I Hijacked the Timeline (IHT)

Seeing the comment from the netizen "Fallen Leaves Return," Feng Qi couldn't help but feel moved.

He never expected that Mu Qing would choose to stand by him, without hesitation, during the darkest moments of his life—even if it meant facing the disdain and accusations of the entire world.

[A spark in the darkness is far warmer than a roaring fire in the light. What seems like insignificant support to you might be a beacon of hope and warmth in someone else's eyes.]

"Since when did you get so poetic, Narrator?" Feng Qi asked, surprised.

[I just wanted to remind you to stop being sentimental and get back to business!]

Feng Qi: ...

With those thoughts swirling in his mind, he decided not to waste any more time. He opened the search bar once again and typed in Lin Ran's name.

Immediately, Lin Ran's details appeared on the screen.

[Lin Ran]:

Age at Death: 103 years

Profile: Once hailed as the most talented newcomer at Tiger Soul Research Institute, Lin Ran had an unparalleled grasp of theoretical knowledge and made numerous groundbreaking contributions to spell research. He pioneered the "Seal Formation Flow" of spells and was later appointed leader of the newly formed Infinity Group at Tiger Soul Research Institute, where he shifted focus to cultivation technique research.

However, history would prove that while Lin Ran excelled in spell research, he was woefully inadequate in cultivation technique development. He led the entire Infinity Group down a disastrous path. The cultivation techniques they developed were riddled with fatal flaws, resulting in hundreds of thousands of practitioners suffering ruptured meridians, causing catastrophic setbacks to humanity's development.

Plagued by guilt, Lin Ran withdrew from both cultivation technique and spell research fields for the remainder of his life, passing away in obscurity.

Historical Achievements:

Human S-Rank Elite (Revoked)

Tiger Soul Infinity Group Leader (Revoked)

Tiger Soul Research Institute Elite Member (Revoked)

Outstanding Graduate of Winterfell Academy (Revoked)

Creator of Seal Formation Flow

Pioneer of Five Elements Mutual Reinforcement Spell Flow

Planner of Spell Trajectory 3.0

Tags: Historical Disaster

Netizen Comments:

Fleeting Years: Lin Ran's achievements are undeniable. The Seal Formation Flow of spells he created remains one of the five mainstream spell systems even 800 years later. Though he made mistakes, his intentions were for the betterment of humanity. Stripping him of all his honors was too harsh.

I Have Not Forgotten: Revoking Lin Ran's honors was inevitable. The consequences of his mistake were catastrophic, and public outrage at the time was immense. The Tiger Soul Research Institute was under immense pressure to save Lin Ran from a death sentence. What a pity—such a prodigious talent never touched spells again, and humanity lost one of its brightest minds.

Spell Talent: The founder of Seal Formation Flow, my ancestor in spell studies. Aside from "Shi Wudi," no one else comes close to matching his genius. Seeing those photos of Lin Ran in his later years—dejected and impoverished—is truly heartbreaking.

Wind Walker: You can't mention Lin Ran without bringing up Feng Qi. During one of Lin Ran's most triumphant moments—his lecture to an audience of tens of thousands—he once said that the person whose talent he admired most in his lifetime was Feng Qi. When he spoke about Feng Qi's untimely death, he couldn't hold back his tears. I wonder if Feng Qi really was as extraordinary as the rumors say.

Iron Fist: Lin Ran is a god in my heart. Yes, the people of his time cursed him, but 700 years later, he's been redeemed. That said, we can't deny his mistakes—his errors had disastrous consequences. His flawed techniques set humanity's progress back decades, and the fear of failure paralyzed researchers for years. What a tragedy.

Feng Qi noticed that Lin Ran's legacy drew mixed reactions.

The early comments were overwhelmingly critical, while later comments—particularly those made 700 years after his death—were far more forgiving.

What was most telling, however, was that nearly everyone believed Lin Ran's failures outweighed his achievements, which spoke to just how severe the consequences of his mistakes had been.

Feng Qi pondered this. In his current timeline, the total number of cultivators—including support roles like medical practitioners, formation masters, and herbalists—barely amounted to a few million.

Yet in the future, Lin Ran's mistake caused hundreds of thousands of people's meridians to rupture—a catastrophic number in the cultivation world.

