The Limit of "Time Control"

It was an enormous silver dragon.

Beneath the glowing ore embedded in the hollow walls, each of her silver scales gleamed with a cold metallic sheen.

Her silver wings were folded at her sides, and her long, slender tail wound along the edge of the hollow. Her massive body, slender yet far from frail, was curled into a sleeping posture as she lay quietly asleep.

The Silver Dragon King.

Jiang Ci'an watched the silver dragon, the light in his golden pupils growing brighter as he tried to see more. However... he paused.

At that moment, through Jiang Ci'an's "Perspective," he could clearly see the patterns of flesh beneath her silver scales, and even the silver blood, faintly shimmering with seven colors, slowly flowing through her veins.

However... that was as far as he could go.

He couldn't see anything deeper—not her meridians, bones, or the flow of her energy. He could only see through her dragon scales and skin...

This was the first time his "Perspective" had encountered something it couldn't see through in this Virtual World.

Jiang Ci'an paused, then turned his gaze toward the other Soul Beasts.

Di Tian, Bi Ji, Ten Thousand Demon King, Xiong Jun... even the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, whose source was being extracted.

Wherever his gaze fell, "Perspective" could clearly see the flesh, bones, and flow of energy within them.

But when he looked back at the Silver Dragon King,

it was still the same: he could only see through a thin layer on the surface.

Jiang Ci'an withdrew his gaze and murmured,

"So there really is some kind of limit."

Jiang Ci'an wasn't particularly surprised.

Long ago, when he first entered this Virtual World, he had sensed that his "Perspective" and other abilities had merely been greatly enhanced here. They weren't all-powerful in the absolute sense, without any limits.

It was just that the degree of this "enhancement" was so outrageous, and as he obtained his First Soul Ring and Second Soul Ring, that limit kept being pushed higher.

So much so that until now, he hadn't known just how far his abilities had been enhanced.

Now, he knew.

Against beings below the god level, his abilities were essentially unstoppable.

But against the Silver Dragon King—a being whose full-strength power had been at the God King level, and who was now gravely injured and asleep, maintaining roughly the power of a Second-Level God to a Third-Class Deity—his abilities could only have a limited effect.

"Perspective" could still see through the Silver Dragon King's outer surface, but no deeper.

The dividing line was clear.

Jiang Ci'an silently committed this information to memory, planning to test later how much effect his "Indifference" and "Time Control" could have on her.

For now, he would continue testing the limits of his "Time Control."

He withdrew his gaze from beneath the Star Dou Great Forest and returned it to Xiao Wu.

Time continued to advance.

Xiao Wu returned and reunited with the others from Shrek. After that, they made their way back to the academy without incident.

Then came cultivation and battle.

After making progress in their cultivation, the group entered Heaven Dou Royal Academy in search of better cultivation resources. They clashed with Dugu Bo there and left in disgrace.

Afterward, they entered Blue Tyrant Academy.

Then, because of the matter of finding an antidote, Tang San was taken away by Dugu Bo and brought to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

Jiang Ci'an watched Tang San beside the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well. He had already struck a deal with Dugu Bo to refine an antidote for him.

Then,

everything came to a halt.

Time, which had been speeding up rapidly, suddenly returned to its normal pace.

The sun and moon, rapidly alternating in the sky, froze at a certain moment. The figures below, previously stretched into blurs, became clear again. The wind began to blow, and the leaves started rustling once more.

The time he could accelerate had reached its limit.

Jiang Ci'an hovered in midair, lowering his eyes slightly as he sensed that the domain of "Time Control" could advance no further. It seemed to have reached some kind of limit.

After a moment, Jiang Ci'an confirmed it.

He had fast-forwarded nearly seven years—or, more precisely, six years and ten months.

And that span of time happened to match his actual age in the real world.

So,

"How old I am in the real world determines how long I can fast-forward time in this Virtual World?"

Jiang Ci'an pondered this and confirmed the current limit of his "Time Control."

He had to admit, this ability to accelerate the world's time gave him plenty of new ideas for making use of the Virtual World.

Without rushing into action, Jiang Ci'an first took a moment to recall the many tasks piling up in his mind. He went through them one by one, making sure he hadn't missed anything, then nodded lightly.

There was a lot to do.

One thing at a time.

And the first...

Jiang Ci'an's gaze fell on a spot not far away.

There, three girls of distinctly different appearances sat shoulder to shoulder on the lawn of Shrek Academy, chatting and laughing. They looked quite happy, though he couldn't tell what they were talking about.

Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong.

Jiang Ci'an looked at the three girls and couldn't help giving them a closer look.

Xiao Wu had changed the most. Compared to her earlier, slightly immature self, she had now fully grown into her figure. Her legs were long, her waist slender, and her face exquisitely beautiful.

On the other side, Zhu Zhuqing was tall, with a striking figure and long, black hair that fell to her waist. Her manner was somewhat cool.

Even seated on the lawn, the stunning lines of her figure, wrapped in black stockings, were impossible to miss.

Ning Rongrong looked a little more unremarkable by comparison, but she had a graceful figure and slender waist. Her pink hair fell over her shoulders, and she seemed lively and gentle.

One after another, they all looked about eighteen or nineteen.

Jiang Ci'an paused without meaning to.

It had to be said, the way Soul Rings aided physical development was truly astonishing.

Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong already looked quite mature, while Zhu Zhuqing...

His gaze lingered briefly.

One could only say that the Zhu Family bloodline was indeed remarkable.

Come to think of it, given that the Zhu Family and Dai Family had intermarried for generations, Zhu Zhuqing should also carry some of the Dai Family bloodline—that is, the White Tiger Bloodline...

His gaze shifted slightly on its own, a faint glimmer rising in his pupils, but then he stopped.

The light faded. Jiang Ci'an closed his eyes and rubbed his brow, feeling a headache coming on.

In this Virtual World, his "Perspective," "Indifference," and "Time Control" had been greatly enhanced. With these abilities working together, he could truly do whatever he wanted here.

He had managed to hold back before partly because he felt it would be wrong, and partly because...

Who would be interested in someone underage? Anyone who was should be shot on the spot, all right?!

But now...

There was no way they were underage anymore!

Jiang Ci'an took a deep breath, calming the jumble of strange thoughts and impulses in his mind. Then his gaze settled on Xiao Wu.

He'd better take care of business first and keep working on Xiao Wu's Soul Ring.

As for the rest,

he'd have to find some way to relieve the tension. If he kept going like this, he really wouldn't be able to take it.