"No, no, no! How did everything get blown away? I haven't even gotten them yet!" Nantian Yijian shouted, eyes wide as the manuals scattered into the air. Without a second thought, he bolted after them. "They're all mine! All mine!" "Useless little brat... let me teach you a lesson..." Wind Dragon muttered, watching him scurry about. He released a sharp wind blade. "Worthless fool... those are just a few trash manuals. Let's see you pick them up again!" The massive one-meter wind blade cut relentlessly, stabbing at Nantian Yijian's butt every second. "Lord Wind Dragon! I... I was wrong! I don't want them anymore! Stop, please stop! My butt can't take it!" Spotting Jun Laoye around the corner, it was as if he had seen a lifeline. Nantian Yijian screamed, tossing the manuals aside and clutching his rear. "Little Jun! Save me! I'm dying!" Jun Laoye froze, seeing him barreling toward him. "Huh? Little Jian, why are you—" "Don't ask questions! There's a wind blade behind me! Help!" "A wind blade? Behind you? How can it be that powerful?" "Just run! Hurry!" Nantian Yijian yelped, grabbing Jun Laoye as he ran. "Little Jun, can you destroy that wind blade?" "You're too slow. I'll carry you while we run," Jun Laoye said, hoisting him onto his shoulder and sprinting around the central stone pillar. "What did you do to provoke a wind blade attack?" Jun Laoye ran toward Nantian Wan'er. She waved. "Brother Jun, you're here?" "Wan'er! Run! There's a wind blade behind you!" he shouted as they dashed. Seeing the wind blade approach Nantian Wan'er, Wind Dragon scooped her onto his head with a burst of wind-attribute spirit qi, then soared into the air. "Come on, brat, run faster!" Glancing back at the swirling wind blade, Jun Laoye panted. "What's going on?" He asked Nantian Wan'er, "Do you know where the wind blade comes from?" "Ah... Little Jun, run! It's coming again!" Nantian Yijian pressed his hands to his head, clinging tightly to Jun Laoye as the blade spiraled like an arrow toward his back. Nantian Wan'er called out, "Brother Jun! That wind blade was meant for Brother Yijian. If you get stained by Brother Yijian's aura, it will strike you too. It won't harm you directly, but it will hit a thousand times before dissipating!" "A thousand times? Really?" Jun Laoye glanced down. "Little Jian, how many times has it hit you so far?" "I... I lost count. Maybe a hundred times." "Only a hundred? That leaves nine hundred more!" "Little Jun, run! It's coming again!" Nantian Yijian wailed, pressing his head against Jun Laoye's back. "I won't grab any more manuals... Lord Wind Dragon, please spare me!" The wind blade struck a dozen more times in that short time. Every blow followed a straight path. Nantian Yijian, pressed against Jun Laoye's back, took every hit. "Ahhh! I'm dying! Little Jun, run faster! Lord Wind Dragon... I was wrong! Please!" "What did you do to make him release a wind blade at you?" Jun Laoye asked, drawing the Earth-Shattering Spear with his left hand and thrusting it backward, driving it violently into the wind blade. Nantian Yijian's legs clung to Jun Laoye's sides, but his upper body and head were flung upward, bouncing off the small stone pillars. "Ow, ow, ow! Little Jun, go slower! I'd probably die from getting banged in the head before the wind blade even hits me!" "Got it. Just hang on a bit longer," Jun Laoye muttered. The Earth-Shattering Spear temporarily held back the wind blade, but the backlash sent a jolt through his left hand, making it go numb. The spiral force ripped the webbing between his thumb and forefinger, leaving it bleeding. "Ugh... it hurts so much." The spear tip slammed into the ground. Blood trickled down the shaft. "Phew... You finally stopped. I'm dizzy to death," Nantian Yijian groaned, rubbing his head. "Damn it, Little Jun, run! That wind blade's coming again..." "This is bad... damn it..." Jun Laoye growled, glaring at the incoming blade, and dashed forward once more. Nantian Yijian's head slammed into a stone pillar again. "Little Jun, be careful! My head's