Hijacking the Timeline

The process of memorizing the game code was truly frustrating for Feng Qi.

After hours of effort, he had only memorized a tiny fraction of it. He couldn’t even imagine how long it would take to memorize the entire thing.

Unlike memorizing cultivation techniques, where he could rely on continuous memory, he had no understanding of game code. Each character had to be memorized individually and then linked together in his mind.

After several hours of trying, he gave up.

He decided to learn a programming language in the Real World to make the memorization process easier. Without that understanding, relying solely on memory was like trying to bail out a sinking ship with a teacup.

More importantly, historical changes could easily lead to partial alterations in the code. If he couldn’t memorize the super virtual game’s code in one go, there would be too many variables.

So he chose to abandon the effort. At least until his memory improved significantly, he wouldn’t attempt it again.

But during the memorization process, an interesting idea had sparked in his mind.

This super virtual game, which existed in history, adopted a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) format similar to the genre before the Cataclysm.

Its core features were tens of thousands of art magic spells replicated from reality, along with realistic game environments and physics simulations.

Upon entering the game, players could freely combine art magic spells and then compete against players of similar skill levels through a matchmaking ladder system.

Battles took various forms, including 1v1, 5v5, Team Battles, and massive 10,000-player wars.

The constant remained: players always fought against other players.

So he wondered if it were possible to create a game scenario where players could battle domain creatures.

It would be similar to the domain field instances found in the Real World.

The instance’s content could be entirely virtual, but the domain creatures within could draw inspiration from reality, just like the art magic spells, and be replicated 1:1 in the game.

This would include the domain creatures’ physical features, habits, and innate abilities.

In this way, players could learn how to counter even the most formidable domain creatures and domain warriors within the game.

If this idea succeeds, the casualty rate for domain combat teams will plummet, and the efficiency of clearing Domain Fields will soar.

But all this was just a concept.

History must have seen others consider similar ideas, yet nothing of the sort ever materialized. This suggested that creating Domain-oriented dungeons presented numerous challenges.

Feng Qi wasn’t worried.

All he needed to do was plant a seed in the Real World and wait for it to sprout.

Even if one Future Line failed, he could use multiple 1500-year cycles to refine the concept of domain instances.

[Feng Qi, that’s a brilliant idea! If this works, clearing Domain Fields will become significantly easier. After all, combat training between humans is ultimately superficial. Its main purpose is to hone art magic proficiency and combat awareness. But humanity’s true enemies are domain creatures. Eventually, domain warriors must enter Domain Fields and confront these creatures directly, where countless variables come into play.]

[But be prepared,” the Narrator warned. ”If you plant this seed, the next time you enter the Dream Realm, the code for the super virtual game will increase dramatically, perhaps even several times over. Without the innate ability of Photographic Memory, you might become overwhelmed by the complexity and end up mentally breaking down.]

Feng Qi felt a chill run down his spine at the Narrator’s words. He could almost feel his hairline receding.

The existing code was already giving him a headache. If the code multiplied several times over, the memorization difficulty would increase exponentially, leaving him utterly bald.

So, the question is, the Narrator continued, is it harder to write the code or to memorize it?

”I’m not sure,” Feng Qi replied. ”I’ll try studying this after I return to the Real World.”

Giving up on memorizing the super virtual game’s code, he closed the relevant page and opened the Cultivation Technique Library to select the cultivation techniques he would take with him.

During his search, he found a two-star Body Refinement Combat Technique called the Dragon-Seizing Technique.

He clicked on the technique’s details page and entered a learning state.

Compared to memorizing game code, memorizing cultivation techniques with continuous text was far easier, like reciting a textbook with clear logical connections.

He had already mastered the specialized terminology, so the memorization process went smoothly.

Time flew by.

This time, he finished memorizing the Dragon-Seizing Technique in just two hours. The improved memory efficiency from his bloodline evolution left him feeling elated.

His Guest Privilege for reviewing cultivation techniques had been used up. With the remaining time, he began researching information on battle group configurations.

This would help him form a domain combat team to extract resources from the Domain Field, sustaining both his game team and himself.

After entering keywords and clicking confirm, relevant content filled the screen.

As he read, he gained a deeper understanding of domain combat team member configurations.

Domain combat teams, as the name suggests, are cultivator combat groups that frequently venture into the Domain Field to extract resources and even conquer domain instances.

