Sky Curtain: An Initial Overview of the Immortal Lord of the Myriad Laws of the Mortal World

The curtain of heaven slowly unfurled, drawing everyone's gaze from the events of 1911 and fixing it on the more present-day year of 2025. Golden sunlight bathed Penglai Island; this time, the protagonists belonged to the younger generation.

[A young man appears in the scene, dressed in the uniform of a Penglai disciple. He has delicate features and a calm demeanor. This is Hai Xiangjun, the personal disciple of Haishan Island in 2025, and the designated next master of Penglai Island. His personality is the complete opposite of the rebellious and unruly Haishan Island of his youth; he is reserved, well-behaved, upright, and kind, exuding the qualities of a typical "good student."]

Unlike his master, Hai Xiangjun wasn't filled with curiosity or obsession regarding the Three True Ones' First Dharma Palace located in Penglai, and never inquired about it proactively. However, when his master, Hai Shan, enthusiastically recounted the past, he would sit quietly to the side, listening attentively, displaying utter obedience and giving his master ample respect.

The world of "Bungou Stray Dogs".

Inside the Armed Detective Agency, Kunikida Doppo sat upright, flipping through his "Ideal" notebook at lightning speed. When he saw Kaika-kun appear, he suddenly pushed up his glasses, his eyes gleaming with the light of someone who had met a kindred spirit.

"Perfect! This is practically the ideal template for a successor!" Kunikida's voice trembled with excitement. "Reserved, obedient, well-behaved, respectful of elders! Do you see that, Dazai? These are the qualities a future core member of the organization should possess! Unlike that bandage-wasting device who only knows how to jump into rivers, harass women, and spends all his time thinking about how to skip work!"

As he spoke, he scribbled furiously in his notebook, the title of which was "Feasibility Analysis Report on the Next Generation Leader Training Program - Taking Hai Xiangjun as an Example".

"His time management must be incredibly precise, his schedule is regular, and he's never late for training. Even if he's not entirely interested in his teachers' instruction, he listens attentively, demonstrating exceptional discipline and respect. This calm demeanor would undoubtedly allow him to make the most composed judgments in the face of crisis. He's practically a walking embodiment of 'ideal'! If the next generation of detectives were all this kind of outstanding young people, my stomach problems would be at least half cured!"

Dazai Osamu yawned and lazily stretched out a hand from the sofa: "Oh dear, Kunikida-kun is moved by someone else's perfect life again. Don't you find it boring? [11] Upright character, obedient and kind, is like a glass of plain water. It quenches thirst but has no flavor. On the contrary, his master, Kaizan, ran away from home when he was young and caused trouble everywhere. That's what a magnificent life is like! This kid looks like the type who would carefully calculate the best angle for me to enter the water, rather than commit suicide with me. It's so boring."

The world of "The King's Avatar".

In the training room of Happy Internet Cafe, Ye Xiu was smoking a cigarette, rapidly controlling Lord Grim while glancing at the sky.

"Oh? A new character has appeared, and a handpicked successor at that." He exhaled a smoke ring, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "His personality is the opposite of Hai Shan's? Interesting. It's like how teams cultivate core players; one type is like Wang Jiexi, who changes the team's playstyle, and the other is like Huang Shaotian, who takes opportunism to the extreme. This Hai Xiangjun seems calm and reserved, but he's probably a highly skilled controller or support. Look at how he listens; although he's not very interested, he's meticulous. People like that... are all dirty-minded. On the surface, they say 'Yes, yes, you're right,' but behind the scenes, they're calculating more shrewd than anyone else. I saw a lot of that back in Excellent Era." [8, 19]

Baozi Invasion peeked over and exclaimed, "Wow! Boss, this little brother looks really obedient! Does he know how to play with a brick? What's his zodiac sign?"

Ye Xiu smiled, ignored him, and continued, "But honestly, this kind of personality would be quite suitable for being a content creator. He's meticulous and can figure out what his fans like to watch. Who knows, maybe every shot transition and every pause in his puppet videos is calculated. This kid is not simple."

[The scene shifts, revealing Hai Xiangjun's deeper talent. Although young and only at the minor supernatural power level, he has already awakened an extremely high-ranking time-controlling supernatural power within the Penglai lineage—the ability to age prematurely. This power can control the flow of time within a certain range, either accelerating or slowing it down. Even more astonishingly, he can even use this power to keenly sense Jiang Mingzi's manipulation of the timeline back then.]

Matching his supernatural powers was his natal magic weapon—the Stone-Bonsai. This seemingly ordinary bonsai, when infused with magical power, could imprison and slow down time and space within a certain range. Its slowing effect was about one-tenth that of the previously seen "Momentary Longevity Flower," but its range of effect was much larger than that of the umbrella, making it an extremely powerful wide-area strategic magic weapon.

