Wind and Space

Inside the Inheritance Hall, there is no cycle of sun and moon, nor is there any concept of time.

Xiao Xiao sat cross-legged on the Dragon Crystal Meditation Cushion, the Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron hovering before her, the three divine beast phantoms on the cauldron's surface flickering intermittently.

Her brows were tightly locked, her soul power surging restlessly around her body. Countless cyan wisps of the origin of wind circled her, yet they could never merge into the body of the cauldron.

Xiao Xiao had been sitting here for two full months.

From the very first day she stepped into the Inheritance Hall, the Wind Dragon King had used the power of his remnant soul to saturate the entire hall with the materialized essence of the wind.

Every wisp of wind here carried the purest law patterns; as long as one reached out to touch it, one could clearly perceive the flow of the wind, the birth and death of the wind, and the unconstrained nature of the wind...

With the Power of Creation as his foundation and the Wordless Heavenly Book capable of precisely deconstructing law patterns, Xue Yuheng had arrived here only half a month ago and had already grasped the underlying logic of the origin of wind.

Wind is the freest energy between heaven and earth, a flow law outside the Five Elements; its essence is the endless, ceaseless cycle.

Xue Yuheng could even fuse the origin of wind with his Ultimate Ice, allowing the four soul skills the Ice Empress had given him to become instantaneous, requiring no charging time.

He could even use his martial soul, the Wordless Heavenly Book, as a conduit to stir the origin of wind within the hall, manipulating the flow of air throughout the entire space at will.

But Xiao Xiao had hit a bottleneck.

With her Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, and now the Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron, what she had always sought was control and suppression.

Controlling violent attacks, controlling chaotic space, controlling all restless things in the world.

Yet, the essence of wind is flow.

It is unconstrained circulation, ceaseless rushing, freedom without boundaries or shackles.

Control and flow are, by nature, two contradictory laws.

The more Xiao Xiao tried to use the Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron to control and forcibly master the wind, the more the origin of wind resisted, making it impossible to merge into the cauldron.

For two months, she had tried again and again, failing each time. Her soul power had become chaotic several times, and the crack on the Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron had grown larger, yet she could never take that final step.

"Don't push yourself so hard."

A warm hand rested gently on the top of Xiao Xiao's head.

Xue Yuheng sat down beside her, channeling a wisp of gentle Power of Creation to help her stabilize her surging soul power, his tone filled with heartache.

"Rest for a while. Don't be so hard on yourself."

Xiao Xiao opened her eyes, her eye sockets slightly reddened, her voice tinged with grievance and self-doubt: "Little Xue, am I very stupid?

You grasped it long ago, but I'm still standing still.

Am I simply unworthy of the Wind Dragon Senior's inheritance?"

"Silly girl, what are you saying?"

Xue Yuheng pinched her cheek, his tone gentle. "You and I are different. My Power of Creation is inherently compatible with all laws, so grasping the origin of wind was a logical progression.

But your Four Symbols Cauldron aims to make the origin of wind a part of your own martial soul; the difficulty is naturally much greater than mine."

He raised his hand and waved it, and the origin of wind in the hall instantly gathered, transforming into a ceaselessly swirling cyan vortex in his palm.

"You've always felt that suppression and flow are contradictory, haven't you?" Xue Yuheng looked at her and asked softly.

Xiao Xiao nodded; this was precisely her greatest bottleneck.

"Then have you ever thought about why, among the Four Symbols, the Wind Dragon can stand alongside the Xuanwu, White Tiger, and Golden Crow to form a closed loop?"

Xue Yuheng's fingertip tapped lightly, and a transparent barrier instantly appeared outside the wind vortex, firmly enclosing it. No matter how fast the vortex spun, it could not break out of the barrier's range.

"The Xuanwu governs defense, which is stillness; the White Tiger and Golden Crow govern offense, which is movement; the Wind Dragon governs life, which is the capacity to embrace all rivers."

Xue Yuheng was actually just reciting the words from the Wordless Heavenly Book, yet it made the Wind Dragon King, who was observing the two from the corner, nod silently.

A master can lead one to the door, but the cultivation depends on the individual.

He had already given them the most precious origin laws; if they still couldn't comprehend it, there was nothing more he could do.

"Inside your Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron, you are the heaven and earth."

"To suppress the heavens is not to fix everything in place and turn it into a stagnant pool."

"It is to bring the restless myriad things into your order."

"What you need to do is not use the cauldron to suppress the wind, but to use the cauldron to give the wind a home."

These few words seemed to provide Xiao Xiao with a new direction.

The Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron was not just a tool for suppression; it was a vessel for the Four Symbols closed loop, a heaven and earth that carried the origins of the four divine beasts.

Since the Xuanwu, White Tiger, and Golden Crow could merge within the cauldron, the Wind Dragon's origin of wind could naturally do so as well.

Xiao Xiao took a deep breath and slowly closed her eyes.

This time, she no longer forcibly urged her soul power to suppress the surrounding origin of wind. Using her own soul power as a guide and the cauldron as the boundary, she gently led those drifting cyan wisps of wind, allowing them to merge into the cauldron bit by bit.

