Chapter 15: Chaotic World

Luo Jun looked at the old man, his mind racing, and then showed a surprised expression. "Are you with those super-powered individuals? Are you official super-powered beings? Like the Zhen Dan Dragon Group?"

He recalled the few people who had attacked the trench coat man in the mall.

"Pretty much..." The old man nodded. "You're quite clever; you're even more impressive than I expected and have given me quite a surprise."

At that moment, Luo Jun began to hear the notification sounds for experience points being settled in his mind. The old man's three attacks had all been less than a one-fold severity coefficient. It was evident that if Luo Jun hadn't successfully blocked them, the old man would have held back at the last moment and wouldn't have truly harmed him.

"Thank goodness!" Luo Jun's anxious heart finally relaxed, and his legs went weak, almost causing him to sit on the ground.

"You finally found me; hurry and take me away from this hellish place. Outside, everything is filled with incomprehensible rules and man-eating monsters... I feel like I've fallen into the Spider Woman's cave, and anyone who sees me wants to take a bite..."

The old man nodded and led Luo Jun inside to sit down. "I understand; you're just an ordinary person who suddenly encountered this situation. It's remarkable that you've managed to hold it together without breaking down emotionally."

"However, I may have to disappoint you; I'm not here to take you away."

"Huh?" Luo Jun was startled. "Why not?"

"Because I don't have the ability. You are currently in a chaotic mission, and as an outsider, I cannot interfere with your task."

"What is that?" Luo Jun was even more confused. "Chaotic mission? I haven't eaten dumplings recently; I love jianbing guozi..."

"It's chaos! Chaotic~ mission!" The old man sighed and explained, "To put it simply, you are not on Earth right now but in another world parallel to Earth."

"Another world?" Luo Jun looked shocked. "Has humanity discovered parallel worlds?"

"Not just discovered; we have been quietly exploring them for over a hundred years." The old man smiled. "Since over a century ago, humanity has gradually found many alternate worlds connected to Earth... which we refer to as the main world. These alternate worlds vary in style; some possess technology that surpasses the main world, some possess powerful magic or martial arts, and some are simply wildlands with no civilization, full of monsters."

"And the world we are in now is called Chaos, the most unique among these different worlds."

The elder continued, "Because the Chaos World is extremely unstable, it's easily invaded and polluted by other worlds. Thus, this world has no fixed style, no fixed entrances, and not even fixed natural laws. In short, this world is ever-changing, and anything can happen."

"However, whether by design or naturally, this Chaos World has a unique mechanism. It periodically summons people from the Main World, giving them tasks. If the tasks are completed, there are rewards from the Chaos World..."

"Oh, I've read about similar settings in novels..." Luo Jun listened while trying to digest the elder's information. "So, I was also summoned by the Chaos World?"

"No..." The elder looked into Luo Jun's eyes and smiled. "You're not worthy."

Luo Jun stared at the elder's face. "You explained so much just to insult me?"

The elder shook his head. "Not just you, all ordinary people are unworthy."

"Chaos only summons those who have cultivated Vital Energy to the Foundational Stage and above."

"Vital Energy?" Luo Jun was puzzled, yet another new concept.

"Vital Energy is a type of energy widely present in living beings, though in most cases, organisms are unaware of its existence and cannot utilize it," the elder explained. "But through exploration of other worlds, humans have learned and summarized methods to cultivate, enhance, and use this energy."

Luo Jun nodded, half understanding. "Like the internal energy in martial arts novels?"

"Something like that..." The elder smiled. "But Vital Energy can achieve much more." He glanced at Luo Jun's lower body.

"Your underwear has a hole."

"What?" Luo Jun instinctively covered his butt. "How do you know? Wait... are you a pervert?"

"That's the wonder of Vital Energy. Of course, probing is just one of its many functions. With proper cultivation, you can even wield abilities akin to magic." The elder nodded with a smile.

"Like that masked woman!" Luo Jun's eyes lit up, recalling the day's events. He gestured, "She waved her hand, and a golden light chopped the trafficker into pieces! So cool!"

"Her?" The elder looked at Luo Jun, his smile becoming playful. "That woman's nickname is Golden Edge Witch. Among the younger generation of cultivators, she is a top-tier genius. Those golden lights are her unique ability created after reaching the Mind-Concentration Stage, invincible wherever she goes. For you to reach her level, the chances are slim."

"For me to reach her level..." Luo Jun was taken aback and then realized, "Senior, are you willing to teach me Vital Energy?"

"Why do you think I went through all this trouble?" The elder looked at Luo Jun, stroking his beard. If not for his severe balding, he would have looked quite sage-like.

"After chatting for so long, let me formally introduce myself. I am Yuan Shouzhen, the leader of the Ningdong Branch of the Vital Energy Cultivators Association of Auradon, an elder with five-star explorer status, an expert in Vital Energy theory, and an honorary professor at the Explorer Academy."

This string of titles meant nothing to Luo Jun, who was left puzzled. Yuan Shouzhen coughed lightly. "In short, you were accidentally drawn into the Chaos World because of our association's capture of the polluter. This is a mistake by my subordinates, and it's my responsibility. So, I came here using special means. Although I can't directly help you pass the task due to restrictions, I can teach you Vital Energy, increasing your chances of survival."

"Really?!" Luo Jun's eyes brightened.

"Don't get too excited just yet," Elder Yuan warned. "Let me explain the pros and cons first."

"First, Vital Energy cultivators can complete Chaos Tasks not only because of their strength but primarily because many critical pieces of information in the tasks are communicated through Vital Energy. Without mastering Vital Energy, you won't receive complete information in the Chaos World, not even clear task objectives. You'd be stumbling around blindly, making success almost impossible."

"I see." Luo Jun nodded. Since arriving here, he had been following various rules and struggling to survive without knowing what to do.

"However, cultivating Vital Energy isn't something that can be achieved overnight." Elder Yuan checked the time. "I can stay in this world for just over an hour. Even if I teach you the method now, it would take at least a month to grasp the basics. It won't help you tonight."

"What should I do then?" Luo Jun looked at the elder, knowing he must have a plan.

"There's only one method now." Elder Yuan looked at Luo Jun. "I can clear your meridians and help you quickly achieve breakthrough."

"But this method is risky. If the breakthrough succeeds, you will gain the strength of the first level of the Solid Foundation Stage. But if it fails, it will lead to Vital Energy backlash, causing serious harm to your body. Although this damage can be healed, it would leave you with almost no chance of surviving this task."

"The choice is yours to make."