Pretending to be a genius starts with the civilization advancement assessment.

Chapter 265 The Iron Law of Time, The Mystery of the Ancient Jade (4.6K)

Hearing Lin Yi say this, Qian Huan was not annoyed that the child was not listening to advice. Instead, she smiled brightly, and the dreamy halo around her seemed to cheer up.

"That's more like it! If you had hesitated just now, or told me that you decided to choose an advanced rule as a backup, then I, your senior sister, would absolutely not have agreed to you using any superior rule, or even most advanced rules, as the core to break through to the Derivation Realm."

Then, Qianhuan's smile faded, his eyes deepened, and he explained:
"It's not that Senior Sister is heartless, but if you don't even have the courage to forge ahead and firmly believe that you can reach the end, you will absolutely not be able to persevere when faced with the powerful laws that are so long that they can dim the stars and so obscure that they can drive the wise to madness."

As she spoke, the surrounding scenery transformed into the illusory images of several roads.

On that most rugged and treacherous road leading to the cloud-shrouded summit, several blurry yet determined figures emerged.

On the relatively flat roads nearby, some figures hesitated and wavered after reaching a certain point, and some even had their light gradually dim and eventually disappear.

"The foundational laws become eternal. It may seem weak, but you should know that everyone who can become a world-derived being is exceptionally talented. Yet, even those who achieve eternality through their foundational laws are few and far between. You can imagine how difficult it is."

"When truly facing the seemingly endless fog of laws, and experiencing the despair of being unable to make any progress even after tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even longer, this heart that leaves a way out will become the first link to collapse. If one's character is flawed, it is tantamount to cutting oneself off from the path to the peak."

Then, Qianhuan looked at Lin Yi, her eyes full of admiration:
"And your answer just now was resolute, without the slightest hesitation. Only with such courage and absolute confidence can one possibly walk down that most difficult path and glimpse the final scenery. Since you are so confident, I am truly at ease."

Lin Yi felt a little embarrassed upon hearing this, so he could only bow again and say, "I will remember Senior Sister's teachings."

"Alright, you've passed the test of mental fortitude."

Qianhuan reclined lazily atop the Returning Light Cloud, her skirt shimmering with iridescent light. Her tone shifted abruptly, taking on a testing tone. "Now, let your senior sister see your understanding of the path ahead. Junior brother, you chose the rule of time without hesitation. So, let me ask you—do you truly understand the rule of time? And how much do you know about the 'Law of Spacetime,' which arises from the combination of these two higher-level rules?"

As she spoke, Qianhuan gently tapped her slender finger, and countless grains of time and silver space runes began to flow and collide in the air, seemingly trying to weave something together, yet appearing somewhat chaotic.

This question really stumped Lin Yi.

"Uh"

Lin Yi was truly stumped by the question.

On the Pan-Spirit Alliance virtual network, information on higher-level rules is extremely scarce and mostly vague, let alone the combined application of two higher-level rules.

How many people in the entire Star Sea know how to do this?
Of those who hold such views, how many would be willing to share their core insights on the virtual network for anyone to access?

Therefore, Lin Yi's main way of acquiring advanced knowledge now relies more on the courses and inheritance of the Star Core-level training camp.

The problem is that he is moving too fast, leaping to the point of perfect spatial rules all at once, which has led to his current course selections focusing on the in-depth application of spatial rules.

Regarding the rules of time, he only took a basic course, "An Introduction to the Rules of Time," out of a forward-looking perspective. The key issue is that due to the recent series of changes, he didn't even have time to attend the first class.

Therefore, his understanding of time rules was indeed limited to some general concepts and terms, which can be described as a superficial understanding.

As for the fusion and application of spacetime rules, it remains at the stage where everyone says it's very powerful, but no one knows exactly how powerful it is or why it's powerful.

Although it seemed rather ridiculous and even arrogant for someone who "knew nothing" to confidently claim that he had mastered the rules of time, Lin Yi, adhering to the principle of seeking truth from facts in his cultivation, scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and frankly admitted:

"Senior sister, you are wise. My understanding of the rules of time mostly comes from ancient records and general knowledge. I know that it is one of the most fundamental dimensions of the universe."

"It is generally believed that its concrete manifestations can be divided into three forms: 'past,' 'present,' and 'future.' As for its combination with spatial rules, it is rarely mentioned in classical texts, only vaguely recorded as the unity of time and space. The fusion of the two may touch upon the deeper mysteries of the universe's operation. As for the specifics, I only know the surface and do not understand them very well."

