At that moment, the scenery before Liu Qing began to blur, and the voices faded into the distance. Dimly, he seemed to hear something about founding the Wave Wind and Dragon Tamer families. Just as he tried to listen more closely, his vision went black. When he recovered, he found himself standing in the Shrine. The Sky Plate was still the Sky Plate, and Ho-Oh's Tail Feather was still Ho-Oh's Tail Feather. Nothing had changed in the slightest. Liu Qing looked down at his hands, then pinched his thigh. Pain followed, and he smiled.
"Dad, what's wrong with Liu Qing? Has he lost his mind?!" Seeing his son pinch himself and grin foolishly, Bofeng Yu immediately panicked.
"Ah, Dad!" Only upon hearing his voice did Liu Qing come to his senses. He turned and saw Bofeng Yu, but his gaze immediately shifted to the elderly man beside him. Though his face showed signs of age, Liu Qing could still tell that he must have been handsome in his youth.
Yet, for some reason, the instant Liu Qing saw the elderly man, a strange feeling arose in his heart. An aura seemed to surround him-light, flowing, ethereal, explosive, radiant, and warm. Then the man seemed to merge entirely into that aura, becoming a gentle breeze brushing the willows, becoming a flame that radiated light! In the next instant, however, the breeze became a roaring gale, and the flames surged upward. The fire rode the wind, and the wind fed the fire. The blazing inferno took the form of a fiery phoenix, threatening to burn through the heavens and destroy the world! In a fleeting daze, the flames dispersed and the furious wind subsided. Tiny shoots of green struggled out of the ash-covered earth and began to flourish...
"Liu Qing, Liu Qing?"