A Former Expert

"Why does this look so much like that Fragmented Map you took from the Mountain Cave?" Xiao Yi Xian carefully looked over the Fragmented Map in Xiao Tian's hand and asked in confusion.

"Mm, this is a small part of that same Fragmented Map," Xiao Tian said with certainty.

"You're not really Heaven's illegitimate son, are you? Otherwise, how did you know there was a Fragmented Map here? You clearly came here for this," Xiao Yi Xian said in astonishment.

"That's not impossible. You got me, so you've made a huge profit," Xiao Tian said with a grin, winking at Xiao Yi Xian.

Xiao Yi Xian rolled her eyes at him helplessly.

"You go outside first. No matter what happens, don't come in. There might be a fight in a bit, so protect yourself," Xiao Tian said to Xiao Yi Xian.

Xiao Yi Xian glanced at Xiao Tian. Knowing that if she stayed here, Xiao Tian might have to split his attention to protect her, she obediently chose to walk outside. "Then protect yourself too. Don't get hurt."

Seeing Xiao Yi Xian walk out of the Map Shop, Xiao Tian stepped up to the counter and placed the Fragmented Map in front of the white-haired old man drawing maps there. "Do you have any more of this map? This was clearly torn in half in recent years."

When the old man saw the Fragmented Map Xiao Tian had placed on the table, and heard his words, his hand paused at once. The old man put down the brush in his hand and raised his head.

Xiao Tian sized up the old man before him and sighed inwardly. So this was Ice Emperor Hai Bo Dong, the one who only fought peak matches?

What entered his sight was an aged face. On the old man's left cheek was a long scar that ran from the corner of his eye all the way down to his cheek.

The old man's murky eyes looked at the Fragmented Map before him, and a strange glint flashed through them. "You've seen other fragments of this map?"

"I was fortunate enough to see a Fragmented Map similar to this one at an Auction, but unfortunately, it was bought by a mysterious person. I wonder if you can tell me where the other fragment is, elder?" Xiao Tian said with a look of regret.

"There's nothing else. I only have this one, and I picked it up in the desert some time ago. It looked rather ancient, but it had no value, so I casually tossed it onto the shelf. I won't sell this Fragmented Map either. If there's nothing else, then please leave," the old man said in an even tone.

"Oh, is that so? So this is how Ice Emperor Hai Bo Dong, one of the Jia Ma Empire's Top Ten Experts, treats guests?" Xiao Tian said with a crooked smile.

Hearing Xiao Tian's words, the old man abruptly raised his head, his chilling eyes staring at Xiao Tian. "How do you know that? Who exactly are you?"

Hai Bo Dong's hand pressed a mechanism beneath the table. The shop door instantly closed shut, and an icy aura spread from his body. In an instant, the entire shop was sealed in ice.

Outside the door, when Xiao Yi Xian saw the door close with a boom, she nervously clenched her hands and looked at the shop with worry all over her face. In her heart, her desire for strength grew even stronger.

"Oh, it seems the Ice Emperor intends to keep me here?" Seeing Hai Bo Dong directly seal off the entire shop, Xiao Tian did not panic. Instead, he smiled calmly and spoke.

Hai Bo Dong saw that Xiao Tian was not suppressed by his aura. His expression remained the same as before, even carrying a faint smile.

"It seems you came prepared as well. No wonder you dared speak like this. At such a young age, you're already a Third Grade Alchemist and a Da Dou Shi. You do have some foundation," Hai Bo Dong said, narrowing his eyes.

"You flatter me, Ice Emperor. The other half of this Fragmented Map is in your hands, isn't it? Why don't we make a deal?" Xiao Tian said, raising the Fragmented Map in his hand.

"Survive in my hands first, then you can talk to me about deals," Hai Bo Dong said with a cold laugh.

"Then let me see how much strength the Former Ice Emperor still has now." The smile on Xiao Tian's face faded. He put the Fragmented Map in his hand into System Space and spoke with a serious expression.

