577: Chapter 577: Backflow

"Great — — Unity — — Wind!"

"Great Unity, Wind!"

"Wind, wind, wind, wind!"

On the vibrant grassland, several long, strange-shaped boulders of varying sizes stood upright.

Beneath the boulders, a goofy-looking little boy was standing in a horse stance, repeatedly pushing his hands forward, shouting "Great Unity Wind" as he did so.

"Hao'er, pushing like that is useless."

Just as the little boy was feeling troubled, a hand rested on his head.

The little boy looked up at the young man with a single ponytail, feeling a bit surprised, but then remembered his current situation and felt aggrieved again.

"Teacher, I really can't learn this Spell."

"My posture is correct, and the way my magic power flows is right, but no matter how I push, I can't blow any wind."

"From morning until now, except for the wind that came out from behind when my stomach was upset, which made the grass sway a little, I've gained absolutely nothing."

"How could I possibly move these giant rocks with wind?"

The boy tugged at the corner of his clothes, feeling more aggrieved as he spoke.

The young man shook his head with a bitter smile.

"You, you are just too impatient."

"What is wind?"

"Wind is the flow of gas in a direction, just like driving a carriage. Have you ever seen a carriage that starts running at full speed the moment you get on?"

The boy seemed to understand what the young man meant, but he stubbornly replied.

"Who says? When Fifth Senior Brother was driving the carriage the other day, the horse started running at full speed the moment he got on."

"That was because your wicked Sixth Senior Brother threw firecrackers at the horse's rear, startling it."

The young man poked the boy's head with his finger. The boy covered his forehead and quickly dodged to the side.

The young man stood up, brushed off his sleeves, and said.

"And you saw it yourself; because it was so violent from the start, your Fifth Senior Brother's carriage overturned on the spot."

"Wind is the same. It flows slowly from nothing to something, all the way to its destination."

"I'm not saying you can't use your full strength from the start to make it flow at maximum speed, but you must be prepared to control it."

"With your impatient nature, it's fine if you don't succeed, but once you do, I'm afraid you'll end up just like your Fifth Senior Brother, overturned and in a mess."

The boy's face turned pale as he imagined the scene where he, in his frustration, pushed with all his might and ended up blown to pieces on the spot.

The boy shivered, lunged at the young man, hugged his leg, and begged bitterly.

"Teacher, can I stop learning this move?"

"It's enough for the Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters to inherit these wind Spells. I just want to honestly learn the Dao of Time from you; I don't want to be blown to pieces by the wind."

Seeing the boy who was normal a moment ago and crying the next, the young man panicked a little and hurriedly coaxed him.

"Look at you, what are you crying for?" The young man wiped away the boy's tears with his sleeve.

"Wind is not as fierce as you think. On the contrary, if you master it, it can be very gentle."

The young man knelt on one knee, placing one hand on the boy's shoulder and holding the boy's wrist with the other to assist him in pushing forward slowly.

The green grass bent under the pressure, the fragrance of the soil wafted out, and feeling the warmth in his palm, the boy was momentarily stunned.

"Is this the power of wind?"

The young man stood up, walked forward, and patted the boulder.

"Doesn't it feel less difficult now that you've succeeded once?"

"Try again, but this time, don't aim at the rock; just aim at me."

The boy looked at his hands and his teacher in front of him. He was initially hesitant, but thinking of his teacher's strength, he set his target, took a deep breath, and slowed down his movements.

"Great Unity Wind!"

He pushed his hands forward gently, and a wisp of wind gathered from his hands and blew forward.

"Not bad. Although it's very immature, it can be considered a good start."

The boy was very happy, and the young man gave him timely encouragement.

"Hao'er, remember, you must practice this move well."

"It is the first wind Spell I created, and also my last Time Divine Ability."

"Your talent is not as good as your Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters, and you have to embark on such a difficult path. If you learn this move, I can protect you a little more."

The boy looked up, somewhat confused.

"What do you mean? Aren't you protecting me right now, Teacher?"

The young man stroked the boy's head, feeling somewhat emotional.

"I can do it for a while, even for a lifetime, but even a teacher cannot protect you eternally."

"Do you know why I gave up Time and chose Wind?"

The boy shook his head honestly.

"Time is a flow on a straight line, and wind can also be a flow on a straight line."

