Return

Dave suddenly remembered, when he heard the doorbell, that he had never told Balthazar Blake and Li Feng about inviting Becky over last night.

Since he could be alone with the goddess he had secretly loved for so long, Dave tactfully told Balthazar Blake and Li Feng, "If you two don't want to be force-fed dog food, please gracefully get lost."

Balthazar Blake had wanted to talk to Dave about how Horvath could come to kill them at any moment and how tense the current situation was, but Li Feng had already gone pale and was dragging Balthazar Blake away.

Compared to Balthazar Blake and Dave, Becky was the first to notice the bead-sized drops of cold sweat on Li Feng's face. She pointed at Li Feng, signaling to Balthazar Blake and Dave that they should take him to the hospital first.

One look at Li Feng's pale face told Balthazar Blake that the Time Energy inside him had erupted again. Considering Becky was just an ordinary person, and wanting to keep the Magic World hidden, Balthazar Blake glared at Dave before supporting Li Feng and hurriedly leaving Grimhold.

Dave wanted to check on Li Feng too, but he figured Li Feng would be safe with Balthazar Blake looking after him. On the other hand, he could be alone with Becky and show off how great he was. After thinking for 0.1 seconds, Dave chose to stay alone with Becky.

The moment Li Feng and Balthazar Blake stepped out of Grimhold, Balthazar Blake began helping Li Feng calm his Time Energy with a puzzled expression. "That's impossible. I already helped you suppress your Time Energy before."

Perhaps thinking of something, Balthazar Blake waited until Li Feng's complexion returned to normal before saying harshly, "Did you secretly study time again after Dave and I left last night? Maybe I misjudged you. Perhaps you should suffer this pain of being torn apart by energy for a while longer, so you can understand that the Magic World is full of danger."

Once he recovered, Li Feng braced his hands on his knees and gasped for breath, bitterly wondering whether he should tell Balthazar Blake that he was not from this world.

It would be better to make things clear with Balthazar Blake. Maybe his knowledge can help me return to the Marvel Universe.

After thinking it over, Li Feng rubbed his still-aching forehead and said softly, "This isn't Time Energy. It's Quantum Energy."

Balthazar Blake froze. The scientific-sounding term "quantum" immediately made him think it might refer to time in magic. But quantum was not the same as time; it was merely related to time. That was why the Time Energy he had clearly suppressed had erupted again. He had never found the root cause, so no matter how he cast his spells, they had been ineffective.

Otherwise, how could a dignified Level 777 Mage fail to calm such a tiny amount of Time Energy? Where would he put his face?

Balthazar Blake gestured for Li Feng to continue. He was very curious. After spending several days together, Li Feng looked like nothing more than a poor student—and someone from the mystical side at that. How had he gotten involved with the Quantum Realm? Don't tell me you're a Quantum Realm scientist too. I'm afraid I'll laugh hard enough to get abs.

Li Feng was certainly no scientist. Calling him a homebody would be more accurate.

As Li Feng scratched his head and explained that he was not from this world, Balthazar Blake initially did not believe him. Then he remembered that the three unique spells Li Feng knew truly did not belong to this world, and—

Balthazar Blake extended his right hand toward an empty patch of ground and cast a Portal. "You came to my world because of this, didn't you?"

It had to be said, a Level 777 Mage really was impressive. In just a few days, Balthazar Blake had successfully cast a Portal.

Li Feng glanced at what looked like a parking lot on the other side of the Portal and nodded. "Yes. In theory, this kind of teleportation technology can indeed travel across worlds, but it has clear requirements for the caster."

Without even thinking, Balthazar Blake said, "You need to understand the place you want to go to. You must clearly picture it in your mind. The more detailed your image, the faster the spell is cast. Conversely, if you are uncertain about where you want to go, or if the place does not exist, the spell will fail."

It was precisely because of this basic requirement that Mages who had never left the Marvel Universe could only use Portals within their own world instead of freely traveling through Otherworlds. Otherwise, Ancient One's people would not be called Masters of the Mystic Arts. They would just be called world-traveling Mages.

And Kamar-Taj would not be supported by Ancient One alone. Just think about how many ways there were to make Mages stronger in Otherworlds. If every Sanctum Sorcerer could freely enter and leave those worlds, then what business would Dormammu have in the Marvel Universe? Any Mage who cultivated to the peak in another world and returned home for a break could probably pin Dormammu to the ground and rub his face into it.

As for Purple Chin, tell me—would you rather turn into a sheep grazing on the ground, a fat pig raised in a sty, or perhaps a panda for people to gawk at? At least a panda was a national treasure with food and clothing guaranteed. Compared to sheep and pigs that could accidentally be slaughtered and served on a dinner table, a national treasure was clearly on a much higher level.

Balthazar Blake was still somewhat confused. Even with a Portal that led to Otherworlds, he knew he still could not travel to them.

Narrowing his eyes, Balthazar Blake stared at Li Feng and thought, So the Quantum Energy Li Feng deliberately mentioned earlier is very likely another necessary part of crossing worlds.

