Ice Emperor Hai Bodong

"Come to think of it, I really admire your patience, Host. Even after what happened with Soul Emperor and Gu Yuan, despite your overwhelming desire for strength, you were still able to restrain your inner urges and temper yourself day after day for five years. Such a mindset and willpower are truly beyond ordinary people."

Just as Lu Yunxiao finished speaking, the system's voice rang out in his mind.

Lu Yunxiao smiled faintly and stopped beside a small stall, picking out fresh ingredients as he replied in his mind, "It is precisely because I desire strength that I made this choice. What I want is not some tiny breakthrough right in front of me, but true power."

"If I lay a solid foundation with every step and forge a perfect base, then one day, I will stand at the Peak of the Continent."

Lu Yunxiao spoke softly, but his tone was full of determination and confidence, as if what he said were simply an established fact.

"Your confidence is commendable, Host. Thumbs up." Hearing Lu Yunxiao's words, the system said with a smile.

"Part of my confidence comes from you as well. My talent is not bad to begin with, and with your assistance, why should I worry about being unable to grow stronger?"

Lu Yunxiao put away the ingredients he had chosen. After paying, he continued walking as he spoke in his mind.

He possessed a powerful physique, exceptional comprehension, and was an exceedingly rare Destiny Nihilist. Given the opportunity, he could become powerful on the continent on his own.

But that would inevitably be difficult. The system could offer him tremendous help and allow him to take far fewer detours on his path to success. Besides, without the system, he might not even have had the chance to come to this world.

He was not blindly arrogant. He saw reality clearly. He and the system complemented one another, and neither could do without the other. The system relied on him to break free of its limitations and become an independent lifeform, while he relied on the system's help to accelerate his growth. In the end, it was a win-win arrangement.

"Hehe, hearing you say that makes this system happy. Compared to this system's previous Hosts, you're the most conscientious one."

The system chuckled, clearly delighted.

Hearing that, Lu Yunxiao could not help shrugging and smiling as he slowly walked forward.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, Lu Yunxiao slowly came to a stop in front of a shop.

Ancient Map. That was the name of the shop, and it was widely acknowledged throughout Mo City as the best map store.

Unlike the other shops, although it was located in the scorching heat of Mo City, the surroundings here were rather quiet, with a faint hint of coolness in the air.

Lu Yunxiao paused, then stepped directly into the shop.

There were several shelves inside, covered with numerous maps. The maps were exquisitely made and highly detailed, every route clearly drawn. One could tell at a glance that they were rare masterpieces.

On the other side of the shop, behind the counter, an old man dressed in blue with snow-white hair and beard held a pen, tracing the map in his hands stroke by stroke.

"You're back? Then hurry up and cook. I'm starving to death."

Hearing footsteps outside the door, the old man did not even raise his head as his calm voice drifted out.

"You'll die of laziness sooner or later." Lu Yunxiao curled his lips and replied irritably, carrying the ingredients into the inner room.

Ever since this Stinky Old Man had tasted his cooking once when he was eight, he had never cooked again. He had handed all cooking duties over to him.

The reason was that Lu Yunxiao cooked better, and the old man had shamelessly kept things that way ever since.

"By the way, what are we having today?" the old man asked again.

"I bought a few catties of Second-Order Magical Beast Iron-Armored Rhinoceros meat. I'll roast it and serve it with some White Orchid Fruit. That'll be lunch."

Lu Yunxiao raised the ingredients in his hand and answered casually.

"Iron-Armored Rhinoceros meat? Not bad. I like it."

The old man spoke, then paused his pen and asked, "You still don't plan to break through to Dou Zhe? Five years of tempering is already about enough. A solid foundation is certainly important, but too much can be as bad as too little."

"If you had cultivated step by step, with your talent, you would be at least a Da Dou Shi by now. You might even be a Dou Ling."

"I know, but what does being a Dou Ling amount to? Old man, my ambitions are not as shallow as you think. Dou Emperor and Dou Zong are not my goals. Dou Zun and Dou Saint are more like it."

Lu Yunxiao shrugged and spoke in a calm tone.

"Give you an inch and you take a mile. Let's talk after you break through to Dou Zhe."

The old man raised his brows, his tone full of disdain.

"Tch, I knew you wouldn't believe me. But I'll reach Dou Zun and Dou Saint sooner or later. This afternoon, I'll break through to Dou Zhe and show you." Lu Yunxiao said flatly.

"Oh?" Hearing this, the old man put down his pen and rose to his feet, staring at Lu Yunxiao with surprise. "You've made up your mind?"

"Just as you said, I've tempered myself enough. I can break through now." Lu Yunxiao said in a soft voice.

"That is the right choice. I have a fourth-tier Qi Gathering Powder here. Take it." With a flip of his hand, a small Jade Box appeared in the old man's palm.

"Qi Gathering Powder?" Lu Yunxiao stepped forward, took the Jade Box, and opened it. An enticing medicinal fragrance wafted out, and a round, lustrous pill appeared before his eyes.

He was no stranger to medicinal pills, but this was indeed his first time seeing Qi Gathering Powder.

Snap! Lu Yunxiao shut the Jade Box and casually stored it in his Storage Ring.

"Although I don't need this thing to break through, since it's a token of your kindness, I'll gladly accept it. I just bought a Storage Ring, and I'm short on funds right now. This Qi Gathering Powder can fetch me some money."

Lu Yunxiao wore a beaming smile.

"Get lost!" Hearing Lu Yunxiao's words, the old man immediately flew into a rage and kicked at him.

Lu Yunxiao burst into laughter, twisted aside, lifted the door curtain, and darted straight into the inner room to prepare lunch.

"Stinky Kid, you're a slippery one." The old man laughed and cursed, picking up the pen beside him and resuming his mapmaking.

The Tagore Desert, an old man who drew maps, possessed considerable strength, and could afford Qi Gathering Powder—his identity was actually quite obvious.

That was right. He was Hai Bodong, the Ice Emperor, once one of the Jia Ma Empire's renowned Ten Strong Persons. He had once frozen an entire city, and in his prime, he had been a genuine Dou Emperor.

However, several decades ago, Queen Medusa had sealed his Dou Qi with the Snake Curse Seal in the Tagore Desert, suppressing his strength to the level of a Dou Ling.

Only by breaking the seal could he recover his original strength.

When he had encountered Lu Yunxiao back then, he had been gathering herbs to refine the Calamity Breaking Pill, a Tier 6 Medicinal Pill used to break the Snake Curse Seal.