Hijacking the Timeline

Star City Academy, cafeteria.

During breakfast, the Three Hungry Musketeers gathered in the north corner.

Feng Qi ate his meal while chatting with Lin Ran about the academy’s teaching system.

During his time teaching at Star City Academy, he had discovered a flaw in the system.

All students were required to memorize the latest edition of the Cultivation System Framework published by the Tiger Soul Research Institute.

Understanding this material and passing quarterly free assessments earned students extra credits and influenced their year-end evaluations.

However, Feng Qi found this practice entirely unnecessary.

He understood why students in the Cultivation Technique Research Class needed to study the latest edition of the Cultivation System Framework. After all, this knowledge was essential for their field. Only by staying up-to-date with the evolving framework could they gain a deeper understanding of the Cultivation Studies System.

But for students in other classes like the combat class, Formation Class, and Medical Class, mastering this material was completely unnecessary.

Their future growth wouldn’t be hindered even if they didn’t understand the intricacies of the cultivation system framework.

Because it could boost their academic credits, year-end evaluations, and even scholarships, students from every class were forced to memorize the Cultivation System Framework.

This created intense internal competition, forcing students to spend excessive time memorizing the quarterly updates to the framework without any real benefit.

In Feng Qi’s view, understanding the Cultivation System Framework could indeed aid students’ overall development, fostering a deeper understanding of the cultivation system and helping them avoid detours. However, there was absolutely no need to tie it to academic credits or evaluations.

This inevitably led to a near-mandatory form of internal competition.

Except for students in the Cultivation Technique Research Class, students in other classes could have used the time spent studying the Cultivation System Framework for more meaningful pursuits, such as deepening their understanding of their chosen subjects.

After listening to Feng Qi’s explanation, Lin Ran responded with a smile:

”Actually, many students spend a third of their time studying the Cultivation System Framework, and I agree it’s a huge waste of time.”

”For someone like me, who loves Cultivation Technique Research, learning this material is genuinely useful. But for students in classes like the Medical Class, it’s largely irrelevant.”

Feng Qi immediately nodded in agreement with Lin Ran’s assessment.

”I think we should encourage voluntary participation, allowing students to choose whether to participate without tying it to course credit, year-end evaluations, or graduation assessments.”

”In reality, this has already created a near-compulsory learning environment,” Lin Ran nodded in agreement. ”It appears voluntary, but it’s linked to various resources. If you don’t participate, you can’t compete with your classmates for those resources, forcing everyone to study.”

”This academic rat race has been discussed extensively on the Star City Academy forum.”

Seeing Feng Qi’s puzzled expression, Lin Ran smiled and continued, ”They have a vivid analogy for this phenomenon. They say it’s like the legendary Sunflower Manual in the Martial World. Everyone wants it because it promises invincibility.”

”But if the contents of the Sunflower Manual were revealed to the public, and everyone had the chance to practice it, it would become a disaster.”

”When everyone possesses the Sunflower Manual, whether or not to practice it is no longer a matter of personal choice. It’s no longer something you can decide for yourself.”

”For example, if you have an enemy, and you don’t practice the manual, your enemy will master it and eventually kill you. This forces you to practice it as well. Ultimately, everyone in the Martial World will be forced to learn the Sunflower Manual.”

”Mastering the Treasure Manual grants invincibility, but since everyone practices it, everyone becomes invincible, rendering the concept of invincibility meaningless. Moreover, to cultivate this Divine Art, one must first castrate themselves.”

”Thus, all martial artists become eunuchs—a complete loss for everyone, with no one benefiting from their extra effort.”

”Similarly, the current cultivation system framework is like a public version of the Sunflower Manual. If you don’t study it, others will, gaining better grades, more credits, and even academy scholarships, giving them a head start in every aspect.”

”But if you do study it, you’ll waste your precious time. Yet if everyone studies it, the benefits remain unchanged, and no one truly gains anything. Instead, everyone involved simply loses their time.”

After hearing Lin Ran’s explanation, Feng Qi nodded thoughtfully and asked, ”Has the academy ever considered modifying this system?”

Lin Ran paused to consider the question before replying, ”Elder Bai seems to have proposed it, but the Star City Academy’s cultivation studies curriculum falls under the jurisdiction of the Tiger Soul Research Institute. His application was apparently rejected.”

Hearing this, Feng Qi couldn’t help but speculate.

This might be a deliberate tactic by the Tiger Soul Research Institute to stifle the development of Human Civilization.

