This wasn’t a dorm; it was a two-story villa!

  A villa that would normally cost seven thousand credits to acquire!

  It had seven rooms, allowing her to live with friends or even hire servants to attend to her needs. Located in a more central area of the academy, it was completely separate from the ordinary dormitory building she had initially stayed in.

  "Go ahead, it’s yours now," the instructor marveled, wondering what kind of luck this new student had to receive such compensation.

  After delivering her, the instructor left.

  Nan Gong Huan stood at the entrance with the keys in her hand for a long time.

  In front of the villa was a beautifully manicured garden, perfect for afternoon tea. Of course, it still couldn’t compare to the grand villa she had seen in the Order Corps area.

  Nan Gong Huan marveled at the academy’s extravagance and opened the villa door.

  There were seven rooms—four upstairs and three downstairs. The interior was clean and elegant, with the largest room being a cultivation chamber equipped with a small spirit-gathering array.

  Looking at the various facilities in the villa, Nan Gong Huan began planning to have her friends move in with her the next day.

  She released Yan Ji and Xue Ji to clean the other rooms while she entered the cultivation chamber and sat down to begin her training.

  Without access to a spirit vein, she felt her spiritual energy growth had slowed significantly, barely moving past the early stages of the Third Spirit Realm. Coupled with her recent focus on earning credits, she hadn’t had much time for cultivation.

  It seemed her friends had made significant progress, and she couldn’t afford to fall too far behind.

  As her body entered a state of cultivation, Nan Gong Huan’s consciousness entered the Di Ming Ring.

  "Hey, good evening, disciple," Elder Ling lounged on the recliner, looking quite comfortable. The ghost king’s soul in his highball glass had already been consumed.

  Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to satisfy him.

  The sky within the Di Ming Ring was always painted in a dreamy blue-pink hue, like an eternal oasis or a special starry world.

  Nan Gong Huan walked into the clock tower and looked up at the seven shining stars on the ceiling, her eyes filled with determination.

  "You’ve almost mastered the first level of temporal authority. Now it’s time to start learning the second level," Bo Jing Rabbit hopped to her side and looked up at her.

  Since the inheritor had left, it had felt a sense of loneliness and coldness, much like when the Time God it once worshipped had departed long ago.

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  "Mm!" Nan Gong Huan extended her hand and infused spiritual energy into the stars above.

  Immediately, a majestic aura emanated from the seven stars, and a gentle male voice echoed in her ears.

  "The second level of temporal authority, the stillness of time..."

  Compared to the first level, which controlled the speed of time, the second level allowed her to completely stop time within a certain range.

  "The second level of temporal authority, the stillness of time," Nan Gong Huan murmured softly, a golden light flashing in her eyes.

  She gathered her spiritual energy and, mimicking the first level, released a spatial domain within a certain range, then attempted to stop time.

  Controlling the stillness of time was more difficult than she had imagined, much like when she first started learning the first level.

  Thus, Nan Gong Huan began an entire night of relentless practice.

  Xiao Jiu accompanied her, tossing apples into the air as before, and Nan Gong Huan used the second level of temporal authority to freeze them.

  If used correctly, the stillness of time could instantly reverse the tide of battle!

  Time flew by.

  To better master the second level of temporal authority, Nan Gong Huan checked her schedule and, seeing no classes the next day, spent an extra day on tedious training.

  Her progress was evident. She could now stop time within a range of twenty meters in diameter.

  "You’re improving quickly. I look forward to the day you reach the level of the Time God," Bo Jing Rabbit encouraged.

  "If I reach that level, wouldn’t I become a god?" Nan Gong Huan chuckled. "By the way, how strong was the Time God back then? Can you tell me about it?"

  At the mention of the past, Bo Jing Rabbit’s eyes lit up.

  "My former master? The temporal domains he casually released could span hundreds of kilometers. The largest stillness domain I ever saw him create covered an entire empire!"

  The glory of the past made Bo Jing Rabbit nostalgic. Now that the inheritor had suddenly disappeared, Bo Jing Rabbit could only pray for his safe return.

  "So strong!" Nan Gong Huan exclaimed. Covering an entire empire was something she couldn’t even imagine!

  Looking at her current twenty-meter range, Nan Gong Huan suddenly felt incredibly weak.

  "That was only a part of my master’s power. As you cultivate further, you’ll realize that time’s potential goes far beyond stillness. It can enter cycles, return to the past... Ah, I’ve said too much. Just keep learning at your own pace. I believe in you!" Bo Jing Rabbit continued to encourage.

  "Thank you," Nan Gong Huan smiled. She quite liked this little white rabbit.

  After some rest, Nan Gong Huan left the Di Ming Ring.

  Having easily completed the day’s classes, she set off for the Treasure Pavilion.

  As Nan Gong Huan passed by a training ground, the commotion inside caught her attention.

  Two students were grappling with each other, their clothes torn to shreds.

  Curious, Nan Gong Huan stopped to watch from a distance and realized one of them was Xie Zhishang! As Dong Yan Cuo’s roommate, she had only met him twice.

  What’s going on with him? Nan Gong Huan wondered, keeping an eye on the situation.

  The other person she didn’t recognize, likely a noble’s child.

  Both seemed to be water element users.

  "Hmph, your sister wasn’t a good person either. You didn’t see her under me..."

  "Slap—" Xie Zhishang slapped the other person’s face, his eyes bloodshot and his chest heaving with anger. "Yang Changyin, my sister died because of you. You’ll pay with your life!"

  "With what? Hah, go ahead and kill me if you can!" Yang Changyin mocked, and the two began grappling again.

  It wasn’t class time, and their fight quickly drew the attention of many.

  A magic instructor hurried over and pulled the two apart.

  "What are you doing?!" the instructor scolded sternly, silencing both of them.

  "Instructor, he started it, but he’s no match for me," Yang Changyin sneered, adjusting his soaked clothes and deliberately showing the wounds on his arm.

  Both of them bore traces of water element magic, clearly having fought for a while, even resorting to water spells.

  Yang Changyin, mindful of the academy’s rules, didn’t dare to seriously injure Xie Zhishang, but the latter was different.

  Yang Changyin had been provoking Xie Zhishang with mentions of his deceased sister, pushing him to the point of losing control and striking out.