Upon hearing this, Qianhuan was first taken aback, then couldn't help but burst out laughing. The auspicious clouds around her trembled gently with her laughter, transforming into various comical light and shadow beasts leaping and running.

"Knowing only the basics and yet so confident? Hahaha, junior brother, you really are... ignorant and fearless! Interesting, truly interesting!"

After laughing, the relaxed expression on her face gradually faded, replaced by an extreme seriousness that Lin Yi had never seen on her face before.

The dreamlike colors around them seemed to freeze, and even the leaping light and shadow beasts turned into wisps of smoke and dissipated.

Qianhuan looked at Lin Yi and slowly said:
"Alright, since you have chosen this path, before you begin to study the rules of time, you must first understand the most fundamental and inviolable ironclad rule."

She extended her index finger, and a point of light, as if containing the radiance of all past history, appeared at the tip of her finger. Then, this point of light drew a dazzling and vast phantom of a river before her.

This river is boundless and has no visible source, but most of its body presents a stable, substantial feel, as if composed of countless historical paintings. Only at the very front, the river is constantly surging and expanding, transforming nothingness into a new "reality".

That is—the past can be traced, but the future is unknowable.

Is the past traceable, but the future unknowable?
Lin Yi murmured, "I've never heard of this phrase before!"

"good."

Qianhuan's expression was extremely solemn. "Whether it's the time rules you're about to encounter, the higher-level time laws, or even the Time Source Laws, the scope of their interference and influence can only be backward, and absolutely not forward!"

Lin Yi was taken aback.

"Cannot proceed forward?"

He repeated it subconsciously, his preconceived notions about time—past, present, and future—being greatly challenged.

Lin Yi quickly pressed on, "Senior sister, shouldn't the concept of time encompass the three dimensions of past, present, and future? What does 'cannot move forward' mean? Does it mean the future cannot be predicted or influenced?"

"The future is not unpredictable."

Qianhuan shook her head, and the phantom of the River of Time at her fingertips became clearer. She pointed to the forefront that was constantly surging forward, turning nothingness into reality.

"Strictly speaking, it's not that we can't move forward, but that we lack the ability to move forward, or rather, the consequences of any attempt to move forward are unbearable for any being."

She pointed to the vast river: "When you truly grasp the rules of time and can begin to glimpse this river of time, you will discover that the part of this ever-flowing river that exists is composed of the past and the present."

"The vast and relatively stable body of the long river is the past; it has already happened, it has been fixed, it is the sediment of history. And the very front of the long river, that ever-advancing front that devours the nothingness ahead, is the present. Every one of us exists on this ever-advancing present."

Then, her fingertips moved towards the endless nothingness—a void devoid of color and form—pointed to by the "present" front of the long river. "And the future... it is not a definite existence. It is a realm of absolute nothingness, undefined and undiscovered!"

"Any attempt to touch the future is tantamount to using one's own power, soul, or even the essence of existence to forcibly intrude into this void, and to try to use one's own will to peek into or even define the future direction of the entire river of time!"

Qianhuan's tone carried a deep sense of apprehension, even a hint of fear:
"Because as long as you see it, even if it's just a glimpse beyond the present, a tiny fragment of the future, the act of observing itself is already a huge interference and definition! What you see will cause ripples that will shake the subsequent development of the entire river of time! This is a backlash from the entire spacetime system of the universe."

She paused, then uttered words that sent shivers down Lin Yi's spine:
"Even the supreme beings cannot withstand it!"

"so."

Qianhuan concluded, "For any cultivator of the rules of time, any behavior involving peeking into the future or interfering with the future is the most strictly forbidden taboo! It is a path to self-destruction. Throughout history, there have been many brilliant individuals who have tried to challenge this iron law, and without exception, they all perished the moment they touched the future."

"Backlash. Even supreme beings cannot withstand it."

Lin Yi was deeply shaken upon hearing this, and his expression became extremely solemn.

Because this ironclad rule, besides being an insurmountable chasm standing in front of all cultivators of time, also had something else that made him extremely apprehensive.

A family heirloom jade! Rebirth!
"If, as my senior sister says, the past is predetermined and the future is unknowable—that's an ironclad law of the universe, then what about my rebirth with clear memories of the future?"

Thoughts flashed through Lin Yi's mind rapidly.

"Doesn't this mean that an unimaginable force has forcibly reversed the flow of time? Or that it has forcibly cut out this small segment of my existence from a tributary that was originally flowing towards a certain end point, and then pasted it back to an earlier point?"

"What incredible power it would take to erase the past that has already happened and to predict the future that has not yet happened?"

