Chapter 90: Haha, You Want to Feel Refreshed Too?
Shhh!
Stunned for a moment, Hai Bodong suddenly launched an attack without warning. An ice spike materialized in his hand, shooting straight at Xiao Yuan.
Prepared for such a move, Xiao Yuan easily dodged the ice spike with a flicker of movement.
But right after, he realized that the room had filled with a dense white mist radiating an icy chill—clearly Hai Bodong's doing.
As the mist engulfed the entire space, Xiao Yuan felt a tinge of unease. He could tell this fog was distorting his sense of direction. Worse, once it touched his body, he felt a noticeable drop in speed.
Sensing how much more refined Hai Bodong's ice-type Dou Qi was compared to his own, Xiao Yuan rubbed his temple in mild frustration.
"The fact that the Mittel Clan gave you the Profound Ice Art proves your potential, but this old man still wants to see for himself what's so special about you!"
Hearing Hai Bodong's words, Xiao Yuan could only sigh.
"Fine, if you insist."
He exhaled and released his black-and-white flames. The terrifying heat quickly began melting the surrounding frost formed by the cold mist.
"Heavenly Flame? At your age and level, and you've obtained such a thing?"
Hai Bodong's astonished voice rang out.
"You flatter me, Elder Hai. Luck, that's all."
Xiao Yuan smiled, but his expression soon turned serious as he began forming hand seals.
In the next instant, black ice Dou Qi burst forth, condensing into crescent-shaped ice blades around him.
Seeing this familiar technique, Hai Bodong's eyes widened again. "Profound Ice Spiral Slash?"
The number of blades around Xiao Yuan quickly multiplied, surrounding him in a full circle. As the blades connected, they formed a raging ice blade storm.
"Go!"
With a low shout, Xiao Yuan hurled the storm toward Hai Bodong. The force tore ruts into the floor and shattered the crystal counters in its path—yet left behind surfaces smooth as glass.
Watching Xiao Yuan execute the Profound Ice Spiral Slash so proficiently, Hai Bodong was briefly reminded of his younger self.
It was quite the display of power.
Feeling the slight threat from the storm, Hai Bodong immediately formed hand seals.
"Ice Mirror Shield!"
As the seals completed, the surrounding mist churned rapidly, and a half-meter-wide transparent ice mirror suddenly solidified in front of him.
Seeing the mirror, Xiao Yuan smirked slightly. A cyan gleam flickered in his eyes.
Boom!
The ice blade storm slammed into the mirror, scattering shards of ice in all directions.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yuan gripped his spear, channeling all the Dou Qi from his other four Qi Palaces into his Liver's Wood Palace.
The spear glowed with a vivid green light, laced with black-and-white flame. The heat instantly vaporized the nearby ice, further obscuring visibility in the room.
Taking advantage of the cover, Xiao Yuan's body darted forward like fluttering down. In the blink of an eye, he appeared at Hai Bodong's side.
Shing!
Xiao Yuan thrust his spear with precision. The wind-attribute Dou Qi formed into a deep cyan beam, and he followed it by swallowing a recovery pill.
Hai Bodong's pupils contracted, and he instinctively roared:
"Thousand Petal Ice Mirror!"
A massive ice mirror appeared before him, filled with countless small facets, completely covering the area in front of him.
The cyan energy thread, wreathed in black-and-white flame, slammed into the mirror. The immense energy scattered upon impact across the thousands of facets.
Even so, Hai Bodong was shocked to see faint cracks forming at the center of the mirror.
He quickly reinforced it with several additional ice layers and finally relaxed.
Crack!
The Thousand Petal Ice Mirror shattered, and the cyan energy thread dissipated after penetrating the third layer.
"This kid's a monster…"
The old man's face twitched. Hai Bodong couldn't help but sigh.
"But I think that's enough—huh?"
He released his ice barrier only to find… no one there.
"Elder Hai, that's enough, right? If you keep pushing, I'm going to run."
Xiao Yuan's voice came from above.
Hai Bodong looked up, shocked.
"Flight using Dou Qi?" Then he shook his head. "No, not quite. A flying Dou Technique?"
"You little rascal, how do you have so many treasures on you?"
He was stunned.
He knew the Mittel Clan well—they definitely didn't have flying Dou Techniques.
Or Heavenly Flames.
And…
"Kid, why do you know high-level Dou Techniques from the Misty Cloud Sect? If I'm not mistaken, that last move was their strongest single-target attack: Wind's Edge – Falling Kill!"
Hai Bodong no longer wanted to keep fighting. A Dou Shi unleashing a strike that could kill a Da Dou Shi or seriously injure a Dou Ling? No more testing was needed—this brat was stronger than he ever was.
"Uh… it's a long story. Bit personal, can't say for now. But you'll know eventually, Elder Hai. I'm not from the Misty Cloud Sect."
Xiao Yuan scratched his head, a little awkward, as he deactivated his Purple Cloud Wings.
"That still doesn't explain your Dou Qi. You're clearly cultivating my Profound Ice Art, but you're using wind-element Dou Techniques too?"
Hai Bodong was curious again.
"Let's just say I can use both wind and ice attributes. That's all you need to know."
Xiao Yuan responded vaguely.
"Mysterious little brat… I suppose the Mittel Clan has more foresight than I gave them credit for."
