He fell off a cliff but unexpectedly gained a cultivation inheritance.

The afternoon sun shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the office building, casting dappled shadows on the floor. But this warm light could not penetrate Zhang Bufan's cold heart. He clutched the light resignation certificate in his hand, yet his fingertips felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, as if he were holding sixteen years of his youth and dignity.

Zhang Bufan, 38 years old this year, plunged into this internet company the day he graduated from the computer science department of a prestigious university. From a clueless programmer who had to consult manuals before coding, to a mid-level technical backbone who could lead a team of dozens of people to overcome core projects, he dedicated the most precious sixteen years of his life to this company. He stayed up all night fixing bugs, led teams to tackle projects, and won one key client after another for the company. Every year, the company's profits ranked among the top. He thought he was the backbone of the company, but he never expected that the axe of layoffs would fall on him first.

The catalyst was Yang Wei, a senior executive parachuted in within the last two years. Yang Wei was a typical "workplace smooth operator," lacking in professional skills but adept at flattery, securing his position as direct supervisor through his relationships with superiors. Zhang Bufan, with a technical background, was straightforward and focused on efficiency and results, disdaining such sycophancy. He directly pointed out flaws in Yang Wei's proposals several times during project review meetings, embarrassing him. From that moment on, Yang Wei harbored a grudge against him.

Recent industry policy adjustments and a cooling market have led to a significant drop in company profits, prompting top management to issue a strict order to cut costs and increase efficiency. Yang Wei seized this opportunity, completely disregarding the business contributions of each team and drawing up a layoff list solely based on personal preference. Although Zhang Bufan's team still performed exceptionally well, he was still "optimized" out—the reason given being "older, declining learning ability, and not in line with the company's youth-oriented development strategy." When he received the 300,000 yuan severance package, the HR patted him on the shoulder and said, "What a pity." Zhang Bufan merely twitched his lips and didn't say a word. He knew that while 300,000 yuan seemed like a lot, it couldn't withstand the heavy pressure of reality. He had a 20,000 yuan monthly mortgage payment, elderly parents to support, and daily expenses; this amount wouldn't last long. He had thought that with his qualifications and abilities, finding a new job wouldn't be difficult, but reality had given him a harsh slap in the face.

Over the next three months, Zhang Bufan sent out hundreds of resumes, but they either disappeared without a trace or he was rejected by HR during interviews for reasons such as "over 35 years old" or "not fitting the team atmosphere." Several times, he finally made it to the final interview, only to find that the interviewer was a junior who was several years younger than him, and the contempt and perfunctory look in the interviewer's eyes was almost overflowing.

"Brother Zhang, I'm not trying to be mean, but the internet industry is in such a mess right now. There are already few technical jobs for people in their forties, so it's really hard to find one. You could lower your requirements a bit," a former subordinate told him privately, his tone full of helplessness.

Zhang Bufan was well aware of all this, but he was unwilling to accept it. He had worked his way up in this industry for sixteen years, and his experience and abilities were undeniable. Why should he abandon his dignity for a job and take a salary lower than that of a young person who had just graduated a few years ago? But what could he do even if he was unwilling? Reality was cruel; a middle-aged unemployed programmer wasn't even considered a competitor to a younger person in the job market.

The setbacks in his career made his already desolate life even more oppressive. Zhang Bufan had a five-year marriage to Ye Qingxue, his college classmate, with whom he had once been deeply in love. However, after marriage, Ye Qingxue resolutely refused to have children, saying she wanted to enjoy life as a couple and pursue her career. Zhang Bufan, at heart, was traditional and hoped to have a child and build a complete family. The two argued countless times about this, their conflicts deepening until they finally divorced peacefully two years ago. After the divorce, he remained single. His parents urged him to find someone else, but he was in a mess of his own life, how could he have the mind to consider relationships? Every time he video-chatted with his parents, seeing their worried eyes and listening to the indirect questioning from relatives, Zhang Bufan felt suffocated. He began to fear social interaction and talking about work, hiding in his empty house every day, either sending out resumes on the computer or lying in bed in a daze. He lost weight, and his eyes lost their former sparkle.

That night, Zhang Bufan glanced at the message of yet another rejection. He shut down his computer and went to the balcony to smoke. Looking at the brightly lit streets below, bustling with traffic, not a single light was on for him. A deep sense of powerlessness welled up inside him. He felt like a failure, having made a complete mess of his life. "Maybe going out for a walk will make things better," the thought suddenly popped into Zhang Bufan's head as he tossed and turned in bed in the early hours of the morning.

