Sparring Partner

A young person's thoughts were the easiest for an old fox to see through, because they had little experience of the world, and most of what they were thinking still showed on their faces.

Hai Bo Dong studied Chen Xiao for a moment. Seeing that his expression was sincere and did not seem faked, and that this matter only benefited him without any downside, he finally nodded and agreed.

"Fine. I'll take this bet. In a while, I'll send word to Teng Shan and have him start preparing. From making contact to finalizing the matter, we should be able to invite over a strong enough expert within ten days."

Hearing this, Chen Xiao nodded and smiled.

From what he knew, Hai Bo Dong's reputation was still decent enough. At the very least, he was not the sort of person who would attack you for no reason. That was also why Chen Xiao had dared to come here so boldly.

Besides that, there was Hai Bo Dong's current condition. An Ice Emperor who was only at the Dou Ling level could put pressure on Chen Xiao, but he was not enough to pose a fatal threat.

And judging from the present situation, Plan B was progressing fairly smoothly.

"All right. Then I'll come look for the Ice Emperor again in a few days."

Chen Xiao cupped his fists slightly, then prepared to leave first.

Among the cities on the edge of the Tagor Desert, there were two that he absolutely had to visit.

The first was Desert City beneath his feet. Hai Bo Dong, a potential ally he could win over, as well as that Fragment Map, were both attractive enough.

The other city was Stone Desert City.

This city was also the one Xiao Yan's eldest and second brothers would head to and settle in after leaving the Xiao Family not long from now.

In Stone Desert City, there was a young girl who possessed the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. Investing in her was extremely simple, while the returns were astonishingly great.

Since he had already come all the way here, Chen Xiao did not want to miss her.

"The edge of the desert isn't peaceful. It's already late today. I suggest you stay in the city. Among the Snake-People Race, those stronger than a Da Dou Shi are everywhere. Although the possibility of an attack is extremely slim, it's not entirely impossible."

The strong fingers of Hai Bo Dong's right hand tapped lightly on the table. If Mittel Teng Shan, who was familiar with him, had been present, he would definitely have understood that this was an unconscious little habit the Ice Emperor had when his mind wandered.

Through the wide-open door, Chen Xiao could see the scorching sun hanging high in the sky.

Old man, you don't know the hour.

It's clearly only noon!

Chen Xiao glanced back at Hai Bo Dong, but the other party showed not the slightest embarrassment. Instead, a faint smile rose on his aged face.

"Though I am already old, I still have some experience. Little fellow, if you have no urgent business for now, why don't we go outside the city and spar a bit? It will also let me see what kind of ability you have."

Sparring was the excuse. Learning more about Chen Xiao was the real purpose.

That aura that seemed as if it came from the same source left Hai Bo Dong completely unable to understand the reason behind it.

So he thought that if he exchanged a few moves with Chen Xiao, perhaps he might be able to see some clues.

In addition, those few things Chen Xiao had said earlier had also made Hai Bo Dong intend to show him a thing or two and broaden his horizons.

What did it mean to look strong on the outside but be weak within?

What did it mean to lack endurance?

Hai Bo Dong was about to prove on the spot that even if he had been sealed by Medusa Queen, even if less than a tenth of his strength remained, he was still that renowned Ice Emperor.

This would also make it easier for him to take in a disciple in the future.

In Hai Bo Dong's mind, Chen Xiao was already more or less certain to become his disciple.

After all, that woman in the center of the desert was simply unreasonable. He did not think very highly of Chen Xiao's plan.

Chen Xiao took another look at Hai Bo Dong and was quite certain that the other party was only acting on a whim and held no hostility. He immediately hesitated slightly.

Being able to spar and exchange pointers with a strong expert rich in combat experience—especially one who also had the Ice Attribute—was something he had dreamed of. In battle, he could continuously learn and draw from the other party, quickly improving himself.

But the smile on Hai Bo Dong's face made Chen Xiao strongly suspect that this old man simply wanted to show off in front of him...

"Fine. Then I'll have to ask the Ice Emperor for a few pointers."

So-called face was not worth mentioning before benefits visible to the naked eye.

After a brief hesitation, Chen Xiao decisively agreed.

In any case, it was still early. There was no rush to go to Stone Desert City.

Fifteen minutes later.

Several li outside Desert City, yellow sand filled the wilderness in every direction.

Two figures stood fifty paces apart, facing each other from a distance.

Looking at the white-clothed youth opposite him, whose expression had turned solemn, the smile on Hai Bo Dong's face became harder and harder to suppress.

Blue light flashed at his fingertips. A long saber, clearly of far better quality than the weapon in Chen Xiao's hand, appeared in Hai Bo Dong's grasp. With a casual toss, he sent it precisely stabbing into the ground before Chen Xiao.

"Your saber's quality is too poor. It won't withstand my attacks. Use this one."

Chen Xiao nodded silently and picked up the long saber from the ground.

The bright blade carried a faint blue glow, appearing exquisite and sharp. A blue-white Third-Rank Magic Core was even embedded at the hilt. By a rough estimate, this magic core weapon was worth over ten thousand gold coins.

As expected of the Ice Emperor. He really was rich and generous!

Formally retiring his original weapon, Chen Xiao held the long saber and spun out a dazzling flourish.

"Ice Emperor, please instruct me!"

As his words fell, ice-blue Dou Qi flowed around Chen Xiao, manifesting into Dou Qi Armor.

Immediately after, he shot forward without the slightest hesitation, taking the initiative as he charged toward Hai Bo Dong with his saber.

