While in Battle Through the Heavens, one can pre-appoint oneself as an emperor.

The thoughts of young people are the easiest to see through in the eyes of an old fox, because they are inexperienced and most of their ideas are still on their faces.

Hai Bodong sized up Chen Xiao for a moment, and seeing that his expression was sincere and not fake, and considering that this matter could only benefit him and not harm him, he finally nodded in agreement.

"Alright, I'll take this bet. I'll send a message to Tengshan shortly and have him start making preparations. From contacting him to finalizing the deal, we should be able to invite a powerful expert of sufficient stature within ten days."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiao nodded and smiled.

As far as he knew, Hai Bodong's reputation was acceptable; at least he wasn't the kind of person who would attack you for no reason, which was why he dared to come here.

Besides that, there's Hai Bodong's condition. He's only a Dou Ling level Ice Emperor, which can put pressure on Chen Xiao, but it's not enough to pose a fatal threat.

From the current perspective, Plan B is progressing relatively smoothly.

"Alright, I'll come back to find the Ice Emperor in a few days."

With a slight fist salute, Chen Xiao prepared to leave first.

Of these cities on the edge of the Tagor Desert, there are two that are a must-visit.

Firstly, there's the desert city beneath our feet, the allure of Hai Bodong as a potential ally, and the incomplete map—both are quite tempting.

The other city is Shimo City.

This city is also the city where Xiao Yan's elder brothers will settle down after leaving the Xiao family.

In the Stone Desert City, there lives a young girl with the Azure Serpent Three-Flower Eyes. The investment is extremely simple, and the returns are astonishing.

Now that he was already here, Chen Xiao didn't want to miss out.

"The edge of the desert is not peaceful. It is getting late today, so I suggest you stay in the city. Among the snake people, there are many who are stronger than the Great Battle Master. Although the possibility of an attack is extremely small, it is not impossible."

Hai Bodong tapped his strong right fingers lightly on the table. If Mittel Tengshan, who knew him well, were present, he would understand that this was an unconscious little movement when the Ice Emperor was distracted.

Through the open door, Chen Xiao could see the blazing sun high in the sky.

The old man doesn't understand destiny.

It's only noon!

She glanced back at Hai Bodong, but the other man showed no embarrassment whatsoever; a faint smile appeared on his aged face.

"Although I am old, I still have some knowledge. Young man, if you have nothing urgent to do for the moment, why don't we go outside the city and have a match? Let me see what you're capable of."

The real purpose of this friendly competition is to learn more about Chen Xiao.

That aura, seemingly from the same source, left Hai Bodong completely baffled as to the reason behind it.

So he thought that if he could exchange a few blows with Chen Xiao, he might be able to see some clues.

In addition, Chen Xiao's previous words had also made Hai Bodong consider showing off his skills to him.

What does it mean to be outwardly strong but inwardly weak?

What does it mean to lack stamina?

Hai Bodong immediately wanted to prove that even though he was sealed by Queen Medusa and even though his strength was reduced to one-tenth, he was still the renowned Ice Emperor.

This will also make it easier for him to take on apprentices in the future.

In Hai Bodong's mind, Chen Xiao was probably already his disciple.

After all, that woman in the center of the desert was simply unreasonable, and he wasn't very optimistic about Chen Xiao's plan.

Chen Xiao glanced at Hai Bodong again, quite certain that the other party was just acting on a whim and had no hostility, and hesitated slightly.

He longed to spar with a powerful opponent with extensive combat experience, especially since the opponent was also of the ice attribute. This allowed him to learn from and improve himself rapidly during the battle.

But the smile on Hai Bodong's face made Chen Xiao highly suspicious that the old man was trying to show off his divine powers in front of him...

"Indeed, I would like to ask the Ice Emperor for some guidance."

The concept of "face" is insignificant compared to the obvious benefits.

After a brief hesitation, Chen Xiao readily agreed.

Anyway, there's still plenty of time, so there's no rush to go to Shimo City.

...

Fifteen minutes later.

Several miles outside the city, the surrounding area is all yellow sand.

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

Looking at the solemn-looking young man in white opposite him, Hai Bodong's smile became increasingly difficult to suppress.

With a flash of blue light at his fingertips, a longsword of significantly higher quality than the weapon in Chen Xiao's hand appeared in Hai Bodong's grasp. He casually tossed it, and it landed precisely on the ground in front of Chen Xiao.

"Your longsword is of poor quality and cannot withstand my attacks. Use this one."

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

The blade, gleaming with a faint blue light, appeared exquisite and sharp. A blue-white Tier 3 magic core was also inlaid in the handle. Preliminary estimates suggest that this magic core weapon is worth over ten thousand gold coins.

As expected of the Ice Emperor, he's incredibly wealthy and powerful!

Having officially discarded the old sword in his hand, Chen Xiao wielded the long blade, creating a dazzling display of swordplay.

"Ice Emperor, please enlighten me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Xiao's body circulated with ice-blue battle qi, which transformed into armor.

Without hesitation, he took the lead and dashed towards Hai Bodong with his knife.

