"Don't call me the Ice Emperor anymore. Losing so thoroughly to a junior like you makes me feel unworthy of the title. Just call me Haibodong directly," Haibodong waved his hand and said with a hint of helplessness.
"The Ice Emperor is being too modest. In this world, those who surpass me at the same level are certainly strong, but those who lose to me are not necessarily weak; it's just that I am among the strongest of the strong. In the future, many strong individuals will also fall to my hands, so you need not despair. Since you don't want me to call you the Ice Emperor, I will call you Ha Lao from now on!" Lin Yuan said, comforting the somewhat downcast Haibodong.
Upon hearing this, Haibodong glanced at Lin Yuan, looking at the young man before him. His expression remained calm, but the gentle words carried a different kind of sharpness. The confidence emanating from Lin Yuan seemed to possess a mysterious power that somewhat soothed Haibodong's disheartened heart.
"So, what do you need me to do? Or how do you plan to deal with me?" Haibodong asked.
"Deal with you? Ha Lao, you worry too much. I said we are in a cooperative relationship. As a gesture of goodwill, I will completely lift the seal I placed on you," Lin Yuan smiled and said. As he spoke, he formed several hand seals in front of him, and a green light flew from his fingertips into Haibodong's body. Soon, a small dragon-shaped fire spirit flew out from within Haibodong and landed on Lin Yuan's fingertip. Lin Yuan snapped his fingers, and the dragon-shaped fire spirit slowly dissipated in the air.
Seeing the fire spirit vanish, Haibodong sensed his own state and realized that the special pressure within him had truly disappeared. He let out a sigh of relief; he did not want to experience the feeling of being sealed again.
After lifting the seal, Lin Yuan looked at Haibodong and smiled, "How is it? Is my gesture of goodwill sufficient? You may not feel it now, but I believe you will find that meeting me is your greatest opportunity."
"Greatest opportunity? I hope so," Haibodong said, looking deeply at Lin Yuan. After his defeat, his tone had softened considerably.
"Can you tell me how you fell from Dou Huang to Dou Ling?" Seeing Haibodong calm down, Lin Yuan feigned curiosity and asked. A sly glint flashed in Lin Yuan's eyes; he knew that Haibodong had fallen due to being sealed by Queen Medusa during the struggle for the fragment map. He intended to use this question to test Haibodong and see how effective his approach had been.
"The reason for my decline in strength? It was due to being sealed by Queen Medusa," Haibodong said. When mentioning Queen Medusa, a shudder crossed his eyes, revealing a deep psychological scar.
"After participating in the strongman conference between empires, I came to the Tagore Desert. By chance, I obtained that fragment map—the one you took from me. However, it attracted Queen Medusa, and I was defeated by her in battle. Although I managed to escape, I fell victim to her snake sealing spell. Not only did my body age rapidly, but my strength was also sealed at the Dou Ling level."
"Indeed, a thrilling experience," Lin Yuan echoed, nodding secretly. It seemed that this combination of kindness and authority had not been in vain; Haibodong was indeed trustworthy, and there would be fewer concerns in future dealings.
"Queen Medusa's seal? Interesting. I have a particular interest in seals. The sealing technique I used before was self-created. If you don't mind, let me see if I can help," Lin Yuan suggested to Haibodong.
"Then, I would be grateful," Haibodong replied, maintaining his usual demeanor, but internally he was extremely shocked. As someone who had been affected by the Ancient Dragon's Spirit Sealing, he could sense that the seal was quite unusual. He never expected that it was created by the young man before him. Not only was this person powerful in combat, but his research on fighting techniques was also outstanding. A hint of anticipation grew in his heart.
"Then, without further ado, let's get started. Please sit cross-legged, Ha Lao, and do not resist my probing," Lin Yuan said, making a gesture of a plan as he walked behind Haibodong, preparing to study Queen Medusa's snake sealing spell.
Haibodong complied and sat down without resistance. This was the awareness of a defeated person; he could not imagine that Lin Yuan would have any malicious intent toward him, especially since Lin Yuan had just restored his strength and life.
Lin Yuan placed his hand on Haibodong's back, first releasing his soul perception to probe the seal within Haibodong's body. Then he activated his Dou Qi to test the snake sealing spell, using his own Dou Qi to have Haibodong cooperate in various tests, yielding significant results.
"So that's how it works; the snake sealing spell functions like this."
"The seal has been maintained for so many years; how is the energy replenished? I see."
"The method of resisting interference is..."
"Hmm? This aspect is somewhat similar to my Ancient Dragon's Spirit Sealing."
"This rune is..."
"This method of utilizing bloodline spirituality and pressure is quite clever."
"These can be referenced and used to improve the Ancient Dragon's Spirit Sealing."
Several hours later, Lin Yuan concluded his study of the snake sealing spell and fell into deep thought.
Haibodong watched Lin Yuan with anticipation. During the testing process, he had confirmed that the young man before him indeed had a remarkable understanding of sealing techniques.
After a while, seeing that Lin Yuan had finished his contemplation, Haibodong anxiously asked, "How is it? Do you have a solution?"
