All-Out Rescue

"Grandpa... Grandpa..."

"Hey, it's responding!"

"Great-Grandpa's awake! That's wonderful!"

... Amidst the calls, Old Yuan slowly opened his eyes.

The familiar ceiling, the soft bed, and his grandchildren gathered around it...

"I'm... home..." Old Yuan's mind was still a little hazy. He frowned and tried hard to recall for a while, then suddenly his eyes widened, he sat up abruptly, and shouted:

"Luo Jun!"

Where is that kid?!

The descendants were startled by their Ancestor's reaction. Yuan Sizhe stepped forward and sighed, "Grandpa... only you have returned. What about Little Luo...?"

"How is he? He wasn't with me?" Old Yuan rubbed his head in regret. His last memory was of being ambushed by the Chaos Creature, and then Luo Jun seemed to be fighting them. But since he was able to return, it meant Luo Jun should have won...

Moreover, in his hazy, confused state, he seemed to hear Luo Jun's voice, saying he would send him away first and then come over...

He should have already reached the maze exit by then, and he would have arrived shortly after. Could something have delayed him, or was he being held up by something? Old Yuan turned to look out the window and saw that it was already bright daylight. He frowned and asked, "What's the date today?"

The Time Flow Rate in the Endless Maze differs from that in the Main World; perhaps this is the reason for the time difference when returning?

"What date?" Everyone looked at each other, and the eldest grandson, Yuan Sijie, frowned and said, "Today is the First Day of the Lunar New Year, Grandpa, your task only lasts a few hours..."

"The First Day of the Lunar New Year?!" Old Yuan exclaimed, his eyes wide with surprise. "Impossible! I spent over a month in there!"

"Wait a minute..." Old Yuan suddenly realized something terrifying. "When did I get back? How long was I on the mission?"

Yuan Sijia replied, "You and Little Luo entered the mission around nine o'clock last night, and returned around one o'clock in the morning..."

"It's 1:18," Yuan Lingmin added from the side.

"I was only on the mission for a little over four hours?" Old Yuan scratched his head. "It's already broad daylight... How long did I sleep?"

"It's 10:30 in the morning, and you've slept for more than nine hours..." Yuan Sijie said.

"One hour is almost ten days, nine hours is more than eighty days!" Old Yuan's teeth started chattering. "That brat Luo Jun, after sending me out, has been in there for eighty days and still hasn't come out?"

"Quick, give me my phone! I need to contact the Yuan Cultivation Society headquarters!" Old Yuan's frantic voice echoed throughout the room...

Just as Old Yuan was frantically trying to rescue his beloved disciple, a post on the Yuanqi Cultivator Forum was also reaching the top of the popularity charts.

"The most difficult Tier A Mission, which no one has been able to complete for decades, has been achieved by Cultivators from Zhendan, breaking through the zero barrier!"

The poster is a very active account on the forum, Wei Zhentian.

As the founder of "Under the Beneath the Night" and a number one fan of Night, she is also a well-known blogger on the forum with many followers. When everyone saw her post in the early hours of the First Day of the Lunar New Year, they thought there was some new news about Night, but to their surprise, when they clicked in, they found that it was content unrelated to Night.

This post records "Wei Zhentian's" own mission experience. The post mentions an exceptionally difficult mission: a vast, almost boundless maze with a variety of complex rules, riddle-like cryptic hints, and the factor of an invasion by Chaos Creature. Even Yuan Shouzhen, a titan of the Zhendan cultivation world, was at a loss.

At first, everyone thought that "Wei Zhentian" was exaggerating too much. After all, this kind of self-media account usually lavishes praise on Ye in various ways and plays all kinds of word Game. No matter how flowery her words are, the real difficulty has to be discounted.

Therefore, most of the initial comments on this post were skeptical, and some even tagged Old Yuan, the person mentioned in the post, hoping for an explanation.

Unfortunately, Old Yuan did not respond, so many people began to make sarcastic remarks, saying that the old man doesn't usually go online, and that Wei Zhentian was using his fame to generate hype, which was unethical, etc.

However, soon after, a comment under the post vindicated Wei Zhentian.

"I am Zhuge Zi, mentioned in the post, and I can vouch for the truth of what she said!"

Although Zhuge Zi is also a genius among the younger generation, she doesn't have a high profile. Her most famous label recently is the strongest freshman at the Puhua Mountain Academy.

