Starting from Douluo to Capture Goddesses

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Walking slowly into the shop, Xu Ran's gaze flitted about before finally resting on an elderly craftsman behind the counter, who was hunched over, carefully working on a drawing. The old man was clearly quite aged. However, although he had a full head of white hair, his withered hand gripping the drawing pen was still steady and strong.

Without making a sound to distract the old craftsman, Xu Ran's gaze swept over the numerous drawings on the counter and then he slowly made his way to an ancient wooden rack in the corner of the shop.

This wooden rack was obviously very old, covered with termite holes. On it, a collection of yellowed drawings was piled haphazardly. Judging by the worn traces on the surface of these drawings, they seemed to be failed works from the crafting process.

His hand casually flipped through these yellowed drawings, and a faint musty smell hit him. He frowned slightly and picked up a stack of failed pieces, his hand trembling slightly — a palm-sized torn picture fell from the stack of failed work.

His gaze casually swept over the small torn picture, and the corners of his mouth curled into a smile.

"Pure Lotus Demon Fire."

Xu Ran's smile broadened.

Originally, he wasn't particularly interested in Strange Fire, but ever since he acquired the "Burning Decision," the status of Strange Fire in Xu Ran's heart had been rising steadily.

Strange Fire, too, counted as Heavenly and Earthly Treasures. Devouring it would bring him many benefits.

He had the ability to cultivate Strange Fire to its most potent state, and by that time, the Strange Fire would possess the power to destroy heavens and obliterate earth.

Strange Fire also had life. In its youthful phase, it naturally wasn't very strong. In the original work, Strange Fires were mostly not in their strongest state.

"You... have you seen such fragments of drawings before?"

Seeing Xu Ran, the elder was extremely surprised.

At first, when he saw Xiao Yi Xian and also Xue Mei, Feilin, and others following Xu Ran, he thought Xu Ran was some rich young master. But the more he observed, the more incredible it seemed.

He had a faint premonition that this young-looking man seemed very powerful, perhaps even stronger than himself.

"Strange Fire? Who wouldn't recognize it?"

Xu Ran tucked the fragment of Strange Fire into his possession and said with a teasing tone.

"What?"

Xiao Yi Xian, Xue Mei, and Feilin all exclaimed in surprise.

Any alchemist would know about the existence of Strange Fire.

The main thing an alchemist relies on for Alchemy is fire, especially when it comes to refining high-grade Elixirs — ordinary flames can't dissolve those precious materials; Strange Fire can help alchemists quickly melt medicinal ingredients.

Throughout history, those who possess Strange Fire are all without exception superpowerful beings.

Even Dan King Gu He didn't have Strange Fire.

"So you know about Strange Fire, who are you?"

The elder lightly tapped a spot on the surface of the desk. The open door abruptly slammed shut with a bang. The elder's eyes fiercely fixed on Xu Ran, and a cold, formidable aura spread out from within him.

The terrifying presence turned the three women pale and filled them with dread.

They had not expected that an old-fashioned shop selling maps would have such a powerful figure within.

This aura was unmistakably that of a Fighting Spirit!

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However, in the next moment, Xu Ran waved his hand, and that terrifying aura disappeared without a trace.

This move filled the elder before him with apprehension.

"Ice Spirit Armor!" the elder shouted loudly. The cold fog that pervaded the surroundings instantly formed a thick layer of ice armor around the elder's body, glinting with a cold gleam.

The weapon in the elder's hand and the ice armor on his body were both entirely condensed from Dou Qi. And this could only be achieved, at least, by a Fighting Spirit Stronghold.

On the Fighting Spirit Continent, ordinary people would be able to externalize their Dou Qi when they reached the rank of Great Fighter.

At that time, if one were to cover their weapon with Dou Qi, it would greatly increase their attack power. And upon reaching the level of Dou Spirit, one could, like the white-haired elder now, condense weapons and armor entirely from Dou Qi. Naturally, this kind of weapon and defense far surpassed ordinary armament.

"Haibo Dong, you might as well give up. You are no match for me, and I am not here to deal with you."

"If I wanted to kill you, I could do it in the blink of an eye."

With a slight flick of Xu Ran's index finger, a whip of Dou Qi smashed onto the elder, and that layer of ice crystal armor shattered thunderously at that moment.

This scene left everyone thoroughly shocked.

Xiao Yi Xian was somewhat accustomed to it, but Feilin and Xue Mei, who were seeing Xu Ran take action for the first time, were instantly swallowing hard, utterly astonished. They naturally knew Xu Ran was very strong, but this was the first time they had witnessed a battle at this level.

In their eyes, the white-haired elder before them was already overwhelmingly powerful.

Yet, Xu Ran had effortlessly defeated the elder's ice armor, the gap between them so vast.

"You know my identity?"

Haibo Dong's pupils suddenly contracted, his wariness against Xu Ran intensifying.

He had concealed his name and lived in seclusion here, and over the years, many people from The Empire even thought he was already dead.

"If it weren't for your identity, you would already be dead by now. I have some connections with the Mittel Family, so I won't harm you," Xu Ran said with a smile.

Haibo Dong was also part of the Mittel Family, considered a pillar of the family, the strongest. Of course, that was in the past; now, the mightiest person in the Mittel Family was Ya Fei.

"That torn map records the location of a Strange Fire, which is of little use to you. Moreover, this is just a piece of a map, and it's meaningless if you can't collect the entire map," Xu Ran explained.

"So, it is a Strange Fire," Haibo Dong nodded. He had studied that mysterious torn map for a long time, not understanding what it meant. Although a Strange Fire was prestigious, it indeed was of no use to him.

He wasn't a fire property user; in fact, he was the opposite.

Even so, this torn map could still fetch a handsome price. But Haibo Dong also knew the gap between him and Xu Ran was colossal, and even at his peak, he wasn't a match for Xu Ran.

"Of course, I won't make it difficult for you. I never liked owing people favors, so since I took your torn map, I can help you restore your strength. I wouldn't want Ya Fei to find out and think I bullied a member of her Mittel Family," Xu Ran said, laughing.

Haibo Dong held great prestige in the Mittel Family. Even though Ya Fei's strength was now formidable, Haibo Dong was still one of the people she admired the most in her heart.

Back in the day, Haibo Dong was one of the Jia Ma Empire's ten strongest experts, which allowed the Mittel Family to firmly establish themselves in the Jia Ma Empire.

Moreover, Haibo Dong's character was also quite good, ranked as one of the few people on the Continent that Xu Ran admired most.

"You can help me?"

Haibo Dong was ecstatic, a useless torn map for him in exchange for regaining his strength was an incredibly good deal. Haibo Dong's face flushed with excitement, and his attitude towards Xu Ran became even more respectful, fearing he might displease Xu Ran.

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