It was a waste of time for the new generation, who represented the future of cultivation studies, to spend so much time learning the Cultivation System Framework, which offered them limited practical benefit.

Thinking this, Feng Qi immediately asked, ”How can we bypass the Tiger Soul Research Institute’s rule and decouple the study of the Cultivation System Framework from academic credit and scholarships?”

”Elder Bai can handle that. After all, he’s the principal. He has the authority not to enforce rules set by the Tiger Soul Research Institute, since Star City Academy’s Upper Stage is the Ministry of Education, not the institute itself. However, the content of cultivation studies has always been the Tiger Soul Research Institute’s domain. Elder Bai has already submitted an application to the Ministry of Education, but we don’t know when it will be approved.”

After hearing Lin Ran’s explanation, Feng Qi nodded. He had already made up his mind: the next time he entered the Dream Realm, he would investigate this matter further.

A healthy competitive environment could significantly advance the overall development of cultivation studies. However, a toxic one was like the Sunflower Manual Lin Ran had mentioned—you couldn’t succeed without practicing it, but practicing it would also lead to failure. It would create a vicious cycle of internal competition, wasting everyone’s time.

If this problem could be effectively resolved, it would undoubtedly propel the development of cultivation studies from another angle.

After breakfast, Feng Qi and Lin Ran bid farewell to Mu Qing and headed to the Academy Library.

A light rain fell outside, and the air was cool and refreshing.

Willow branches swayed in the wind, their leaves already scattered across the ground by the raindrops. At this moment, the academy’s environment was as soft and smooth as jade, just as the poet described:

If you ask how much leisure I have, it’s like a river of mist-covered grass, a city filled with wind-blown willow catkins.

Chatting idly with Lin Ran, they arrived at the Academy Library. Feng Qi found a book on battle group configurations, while Lin Ran chose a book on Cultivation Technique Research.

Seated in the reading room, they quickly immersed themselves in their studies.

During this time, Lin Ran would frequently ask Feng Qi for help with any questions he encountered.

Eager to see Lin Ran successfully repel the Lord of the Mist, Feng Qi answered every question without hesitation.

Having studied dozens of issues of the Fundamentals of Cultivation Technique Research Approach from the future database, these basic questions posed no challenge to him.

His explanations were so insightful that Lin Ran gasped in amazement, finding his problem-solving approach far more ingenious than the book’s descriptions.

Feng Qi merely smiled at Lin Ran’s sycophantic praise, paying it no mind.

Watching Lin Ran completely absorbed in his studies, a flicker of anticipation stirred within him.

May we walk together in the future!

Even though the future had disappointed him countless times, before each journey into the Dream Realm, he always held a hopeful vision.

He believed that perhaps he might find an unexpected surprise.

At least, with each exploration, the mist-shrouded future was becoming clearer, and everything seemed to be improving.

The future held promise.

Thinking this, a smile spread across his face.

With hope in one’s heart, one can conquer all.

[True strength lies in a powerful spirit. Tsk tsk, your optimistic attitude is truly inherited from me!]

Feng Qi: ...

”Asshole System!”

Lin Ran, who had been reading, looked up in confusion, then pouted and asked, ”Brother Qi, why are you scolding me?”

”I’m not scolding you. Just keep reading!”

With that, Feng Qi launched into a fierce mental battle with the Narrator.

The exchange centered on the Narrator, with their relatives as the radius, in a full-scale verbal duel.

By noon, Feng Qi had finished lunch and returned to his dorm, sitting down at his desk.

He spent the next few hours reevaluating his future plans.

The changes in the Reality Line necessitated adjustments to his previously mapped-out future paths.

After his encounter with the Black Shadow Assassin, he had clearly become a ”kindred spirit” in the eyes of many Domain Forces.

This made the ”undercover route” he had planned in the Sacrifice Line completely impractical.

For instance, one of his original plans involved infiltrating the Tiger Soul Research Institute.

Now, attempting to infiltrate the institute as a member of a Domain Force would be far more complicated.

The Domain Assassin had assured him that his identity would remain confidential, known only within the Domain Alliance.

But what if the information leaked?

If the Domain Force behind the Tiger Soul Research Institute learned of his situation, his undercover mission would likely leave them utterly bewildered.

They wouldn’t understand his bizarre actions and would likely assume he was deliberately walking into a trap.

He’d probably be mistaken for a werewolf from an opposing Domain Force and killed on his first day at the institute, or worse, brainwashed and his memories searched.

