From Fanwu to Xinghai

Chapter 10 Time Compass

three days later.

Qingshi Town, the old Lin family residence.

Lin Chen lay on the bed and slowly opened his eyes.

"woke up?"

A familiar voice rang in my ears.

He turned his head and saw Uncle Chen sitting on a chair by the bed, holding a bowl of steaming hot medicine.

"Uncle Chen..." Lin Chen tried to get up, but found his whole body ached and he felt weak. "I..."

"Lie down." Uncle Chen pressed down on his shoulder. "You've been unconscious for three days."

Lin Chen was stunned.

three days?

He only remembered that after the martial arts exam finals, he had exhausted all his strength, and then he remembered nothing else.

"The results of the martial arts exam..." he asked hurriedly.

"You won." Uncle Chen handed him the medicinal soup. "Champion."

Lin Chen took the medicine, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him.

champion.

He actually won the championship in the Dynasty Martial Arts Examination.

A young man from a remote town, at the fourth level of Body Forging, defeated all his opponents, including Tieshan, who was at the ninth level of Body Forging, and won the martial arts exam.

This achievement is enough to make his name go down in history.

"Take your medicine first," Uncle Chen said, looking at him. "You need to rest now."

Lin Chen nodded and drank the medicine in one gulp.

The bitter medicine slid down his throat, bringing a warm sensation. He could feel his spiritual energy slowly recovering.

"Uncle Chen, I remember you said..." He put down the medicine bowl, looked at Uncle Chen, "that once I proved myself, you would take me to see the real world?"

Uncle Chen remained silent for a while.

"You still remember," he said. "Now that you've won the martial arts exam, it's certainly time."

He stood up and walked to the window.

"Lin Chen, do you know what other powers exist in this world besides martial arts?"

Lin Chen frowned slightly.

"Spiritual energy?" he said.

He still remembers that night before the martial arts exam, he accidentally wandered into the ruins and triggered the imprint of the river of time.

In the images that flooded his mind, he saw a completely different world.

A world of cultivators.

"That's right." Uncle Chen nodded. "Martial arts are just the foundation, while spiritual energy is the key to higher levels."

He turned around and his gaze fell on Lin Chen.

"Where do you think those abilities you displayed in the martial arts exam—prediction, time slowing—came from?"

Lin Chen's pupils contracted slightly.

"The marks left by the river of time," he said.

"That's right." A complex look flashed in Uncle Chen's eyes. "The Imprint of the River of Time is one of the most mysterious forces in the universe. It doesn't belong to martial arts, nor to ordinary spiritual energy cultivation, but is a gift from a higher dimension."

"A higher dimension?" Lin Chen asked, puzzled.

"There are many things in this world that ordinary people cannot understand," Chen Bo said. "The river of time, the flood of information, the law of causality... these are all higher-dimensional existences."

"And the mark on you comes from the power of that dimension."

Lin Chen fell silent.

He always thought he was just an ordinary teenager who had only gained these abilities by luck.

But now it seems he was wrong.

His abilities were far more complex than he had imagined.

"Uncle Chen, who exactly are you?" he finally asked.

Uncle Chen smiled slightly.

"I am a cultivator," he said. "Or rather, I used to be a cultivator."

"Peak of the Spiritual Cultivation Realm. Outer member of the Dark Blade Pavilion."

Lin Chen's pupils suddenly contracted.

Dark Blade Pavilion!

That mysterious force that had been searching for him throughout the martial arts exam!

"Uncle Chen, you..."

"Don't be nervous." Uncle Chen waved his hand. "I'm not here to arrest you. In fact, I've been protecting you secretly."

"Protect me?" Lin Chen was even more confused.

"Because your value is too great," Uncle Chen said. "Your imprint on the river of time is the most powerful existence in the last three hundred years. The Dark Blade Pavilion wants you, but I don't want them to succeed."

Why?

"Because the Dark Blade Pavilion's methods are wrong," Uncle Chen said. "They collect fragments of the River of Time for power and control. And you... you are the most suitable person I've ever seen to inherit this power."

He walked to the bedside and looked directly at Lin Chen.

"Lin Chen, I have a question for you."

