I Hijacked the Timeline (IHT)

Star City Academy, Library.

In a quiet corner of the reading room, Feng Qi and Lin Ran were engrossed in their books, fully immersed in their studies.

For the past three days, Feng Qi had spent most of his time in the library with Lin Ran, diligently building a solid foundation.

Even though he could obtain advanced cultivation techniques from the Dream Realm, Feng Qi firmly believed that basic knowledge could not be neglected. Without a solid foundation, suddenly mastering advanced techniques would make his abilities far too suspicious.

After all, a so-called "genius" who skipped the basics yet excelled in the profound would draw far too much attention.

In addition to studying, Feng Qi would sometimes accompany Lin Ran to classes.

During this period, under the strong insistence of the academy's students, he had also given a few lectures. His performance received unanimous praise... and an endless stream of flattery from Lin Ran.

At this point, Feng Qi and Lin Ran had become the center of discussion among students from multiple classes at Star City Academy.

However, these lectures had essentially exhausted his current stock of knowledge.

Both Tiger Fist and Body Tempering Technique had already been fully taught to the students, and now he had nothing left in reserve.

This was when he truly yearned for the "unlimited memory" function described by the Narrator.

With perfect memory, every time he entered the Dream Realm, he wouldn't need to repeatedly watch the techniques and commit them to memory through brute force. Instead, he could easily remember everything in one go—saving both time and effort.

"Qi-ge, I want to look at some books on cultivating techniques," Lin Ran said suddenly, leaning closer with a face full of longing.

"Finish reading Magical Art Trajectories 5.0 first," Feng Qi replied without looking up.

"You're killing the dreams of a future master of cultivating techniques!" Lin Ran protested.

"I think I'm saving the world," Feng Qi said flatly, glancing sideways at Lin Ran before returning to his book.

Hearing this bizarre response, Lin Ran felt puzzled but could only lower his head and continue reading obediently.

Over the past few days, Lin Ran had repeatedly asked Feng Qi to teach him cultivating techniques. Feng Qi never outright rejected him but also never taught him anything.

His strategy was to buy time.

If he refused completely, Lin Ran would definitely find other ways to learn cultivating techniques, and Feng Qi preferred to keep this "ticking time bomb" close to him where he could keep an eye on him.

Considering Lin Ran had already conceptualized the framework for the Seal Formation Technique, it was entirely possible that he also had a rough idea for a cultivating technique forming in his mind. Feng Qi could not allow that idea to develop further.

Fortunately, Lin Ran was unusually obedient when it came to Feng Qi's requests. This gave Feng Qi some breathing room to continue with his "Dream Killer Plan."

By noon, Feng Qi and Lin Ran made their way to the academy cafeteria to eat as usual.

However, as soon as they arrived, they noticed something strange—Mu Qing, who always showed up rain or shine and was usually the first one in the cafeteria, was nowhere to be seen.

"That's strange. Mu Qing-jie loves eating so much; why isn't she here today?" Lin Ran remarked curiously.

"I'll go look for her. You go ahead and eat," Feng Qi said, turning to leave the cafeteria immediately.

Given what he knew about Mu Qing, she would never miss a meal during lunchtime.

Apart from her abnormally fast metabolism, eating had become Mu Qing's way of regulating her emotions—a habit instilled in her by her father.

To her, food was more than nourishment; it was a symbol of resilience and strength.

For her to miss lunch... Feng Qi suspected that something must have happened.

"Qi-ge, I'll go with you. Do you think Mu Qing-jie ran into trouble?" Lin Ran asked as he quickly caught up.

"I don't know yet. Let's split up and look for her," Feng Qi said decisively.

"Alright!" Lin Ran agreed.

The two of them split up and began searching for Mu Qing within the academy grounds.

On the eastern side of Star City Academy, inside the Gymnasium.

In the 800-square-meter Body Refining Room, rows of training equipment were neatly arranged.

As one of the core facilities of Star City Academy, a significant portion of the annual budget was allocated to updating and maintaining these tools for the students' use.