There was no resistance, no conflict.

Those previously violent wisps of wind now flowed into the Four Symbols Cauldron as docilely as homing birds finding their destination.

The body of the cauldron began to vibrate violently, erupting with a blinding cyan light.

The phantom images of the Xuanwu, White Tiger, and Vermilion Bird simultaneously let out a long, resonant roar, and the dragon position that had remained empty within the cauldron for so long finally saw a winding Azure Dragon phantom slowly emerge.

Although the phantom was still faint, it had already formed a perfect closed loop with the other three divine beast phantoms.

Rumble—

The fluctuations of the laws of heaven and earth spread outward from the body of the cauldron.

Xiao Xiao had finally comprehended the law of the Wind Origin that belonged to her.

Beside her, Xue Yuheng watched her breakthrough, a gentle smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

At the same time, the Wordless Heavenly Book slowly opened before him, and the complete General Outline of Wind Origin merged entirely into the book, fusing thoroughly with his Power of Creation.

In the corner of the Inheritance Hall, the remnant soul of the Wind Dragon King felt the fluctuations of the laws within the hall and revealed a satisfied smile.

However, his gaze drifted toward the depths of the void, carrying a hint of gravity.

"Comprehending the Wind Origin is only the beginning," he whispered to himself. "The ultimate form of wind is space. You must understand that wind and space are, by nature, one."

The one-year period had reached its end.

The doors of the Inheritance Hall swung open with a boom, and Xue Yuheng and Xiao Xiao walked out side by side.

Though less than four days had passed in the outside world, the temperaments of the two had undergone a complete transformation.

Xiao Xiao was surrounded by a faint cyan wind halo, and the Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron hovered beside her. On the body of the cauldron, the four divine beast phantoms—the Wind Dragon, Xuanwu, White Tiger, and Golden Crow—were incredibly solid and lifelike.

As for Xue Yuheng, he stood beside her, his aura restrained yet bottomless. The Wordless Heavenly Book had merged into the center of his brow, and the Wind Origin, the Power of Creation, and his Ultimate Ice attribute were perfectly fused.

"It seems you are ready."

The green-robed figure of the Wind Dragon King appeared before them.

He looked at the two with satisfaction in his eyes, then raised his hand and waved, causing the entire void to instantly twist.

The Thirty-Three Heavens Storm emerged, a force capable of tearing the physical body of a Limit Douluo to shreds.

Yet this time, those violent gales were as docile as a stream before Xiao Xiao, flowing along with her body.

"You have comprehended the Wind Origin, but do you know what lies at the end of the wind?" the Wind Dragon King asked, looking at the two with a deep voice.

"It is space," Xue Yuheng spoke first, his gaze firm. "Wind is the carrier of space, and space is the boundary of wind. Without wind, space is dead silence. Without space, wind has nowhere to exist. Wind and space are, by nature, one."

This was the final conclusion he had reached after countless deductions with Xiao Xiao and the Wordless Heavenly Book over the past year.

It was also the fundamental reason why the Wind Dragon King could simultaneously wield the two great laws of wind and space.

"Not bad," the Wind Dragon King laughed heartily. "Back then, I relied on these laws of wind and space to roam the ancient world, invincible. If not for being backstabbed by that villain... but let us not speak of that."

As his voice fell, the Wind Dragon King pointed a finger.

The entire void instantly collapsed, turning into a chaotic battlefield.

Ultimate ice and snow froze the entire space, pitch-black spatial rifts covered the heavens and earth, and the divine power of ice and snow condensed into the phantom of a majestic man.

He had long, snow-white hair and held a silver-white sword; merely standing there, he seemed to freeze the very heavens and earth.

This was the scene of the death battle where the Wind Dragon King was backstabbed, recreated by him using the power of the Dragon Pearl.

The ancient Ice God that Xue Yuheng had seen in the Ice Empress's heart-tribulation illusion seemed different from this one; this one appeared younger.

Unfortunately, after the Ice Empress became Xue Yuheng's Wisdom Soul Ring, she had been sleeping in his spiritual sea due to a lack of spiritual power.

"The final trial is to break out of this battlefield using the laws of wind and space," the Wind Dragon King's voice echoed in the chaos.

"Only by truly mastering wind and space will you be qualified to inherit my legacy and avenge me."

Almost simultaneously, the Ice God's phantom moved.

The ultimate divine power of ice and snow swept over, instantly freezing the space around the two, while countless spatial rifts struck from all directions, intent on shredding them to pieces.

This strike perfectly replicated the move the Ice God had used to backstab the Wind Dragon King—locking space, freezing soul power, and leaving no room for escape.

"Xiao Xiao!"

"Coming!"

The two exchanged a tacit look.

The Wordless Heavenly Book opened before Xue Yuheng, and the Power of Creation, combined with a trace of the wind and space laws he had comprehended, converged into a beam of light that merged with Xiao Xiao.

This was a combat method Xue Yuheng possessed similar to the Nether White Tiger; his Wordless Heavenly Book martial soul could perform a martial soul fusion with a female soul master through the Power of Creation.