But to be honest, even if he is the strongest, he is still a newcomer. Young people may pay more attention to this title, but many Cultivators don't really care.

Just as the Yangtze River's back waves push the front waves, and new talents emerge in every generation, so too does the phenomenon of top scorers in the college entrance examination occur every year. While these top scorers may be a temporary sensation, as time passes, how many of them can be remembered if you were asked who the top scorers were five years ago?

Therefore, the so-called "strongest freshman" title is not actually very valuable. When these so-called geniuses achieve success and become capable of standing on their own many years later, this former empty title will just be a dispensable item when discussing their resumes.

Zhuge Zi herself is not a high-profile person. She rarely speaks on the forum, and her account is not well-known. Normally, even if she were to stand up and make a statement, it would not be very convincing.

The problem is that Zhuge Zi's comment wasn't made using his own account, but rather the official account of the Zhuge Family!

This is one of the Great Family in Zhendan, with a large and prosperous population and a long line of talented people. Some people have even said that if the Zhuge Family had not been affiliated with the Yuan Cultivation Society, it could have developed into the third largest Cultivators force after the Yuan Cultivation Society and the Wildlands Hunter Association.

With such an official account speaking out, it essentially represents the entire Zhuge Family endorsing this post! Instantly, the credibility of the post's content skyrocketed.

Almost instantly, the tone of the comments reversed completely, from initial sarcasm to heated discussions about the difficulty of the mission, possible strategies for success, the strength of the Chaos Creature, hidden information, and so on. Many people even simulated what they would do if they entered the mission, how confident they would be of escaping.

Compared to ordinary online environments, most members of the Cultivator Forum are pragmatic. Those who can enter this thread to discuss have basically all experienced Chaos Mission and can see the dangers of these missions, which are related to their lives and fortunes, so everyone's deductions are very cautious.

Finally, after a few self-proclaimed "God-like" intellectuals who were spouting nonsense were drowned out by the criticism, all those who engaged in serious discussion eventually reached a conclusion.

This mission is practically impossible; anyone who goes will die!

Even for this team that successfully completed the challenge, there were too many coincidences. It can be said that their success was due to a combination of wisdom, strength, and luck.

As the discussion grew, the post's popularity soared, quickly making it to the front page. Then, around the main post on the front page, related discussion threads slowly began to appear, such as:

Who is Luo Jun?

"A freshman at the Ningdong Academy, a previously unknown boy, is actually the key to clearing the seemingly impossible mission?" "Ningdong has such talent? They've been hiding it well!"

Shortly afterward, new posts appeared, and Luo Jun's resume began to be dug up.

"I've found him! This Luo Jun is definitely no ordinary person!"

"A powerful individual who, even when still in the Body Refinement Realm, managed to single-handedly escape Tier B Rules Horror!"

"To participate in the entrance exam at the Body Refinement Realm and then Counter-kill a criminal at the Foundation Establishment Realm —what else could that be but genius?"

"Just look at his Otherworld Internship results, and you'll know that this kind of academic genius is not someone we mere mortals can try to emulate."

Over the past six months, Luo Jun's experiences have left many traces on the forum, but each time the discussion was not very high, and even those who paid attention at the time would forget about it after a while. But this time, the Endless Maze post made everyone piece together Luo Jun's resume completely, presenting the image of a genius who came from an ordinary background, had only been exposed to Yuanqi for a short time, but made rapid progress and repeatedly created miracles to the public!

Sometimes, so-called traffic really does just appear out of nowhere overnight.

However, this is not the end.

The error-free version can be read at 69 Book Bar! 6=9+shuba is the first site to publish this novel.

The discussion about the Endless Maze and Luo Jun has maintained a high level of popularity, even overshadowing the criticism and memes surrounding the Spring Festival Gala skit. This popularity peaked on the evening of the first day of the First Day of the Lunar New Year. Just as everyone was searching for Luo Jun's account, an official pinned announcement in the early hours of the second day of the Lunar New Year pushed the popularity of this event to a new high.

"The Yuan Cultivation Society soliciting abilities and magical artifacts from Cultivators nationwide that can intervene in and influence Chaos Mission!"

Upon clicking through and reading the post, everyone was utterly shocked.

It turns out that Luo Jun, the genius they've been discussing all along, is still trapped in that maze!

