I Hijacked the Timeline (IHT)

Sitting at his desk, Feng Qi scoured the internet for information.

But as he had expected, there were no records whatsoever related to the "Path to Ascension." He couldn't even determine if it referred to a place or the name of some mysterious organization.

Closing the search page, he navigated to the Star City Academy's official website and logged into his teacher account, intending to review the upcoming class schedule.

Upon opening his inbox, he noticed a blue email containing the course schedule and a red notification email.

Curious, he clicked on the red email.

[Tiger Soul Research Institute (Verified)]

Subject: Announcement for the 26th Concept Competition on Fundamental Theories of New Cultivation Systems

Details: The 26th Concept Competition on Fundamental Theories of New Cultivation Systems is about to commence. This competition will be conducted via live online broadcasts, and all academy teachers are required to lead their respective classes to participate. The competition will revolve around cultivating theories, focusing on presenting innovative conceptual directions. The winning class will be awarded a cash prize of 5 million credits.

Competition Content: Similar to previous iterations, each participating class must present a new conceptual direction in cultivation studies. This concept will serve as the central theme, and participants must elaborate on its expandability, as well as its advantages and disadvantages compared to existing cultivation systems.

Judging Criteria: Preliminary and qualifying rounds will be evaluated through online voting. Finalists will be scored and analyzed by a panel from the Tiger Soul Research Institute to determine the champion.

Rights and Disclaimer: All interpretations of this event belong solely to the Tiger Soul Research Institute.

After reading the contents of the email, Feng Qi was immediately intrigued.

Opening a search engine, he looked into the history of past concept competitions hosted by the Tiger Soul Research Institute. The more he learned, the more enthusiastic he became.

Aside from the allure of the 5 million credits, there was another critical reason—this competition could significantly contribute to advancing the framework of new cultivation systems.

The development of cultivation studies always begins with a concept, which then evolves into theory and finally culminates in practical application.

This process involves elevating intuitive ideas to rational understanding, summarizing abstract notions, and eventually realizing them through theory and practice.

As one of humanity's leading institutions in cultivation research, the Tiger Soul Research Institute focuses on refining and updating the cultivation system.

Each time they prepare to update the cultivation framework, they invest significant attention and effort. They're even willing to adopt innovative ideas from external sources, integrating them into new systems.

To enter the competition, a class first needs to propose a novel cultivation framework concept. This concept must then be presented during a live broadcast, explaining its feasibility. If it passes the preliminary and qualifying rounds, the Tiger Soul Research Institute's team will analyze and evaluate it in the final stage.

The competition welcomes all kinds of concepts, no matter how imaginative or unconventional, as long as they can be supported with corresponding theoretical explanations.

The Tiger Soul Research Institute's open-minded approach aims to crowdsource ideas. They understand that a sudden spark of inspiration could lead to breakthroughs that define the future of cultivation.

For instance, back when humanity's primary focus was leveraging technological means to fend off invaders, someone had a eureka moment: what if spiritual energy could be harnessed within the body to enhance physical capabilities, granting humans powers comparable to domain creatures?

This initial concept, developed and refined by generations of researchers, eventually evolved into the modern discipline of cultivation studies.

After contemplating for a moment, Feng Qi decided to enter the competition.

Not just for the 5 million credits, but also to contribute to building the next generation of cultivation systems.

During this trip to the Dream Realm, Feng Qi had studied one and a half sessions of theoretical cultivation basics through video lessons. These newly acquired insights could be directly applied to the competition.

However, there was a problem—registration required a "class" to participate, and his students were all busy with their training. Who would have the time to join him?

With this in mind, he dialed Bai Fusheng's number.

After a brief wait, the call connected, and Bai Fusheng's voice came from the other end:

"Kid, what's up?"

"Shi-gong, have you seen the latest notification from the Tiger Soul Research Institute?"

"You mean the Concept Competition? What, are you planning to participate?" Bai Fusheng sounded slightly surprised.

"That's right. I just happen to have a new concept in mind. I think we can win the championship."

Hearing Feng Qi's straightforward boasting, Bai Fusheng sighed on the other end of the line, unable to resist giving a word of caution:

"Anyone can come up with a concept, but in a competition like this, the most crucial part is proving the feasibility of your idea through theory. Otherwise, even the Tiger Soul Research Institute won't be able to turn some absurd ideas into theory or practical applications."

"For example, last year, a class from Future Academy proposed a concept called 'Perpetual Cultivation.' They suggested a method where a cultivation technique would automatically operate within the body and absorb spiritual energy from the environment even while the person was resting. That foolish concept gained the highest online votes in the preliminaries but was unanimously rejected in the finals by the Tiger Soul Research Institute's panel. The reason? It was pure nonsense."

"As Director Liu of the Tiger Soul Research Institute put it back then, proposing the concept was easy, but their team couldn't find any way to refine it into a feasible theory. So, are you sure about entering?"

After hearing Bai Fusheng's explanation, Feng Qi nodded confidently again:

"It's not a problem. Winning the championship should be a given. Right now, I'm just thinking about how to spend the five million credits."

Bai Fusheng: "..."

"Oh, by the way, Shi-gong, if I win the five million, does it go to the class or to me personally?"

Realizing Feng Qi was genuinely planning how to spend the prize money, Bai Fusheng felt a vein throb on his forehead and couldn't hold back:

"If you actually bring home the championship, the five million is yours. On top of that, the academy will give you an additional three million as a reward!"

"Thank you, Shi-gong!"

"Save your thanks! Win first, then talk!"

"The championship isn't a problem. The issue now is that registration requires a class, and I need a team." Feng Qi finally brought up his actual request.

Faced with Feng Qi's overconfidence, even Bai Fusheng was somewhat moved.

After a moment of silence, he said:

"Alright, in that case, the Cultivation Techniques Class One of the 22nd cohort will be your team for the competition."

Hearing this, Feng Qi couldn't help but ask:

"Won't their class advisor have an issue with this?"

"What issue could they have? Our academy has never been strong in these types of events. The winners are usually dominated by specialized institutions like Galaxy Academy or Lingxiao Academy, which focus on cultivation research. For us, participating is more about making up the numbers—we've never aimed for first place. Since you're confident, we'll let you give it a try."

"Great, no problem then. Please arrange it for me as soon as possible, Shi-gong."

"But let me remind you, if you've decided to compete, you must give it your all. Out there, you're representing Star City Academy. Even if we don't win, you mustn't lose too badly."

"Shi-gong, I think you misunderstand the concept of talent. True confidence comes from absolute strength."

Bai Fusheng: "..."