In this state, the female soul master's overall attributes would receive a two-hundred-percent increase.

The Ice God's phantom slashed down with its sword once more, the divine power of ice and snow freezing the entire world.

But this time, Xiao Xiao's Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron locked onto the Ice God's form.

Goddess Transformation!

At this moment, Xiao Xiao, who looked as if a goddess from the nine heavens had descended to the mortal world, walked through the air. As she swung her hands diagonally, a subtle wind swept through this void of space in an incredible manner.

The wind grew stronger and stronger, eventually forming a gale.

With the help of the Power of Creation from Xue Yuheng, Xiao Xiao had comprehended a self-created soul skill!

Thirty-Three Heavens Storm!

Crack—

The phantom of the Ice God was instantly torn into fragments.

The chaos dissipated, and the void returned to calm.

The Wind Dragon King stood before the two, his expression filled with excitement.

"Good! Good! Good!" He repeated the word three times, his voice trembling. "You two are worthy of my inheritance!"

Xiao Xiao had actually managed to comprehend this soul skill unique to the Wind Dragon King; the Thirty-Three Heavens Storm was precisely the asset that had allowed the Wind Dragon King to roam the myriad worlds.

He had used it to defeat many enemies in the past, which was why he was so moved after seeing Xiao Xiao display its embryonic form.

There is a successor at last; the talent of humans is truly terrifying.

The Wind Dragon King raised his hand and waved it, and the Dragon Pearl at the center of the dragon skeleton's brow slowly flew out, hovering before Xiao Xiao.

The Inheritance Hall transformed into a dragon-claw ring and drifted toward Xue Yuheng.

"Xiao Xiao, Xue Yuheng, from this day forward, you are my direct disciples.

Please pass this Inheritance Hall of the Wind Dragon clan to the dragon kin that still exist on the continent."

After finishing this, the figure of the Wind Dragon King gradually became transparent.

He did not fear that Xue Yuheng and Xiao Xiao would swallow the inheritance, because the inheritance of the dragon kin could only be opened by those with dragon bloodline.

The Wind Dragon King yearned for freedom; he had waited for over a hundred thousand years and had long since grown weary and bored.

Seven thousand years ago, a disciple of the Heavenly Dragon Gate accidentally fell into the Dragon Suppression Cliff and discovered this place.

For seven thousand years, not a single person from the Heavenly Dragon Gate had managed to break into the thirty-third heaven; the one from a thousand years ago had been a glimmer of hope, but unfortunately, he was a fool for love.

Now that the inheritance was delivered and his obsession resolved, it was time for the Wind Dragon King to leave.

A god-level remnant soul would not naturally dissipate unless attacked by power of the same level; such were the rules of this world.

The Wind Dragon King would become a traveler, roaming the heavens just like Electrolux.

Perhaps one day in the future, the Wind Dragon King would also become the "old grandfather" to some child of destiny...

"Children." The Wind Dragon King looked at the two, his voice growing faint. "Half of the Ice God's godhood is my origin. Once fused with my Dragon Pearl, it will exert a massive suppression effect on him.

He is about to awaken, and the Douluo Continent may soon fall into chaos."

"Protect this continent for me."

As a son of the Dragon God, the Wind Dragon King was born on the Douluo Continent, and he loved this land deeply.

This was the reason he could have left earlier but insisted on leaving behind his inheritance before departing.

Xiao Xiao and Xue Yuheng wore expressions of regret. Over the past year, the Wind Dragon King's teachings had been vivid in their minds; though the three were mere acquaintances at first, they had now become true master and disciples.

Although Xue Yuheng, as a transmigrator, did not hold deep emotional attachment to the Wind Dragon King, he still promised:

"Teacher, I will settle the dragon kin properly."

The Wind Dragon King smiled with satisfaction; Xue Yuheng's promise pleased him, for he could see the ambition and talent in this six-year-old boy. His remnant soul dissipated with the wind.

Within the Dragon Tomb, dead silence returned.

The two bowed deeply in the direction where the Wind Dragon King had vanished.

One year and four months—five months in the outside world—they had fallen from the Dragon Suppression Cliff, broken through the Thirty-Three Heavens Storm, entered the tomb of the Wind Dragon King, comprehended the origin of wind, and mastered wind and space, completing a transformation that ordinary soul masters could never achieve in a lifetime.

Xue Yuheng raised his hand, invoking the laws of wind and space, and the Wordless Heavenly Book slowly opened.

A stable spatial channel slowly unfolded before them; at the other end of the channel lay a massive city.

"It is time for us to leave." Xue Yuheng looked at Xiao Xiao and reached out to take her hand. "Xiao Xiao, once we go out and reconnect with the laws of the continent, your martial soul's lightning tribulation will arrive.

Do not worry, I am here."

Xiao Xiao gripped his hand back, her eyes firm, and she nodded.

The two stepped forward side by side, entering the spatial channel.

The gates of the Wind Dragon King's tomb slowly closed, and this semi-plane became the possession of Xue Yuheng and Xiao Xiao.

The Thirty-Three Heavens Storm returned to silence once more.

But the winds and clouds of the Douluo Continent were only just beginning to stir.