Battle Through the Heavens: A Dragon at the Start

Chapter 11 Hai Bodong: I'll take the gamble!

As the sun rises in the east, a luxurious carriage slowly travels along the wide dirt road. The morning sunlight shines down from the horizon, dispelling the chill of dawn and casting a long shadow of the carriage.

An elderly man with a full head of white hair is driving a carriage. To say he is driving it is a bit of an exaggeration; he is actually sitting cross-legged in front of the carriage, resting with his eyes closed. The horse moves forward automatically, and if it veers off course, it will crash into an invisible wall and then return to the right track.

Inside the carriage, the space was quite spacious. Qi Lie, dressed in black, sat in the middle, holding a book called "Common Basic Characters of the Mainland," explaining each character one by one.

On either side of Qi Lie were two little girls. On the right, a seven or eight-year-old girl named Qing Lin, wearing a light green dress, was listening attentively to the lecture, while on the left, a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl named Zi Yan, dressed in white with purple hair, was dozing off.

"...Did you remember the words I just said?" the young man asked softly after he finished speaking.

"I understand, brother!" The little girl in green nodded earnestly, extremely obedient.

The girl in white forced her eyes open, which were almost closed, and said in a drawn-out tone, "I remember."

Qi Lie gave Qing Lin an appreciative smile and nodded slightly. He didn't say anything to Zi Yan. Although Zi Yan looked like she was about to fall asleep, she had strength close to the level of a Dou Wang (Battle King). Her soul power was much stronger than that of ordinary people. If she said she remembered, she certainly wouldn't lie to him.

Qi Lie closed the book, put it into his storage ring, and then slowly said, "Next, I will tell you about some common knowledge about the Dou Qi Continent. These are things you should know when you travel around in the future."

"On the Dou Qi Continent, cultivation realms are divided into ten stages. The initial stage of cultivation, which involves sensing Dou Qi and drawing it into the body, is called Dou Qi..."

Qi Lie explained the basic knowledge of the Dou Qi Continent in a calm tone. Qing Lin listened attentively, and Zi Yan gradually stopped feeling sleepy. There were some things she needed to know, and she had never known them without being taught.

Hai Bodong, who had been resting with his eyes closed outside the carriage, slightly opened them. He couldn't understand why Qi Lie was so concerned about these two girls. This kind of basic knowledge could be taught by a teacher, so why did he have to do it himself? And why did he insist on driving a carriage on the ground instead of riding a flying magical beast?

Moreover, he, the mighty Ice Emperor, was actually forced to drive a carriage for someone else. If it weren't for the seal and the existing agreement, he would probably rather fight a great battle than do this kind of servant's job!

However, if from now on all we need to do is complete these simple tasks to break the seal, then enduring it for five years is not so bad.

Hai Bodong's thoughts raced. After thinking for a while, he closed his eyes again.

Hai Bodong was unaware that Qi Lie did this simply to get closer to Zi Yan and Qing Lin. Feelings don't develop without cultivation, especially if you want Zi Yan and Qing Lin to be willing to risk their lives for you; you need to put effort into developing those feelings.

Half a day later, Qi Lie stopped the lesson, and Zi Yan was finally able to go to sleep, while Qing Lin was engrossed in reading a book.

Qi Lie stepped out of the carriage and sat down next to Hai Bodong.

"Elder Hai, would you be willing to return to the Mittel family?"

After Qi Lie finished speaking, there was silence outside the carriage. After a moment, a reply came from outside.

"Young Master Qi, this was not included in our agreement."

Qi Lie nodded slightly and said, "I understand, Elder Hai. How about we make a bet?"

Hai Bodong, who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them and asked in a deep voice, "How do we bet? What are we betting on?"

Qi Lie said softly, "I'll bet on the speed at which my alchemy skills improve."

Hai Bodong's eyes narrowed, but he didn't speak, waiting for Qi Lie to continue.

"I am a soul with the attributes of fire and wood, and I have refined a first-grade elixir."

"You don't need to reveal your identity for now. If I can refine a grade three pill within six months, you need to take me to the Mittel family and use your identity to get the Mittel family to fully support my pill refining until I advance to a grade six alchemist. If I can't refine a grade three pill within six months, our agreed five-year period can be changed to three years."