"You're courting death!" Seeing Xiao Tian directly put away the Fragmented Map, a vicious look surfaced on Hai Bo Dong's face. Cold Qi erupted from his body once again and spread out. After Xiao Tian came into contact with the Cold Qi, he clearly felt his body's reaction speed drop quite a bit.

Xiao Tian circulated the Five Elements Heavenly Thunder Art to protect his body. The Cold Qi on him was instantly cleared away, and his body returned to its normal agility.

Seeing this, Hai Bo Dong condensed five ice cones in front of him and flung them straight at Xiao Tian. At the same time, he gathered ice claws around both hands and clawed toward Xiao Tian.

A long halberd instantly appeared in Xiao Tian's hand. He swept aside the ice cones, and the crescent blade directly collided with Hai Bo Dong's ice claws. Xiao Tian was instantly forced back three steps.

Looking at the Lightning Halberd in Xiao Tian's hand, Hai Bo Dong frowned slightly. A weapon formed entirely from lightning? Interesting.

Hai Bo Dong stopped probing. His figure flickered continuously through the shop, and Icy Cold Qi instantly condensed into white mist, obscuring vision.

Seeing visibility continue to drop, Xiao Tian mobilized his Soul Power to sense his surroundings.

Suddenly, a pure white ice cone appeared to Xiao Tian's right. After sensing it, Xiao Tian raised his halberd to block. The ice cone struck the halberd, and the halberd instantly froze over.

Xiao Tian shook the halberd in his hand, and the ice fell off at once. Then Qilin Burning Sky Flame condensed on his left hand, covering his body before gradually burning outward into the surroundings.

"Eh?" A surprised sound came from within the white mist.

After a few breaths, the white mist was burned away completely, revealing Hai Bo Dong's figure. "Red flames? Are those Heavenly Flames?"

Xiao Tian withdrew the flames and said nothing. He raised the halberd in his hand to gather power, then swung it at Hai Bo Dong.

"Thunder Halberd Technique: Moon Slash."

A half-meter-long crescent flew out from the halberd, charging straight at Hai Bo Dong's face.

"Myriad Flower Ice Mirror."

Hai Bo Dong sensed danger and hurriedly stretched out both hands, condensing a giant ice mirror with Cold Qi to block in front of him.

The two Dou Techniques collided, and a powerful impact wave surged outward in all directions. In an instant, quite a bit of the thick ice on the walls was shattered.

A wave of energy spread directly outside the shop. Feeling the aftershock of Dou Qi from the collision, Xiao Yi Xian let the strong wind blow up her hair. She bit her lips tightly and stared fixedly inside the shop, forcibly holding back the urge to rush in, because she had to keep his words in her heart and could not disappoint him.

But if something happened to him, she would not live on alone either.

Inside the shop was a scene of disarray, with broken maps everywhere. Fortunately, the house was surrounded by ice, which withstood the energy impact. Otherwise, it would have collapsed long ago.

Xiao Tian and Hai Bo Dong stood in the center of the ruins, facing each other. Xiao Tian flashed behind Hai Bo Dong and thrust the halberd in his hand straight forward. An Ice Spear appeared in Hai Bo Dong's hand. Gripping the shaft with both hands, he turned to block, the spear shaft catching in the crescent blade of the halberd.

Xiao Tian flicked the halberd upward. Hai Bo Dong quickly released one hand, stepped on the ground, and retreated backward.

One advanced while the other retreated, spear and halberd clashing again and again.

"Kid, I've more or less figured out your strength. It's time I let you see mine. Although I'm currently sealed, I'm still not someone a Da Dou Shi like you can compare to," Hai Bo Dong said, putting away the teasing look on his face as his voice gradually turned icy.

"Is that so? Do you really think this is all my Trump Card?" Xiao Tian smiled mysteriously. Lightning flashed through his eyes, and then green-red lightning continuously swam over his body.

"Thunder God Body, unsealed."