"Time gap?"
Kikujiro asked with confusion, this term was completely new to him.
Old Ting Si nodded and said, "That's right, time gaps."
"The channels used for time travel are time gaps. It is said that when traveling through a gap, there is a certain probability of encountering these monsters. The more times one travels, the greater the probability, until eventually, one will inevitably encounter them."
Wen Wen raised his hand like a student and said, "Uh... time travel, is it what I understand it to be? Like traveling back to become a concubine, an emperor, or to carry out reforms and inventions..."
Old Ting Si was stunned for a moment, then said, "Time travel is a very serious matter, and the situations you describe are impossible."
In fact, not just Wen Wen, but others also didn't quite understand.
In the world of psychics, psychic powers varied greatly. Some could spray water, spew fire, teleport, or wield various rule-like abilities.
However, abilities related to time were truly rare, so rare that even many psychics at the True Order realm had hardly heard of them.
After a moment of silence, Xun Qing broke the quiet, chuckled, and said, "Time travel... how novel. It seems we are the ones who are ignorant. Please do explain."
The group's attitude towards Old Ting Si had shifted, as he possessed knowledge they lacked.
Old Ting Si said seriously to the group, "It's normal that you haven't heard of time travel. If it weren't for the stories passed down through generations, I wouldn't know so many inside details."
"Although time-related abilities are rare, they have always existed. The reason they are so rare that even important figures like yourselves haven't heard of them is the existence of the Ting Si Hounds... all those who can traverse time are eventually killed by the hounds, silently!"
Wen Wen pondered. If everyone died, it meant that possessing a time ability was inherently a fatal danger.
Old Ting Si continued, "What is called time travel is not as潇洒 (carefree) and free as you might imagine. You cannot change things as you please; there are strict rules to follow during travel."
"When traveling back to the past, you cannot alter anyone's life course. Once even the slightest change is made, upon returning, you will inevitably encounter the Ting Si Hounds and be relentlessly pursued until death."
"Even if someone glances at you more, causing them to miss a train, or if you throw a banana peel in the past, causing someone to slip, these will attract the hounds!"
"Furthermore, no matter what you change in the past, it will be automatically repaired by the great power of time, ultimately changing nothing, and only you will be sacrificed."
"Traveling to the future is even more perilous. Nothing happens during the journey, but when you return to the normal timeline, if you alter any of your actions due to seeing the future, the hounds will arrive immediately."
Ah Sir thought for a moment and said, "In other words, whether going to the past or the future, as long as you try to change anything, you'll be targeted by the hounds. Even if you change nothing, just looking, you'll eventually encounter the hounds due to increased frequency... So, wouldn't it be safe to just not use this ability?"
Old Ting Si gave a wry smile, "Those who awaken time abilities don't know as much as I do, and they always have to experiment once to know what their ability is. Also... even if you knew everything, if you had the ability to travel through time, would you not use it?"
Ah Sir was speechless. If he had this ability, he would surely go back to the past to change unpleasant things. Even knowing the danger, he would still want to try.
Kikujiro replied, "The crux of the problem lies with those hounds, right? If we can deal with the hounds, then we can do whatever we want."
Old Ting Si shook his head and said, "The hounds are invincible; they can only be evaded by special methods, not truly killed."
Tchaikovsky scoffed, "How do you know the hounds are invincible? With your bread slices?"
Old Ting Si revealed a strange smile, "Where do you think I got all this knowledge about time travel and the hounds from?"
"Over two hundred and twenty years ago, in the Golden Eagle District, there was a secret, unknown organization composed of ten families. Their sole purpose was to unravel the mysteries of time, and one of them was my family."
"They eventually succeeded and made a pact with great beings from beyond the world. Everyone who participated in the ritual gained the ability to travel through time, along with a set of guidelines for time travel."
"In the beginning, everyone followed the guidelines, but people kept dying. Eventually, they noticed that the problem lay with the hounds and began developing various methods to deal with them."
"They discovered many things. For example, the hounds are beings that survive in angular time. To enter the real world, they can only maintain their bodies and exert their power when the surrounding angle is less than 120 degrees."
"For example, the hounds' perception is flawed, and they can be tricked by certain methods, causing them to change their attack targets..."
"But in the end, everyone still died!"
"Those hiding in rooms with angles greater than 120 degrees died when earthquakes created cracks, allowing the hounds to enter."
"Those who attempted to trick the hounds were eventually caught due to the hounds' increasingly frequent pursuits and had all their life force drained..."
"Among all those who participated in the ritual, there were Upper Order, True Order, and even a Cataclysm-level!"
George stood up and said, "Impossible. Do you really know what a true Cataclysm-level expert is?"
The other psychics also looked disbelieving. If those hounds could kill even a Cataclysm-level, then what were they discussing here? They might as well hide.
Old Ting Si scoffed, "Of course I know what a Cataclysm-level is. But time is the greatest power, and even Cataclysm-level experts have a lifespan."
"The mechanism by which the Ting Si Hounds kill has nothing to do with strength. When they appear, a small portion of the surrounding time freezes, and their proboscis can absorb time. No matter how powerful you are, you will be unable to move and have all your life force drained."
"A single hound cannot drain a Cataclysm-level, but that Cataclysm-level was drained by dozens of hounds surrounding him!"
Wen Wen raised an eyebrow and asked, "If the hounds are as powerful as you say, how did you rescue Boyev?"
"As I said earlier, for the hounds to move freely, the surrounding angle must be less than 120 degrees."
"I used my bread slices to surround Boyev, creating a space with no angle. Since Boyev was not the hounds' true target, the hounds would not attack him again."