Hai Bodong didn't press further. He swept his eyes over Xiao Yuan's slightly pale face and said slowly:
"Anyway, thanks to Elder Teng Shan passing on the Profound Ice Art, Ice Mirror Shield, and Profound Ice Spiral Slash to me—it's really helped my cultivation."
Xiao Yuan smiled, laying it on thick.
"Hmph, that old fool's still alive?"
Despite the insult, a trace of a smile appeared in Hai Bodong's eyes.
"He's a Dou Wang now."
"Dou Wang, huh? Been that long already…"
Hai Bodong murmured with emotion, a complex look in his murky eyes.
"I heard you disappeared over twenty years ago, Elder Hai. What happened? Could it be related to the seal on your strength?"
Xiao Yuan asked, probing gently.
"Heh, you've got sharp eyes. Yes, I was sealed—and it all started with that map fragment in your hand."
Hai Bodong smiled bitterly, the scar on his face stretching ominously.
"After attending the Strongest Summit, I ventured into the Tagor Desert. By chance, I found that map fragment… but it drew the attention of the Snake-People Queen, Queen Medusa.
She's one of the strongest Dou Huangs. If her tribe had more like her, they'd have attacked the human empires long ago.
I was completely defeated in that fight. Though I escaped, I was afflicted with her Snake Seal Curse. My body aged rapidly, and my power was sealed at Dou Ling."
He paused, visibly bitter.
He had once believed the map hinted at a great treasure. Something even Queen Medusa coveted couldn't be ordinary.
He never expected it would be a disaster, not a blessing.
"I've spent all these years hiding here, trying to uncover the map's secret. But it's just a fragment—I've tried everything, but I can't crack it."
"Elder Hai, where did you get the idea that the map fragment had anything to do with breaking the seal?"
Xiao Yuan shook his head, speechless.
"…What?"
Hai Bodong frowned.
"Think about it. There's no real reason why Queen Medusa's curse would be tied to the map."
Xiao Yuan raised his hands, exasperated.
Hai Bodong fell silent, then said stiffly, "Well… not entirely. I did find a recipe that can remove the seal.
All I need now is the medicinal pill it describes."
"Why haven't you asked someone to refine it? With your status as the Ice Emperor, can't you get Pill King Gu He to help?"
Xiao Yuan asked knowingly.
"Gu He is a six-tier alchemist, sure, but that pill requires a Heavenly Flame. Gu He doesn't have one. So he can't refine it."
Hai Bodong shook his head seriously.
"Lucky for you… I know someone who does have a Heavenly Flame and can refine sixth-tier pills."
Xiao Yuan smiled meaningfully.
Hai Bodong's eyes lit up. "Really?!"
"Would I lie? I cultivate your Profound Ice Art, don't I?"
Xiao Yuan shrugged.
"Hmm… seems like you're very interested in that map fragment. Fine, I'll tell you the truth—back then, I split it perfectly into two pieces. You've got one. I have the other. Heh…"
Hai Bodong grinned.
Xiao Yuan, however, remained calm.
"So… you're offering half a map for a sixth-tier pill? That won't cut it. The map's clearly just a portion of a whole. Even if we combine both halves, we still might not have anything useful."
"Of course not!"
Hai Bodong shook his head. "There's also a favor from a Dou Huang."
Xiao Yuan didn't reply, face blank.
"Greedy brat!"
Hai Bodong understood what he meant.
He wanted more.
"You really do have that Mittel Clan attitude!"
With a sigh, Hai Bodong pulled out a scroll exuding icy energy.
"This is an advanced Xuan-rank Dou Technique—Profound Ice Dragon Soar. It's not weaker than Misty Cloud Sect's Wind's Edge. And what you used—Falling Kill—is only half of Wind's Edge. There's also the Sunset Radiance half.
But this Profound Ice Dragon Soar, if mastered, is comparable to a low-tier Earth-rank Dou Technique.
It's hard to learn. Even I never fully mastered it. Help me, and it's yours. Deal?"
He held out the scroll.
"Heh. Elder Hai, leave the seal-breaking to me. I, Xiao Yuan, won't let you down!"
Xiao Yuan smiled, accepting solemnly.
He reached out for the scroll.
But Hai Bodong pulled it back.
"Eh?"
Xiao Yuan frowned.
"Ahem. You know the rules—refining requires you to provide the ingredients. I've gathered most of what's needed. But one item is missing.
It's called Sand Mandrake. Only grows in the hottest parts of the Tagor Desert.
With my ice-attribute Qi and this seal, I can't go deep into the desert. If I do, Queen Medusa will sense me immediately.
Giving you the scroll is no issue. And since you've got wind-attribute Dou Qi, your mobility is excellent. As long as you avoid Dou Wang-level threats, you should be fine in the desert. So this little errand should be easy, right?"
Hai Bodong coughed awkwardly, shamelessly requesting a favor.
Seeing his embarrassed expression, Xiao Yuan sighed and nodded.
"Sand Mandrake, huh? I've got it."
Hai Bodong smiled and finally handed over the scroll.
"In the next few days, I'll try practicing this technique. One more trump card never hurts."
Xiao Yuan grinned, delighted with his prize.
"A few days? Forgive my bluntness, but that's nowhere near enough time to master a technique of this level."
Hai Bodong frowned.
"Hehe. Just watch me, Elder Hai."
Xiao Yuan smiled confidently.
(END CHAPTER)
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