Gazing at Hai Bo Dong, his face radiant with joy and his hands tightly clutching the jade vial, Xiao Yan smiled gently and said, "Master Hai, I've successfully prepared the item for you. As for that fragment of the map?" Hearing this, Hai Bo Dong was momentarily taken aback, quickly pulling himself out of his excited state, gently licking his lips, his eyes darting around, and a slight embarrassment appearing on his face. He said, "Well, young sir..." "Call me Xiao Yan," Xiao Yan slightly furrowed his brows, speaking calmly. "Ah, very well, Xiao Yan," Hai Bo Dong nodded promptly, lifting the jade vial in his hands and offering a humble smile. "Young sir, don't mind me being so busy... Well, I'm not saying I don't trust you—rather, I've never actually seen the exact appearance of the Po He Dan. I only know from the prescription that it's purple in color. So, would it be possible for you to let me take a dose of the medicine and see if it truly helps me break through the seal?" Heh, if the seal truly can be broken, I shall immediately present the remaining scroll to you and sincerely apologize to you, young sir!" "Sir, your constant excuses and delays have certainly lost the grace of a former among the Top Ten Powerhouses of the Gamma Empire." Xiang Yan gently brushed a speck of dust off his sleeve with a slender fingertip, speaking with a composed expression. "I've done my utmost to assist you, yet your actions have left me rather disheartened." "Ahh, young Xiang, we indeed agreed that once you helped me create the Break-Obstacle Pill, I would hand over the scroll to you. But, well, wouldn't you agree that I should verify the authenticity of this pill? To be blunt, if you simply bring me any other pill as a substitute, and I don't personally inspect it, wouldn't that be a serious loss for me?" Hai Bo Dong's weathered face proved to be considerably more resilient than Xiang Yan had expected, his wry smile suggesting he was, in fact, the one bearing the greatest burden. Staring at the turbulent waves rolling eastward, Xiao Yan furrowed his brows and said softly, "Senior, I'd like to remind you of something—this formula for the Break-Seal Pill was given to me by you, and I've strictly followed every instruction on it to prepare the pills. Yet whether or not this pill actually succeeds in unlocking the seal remains a complete mystery..." "Therefore, if after you take the Break-Seal Pill, the seal remains unbroken due to the very formula you provided, then wouldn't that entirely fall on my shoulders? Then all my efforts—traveling all the way to the desert, risking my life against the threat of Queen Medusa, seeking the Sand Mandala, and dedicating so much time and energy to refining the pills—would all go unnoticed?" Xiao Yan crossed his fingers in front of him, speaking in a low, cold tone. "I've done all this, yet I receive only a fragment of the map and a mere verbal courtesy from a Battle-Emperor. What do you think—I've lost, or have I gained?" “Er…,” hearing this, Haibo Dong’s face slightly flushed with embarrassment. After a moment, he managed a dry smile and said, “I must admit my demands have indeed been rather excessive. However, Xiao Xin, please rest assured—I would never act ungrateful. To that end, I need not immediately lift the seal. As long as this Break-Obstacle Pill produces even the slightest effect, I shall certainly keep my word. After all, this pill was personally crafted by Xiao Xin. Do you not have confidence in it? Hehe.” "Heard Xiao Yan agree, Hai Bo Dong's face immediately brightened with pleasure. He carefully placed the jade bottle into his storage ring and then turned to Xiao Yan, saying, 'Young sir, follow me to the basement. If we succeed in breaking the seal later, the basement will prevent your aura from leaking out and also avoid some unnecessary complications.' Nodding once, Xiao Yan said little, merely kept a cold expression and raised his chin, indicating to Hai Bo Dong to lead the way. Seeing Xiao Yan's demeanor, Hai Bo Dong realized he was currently rather displeased. He thus offered a shy smile and promptly hurried to take the lead in front." Following Hai Bode, Xiao Yan watched the brisk, elderly figure ahead of him. After a moment of silence, the otherwise expressionless face suddenly broke into a faint, quiet scorn. The fist concealed within his sleeve tightened slightly, and a streak of emerald flame danced playfully at the tips of his slender fingers. He pursed his lips, eyes slightly narrowed, murmuring to himself, "Old man, I hope you truly don't let me down. Otherwise, no matter how many times you've been hailed as the former Ice Emperor, you'll regret it deeply by today!" In the corridor, the light was not strong. Every ten to fifteen meters, there was a lamp emitting a soft glow. In this dim environment, both remained silent, the only sound being the gentle echo of their footsteps reverberating along the long hall, lingering and growing increasingly eerie. Though the corridor was straight, Xiao Yan could sense that they were walking downhill. After nearly twenty minutes of this monotonous progress, Hai Bo Dong suddenly stopped, turned to Xiao Yan, and smiled, saying, "We've arrived." As Xiao Yan's gaze passed over Hai Bo Dong, he scanned ahead and noticed, under the soft illumination, a solid iron door standing at the far end of the corridor—deep and dark, exuding a sense of solidity and weight. Looking at the iron gate, Hai Bo Dong's steps noticeably quickened. A moment later, he reached the gate and gently turned the black iron lion's head at the entrance. Instantly, a series of crisp cracking sounds echoed as the gate slowly swung open, casting a bright glow through it. "Please!" Hai Bo Dong smiled, raised his hand, and stepped in first. A faint mist drifted out, swirling throughout the underground chamber, lingering