"What was the first thing that came to mind after you acquired these abilities?"

Lin Chen fell silent.

He thought of the martial arts exam, the opponents he had defeated, Tieshan, and Bai Yutang.

What was the first thing that came to his mind?

"Become stronger," he said. "Make yourself stronger."

"And then what happens after you become stronger?" Uncle Chen pressed.

Lin Chen fell silent again.

What happens after you become stronger?

He thought of those images—images of the destruction of ancient civilizations that flooded his mind.

He thought of the river of time.

He thought of civilization.

"...Protect," he said. "Protect what I want to protect."

"Very good." Uncle Chen smiled with satisfaction. "This is your original intention."

"After obtaining the fragment of the River of Time, the young master of the Dark Blade Pavilion's first thought was 'rule.' Therefore, he was destined to be unable to truly control this power."

"But you are different."

Your original intention was to protect.

"Protect yourself, protect your family, protect civilization."

"Only those who possess this original aspiration can truly harness the power of the river of time."

A complex mix of emotions welled up in Lin Chen's heart.

He never imagined that the reason he gained his abilities was related to the "original aspiration" that Uncle Chen mentioned.

"Uncle Chen," he asked, "where exactly do you want to take me?"

Uncle Chen's gaze deepened.

"The back mountain," he said, "the place you once wandered into by mistake."

"Ancient relics".

"Temple of Time".

Half an hour later.

Lin Chen and Uncle Chen stood in front of the entrance to the mine on the back mountain of Qingshi Town.

The mine was still as desolate as Lin Chen remembered, overgrown with weeds and covered with vines.

But Lin Chen knew that this was just an appearance.

The true entrance lies hidden beneath this desolate landscape.

"Where was the place you accidentally wandered into last time?" Uncle Chen asked.

Lin Chen pointed to the depths of the mine: "At the very back, in the lower right corner of the rock wall, there's a crack in the stone. After I touched it, it opened."

Uncle Chen nodded.

"Come with me."

The two entered the mine one after the other.

In front of the rock wall.

Lin Chen touched the crevice in the stone again.

The familiar roar rang out, and the rock wall slid apart to both sides once again.

But this time, they were not greeted by a downward staircase.

Instead, it was a scene of light.

Golden light poured out from the entrance, illuminating the entire mine.

Lin Chen couldn't help but raise his hand to cover himself.

When he lowered his hand, he saw—

It was a huge underground space.

The dome is tens of feet high and is inlaid with countless luminous crystals, emitting a soft golden light.

In the center of the space was a huge altar.

A golden compass floats above the altar.

The compass was small, only about the size of a palm, and its surface was covered with densely packed runes and markings.

A golden beam of light rose from the compass and shot straight up to the dome.

Dozens of stone pillars surround the pillar of light.

Each stone pillar is covered with ancient texts and patterns.

"This is..." Lin Chen stared in shock at everything before him.

"The outer nodes of the Temple of Time," Chen Bo's voice rang in my ears, "or rather, the 'Eye of the Observer'."

"The observer's eye?"

"This site was left behind by an ancient civilization," said Uncle Chen. "Ancient civilizations have studied the long history of time, attempting to ascend to a higher dimension by mastering the laws of time. But ultimately, they failed."

"Before their demise, they scattered and preserved all their research findings across multiple nodes, waiting for future generations to discover them."

"These nodes are called 'observer's eyes' because they can observe the flow of time and record the rise and fall of civilizations."

Lin Chen's gaze fell on the compass on the altar.

"That compass..."

"The Time Compass," Uncle Chen said. "This is the first relic of cultivation, and it's also your target this time."

"As long as you can gain its approval, you can embark on the true path of cultivation."

Lin Chen strode toward the altar.

His heart was beating faster and faster.

The first relic of immortal cultivation that he is about to obtain.

The real path he is about to embark on.

Ten zhang (approximately 33 meters).

Five zhang (approximately 10 meters).

Three zhang (approximately 10 meters).

Lin Chen stood in front of the altar and stretched out his hand.

His fingers touched the compass of time.

boom!

A powerful force surged from the compass, impacting Lin Chen's consciousness.

