instead, a strange calm settled over his heart. Even his mind, thrown into chaos by the rapid succession of bewildering events, grew suddenly clear.

Images began to flash rapidly before his mind’s eye.

I remember now. The class organized a graduation trip. On the way, the bus crashed. I... died?

Almost as soon as this realization struck, the flames from the head’s eyes fully subsumed his vision.

In that moment, a string of bizarre characters appeared in his mind, leaving him dazed and reeling.

Meanwhile, the kneeling man and woman looked as though something had been confirmed, their excitement mounting until they raised their arms to the sky and cried out once more.

The rest of the primitive crowd followed suit, breaking into jubilant cheers.

The display only added to Zhou Xu’s confusion, especially as the strange characters continued to flood his mind.

At that moment, he found his lips moving of their own accord. As he looked up, a few harsh, ancient syllables issued from his mouth.

And then, before his eyes, information windows appeared one after another above the kneeling figures, displaying data as if they were character panels from a game.

At the same time, a voice sounded in his mind...

Transmigrator identity confirmed. System loading—please wait...

System notification: Congratulations, “Zhou Xu,” you have obtained the True Word—Eye of Insight.

System... True Word?

Bombarded by the cascade of information, Zhou Xu rubbed his brows hard, struggling to focus.

Wait, wait, calm down. So, I died in a car accident, transmigrated, and now I’m in a game-like world with a system and surrounded by primitives...

As Zhou Xu tried to marshal his thoughts, a voice spoke by his ear...

“Chief? Chief?”

“Can you stop for a moment? My head’s a mess.”

The persistent interruption irked him, but as soon as he spoke, Zhou Xu’s expression froze in realization.

His gaze snapped to the terrified man before him.

“Just now... was that you speaking?”

“Y-yes.”

“Say something else.”

Though the man was bewildered, he forced himself to speak.

“Chief, night is falling. We need to find a place to set up camp.”

Hearing him speak again, Zhou Xu could not help but let out a long breath.

Just moments ago, he had not understood a word these primitives uttered. Yet, inexplicably, he could now comprehend them perfectly.

On reflection, the words he had just spoken were certainly not his native tongue, but theirs. Yet they rolled off his tongue as naturally as his own.

Is this also the system’s doing?