Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 565 Time is Supreme! (Four Chapters Combined)

As soon as she finished speaking, Erica's projection was about to completely disappear.

But at the very last moment, she suddenly paused, a hint of hesitation flashing in her star-like eyes.

"and many more……"

Erica's voice became somewhat reluctant:
"Based on my understanding of human nature, a young wizard like you, once unsupervised, will most likely abandon your cultivation and waste your time on meaningless trifles."

She raised her scepter and tapped it gently.

A small wisp of silver light detached from her projection and slowly drifted toward the core of the sand table:

"This is a lingering remnant of my will, retaining the most basic guiding ability."

"It will automatically activate whenever you practice time manipulation in the sandbox, monitoring your training progress."

Erica's tone carried a clear warning:
Don't expect to get any extra information out of it.

I've set the strictest limits—it won't say anything except guide your practice.

"Of course, if you practice terribly..."

A malicious smile curled at the corner of her lips:

"It will make you understand what the 'art of language' is."

The ball of light merged into the depths of the sand table and then disappeared. Erica's projection also vanished completely at that moment.

Ron paused for a moment, then shook his head with a wry smile.

It seems this legendary wizard was deeply wary of the issue of "students slacking off".

Only at this moment could he feel a new power gradually awakening within him.

Like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, it is slowly unfolding its wings deep within its consciousness.

I have now begun to learn how to master the crucial skill of "time," which is unparalleled among my peers.

He recalled a particularly famous saying from his past life:

Time is respected and space is king.

"It seems... I must persevere on this path."

Ron clenched his fist:

No matter how heavy the workload during the day, no matter how arduous the training at night.

This level of power growth is worth any price I pay.

………………

That being said, as time slipped through his fingers like sand, he gradually found himself trapped in a state of near-split life.

During the day, he was the respected "Ralph Instructor".

Every morning when sunlight streamed into the laboratory, he would venture deep into the mine with Silas's team.

Using his unique "Symphony of Souls" theory, he gradually tamed those roaring, thousand-year-old resentments.

This job requires him to be the conductor of the most sophisticated "soul symphony".

Every conversation with resentment requires him to build an extremely complex "bridge of empathy".

We must have enough empathy to listen to their pain, and at the same time use a rigorous logical structure to guide these chaotic emotions toward harmonious rest.

He had to build a massive "emotional mixing console" in his mind, dealing with hundreds of different frequencies of pain, anger, despair, and resentment.

Every note must be precisely calibrated, and every melody must be perfectly arranged, so that these souls that have been weeping for thousands of years can find true liberation.

This process of empathy is not a one-way listening.

Ron needs to open his mind to its limit so that those resentful spirits can truly feel his sincerity and understanding.

This required him to construct an extremely sophisticated "mental protection matrix".

One must be open enough to accept resentment, yet also strong enough to protect oneself from being corrupted.

Therefore, this work requires extremely precise mental control.

Every "conversation" with resentment is like dancing on a knife's edge.

Over the course of several weeks, his results were remarkable.

The residual pollution in recently mined salt has been gradually reduced to about 8%.

Even more encouraging is that Lila and other mixed-race apprentices have also grown tremendously in the process.

The three-eyed girl is now able to independently perceive the most subtle emotional fluctuations in the ore, becoming the project team's most sensitive "contamination detector."

But every time night falls, Ron comes to that sandbox space made of stars.

He finally witnessed the power of that "afterimage".

This projection is clearly more "rudimentary".

Lacking detailed facial expressions and with a somewhat blurry figure, it resembled a hastily made doll.

“Start practicing.”

The projected sound was cold and mechanical, completely lacking the vivid arrogance of the original:

"Objective: To keep three water droplets still for one second."

The goal is three times higher than the last practice session; isn't that a bit too much of a leap in difficulty...?

With that thought in mind, Ron took a deep breath and began a new round of attempts.

However, after only a few failures, the projector's "foul-mouthed" nature came out:
"You call this concentrated willpower? I've seen more shapeless mud than you!"

"Your mental energy is scattered like flour thrown out. Are you here to practice or to perform a pastry-making demonstration?"

"With this level of skill, you want to be a Time Guardian? I suggest you go back to farming; at least that way you won't make Time itself feel ashamed!"

Ron's forehead veins throbbed.

He tried to have a normal conversation with the projection, hoping to extract some additional information about the "Time Guardian":

"Senior Erica, could you please reveal some details about the third key to the Time Guardian in advance...?"

The projector completely ignored his question and simply repeated mechanically:
"Practice incomplete. Continue."