The world of Time Agent.

Inside the "Time Photo Studio," Cheng Xiaoshi was so excited by what she saw that she almost jumped off her chair.

"Lu Guang! Look! This guy is also a time-manipulator!" Cheng Xiaoshi pointed at the sky, his eyes wide like saucers. "He can make time speed up or slow down! Wow, isn't that just like the fast forward and slow-motion functions of a video player? And it's area-of-effect! That's so cool! And that potted plant, you just need to put energy in it to use it, much more convenient than us high-fiving! The most outrageous thing is that he can also 'sense' when others have moved time? Isn't that like having GPS installed on us?" [9, 20]

Lu Guang calmly pushed up his glasses and analyzed with a deep gaze: "Don't make a fuss. [5] His ability is different from ours. We enter a specific point in time in the photo, which is 'leaping in'. But he interferes with the 'flow rate' of a small space in the real dimension, which is 'modification'. The rules and risks are completely different. 'Keshi Bonsai' is equivalent to a coordinate anchor point and amplifier, which materializes the invisible power of time. Although the effect is only one-tenth of that of the flower, the range is huge, which is of immeasurable tactical significance. He can sense Jiang Mingzi's operation, which shows that he is extremely sensitive to the fluctuation of causality. He is not a simple ability user, but more like a 'sentinel' of the flow of time."

Cheng Xiaoshi nodded, seemingly understanding, "I didn't quite understand, but it sounded really impressive. What would happen if he 'slowed us down' when we traveled through time? Would we get stuck in the time tunnel?"

Lu Guang was silent for a moment, then said calmly, "It's best... not to try."

The world of Hozuki's Coolheadedness.

Hell, the Palace of Yama. Hozuki was methodically handling a mountain of official business when he saw Kaiko's supernatural power. He tapped the table with the end of his spiked club, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips.

"Time-controlling supernatural powers... and of a high rank." His voice remained as calm as ever. "Being able to slow down time might be useful in dealing with the problem of long queues for the trials of the dead. Slowing down the flow of time in the waiting area can effectively alleviate the anxiety of the dead and reduce the probability of disturbances. As for speeding up time, it can also greatly improve the efficiency of urging those dawdling sinners to be thrown into the oil cauldron. That idiot named Bai Ze wastes my precious office time every time he comes to Hell. If I could speed up the time around him and make him finish his nonsense and get out of here, that would be a good application." [17, 38]

Sitting to the side, King Enma wiped his sweat: "Hozuki-kun, your thinking is still so pragmatic... and terrifying..."

The scene shifts again, this time to Hai Xiangjun's "business" time. He's not just a genius disciple of Penglai; on the internet, he also has another identity—a content creator with 1 followers. He loves making hand puppets and sharing his creations online.

He created a hand puppet in the image of Hai Shan, giving it a voice through ventriloquism, and defining himself as "a good person"—a slightly shy way of introducing himself that was quite amusing. After Hai Gong's passing, he also made a Hai Gong hand puppet as a memorial for the grieving Hai Shuang, his delicate and warm sentiments deeply loved by many.

[In this year, Xinglian and his sister came to Penglai to cultivate. Haixiangjun, as an outstanding disciple of the same period in Penglai, made her first formal appearance. Finally, a line of concluding text appeared on the celestial screen: "Haixiangjun, as Haishan's only disciple, although only at the minor supernatural power level, awakened her innate supernatural power at a young age and even gained the recognition of the great genius of longevity."]

The world of Durarara!!

In the information broker's office in Shinjuku, Izaya Orihara sat with his legs crossed in a swivel chair, swinging leisurely with his signature cheerful smile on his face.

"Ah~ humans, LOVE! I love humans the most!" He spread his arms wide, exclaiming exaggeratedly, "What an interesting human specimen! A boy burdened with the destiny of becoming the future island lord, yet secretly a puppeteer on YouTube? What a wonderful contrast! He defines himself through puppets, trying to establish a safe and controllable connection with this world. Is he afraid of direct communication? Or is he enjoying the thrill of manipulating everything? Using other people's images to express his own feelings, just like when I play 'Gan Le' in the chat room, the psychological activities hidden behind this are exciting just to imagine!"

He picked up the small knife on the table, twirling it deftly between his fingers: "Making commemorative hand puppets for others, using this method to convey kindness—what a cute yet pathetic form of self-satisfaction. He must think he's a kind person, right? But then again, the definition of 'good person' is the most boring label in the world. What I really want to see is how he reacts when his 'kindness' clashes with his 'responsibility' as the island's owner. Will he cry, break down, or... reveal a side he himself doesn't even know about? Ahh, I really want to see it with my own eyes! I wish Xiaojing had this kind of contrasting charm... No, that single-celled organism is more interesting as he is now."

