Young people's thoughts are the easiest to see through in the eyes of an old fox, because they are not deeply involved in the world, and most of their ideas are still superficial.
Hai Bo Dong sized up Chen Xiao for a moment. Seeing that his expression was sincere and not faked, and that this matter would only benefit him and not harm him, he finally nodded in agreement.
"Alright, old man accepts this bet. I will send a message to Teng Shan shortly and have him start preparing. From contacting to finalizing the matter, it should be possible to invite a strong expert of sufficient weight within ten days."
Hearing this, Chen Xiao nodded and smiled.
From what he knew, Hai Bo Dong's reputation was still acceptable. At the very least, he wasn't the type to attack you without reason, which was why he dared to come here boldly.
Besides that, there was Hai Bo Dong's current state. The Ice Emperor, only at the Dou Ling level, could put pressure on Chen Xiao, but it wasn't enough to pose a fatal threat.
And from the current perspective, Plan B was progressing smoothly.
"Alright, then I'll come find the Ice Emperor in a few days."
Slightly cupping his fists, Chen Xiao prepared to leave first.
Among the cities on the edge of the Tagor Desert, there were two cities he had to visit.
One was Mo City, where he was currently. Hai Bo Dong, a potential ally that could be won over, and that incomplete map, were both attractive enough.
The other city was Stone Desert City.
This city was also where Xiao Yan's elder and second brothers would go to settle after leaving the Xiao Family not long after.
In Stone Desert City, there was a young girl with Azure Snake Three-Flower Pupils. Investing in her was extremely simple, and the returns were astonishing.
Since he was already here, Chen Xiao didn't want to miss out on it.
"The edge of the desert is not peaceful. It's getting late today. This old man suggests you stay in the city. Among the Snake-People Race, those stronger than the Da Dou Shi level are everywhere. Although the possibility of an attack is minimal, it's not entirely impossible."
Hai Bo Dong's strong right fingers tapped lightly on the table. If his familiar Mittell Teng Shan were present, he would understand that this was the Ice Emperor's subconscious little action when he was distracted.
Through the open door, Chen Xiao could see the scorching sun high in the sky.
Old man, you don't know the time.
It's clearly only noon!
He glanced back at Hai Bo Dong, but the other party showed no sign of embarrassment. A shallow smile appeared on his aged face.
"Although this old man is old, I still have some knowledge. Little fellow, if you don't have any urgent matters for now, why don't we spar outside the city? Let this old man see what kind of skills you possess."
Sparring was fake; getting to know Chen Xiao better was the real reason.
That aura, which seemed to be of the same origin, completely baffled Hai Bo Dong.
So he thought that if he could exchange a few moves with Chen Xiao, he might be able to see some clues.
In addition, Chen Xiao's previous few words also made Hai Bo Dong want to show off a bit to open his eyes.
What did it mean to be strong on the outside but weak on the inside?
What did it mean to lack staying power?
Hai Bo Dong immediately wanted to prove that even though he was sealed by the Medusa Queen, and even though his strength was less than one-tenth of what it was, he was still the renowned Ice Emperor.
This would also make it easier for him to take disciples in the future.
In Hai Bo Dong's heart, Chen Xiao as a disciple was probably already a done deal.
After all, that woman in the center of the desert was simply unreasonable, and he wasn't very optimistic about Chen Xiao's plan.
Chen Xiao glanced at Hai Bo Dong again, quite certain that the other party was just acting on a whim and had no ill intentions. He hesitated slightly.
Being able to spar and exchange pointers with an experienced strong expert, especially one who also possessed ice attribute, was something he had always dreamed of. He could constantly learn and draw lessons from the battle, rapidly improving himself.
However, the smile on Hai Bo Dong's face made Chen Xiao highly suspect that this old man just wanted to show off in front of him...
"Alright, then I'll ask the Ice Emperor for some guidance."
So-called face was insignificant in the face of tangible benefits.
After a brief hesitation, Chen Xiao readily agreed.
Anyway, there was still plenty of time, and there was no rush to go to Stone Desert City.
...
A quarter of an hour later.
Several miles outside Mo City, the surroundings were all yellow sand.
Two figures stood fifty paces apart, facing each other from a distance.
Looking at the serious expression of the white-clothed young man opposite him, the smile on Hai Bo Dong's face became increasingly difficult to suppress.
A blue light flashed on his fingertip, and a long saber, whose quality was clearly superior to the weapon in Chen Xiao's hand, appeared in Hai Bo Dong's hand. He casually threw it, and it accurately stuck into the ground in front of Chen Xiao.
"The quality of your long saber is too poor; it can't withstand this old man's attacks. Use this one."
Chen Xiao nodded silently and picked up the long saber from the ground.
The gleaming blade, faintly shimmering with blue light, appeared exquisite and sharp. A blue and white third-tier Magic Core was also inlaid in the handle. Preliminary estimates put the value of this Magic Core weapon at over ten thousand gold coins.
As expected of the Ice Emperor, he's truly wealthy!
Discarding the original saber in his hand, Chen Xiao held the long saber and twirled it into a dazzling display of saber flowers.
"Ice Emperor, please enlighten me!"
As his voice fell, ice-blue Dou Qi flowed around Chen Xiao, manifesting as Dou Qi Armor.
Immediately, without hesitation, he took the lead, holding his blade and flashing towards Hai Bo Dong.