They are divided into three tiers based on member count: small battle groups, medium battle groups, and large battle groups.

Small battle groups require a minimum of 100 members, medium battle groups start at 1,000 members, and large battle groups begin at 10,000 members.

The strength of a battle group isn’t determined by its size, but by its overall strength rating.

Some battle groups have few members but boast exceptional overall strength. Many Top Domain Battle Groups don’t even recruit members below Bronze rank.

The reason is simple: Top Domain Battle Groups typically tackle high-risk Domain Fields. Having weak members means others must divert their attention to protect them, which severely hinders the group’s progress.

Therefore, Top Domain Battle Groups generally adopt an elite system, where numbers are secondary.

Battle groups are ranked from E-Class to S-Class based on their overall strength. Beyond this, there are Super S-Rank battle groups recognized as the Top Ten Battle Groups.

Mu Qing’s Dawn Battle Group once achieved the prestigious Top Ten Battle Group ranking.

The member composition of a domain combat team is somewhat similar to the class combinations in a game dungeon run, but far more complex.

Broadly, members are divided into three categories: main combatants, resource identification/gathering/exploration personnel, and support staff.

Within these categories, there are hundreds of specialized roles.

Each domain combat team tailors its composition to its specific needs.

However, one principle remains constant: combatants and healers/support staff form the core of any team.

Domain combat teams are divided into:

Combat Personnel: Group Leader, Main Combat, Bastion (firepower attraction, team damage absorption), Secondary Combat, Art Magic User (firepower suppression), etc. Support Personnel: Medical (core main support), Formation Artificer, Crowd Control, Combat Logistics, etc.

The specific composition of these roles directly impacts the battle group’s combat effectiveness and efficiency.

Therefore, the art of assembling a battle group is a complex skill. Many domain combat teams experiment with different configurations when exploring various Domain Fields.

For example, consider an elemental-focused Domain Field.

Physical damage is highly ineffective against elemental creatures within such a field. To explore this type of Domain Field, major domain combat teams would typically withdraw some body cultivation domain warriors and replace them with more spirit artificers to counter the elemental threats.

Having grasped the basic framework of domain combat teams, Feng Qi began to review the Future People’s improvements to their team configurations.

This was precisely why he had chosen to study these materials within the Dream Realm.

After all, he could have learned about domain combat team composition in the real world without wasting precious Dream Realm time.

As he read, Feng Qi discovered that the Future People’s battle group configurations were far more comprehensive than those in the Real World, with a wider range of specialized roles.

But to his embarrassment, he discovered that these professions simply didn’t exist in reality, nor were there any corresponding cultivation systems to train them.

For example, the unique profession of ”Spirit Harvester” within the Future domain combat teams.

Similar to healers, Spirit Harvesters needed to learn specific cultivation techniques. Their ability was to extract specific psionic materials from deceased domain creatures.

These psionic materials could be transformed into spirit energy crystals in the hands of Spirit Harvesters, generating income for their team.

However, no such cultivation techniques existed in the Real World.

He tried searching the Cultivation Manual Database for related techniques, but found that all Spirit Harvester cultivation techniques were rated at least three stars or higher, which he, with his Guest Privilege, was forbidden from viewing.

After a moment of scrolling, he gave up.

He decided to review the battle group configuration details after returning to reality.

After all, each era had its own unique choices. He couldn’t simply create an entirely new cultivation system in the Real World.

Even with access to the future shelter, he could only cultivate individuals.

Building a complete system required time and accumulation.

It was like how each era had its own specific tactics. The tactics of the technological age were clearly not applicable in the cold weapon era.

Closing the battle group configuration details page, he searched for ”Cultivation Technique Research” and began watching instructional videos.

Feng Qi quickly fell into a state of intense focus, completely absorbed in his studies.

Time flew by, and finally, the Narrator’s voice echoed in his mind:

Aren’t you supposed to be going to the Mist Zone? You should head out now. Brother Hei is on his way with a forty-meter-long blade. If you don’t leave soon, you’re doomed... though you’re probably doomed either way.

Hearing the Narrator’s warning, Feng Qi nodded immediately and turned without hesitation toward the metal corridor.

After exiting the corridor, he glanced eastward.

Little black’s figure hadn’t yet appeared, but it was clear he was already approaching.