He saw it—

Countless images flashed before his eyes.

He saw an ancient civilization.

That civilization possessed a brilliant culture and advanced technology. They built starships and explored every corner of the universe. They discovered the secrets of spiritual energy and began the path of cultivation.

They became powerful.

It is becoming increasingly powerful.

It is so powerful that it has reached a higher dimension.

Then--

They failed.

Dimensional ascension failed.

The entire civilization was annihilated in the torrent of time, leaving only some relics and fragments scattered in various corners of the river of time.

These relics await those who come after them.

Waiting for the rise of the next civilization.

Waiting... for new hope.

The image disappeared.

Lin Chen returned to reality.

He found that his hand was still holding the compass of time.

The compass was emitting a gentle golden light.

"Successful recognition of Christ."

A clear, ethereal voice rang in his ears.

"Welcome, observer."

"I am Shiying."

"From now on, I will guide you toward the right path of time."

Lin Chen suddenly turned his head.

He saw a figure.

It was a humanoid shape made of golden light, without specific facial features, just a flowing ball of light.

"You are...?" he asked.

"I am Shiying," the light said, "a fragment of the consciousness of an ancient civilization, an observer of the river of time."

"Also, the guardian of this observer's eye."

"I have slumbered in this ruin for thousands of years, waiting for the destined one who can inherit the power of the observer."

Its gaze fell on Lin Chen.

"And you are that person."

A sense of awe welled up in Lin Chen's heart.

This is a consciousness entity from an ancient civilization.

Although it was just a fragment, it was still terrifyingly powerful.

"Time Shadow..." he said, "Why did the ancient civilization perish?"

Shi Ying remained silent for a while.

"Because of the dimensional barrier," it said. "Three-dimensional life forms must overcome the dimensional barrier to ascend to four dimensions."

"And the test of dimensional barriers is more brutal than anyone can imagine."

"Ancient civilizations failed the test."

"Their timeline was forcibly severed, their civilization's memory was erased, and everything started from scratch."

Lin Chen's pupils contracted slightly.

Dimensional barriers.

The challenge of moving from three-dimensional to four-dimensional.

This is the challenge he will face in the future.

"Can I prevent their fate?" he asked.

Shi Ying fell silent again.

"I don't know," it said, "but you possess something that ancient civilizations never had."

"What is it?"

"Hope," Shi Ying said, "and..."

Its "gaze" fell on Lin Chen again.

"A heart that wants to protect."

Lin Chen fell silent.

protection.

From the moment he gained the imprint of time, his original aspiration has never changed.

Become stronger, then protect.

Protect yourself, protect your family, protect civilization.

Can this original aspiration truly save him from the fate of ancient civilizations?

he does not know.

But he will try.

"Shiying," he said, "I have one more question."

"explain."

Would you be willing to help me?

Shi Ying remained silent.

Then, it laughed.

Although it didn't have a specific face, Lin Chen could sense that it was smiling.

"Of course," it said. "From the moment you touched the Time Compass, we were already bound together."

"You are the observer."

"And I am your guide."

"Our shared mission is to ensure that this civilization..."

"Dimensional ascension successful."

at the same time.

Cloud City, Dark Blade Pavilion Branch.

Zhao Wuji knelt before a man in black robes, his face pale.

"Young Master, that Lin Chen... has disappeared."

"Disappeared?" The black-robed man's voice was chilling. "You mean, a boy who possesses a level-three fragment of the River of Time has vanished right under your nose?"

"Yes." Zhao Wuji lowered his head. "We searched for three days, but we couldn't find any trace of him."

The man in black robes fell silent.

After a long silence, he spoke.

"Investigate," he said. "Mobilize all members of the Dark Blade Pavilion. Even if you have to search the entire dynasty, find Lin Chen."

"A level three fragment... must not fall into the hands of others."

"yes!"

Zhao Wuji left the room.

The man in black robes stood still, his gaze unfathomable.

"Interesting," he muttered to himself.

"Level 3 fragment..."

"He is more valuable than I thought."

"If only we could bring him back..."

"Then I will be able to successfully ascend to a higher dimension."

"To become the first dimensional life form on this continent."