"Hahaha, good! If I can't take you down within a hundred moves, Old Man will kill himself on the spot!"

Hai Bo Dong laughed loudly, flicked his wrist, and condensed his ice-blue Dou Qi into a long spear.

Condensing Dou Qi into an object—the mark of a Dou Ling expert!

Watching the saber tip arrive right before him, aimed straight at his face, Hai Bo Dong lightly tapped the ground with his foot, and his figure shifted half a meter to the side. The spear in his hand shot out like a dragon, easily stopping the sharp edge Chen Xiao had suddenly swept in from a changed angle.

The entire process was as effortless as an antelope hanging its horns on a branch—natural and flawless.

And extremely elegant!

You could say this Ice Emperor was weak, but you had to admit, he talked endless trash and was truly good at showing off!

"Careful now. Ice Needles!"

Hai Bo Dong chuckled, flicking the fingers of his left hand in succession. Several blue ice needles suddenly shot out, streaking straight toward Chen Xiao's shoulder.

Chen Xiao's reaction was not slow either. As he pushed off with his toes and flew backward, his Ice Attribute Dou Qi condensed into an ice wall in front of him, blocking all the Ice Needles.

Although a Da Dou Shi's Dou Qi armor could greatly improve defense, he did not dare rely on it to take an attack from a Dou Ling expert head-on.

Seeing that his strike had failed, Hai Bo Dong nodded slightly.

"Your foundation isn't bad."

Through that brief exchange, he had already seen that the class of the method Chen Xiao cultivated was not low.

Moreover, it was extremely similar to his own Ice Emperor Scripture!

"Again!"

Without needing him to say it, Dou Qi gathered at the tip of Chen Xiao's saber. A Mystic High-Rank Dou Skill was already prepared.

"Roar of the Mad Lion!"

With a low shout, an ice-blue lion head carried a burst of frost as it wreaked havoc toward Hai Bo Dong.

However, this Mystic High-Rank Dou Skill that could easily instantly kill Oba Pa was nothing worth mentioning before Hai Bo Dong.

He merely reached out and swept his hand through the air in front of him. One ice mirror after another appeared from thin air, and without retreating even half a step, he blocked the charging lion head outside!

"Mystic Ice Whirlwind Kill!"

Glancing at the solemn-faced youth opposite him, Hai Bo Dong quickly formed seals in front of him with both hands, and a low roar suddenly burst from his throat. At once, crescent-shaped ice blades appeared around him, spinning into existence.

The ice blades grew more and more numerous, until in the end, they faintly concealed his body completely within them. The ice blades connected to one another, forming a small Whirlwind Ice Storm made entirely of ice blades.

From afar, it looked incomparably gorgeous!

Hai Bo Dong smiled smugly. If not for the limits of his strength, he would have used his signature Dou Skill, Mystic Ice Dragon Flight, to broaden Chen Xiao's horizons.

After giving Chen Xiao ample time to prepare, Hai Bo Dong moved his will, and the Whirlwind Ice Storm swept out.

For a time, the ground along its path was almost torn into crisscrossing ravines, yet because of the cold current rushing over, strangely little dust was stirred up.

Chen Xiao's expression was solemn. The Dou Qi within his body circulated to its limit, condensing layer upon layer of ice walls in front of him for defense.

At the same time, the long saber in his hand danced, taking on the momentum of the Yan Return Strike.

Crack! Crack!

The sound of ice walls shattering rang out without end. The ice-blade storm had several portions of its power weakened, yet it still pressed forward without pause.

Fortunately, Chen Xiao's Yan Return Strike had already reached major completion, allowing him to use clever force to deflect all the incoming ice blades.

Otherwise, he would have been forced to bring out his Purple Cloud Wings.

"This Dou Skill is rather profound."

Having witnessed all of this, Hai Bo Dong nodded slightly. His eye had never been poor.

After withstanding one fierce assault from Hai Bo Dong, Chen Xiao said nothing and once again closed in with his saber.

His close combat had always been a shortcoming because he had never had a suitable sparring partner before. He could not let go of a chance like today's to improve himself.

Bang! Bang! Boom!

The Ice Spear and the long saber clashed again and again, occasionally mixed with the sound of fists colliding.

A few minutes later, the two locked in combat crossed past each other and separated.

Chen Xiao's hair was slightly disheveled, and his chest rose and fell faintly.

Hai Bo Dong remained calm and unruffled.

"Ninety-nine moves have passed. Shall we leave it here today and continue tomorrow?"

Hai Bo Dong felt that he had been a little careless. He had originally thought he would absolutely be able to take Chen Xiao down with ease within a hundred moves.

However, relying on that profound Dou Skill that had surprised him, Chen Xiao's tenacity had exceeded his expectations. Although he had been at a disadvantage the whole time, he was like Green Bamboo—bending, but not breaking.

With only one move left, Hai Bo Dong knew that if he wanted to take Chen Xiao down, he would have to unleash those powerful Dou Techniques he kept in reserve.

The problem was, once he got serious, even he could not guarantee Chen Xiao would remain unharmed.

So stopping here was best.

"Many thanks, Ice Emperor."

Chen Xiao nodded and agreed without the slightest hesitation.

A sparring partner this perfect was truly hard to find!

After exchanging blows for only a few minutes just now, Chen Xiao had already discovered many of his own shortcomings.

Day after day, he was bound to improve!

"Then at this time tomorrow, just wait here."

Leaving those words behind, Hai Bo Dong turned and walked away with a smile, feeling utterly refreshed.