CHAPTER 40: BE A MAN THAT STOPS TIME

Wind Dragon glanced over and replied lazily, his voice carrying a trace of disdain, "Hmm?Oh, you mean that tower? That's the Tower of Time."

Hearing the contempt in his tone, Lu Chen grew curious. "The Tower of Time? What is it?"

Wind Dragon explained, "The Tower of Time is a treasure that Lord Seventh found in an ancient secret realm. Inside it, time flows at an accelerated rate. Each floor you ascend speeds up time by a hundredfold. Each floor also contains the complete life cycle of a small world. The method used to forge the medallion's world came from this tower."

Lu Chen's eyes sparkled with interest as he listened. He stared straight at Wind Dragon.

Wind Dragon was a little unsettled by Lu Chen's intense stare and asked, "Little Lu, are you cooking up another one of your crazy ideas?"

Lu Chen laughed, "Hahaha, I was just wondering... since the small world already runs ten times faster than the outside world, and the Tower of Time is even faster than that, wouldn't that be like a double boost?

"Besides, the small world isn't even fully formed yet. Once it's complete, I could spend tens of thousands of years cultivating inside the Tower of Time, and only a day would pass outside! That would make me the King of Time! I'd be the man who could stop time itself!

"And after I find Grandpa, I could open a store and start a business. I'd be rich in no time! Hahaha, I am a genius!"

As Lu Chen indulged in his fantasy of a time-warped life, a wide grin stretched across his face from ear to ear.

Wind Dragon slapped him on the back with his tail, snapping him out of his dream. "Heh, you're getting way ahead of yourself."

Lu Chen frowned. While Wind Dragon's words didn't seem particularly harsh, the tone reeked of mockery, which only made Lu Chen more curious. "Wait a minute... why do you sound so dismissive?"

Wind Dragon sighed and replied reluctantly, "Hmph. This treasure might've been impressive in ancient times, but now? It's practically useless.

"Back then, it took Lord Green Emperor and his ten avatars working together just to activate the first floor for half a day. They were the strongest cultivators of their era. Not to mention, the spirit qi was hundreds of times denser than it is now. So tell me, isn't this treasure more trouble than it's worth?"

Listening to Wind Dragon's explanation and recalling the memories from Feng Tiancheng, Lu Chen began to grasp the situation. Nevertheless, he remained unconvinced. How could such a powerful treasure be unusable just because there isn't enough spirit qi?

"I don't believe it. I am going to try it myself."

With that, Lu Chen dragged Nantian Wan'er and rushed toward the Tower of Time. Before they could even reach the entrance, a mysterious force repelled them.

"Huh? What's going on? I can't get close."

Wind Dragon rolled his eyes. Watching Lu Chen make a fool of himself, Wind Dragon couldn't help but mock him, "You big dummy. Little Lu, did you truly believe you could become the man who stops time with that brain of yours? Did you not see the barrier left by Lord Seventh? It hasn't dissipated yet."

Lu Chen stared at the thin mist in front of him and scratched his head with an awkward grin. "Guess I got a little too excited."

His gaze lingered on the tower, so close yet completely out of reach. A pang of frustration surged within him. "So... how do we activate the Tower of Time? After all these years, someone must've figured it out, right?"

"If the memories Lord Seventh left behind didn't mention anything, then I don't know either," Wind Dragon replied honestly.

Just then, Wind Dragon noticed the Fire Phoenix flying over, and something clicked in his mind. "Actually... you might have a chance. Since the Green Sovereign Divine Tree's spirit qi can sustain the Fire Phoenix, it might also be able to power the Tower of Time."

Lu Chen sighed. "Ugh... That's still a long way off. Are there any other requirements to activate the tower?"

"I think you'll need some special materials too, but I'm not entirely sure what they are."

It was clear that Wind Dragon's knowledge of the Tower of Time was limited.

Lu Chen said with resignation, "Sigh... I guess we'll have to wait until this area fully opens up before we can figure it out.

"A treasure right in front of me, a thousand acres of fertile land at my feet... and I still can't get any of it. It's maddening."

Lu Chen looked longingly at the Tower of Time, but since they couldn't enter for now, he had no choice but to back down.

Just then, Nantian Wan'er pointed toward the tower. "Wait! What's that? I think I saw a shadow just now."

Lu Chen turned toward where she pointed, but saw nothing unusual. "What? I didn't see anything."

"I'm sure I saw someone come out of the Tower of Time," she insisted.

Lu Chen was surprised. "Really?"

As the master of the small world, he hadn't sensed anything unusual.

Wind Dragon thought for a moment and said, "It's possible. The stronger a cultivator, the longer they live. Back in the day, some of the envoys who followed Lord Green Emperor were granted access to this small world. Given their level, it wouldn't be strange if they were still living here undetected."

After hearing Wind Dragon's explanation, Lu Chen realized that it was indeed possible. "Then... could those people be..."

Wind Dragon reassured him, "They won't harm you. Anyone granted passage was someone the lords trusted. You don't need to worry about that."

Lu Chen chuckled awkwardly, realizing Wind Dragon had seen through his concerns. "Alright, that's good to know. Hahaha..."

