Beneath the dome of the Forgotten City, the seven spacetime crystals rotated faster and faster, their intertwined light patterns outlining a star-like trajectory in mid-air.

Standing in the center of the light array, the moment Lin Yi's fingertips touched the nearest crystal, a stream of scalding information rushed into his consciousness through his nerves—it was a fragment of spacetime rules from an advanced civilization, carrying a scorching pain that burned his soul.

"Gene matching rate 97%...98%...99%!" Chu Yao's voice almost cracked. "Master, your spiritual sea is actively absorbing the rules in the crystal!"

This is...this is the unique power resonance of a mythical-level profession!

Lin Yi closed his eyes.

He recalled the fleeting fluctuations within the Night Owl Space Vulnerability and quickly constructed a new operating model in his mind, attempting to use his mental power to guide the spatial turbulence to flow according to this model.

He could clearly perceive that his consciousness was forming a connection with the entire space that transcended matter.

The originally chaotic spacetime turbulence was now as docile as a tamed beast, flowing along a specific trajectory under the guidance of his mental power.

"Go." He uttered a low shout, and a ghostly blue flame rose from his palm.

That was not flame, but spacetime power compressed to its extreme, each strand carrying the sharpness to cut through dimensions.

The moment the flames pierced the sky, the entire illusion trembled violently.

The mist that had enveloped the surroundings seemed to be sliced ​​open by a sharp blade, revealing the figure of the Night Owl—a humanoid silhouette shrouded in black mist, its scarlet vertical pupils fixed intently on Lin Yi.

Behind it, countless tentacles made of mental energy were frantically churning the space, but at this moment, those tentacles were shrinking at a visible speed, as if they had been doused with ice water.

"This is impossible!" Night Owl's voice was distorted with electronic sounds. "You're nothing but an ant that has just touched the threshold of spacetime, how could you possibly..."

"Because I am the rule-maker." Lin Yi's voice was devoid of emotion, but the flames at his fingertips suddenly surged.

The mysteries of space and time unfolded behind him as a semi-transparent star map, with each star corresponding to a timeline.

He casually flicked one of them, and the scene in the illusion instantly changed—the tentacles that were just tearing at space now shrank back into the Night Owl's body, tearing its black mist to shreds as well.

Chu Yao cheered in the communicator: "Night Owl's mental interference intensity has decreased by 73%!"

Master, your new skill 'Time Reversal (Beginner)' has activated!

This is the first highlight.

Lin Yin could feel that his mental energy was operating at an unprecedented efficiency.

In the past, spacetime distortion required a large amount of energy, but now it can be accomplished with just a thought.

He could even hear the humming of the crystal as it resonated, a sound that seemed to accompany his every movement.

"Continue." He clenched his fist, and the star map spun even faster behind him.

Suddenly, countless silvery-white cracks appeared on the ground in the illusion; these were spatial wormholes that he had forcibly torn open.

What emerges from the depths of the wormhole is not darkness, but the light of dawn—sunlight from the real world.

As the first rays of sunlight fell upon the night owl, the black mist hissed and emitted wisps of smoke, like fabric being scorched.

The owl's silhouette began to blur.

It clearly did not expect that this human would use the temporal and spatial barriers between the game and reality as a weapon.

But just as Lin Yi was preparing to press his advantage, a sudden change occurred—

The light patterns on all seven crystals suddenly went out.

The once-flowing morning light was instantly drained, and the Forgotten City was plunged back into darkness.

This darkness was different from the previous ones; it was mixed with a bone-chilling cold and faint whispers.

In describing the Forgotten City, a mysterious shadowy aura and strange fluctuations have always permeated the place.

Lin Yi suddenly felt goosebumps on the back of his neck. He could sense that something far beyond the Night Owl was watching them.

"Master!" Chu Yao's voice was urgent, "The resonance frequency of the spacetime crystal has suddenly changed!"

A new mental fluctuation...is coming from a test of the core's will!

The second highlight.

Just as Lin Yi was immersed in the battle with Night Owl, the spacetime turbulence in the illusion suddenly intensified, and the scenes began to switch rapidly like a revolving lantern: one second it was the novice trial ground in the novice village, the next second it became the battlefield where he fought against alien creatures, and the next second, there was a scene of Su Qing being shrouded in black mist.

"Is this... a manifestation of spacetime turbulence?" Lin Yi narrowed his eyes.

He noticed that tiny fragments of time floated around the edges of each scene, some glowing with a golden light (representing the past), some shimmering with a deep blue light (representing the future), and others being murky gray (representing the possibility of being erased).

These fragments are colliding with each other, and could trigger a spacetime collapse at any moment.

In the shadows, a figure in a gray robe stood behind a crystal pillar, seemingly watching Lin Yi's every move, his eyes revealing a hint of worry and anticipation.

Xuan Mingzi tapped the stone table lightly with his fingertips, his worry deepening.

As the spacetime crystal rotates, the surrounding spacetime seems to have a subtle sense of balance.

At this moment, he could see a line of pale gold text appearing in the void above Lin Yi's head: "Spacetime balance: 47% (danger threshold 50%)".

This is a test progress bar that only he can see—if Lin Yi cannot find a new profound meaning before the balance falls below the critical value, the entire spacetime structure of the Forgotten City will collapse, and his mental sea will be torn apart as well.

"Chu Yao, analyze the timeline patterns in the new scene." Lin Yi took a deep breath and placed his right hand on his chest.

He could feel the [Time and Space Dominator] badge burning hot, a reminder that the real test had only just begun.

