After learning of the immense potential danger posed by the Demon Seeds, Gu Sewei dispatched the Valkyrie Squad and the Ice and Snow Guardians overnight to screen the city’s residents.
They were searching for anyone at risk of Demonization.
A carrier could not be detected if their Demon Seed had yet to sprout and grow.
Only carriers whose Demon Seeds had already taken root and sprouted could possibly be found.
The main characteristic of a carrier was also obvious: a significant increase in Power over a short period.
Gu Sewei sat in the Ice Jade Palace, rubbing her aching temples.
’If the Ice Queen were still here, none of this would be so troublesome,’ she thought.
’The Ice Queen could identify every single Demon Seed carrier in an instant.’
Gu Sewei glanced at the Frost Staff resting beside her.
She longed for the day she could be as powerful as the Ice Queen.
While Gu Sewei was pulling an all-nighter, screening for Demon Seed carriers and the potentially Demonized, Li Wei had already slipped into the Dream World.
In the Dream World, he studied the ancient Magic Scroll given to him by the Witch of the Snow Bear Tribe.
’This is... the Hour Time Technique!’
After some research, Li Wei discovered that the tattered beast-hide scroll recorded a Time Magic called the "Hour Time Technique."
It was the first time he had ever seen Time Magic.
The difficulty of cultivating the Hour Time Technique was also frighteningly high.
It was nearly on par with a Forbidden Curse.
According to the scroll, the creator of the Hour Time Technique had been fortunate enough to once witness the true form of a Time Dragon.
This experience led them to comprehend and create this incredible Magic.
The Hour Time Technique could accelerate the flow of time.
Although he didn’t know what use there was in accelerating time’s flow, it involved the Time Rules nonetheless.
The Hour Time Technique was, without a doubt, an exceptionally precious Magic.
He just couldn’t understand why it had been lost to time.
’Perhaps the difficulty was so high that, apart from its creator, no one else could ever learn it.’
After repeated attempts, Li Wei finally pieced together the complete Magic Model for the Hour Time Technique.
A new line of text materialized before his eyes.
[Hour Time Technique (Entry Level)] 0/1000
All that was left was to put in the work.
No matter how difficult the Magic, Li Wei could grind it out.
After successfully Casting the Hour Time Technique once, Li Wei looked around, baffled.
It seemed... nothing had changed at all.
’Did the Casting fail?’ he wondered.
But his proficiency had increased by one point.
[Hour Time Technique (Entry Level)] 1/1000
For a moment, Li Wei was stumped. He had no idea if the Hour Time Technique had actually worked.
Or perhaps he needed to grind the skill to a certain Level before it would show any effect.
Unable to figure it out, the only thing Li Wei could do was keep grinding.
Perhaps after he reached the Master Level, the Hour Time Technique would undergo some kind of change.
Generally, when an Entry Level Magic was raised to the Master Level, it would undergo some obvious changes.
Li Wei looked forward to seeing what changes the Hour Time Technique would have.
"Hm? Li Wei, what are you thinking about? You’ve been spacing out this whole meal."
Gu Sewei put down her food and looked at Li Wei, who was holding his own but not eating, and asked the question.
Snapped out of it, Li Wei took a bite of the roasted meat in his hand.
He said indistinctly, his mouth full, "It’s nothing. I just ran into a confusing problem while cultivating a Magic."
Gu Sewei’s curiosity was piqued. It was the first time she had ever seen Li Wei baffled by his Cultivation.
She quickly said, "Tell me about it. Maybe I can give you some insight."
Li Wei swallowed the meat in his mouth. "It’s not a big deal," he said. "I’ve just been practicing a Magic recently, but for some reason, even though the Casting is successful, it doesn’t produce any effect."
He glanced at the table, where the wood grain coalesced into text.
[Hour Time Technique (Master Level)] 23/2000
He had already ground the Hour Time Technique to the Master Level.
Yet Li Wei hadn’t noticed any change at all.
He was completely bewildered.
This was the first time his proficiency panel had ever "failed" him.
The proficiency panel was the core of his survival, and its failure was a huge blow.
It made him worry—what would he do if the proficiency panel became useless in the future?
Gu Sewei looked surprised. Propping her cheek on her index finger, she mused, "Something like that can happen?"
"A successful Casting, but no effect whatsoever?"
"I think either there’s a problem with the Magic itself, or you haven’t met all the conditions for its release," Gu Sewei said.
Li Wei thought for a moment, then asked, "What do you mean, ’haven’t met all the conditions for its release’?"
A problem with the Magic itself was unlikely.
Through his deductions, the Magic Model for the Hour Time Technique had been fully perfected.
If there were an issue with the Magic Model, the very first step—constructing it—would have failed.
Gu Sewei’s second suggestion, however, made Li Wei curious.
Hearing Li Wei’s question, Gu Sewei picked up a spoon and tapped it lightly against the rim of her porcelain bowl, producing a clear, crisp sound.
She explained, "It’s similar to when we practice Magic. We only use Mana to construct the Magic Model, without fully releasing the spell."
"Even though it’s missing the step of being filled with Elements, in a way, the Magic is already considered complete."
Hearing Gu Sewei’s explanation, Li Wei was reminded of when he was first learning the Small Fireball Technique.
When he first started, he didn’t know the proper way to practice Magic, so he just foolishly cast the full spell every single time.
