I Hijacked the Timeline (IHT)

After briefly observing the battle between Suction Cup and Little Black, Feng Qi turned and followed the metal passageway back into the underground shelter.

From his perspective, Suction Cup and Little Black represented two entirely different combat styles.

Suction Cup was a close-combat powerhouse—a walking weapon of mass destruction, with overwhelming physical strength that could crush most domain creatures with a single punch. If one punch wasn't enough, two would finish the job.

However, against Little Black, Suction Cup's abilities were rendered almost completely ineffective.

As long as Little Black maintained its mist-like form, no matter how hard Suction Cup punched, it couldn't inflict any actual damage.

This was what puzzled Feng Qi the most.

Logically, with a physical strength as extreme as Suction Cup's, even the wind generated by her punches should disrupt the mist and scatter it far away. At that level, her strikes would no longer be purely physical but imbued with destructive energy akin to magic.

Yet, in reality, Little Black's mist-form particles, even when blown apart by the shockwaves, would quickly coalesce and regenerate. No matter how widely scattered, some unseen force seemed to draw the particles back together into a unified whole.

This contradicted the basic principles of aggregation. Typically, once the structural integrity of an aggregate is disrupted, the detached parts lose their connection to the whole.

For instance, the human body is composed of billions of individual cells. When a patch of skin is scraped off, while the body can regenerate new skin, the lost piece is permanently detached and no longer part of the body.

But Little Black operated differently.

Every particle of its mist seemed alive, retaining a connection to the whole even when far from its origin. Some scattered particles even detoured mid-battle to devour a roaming undead before rejoining the fight.

It was as if these detached particles had gained autonomous consciousness, capable of independent action.

"What kind of monster is Little Black? This is way too freaky," Feng Qi muttered.

[Ever watched the Terminator series? Think of Little Black as a futuristic killing machine sent back to erase you—the source of a potentially altered history.]

"Then why not just kill the me in the present timeline?"

[How would I know? I was just drawing a parallel, not making definitive claims. Besides, the likelihood of Little Black being from the future is almost zero. Don't forget, you've seen photos of Little Black in the shelter's research lab, meaning it existed before you arrived in this timeline.]

Feng Qi pondered the explanation.

If Little Black had existed before his time travel, why was it so fixated on tracking him down and killing him?

By the time he arrived in the world 1,500 years later, nearly all traces of his existence had been wiped clean, with only a few references left in historical records.

This made Little Black's pursuit all the more perplexing.

Unable to make sense of it, he decided to let the matter rest. He was confident that one day, he would uncover the truth behind all his questions.

Reaching the database console, Feng Qi opened the search bar and filtered results by timeline and location, narrowing the scope to Star City. He began researching information on contemporary geniuses.

When the time came to establish a domain combat team or an organization like Breaking Dawn, these talented individuals could be valuable allies.

Feng Qi believed that strengthening himself in the present timeline might be more practical than relying solely on his dream realm experiences.

His unique constitution prevented him from absorbing spiritual energy to cultivate, but it allowed him to steal vitality and abilities from slain domain creatures.

In the dream realm, he was forced to fight alone amidst countless dangers. Even with Suction Cup's protection, he was far from safe.

Beyond Little Black, there were undoubtedly entities in the dream realm even stronger than Suction Cup. For instance, the colossal winged beast he had glimpsed streaking across the sky, or the mountainous figure shrouded in clouds west of the shelter—both were harrowing examples.

Exploring these uncharted regions in the future would inevitably be fraught with peril, with death lurking around every corner.

The present timeline, however, offered an entirely different scenario.

He could form a domain combat team and venture into domain fields alongside Lü Yue, Lin Ran, and others. By coordinating as a team and letting him land the killing blow on domain creatures, Feng Qi could monopolize the benefits.

This method of group combat would allow him to efficiently reap all the experience for himself, significantly accelerating his growth.

Of course, this plan hinged on whether killing domain creatures in the present timeline yielded the same power feedback as in the dream realm.

If so, he could put his domain exploration plans into action. Alongside hunting domain creatures, he could also search for rare spiritual plants and other spiritual energy-rich resources to enhance the team's strength.

The resources obtained from domain fields could serve as funding for his Savior project, as well as fuel his repeated entries into the dream realm.