The fact that hundreds of thousands of people suffered ruptured meridians and many even died within days of training couldn't be ignored. Lin Ran singlehandedly rendered one-tenth of the world's cultivators useless.

But what puzzled Feng Qi was why Lin Ran released incomplete cultivation techniques in the first place.

It made sense that hundreds of thousands of people followed Lin Ran's work.

After all, before delving into cultivation techniques, Lin Ran was already a world-renowned genius in spell research. He had millions of fans across the world and was easily the most influential figure of his time.

Any new technique released by him would undoubtedly become the focus of the world, and widespread adoption was to be expected.

The real question was: how did Tiger Soul Research Institute, known for its rigorous standards, allow Lin Ran to publish cultivation techniques that hadn't been perfected?

To uncover the truth, Feng Qi began searching through the database.

Moments later, the answer appeared.

It turned out that the cultivation techniques developed by Lin Ran performed flawlessly in simulation tests. Subsequent tests conducted by Tiger Soul's verification group, using spiritual energy on animals, also showed no issues. Even Lin Ran himself practiced the techniques without encountering problems.

However, when the techniques were released for ordinary people to train with, catastrophic issues emerged.

Ultimately, the problem stemmed from Lin Ran himself.

[Animals had no issues. Lin Ran himself had no issues. But humans couldn't train it? Is this guy secretly a beast or something?]

Feng Qi: ...

The narrator's sharp and bizarre commentary left Feng Qi feeling both exasperated and amused—because it weirdly made sense.

Despite the absurdity of the comment, Feng Qi became even more determined to make Lin Ran abandon his misguided exploration of cultivation techniques and return to spell research.

If he succeeded, Lin Ran's future would change dramatically.

Perhaps Lin Ran could even become a historical luminary like Wang Jinsheng. His achievements would push humanity forward, leaving a legacy of invaluable contributions.

After reviewing his own, Mu Qing's, and Lin Ran's evaluations from the future, Feng Qi decided to check major events from this era.

However, upon checking the time, he realized there was less than half an hour left before Little Black's arrival.

For safety's sake, he decided to leave first. Once Little Black left, he could return to the database to continue searching for more information.

With that, he turned and headed toward the metal passageway.

Before exiting the passage, he tried once again to push and pull the metal door embedded into the wall, attempting to see if it could close.

But no matter how hard he tried, the door wouldn't budge—not even an inch. Resigned, he gave up.

As for where to go next, Feng Qi already had a plan.

Since the narrator had suggested heading east, he decided to follow the direction.

Although the narrator was snarky, sharp-tongued, and often exasperating, its advice was reliable—a trustworthy partner in this desolate world.

Outside, the world was as bleak as ever.

Cold wind howled through the silence, carrying with it the haunting wails of the undead. The atmosphere was thick with dread and bone-chilling cold.

Along the way, Feng Qi made sure to eliminate any undead he came across, absorbing their energy as nourishment for his growth.

After walking for what felt like ages, a ruined cityscape appeared on the horizon.

The once-grand structures had been reduced to a sprawling wasteland of rubble and debris. Broken walls, shattered windows, and piles of stone painted a scene of devastation.

Walking into the ruins, Feng Qi climbed atop a tall building, hoping to get a clearer view of what had become of this world.

But as soon as he looked into the distance, his expression darkened.

A familiar figure emerged from the west, swiftly closing in.

Realizing that Little Black had caught up again, Feng Qi felt a headache coming on.

"This guy really is like a ghost—never stops chasing me."

At that moment, the narrator's voice echoed in his mind:

[Seeing how Little Black is so devoted to chasing you, I can't help but feel touched by this deep affection… (pause, background music plays): For you, I spent half a year's savings, traveling across oceans to see you. For this reunion, I even practiced my breathing for our first meeting…]

[Oh, how I wish to see you off a thousand miles, until mountains crumble and rivers dry up, spending a lifetime with you.]

Feng Qi: ...

Veins bulged on his forehead as he heard this ridiculous serenade. Without hesitation, he slid down the building, landed on the ground, and turned to run.

His life was too precious to waste. Being brave here was just plain stupid.

Head-on fights? Those were for reckless fools.