Lin Yuan replied, "I cannot lift this seal for now." After seeing disappointment on Haibodong's face, Lin Yuan added, "However, I can weaken this sealing technique, making it less tight on you, allowing your strength to recover to the Dou Wang level."
Upon hearing this, Haibodong was overjoyed and exclaimed, "If I can recover to Dou Wang, I will be very satisfied. At least I can fly freely in the sky again. I haven't experienced the feeling of flying freely in the sky for decades; just thinking about it makes me nostalgic."
"However, I still have some preparations to make to weaken the seal, and I have some urgent matters to attend to, so we can only wait until we meet again. Speaking of which, my urgent matter may require Ha Lao's assistance," Lin Yuan said, looking at Haibodong with deep meaning.
"Oh, is there anything I can help with?" Seeing a glimmer of hope for breaking the seal, Haibodong became more proactive.
"My elder told me that there is exotic fire in the Tagore Desert and instructed me to come here to find and subdue it, as it would greatly aid my alchemy. Ha Lao, you have been in the Tagore Desert for so many years; do you have any leads on exotic fire?" Lin Yuan asked Haibodong.
"Elder? To cultivate such a monstrous figure and even know about the exotic fire here, this kid's backing is quite extraordinary! It seems that cooperating with this kid could indeed be a great opportunity," Haibodong thought to himself, making a decision in his heart.
"Regarding exotic fire, I do know a bit," Haibodong said, taking out a thin piece of parchment from his storage ring and unfolding it. It was a highly detailed map of the Tagore Desert, accurately marking the locations of water sources and the snake-man tribes scattered throughout the desert. On the map, there were three conspicuous flame symbols in the east, north, and west directions.
Haibodong smiled at Lin Yuan and said, "In my exploration, these three places marked with flames in the Tagore Desert are the most likely locations for exotic fire. I personally suggest we first go to the eastern and northern flame-marked locations. The western location is close to the depths of the Tagore Desert, where the possibility of encountering Queen Medusa is quite high."
Lin Yuan took the map and looked deeply at Haibodong, "It seems that Ha Lao has already recognized our cooperation from the bottom of his heart. That's excellent. Trust me; you will be glad for today's decision in the future."
"I hope so. Since you are an alchemist, can you tell me what rank of alchemist you are?" After deciding to cooperate, Haibodong began to speak more openly.
"Sixth rank. Although I haven't been assessed, refining sixth-rank pills is not very difficult for me. If I can find the exotic fire this time, my success rate in alchemy will greatly increase," Lin Yuan replied straightforwardly.
"Sixth rank? To cultivate such a young Dou Wang and a sixth-rank alchemist, what kind of powerful force is behind you? Could it be the legendary Dan Tower? It seems that this time I might really have stumbled upon an opportunity," Haibodong thought, increasingly convinced of Lin Yuan's connection to a major force in the Central State.
"Then let me give you one more thing. This is a sixth-rank pill formula that I have obtained over the years, capable of breaking seals. It requires exotic fire to refine. Consider it a congratulatory gift for your future success in subduing the exotic fire," Haibodong said, taking out a scroll from his storage ring and handing it to Lin Yuan.
Seeing Haibodong being so accommodating, Lin Yuan also prepared to reciprocate, promising, "If I successfully subdue the exotic fire this time, I will help you refine this pill. How are the materials prepared?"
Haibodong replied somewhat awkwardly, "I have gathered the materials needed for the formula, but I am missing a Sand Mandrake, which can only be found in the Tagore Desert. I have a seal placed on me by Queen Medusa, and as soon as I step into the depths of the Tagore Desert, she will detect me... so..."
"So you want me to help you obtain that medicinal material? That doesn't quite align with the rules of alchemy," Lin Yuan said, glancing at Haibodong.
"I know, but as long as I can refine the pill mentioned, I will be able to restore my strength, which will benefit our cooperation. After all, the roles of strong and weak individuals are different. If I can restore my strength, I can make the Mittel family, one of the three great families of the Gama Empire, work for you," Haibodong said, looking steadily at Lin Yuan. Having made up his mind, he was determined to invest all his resources.
"The Mittel family, huh? Well, that might indeed come in handy later. Since you have such sincerity, I agree. I will help you obtain the Sand Mandrake," Lin Yuan said, seeing that his goal had been fully achieved. Haibodong also completely believed in his words and was ready to invest in their partnership.
"Thank you," Haibodong said, feeling a weight lift from his heart upon hearing Lin Yuan's agreement.
"After preparing for so many years, I finally see hope. I just hope I haven't misjudged the person and placed the wrong bet."
"Haibodong, truly an excellent investor."
Under the night sky, the two had different thoughts.
"Then, Ha Lao, we part ways here. I will return within half a year, and at that time, I will help you break part of the seal or refine the pill to remove the seal."
"Farewell. I will wait for you in the city."
After the two parted ways, Lin Yuan flew into the sky like a streak of blue light heading toward Shimo City.
"Next stop, Shimo City, Qinglin."
Thank you all for your support. Please follow, collect, vote, and reward. As a newcomer with a new book, the early data is quite important. I hope everyone can support me, and I welcome everyone to exchange in the book review area.
(End of Chapter)