"So, regarding the 'Anomaly Catcher'..."

"Practice incomplete. Continue."

"At least tell me, what are the specific duties of the Time Guardian?"

"Practice incomplete. Continue."

No matter how Ron tried to subtly probe, the projection would only repeat the same sentence.

But if his practice goes wrong, Projection immediately transforms into the most scathing critic:

"Are you manipulating time, or are you just tickling it?"

"I've seen tens of thousands of idiots, but there are very few who can elevate stupidity to an art form like you!"

"If the original body saw your performance, it would probably regret leaving its inheritance to a piece of trash like you!"

Ron finally understood Erica's sinister intentions.

This projector was designed to be the perfect "supervisor".

They could neither extract information from him nor provoke him to keep practicing with the harshest language.

"Damn Erica..."

He gritted his teeth and thought:

"Even the afterimages have to be designed to be this malicious..."

However, it must be admitted that this "reverse psychology" tactic is indeed effective.

Whenever the projector unleashed those vicious comments, Ron's resentment and fighting spirit would be completely ignited.

He began to practice with extreme focus, just to shut up that annoying phantom.

However, the projection never seems to be satisfactory.

Even when Ron's performance improves, it always finds a new angle to criticize:

"Oh, you finally got it right this time? Congratulations, you've reached the level of a three-year-old!"

"Progress? Is this progress? I think it's an evolution from 'completely incapable' to 'basically incapable'!"

"Keep going at this pace. By the time you learn it, the era will probably have restarted three times already!"

Ron sighed deeply, realizing that his next cultivation journey was destined to be accompanied by the "friendly greetings" of this sarcastic projection.

The training course that the other party left him before leaving was also an endless mental torture.

From the most basic "perceiving a single time particle" to the more complex "manipulating local changes in the flow of time".

Each stage required him to completely abandon rational analysis and use the most primitive and instinctive intuition to "touch" the essence of time.

Forget all those fancy tricks you pulled during the day!

Whenever Ron tried to understand the laws of time using absolute rational logic, Erica would rebuke him:
"Time is not a subject to be 'understood,' it is a force to be 'felt'!"

Just as a wild animal doesn't need to calculate a trajectory when hunting, you shouldn't be thinking about some bullshit cause and effect when your will touches time particles!

This method of cultivation clashed fiercely with his scholarly mindset, which he had developed over many years.

The daytime work of resonating and purifying requires him to act like a meticulous "conductor," choreographing a symphony of the soul.

The time perception training at night required him to be like a "primitive beast," completely abandoning all rational constraints and embracing the pulse of time and space with the most direct life instincts.

Two completely different states of mind formed a sharp opposition in his consciousness.

Each time you return to the real world from the wild release of the sandbox space, it's like immersing a raging fire into ice water.

This intense mental swing quickly began to leave its mark on his body.

........................

"Mentor, you don't look too well."

That morning, Lila watched Ron with concern during a break from the experiments.

Her third eye flickered slightly, clearly sensing some unsettling mental fluctuation:

"Your emotional frequency... is somewhat unstable, like two pieces of music in different keys being played at the same time."

Ron managed a weak smile:
"It's just that the research intensity has been high recently, it will get better in a while."

Such words of comfort clearly failed to convince the perceptive three-eyed girl.

Lila wisely refrained from pressing the issue, but in subsequent experiments, she took on more proactive and meticulous tasks that should have been performed by her supervisor.

Other students also noticed the instructor's unusual behavior during class.

Garen's golden arms are extremely sensitive to mental stress.

Whenever Ron approaches, the metal surface trembles subtly, as if responding to some discordant inner conflict.

West Germany went even further, stating that this Danasou-mixed individual possessed a natural sensitivity to life energy:

“Mentor, the light of your life is somewhat… torn apart. It’s like a tree being blown about by a strong wind, its roots about to break.”

Faced with the increasingly concerned gazes of his students, Ron could only try even harder to conceal his condition.

But can the split in one's mind be forcibly mended by willpower?

The intensity of time-aware training is continuously increasing.

Erica's demands became increasingly stringent, evolving from the initial "stopping one or two water droplets" to "simultaneously manipulating the time flow of dozens of water droplets."

Each failure brings even harsher reprimands:
"With such limited abilities, you still dare to dream of becoming a Time Guardian?"
If you can't even grasp the most basic 'time resonance,' you'll forever remain a bookworm with only theoretical knowledge!

The daytime purification work is equally challenging.