Most importantly, with his knowledge of the dream realm, Feng Qi could approach domain field eradication like solving a well-documented puzzle. The insights from future timelines could allow him to clear domain fields using the simplest and most effective strategies.

The ripple effects of such actions would undoubtedly reshape humanity's future.

In reality, domain fields were expanding worldwide, and new ones were constantly descending, compressing humanity's living space bit by bit.

This created serious resource extraction challenges.

For instance, about 800 kilometers north of Star City, there was a once-thriving iron ore mine. However, that area was now enveloped by a domain field, cutting off humanity's access to a critical resource and subsequently affecting steel production.

Moreover, clearing domain fields left behind rare spiritual materials that descended alongside them. These materials presented an enormous potential profit.

This underscored the importance of talent. Every step of his future plans required the involvement of exceptional individuals.

In the dream realm, Feng Qi had no choice but to fight alone. However, in the real world, he couldn't afford the folly of playing a lone hero. Instead, he needed to consolidate and optimize all available resources around him.

His strategy began with locking his search parameters to Star City, identifying local talent first before gradually expanding outward.

[Wouldn't this be like a rabbit eating grass near its own burrow?]

"This is called 'seizing the opportunity at your doorstep.' Clearly, you've never studied literature or been educated properly."

[A child doesn't think their father's ugly, and a dog doesn't mind their home's poverty. You're the rare exception who qualifies for both! He~tui!]

Feng Qi: ...

Since his access quota for browsing individual profiles was used up, he turned to historical articles in the database for further information.

While searching, one headline caught his eye. The name in the title felt familiar, though he couldn't recall where he had encountered it.

Curious, he clicked on the title to read further.

"Xiaoxin: Rising From Ordinary to Genius—A Tale of Perseverance and Courage"

Article Content:

When Xiaoxin is mentioned, she may not ring many bells.

Yet, she is undeniably one of the most promising talents in cultivation technique research during the 21st century. Over her lifetime, she developed twelve cultivation techniques, including one four-star technique, three three-star techniques, four two-star techniques, and four one-star techniques (mostly developed in her early years).

While her talent in cultivation technique research may not rank as the strongest of her era, she was undoubtedly among the best.

However, in her early years, Xiaoxin lived entirely in someone else's shadow.

That someone is someone we're all familiar with—Feng Qi.

If we were to discuss Feng Qi's cultivation research talents alone, he could easily rank in the top ten in history, if not the top three.

During his time at Star City High School, Feng Qi had not yet fully demonstrated his terrifying potential, but he was already a standout among his peers, consistently holding the top spot on the school's performance rankings.

When Xiaoxin first entered Star City High School, she did not immediately rise to prominence as Feng Qi had.

She was more like a determined warrior, relentlessly challenging high-achieving classmates and climbing the ranks—from being over 300th in the grade to eventually securing second place.

Her ultimate rival was none other than Feng Qi.

Reality, however, was harsh. She experienced defeat after defeat at Feng Qi's hands.

The closest she ever came to victory was during the final graduation exams. At that time, data from the Star City Education Bureau predicted that Xiaoxin would outperform Feng Qi across multiple metrics. (Note: These statistics are from the Star City Education Bureau and are not fabricated.)

But unfortunately, Feng Qi did not participate in the exams, having already secured a direct admission offer to Star City Academy.

Thus, Xiaoxin's closest opportunity to triumph ended in complete failure.

From that point onward, their paths diverged entirely. Feng Qi became a rising star of his era—someone Xiaoxin could only look up to as the gap between them widened.

You might think Xiaoxin would give up at this point.

You'd be wrong. Instead of giving in, she thrived under the pressure, pushing herself harder than ever.

Here is a quote from Xiaoxin's early conversation with her mentor:

"I may not have extraordinary talent, but I want to work just as hard as Feng Qi for the arrival of a brighter future. Since I lack natural gifts, the only thing I can do is give everything I have to catch up. His strength is also my constant motivation to improve."

…

However, when Feng Qi was executed, Xiaoxin's career took a nosedive.

She couldn't believe that her forever "sunshine-filled rival" was branded a traitor to humanity. The motivation that had always pushed her forward suddenly dissolved.