As a result, he could only practice a few times a day.
Later, he learned the proper training method from Gu Ze.
However, after obtaining the Great Dream Traveling Skill, he could practice casting Magic freely in his dreams, completely free from the worries of Mana limitations.
He had completely forgotten about that training method.
Gu Sewei’s reminder made it all come back to him.
’Could it be that the Hour Time Technique is also missing some kind of Power to infuse it?’
’Just like how Elemental Magic needs to be infused with Magic Elements to be truly cast.’
’Does the Hour Time Technique also need to be infused with some kind of Power?’
’Time Element?’
Li Wei wasn’t even sure if such a thing existed.
Speaking of time, there was one type of power he was quite familiar with.
The Power of Time!
Back in the Time Secret Realm, Li Wei had seen the Power of Time in its materialized form.
’Could it be that I can’t cast the Hour Time Technique because it’s missing the Power of Time?’
’But where am I supposed to get the Power of Time?’
Li Wei gave a helpless, bitter smile.
The original problem was solved, but it had created a new one.
And the new problem was even harder to solve.
Li Wei was completely clueless. ’Do I have to go back to the Extreme Cold Abyss, find the Time Secret Realm, and see if I can somehow intercept some of the Power of Time?’
He shook his head internally. ’It’s hopeless.’
During the eight years he was trapped in the Time Secret Realm, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t tried.
But he had failed completely.
No method he tried had any effect on the Power of Time.
’Perhaps only by mastering the Time Rules can one control the Power of Time.’
Li Wei looked at Gu Sewei and smiled. "Thanks. You helped me solve a difficult problem."
Gu Sewei nibbled on her spoon. "It’s nothing. There’s no need for pleasantries between us. If you really want to thank me, how about you take me out for lunch?"
Li Wei was a little surprised. He thought for a moment.
He nodded. "Sure. I don’t have anything planned for today anyway."
Gu Sewei waved her spoon happily. "Then it’s a date! You can’t stand me up this time."
"Standing someone up" was a phrase she had learned from Li Wei.
Li Wei was a little surprised to see her so happy.
When he heard her accuse him of standing her up, Li Wei was about to protest and ask when he had ever done such a thing.
But then, on second thought, he remembered.
Right after he came out of seclusion, Gu Sewei had invited him to a meal, but they never got to eat.
Instead, he had dragged her to the back mountain to randomly blast off a bunch of Magic.
Clearly, Gu Sewei still held a small grudge about it.
Gu Sewei carefully dressed up, preparing for their lunch date.
She looked at her reflection in the mirror, feeling like something wasn’t quite perfect.
’Does this count as a first date?’ she thought, a little shy.
"AHAHAHA... I finally broke through!"
Gu Ze strode out of his room, beaming with pride.
Just as he came out, he saw Li Wei and Gu Sewei getting ready to leave.
Overjoyed, Gu Ze rushed to share his happy news with them.
He had been stuck as an Apprentice Mage for ages, unable to break through to Tier One and become an Official Mage.
But now, in just over a year, he had advanced from Tier One to a Tier Two Mage.
It was certainly something to celebrate.
When he heard Li Wei and Gu Sewei were going out to eat, Gu Ze immediately insisted on joining them to share in his joy.
Gu Ze was thrilled, but Gu Sewei’s face fell.
What was supposed to be a date with Li Wei was now being crashed by a giant third wheel.
An impossible-to-refuse third wheel, at that.
Seeing how happy her brother was, Gu Sewei didn’t have the heart to spoil his mood.
She reluctantly accepted that it would be a three-person outing.
While they were walking around and eating, Li Wei noticed Gu Sewei seemed a bit absent-minded.
’She’s the one who suggested it, so why is she the one who seems uninterested?’ Li Wei thought.
He didn’t get it.
Gu Ze, on the other hand, was having the time of his life, devouring everything with gusto and being cheerful and merry the entire time.
After the meal, the three of them prepared to return to the Ice Jade Palace.
BOOM!
A colossal BOOM echoed from outside the city. The ground shook violently, dislodging the snow from the rooftops, which came tumbling down right on top of Gu Ze.
Li Wei shielded Gu Sewei from the falling snow.
Gu Sewei glanced at him, her expression turning grave as she stared out beyond the city walls.
"Could the Demonized Magical Beasts be back?" Gu Sewei worried.
"Let’s go take a look," Li Wei said.
"Demonized Magical Beast? What’s that?"
Gu Ze asked, looking completely clueless as he brushed the snow from his head.
He had never heard of such a Magic Beast.
Without offering an explanation, the other two rushed toward the city wall.
On the city wall, the Ice and Snow Guardians and the Valkyries had already drawn their weapons, preparing for battle.
Seeing Gu Sewei arrive, Shanyatie, who was temporarily acting as the Valkyrie Commander, hurried to salute her.
"Lord City Lord."
Seeing Li Wei beside her, she quickly greeted him as well.
"Lord Grand Mage."
Gu Sewei nodded slightly. "Yes. What’s the situation outside?"
She peered over the wall, but the area below was obscured by a thick cloud of swirling ice and snow, making it impossible to see what was happening.
Shanyatie had been the vice-commander of the Valkyrie Squad.
Her Power was somewhat less than that of Monice, and her Professional Level was Tier Six Basic Level.
Hearing Gu Sewei’s question, she quickly replied...
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