As he ventured deeper into the heart of the mine, the intensity of the resentment he faced increased exponentially.

Those pains and angers that have been suppressed for thousands of years are like the most ferocious demons in the abyss, always ready to tear apart any heart that dares to approach.

Each "resonance dialogue" requires him to lower his mental defenses to the minimum and to sincerely listen to and understand those distorted emotions.

However, it was precisely this almost dangerously open state that created hidden dangers for nighttime training.

After his mind has been "soaked" in the chaotic energy of resentment during the day, it becomes increasingly difficult for him to switch to the "pure intuitive state" that Erica requires at night.

The two cultivation methods, like two wild horses with vastly different personalities, were engaged in an endless tug-of-war in his consciousness.

The turning point came one night.

Ron was training in "precise manipulation of time particles" in the sandbox space.

He had failed for three hours straight.

"Here we go again! You're using that gentle trick again!"

Time doesn't need to be coaxed; it's not a little girl you like, it's a filthy bitch that needs to be raped!

Erica's projection roared angrily in the sea of ​​stars:

"What kind of garbage is in your head? I told you to 'conquer,' but you're just 'listening'!"

I told you to use your 'claws and teeth' to tear time apart, but you used those damned 'spiritual bridges' instead!

Ron sat in the center of the sand table, sweat dripping from his forehead onto the starlight-formed ground, creating ripples.

His mental energy had been exhausted to the limit, and a dangerous blurring began to appear on the edge of his consciousness.

"I can't do it..."

He muttered wearily to himself:

"I cannot maintain the rationality of a scholar while simultaneously becoming a mindless beast..."

"Then don't keep it!"

Erica's voice boomed like thunder:

"Throw away your useless burdens! Become pure instinct! This is the only way!"

Just as Ron was about to follow the advice, a faint voice came from the depths of his consciousness:
"Baby... are you really going to throw away your most precious thing?"

That was Nari's worried cry. The apostle's voice was filled with maternal care:

"Your wisdom, your thinking ability, your scholarly spirit... these are the foundations that make you who you are today."

If you lose all of these, will you still be the precious child your mother knows?

At this moment, Acelia's dragon shadow also appeared:
"From the perspective of the dragon race, this 'either/or' mentality is problematic in itself."

The strong never give up their ability to run on the ground just because they have learned to fly.

Why should 'reason' and 'intuition' be seen as opposing enemies?

Carlos's voice rang out last, his tone thoughtful:
"According to my calculations, the dilemma you are facing now is similar to the 'bridge paradox' encountered by ancient engineers."

When two different building materials seem incompatible, the real breakthrough often comes from discovering their common 'structural principles'.

The three voices reminded Ron of something Professor Yutel had once told him at the Abyss Observatory:

"Historians see the 'past'."

Professor Utter's gentle voice echoed in his mind:
Astrologers peer into the 'future'.

But Ron, a true mystic, saw the 'braid of fate' that ran through everything.

“The past is not gone; it is the tension that makes up the thread.”

The 'future' is not nothingness; it is the direction we weave forward.

The so-called 'now' is merely the small point where the weaver's hands are currently at work.

"To take control of your own destiny, my child, you can't just focus on one point; you have to understand the fabric of the whole."

This flashback of memory struck Ron like a thunderbolt.

He abruptly raised his head, looked at the "overseer's" cold face, and a thought flashed through his mind:
“Wait…you said I have to ‘choose’ between the two, but…”

He slowly stood up, his voice becoming firm:
"...Why must I make a choice?"

Erica frowned:
"What do you mean?"

"You asked me to manipulate time with pure intuition, but Professor Utter taught me to analyze history and the future with reason..."

Ron's mind became exceptionally clear at that moment:
"But what if... these are two sides of the same coin?"

He recalled the core philosophy that had guided him throughout his journey.

From the initial fusion of bloodlines, to the later symphony of souls, and then to the resonant purification of resentment...

Every breakthrough stems from a profound understanding of the "unity of opposites".

"If order and chaos can coexist, why can't reason and emotion coexist?"

Ron's voice began to carry a sense of confidence:
"Professor Utter's path as a 'mystic' gave me the 'music theory' and 'chord structure' to understand time."

Your 'Time Guardian' training requires me to possess superb skills in playing every 'note'.

He looked at Erica:

Why should I treat them as two different practices?
A musician who doesn't understand music theory can only make noise, and a composer who can't play can only write rigid scores.

A true musician needs both!

Erica seemed to have triggered some kind of program, and remained silent for an unusually long time.

