I Hijacked the Timeline (IHT)

It was a quiet night, with thick clouds obscuring the moon and a gentle breeze brushing through the air.

The school grounds were deserted. Other than the graduating seniors, all the other students had already gone home for the break. The empty field was free of couples holding hands and sneaking off for stolen moments. The silence was absolute.

In the corner of the field, Feng Qi came to a halt and closed his eyes.

He raised his arms slowly, mimicking the starting stance of the Cultivation Techniques he had learned in the dream. Stretching his right arm forward in a sweeping arc, he bent his knees, jumped, spun, and twisted his body with precision.

Moments later, just as he had anticipated, Feng Qi began sensing the spiritual energy particles floating in the air around him.

Back when he practiced the older Cultivation Techniques, it would take him around ten minutes to perceive the free-floating spiritual energy in the air. Now, using the future version, he could achieve this in just one minute.

The speed at which he absorbed spiritual energy had also increased several times over.

But a problem soon became apparent.

The spiritual energy he drew into his body couldn't converge in his dantian. Instead, it dispersed after only a short time.

This realization led Feng Qi to suspect that the connection between his dream-world body and his real-world body had created some sort of anomaly, rendering him unable to cultivate in reality.

"Does this mean I can only grow stronger in the dream world from now on?"

"Well, that's fine too. My goal is the Galaxy Research Institute anyway; they don't prioritize individual strength."

Feng Qi, ever carefree, calmly accepted this change in his circumstances.

Now, his thoughts turned to how he could promote the future version of the Cultivation Techniques in the real world.

Ideas began forming in his mind.

While Feng Qi lacked direct connections to major cultivation research institutes or prominent figures online, he did know one person who could help: Wang Jinsheng.

Unlike most other teachers at school, Wang Jinsheng had once been invited to join the prestigious Tiger Soul Research Institute and was an outstanding graduate of Star City Academy.

If Wang Jinsheng was willing to assist, he would undoubtedly have the connections to bring the future version of the Cultivation Techniques to Tiger Soul for testing. Once the exercises passed those tests, they could be rapidly promoted to the wider society.

At the same time, the breakthrough would establish Feng Qi as a genius in the field of cultivation research, potentially earning him a place in any research institute of his choice.

Having made up his mind to take on the role of humanity's savior, Feng Qi decided there was no point in staying low-key.

"I'm not some clichéd novel protagonist pretending to be weak to deceive others. Why hide my abilities? If I have the skill, I should flaunt it!"

With his decision made, Feng Qi resolved to find Wang Jinsheng immediately.

Feng Qi was intimately familiar with Wang Jinsheng's habits. After all, they had interacted often. In fact, it was Wang Jinsheng who had first encouraged Feng Qi to pursue cultivation research, recognizing his potential in the field.

Left hand holding a bottle of liquor, right hand a cigarette.

Sitting on the rooftop balcony of the teaching building, Wang Jinsheng wore a heavy expression.

Moments earlier, he had received tragic news: a college roommate of his had died in battle against domain creatures.

The news had hit him hard.

He still remembered the pact they had made twelve years ago during their graduation party:

"We'll dedicate our lives to humanity's future!"

After graduation, his roommate had joined a domain combat squad, fighting on the front lines against domain creatures. Wang Jinsheng, however, had turned down an offer to work at the Tiger Soul Research Institute, choosing instead to become a history teacher.

Taking a swig of liquor, Wang Jinsheng's bleary eyes wandered to the field below. That's when he noticed a figure practicing Cultivation Techniques under a streetlamp.

"With exams so close, instead of studying, someone's out here working out?"

As he watched, Wang Jinsheng's expression began to change.

He noticed that the figure's movements deviated significantly from the original Cultivation Techniques. The trajectory of the motions was different, and the sequences were much smoother and more fluid.

The person practicing under the streetlamp was none other than Feng Qi.

He knew that Wang Jinsheng liked to come to the rooftop to drink and stargaze at night, so he had deliberately chosen this location.

To make sure Wang Jinsheng could observe clearly, Feng Qi slowed his movements and repeated the routine tirelessly.

