I Hijacked the Timeline (IHT)

On the field, all the first-year students of the Class of 23 sat in a large circle.

The class representatives stood in the center, listening as Bai Fusheng explained the rules for the duel.

Rules such as no weapons allowed, no striking vital parts of the body, no use of spells, and so on.

Feng Qi understood the necessity of these restrictions.

After all, the duel wasn't against domain creatures. Without rules, it could lead to serious injuries among the trainees. Severe cases might even result in permanent disability.

This was a common problem faced by all academies—how to ensure students' safety during training.

Ordinary sparring exercises held little practical value.

During such sessions, participants were hesitant to go all out because their opponents weren't domain creatures but fellow students.

One careless move could cause irreparable harm, leaving lifelong consequences.

Apart from Winterfell Academy, which allowed unrestricted combat between students, most other academies adopted a more cautious approach. Students underwent systematic training and were then led by professional teams to conduct actual combat practice in domain fields.

Even with these measures, many students still suffered severe injuries during live combat training each year, with some even losing their lives in the domain fields.

Balancing safety while enhancing practical combat skills remained an unsolvable issue.

This reminded Feng Qi of a groundbreaking solution from the future—the game Savior.

According to descriptions in the future database, this game perfectly simulated real-world physics and incorporated all known spell trajectories. Players could cast spells in the game almost exactly as they would in reality.

The physical effects of spells were indistinguishable from those in real life.

With the advent of Savior, a game that redefined its era, the problem of practical training for both academies and civilian groups was resolved. Humanity entered a new phase where strong individuals emerged in large numbers.

Watching Bai Fusheng continue explaining the duel rules, Feng Qi felt an even stronger desire to create Savior.

But until he unlocked the unlimited memory feature, he couldn't transcribe the enormous amount of data and code required for the game. For now, it remained a distant goal.

The best he could do now was to focus on bringing Savior's physics engine to life ahead of schedule.

He already had a plan for this. Once the time was right, he would seek out Fang Zhiyou, a genius in virtual engine development.

"The rules are now clear. Let the duel begin," Bai Fusheng announced as he stepped out of the center of the field.

The first duel was between the representatives of Special Training Class One and Special Training Class Two.

At the referee's signal, the battle began instantly.

Watching the fight unfold, Lin Ran, sitting beside Feng Qi, yawned. "This is so boring. This restrained fighting style would get you beaten beyond recognition back at Winterfell Academy."

Feng Qi glanced at him. "Have you ever been beaten at Winterfell Academy?"

"Yeah, first day of school. Got beaten up by a senior. That thrashing kept me bedridden for three days. But thankfully, they had limits and didn't go too far. After that, I was never beaten again."

"Why not?" Feng Qi couldn't help but ask.

"Winterfell Academy's teaching environment is like a jungle—it's survival of the fittest. The competition is brutal, but there are still some rules," Lin Ran explained.

"For example, competition is only allowed between students of the same year. Other than the first day of school, senior students aren't allowed to bully freshmen. And during fights, causing death is strictly forbidden."

"I was always the strongest among my peers. Later on, even the upperclassmen couldn't match me. Who could possibly beat me?" Lin Ran grinned smugly as he spoke.

Watching Lin Ran slowly start to show off, Feng Qi was speechless.

Shifting his gaze to the field, he noticed the first match ended in under ten minutes. Soon, the representatives of Special Training Class Three and Class Four stepped forward.

Lü Yue, representing Class Three, faced off against a tall female student who was smiling as she looked at him.

When the referee called, "Begin!" the female student made the first move.

In an instant, she closed the gap between them, sending a right roundhouse kick toward Lü Yue's face.

Lü Yue responded quickly. His movements were sharp and precise—his right leg swept toward her supporting left leg.

The sudden impact disrupted her balance, sending her crashing to the ground.

Not willing to concede so easily, she rolled back to her feet and launched another attack, stepping forward with renewed determination.

But before she could get close, Lü Yue's right foot shot forward, striking her in the abdomen and sending her sprawling again.

Observing Lü Yue's composed demeanor, Lin Ran clicked his tongue in amazement.

"Fast, ruthless, precise—this guy must have extensive combat experience. There's no way training alone could refine such accurate predictive abilities. Could he be part of a domain combat squad?"

Hearing Lin Ran's speculation, Feng Qi's curiosity about Lü Yue and his mention of the "Path to Ascension" deepened. He resolved to investigate related information during his next foray into the future dream realm.

Lü Yue's battle concluded in under a minute, and the matches continued.

Since these duels were intended primarily for entertainment, the use of spells or enhanced combat techniques was strictly prohibited. As a result, the fights felt underwhelming to both Lin Ran and Feng Qi.

If not for wanting to see Xia Long in action, they might have left already.

Finally, Xia Long made his appearance.

Standing at approximately 1.9 meters tall, he removed his shirt upon entering, revealing a body rippling with muscle. His mere presence exuded an oppressive aura.

When the referee gave the signal to begin, Xia Long's opponent, a fellow student, made the first move. Xia Long, however, remained completely still, showing no intention of dodging.

The opponent's fist landed squarely on Xia Long's chest, yet Xia Long seemed entirely unfazed. As a faint yellow energy shimmered across his body, the attacking student was instead forced back several steps.

Undeterred, the student charged again, throwing a barrage of punches at Xia Long. But Xia Long still stood his ground, allowing every hit to land without retaliation.

Seeing this, Feng Qi was momentarily stunned.

The rules clearly prohibited the use of spells or physical cultivation techniques. Yet the referee didn't step in to stop the fight.

This could only mean one thing—the yellow energy surrounding Xia Long wasn't a cultivation technique but body-tempering protective qi, a phenomenon that emerged when physical training reached an advanced level.

"Wow, this Xia Long is incredible. He's so young, yet he's already developed protective qi. What an exceptional talent for body cultivation!" Lin Ran exclaimed beside him.

He then turned to Feng Qi. "Qi-ge, I think this guy might be the strongest in our class… aside from me, of course."

Feng Qi: …

Looking at Lin Ran, who spoke with such sincerity, Feng Qi couldn't help but wonder—where did he get the confidence?

Between Xia Long, Lü Yue, and Lin Ran, Feng Qi wasn't sure who was stronger.

But one thing he was certain of—if Mu Qing landed a single punch on Lin Ran, the guy would be out cold in the ICU for at least ten days.

If he didn't survive, well… straight to the afterlife for a character reset.