Her expression gradually shifted from initial stiffness to a sense of approval:

"You can give this idea a try."

........................

Ron no longer conducts the two training sessions separately.

The following night, he entered a state of focused cultivation, where he could multitask.

Following Professor Yutel's teachings, he began to build a perceptual bridge connecting the "past" and the "future" deep within his consciousness.

This is an extremely demanding and mentally taxing project.

His "historian" mind, like a searchlight, scanned backward, beginning to recount the complete "past" of a simulated flower in the sand table:
From the seed's slumber in the soil to the first nourishment of the spring rain;
From the struggle of a young sprout breaking through the soil to its first stretch under the sun;
From the slow formation of the flower bud to the dazzling moment of its bloom...

At the same time, his "astrologer" mind scanned forward like radar, beginning to deduce all possible "future" trajectories of this flower:
If it continues to receive plenty of sunshine and rain, how lush it will be!
How it will wither if it encounters drought or pests;

How will it adapt if transplanted to a different environment...?

Only after this bridge of consciousness spanning time and space was completed did Ron begin the "time particle perception" training arranged by Erica.

A miraculous chemical reaction occurred!
When the flower's "past" and "future" connect in his consciousness, the flower's "present" suddenly becomes incredibly stable and clear.

It was like... he wanted to catch a fish in a rushing river.

In the past, he could only grope blindly in the water, relying on vague intuition to chase that slippery target.

But now, through "history," he clearly sees where this fish swam from;
Through astrology, he accurately predicted where it would swim.

The fish's entire "trajectory" was transformed into a clearly visible line of light in his mind!

He no longer needs to engage in a brute-force struggle against the entire river of time.

With minimal effort, you can precisely pluck the strings at the most crucial "nodes".

The time particles of the flower, guided by his will, began to slowly slow down...

pause……

Then it continues to flow along its original trajectory.

The whole process was as smooth as flowing water, without any harsh conflicts, only harmonious resonance.

Erica's projection stood in the sea of ​​stars, somewhat "malfunctioning".

She had seen countless ways to cultivate "time perception," but she had never seen such... skillful manipulation.

Most apprentices, when first encountering time particles, feel as if they are smashing an eggshell with a hammer—crude, violent, and inefficient.

Ron's movements, however, resembled those of the most skilled surgeon performing microsurgery.

Every touch was precise down to the particle level, and every bit of force was just right.

This integrated training method also brought Ron double benefits.

It's not just the ability to "perceive time" that's growing rapidly.

His two modes of perception, "historical research" and "astrology," have been unprecedentedly integrated and sublimated through continuous "practical verification."

Each successful manipulation of time deepens his understanding of historical patterns and future changes.

Each accurate grasp of the past and future makes the next perception of time much easier.

This is a perfect positive feedback loop!
A new message is flashing on the career panel:
Congratulations! You have mastered "Time Manipulation (Beginner)"!

[Warning: This skill consumes a large amount of resources; please use it with caution.]

Ron stared at the notification, a surge of elation rising within him.

No need for a pocket watch!
This means that he can finally break free from dependence on external things and truly make time manipulation a part of his own power.

[Note: The skill "Historical Research" has been detected to be deeply integrated with "Time Manipulation"]

[Integration Progress: 15%...34%...67%...89%...]

[Skill integration complete! "Historical research" has been elevated to "Chronological history"!]

[Note: The skill "Astrology" has been detected to be deeply integrated with "Time Manipulation"]

[Integration Progress: 23%...51%...78%...95%...]

[Skill fusion complete! "Astrology" has been elevated to "Chronological Prophecy"!]

Seeing the skills successfully merge, Ron breathed a sigh of relief, proving that his path was indeed correct.

The Mystic and the Time Guardian are indeed not two parallel paths.

They are more like "theoretical lessons" and "practical lessons" on the same road.

Professor Yutel laid the foundation for him to become a "theoretical master," while Erica forged his skills as a "king of practical combat" in the most rigorous way.

Only when he can truly "graduate" can he integrate the two.

From now on, every theoretical study he undertakes in the style of a "mystic" will become a practical exercise in the style of a "guardian of time."
Each intuitive manipulation, akin to "guarding time," will deepen and validate his "mystic" academic insights.

Everything will be integrated into that harmonious and ever-evolving "symphony".

Erica's projection looked at the young man who had created a miracle.

Suddenly, the liveliness he had shown last time returned, only now the arrogance in his eyes had transformed into satisfaction:
"It seems... I need to reassess your progress."