"Analyzing... Master, these scenes are key temporal and spatial nodes you experienced, but they have been rearranged and superimposed." Chu Yao's voice was tense. "Each scene is being detected absorbing your mental energy; your mental energy is decreasing at a rate of 12% per minute!"

"It's alright." A smile appeared on Lin Yi's lips.

He suddenly remembered what the white-bearded old man had said when he taught him the secrets of the "Tremor-Tremor Fruit": "A true strongman is never bound by rules, but rather uses rules to his advantage." The spacetime turbulence at this moment, though dangerous, was it not another kind of rule?

He raised his left hand, and a ball of chaotic light condensed in his palm.

It was a product of his forcibly blending the spacetime forces of the past, present, and future, and its surface still bore fine spatial cracks.

When the beam of light touched the nearest scene (the beginner village training ground), the scene suddenly froze.

All the fragments of time seemed to have been paused, suspended in mid-air, radiating a soft halo.

"I see." Lin Yi chuckled softly.

He finally understood that the new challenge was not to destroy the illusion, but to learn to establish order in a chaotic spacetime.

Just like when he first mastered the skills in the starting village—back then he couldn't even execute basic attacks smoothly, but now he can control the flow of time and space.

The third highlight.

His fingertips traced the still scene, and the fragments of time began to rearrange themselves according to his will: the fragments of the past sank to the bottom, the present floated in the middle, and the future was on the top.

The moment the three timelines clearly separated, the seven crystals roared simultaneously, and the light patterns lit up again. This time, the runes were more complex, yet also smoother.

"The spacetime balance has recovered to 63%!" Chu Yao almost shouted, "Master, you are reconstructing the spacetime order!"

This is...this is something only a mythical-level class can do!

The owl's black mist churned violently, as if gathering some powerful force, and its voice gradually changed from an electronic tone to a hoarse one, carrying an aura of madness.

The owl, which had been silent all along, suddenly let out a piercing shriek.

Its black mist was no longer blurry, but instead became more solid, revealing the bluish-gray skin and sharp bone spurs underneath.

Its pupils flickered with eerie green flames, a desperate madness.

"You think you can win like this?" Night Owl's voice was hoarse and human-like. "It took me three hundred years to plant the Shadow Seed in this training ground!"

Now, let me show you... what true spacetime devouring is!

Before the words were even finished, the entire illusion was suddenly dyed pure black.

Countless black holes cracked open beneath Lin Yi's feet, each emitting a gravitational pull that seemed to devour everything.

Even more terrifying, he could feel his spacetime power being pulled away by these black holes—like someone pinching the other end of a water pipe and forcibly sucking water in the opposite direction.

"Master, be careful!"

"This is the 'Sea of ​​Devouring' in the Shadow Dimension!" Chu Yao's voice was filled with unprecedented anxiety. "Your spacetime power loss rate has increased to 30% per minute!"

My sanity is about to drop below 50%!

Lin Yi's forehead was covered in cold sweat.

He could clearly sense that his mental sea was being torn apart little by little.

But he didn't panic; instead, he closed his eyes.

Deep within his consciousness, the [Time and Space Dominator] class badge shone with dazzling golden light, a sign that the class talent "Time and Space Origin Link" had been activated.

When he opened his eyes again, his pupils shimmered with a starlight-like light.

He raised his hands, and a rotating vortex of spacetime condensed in each palm.

The vortex on the left is gold (representing creation), and the one on the right is silver (representing annihilation).

The moment the two vortexes collided, the burst of light illuminated the entire black illusion.

The owl's figure trembled violently in the light, and the black mist began to fall off in patches.

But a strange smile curled at the corner of its mouth as it raised its hand and pressed it to its chest.

A jet-black beam of light shot out from the void behind it and struck Lin Yi precisely in the chest.

A sharp pain instantly swept through my entire body.

Lin Yi staggered back two steps and looked down at his chest—a black vortex was appearing there, expanding at a visible speed.

He could feel that the vortex was not only devouring his energy, but also trying to erode his soul.

"This is the mark of the Shadow Origin," Night Owl's voice laced with smugness. "Even if you can manipulate time and space, as long as this mark exists, you will always be my prey..."

Before the words were finished, a gray figure suddenly stepped out from the void.

Xuanmingzi stood beside Lin Yi, lightly touching the brand on his chest with his fingertips.

The black vortex solidified instantly, then began to recede at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"The test is not over yet, outsider." Xuan Mingzi's voice was calm, but the oppressive aura within it blurred Night Owl's figure once more. "You shouldn't have touched a power that doesn't belong to this dimension."

The owl let out a reluctant shriek, and the black mist began to shrink rapidly, as if it were about to retreat into the void.

But just as it was about to disappear, it suddenly turned to look at Lin Yi, its eyes filled with even greater madness: "Remember... when shadows cover the stars, your so-called master of spacetime is nothing but a joke..."

Before the words were even finished, its figure vanished completely.

But the darkness in the illusion did not recede; instead, it became even thicker.

Lin Yi could sense that something even more powerful was awakening in the depths of darkness.

Although the shadow mark on his chest was temporarily suppressed by Xuan Mingzi, it was still slightly hot, as if reminding him that this was only the beginning.

"Master!" Chu Yao's voice was choked with sobs, "Your spirit value is only 17% left!"

You must exit the illusion immediately!

Lin Yi wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked up at the crystal that had started spinning again.

This time, a dark crack appeared in the crystal's light patterns, resembling a hideous wound.

He could sense that the real ultimate test had only just begun.

From the depths of darkness, came the low growl of some colossal beast awakening.

And within that low hum, there was a faint, cold laugh from an owl: "Little mouse... next time, I'll devour your entire spacetime, clean as a thing..."