Time Hourglass

Kraun pulled himself together and began visualizing the Golden Light Incantation.

When one cycle ended, the roars of decay and terror sounded in his mind again, and his body still hurt.

He didn't know if it was his imagination, but he felt that this time, the Affliction lasted a little less than it had yesterday.

Once his body gradually returned to normal, a fierce look flashed across his face, and he continued visualizing.

By noon, he could clearly feel that the wailing in his mind after each visualization cycle had weakened considerably, and the pain in his body had eased as well.

Kraun held out his hands and was delighted to see that the black patches on his arms had faded considerably.

"Phew."

He let out a long breath, then cheerfully hurried off to make a meal.

Between the toll of the Golden Light Incantation and the pain in his body, his strength and energy were draining away very quickly. He had already eaten all the food he'd prepared the night before.

After relaxing for a while and enjoying a hearty meal, Klaan didn't feel like resting for even a few minutes. He continued visualizing the Golden Light Incantation.

A bright moon appeared before his eyes, then entered the space between his brows. It followed the planned pathway to the Danzhong Acupoint, moved left toward his heart, and he visualized his heart as a Red Sun radiating Golden Light through his internal organs. Finally, the Red Sun moved to his dantian, where it illuminated his whole body and radiated beyond it.

This Visualization Method had gradually become second nature to Kraun. He performed it as naturally as breathing.

Two hours later, most of the black patches on his body had faded considerably.

Two more hours passed. As the setting sun dipped toward the horizon, all the black patches disappeared, and his skin returned to normal, with a faint jade-like sheen.

At that moment, Kraun completed a visualization. Waves of black smoke rose from his body, and a faint, foul stench filled the room.

The Evil Spirit's whispers, already very faint, suddenly grew louder, then quickly weakened again.

Kraun felt a scene appear in his mind.

A creature resembling an octopus writhed wildly amid golden flames. Its head and tentacles were covered in eyes, and black smoke burned off its body.

The smoke circled around the creature, growing fainter and fainter.

As the flames consumed it, the creature grew smaller and smaller. It didn't last long before finally turning into an hourglass filled with golden sand.

The hourglass spun rapidly, as if crossing a stretch of space to reach another scene. It came to rest beside a huge Crystal Ball and began slowly circling it.

Kraun's consciousness lingered there too. He felt as if he had become an intangible object, with only his awareness remaining.

He looked closely and realized that the huge Crystal Ball was the one that had appeared after he visualized beneath the morning sun.

Now, the faint layer of gold on the Crystal Ball's left side had disappeared.

Where am I? How do I get out?

As soon as the thought surfaced, Kraun felt his consciousness drop from the air and rush back into his body.

A nauseating stench filled his nostrils, and he nearly threw up on the spot.

He hurried to his feet, threw open the window, then strode toward the door.

Passing the full-length mirror by the entrance, he suddenly froze.

The man in the mirror had fair skin and a rosy glow on his face.

With sharp brows and bright eyes, he looked radiant from every angle. Even his hooked nose seemed rather charming.

I'm so handsome!

Strength is only temporary, but good looks last a lifetime!

Kraun ran his fingers through his hair with a self-satisfied smile, then left the room.

The Golden Light Incantation even had a beauty-enhancing effect. He gave this skill a thumbs-up!

In high spirits, Kraun moved to another room. He wanted to visualize again and make sure the threat of the Evil Spirit had been completely eliminated.

After visualizing with practiced ease, he felt thoroughly refreshed. Apart from hunger, he showed no sign whatsoever of having an Evil Spirit inside him.

"Haha." He chuckled softly a few times, and his taut nerves finally relaxed. Grinning, he reheated the rice and happily ate four full bowls.

After his hearty meal, Kraun sat down in a chair to rest and think things over.

He considered buying an alarm clock or a pocket watch to keep track of time. Without knowing the time, he couldn't comfortably visualize during Mao Hour and You Hour.

He had already studied the methods for making the Heart-Clearing Talisman and the Golden Light Talisman.

The golden substance he'd obtained from the Crystal Ball after visualizing beneath the morning sun was one of the ingredients for drawing Golden Light Talismans. It was called Sunfire Liquid.

One of the ingredients for the Heart-Clearing Talisman was called Moon Dew. The instructions said it could be obtained through visualization during You Hour.

He didn't know how practical either Dao Talisman was, but the power the Golden Light Incantation had displayed after advancing made him eager to find out.

Kraun focused on the Crystal Ball's location, and in an instant, his consciousness was there.

The Crystal Ball's purpose was clear now: it was a vessel for storing Sunfire Liquid and Moon Dew.

But the hourglass formed from the Evil Spirit's remains still needed to be tested.

It was an hourglass with a brass base. A shallow layer of fine sand glimmered with a golden light inside its crystal-clear glass.

The fine sand wasn't falling. It remained in the upper half of the hourglass.

The hourglass was also spinning constantly. Kraun saw two Silver Coin-colored stars engraved on its base, and every second, both stars flashed at once.

He touched the hourglass with his mind, wanting to see if he could turn it upside down.

To his surprise, the hourglass seemed fused with the void. He couldn't budge it at all.

Something strange happened when he touched it: he felt as if he were stroking his own skin. The sensation was wonderful.

Kraun felt a bead of sweat roll down his forehead. Touching myself feels good?

How could such an indecent thought even occur to me?

Though he was ashamed of the thought, he couldn't stop himself from "stroking" the hourglass over and over.

After the stars on the brass base flashed again, they didn't go dark. They remained lit.

A sudden intuition arose in Kraun's mind, and he understood the two functions the hourglass currently possessed.

The first was timekeeping. He could now sense the passage of time, accurate to within fifteen minutes.

The second was stopping time. He could expend Time Sand—the fine grains inside the hourglass—to briefly halt time around his body. He would need to test the ability more precisely to learn its full extent.

Kraun's consciousness returned to his body. He was eager to test these two mysterious abilities.

"It's a quarter to six."

The words came naturally to him.

He had no timer to verify the time, but after glancing outside, he felt it was probably about right.

Then he took out a Silver Coin and tossed it lightly into the air.

When it began to fall, he focused his mind and used the hourglass's power. The Silver Coin seemed to lose its weight and truly hung motionless in the air.

He maintained the effect for about three or four seconds. Then the Silver Coin regained its original weight and began falling again.

Kraun held out his hand and caught the falling Silver Coin. His consciousness returned to that unknown space.

He saw that the golden sand inside the hourglass had been completely used up.

What an incredible ability. From now on, I'll call you the Time Hourglass!