With that thought, Balthazar Blake walked up to Li Feng, pressed his right hand against Li Feng's forehead, and carefully sensed the Quantum Energy. Before long, Balthazar Blake looked at Li Feng in astonishment, as though he had realized something.

It looked like Balthazar Blake had discovered something.

Feeling somewhat uneasy, Li Feng carefully asked, "Can I still return to my original world?"

Balthazar Blake answered Li Feng's question with certainty: yes. But what concerned him was something else. The Quantum Realm is actually related to traveling through time. And I can sense that the Time—no, Quantum Energy inside Austin is connected to Earth's River of Time. Combined with the nature of the Portal, that allows him to appear on Earth at various points in time and space.

But that also clearly means I cannot travel to Otherworlds. First of all, how to let Quantum Energy exist in my body without killing me is already a problem.

I can only say that everyone has their own Destiny.

With a hint of envy, Balthazar Blake told Li Feng what he had discovered, and Li Feng felt his head begin to ache.

He could understand using quantum physics to travel through time; Avengers: Endgame had mentioned that. But he could not make sense of why the Quantum Energy in his body had become connected to Earth. At the same time, he had no idea whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"This is a good thing," Balthazar Blake explained faintly, making Li Feng understand just how great a benefit he had gained after the Quantum Tunnel explosion.

In Li Feng's understanding, the great river of time had countless tributaries. One tributary branched out from Earth at its source into countless Earths, while the Quantum Energy in Li Feng's body connected him to that Timeline originating from Earth.

After a long while, Li Feng licked his lips excitedly. "So as long as a world has an Earth, I can use Quantum Energy to travel there?"

Balthazar Blake rolled his eyes and pointed at the Portal. "Casting this thing requires energy. I can only say that you can use Quantum Energy to reach different worlds. But whether you can actually land in that world depends on whether it has the corresponding energy for you to open the exit of a Portal."

Li Feng understood Balthazar Blake's meaning after only a moment's thought. "In other words, I can't reach an Earth that developed purely through technology, but I can land on Earths that have magical power?"

Balthazar Blake nodded with a trace of envy. He could not help being envious. Would there be few parallel Earths with mystical powers? Obviously not. Especially worlds with mythical creatures. Forget powerful spells capable of slaying gods and demons—even the formulas for medicinal ingredients that could strengthen one's body were enough to make him drool.

Unfortunately, he could not go. At least, not yet.

Feeling himself filled with fighting spirit again and reigniting his desire to grow stronger, Balthazar Blake thought, Perhaps I can't go to other worlds now, but as long as I continue cultivating, sooner or later I'll be able to travel to other worlds too.

But before that, I need to confirm one thing.

Balthazar Blake glanced at Li Feng, who was already grinning foolishly and drooling, then wordlessly took out a handkerchief from his pocket. "Wipe your drool first. Then I'll tell you how to return to your original world. Also—"

With contempt so obvious even a blind man could see it, Balthazar Blake continued, "You really are a classic case of embarrassing yourself in another world."

To lose face, one first had to have face to lose. As for Li Feng, his face had long been tucked into his pocket. There was no way he could lose it.

Li Feng took a deep breath and slowly let it out. This was also an advantage of long-term meditation. In just a few seconds, Li Feng focused his mental power and signaled that Balthazar Blake could teach him how to open a door home.

Balthazar Blake stroked his chin. "First, try returning to your original world while your Time—Quantum Energy—is calm."

Li Feng scratched between his brows and spread his hands. "No need to try. I know I can't return, because I tried before. There was only a swirling mass of orange-yellow energy. I couldn't even form a complete Portal."

"Looks like part of my understanding was correct." Balthazar Blake was not saddened or disappointed that Li Feng had secretly tried to open a path home. If he had been inexplicably sent to another world, he would have tried to find a way home too.

As Balthazar Blake raised a hand and caused the calm Quantum Energy inside Li Feng to fluctuate again, he said, "Since you successfully crossed over through the river of time, you must rely on the river of time to return home. So you need to combine Quantum Energy with a Portal. Only then will you have hope of returning home."

The instant he finished speaking, Li Feng felt the pain of energy tearing through his body. But this time, he said nothing. Enduring the pain of his body being ground apart, he cast a Portal toward an empty patch of ground in the distance.

Sure enough, the Portal that appeared this time was blue-white. And with his earlier speculation about the tributaries of time, the observant Li Feng clearly noticed a thin green line representing time faintly twisting within the blue-white curtain of light.

When the Portal fully formed, Li Feng felt a pulling force coming from within it. But before he could steady himself, the Portal suddenly lunged at him.

What is this? Seeing that I didn't want to walk into the blue-white light curtain, you naughty Portal decided to swallow me directly? We need to be reasonable here, you know. Even if I wanted to leave, I should at least thank Balthazar Blake and say goodbye. You can't even give me that little bit of time? So stingy.

Balthazar Blake was somewhat surprised by the Portal's mischief, but he did not say much. He merely silently clenched his fists.

Once Morgana is dealt with, I'll return to a life of secluded cultivation. Sooner or later, Austin, we will meet again.