The post mentioned information provided by Old Yuan, one of the people involved in the mission. When they finally left the maze, they were ambushed by Chaos Creature. Luo Jun desperately sent the injured Old Yuan back to the Main World, while he himself stayed in the maze!

Not only was he intelligent and talented in cultivation, but he also possessed the quality of selflessness. Whether considering his future achievements or from the perspective of setting an example, such a person should not be allowed to die in vain!

Currently, the Yuan Cultivation Society has tried many methods to rescue Luo Jun from the maze, but the mission of the Endless Maze is too special. They have tried various methods to intervene in the Chaos Mission, but none of them have worked. As a last resort, they issued a notice hoping to solicit help from talented people in the public.

When Sun Xiaowei saw the announcement, she was completely stunned. She and Luo Jun Zhuge Zi were about the same age and were both students. They had exchanged contact information during the mission. She had thought that Luo Jun would come back after her. When she wrote the post, she had even tried to contact Luo Jun, but she couldn't reach him at all.

Sun Xiaowei was still a little upset about this at the time, but after reading the post, she realized that Luo Jun was still stuck in the maze!

"When I came out, only four hours had passed, but now a whole day has gone by. Has my junior been in the maze for more than half a year? Is he... still alive...?"

Just as Sun Xiaowei was at his wit's end, the phone rang; it was Zhuge Zi.

"Hey, did you see the official announcement?"

"I... I saw it..." Sun Xiaowei's voice trembled slightly, "Xiao Zi, do you think Luo Jun might already be..."

"No way!" Zhuge Zi categorically denied. "Don't forget his performance in the maze. He's stronger than we imagined. It's not about strength; his unwavering will and calm mind make him more suited to survive in such an extreme environment than anyone else!"

"But if you stay in the maze for too long, you'll get replaced..." Sun Xiaowei mentioned the most terrifying aspect of the maze.

"I believe that no matter what difficulties he faces, he can find a way to overcome them!" Zhuge Zi said, "I'm currently contacting the Yuan Cultivation Society headquarters through my Lineage, planning to go and help... Although our strength is still far behind, we are at least firsthand witnesses and can provide some experience and intelligence. Do you want to come along?"

"Yes!" Sun Xiaowei nodded. "My junior helped us so much in the maze, I definitely have to save him!"

"Alright!" Zhuge Zi said, "Then let's meet in Yuandu, and I'll take you there!"

After hanging up the phone, Sun Xiaowei immediately started booking plane tickets.

In a high-end residential community in Ningdong, Ling Xin sat in the spacious living room. The TV was playing a rebroadcast of the Spring Festival Gala, but she had no interest in watching the program. Her brows were furrowed as she stared at her phone. Then, she gritted her teeth and dialed a number. She went to the balcony and stood in front of the wide French windows, looking at the night view outside.

"Hey? Sis!" A relaxed, slightly lazy voice came from the other end of the phone. "Didn't we exchange New Year's greetings yesterday? Why are you calling your brother again?"

"Do you still have that thing Dad left behind?" Ling Xin didn't have time for pleasantries and went straight to the point.

"Hmm?" The voice on the other end became serious. "Why did you suddenly think of this?"

"I want to borrow it... to save someone!" Ling Xin said solemnly.

"Are you serious?" The other person hesitated for a moment. "You know this thing is a consumable, each use reduces its availability. And... don't forget our previous plan."

"I'm serious... Don't worry, I'll only try once..." Ling Xin said, gritting her teeth, "At most, I'll use the one that's meant for me, I won't use yours!"

"That's not what I meant." The voice on the other end sighed. "Who exactly is this person, worth such a high price?"

"Don't ask anymore..." Ling Xin shook her head. "Just tell me if you'll lend it or not!"

"Alright, alright..." The other person finally couldn't persuade Ling Xin anymore, "What's there to borrow or not borrow between us siblings? But I can't leave Lingyun Island right now, so I can only have Uncle Yun take it to you... How about this, sending it to Yuandu is fine?"

"Huh?" Ling Xin was slightly taken aback. "How did you know I was going to Yuandu?"

"The forum's in an uproar right now." A playful voice came from the other end. "That amazing Ningdong kid, isn't that the name from your diary?"

Upon hearing this, Ling Xin's face flushed red. "When did you peek into my diary?!"

However, before she could continue her attack, the other side had already hung up the phone, avoiding further engagement...

(End of this chapter)