In a corner of the Body Refining Room, Mu Qing stood with an icy expression, glaring coldly at the three girls in front of her.

"Stay away from me."

The leading girl, sporting a buzz cut and chewing something casually, sneered as she looked at Mu Qing with a mocking gaze.

"It's my first time seeing a Rune-Enhanced Human. What kind of abilities do you have? Show us," the girl taunted.

Though they were standing inside Star City Academy, these girls were clearly not locals. They wore the uniforms of Winterfell Academy, marking them as exchange students, much like Lin Ran.

Earlier, while training, they had accidentally seen Mu Qing record an astounding strength score on one of the machines. Their initial curiosity turned to disdain when they realized Mu Qing was a Rune-Enhanced Human.

"Stay away from me," Mu Qing repeated coldly, her tone unwavering.

"Come on, just show us what you can do." They cornered Mu Qing against the wall, smirking as they closed in.

Mu Qing said nothing further. She took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the emotions welling up inside her.

Suddenly—Smack!

The buzz-cut girl slapped Mu Qing across the face.

"Didn't I tell you to cooperate? Be good and show us your abilities!" she sneered.

Mu Qing's chest heaved as she struggled to control her breathing. She still did not retaliate, for fear that if she made a move, she might completely lose control. If that happened, the consequences could be catastrophic.

"Look at her—what a freak. I slapped her, and her face didn't even turn red. The body of a Rune-Enhanced Human really is as tough as they say. I wonder how much damage she can take before breaking," the buzz-cut girl said maliciously, a cruel smile spreading across her face.

Unlike Star City Academy, Winterfell Academy operated under a ruthless "survival of the fittest" philosophy.

Bullying others was considered entirely normal there. As long as the injuries didn't result in serious harm or disability, teachers often turned a blind eye.

While brutal, this environment had produced many of the most renowned combat talents in history. Several prominent field combat squad leaders were graduates of Winterfell Academy.

Unfortunately, the three Winterfell Academy exchange students had brought this toxic behavior with them to Star City Academy.

Discovering that Mu Qing was a Rune-Enhanced Human—a rare existence only described in books—had piqued their interest. Her resistance and unwillingness to engage further angered them.

Faced with Mu Qing's cold, indifferent demeanor and refusal to acknowledge them, they turned to violence.

The three girls began to kick and punch Mu Qing, forcing her into the corner.

Mu Qing did not resist. The faint red glow in her eyes flickered dangerously, but she gritted her teeth and fought to keep her emotions under control.

"Freak, fight back!"

"Show us what a Rune-Enhanced Human can do, you monster!"

"Weren't you supposed to be violent and bloodthirsty? Why are you acting so weak?"

Their taunts grew louder and meaner.

Mu Qing simply curled up, pressing her back against the cold wall as fists and feet landed on her. She remained still, refusing to give in to the anger brewing inside her.

Seeing no reaction, the buzz-cut girl raised her right hand high, aiming for Mu Qing's head in a final, heavy blow.

"Enough!"

A sudden, angry shout rang through the Body Refining Room, startling the buzz-cut girl mid-swing.

The voice belonged to Feng Qi.

After searching Mu Qing's dorm and speaking to the dorm manager, Feng Qi had gotten a list of places she often visited. He had been checking each location one by one, never expecting to find her being bullied like this.

The three Winterfell Academy girls turned their heads, visibly surprised as Feng Qi strode toward them, his face dark with anger.

"What's your problem?" the buzz-cut girl asked dismissively, her tone full of disdain.

Feng Qi didn't respond. He simply walked up to her, lifted his hand, and slapped her hard across the face.

Smack!

The sound echoed through the room.

The buzz-cut girl's smug expression froze instantly, her face turning red from the slap. The other two girls immediately stepped forward, surrounding Feng Qi and glaring menacingly.

Before they could make a move, another voice rang out from behind them.

"Try laying a hand on him and see what happens."

The three girls turned toward the source of the voice, and their expressions instantly changed from anger to fear.

It was Lin Ran.

They hadn't even noticed when Lin Ran had entered, but there he stood, his usually cheerful demeanor replaced by an icy glare.