Chapter 42: Breaking the Chains of Starlight

"Don’t be nervous. This is just used to test your rankings. All you have to do is place your hand on the Awakening Stone and try to activate your ability. Remember not to resist its power and just let the magical energy inside it connect with yours," the teacher explained as she slowly walked toward the Awakening Stone.

She gestured for Jiang Zihan to step forward. "You go first."

Mo Shiyan looked toward Jiang Zihan. He knew him well, and immediately noticed the nervousness in his expression. He reached out and ruffled his hair, pulling him out of his anxious thoughts.

Jiang Zihan was originally lost in his thoughts. He had even imagined what would happen if the Awakening Stone had no reaction when Mo Shiyan’s move brought him back to reality. He instinctively touched the hand placed over his head and complained, "I said to not do such—"

Before he could finish the sentence, he seemed to have felt something and froze in place. He raised his head to meet Mo Shiyan’s eyes. Feeling the magical energy that was transferred from Mo Shiyan’s hands, he suddenly felt a little warm in his heart.

The next moment, he lowered his head, no longer resisting the magical energy sent by Mo Shiyan, and slowly sensed the two streams of magical energy intertwined. Ever since he had transmigrated into this world, he had been hoping to find his home in this world, and somehow, this connection gave him a feeling that he actually belongs in this world, and not someone who doesn’t know where his home is.

Then Jiang Zihan walked toward the Awakening Stone. He stood in front of it and took a deep breath before placing his hand on it. He closed his eyes and had somehow returned to that familiar space with a vast sea of stars. The stars surrounded him and once again guided him towards the hourglass.

It’s that hourglass... again...

Why are the stars guiding me here?

What are they trying to tell me?

There were a bunch of questions in his mind, but he was still unable to find an answer for any of the questions. The closer he floated, the stronger the force was pushing him away, as if the hourglass was not willing to let him go near. But the more it resisted, the more Jiang Zihan became curious about what the hourglass exactly is.

So he forced himself to float closer to the hourglass. Every inch he advanced, there seemed to be an immense weight that was pressing down upon him, almost knocking her to the endless space.

He reached his hands out, and just as he was about to touch it, there were suddenly chains of starlight that came out of nowhere and coiled tightly around his ankles and wrists, holding him in place.

"Argh—"

In the next second, he roared and charged forward, completely ignoring the blood that was seeping out from the injuries as he broke the starlight chains and was finally able to touch the hourglass. At that moment, the whole space seemed to stand still.

The threads that were originally wrapping around the hourglass began to disappear in the air. Without giving Jiang Zihan the time to react, the hourglass suddenly transformed into a streak of light and went straight into his forehead.

"What—?!!"

Outside, Mo Shiyan stared toward Jiang Zihan’s back. Seeing that there was completely no reaction from the Awakening Stone, his expression darkened as he unconsciously clenched his fist.

The teacher also frowned before she shook her head. She had never seen a self-awakened Hunter who wasn’t able to light up the Awakening Stone the moment they touched it. The only reason it wouldn’t glow up should be because the student hadn’t awakened at all, but that’s not the case in this situation.

She was just about to reach for her phone and call the principal to see if he understood what was happening when the Awakening Stone suddenly glowed up with a bright light.

She instinctively closed her eyes. When she had finally adjusted to the light and opened them again, she was surprised to find that there were specks of pale-purple light that surrounded Jiang Zihan. "This is...?"

Jiang Zihan slowly opened his eyes and subconsciously looked toward his hands. In the next second, the phantom image of the hourglass had materialized above his palm.

Jiang Zihan: "...?"

Seeing this scene, the teacher’s eyes immediately widened. She hurriedly searched around her pockets and pulled out a pair of glasses before putting them on in order to verify that what she just saw wasn’t her imagination. "This is... you were able to unlock a new ability while relying on the magical energy inside the Awakening Stone?!"

"That’s so unbelievable!!!"

Before Jiang Zihan had the chance to speak, the phantom image of the hourglass had slowly rotated. As the hourglass flipped, the sand in its upper chamber drifted slowly downward, where the flow of time in the surroundings seemed to decelerate for a second.

However, just before the sand was fully drifting downward, the hourglass suddenly shattered into a bunch of fragments, then dissolved in the air.

Jiang Zihan felt a bit dizzy as the magical energy within his body seemed to be instantly drained away. His legs went weak, causing him almost to fall to the ground when Mo Shiyan immediately rushed forward and rested him onto his shoulders.

"Are you okay?" Mo Shiyan asked.

But Jiang Zihan could barely hear what he was saying. His whole body suddenly felt weak, causing him to lean into Mo Shiyan’s embrace.

The teacher standing by the side was still shocked by the scene in front of him, though she quickly got back to her senses. She looked toward Jiang Zihan, her expression complicated this time.

His ability is connected to time... even in the academy’s records, Hunters who have awakened the ability of time are less than a handful, and without exception, every one of them had become legendary figures who could change the era. Not to mention that he also awakened as an S-Rank Hunter... just not sure what change he would make to this world in the future.