While the player is in Battle Through the Heavens, the system is in The Great Ruler.

Chapter 22 Breaking the Seal, Fighting King!
Soon after,

Inside the ancient map shop,

Hai Bodong rubbed his hands together, a fawning smile spreading across his face, and was about to speak again.

"Master Ice..."

Just then, the girl in the red dress stood nervously in the corner, biting her lip. Her slender fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her dress, and her voice was barely audible.

The old man frowned, a hint of impatience flashing in his cloudy eyes: "Go back, and tell your father that his tricks..." He paused, his withered fingers tapping the table with a dull sound, "are really clumsy."

The girl's delicate body trembled, her red lips bitten white by her teeth. Her carefully applied makeup was smudged by tears, leaving two dark streaks on her cheeks. She opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she only lowered her head deeply.

Hai Bodong sighed and took out a yellowed scroll from his storage ring. The three characters "Xuanbing Jin" on the scroll's surface were faintly visible under the light.

"Take it." He flicked his finger, and the scroll floated lightly into the girl's arms. "We have no master-disciple relationship."

The girl's hands, holding the scroll, trembled slightly. Finally, she bowed and staggered out of the shop.

As the footsteps faded into the distance, Hai Bodong waved his sleeve, and an invisible aura closed the door. He turned and moved the wooden table piled with maps and scrolls to the center. Wherever his sleeve swept, the ink stains and debris vanished without a trace.

"I'm sorry to have made you laugh."

Hai Bodong gestured for him to enter, then took out a white jade wine pot from his storage ring. The pot was carved with ice crystal patterns and faintly emitted a chilling aura.

He carefully filled a glass with amber-colored wine, the rich aroma of herbs mixed with the crisp scent of alcohol filling the room: "This wine is called 'Ice Heart Jade Brew,' and it is brewed by me using thousand-year-old snow lotus as the main ingredient, supplemented with three rare ice-attribute medicinal herbs."

"I have treasured this for over thirty years without ever opening it. Young friend, you have suffered a considerable loss of energy in your battle just now. Why don't you take a look?"

Lu Yu took the wine glass, and saw that the wine inside was covered with tiny ice crystals, like flowing amber. He took a small sip and immediately felt a cool, refreshing sensation travel from his throat to his dantian, which calmed his previously restless strange fire.

"Good wine!"

Lu Yu's eyes brightened slightly. He put down his wine glass and exclaimed, "Clear and mellow, with a long aftertaste. What's even more remarkable is that it can soothe the restlessness of the strange fire..."

As he spoke, his gaze involuntarily fell on the white jade wine pot.

Hai Bodong's hand holding the teapot stiffened slightly, and his old face twitched almost imperceptibly—his original intention was simply to let the young man have a small taste to show his sincerity.

Little did he expect that the other party would directly target his treasured wine, which he had kept for many years.

"Hahaha……"

Hai Bodong was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter, though his eyes twitched slightly: "Since you like it, young friend, I'll give you this pot of wine."

"How can this be so embarrassing..."

Lu Yu declined verbally, but his right hand unconsciously reached for the wine pot. Hai Bodong's face stiffened, but he slowly released his fingers: "Young friend, after you finish your wine, I hope you can break the seal for this old man as soon as possible, as many times as you can..."

"Senior, don't worry."

Lu Yu nodded with a smile, then suddenly pulled his hand away from the wine jug with increased force—

"Ok?"

The wine pot remained motionless. Turning his head, he saw Hai Bodong chuckling dryly, his fingers still tightly gripping the neck of the pot. The moment their eyes met, the old man reluctantly released his grip.

Whoosh!
Lu Yu reacted quickly, and the white jade wine pot instantly disappeared from his storage ring.

This medicinal wine is his!

……

Not long after, in a side room of the ancient map shop.

Two figures sat facing each other, a solemn atmosphere filling the room. Lu Yu's fingers flew, forming a series of profound hand seals, and crimson runes disappeared into Hai Bodong's body like swimming fish.

"Well……"

Hai Bodong suddenly let out a muffled groan, and dark blue snake patterns appeared all over his body. These patterns moved like living creatures, eventually converging at his brow to form a ferocious snake-shaped mark, tightly imprisoning his surging battle qi.

Lu Yu's gaze sharpened, and crimson light blazed brightly between his palms. A lifelike phantom of a fire serpent solidified in the air, hissing as it burrowed into the old man's brow.

"laugh--"

The blue and red light clashed fiercely on Hai Bodong's body, and the sound of the dark blue snake-like patterns shattering inch by inch could be clearly heard. As the runes continued to disintegrate, the temperature in the quiet room plummeted, and ice crystals quietly spread across the ground.

"drink!"

As the final hand seal was cast, Lu Yu withdrew his hand, his face deathly pale. Meanwhile, ten percent of the snake markings around Hai Bodong's body had faded, and the dark blue snake seal had dimmed somewhat.

"boom--"

The old man suddenly opened his eyes, a piercing light bursting forth. His battle aura, dormant for decades, surged forth like a flood bursting its banks, its power rising steadily. Ice crystals condensed in the air, forming beautiful snowflakes, and the oppressive aura of a Battle King swept through the entire room.

"A one-star Dou Wang..."

Hai Bodong's hands trembled as he stared at the icy blue battle aura pulsating in his palms, his voice trembling slightly as he said, "This power... I've finally felt it again!"

He slowly raised his head, his sharp gaze piercing Lu Yu like a blade. A chill swirled around him, the room temperature plummeted, and fine frost condensed on the floor. This former Ice Emperor had finally regained some of his former domineering aura.

Lu Yu, sitting opposite him, maintained a faint smile as he cupped his hands and said, "Congratulations, Elder Hai, on regaining your Dou Wang cultivation level. It is truly a cause for celebration!"

Hai Bodong's eyes flickered uncertainly, his mind in turmoil. He wanted to capture the boy and force him to reveal the complete solution, but he also feared that he would fail at the last minute and lose all hope of breaking the seal.

After a long time,

Hai Bodong sighed inwardly, then put on a smile again, saying kindly, "It's all thanks to you, young friend. I promised you that I would do ten things for you after the seal was broken."

"Now that we've cracked part of it, and I've also recovered some of my strength, young friend, is there anything I can do to help you?"

His words were full of flattery.

Seeing this, Lu Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. When he broke the seal, he had already quietly implanted a modified snake pattern into the old man's body.

If that old fox dares to make any move, he can be resealed in an instant, allowing him to return to the Douling realm—at that time, the Purple Cloud Wings will be spread out, and this matter can be settled later.

"It's quite a coincidence, there is indeed something I would like to ask Elder Hai for help with." Lu Yu's expression turned serious, and he said solemnly, "To be honest, I came here specifically to search for a different kind of fire."

"A strange fire?" Hai Bodong frowned slightly, looking at Lu Yu suspiciously. "Didn't you already subdue one strange fire? As far as I know, it's difficult for one person to bear two strange fires..."

A wisp of crimson flame flickered at Lu Yu's fingertips as he chuckled, "Such rare treasures are always welcome. If I can't refine them myself, giving them to relatives, friends, or disciples is fine too. To be honest, when I passed by your shop today, the strange fire within me suddenly sensed something..."

He paused deliberately, his gaze sweeping meaningfully over the surroundings: "There are mysterious connections between different flames."

"Does my little shop contain a strange fire?"

A glint flashed in Hai Bodong's cloudy eyes, and his withered fingers unconsciously rubbed the edge of the table: "I've been here for decades, how could I not know?"

"It's not a strange fire; the sensation isn't strong. It must be something related to it."

Lu Yu shook his head and said calmly.

(End of this chapter)