Time passed slowly. Under the effects of his innate abilities, Feng Qi's injuries began to heal rapidly.
The fine cracks in his bones mended themselves, and his fractured ribs realigned and fused back together.
Lying on the ground, staring at the hazy blood moon above, Feng Qi began to ponder.
In this timeline, he had become a historical figure of great renown. So why had no one known he would return in the future?
Even if he had died young and failed to leave any direct messages, wouldn't the Crimson Research Institute, his ally, have spread the word about his return 1,500 years later?
Yet the Star City Guards clearly had no knowledge of this.
Unable to access the database to verify historical records or email logs, he could only speculate.
He formulated two possible scenarios:
First, the Crimson Research Institute had been wiped out early in their conflict with the Institute of Technological Research. Even if they had left behind some information, it may have been lost, sealed away, or simply ignored as time passed.
Second, the Crimson Research Institute had assumed the future he would arrive in would still be the world overrun by the domains, where humanity had already fallen. As such, they might not have seen the point in leaving information to identify him.
After all, every time he had entered a future dreamscape, it had been at the brink of humanity's collapse. Even Feng Qi hadn't anticipated such a significant shift in this future's trajectory.
This oversight was understandable, given the circumstances.
Of course, there could be other explanations, but the pressing issue was that he had no way to prove he was Feng Qi.
Two options lay before him:
The first was to abandon this timeline. He could return to the present and meticulously plan for the future, ensuring that his future self left behind critical information to alert the people 1,500 years later about his return.
This way, when he re-entered the dreamscape along the Institute of Technological Research timeline, he could gain seamless access to the Star City Shelter.
The second option was to rely on achieving 1,000 bloodline evolution points and undergoing an evolution.
Currently, his bloodline evolution points stood at (852/1000).
Killing roughly three more domain creatures would allow him to reach the threshold for bloodline advancement.
At that point, something unexpected might occur—perhaps even the chance to return to a human form.
[Or, you might turn into a grotesque muscle-bound monster. Picture this: your arms thicker than the tree beside you, a face so hideous that you'd terrify kids for three days straight.]
Feng Qi: …
"Can't you ever say something positive?" he snapped.
[I'm just managing expectations. The higher your hopes, the harder the fall. Why are you so sure you'll turn back into a human? Who's to say you won't become a monster?]
"Spit on you!"
[Ew, gross! Who taught you such a filthy habit?]
"I learned it from you, idiot!"
As their banter continued, Feng Qi's injuries gradually healed.
He slowly rose to his feet, stretching his body. A series of bone-cracking noises echoed as his bones shifted back into place, causing him to grimace in pain.
Looking toward the Star City Shelter and the statue that stood before the steel walls, a faint sense of comfort washed over him.
Though he had been hunted like a domain creature and nearly blown to bits, at least his efforts were beginning to yield some light at the end of the tunnel.
He believed that if he kept pushing forward, he would eventually see the brilliant future he had dreamed of.
Grinning optimistically, Feng Qi began walking toward the deeper parts of the domain world.
This was his first time venturing westward in a future dreamscape.
Fortunately, the eerie mist had yet to spread into this area; otherwise, he doubted he would have enough lives to spare.
The path ahead, though dimly lit, bore little difference from the real world.
The plants on either side were withered, and the atmosphere was steeped in a deathly silence.
This desolation no longer fazed him; he had grown accustomed to such an environment.
As he pressed on, he encountered no domain creatures. Instead, a flock of crow-like domain offshoots circled above him, their harsh cries filling the air.
These creatures were out of his reach, so he chose to ignore them.
Without the Blood Source ability, he knew that relying solely on telekinesis to hunt domain creatures would be challenging.
Still, giving up wasn't in his nature.
Life was too precious to waste, and abandoning his efforts went against everything he stood for.
Remaining vigilant, he kept his guard up, prepared for any hidden threats.
But despite his caution, he found no signs of domain creatures, leaving him puzzled.
"Hey, narrator, scan the area for domain creatures. Find me the weakest one!"
[With that cocky attitude, I thought you'd want to take on the strongest. But here you are, sounding all smug just to target the weakest. Pathetic!]
"Just do your job!"
This time, the narrator didn't retort. A few seconds later, its voice echoed in Feng Qi's mind:
[At your 11 o'clock, there's a weak little guy. Let's go kill it!]
Hearing this, Feng Qi immediately headed in the indicated direction.
Moments later, he spotted the domain creature near a gnarled tree.
It resembled a giant hedgehog, with spines covering its back and sides. Its limbs were short, and it appeared to be digging a hole.
Sensing his presence, the creature turned abruptly, fixing its gaze on him.
Its spines bristled like raised hackles, and a low growl rumbled from its throat—a clear warning.
Feng Qi wasted no time. He raised his hand, unleashing telekinetic energy that wrapped around the creature, flipping it onto its back.
Seizing the opportunity, he stepped forward and delivered a powerful punch to its face.
His fist sank into its soft fur, cushioning part of the impact, but the force still connected solidly with its head.
Feng Qi's punch sent the domain creature tumbling across the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop.
Seeing that his attack was effective, Feng Qi's face lit up with excitement.
