BTTH : genius planner

"I am Xu An! As for my background, you don't need to know for now."

Sensing that Hai Bodong had dispersed his fighting spirit, seemingly giving up resistance for the time being, Lin Yuan's eyes sharpened. With a thought, he used the technique of Dan Fire to conjure the Azure Spirit Flame. Then, with a change in the hand seal, a ball of purplish-red energy was released from his life blood dan, merging with the flame, which then transformed into a small, agile dragon-shaped fire spirit.

"Heavenly Fire Calamity, Ancient Dragon Spirit Sealing Technique."

The dragon-shaped fire spirit easily entered the defenseless body of Hai Bodong, forming a seal. As the seal took shape, Hai Bodong's aura rapidly plummeted, eventually dropping to the Great Fighter level.

"It seems this sealing technique is basically complete. I should have a chance to study the sealing techniques used by Queen Medusa and see if there are any areas for improvement," Lin Yuan thought, a hint of satisfaction appearing in his eyes as he sensed Hai Bodong's aura.

The Ancient Dragon Spirit Sealing Technique was a unique sealing technique created by Lin Yuan after referencing various sealing-type fighting techniques and combining them with his own knowledge. It could seal another's fighting spirit cultivation, and the caster could detonate the energy of the seal to cause devastating damage to the sealed individual.

As Lin Yuan delved deeper into the Beast Refining Spirit Technique, his understanding of the bloodlines of magical beasts increased significantly. He developed some methods for utilizing the life blood dan and, after referencing some human sealing-type fighting techniques, finally replicated a unique sealing technique similar to the magical beast bloodline inheritance sealing technique.

With the sealing complete, Lin Yuan also dispersed the fighting spirit in his left hand and withdrew it.

Feeling the decline of his own fighting spirit, Hai Bodong's face instantly turned pale, as if recalling some unpleasant memories. At the same time, he realized that he had completely lost the chance to resist. Gathering his spirit, Hai Bodong asked in a dry tone, "What have you done? What do you want to do?"

"What have I done? Don't worry, I just added a seal to you, Ice Emperor, Hai Bodong," Lin Yuan replied with a light smile.

Hearing the young man in front of him call out his name, Hai Bodong's heart sank, and he thought to himself, "This is bad; this is not a coincidence. This person is coming for me. It seems I cannot escape this calamity."

"As for what I want to do, it's not the right time to tell you the specifics, but I can tell you that the Gamma Empire has fallen into a whirlpool, and some colossal entities are about to make their move here. The force I represent is one of them, and you are the collaborator I have chosen," Lin Yuan feigned mystery and began to manipulate the situation.

"Collaborator? Is this how you treat your collaborators? Taking away the partner's possessions and sealing their powers? Is this your way of collaboration?" Hai Bodong retorted sarcastically.

Lin Yuan paid no mind to the sarcasm in Hai Bodong's words and sincerely replied, "Taking your things is because I need that item, and sealing your power is to make it easier to control your actions. Now that my strength exceeds yours, I will naturally implement my own ideas. If the roles were reversed, you would do the same as I am; after all, this is the fundamental principle of the fighting spirit continent where the strong are respected."

"Should I thank you for sparing my life? For giving me a chance to work for you?" Hai Bodong listened to Lin Yuan's sincere response. Although he agreed with the idea of the strong being respected, if the roles were reversed, he would certainly force the young man in front of him to reveal what he knew about the fragmented map. However, when the situation happened to him, he couldn't help but retort.

"You don't need to thank me, and it's not about helping me; it's a collaboration, a mutually beneficial collaboration. I hope we can establish this cooperative relationship, and your life is one of the signs of our sincerity," Lin Yuan said gently, but the meaning behind his words was extremely cold.

"So, if we can't reach a collaboration, I will die, right?" Although it was a rhetorical question, Hai Bodong already had the answer in his heart.

Hai Bodong understood the implication of Lin Yuan's previous words. Although the young man's tone was gentle and his words plain, the coldness in his attitude, which suggested a decisive nature, was particularly alarming.

"You can understand it that way. Also, I would trouble the Ice Emperor to hand over the other part of the fragmented map to me. You still have a part of that map, right?" Lin Yuan looked calmly into Hai Bodong's eyes.

Upon hearing this, Hai Bodong's eyes narrowed, and then he sneered, "If you want the map, it depends on your sincerity. After going through great efforts to obtain this fragment in the desert, I perfectly divided it into two parts based on my years of mapping experience. One part is the one you took earlier, and the other part... heh heh."

"Forget it, I'll take it myself!" Lin Yuan directly interrupted Hai Bodong's words.

"Set."

With a light shout from Lin Yuan, a peculiar wave emanated from his life blood dan. The seal within Hai Bodong's body seemed to sense this wave, and a purple aura flowed, releasing a special pressure. Having already dropped to the Great Fighter level, Hai Bodong could not withstand this pressure and was instantly suppressed, unable to move.

Lin Yuan calmly took Hai Bodong's storage ring, then released Hai Bodong and held the storage ring in front of him, saying lightly, "Take out the items. Trust me, even if you don't act, I have ways to retrieve the items inside. However, at that time, the loss for you, old sir, will be significant."

As he spoke, Lin Yuan released his powerful soul force, completely locking onto Hai Bodong, allowing him to feel it. At the same time, he condensed a strong fighting spirit deterrent, ready to kill Hai Bodong if he made any sudden moves.

"This soul power belongs to a high-level alchemist. Sigh," Hai Bodong felt this overwhelming soul power, which was enough to erase the soul imprint on his storage ring. He sighed helplessly, touched the storage ring with his fingers, and then a small piece of extremely ancient, yellowed parchment appeared in his hand.

"Here, consider this old man defeated. But how did you confirm that this map must be in my storage ring?" Feeling that Lin Yuan had completely locked onto him with killing intent, Hai Bodong dared not make any unnecessary movements and handed the fragment to Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan dispersed his soul power, confirmed that it was indeed a fragment of the Pure Lotus Demon Fire map, and stored it in his own ring. Only then did he relax, his tone becoming a bit lighter as he said, "Because it's me, and I would do the same. After all, for the strong, the most trustworthy thing in this world is oneself, and important items should naturally be carried on one's person."

After a pause, Lin Yuan added, "Moreover, it was just a trial. If I failed, there would be no loss, right?"

"Are you not afraid that I might take you down with me?" Hai Bodong stared deeply at Lin Yuan, as if trying to see through the young man before him.

Lin Yuan chuckled, "If the fish dies, the net won't break." His calm words were filled with absolute confidence. "Moreover, would a strong person who has achieved the rank of Fighting Emperor in a remote place like the Northwest Continent, once known as the Ice Emperor, easily give up their life?" Lin Yuan countered.

Upon hearing this, Hai Bodong's eyes narrowed, and he did not respond, but his mind was racing: "Calling the Northwest Continent a remote place, it seems this person is from another region. Could it be... Central Continent? The colossal entity he refers to must be a major force from Central Continent? What does it mean to make a move? What is happening in the Gamma Empire?"

Lin Yuan glanced at Hai Bodong, who was deep in thought, guessing that he was likely imagining various scenarios. This effect was also what he needed.

"Using both threats and favors, the threat is already sufficient; now it's time for the favor, and I might as well add some fuel to his imagination. Let's make a move; Hai Bodong is indeed a good pivot to leverage the Gamma Empire, which might come in handy when planning for that peculiar protector," Lin Yuan secretly calculated, firming up his resolve.

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(End of Chapter)