The more Lin Yi thought about it, the more incredible it seemed; it was beyond his current understanding of power.

Immediately, an even more terrifying thought surfaced in his mind.

"Perhaps... I wasn't reborn at all?"

"Perhaps, that ancient jade is not some time-traveling treasure, but a forbidden object involving the prediction of the future?"

"Perhaps it spent a tremendous amount of time and effort in a way it couldn't comprehend to simulate the trajectory of its development over the next six thousand years, and then infused this simulated future memory into its mind? And the ancient jade turning to ash was the result of enduring that terrifying backlash?"

This conjecture made Lin Yi understand it a little better, but then even greater doubts welled up in his mind.

As my senior sister just clearly stated, the future is an absolute forbidden zone, untouchable even by the highest beings!
How far into the future can be predicted by that ancient jade?
A full six thousand years!
How terrifying must the energy level and the ability to resist backlash be?
There is also the even more mysterious purple mist space, which even the Eternal God senior brothers and sisters seem unaware of, and the "Spiritual Enlightenment Qi" within it that has heaven-defying effects and seems to ignore the rules and difficulty of comprehension.
The ancient jade's ability to "predict the future" or "reverse time," and the purple mist space's ability to "ignore the bottleneck of comprehension," are both, if taken individually, heaven-defying objects that challenge the existing rules of the universe.

They appeared on himself at the same time.

What right do I have?
For a moment, Lin Yi felt his thoughts were in complete disarray.

Seeing Lin Yi's extremely solemn expression, even faintly pale, Qian Huan frowned slightly and asked with concern, "Junior Brother? This ironclad rule is indeed quite impactful for those who want to cultivate the rules of time. Should we rest for a while and continue tomorrow?"

Lin Yi was suddenly jolted awake from his chaotic thoughts and realized his loss of composure.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turbulent emotions surging within him.

In any case, we cannot miss this opportunity.

My senior sister, with her eternal divine form, personally took the time to teach me. What an honor this is! How could I let my own worries interfere?

Lin Yi quickly adjusted his facial expression. Although a trace of unease still lingered deep in his eyes, he had at least regained his composure on the surface: "It's alright, Senior Sister. It's just that I was shocked to hear for the first time that there are such ironclad laws in the universe, and I couldn't control myself for a moment."

He paused, temporarily setting aside the many doubts in his mind about the ancient jade and rebirth, and raised a logical question based on his current understanding, both to find answers and to divert his attention:
“Senior sister, since time cultivators are strictly forbidden from touching the future, the scope that the rules of time can influence is limited to the past and the present. This means that the most mysterious and intriguing part of the concept of time, the future, is completely closed to us.”

"In this way, wouldn't the power of the time rule be nearly halved? What right does it have to be ranked alongside the equally profound and endless space rule, which seems to have a more direct and extensive application, as a superior rule?"

This is Lin Yi's genuine confusion.

Unable to foresee the future or change the inevitable course of events, the rules of time, aside from reviewing history and slowing down the flow of time in certain regions, do not seem to be as omnipotent as imagined.

Upon hearing this, Qianhuan was not displeased by Lin Yi's questioning; instead, she revealed a knowing smile.

She chuckled and said, "You're right. If we only consider the rules of time themselves, because they cannot touch the ironclad laws of the future, their offensive and defensive power is indeed somewhat unbalanced in some aspects. In fact, it could be said that in terms of destructive power alone, it may not be as good as some top-tier advanced rules."

"Indeed, strictly speaking, a time rule alone can only be considered half a superior rule."

Lin Yi's gaze sharpened, awaiting the next words.

Qianhuan then changed the subject, "However, junior brother, you must understand that the rules of the universe do not exist in isolation. What truly determines their rank and potential is often their combination and interaction."

She pressed her jade-like hand in the air, and the originally chaotic mixture of time sands and spatial runes began to slowly rotate and intertwine under her will, following a profound rhythm.

The sands of time no longer fall randomly, but flow along specific trajectories constructed by spatial runes.

The silver spatial runes were no longer rigid; instead, they seemed to come alive under the influence of time, flickering and fading like breathing.

"The true power of the time rule lies in the fact that it is a key, a key that can resonate perfectly with other rules, especially the space rule that originates from it, and stimulate an exponential improvement effect."

Her eyes sparkled like stars, and her voice possessed a strange allure:
"The most typical example is that once time and space begin to merge deeply and move towards the hall of time and space, several extraordinary supernatural powers that can be described as miracles will emerge."

For example, a clone; or, for example...

"resurrection!"

(End of this chapter)