"Hahaha, well done! If I can't defeat you in a hundred moves, I'll commit suicide on the spot!"

Hai Bodong laughed loudly, flicked his wrist, and condensed his icy blue battle qi into a long spear.

Condensing battle qi into matter is the mark of a powerful battle spirit cultivator!

Seeing the blade already close at hand, aimed directly at his face, Hai Bodong lightly stepped to the side, shifting his body half a meter away. His spear moved like a dragon, easily blocking Chen Xiao's sudden, sweeping attack.

The entire process was as natural as a gazelle hanging its horns on a tree.

Moreover, it's extremely elegant!

You can call this Ice King a noob, but you have to admit he's full of witty remarks and really good at putting on an act!

"Watch out, Ice Spikes!"

Hai Bodong chuckled softly, flicking his left hand repeatedly, and several blue ice spikes suddenly shot out, heading straight for Chen Xiao's shoulder.

Chen Xiao reacted quickly as well. He kicked off with his toes and flew backward, while his ice-attribute battle qi condensed into an ice wall in front of him, blocking all the ice spikes.

Although a Grand Master's battle qi armor can greatly enhance his defense, he dares not use it to directly withstand an attack from a Battle Spirit expert.

Seeing that his attack had failed, Hai Bodong nodded slightly.

"The foundation isn't bad."

Through their brief exchange, he had already discerned that Chen Xiao's cultivation technique was of a high grade.

Moreover, it is 80% similar to his "Ice Emperor's Codex"!

"Again!"

Without him saying a word, Chen Xiao's fighting spirit condensed at the tip of his blade, and a high-level Xuan-rank fighting technique was ready.

"The Roar of the Mad Lion!"

With a low shout, the icy blue stone unleashed a burst of frost as it raged towards Hai Bodong.

However, this high-level Xuan-rank combat skill, which could easily kill Obapa, was nothing compared to Hai Bodong.

He reached out and slashed in the air in front of him, and ice mirrors appeared out of thin air, blocking the charging lion head without taking a single step back!

"Mystic Ice Whirlwind Kill!"

Hai Bodong glanced at the solemn-faced boy opposite him, then swiftly formed hand seals in front of him. He let out a low roar, and instantly, crescent-shaped ice blades appeared and swirled around him.

The ice blades multiplied, eventually completely obscuring his body. They connected to each other, forming a small swirling ice storm composed entirely of ice blades.

From afar, it is absolutely magnificent!

Hai Bodong smiled smugly. If it weren't for his limited strength, he would have used his signature fighting technique, Xuanbing Dragon Soaring, to show Chen Xiao what he was made of.

Having given Chen Xiao ample time to prepare, Hai Bodong had a thought, and a whirlwind of ice storm swept out.

For a time, the ground along the way was almost completely destroyed and riddled with ravines, but strangely, not much dust was stirred up because of the cold air that swept over us.

Chen Xiao's expression was solemn. He circulated his internal fighting spirit to its limit, forming layers of ice walls in front of him to defend himself.

At the same time, his long sword danced, unleashing a counterattack like a swallow.

Click!Click!

The sound of ice walls shattering was incessant, and the power of the ice blade storm was weakened, but it still pressed on relentlessly.

Fortunately, Chen Xiaoyan's counterattack was already highly skilled, which allowed her to use her skillful strength to deflect all the incoming ice blades.

Otherwise, they would be forced to use the Purple Cloud Wings.

"This fighting technique is indeed profound."

Having witnessed all of this, Hai Bodong nodded slightly; his judgment had never been wrong.

Having withstood Hai Bodong's powerful attack, Chen Xiao remained silent and once again drew his knife to close the distance.

His close combat skills had always been a weakness because he hadn't had suitable sparring partners before, so he couldn't let go of this opportunity to improve himself.

Bang! Bang! Boom!

The ice spear and the longsword clashed repeatedly, occasionally punctuated by the sounds of fists colliding.

A few minutes later, the two who were locked in combat separated.

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

East of the sea, the clouds are light and the breeze is gentle.

"Ninety-nine moves have been made; shall we stop here for today and continue tomorrow?"

Hai Bodong realized he had been a bit careless. He had thought he could easily defeat Chen Xiao within a hundred moves.

However, Chen Xiao's amazing fighting skills and resilience exceeded his expectations. Although he was always at a disadvantage, he was like a green bamboo, bending but not breaking.

With only one move left, Hai Bodong knew that to defeat Chen Xiao, he would have to unleash his most powerful and secret fighting techniques.

The problem is that once things get serious, he can't guarantee that Chen Xiao will be safe and sound.

Therefore, it is best to give up at this point.

"Thank you, Ice Emperor."

Chen Xiao nodded in agreement without hesitation.

Such a perfect sparring partner is hard to find!

In just a few minutes of fighting, Chen Xiao discovered many of his own shortcomings.

With consistent effort, you will surely make progress!

"Then you can wait here at this time tomorrow."

After saying those words, Hai Bodong turned and left with a smile, feeling refreshed and invigorated.