This once-promising prodigy—someone who had developed a four-star technique by the age of 26—faded away during what should have been the prime of her talent.

Feng Qi's brilliance had fueled her own growth, and his downfall extinguished that flame.

In essence, Xiaoxin was a unique kind of genius—one who thrived in the shadow of her strongest rival, constantly pushing herself to excel.

User Comments:

Ye Shiwen:

"This article is absolute nonsense. Like it or not, Feng Qi's talent in cultivation research is nearly unparalleled in history. Even during his so-called 'quiet years,' his potential was evident—it's just that he wasn't focused on research and was preoccupied with plotting world destruction. So, you're saying this Xiaoxin nearly surpassed Feng Qi in high school? If I believed that, I'd have to be an idiot."

"Where did the author dig up such obscure historical records? I've never even heard of Xiaoxin," commented a reader named Happy Every Day. "If she really developed a four-star cultivation technique by the age of 26, she should be a household name by now."

Another commenter, Spicy Chips, was far less polite: "This gave me a good laugh. Sure, Feng Qi was a scumbag, but his talent was unparalleled. Except for freaks like Lin Ran, no one in his generation could even hope to compete. And now you're telling me this Xiaoxin nearly beat him in high school? Using Education Bureau data, no less? Yeah, right."

But Combo Punch chimed in with a twist:

"I actually went to check the records, and the author isn't making things up. Xiaoxin really did shine brightly during Feng Qi's peak years, and her talent grew stronger and stronger. After Feng Qi fell from grace, her light dimmed as well. It seems like she truly regarded Feng Qi as her lifelong rival. Thankfully, she didn't follow him in betraying humanity."

After finishing the article, Feng Qi finally remembered who Xiaoxin was.

Who else could it be but the big-breasted, airheaded girl from the neighboring class, who spent all day shouting about duels like some hot-blooded protagonist?

No wonder the name Xiaoxin had sounded so familiar.

Back at school, Feng Qi hadn't paid much attention to her.

As far as talent went, she wasn't particularly remarkable. Although both he and Xiaoxin were the top two students at Star City High School, their rankings across the entire city's schools were good but not extraordinary. They were far from the level of prodigies like Lin Ran, who had gained fame even before entering a formal academy.

But judging by her later achievements—developing twelve cultivation techniques, including a four-star one—Xiaoxin had undoubtedly become one of the era's top geniuses.

The article mentioned that Xiaoxin had climbed from being ranked over 300th in her grade to second place. Feng Qi hadn't known that at the time.

If the article was accurate, he had no doubt that Xiaoxin had the potential to surpass him later on.

As for the claim that she could have beaten him during their graduation exams? That was also plausible.

After all, the Education Bureau did compile data to predict students' performance before exams.

By then, Xiaoxin had already surpassed many of their peers, with Feng Qi as her ultimate target. Defeating him might have led her to seek new challenges, beginning a fresh cycle of "duels."

It seemed her growth came from constantly finding "whetstones" to sharpen herself against, becoming ever sharper in the process.

However, before the graduation exams, Feng Qi had received his "cheat," enabling him to take off like a rocket.

From Xiaoxin's perspective, the gap between them only widened, making it increasingly difficult to catch up.

This drove her to push herself harder, and her talent and abilities grew during this relentless pursuit. Ultimately, she even created a four-star cultivation technique.

The stronger her opponent, the stronger she became. The article painted Xiaoxin as someone who repeatedly transformed under pressure, becoming more formidable each time.

Could such a unique genius really exist?

Feeling intrigued, Feng Qi began searching for more information about Xiaoxin in the database.

What he found confirmed that the article's depiction was accurate. Xiaoxin truly was a bizarre, hot-blooded genius who grew stronger the greater the pressure she faced.

[Edgy girls are terrifying,] the narrator quipped. [In a shonen manga, she'd definitely be the protagonist. Maybe you should consider giving her even more "pressure" to see how far she can grow. Who knows, she might surprise you. This edgy girl is worth keeping an eye on.]

Hearing the narrator's teasing, Feng Qi couldn't help but nod.

The narrator had voiced exactly what he was thinking.

Xiaoxin wasn't a key figure in the real-world timeline, but in the future timeline, she could play a significant role. She was one of those people whose actions could shape history, depending on how Feng Qi's own path unfolded.