The Iron Law of Time, the Mystery of the Ancient Jade (46K)

Hearing Lin Yi say this, Thousand Illusions was not annoyed that the child was not listening to advice. Instead, she smiled brightly, and the Phantom Light around her seemed to cheer up.

"That's more like it! If you had hesitated just now, or told me 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 attempt to break through to the Derivation Realm."

Then, Thousand Illusions's smile faded, his eyes deepened, and he explained:

"It's not that Senior Sister is heartless, but if one doesn't even have this kind of unwavering courage, this belief that one can reach the end, then one would absolutely be unable to persevere when faced with the powerful laws that lead to a path of enlightenment so long it can dim the stars and so obscure it can drive even the wisest 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 misty, towering 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 achieving eternity may seem weak, but you must understand that everyone who becomes a Derivative Realm member possesses extraordinary talent. Yet, even those who achieve eternity through their foundational laws are few and far between, making the difficulty unimaginable."

"When truly confronted with the seemingly endless fog of laws, and experiencing the despair of making no progress even after ten thousand, one hundred thousand, 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, Thousand Illusions 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, your senior sister, am truly at ease."

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

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

Thousand Illusions 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 Time Rule without hesitation. So, let me ask you—do you truly understand the Time Rule? And how much do you know about the 'Law of Spacetime,' which arises from the combination of these two higher rules?"

As she spoke, Thousand Illusions lightly touched her slender finger, and countless grains of time and silver spatial 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.

"Well"

Lin Yi was truly stumped by the question.

On the Pan-Spirit Alliance Virtual Network, information on higher-level rules is extremely scarce, and most of it is 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 Space Rule all at once, which means that the courses he is currently choosing are still focused on the in-depth application of Space Rule.

Regarding the Time Rule, he only chose to take a very basic course, "An Introduction to the Time Rule," 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 Rule 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 Time Rule, 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 Time Rule largely comes from classical texts and general knowledge. I know 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 Space Rule, it is rarely mentioned in classical texts, only vaguely described as the unity of time and space. The fusion of the two may touch upon deeper mysteries of the universe's operation, but as for the specifics, I only know the surface and do not yet fully understand."

Upon hearing this, Thousand Illusions was taken aback at first, 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, shimmering creatures turned into wisps of smoke and vanished.

Thousand Illusions looked at Lin Yi and slowly said:

"Alright, now that you've chosen this path, before you delve into the Time Rule cultivation, you must Prophet a fundamental and inviolable ironclad rule."

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

This river stretches endlessly, its source unseen, yet most of its course possesses a stable, substantial quality, as if composed of countless historical paintings. Only at its very end does the water surge and expand, transforming the void into a new "reality."

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

The past can be traced, but the future is unknowable?

Lin Yi murmured, "I've never heard of this phrase before!"

"Good."

Thousand Illusions's expression was extremely solemn. "Whether it's the Time Rule you're about to encounter, the higher-level time laws, or even the Time Origin Law, 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."

Thousand Illusions 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 rather 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 body of the river. "When you truly grasp the Time Rule 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 Main Body of the long river is the past; it has already happened, it is fixed, it is the sedimentation of history. And the very front of the long river, that ceaseless forward advance, devouring the void ahead, is the present. Every one of us exists upon this ever-advancing present."

Then, her fingertips moved toward the endless void that the "now" front of the long river pointed to, a void devoid of any color or form.

"And the future. It is not a definite existence. It is an absolute void that has not yet been defined, has not yet been discovered!"

"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!"

Thousand Illusions'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 couldn't withstand it!

"So."

Thousand Illusions concluded, "For any cultivator who adheres to the Time Rule, any act involving peeking into or interfering with the future is a strictly forbidden taboo! It is a path to self-destruction. Throughout history, there have been many exceptionally talented individuals who attempted to challenge this ironclad rule, and without exception, they all perished the moment they touched upon 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 before all cultivators of time, also contained something else that deeply alarmed him.

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 rather, that it has forcibly cut out this small segment of my existence from a tributary that was already flowing towards a certain end, and then pasted it back to an earlier point in time?"

"What incredible power it would take to erase the past and foresee the future?"

The more Lin Yi thought about it, the more unbelievable 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 -Rewind treasure, but a forbidden object involving the prediction of the future?"

"Perhaps it, in a way it couldn't comprehend, at a tremendous cost, deduced and simulated its own development trajectory for the next six thousand years, and then infused this simulated future memory into its mind? And the Ancient Jade jade turning to ash was precisely the result of enduring that terrifying backlash?"

This conjecture made Lin Yi understand it somewhat, 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!

What terrifying levels of energy and resilience against backlash would be required?

There's also the even more mysterious Purple Mist Space, which even the Eternal Divinity senior brothers and sisters seem completely unaware of, and the "Spiritual Enlightenment Qi" within it, which 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"—either of these, taken individually, can be considered heaven-defying objects that challenge the existing rules of the universe.

They appeared on himself at the same time.

What makes me think I can do this?

For a moment, Lin Yi felt his thoughts were in complete disarray.

Seeing Lin Yi's Thousand Illusions frowned slightly and asked with concern, "Junior Brother? This ironclad rule is indeed quite a shock to those who want to cultivate the Time Rule. 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 Divinity form, personally took time out of her busy schedule to teach me—what an honor! How could I let my own worries hold me back?

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'm shocked to hear for the first time that the universe has such an ironclad law, and I'm a little overwhelmed."

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 Time Rule can influence is limited to the past and 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 Time Rule, aside from reviewing history and slowing down the flow of time in certain regions, seem not to be as omnipotent as imagined.

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

She chuckled softly, "You're right. If we only consider the Time Rule themselves, because they cannot touch upon the ironclad laws of the future, their offensive and defensive capabilities are indeed somewhat one-sided in certain aspects. In fact, one could say that in terms of destructive power alone, it might not even be as effective as some top-tier advanced rules."

"Indeed, strictly speaking, Time Rule can only be considered half a higher-level rule."

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

Thousand Illusions 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 perfectly resonate with other rules, especially the Space Rule that originates from it, and unleash an exponentially enhanced 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 deeply merge, and one moves towards the realm of time and space, several extraordinary supernatural powers that can be described as miracles will emerge."

For example, a clone; another example is...

"Resurrection!"