Switching from his human body to his Battle Body Form, Feng Qi immediately began running toward the Mist Zone.

After more than ten minutes of frantic sprinting, he stopped about ten meters from the edge of the mist.

Gazing into the churning gray-white mist, he could vaguely make out evil spirits flitting and dancing within. A raspy whisper pierced the mist and echoed directly in his ear.

After waiting a moment, little black’s figure materialized in the distance, quickly drifting closer.

The moment was ripe. Feng Qi plunged directly into the mist, shouting at the top of his lungs:

”Lin Ran, come out!”

At his roar, the mysterious whispers within the mist intensified. Then, a face entirely formed of mist materialized before him.

At this moment, Feng Qi realized he couldn’t move. His body was completely bound by chains formed from the mist.

”Do you know me? Which faction do you belong to? What do you want?”

Facing the Lord of the Mist’s inquiry, Feng Qi wasn’t sure if Lin Ran had truly done as he’d instructed and reversed the parasitic relationship, body-possessing the Lord of the Mist.

He had specifically come to the Mist Zone before exiting the Dream Realm to verify this.

Thinking of this, he immediately shouted:

”Lin Ran, come out and see me! It’s Feng Qi!”

At the name ”Feng Qi,” the Lord of the Mist’s expression visibly froze, as if searching for relevant memories.

After a few seconds of silence, the mist-formed face revealed a look of shock:

”Feng Qi? Isn’t he long dead?”

As the words fell, the Lord of the Mist’s expression suddenly twisted in pain. The mist-formed face shattered with a crash, only to rapidly reassemble.

This cycle of collapse and reassembly repeated endlessly, as if the Lord of the Mist was trapped in a desperate struggle.

The mist chains binding Feng Qi shattered, and the surrounding mist churned violently with each change in the Lord of the Mist’s expression.

Seeing this, Feng Qi’s heart leaped with joy.

He’d never held much hope that Lin Ran could truly body-possess the Lord of the Mist.

Judging from the Lord of the Mist’s reaction, it seemed he had truly awakened Lin Ran’s consciousness. Lin Ran was currently locked in a struggle with the Lord of the Mist for control of his body.

”Lin Ran, you little punk, give it your all! Kick his ass!”

[Awoo! Right Protector, do your best! Weakling Feng Qi needs your protection!]

The Narrator chimed in with a howl of its own.

Just then, little black arrived, transforming into a form of black mist and beginning to devour the mist, rapidly closing in on Feng Qi’s location.

[Run! Don’t let little black catch you! Before you die, you absolutely have to know whether Lin Ran managed to reverse the parasitic possession!]

Heeding the Narrator’s warning, Feng Qi immediately broke into a sprint, plunging deeper into the mist.

His vision completely obscured by the dense fog, he couldn’t even tell which direction he was running. He crashed through several trees before finally putting some distance between himself and little black.

Meanwhile, the black mist little black had transformed into was still entangled with the mist.

But before little black, the mist was nothing more than a nutrient, utterly harmless.

Without the Lord of the Mist’s control, the evil spirits within the mist lunged at little black, launching their own attacks.

However, these evil spirits, composed entirely of negative energy, couldn’t even scratch little black. The moment they touched the black mist, their energy was drained, turning them into nothingness.

The Narrator, who had been observing the battle with its perception ability, was stunned by little black’s performance.

[My god, little black seems even stronger than before! He’s practically an energy killer! How did the Technology Research Institute’s Mo create him?]

”This thing is even more terrifying than a domain creature. I suspect the Technology Research Institute used some kind of extraordinary super material when they built little black.”

As he ran, Feng Qi suddenly asked, ”Narrator, you can travel through timelines with me and parasitize my body. What material were you made from?”

[How would I know? The moment I opened my eyes, I saw you, this idiot living dead, staring blankly at the Blood Moon and slapping yourself repeatedly to confirm you’d actually time-traveled... I thought to myself, ’My Host is such an idiot. This is a total loss.’ ]

”Really?”

Feng Qi didn’t believe a single word of the Narrator’s story and immediately challenged it.

[I swear on my life.]

Just as Feng Qi was about to reply, a face formed from swirling mist materialized in front of him, blocking his path.

The mist face slowly opened its mouth:

”You’re really... Brother Qi... You... didn’t... die?”

(End of the Chapter)

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