The first two words that came to Hai Bodong's mind were: arrogance!

He knew some alchemists back then and knew that advancing in alchemy was even more difficult than improving one's cultivation level. If Qi Lie really had only refined first-grade pills as he claimed, then advancing to third-grade pills would not be something that could be done in half a year.

Moreover, alchemy is not the same as cultivation. Cultivation can be done in seclusion to absorb and refine battle qi, but alchemy cannot be done in isolation. It requires a teacher to impart experience, a large amount of resources and wealth, and extremely strong talent. He did not believe that Qi Lie could cultivate and alchemy at the same time!

Hai Bodong shook his head and said, "Let's forget it. It's pointless. I don't want to take advantage of you. Besides, I've been living in seclusion for many years, and the Mittel family may not listen to me now."

Qi Lie smiled and said, "Does Elder Hai think I can't complete it? If I can't, reducing the time by two years won't affect me. After all, to put it bluntly, your current strength is of no help to me."

"As for the Mittel family's opinion, hehe, if I really succeed, becoming a 21-year-old third-grade alchemist is worth any major bet from any force in the Jia Ma Empire. How could the Mittel family refuse? In addition, we can bring you back as a pillar who is expected to regain the strength of a Dou Huang. The Mittel family is not stupid and naturally knows how to choose."

Hai Bodong nodded and said, "It sounds like a good betting method. Whether I win or lose, it seems like I won't lose anything."

Qi Lie laughed and said, "So, Elder Hai is willing to gamble?"

Hai Bodong pondered for a moment, then asked, "Are you really only a first-grade alchemist now?"

Qi Lie shook his head and said, "I'm not even a first-grade alchemist. I only managed to refine a first-grade pill by chance once. I haven't touched it for many years. I'm afraid I can't refine it now."

A hint of reminiscence appeared on Qi Lie's face. Back in the Black Corner Region, after a risky kill of the young master of a small force, he had luckily obtained the fire-attribute Xuan-rank cultivation technique he was currently practicing, as well as a first-grade alchemist's manual.

He had tested himself and knew that his soul was of the fire and wood attributes. After obtaining the Alchemist's Manual, he realized that this was his chance to become an alchemist. So he saved up money for a period of time and then bought the cheapest medicine cauldron and a large amount of low-grade medicinal materials. Finally, after spending a lot of gold coins, he successfully refined a first-grade pill.

However, at that time he was already in the Black Corner Region, where safety was a luxury. If an alchemist wanted to be safe, he needed to join a powerful force. He was unwilling to be dependent on others, so he chose to focus on cultivating and improving his cultivation level in order to ensure his safety. This is why he has not refined any pills since then.

However, in his estimation, the fact that he was able to refine pills with just a manual and a broken cauldron back then meant that his talent for alchemy was definitely extraordinary. That's why he made a bet with Hai Bodong.

If he wins, he can use the resources of the Mittel family to advance further. If he loses, three years is enough time for him to advance to the Dou Huang level. Whether he fulfills his promise then is another matter.

Hai Bodong's gaze sharpened, and he said in a deep voice, "Fine, I'll take the bet! If you really have that kind of talent, then I've given the Mittel family an opportunity."

"Hehe, there's one thing I need to make clear: the six-month period is calculated from the time I finish purchasing the medicinal herbs and start refining the medicine."

"That's only natural."

Having achieved his goal, Qi Lie climbed back into the carriage. He needed to educate Qing Lin about the Jade Serpent Three-Flower Pupil, ideally enabling Qing Lin to unlock and master it on her own during cultivation. If that didn't work, he would consider using the death-stimulation method.

Of course, Hai Bodong couldn't know about the Jade Serpent Three-Flower Pupil, so Qi Lie used his fighting spirit to shield the sounds inside the carriage.

The carriage moved smoothly and slowly forward, and time passed by gradually.

Mo City is more than a thousand miles away from Jia Ma Capital. If one were to travel by flying magical beast, it would only take a few days to reach the capital. However, Qi Lie and his companions traveled by carriage, stopping and starting along the way, and it took them a full three months to arrive at Jia Ma Capital.

"Young Master Qi, we have arrived at the Holy City of Jiama."

Hai Bodong's aged voice entered the carriage, and Qi Lie, who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them.