"Hahaha, well met! If I can't take you down in a hundred moves, this old man will commit suicide on the spot!"
Hai Bo Dong laughed heartily, flicked his wrist, and condensed ice-blue Dou Qi into a long spear.
Dou Qi condensing into objects, the mark of a Dou Ling expert!
Seeing the tip of the blade already close, pointing directly at his face, Hai Bo Dong lightly stepped his foot, and his figure shifted half a meter to the side. His spear shot out like a dragon, effortlessly blocking the sharp edge of Chen Xiao's sudden change in direction and sweeping attack.
The entire process was like a hanging antelope's horn, natural and perfect.
And, very elegant!
You could say this Ice Emperor was weak, but you had to admit, he was full of trash talk and really knew how to put on a show!
"Be careful, Ice Needles!"
Hai Bo Dong chuckled softly, flicking his left hand repeatedly. Several blue ice needles suddenly shot out, heading straight for Chen Xiao's shoulder.
Chen Xiao's reaction was also quick. As he kicked off the ground and retreated, his ice-attribute Dou Qi condensed, forming an ice wall in front of him, blocking all the Ice Needles.
Although the Da Dou Shi's Dou Qi Armor could greatly enhance defense, he didn't dare to rely on it to directly withstand an attack from a Dou Ling expert.
Seeing that one strike wasn't enough, Hai Bo Dong nodded slightly.
"Your foundation isn't bad."
Through the brief exchange, he could already tell that the cultivation technique Chen Xiao practiced was of a high rank.
Moreover, it was eight parts similar to his Ice Emperor Scripture!
"Again!"
Without him saying anything, Chen Xiao's blade tip condensed Dou Qi. The Mystic High-Rank Dou Skill was already prepared and ready.
"Roar of the Mad Lion!"
With a low roar, the ice-blue lion's head brought with it a burst of frost, raging towards Hai Bo Dong.
However, this Mystic High-Rank Dou Skill, which could easily instantly kill Oba Pa, was insignificant in front of Hai Bo Dong.
He saw him reach out and draw a line in the air in front of him. Ice mirrors appeared out of thin air, and he actually blocked the charging lion's head without retreating an inch!
"Mystic Ice Whirlwind Kill!"
Looking at the solemn-faced young man opposite him, Hai Bo Dong quickly formed seals with both hands in front of him. A low roar suddenly erupted from his throat. Immediately, crescent-shaped ice blades appeared, rotating around him.
The ice blades became more and more numerous. In the end, they actually faintly concealed his body completely. The ice blades connected to each other, forming a small swirling ice storm completely composed of ice blades.
From a distance, it looked incomparably magnificent!
Hai Bo Dong smiled smugly. If not for the limitations of his strength, he would have definitely used his signature Dou Skill, Mystic Ice Dragon Flight, to give Chen Xiao a real eye-opener.
Giving Chen Xiao ample time to prepare, Hai Bo Dong's mind moved, and the swirling ice storm swept out.
For a time, the ground along the way was almost destroyed with crisscrossing ravines, but due to the chilling current that rushed towards them, strangely, not much dust was kicked up.
Chen Xiao's expression was solemn. His internal Dou Qi circulated to its limit, condensing layers of ice walls in front of him to defend.
At the same time, the long blade in his hand danced, taking on the stance of the Yan Return Strike.
Crack! Crack!
The sound of ice walls shattering was incessant. The ice blade storm's power was weakened somewhat, but it still pressed forward relentlessly.
It was also fortunate that Chen Xiao's Yan Return Strike had already reached great mastery, allowing him to use clever force to deflect all the incoming ice blades.
Otherwise, he would have been forced to use the Purple Cloud Wings.
"This Dou Skill is quite profound."
Hai Bo Dong, who witnessed all of this, nodded slightly. His eyesight had always been good.
Having withstood Hai Bo Dong's strong attack, Chen Xiao didn't say a word and closed in with his blade again.
His close combat had always been a weakness because he didn't have a suitable sparring partner before. He couldn't miss an opportunity like today to improve himself.
Bang! Bang! Boom!
The ice spear and the long blade constantly clashed, occasionally accompanied by the sound of fists colliding.
A few minutes later, the two entangled figures separated.
Chen Xiao's hair was slightly messy, and his chest rose and fell slightly.
Hai Bo Dong was calm and composed.
"Ninety-nine moves have passed. Let's stop here for today. Continue tomorrow?"
Hai Bo Dong felt he had been a bit careless. He had originally thought he could easily take down Chen Xiao within a hundred moves.
However, Chen Xiao, relying on that mysterious Dou Skill that surprised him, had a resilience that exceeded his expectations. Although he was always at a disadvantage, he was like a green bamboo, bending but not breaking.
With only one move left, Hai Bo Dong knew that to take down Chen Xiao, he would have to use his most powerful Dou Skills.
The problem was, once things got serious, he couldn't guarantee Chen Xiao's safety.
Therefore, it was best to stop now.
"Thank you, Ice Emperor."
Chen Xiao nodded in agreement without hesitation.
Such a perfect sparring partner was truly hard to find!
Just a few minutes of fighting earlier, Chen Xiao had already discovered many of his shortcomings.
Day after day, there would surely be progress!
"Then tomorrow at this time, you can wait here."
Leaving that sentence behind, Hai Bo Dong turned and left with a smile, feeling incredibly refreshed.
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