year after year. The spacious chamber itself seemed to have taken countless hours and efforts from Hai Bo Dong. "Heh, the cultivation technique I've been practicing is inclined toward cool and cold, so it works better here. Also, since this chamber is elevated above ground level, the ice and soil cover the ambient energy, masking it so that stronger cultivators won't detect it," Hai Bo Dong smiled, clearly anticipating Xiao Yan's questions. "Hm." Nodding slightly, Xiao Yan didn't hesitate—he settled into a chair at the center of the chamber and looked up at Hai Bo Dong calmly, saying, "Let's get started. I'm not particularly fond of this environment." "Heh, good," Hai Bo Dong nodded, then withdrew the Po E Dan from his storage seal, placing it gently in his palm and carefully examining it. His careful demeanor once again caused Xiao Yan's brow to furrow. After carefully inspecting for a while and finding no abnormalities, Hai Bo Dong finally exhaled gently, having learned from experience that his earlier actions were likely to deeply disappoint Xiao Yan. He therefore deliberately avoided glancing at Xiao Yan's slightly flushed and displeased expression. With a subtle tap of his foot on the ground, he moved swiftly to a platform entirely composed of solidified ice, settled onto it, and settled into a meditative posture, then gently placed the Po Hu Dan into his mouth, rolling his throat to swallow it down. The serene atmosphere, which had lasted nearly half an hour, was abruptly shattered by a series of powerful energy ripples. On the ice platform, Hai Bo Dong, who had remained motionless and silent, suddenly began to tremble violently. Powerful energy ripples surged forth from within his body and rapidly spread outward, shattering surrounding tables and ice pillars with a crisp, cracking sound. Gently lifting his head, Xiao Yan watched the swiftly approaching energy ripples. With a mere thought, a pale blue flame aura swiftly materialized on his body's surface. The intense, vibrant blue flames completely consumed the spreading energy ripples, turning them into nothingness. On the ice platform, Hai Bo Dong seemed unaware of the destruction he had summoned. His body shook violently, and then his weathered face suddenly tightened. At the forehead, an eerie, deep indigo energy rapidly coalesced, forming within moments a slender, delicate energy serpent of the same hue. This serpent spiraled around his forehead, sealing in the powerful ki surging within him. As the serpent appeared, a pale violet energy began to rise gently from his neck. Within a single blink, it started to make contact with the deep indigo serpent. The collision of these two powerful energies gave rise to the successive ripples of energy observed earlier. Purple energy and a deep indigo serpent pattern were locked in constant opposition atop Hai Bo Dong's forehead, one above the other. The faint glimmers emitted by these two energies cast an eerie glow upon his face. Combined with the intense pain caused by their fierce struggle in such a vital area of his brain, Hai Bo Dong's facial expression slightly twisted, giving the impression of something fierce and formidable. Streams of purple and azure energy hovered in a steady standoff upon Hai Bo Dong's face. However, after nearly thirty minutes of this stalemate, the deep-sea serpent pattern gradually dimmed, clearly indicating that the so-called Break-Obstacle Pill indeed possessed a remarkable effect in counteracting this seal. "Hm, this Break-Obstacle Pill truly is quite impressive... I should definitely stock up on some for myself in the future, otherwise, should I ever be sealed by someone, I'll have at least a solid foundation," said Xiao Yan, his eyes brightening as he watched the serpent pattern fade beneath the purple glow. "Be cautious—the seal on that person is about to be broken," the Elder's voice suddenly echoed in Xiao Yan's mind. Nodding slightly, Xiao Yan began to gently circulate his ki, preparing for any unforeseen developments. Purple energy, leveraging its restraining effect, gradually pushed away the serpentine patterns occupying the ground. As it steadily drove the serpentine markings off the peak of Hai Bo Dong's forehead, a sudden surge of purple energy erupted, generating a powerful force that forcibly expelled the serpentine pattern from his head. Immediately upon detaching from Hai Bo Dong's skull, the serpentine pattern trembled violently and then dissolved into a gentle mist, slowly vanishing. At the very moment the serpentine pattern separated from his body, Hai Bo Dong's tightly closed eyes snapped open, radiating intense light as if tangible, and a fierce aura—like a lion awakening—burst forth from deep within his body, which had been suppressed for nearly four decades. Under this powerful aura, even the ice crystal layer in the basement began to crack. "Ha! Ha! This cursed seal has finally been shattered! Once again, I have ascended to the Battle Sovereign rank!" With his feet planted on the ice platform, Hai Bo Dong suddenly floated mid-air like a lightning flash, his face filled with exhilaration as he raised his head and burst into loud, joyful laughter. The powerful sound waves, carried by his Qi, shook the cracked ice layers around him, causing a thunderous explosion as they shattered. After laughing for a long while, Hai Bo Dong sharply turned his gleaming gaze downward toward Xiao Yan, who sat motionless in his chair, his cloudy eyes slightly narrowing. As if sensing the intense gaze piercing through the air, Xiao Yan's lips curled slightly, and he slowly lifted his head, his face calm and serene—like the deep, still well of water—gently observing the restored, powerful Du Huang warrior floating above. The two sets of eyes met, their glances intertwining, subtly radiating a sense of frosty tension.