The headache was sharp.
Pulsating.
And different from any migraine he had ever had.
It wasn't an ordinary pain.
It was the sensation that his skull had been forcibly opened.
And the contents of an entire cosmic library had been poured into his brain.
He felt that every one of his neurons was saturated with information.
And that his old, simple thoughts were now floating like small islands in a vast ocean of impossible data.
He remained slumped over his desk.
His head in his hands.
Breathing slowly and deeply.
Trying to control the dizziness.
It lasted for minutes.
Each second felt like an eternity.
Until the flood of information began to subside.
And the chaos in his mind began to arrange itself into organized folders and files.
When he finally lifted his head, the world looked the same, but it was not.
His perspective had changed forever.
He was still thinking about those epic items he saw in the [Store]
The prices were astronomical, but the other requirements were even crazier.
"System...", he whispered in his mind, his inner voice still shaky.
"What is a 'Nebula Heart'?"
The reply came, cold and precise, like a definition from a cosmic encyclopedia.
[A Nebula Heart is the crystalline core formed in the center of a dying cosmic nebula over millions of years.
Harvesting it requires a power capable of tearing the fabric of space and containing the energy equivalent to a thousand suns. It is a legendary material used in the crafting of divine-grade weapons.]
Yuan Lin stared into space.
He didn't feel despair.
The goal was so distant that it became just an abstract idea.
He felt something closer to hysterical laughter.
"Okay. So... currently unavailable on Amazon."
Sarcasm was his only shield against this absolute madness.
He realized he couldn't think about these things now.
He had to focus on what was important.
On what was relevant to his survival over the next week, not the next millennium.
As an IT support tech accustomed to organizing data, he began to sort and classify the information that had been "downloaded" into his head from the [Beginner's Information Packet].
His mind was now working like a super-processor, creating folders and applying labels.
Folder 1: The Power System - or "How I'm an Ant in a World of Giants."
This was the most painful truth
He now understood that cultivation wasn't just a word; it was an infinite ladder.
The `[Qi Condensation Realm]`, where he was, was just the first rung.
And it was divided into nine small levels.
He, who didn't have a single thread of Qi before today, was effectively at Level Zero.
He had to reach the ninth level, or the "Peak of Qi Condensation,
" before he could even think of breaking through to the next realm, the [Foundation Establishment Realm]
Then came the terrifying part.
He now understood what the [Soul Formation Realm] meant.
It was the level where a cultivator begins to merge their soul with the essence of their energy, making their soul immortal and almost tangible.
And Wu Tian and Xue were at this level.
They were beings whose souls could leave their bodies and destroy armies.
And he was just a normal human, trapped in a mortal body.
The gap between them wasn't just a gap; it was a gaping cosmic chasm.
Folder 2: The Forgotten War and the Mysterious Secrets
He learned about the history of the [Gray Chaos World]
About the ancient glory of the [Eternal Chaos Lineage] under the leadership of the previous Lord.
And about the eternal war with their sworn enemies, the `[Celestial Light Empire]`, a faction of "righteous" cultivators who worshipped order and purity.
Most importantly, the previous Lord's "slumber" was no slumber at all.
His energy signature had suddenly vanished at the peak of a legendary battle against the Celestial Emperor himself.
He didn't definitively die, but he didn't win.
He vanished.
This supported Xue's theory that he had perhaps "fallen into a trap" or been betrayed.
But when Yuan Lin tried to dive deeper into these details, he found that some of the files in his mind were... corrupted or locked.
[File: "The True Death of the Previous Lord" - Encrypted - Requires Lord Authority Level: 25 to access.]
[File: "The Nature and Ultimate Purpose of the System" - Completely redacted.]
[File: "Potential Traitors Within the Lineage" - Fragmented and incomplete data.]
Yuan Lin realized the System hadn't given him all the answers.
It had only given him enough to survive.
The real secrets were still hidden, prizes he had to earn the right to know.
Folder 3: The Survival Plan - or "How Not to Die in the Next Few Weeks."
After hours of sorting and analysis, after the headache faded and was replaced by a deep mental exhaustion, Yuan Lin had a clear understanding of his situation.
He was no longer just a panicked victim.
He was a panicked victim... with a plan.
He created a simple, clear to-do list in his mind.
Task 1: Survive until the "three cycles of the gray moon
He first had to understand how much time that meant. He asked the System.
[One cycle of the gray moon in the Gray Chaos World is equivalent to seven Earth days. Total: 21 days.]
Twenty-one days. He had bought himself three weeks of life. It was a terrifyingly short period, but it was better than nothing. During this time, he had to prepare a smart response to the reports his followers would deliver.
Task 2: Cultivate, cultivate, and then cultivate some more
He had to start cultivating Chaos Energy. He had to reach at least the first level of `[Qi Condensation]`. But this led him to a fundamental problem. Where would he get Chaos Energy in this "normal" world?
He asked the System again. "Where can Chaos Energy be found in this world?"
The System's reply was unexpected and darkly comedic.
[Chaos Energy is the energy of entropy and decay. It is found in higher concentrations in places experiencing energetic chaos. In this world, these locations include electronic junkyards, landfills, and places with high negative psychic activity.]
Yuan Lin stared into space. Junkyards? Landfills? Were these the sacred grounds for his demonic cultivation? What a majestic start for the Lord of Eternal Chaos.
Task 3: Earn Chaos Points
His current balance was "1." And that number insulted him every time he saw it. He realized that successfully deceiving and leading his followers was his main source of income. He needed to get better at lying.
The workday ended.
The employees left one by one, exchanging tired end-of-day greetings.
But Yuan Lin remained seated.
He wasn't going home as usual.
He had a new destination.
He stood up, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders.
But beneath that weight, there was a new glint of determination in his eyes.
He ignored his usual route to the subway station.
Instead, he took a different bus.
A bus heading toward the industrial outskirts of the city, where the largest junkyard was located.
He sat in the back seat, watching the city lights fade behind him.
This was his first actual decision, the first step he had taken with full awareness in his new life.
He wasn't going there as a victim, but as a seeker.
"They want a Lord of Chaos?"he thought, a sarcastic, tired smile on his face.
"Fine. I'll start by ruling a kingdom of rust and garbage."
This was his first night as a real "cultivator."
His first night in his new, strange hunting ground.