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"This represents the ring of space, quite solid," Tang San remarked, tapping the spatial ring beneath his feet and sensing the stable spatial power within. "It seems that without the power to destroy stars, it would be impossible to break this, right? But you don't seem to be skilled in close combat, do you?"
"Indeed, I'm not," the Lord of Eternity admitted. "If we categorize attacks into physical and magical, my magical attack is at a hundred, while my physical attack is slightly lower, at ninety-nine."
Tang San: "..."
"This is no joke," the Lord of Eternity chuckled, seeing Tang San's pained expression. "Without the Eternal and Creator God Seals, my physical combat abilities are truly only at ninety-nine. And in that regard, I'm no match for you. Besides, do you think I'm dressed like this to fight?"
As the Lord of Eternity spoke, they tugged at the hem of their robe and continued, "If I were up against someone weaker than me, I could still punch them to death dressed like this. But against you, even if I donned the Eternal and Creator Armor, it would be useless. Not to mention, we're in the Eternal Domain, and while I can borrow the power of the thrones at will, I can't unleash their full might. So, I might as well focus on magical attacks."
"It's not that I'm underestimating you, it's just that this is all I can do in my current state."
"Otherwise, the King Easton, the Sacred Dragon, and the Eternal Angel wouldn't need to contribute their powers to me."
Tang San understood this well and simply asked, "So, is this still part of the trial?"
"Of course," the Lord of Eternity smiled serenely. "To defeat me means either earning my acknowledgment or making me concede."
As the Creator God, they still held their pride.
But they weren't foolish either. If a real fight broke out, the creatures of the Eternal Domain could very well be wiped out by their battle.
That would be a loss for both sides.
"You've passed the trial of space; next comes the trial of time."
As soon as those words fell, the Lord of Eternity's vertical ring, symbolizing time, began to spin counterclockwise. Tang San noticed his body beginning to shrink... This situation was reminiscent of what he had once experienced in the Arena of Life and Death!
The difference was, back then, Tang San couldn't resist, nor did he understand how that force affected him.
But now, he realized the so-called power of time wasn't a material or energy force. Rather, it was a conceptual ability that influenced and distorted the mind.
Unlike the illusions of spiritual power, this force not only acted on the mind but also affected the body, turning it into energy. And energy, unlike solid matter, was much more unstable and prone to change with the mind.
At this moment, if someone had the thought, "I've reverted to being six years old," regardless of whether that thought was triggered by an external illusion or an internal assumption, the energy-formed body would indeed regress to the state of a six-year-old. Then, the energy body would revert to flesh and blood.
This was the truth!
The so-called time ability worked by accelerating the motion of matter and energy within space. When applied to the body, it transformed the basic matter composing the physical body into pure energy. Then, by imposing illusions, it caused the mind to produce an erroneous belief, which in turn influenced the body's energy and made it regress to a six-year-old state.
Likewise, this ability could also turn someone into a decaying old man.
Mastering time means mastering the transformation between matter and energy, which is akin to mastering the truth of the universe...
Probably not!
Tang San dismissed this notion. Mastering an ability doesn't mean mastering its essence. After all, if the Lord of Eternity had truly grasped the truth of the universe, how could they have ended up in such a predicament? Most likely, they only know how to use it, but have a limited understanding of its principles—or perhaps none at all.
Having grasped the true nature of time's power, Tang San also understood why the rune representing time among the twelve foundational soul-guide runes developed by the Golden Civilization was so elusive.
Because—
*Time doesn't exist at all!*
Time is merely a man-made concept. At its core, it works by influencing the mind to create misconceptions, thereby controlling the transformation between matter and energy!
At that moment, the Lord of Eternity, noticing that Tang San remained unchanged, remarked in astonishment, "Even with your long lifespan, you shouldn't be able to withstand the mighty force of time for this long! Could it be that you've also mastered the power of time?"
"Not yet," Tang San calmly shook his head. "It's just that my soul is firm, and my mind is steadfast." He then recited a playful verse:
*"Creation came first, before the heavens,
I roamed free before creation began,
Born with only eighteen years to my name,
In one chaos, one year, I remain."*
The Lord of Eternity knew Tang San was likely teasing, but for some reason, it didn't feel like an idle boast. It seemed more like a future that could very well become... reality.
"Before creation, what is there?" the Lord of Eternity asked.
"Self-awareness," Tang San replied instantly, without the slightest hesitation.
"No wonder you're immune to the power of time." The Lord of Eternity nodded in realization. They were aware of how time affected things: it was the most fundamental motion between matter and energy.
For example, if time's power was applied to a piece of fruit, it wouldn't rot or appear to have been bitten. Instead, it would disintegrate into energy and dissolve.
This was one of the first experiments conducted by the original Creator God after gaining control of time's power.
When time's power acts on a person, along with a slight mental influence, it can transform a middle-aged person into a youthful teenager or an innocent child, or even into an elderly individual.
However, when applied to an infant, the power of time is ineffective. It cannot turn them into a child, youth, adult, or elder. They remain the same, an innocent, ignorant infant.
Back then, the Creator God believed that infants were pure and untainted, closely connected to the forces of nature. Therefore, unnatural forces like time could not affect them.
But now, with Tang San's explanation, another possibility arose: infants have no concept of time, nor do they know who they are. Even if their bodies are transformed into energy and subjected to mental influence, their underdeveloped brains lack the concepts of "youth," "aging," or "decay." As a result, their energy-formed bodies remain as infants, unchanged.
The first step in how time acts on objects is to convert matter into energy.
If this step is not completed, no further transformations can occur...
(End of Chapter)