233. The Time

Upon entering the space sealed by time magic, Yuan Chen felt as if his body were passing through a thin layer of water.

This is not actual water ripples, but rather the sensation created when a person's own time is constantly reversed and then repaired as they pass through a time-traveling spell.

Upon entering, and looking up, one sees none other than Jax's still-wounded body, located outside the clock tower.

Sitting there, Jax had a large number of hard-boiled eggs beside him, seemingly waiting for some to slip through the net of the time-manipulation spell.

Upon seeing Yuan Chen and Ryze, Jax's eyes showed a hint of surprise, then he nodded thoughtfully and said, "You're early."

"Um?"

Upon hearing Jax's words, Yuan Chen looked at Jax in front of him with some surprise.

Jax is definitely not in better shape than he used to be... Although his body looks the same as before, his arms are now wrapped in steel armor.

These tough arm armors greatly enhanced Jax's defensive capabilities. However, through these armors, Yuan Chen could also confirm that Jax's arms had not fully recovered...

However, compared to Jax's current state, the more important thing now is to figure out why Jax said those words.

Without much hesitation, Yuan Chen asked directly, "What's wrong? Where did the problem occur?"

"Zilean knew you would come here," Jax said, "But not now... The wrong time will cause a lot of chaos, and you shouldn't be here now."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Chen nodded thoughtfully.

As far as Yuan Chen knows, this world is not the main universe of League of Legends, but rather a special timeline that includes the main League of Legends universe, Legends of Runeterra (LOR), numerous skin universes, and has been altered by his future self.

Zilean, however, is different... This old man, translated as "Extreme Spirit" in the Taiwanese version of League of Legends, is a hidden character who transcends the world, both in the ancient version of the League of Legends lore and in the current League of Legends lore.

According to the introduction in LOR, Zilean can be roughly considered the "Doctor Strange" of Marvel. Through time magic, he travels through many different out-of-control and timelines, meets different promising young sorcerers in different timelines, and imparts his life's knowledge to them.

His purpose was to ensure the continuation of the legacy of time-space magic should he meet with misfortune.

Aside from the fact that he teleported himself to different eras and met different mages, as a true time-space mage, Zilean is the only one who can simultaneously unfold multiple timelines and understand the meaning of time maps.

However, unlike Doctor Strange, who found a unique path to victory across tens of millions of timelines, Zilean has found not a single way to save Icathia, from the Void War a thousand years ago until now.

Thinking it over, Yuan Chen didn't press the matter, but instead asked directly, "What did Zilean say?"

"See what I see; the future is no different from the past." Jax's deep voice echoed in the square, "We cannot change the predetermined future, but we can postpone it..."

Hearing Jax's words, Yuan Chen nodded thoughtfully, but didn't leave. Instead, he looked at Jax and asked directly, "How are you now? Is your hand alright?"

"... Not very good."

Hearing that it was about him, Jax's expression relaxed considerably. He spread his arms, a hint of helplessness in his eyes, and then, meeting Yuan Chen and Ryze's gazes, opened the mechanical extensions on his shoulder-mounted gauntlets.

The instant the armor's mechanism dissipated, Yuan Chen and the others could clearly feel a surge of magical power dissipate in an instant—more precisely, with the contact of the armor, the enchantments on the armor became ineffective.

What first catches the eye is a pair of strong arms beneath the arm armor. There are hardly any signs of damage on them. They are strong, powerful, and incredibly robust, brimming with vitality and life force.

For an ordinary person, you wouldn't even notice anything unusual. But for Yuan Chen, who had some contact with Jax...

Ryze didn't sense anything, but Yuan Chen, standing to the side, couldn't help but frown.

Yuan Chen was certain that although Jax's arms were as strong and muscular as ever, there was no "qi" present on them.

Yes, Yuan Chen couldn't understand what Jax's extraordinary power, "Qi," truly represented. But one thing Yuan Chen was certain of was that the form of "Qi" itself could not be simulated by magic or any kind of spiritual power.

This is a power unique to Jax, honed over the past three thousand years and nurtured by the power of the Light of Icathia.

Now, although both arms are intact, Jax's arms do not contain any "qi".

Noticing Yuan Chen's hesitation, Jax grinned, not bothering to hide anything. He simply said, "Just as you guessed... or rather, exactly what you think!"

As he spoke, Jax's aura suddenly surged, and a series of crackling sounds filled the air. The next moment, as if some spell had been dispelled, Jax's muscular arms withered almost visibly. In just a moment, they transformed from strong arms into thin sticks.

Although flesh and blood were still present, it was at most skin and bones. Hanging down on both sides of the body, the structure of human joints was clearly visible. With so little flesh and blood left, it was doubtful whether it could even hold a wine glass, let alone fight.

He displayed his arms, then Jax and donned his heavy gauntlets again.

The process was somewhat difficult, and Yuan Chen stepped forward to help. However, before he could get close, Jax shouted, "Don't come any closer!"

After saying that, perhaps realizing that his expectations were wrong, Jax added sullenly, "It's not time yet, you should come later... no, don't come."

As if remembering something, Jax struggled to put on his arm armor while staring at Yuan Chen and said, "When you're ready to leave Shurima, you'll naturally come here."

As he spoke, Jax put on his gauntlets. The instant he put them on, the muscles in his arms expanded at an astonishing speed... or rather, time reversed, and he returned to his peak condition.