Wind Dragon looked at him, thought for a moment, and added, "The fact that they haven't shown themselves probably means the lords had their own arrangements. You should keep that in mind."

"I understand. Let's head out. There's no way to enter for now anyway."

The feeling of standing right in front of the tower yet being unable to enter stirred a deep yearning in Lu Chen. He quickly urged the group to move on, to avoid thinking about it any longer.

***

After Lu Chen departed with Wind Dragon and Nantian Wan'er, two figures appeared beneath the Tower of Time.

A pitch-black dragon hovered in front of the tower's entrance, its body radiating a violent and chaotic aura. Its form bore a resemblance to that of Wind Dragon.

"Haha, you almost got caught. I told you to be more careful," the dragon mocked, coiling in the air and casting a teasing glance at the man beside it.

The man looked visibly exhausted. "Sigh... I didn't expect Wan'er to be this sharp, even at such a young age. I was nearly exposed."

Sensing the man's discomfort, the dragon teased him further. "She's always been sharp. What else do you expect when someone else has been a hopelessly dense blockhead since childhood? Hahaha!"

The man seemed to recall something unpleasant, and irritation welled up in his chest. "You..."

He turned and started wrestling with the dragon.

Several minutes later, both the man and the dragon lay flat on the ground, gasping for air.

"Where are we going next? Now that he's obtained your Green Sovereign Divine Tree, I'm guessing the outcome will change as well.

The dragon sensed the changes within the small world and said, "Sigh... Now that their two Heavenly Pools have merged, Wan'er's fate should be considered changed."

After thinking for a moment, the man added, "I still have enough spirit qi to stay in this world for a while. I'd like to visit a few more places while I'm here. It's not easy to return after all."

The dragon hesitated. It seemed like it was struggling to decide whether to bring something up. "Then..."

The man turned and looked at the dragon. "What is it?"

After some thought, the dragon said, "Sigh... Aren't you going to tell him about the Lord of Rituals? You've been brooding over that matter for so long."

The man seemed to fall into a daze, lost in memory. "That..."

After a long silence, he muttered, "It's better to let him decide for himself. Even if I told him now, he wouldn't be able to accept it."

The dragon shook its head and let out a long sigh. "Why go through all this trouble?"

Then, it transformed into its true draconic form. "Nonetheless, his path is no longer the same as ours. Who knows where the future leads... This time, we will succeed."

"Hahaha, you're right."

With those words, the dragon carried the man and soared into the sky, disappearing into the clouds.

At that very moment, Nantian Wan'er looked up, her eyes following the spot where the man and dragon had vanished.

Lu Chen turned to her. "Wan'er? What's wrong?"

Nantian Wan'er said softly, "It's nothing. It's just that, just now, I felt a very familiar presence leaving."

She looked away. "Let's go."

***

Three hours later, Lu Chen, Nantian Wan'er, and Wind Dragon had explored every corner of the small world.

Nantian Wan'er closed her eyes and sensed the flow of qi within her. "Lu-gege, I think the restraints have been lifted."

"Yeah, the restraints are gone, but the evolution of the Innate Bagua Diagram doesn't seem to be finished yet."

Wind Dragon explained, "The flow of time here is different from the outside world. The blessing of heaven and earth is almost over. Let's head out first."

Feeling that the small world was no longer holding him back, Lu Chen led Nantian Wan'er out of the medallion's world, allowing the Innate Bagua Diagram to continue evolving on its own.

A bell rang out in the sky as the last golden lotus vanished. Heaven and earth slowly returned to calm. Various forces and powerful beast leaders across the land began moving toward the Fire Region, eager to find out who had caused such a grand phenomenon.

Nantian Xiu rushed over from afar and said with admiration, "Lu Chen, Wan'er, you two are incredible. Even a heavenly tribulation of that magnitude couldn't stop you."

It was clear his awe was directed at Lu Chen, or more precisely, at the hidden power backing him.

Nantian Xiu added, "Still, we need to leave this place soon. The heaven and earth phenomenon was too intense. I'm afraid others might covet your talent, young man."

Lu Chen had always claimed to be a simple village boy, but in Nantian Xiu's eyes, that was just a convenient excuse to hide his identity. Still, he chose not to press the matter.

He asked, "Where do you plan to go next? Wan'er's condition is almost fully recovered. Let's see if we can travel together for a while longer."

Nantian Xiu remained uneasy about Lu Chen's background, mostly for Wan'er's sake, and hoped to learn more about him along the way.

Lu Chen replied, "Grandpa Xiu, I plan to head deeper into the Fire Region. Wan'er had suffered from cold poison for over a decade. I want to find a higher-grade Fire Essence to help her body fully recover from it. I can also use the opportunity to test my cultivation progress."

Hearing Lu Chen's straightforward answer, Nantian Xiu nodded with a warm smile. "Hahaha, good. It's rare to see such thoughtfulness in someone your age."

That one simple answer was enough to shift his view of Lu Chen. Having lived for thousands of years, he could tell at a glance that the young man's words came from the heart.