Therefore, his future plans had to account for the changes in the Reality Line.

The several future plans for infiltrating the Domain Forces must be abandoned entirely. They are now completely pointless.

However, the changes in the Reality Line have also opened up several new avenues for exploration.

For example, he could use his identity as a member of the Domain Forces to contact other Domain Forces and gather useful intelligence.

The only risk is that his Future Line self has lost his Battle Body and the ability to activate his blood source.

If probed, it would be easy for him to be exposed as human.

Therefore, the best approach for his Future Line self to contact other Domain Forces would be to do so secretly, such as through online channels, minimizing real-world contact.

Otherwise, he risks exposure.

Like a husky infiltrating a pack of wolves, his Future Line self simply lacks the raw strength to compete.

Yet, from another perspective, the changes in the Reality Line aren’t entirely bad.

If he avoids direct contact with other Domain Forces, his Future Line self’s personal safety is relatively assured.

The Sacrifice Line, where he infiltrated the Technology Research Institute, taught him one crucial lesson: all Domain Forces are extremely cautious and rarely initiate provocations or attacks against unfamiliar Domain Forces.

Perhaps the shift in information could prolong his life, as it would remove the various factions that had been targeting him.

But there was no certainty.

The Domain Forces, though seemingly aligned, were secretly engaged in a power struggle, each with its own future plans.

Any one of them could have set their sights on him.

Moreover, he felt that ”dying young” was like a curse, with various reasons always conspiring to make him leave this beautiful world prematurely.

It seemed no matter how he tried to escape, he couldn’t avoid his early demise.

Lost in thought, his ideas gradually crystallized.

Originally, his next move would have been to infiltrate the Future Research Institute to gather useful intelligence.

But this time, he changed his strategy.

After all, he couldn’t be certain the Future Research Institute hadn’t been infiltrated.

With the Reality Line altered, he couldn’t go undercover anymore. He decided to approach the institute from other angles.

For example, he could have the Scarlet Research Institute probe the Future Research Institute.

Or he could cultivate a trusted undercover agent and send them to infiltrate the institute and gather intelligence.

Now that Le Ping’an the werewolf was gone, he was free to explore multiple angles in probing the Future Research Institute.

As he pondered, time slipped away.

Finally, he checked off the three plans in his notebook:

1. Cultivate trustworthy individuals among the students to join the Future Research Institute (√)

2. Collaborate with the Scarlet Research Institute to make tentative contact with the Future Research Institute (√)

3. Attempt to obtain intelligence on the Future Research Institute through the Black Shadow Assassins (√)

In this Future Line, he decided to focus his investigation on these three plans.

The plans had undergone slight modifications, but one thing remained unchanged: he would avoid contact with the Technology Research Institute and the Tiger Soul Research Institute to prevent unexpected intelligence from disrupting his investigation.

He also decided not to read the memories of this Sacrifice Line.

All the information he needed could be obtained through email content. Since the aftereffects of reading memories were currently unavoidable, he decided to follow the Narrator’s advice and avoid reading the Sacrifice Line’s memories unless absolutely necessary.

With his decision made, he walked to the sofa and picked up the Merit Wine from the coffee table.

After removing the cork, he gulped down several large mouthfuls, finishing off another third of the bottle.

The wine flowed down his throat and into his stomach, causing his body temperature to rise.

The energy progress bar began to jump upward.

While waiting, the energy progress bar reached 100%. He immediately lay down on the sofa, closed his eyes, and waited for sleep to come.

As he closed his eyes and pondered, countless pieces of information interwove and flashed through his mind.

Moments later, drowsiness washed over him, and his expression gradually softened into peaceful repose...

When Feng Qi opened his eyes, he found himself in the Future Dream Realm.

This time, the Future Dream Realm remained unchanged, with the hazy Blood Moon of the domain world still hanging high in the sky.

Clearly, the historical changes he had made on the Future Line had not altered the ultimate fate of Human Civilization.

He had anticipated this outcome and wasn’t surprised.

Next, he decided to visit the Star City Shelter to learn about the historical changes on this Future Line.

Most importantly, he wanted to gather information about the Future Research Institute and determine its trustworthiness.

”Roar!”

At that moment, Little Cripple struggled to its feet nearby, letting out a hoarse roar.

Feng Qi immediately took two steps forward.

But just as he was about to kick out his right leg, the Narrator’s voice echoed in his mind, interrupting his movement:

[Don’t rush. I want to see it do the splits.]

(End of the Chapter)

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