He remembered hearing that Mount Hua's scenery was breathtakingly beautiful, especially the Plank Road in the Sky, where walking felt like standing suspended in mid-air, allowing one to forget all their troubles. He decided to go immediately. The next morning, Zhang Bufan packed a few things, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and without telling anyone, bought a high-speed train ticket to Mount Hua.

Sitting on the high-speed train, watching the scenery rushing past the window, his nerves, which had been tense for months, finally relaxed a little. It was already afternoon when he arrived at the foot of Mount Hua. Zhang Bufan found a simple guesthouse to stay in and started climbing early the next morning. At first, the fresh mountain air and the scenery along the way did indeed improve his mood. But as he climbed deeper, the mountain became increasingly steep, the stone steps winding and twisting, leaving him breathless, and those worries inevitably resurfaced in his mind.

He deliberately avoided the crowded main roads and chose a relatively quiet path, climbing upwards. By the time he reached the halfway point, he had exhausted most of his energy. He found a rock to sit down and rest, watching the occasional tourists passing by. Most of them were energetic young people, chatting and laughing, full of vitality, which contrasted sharply with his dejection.

"Extraordinary, extraordinary, my name is Extraordinary, yet my life has been so ordinary." Zhang Bufan chuckled self-deprecatingly, taking a sip of water from his backpack. He recalled his childhood dream of becoming a top programmer and changing the world, but now, he couldn't even change his own life. After resting for a while, he continued upwards, finally reaching the entrance of the Skywalk around 2 PM. The Skywalk truly lived up to its name, embedded in a steep cliff face, with a bottomless canyon below, supported only by a few iron chains and wooden planks—a sight that made one dizzy. Many tourists hesitated at the entrance, only a few brave ones, secured by safety ropes, cautiously trudged forward.

Zhang Bufan took a deep breath and fastened his safety rope. He thought, since he was already here, he might as well be brave and take this one step. Perhaps in this life-or-death situation, he could completely let go of his inhibitions. He gripped the cold iron chain and moved forward step by step. The wooden planks under his feet were a bit slippery, making a creaking sound as he stepped on them. The wind howled through the canyon, making his clothes flutter. Standing in the middle of the plank road, with a bottomless abyss below and blue sky and white clouds above, the distant mountains stretched endlessly, a magnificent sight.

But Zhang Bufan had no mind to appreciate any of this. His mind started wandering again, recalling the grievances of being laid off, the frustration of job hunting, the loneliness after his divorce, and his parents' expectations... Countless emotions intertwined, suffocating him. The more he thought about it, the more upset and desperate he became. His steps slowed, and before he knew it, he had drifted off into a daze.

Just then, his foot suddenly slipped, and Zhang Bufan lost his balance, tumbling forward! To make matters worse, he hadn't tightened the safety rope properly because of his distraction, and now it snapped and slipped out of the buckle! "Oh no!" Zhang Bufan thought in alarm, instinctively trying to grab the chain beside him, but he had already lost his balance and was falling like a kite with a broken string into the bottomless canyon.

A 700-meter cliff—a fall from which there is absolutely no chance of survival. A feeling of weightlessness instantly overwhelmed him; the wind whistled in his ears as he plummeted downwards, everything around him blurring. Memories of half his life flashed through Zhang Bufan's mind: the days spent studying late into the night in college, the excitement of writing his first complete code after starting his job, the joy of leading a team to conquer a project, the helplessness of his divorce, the humiliation of being laid off…

"So, this is how my life ends." Zhang Bufan gave a bitter smile, his heart filled with resentment, yet powerless to change anything. His name was Bufan (meaning extraordinary), but his life had been so ordinary, even somewhat pathetic. He had no earth-shattering achievements, no happy family, and died so inexplicably at the bottom of a cliff on Mount Hua.

In despair, he slowly closed his eyes, awaiting the moment of being shattered to pieces. However, the expected excruciating pain did not come. Just as his body was about a third of the way down the cliff, he suddenly felt as if he had crashed into an invisible barrier. That barrier was soft and elastic, and with a slight bounce, it enveloped his body. Immediately afterward, the surrounding space suddenly fluctuated violently, a faint white light flashed, and Zhang Bufan's body instantly disappeared into the cliff canyon, as if he had never been there at all.

The wind was still howling in the canyon, and the tourists on the Skywalk were still proceeding cautiously. Several tourists behind him screamed in fright after seeing Zhang Bufan fall, and then witnessed him fall to the bottom of the cliff. They hurriedly took out their phones to call the police, and then quickly left the dangerous Skywalk, still in shock.