Intrigued, Wang Jinsheng set his bottle down and stood up. Following Feng Qi's motions, he began to rotate, jump, and twist his limbs.

Within a minute, Wang Jinsheng sensed the free-floating spiritual energy particles in the air.

Continuing the routine for a few moments longer, he abruptly stopped, his expression filled with shock.

"This cultivation technique… something's not right!"

Wang Jinsheng realized that this version of the cultivation technique enabled practitioners to enter a cultivation state ten times faster than normal and absorb spiritual energy at more than three times the usual speed.

If this improved version of the exercise were made widely available, Wang Jinsheng could already envision the profound impact it would have on humanity's future development.

"If the younger generation grows stronger, then the nation will grow stronger. If all of humanity's youth built their foundations using this improved exercise, they would undoubtedly surpass their predecessors!"

The grief weighing on Wang Jinsheng's heart dissipated entirely.

A fire burned in Wang Jinsheng's chest. He was eager to find out who the figure practicing this revised version of the Cultivation Techniques was and where they had obtained it.

Without hesitation, Wang Jinsheng leapt off the rooftop, landing gracefully a short distance behind Feng Qi.

"Feng Qi?" Wang Jinsheng called out uncertainly.

Hearing the familiar voice, Feng Qi turned around with a wide grin.

"Mr. Wang, what's up?"

"You did this on purpose, didn't you? Showing off this revised cultivation technique right in front of me—you clearly wanted me to notice!" Wang Jinsheng's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Come with me. We need to talk."

"It's late. How about tomorrow? I still have to study tonight."

Hearing Feng Qi's casual refusal, a vein throbbed on Wang Jinsheng's forehead. He took a step forward, grabbed Feng Qi in a headlock, and started dragging him toward the teaching building.

"You little brat, I haven't even settled the score with you for what you pulled in class today, and now you're playing games with me!"

"Mr. Wang, let go! I can't breathe! Your prized student is about to die!"

"Are you coming or not?"

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Feng Qi immediately admitted defeat and pleaded for mercy.

Feng Qi had always genuinely admired Wang Jinsheng.

Even before learning about Wang Jinsheng's stellar future reputation, Feng Qi already had a good understanding of him. He knew that Wang Jinsheng had once been invited to join the Tiger Soul Research Institute and was considered a highly promising talent in cultivation research.

In their day-to-day interactions, Wang Jinsheng was approachable and warm, more like an older brother than a teacher. He joked around and built a good rapport with the students.

But once class began, Wang Jinsheng became a completely different person—strict, focused, and demanding.

When they arrived back at the rooftop, Wang Jinsheng's expression turned serious.

"Feng Qi, where did you learn this revised version of the Cultivation Techniques?"

Feng Qi grinned mischievously. "If I told you I figured it out on my own, would you believe me?"

"Believe you? I don't believe a word of it!" Wang Jinsheng glared at him.

To Wang Jinsheng, researching cultivation techniques wasn't something you could achieve through sheer luck.

Every cultivation method involved the precise circulation of spiritual energy through the body's meridians and acupoints.

The human body was often referred to in cultivation research as the "Divine Repository." Cultivation techniques acted as the key to unlocking its potential.

The human body contained 52 single acupoints, 309 paired acupoints, and 50 extraordinary acupoints, for a total of 720 acupoints.

Spiritual energy absorbed into the body had to follow specific pathways dictated by the cultivation technique. These pathways directed the energy through various acupoints, unlocking the repository's potential, strengthening the bloodline, and enhancing physical resilience.

If a cultivation technique was flawed, it could cause disruptions in the practitioner's energy flow, potentially leading to severe injuries or even paralysis.

Even the top researchers at institutions like the Tiger Soul Research Institute or the United Research Institute didn't dare to experiment recklessly with cultivation techniques.

Now, hearing Feng Qi claim that he had single-handedly modified the Cultivation Techniques, Wang Jinsheng found it hard to believe.

While he was fully aware of Feng Qi's exceptional talent in cultivation research, Wang Jinsheng felt that Feng Qi still had a long way to go before he could genuinely refine a cultivation technique.