The world of Natsume's Book of Friends.

In the Japanese-style room of the Fujiwara family, Nyanko-sensei was happily drinking from a bottle of sake when he saw Kaika-kun's hand puppet and let out a burp.

"Hmm... a hand puppet?" It swayed its round body and said with drunken eyes, "This guy is quite skillful with his hands. [41] But instead of making those soft and fluffy things, it would be more practical to prepare more Nanatsuji-ya steamed buns and fine sake! [30] Natsume, did you hear that! That kid only has 10,000 followers. If my brilliant and mighty bodyguard also became a content creator, he would definitely gain a million offerings... no, I mean followers!"

Takashi Natsume smiled helplessly: "Teacher, all you do is eat and sleep, right?"

"What nonsense are you talking about! I'm gathering my demonic power to protect you, you idiot!" Nyanko-sensei retorted indignantly. "But speaking of which, that kid named Kaika-kun, compared to his troublesome master, does seem like a good child. Using puppets to commemorate the deceased, that sentiment is somewhat different from Reiko's. Reiko is always so strong, yet so lonely... This child has friends and is recognized by others, that's truly wonderful."

As she spoke, Nyanko-sensei's voice gradually lowered, as if she were recalling the past.

The world of "Under One Person".

At the North China branch of Nadutong Express, Feng Baobao was squatting in a corner, holding a small knife and carefully whittling something. Seeing Hai Xiangjun on the screen, she tilted her head. [14, 48]

"Zhang Chulan, this person doesn't seem very clever." Her tone was completely flat.

Zhang Chulan, who was looking at his phone nearby, almost fell over upon hearing this: "Sister Bao'er, how did you figure that out? He's the next island lord, and a time-manipulation supernatural being. He's obviously very powerful!"

Feng Baobao held up a wooden carving she had just finished, which was barely recognizable as a human figure, and said seriously, "He was too slow at making that doll. And, saying he's a good person... Generally, people who say they're good people are hiding something. Just like you, shameless." [44]

Zhang Chulan nearly spat out a mouthful of blood: "What I called assessing the situation! How can that be the same thing! Besides, he was just being thoughtful, doing it to comfort his friend, that's called being a 'warm-hearted guy'! Do you even know what a 'warm-hearted guy' is?"

"Oh." Feng Baobao put the wood carving into her pocket expressionlessly, then took out a new piece of wood and continued carving. "Then let him teach me. I'll make one for Xu Si too. If he deducts my salary again, I'll use this to stab him."

The world of Assassin Seven.

Chicken Island, Da Bao J Hair Salon. Wu Liuqi was giving an uncle a haircut with scissors when he saw the content on the screen. He exclaimed in Cantonese, "Wow, handsome guy, this young man is pretty sharp. [3] He can control time and make dolls. This kind of multi-talented boy is very popular with girls now. Look at his hand puppet, he can make it more steadily than my hands as a hairdresser. If I learn this, I can sell hand puppets after I stop being an assassin. It will definitely make more money than cutting hair. Grandma, do you want to change your hairstyle? How about learning from this handsome guy and having a time-stopping head?" Cells at Work world.

Inside a less-than-healthy body, white blood cell (neutrophil) U-1196 had just dealt with a batch of invading bacteria. She wiped the blood off her knife and saw the introduction to "Keshi Bonsai" in the sky.

"A wide-area, long-duration slowing effect... this has extremely high strategic value in dealing with large-scale bacterial invasions." Her voice was cold and professional. "It can reduce the mobility of bacterial swarms, buying precious time for other immune cells to assemble and engulf them, effectively reducing our casualties. Although the individual slowing effect is not strong, the range is huge, enough to change the entire battlefield situation. An excellent support is no less important than a powerful attacker. It seems that different worlds share the same combat philosophy. There are new bacterial signals; we must go immediately."

After saying that, her figure disappeared into the blood vessel wall.

The world of Naruto.

At one of Akatsuki's bases, Itachi Uchiha quietly gazed at the sky, a glimmer of light flashing in his usually calm eyes.

"A time-based supernatural power... and the ability to sense traces of past interference," he murmured to himself. "It's somewhat similar to my 'Tsukuyomi,' both distorting the definition of 'moment.' But he creates a realm in reality, while I construct space in the spiritual world. However, what's even more interesting is his dual identity. Inheriting the hope of Hourai, and a puppeteer on the internet... light and shadow? [12, 27] Playing the perfect 'good boy' under everyone's expectations, yet expressing himself through 'works' in a corner unknown to anyone. Everyone has a side that no one knows. That puppet made as a memorial... if he can maintain this gentleness, perhaps he can walk a different path than me." [2, 32]