As she reverted to her rigid "supervisor" persona, she left behind a single sentence:

"I will tell you the secret of the third 'key' when we meet next time."

Seeing Erica's consciousness leave again, Ron was eager to try out his new skill.

"Acelia".

He began to softly call upon the dragon soul in his mind:

"Could you please reveal your true form in the sand table? I'd like to test the actual effectiveness of this new ability."

The silver dragon shadow quickly condensed into shape in the sea of ​​stars, but it was different from the usual semi-transparent projection.

In the special space of the sand table, Azalea can appear in a more solid form.

A curious light shone in her golden eyes:
"You want to use me as a guinea pig? Interesting idea."

The dragon's shadow began to expand rapidly.

In the blink of an eye, a young dragon nearly ten meters long stretched across the sea of ​​stars.

The silver dragon scales shimmered under the starlight, each one as sturdy as a finely crafted suit of armor.

"Come on, let me see your new trick."

Acelia flicked her tail, her tone carrying the pride unique to dragons:
"But let me remind you, the dragon race's resistance to magic is no joke."

Although I wasn't an adult when I was alive, I had already reached the Moon-level strength, which is about the same as yours now.

"Spells of the same level won't easily have a substantial effect on me."

Ron nodded, took a deep breath, and began to mobilize the time power that had just awakened within him.

This feeling is extremely wonderful.

Unlike his previous time manipulation using a pocket watch, this time the power came entirely from himself.

It was as if... what flowed in his veins was no longer ordinary magic, but liquid time itself.

He projected his consciousness onto Azalea's massive dragon body and began to try to "perceive" every "time particle" that made up her body.

With the aid of the "tuning" technique we just tried, this process became exceptionally clear.

Acelia's "past": From hatching the dragon egg to her encounter with Pandora, and then to the long years her remnant soul wandered in the elemental convergence point...

Her "future": countless possible destinies, stretching forward like rays of light...

When the "past" and the "future" overlapped in his consciousness, Azalea's "present" was revealed to him as transparently as crystal.

Ron gently raised his right hand, his five fingers loosely clenched, as if he wanted to grasp the entire space-time in his palm.

—Local sluggishness!
In that instant, nearly one-tenth of the magic power within him poured out.

These magical powers did not produce any visible magical effects.

They were like invisible threads, wrapped around Azalea.

The next moment, a terrible thing happened.

Aseria's flapping dragon wings suddenly slowed to a snail's pace.

Her attempt to turn her neck was forcibly "stretched" in mid-air.

Every tiny muscle contraction was slowed down to one-tenth of its normal speed.

Even the changes in her expression were like a movie scene played in slow motion.

"This—is—not—right!"

Aseria's voice emanated from deep within the dragon's throat, but her tone also became extremely slow, with each syllable eerily prolonged:

"My—anti-magic—scales—"

She tried to mobilize the power of her bloodline, and the silver scales began to emit a faint light that resisted magic.

But time manipulation is not "magic" in the traditional sense.

It does not affect Azalea's body or magic, but rather forms the basis of her "existence" itself.

Even if dragons possess the strongest resistance to magic, they cannot defy the laws of time itself.

This effect lasted for a full ten seconds, corresponding to Ron consuming one-tenth of his own magic power.

Once the time-slowing effect wore off, Azalea quickly regained her normal mobility.

She stared blankly at her dragon claw, her eyes filled with disbelief:

"That feeling just now... it was like the whole world was moving away from me, and I was trapped in some kind of invisible, viscous liquid..."

The dragon soul's voice was tinged with lingering fear:
"This power... has transcended the realm of conventional magic. No wonder all those who have mastered the ability to time have rarely encountered a worthy opponent!"

Ron was equally stunned by the result and was speechless.

I knew, of course, that I was very good at manipulating time, but I never imagined it would be this powerful.

Even ancient dragons with top-tier magic resistance couldn't resist it.

This means that in battles of the same level, this skill is almost equivalent to a "dimensional reduction attack".

Although the mana consumption is extremely high, even the most basic spellcasting will consume almost one-tenth of the mana reserves in his vast mana pool.

However, if used properly, even a delay of less than a second can play a decisive role in a life-or-death battle.

In addition, this power comes entirely from his own cultivation achievements and no longer depends on any external tools or mediums.

He had always relied on his pocket watch to turn the tide, which made him feel uneasy. He was worried about what he would do if he lost the pocket watch one day.

Now it's all good. Although it's just the beginning, I can now release time abilities and no longer worry about "weapons being captured" or "items becoming ineffective".

(End of this chapter)