made of flesh, not stone!" "I know. Hold tight." Only one massive stone pillar supported the ceiling on the second floor. The rest were smaller ones. Jun Laoye carried Nantian Yijian in circles, ducking behind the smaller pillars to hide from the relentless wind blade. Two hours later, Jun Laoye returned to where Nantian Wan'er was waiting. Hiding behind a pillar, he caught his breath and muttered, "We've tried every possible way to block the wind blade. How many strikes are left?" Nantian Wan'er responded, "Over three hundred, Brother Jun. Keep it up!" "Three hundred? I feel like I've been hit at least two thousand times already." Nantian Yijian rubbed his swollen head, sighing dejectedly. "Lord Wind Dragon, please... just let me off. I truly know I was wrong." Wind Dragon snorted. "Hmph, but I don't think it's enough yet." He released dense wind-attribute spirit qi. "For the next three hundred strikes, I'll show you what 'Great Dao simplified' really means, how 'one force subdues a hundred techniques' works, and how a single spell can manifest countless variations." Nantian Yijian barely managed to speak before Jun Laoye slapped him on the head. "Senior Wind Dragon, Little Jian has truly realized his mistakes. I'll teach him from here on, so please, let him off this time." "Hmph... don't even think about it." The dense wind-attribute spirit qi twisted and coiled around the wind blade, reshaping into new forms: wind spears, wind swords, wind walls, wind hammers, wind pillars, wind tornadoes, and more. Anything that wind could simulate slowly appeared before them. "Do we really need this many?" Nantian Yijian groaned, staring in despair at the multiplying attacks. "If all of these hit me... we'd die, right? Lord Wind Dragon, I have truly learnt my mistake... please, spare me..." "Don't worry. You won't die. You won't even be seriously hurt. It's just that the pain will be ten times worse than before. "Over three hundred variations should be enough. Let these attacks teach you why you shouldn't try to learn too many techniques," Wind Dragon said coldly. The three hundred wind blade variations merged back into a single one. "Kids, take your hits. The attacks won't stop hitting you until all of them have found their target." "No... this spell will actually kill us if it hits!" Nantian Yijian screamed as the wind blade charged. "I was wrong... I really was wrong... please, spare me!" Jun Laoye shivered at the incoming blade. Glancing at Nantian Yijian, he said shakily, "Let's split up. Maybe it'll make things easier." He set Nantian Yijian down, but the boy clutched Jun Laoye's head tightly. "No... Little Jun, don't leave me!" "Sigh... It's not personal. Besides, this is what you brought on yourself, so you have to bear it," Jun Laoye said, forcing a wry smile. He turned to Wind Dragon. "Senior Wind Dragon, it's time to teach Little Jian what it means to master a single method and unleash countless attacks. "The two of you can have your fun here. Just don't kill Little Jian. I need to find the mechanism for the next level, so I'll leave now." Jun Laoye gave a sheepish smile, shivered slightly, and hurled Nantian Yijian forward before sprinting away himself. "Little Jun... aren't we brothers? How can you leave me behind?" Nantian Yijian sat on the ground, screaming in despair. "Come back, Little Jun! Come back!" Seeing Nantian Yijian's pitiful state, Jun Laoye felt a twinge of guilt. While running full speed, he shouted advice, "Little Jian, run! I'll hide for a while and come back for you later." Nantian Yijian yelled at Jun Laoye, "Little Jun... why are you still running forward?" He stood up and tried to catch up. Wind Dragon said, "Don't say I didn't warn you. There's only one wind blade, and it can only chase one person. If the two of you split up, then it won't know who to follow." Nantian Yijian glanced back at Wind Dragon. "Alright, that works too. Wait for me, Little Jun... I don't need you to carry me anymore... just wait for me first..." He then laughed as he ran in another direction.