"On the first path, I kept walking forward until I was blocked by a high wall. I tried to cross the wall, but the direction fluctuated; Time thus turned into Wind, dissipated, and took on a new appearance."

The boy didn't understand; he just felt it was somewhat profound.

"You can understand these things later. You are still too young now; practicing this move well is what matters most."

"Wind is the same as Time in one aspect: they are always flowing. No matter when or where, you and I will always be able to blow in the same wind."

"In the future, when you practice this move to Major Achievement and use it again, think of me. No matter if I am still here or not, Teacher's wind will always be able to protect you."

The boy did not understand the weight of these words; he only understood that practicing this move well would allow him to borrow his teacher's power.

"So powerful? Then won't I be invincible in the future? As long as I practice this move well, won't I be as powerful as you, Teacher?"

"You little rascal, don't always think about relying on external objects."

The young man pressed his hand on the boy's head and rubbed it frantically.

"Time might not change its nature, but Wind will. Have you forgotten what I told you? When you cannot master the wind, a powerful wind is also very dangerous."

"In the future, you can use Teacher's power to protect yourself, but you must also be careful—careful that the next wind that blows is no longer my wind."

"Alright, go practice."

He pushed the boy away and watched him run under the boulders to continue his horse stance and push.

He clasped his hands behind his back and just watched, a trace of fatigue faintly showing on his face, but he was still smiling.

Until... he was interrupted from this peace.

A gentle wind blew abruptly, striking his back just like the wind that had just brushed his face—it had no force, but it was very warm.

"The technique... has improved."

"Feng Xu, the time has come, and we should go."

Hearing the voice from behind, Feng Xu turned his head slightly to look back. A crystal-clear tear was reflecting light under the corner of his eye, but as he turned his face, the wind that had not yet dissipated wiped away that tear.

Feng Xu said in a somewhat deep voice.

"You used my Disciple."

"You let him die a second time."

"You actually still have the face to come find me?"

"Do you want to die?"

With every sentence Feng Xu spoke, he paused for a moment, and his voice became a shade deeper.

He turned around completely, looking at the entire river of time that had unfolded behind him, surging through history, always flowing toward the distance, as it had always been.

And before the river of time stood another Feng Xu wearing a hood.

"I am very sorry for Ma Hao's death."

The hooded Feng Xu bowed his head slightly, his tone very relaxed.

"But you know, that child had his ideals. He had already taken the final step for his ideals, and he succeeded."

"So as teachers, we should be happy for him, shouldn't we?"

Feng Xu walked step by step toward the hooded Feng Xu, then punched him in the face.

"You really are a bastard."

The hooded Feng Xu turned his head back, which had been knocked to the side, still maintaining a smile on his face.

"It is you; you would do the same. Don't be in such a hurry to refute; after all, you are me, and I am you. One knows oneself too well to know what one will become."

"There is still a gap between you and me now, it's just that our starting points are different. If you were the one who successfully took that step, there would be no difference between you and me at all."

"It's just a pity that you in reality cannot take that step."

Hearing this, Feng Xu lowered his head, his fists clenched tightly.

"Alright, those who achieve great things do not fuss over trifles. We don't have much time, and I can't spend too long comforting everyone."

"Just think of it as being for the sake of this world, okay?"

The hooded Feng Xu patted Feng Xu's shoulder, did not linger, and turned to walk into the river of time.

Feng Xu seemed to think for a long time, but in reality, not much time had passed. He turned to look at the little boy, finally sighed heavily, and stepped into the river water.

The river of time was winding and long. At this moment, Feng Xu stepped on the river water and chose to go downstream, but that hooded Feng Xu went upstream.

As Feng Xu walked downstream, he took one last look at that person's back, his eyes filled with emotion, not knowing what he was thinking.

A puff of white breath escaped from Feng Xu's mouth, and his original fatigue and sadness turned into seriousness.

He had already seen the future; outside that open door, those who killed his Disciple were looking at him in astonishment.

And at this moment, Zhou Yan and the others were completely dumbfounded.

They actually saw a person stepping on the river of time, approaching them step by step.

Clearly, no one had opened the river of time, and some had never even seen the river of time, but now they all knew what that thing was, and they also knew what kind of figure it was who could walk toward them along the river.

"Feng Xu is here." Yuan Chenling looked as if the sky had fallen, collapsing onto the ground.