If he were in his Blood Source state, he could have easily torn this domain creature in half, killing it in one blow. But in his normal state, his combat power was significantly reduced. Even so, the fact that he managed to harm it was already an achievement.
Before he could launch another attack, the domain creature flipped itself upright and turned its back toward him.
Its body trembled, and suddenly, several spines from its back shot out like sharp arrows aimed straight at him.
Fortunately, Feng Qi reacted quickly. He extended his telekinesis outward, creating an invisible barrier in front of him.
The spines halted mid-air about a meter away from him, caught in the telekinetic shield.
With a wave of his hand, the spines were hurled back, embedding themselves into the creature's back.
To his surprise, the creature jumped over two meters into the air, letting out a piercing shriek as it landed.
"Hahaha, I like this one—it's weak enough for me to handle!" Feng Qi couldn't help but laugh.
[Shameless!]
Ignoring the narrator's jab, Feng Qi continued to manipulate his telekinesis to spar with the domain creature.
He would frequently use his telekinesis to knock it over, then rush forward to deliver a solid punch to its face.
Using telekinesis alongside his punches saved him mental energy and proved to be a cost-effective strategy.
Whenever the creature shook its back to release more spines, Feng Qi would simply send them flying back with his telekinesis.
If the creature charged at him in anger, he would retreat without hesitation, using his telekinesis to slow its advance.
As he engaged the creature, Feng Qi had an epiphany.
"The art of battle lies in maintaining distance!"
[Bravo. Now let's see you try this so-called 'art of distance' against Little Black.]
"Bring Little Black here, and I'll show you!"
Since this timeline involved opposing the Institute of Technological Research, Feng Qi suspected that Little Black might not appear in this future dreamscape. Perhaps Little Black had been eradicated before it ever had the chance to be created.
[Ah, the confidence of youth. Hold on, I'll call Little Black and have it come to teach you about the true art of battle.]
Feng Qi ignored the narrator and focused on his fight. He once again used his telekinesis to knock the hedgehog-like creature to the ground. Stepping forward, he delivered a powerful right hook to its already bloodied face.
After landing the punch, Feng Qi quickly retreated to maintain a safe distance.
To his surprise, the creature didn't move after this attack. Its short limbs stuck up in the air as it lay motionless on the ground.
Feng Qi didn't let his guard down.
He strongly suspected that the creature was playing dead, waiting for the chance to ambush him.
If it were truly dead, its body should have started emitting a blood mist.
To confirm his suspicion, Feng Qi picked up a rock and threw it at the creature's face.
One rock. Then another. And another.
After several hits, the creature let out a sharp screech and leapt to its feet, lunging toward him.
[Hahaha! Now it's furious! Keep up the distance game!]
The narrator burst into laughter as Feng Qi, prepared for this moment, swiftly retreated. He used his telekinesis to slow the creature's movements, conserving his energy while chipping away at it.
Despite its sharp claws and fangs, the creature couldn't even touch Feng Qi, rendering its attacks harmless.
Eventually, the creature seemed to realize it was outmatched. It turned and tried to flee.
Instead of stopping its retreat, Feng Qi used his telekinesis to drag it back toward him.
The struggle continued for over twenty minutes before the creature finally ran out of energy.
When Feng Qi's fist struck its face once more, the creature's body trembled and went completely still.
Moments later, a cloud of blood mist emerged from its body, drifting toward Feng Qi and merging into him.
His withered heart began to pulse faintly as it absorbed the energy.
Calling up his status panel, Feng Qi noticed he had gained a new ability:
[Thorns LV1 (Upgradeable Prefix Title)]: Reflects 1% of all physical contact damage taken back at the attacker as a blood force shock. The effectiveness depends on the user's physical constitution and the strength of the attack. (Damage exceeding endurance limits cannot be reflected.)
After reading the ability's description, Feng Qi realized he had acquired a physical damage reflection skill.
[Applause! A perfect skill for a tanky musclehead. With enough training, you could just stand still and let melee domain creatures kill themselves trying to hurt you!]
"Trash skill. My goal is to kill without taking any damage, not to just stand there like a punching bag," Feng Qi said, rolling his eyes.
The fight had only earned him 38 bloodline evolution points.
He now needed 110 more points to reach the threshold for an upgrade.
Feng Qi decided to rest and recover his mental energy before asking the narrator to help him locate another weak domain creature to hunt.
As long as Little Black didn't show up, he had plenty of time to grow stronger.
Just then, a loud rumble echoed from the sky.
Turning toward the source of the sound, Feng Qi saw the clear boundary between the domain world and the real world begin to distort violently.
It seemed that the domain world was accelerating its encroachment on reality.
The blood moon appeared to be suppressing the sun, tilting the balance of the sky and giving him the illusion that the world was turning upside down.
At the same time, he noticed a massive flying craft rising from the direction of the Star City Shelter. It seemed to be observing the changes occurring in the domain world.
[Oh wow, is this the end of the world?]
Hearing the narrator's comment, Feng Qi felt a wave of tension rise within him.
He wasn't ready to witness the collapse of human civilization firsthand