"Time Control"

Without explaining his soul skill directly to Electrolux, Jiang Ci'an raised his hand, drew a small pebble from the ground with his Soul Power into his palm, and then tossed it away casually.

The pebble flew out, tracing an arc in mid-air, and then the deep purple soul ring beside Jiang Ci'an flickered.

In an instant, The pebble froze in mid-air.

It was not blocked by any force, nor was it held up by any energy; it had truly and physically come to a complete stop.

Even the tiny fragments that had flaked off while the pebble was in flight were frozen in the air, as if the pause button had been pressed on time itself.

Electrolux looked at the pebble suspended in mid-air, looking slightly surprised.

"Time stop?"

Jiang Ci'an nodded, but his movements did not cease.

He raised his palm again, aimed it at the pebble, and made a vague grasping motion, then turned his hand gently as if twisting an invisible dial.

Suddenly, the pebble began to trace its flight path in reverse, bit by bit, until it fell back into his palm.

A spark of curiosity appeared in Electrolux's eyes.

"Time reversal?"

Jiang Ci'an nodded, yet his movements still did not stop.

He raised his hand once more and threw the pebble.

Just as before, the pebble traced an arc through the air.

At the same time, the soul ring beside Jiang Ci'an flashed again.

But this time, the speed of the pebble naturally flying through the air suddenly accelerated!

The distance that should have taken several seconds to cover was traversed in an instant; it hit the ground with a "snap," bounced twice, and then settled into silence.

Electrolux's expression became even more surprised.

He looked at Jiang Ci'an, then his gaze fell back to the deep purple soul ring beside him, his eyes full of inquiry.

"There is also time acceleration?"

Jiang Ci'an nodded, withdrew his hand, and spoke unhurriedly:

"My second soul skill is called 'Time Control.' Its effect is to allow me to manipulate the flow of time, which can be broken down into stopping time, reversing time, and accelerating or slowing down time.

"However, limited by my Soul Power, mental strength, and level, my ability to interfere with the outside world is currently weak, and I can only affect non-living objects.

"As for myself, the restrictions are relatively fewer, and I can adjust my own time to a certain extent."

Electrolux listened, fell silent for a moment, and then couldn't help but ask:

"In your world, can everyone master some kind of power as easily as you?"

Jiang Ci'an paused slightly, realizing Electrolux had misunderstood, and shook his head.

"That's not the case."

He thought for a moment and deliberated:

"Generally, when soul masters obtain soul skills, the formation of the skill relies on their martial soul and their personal intent. The effects are mostly relatively singular, and there are limitations to obtaining them.

"For example, a soul master with a purely fire-attribute martial soul could never obtain a time-related ability by absorbing a soul ring. Even if they specifically hunted a time-attribute soul beast to absorb its ring, the absorption would fail because the attributes would not match.

"And even if a soul master with a time-attribute martial soul absorbed the soul ring of this Variant Medusa, they would most likely only obtain the 'Time Stop' ability, without any other effects.

"My martial soul is special; it can be considered an exception."

His "World Modulation Mode" was inherently very unique.

When he obtained "Indifference," because it was his first time, he didn't feel anything particularly special.

But after absorbing his second soul ring and obtaining "Time Control," he began to perceive the uniqueness of his own martial soul.

To put it simply, if others absorbing a soul ring is like loading an external ability onto their martial soul, then his absorption of a soul ring is more like using the ring as a key to activate abilities that already existed within his own martial soul.

Moreover, as more abilities are activated, his original abilities are also constantly strengthening.

For instance, now that he had obtained "Time Control," his original "Indifference" and "Perspective" had both been enhanced.

It was like a puzzle; every soul ring was a piece, combining and stimulating one another, allowing the entire picture to gradually become complete.

He had a premonition.

If his first soul ring had been the Variant Medusa, the soul skill he obtained would likely have been a simple "Time Stop."

Only when he obtained his second soul ring did the original "Time Stop" naturally evolve into the more complete "Time Control."

This was the specificity of his martial soul, a one-of-a-kind trait.

It was precisely because of this uniqueness that his soul skills were more capable of development and evolution.

Electrolux listened, his eyes thoughtful.

"Is that so..."

He paused for a moment, then shook his head and continued.

"Even if you are merely an isolated case, the spirit master system of your world still possesses inherent superiority.

"In other worlds, whether it be magic or combat techniques, everything requires learning, practicing, and honing bit by bit. Certain high-level skills even demand years or decades of effort to achieve any success.

"Yet for you, one only needs to absorb a spirit ring to master them, saving an immeasurable amount of time.

"Furthermore, you can even master abilities that would be impossible to learn under normal circumstances simply by absorbing a spirit ring.

"If one could edit spirit ring skills and freely write the techniques contained within, then many abilities that are difficult to learn—to the point of having no successors—could be passed down through this method..."

Reflected in Electrolux's golden eyes was that deep purple spirit ring. There was not a hint of disappointment in his gaze; rather, it was filled with eagerness.

"Interesting, truly interesting..."

Electrolux murmured, falling into a state of deep contemplation.

Jiang Ci'an watched him, having no intention of disturbing him in the slightest.

For a being who had conducted in-depth research into the spirit master system on the original timeline and even managed to craft a martial soul by hand before his dissipation, he trusted the other's research capabilities.

Hmm, once he returned, he could prepare some materials for Elder Yi and share the information he had obtained from Xiao Wu regarding spirit rings and spirit bones with him.

As for now, he wanted to head home first, then enter the Virtual World to test just how far his "Time Control" could actually go.

He was looking forward to it immensely.

Just as he intended to use the authority granted by Electrolux to open a door home, Jiang Ci'an suddenly thought of something else, shifting his spatial coordinates slightly to point toward a different location.

A moment later.

On a lush, verdant meadow, Jiang Ci'an's figure stepped out from a gray portal that had manifested out of thin air.

The moment he stepped out of the portal, Jiang Ci'an caught the scent of a cloying, fishy sweetness permeating the air.

He raised his eyes to look ahead.

There, a deep purple poisonous miasma lay coiled in the depths of the forest like a silent behemoth.

The miasma churned, and one could vaguely see the scattered remains of numerous spirit beasts within—large and small, sparse and fragmented. Some had already weathered into white dust, while others still clung to dried flesh, appearing exceptionally eerie against the backdrop of the toxic fog.

The Jade Phosphorus Seven-Absolute Flower Poison Array.

And deep within this poison array lay the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, which nurtured numerous immortal herbs.

Jiang Ci'an gazed calmly at this expanse of poisonous miasma, yet he made no further move.

With Elder Yi's help, combined with the host of undead creatures in the Undead Demi-plane, it would not be difficult for him to ignore this miasma and enter the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

The only things that were slightly troublesome were the several hundred-thousand-year immortal herbs within.

But he had not come today to go inside.

He simply wanted to check in.

Or rather, to conceal this place.