BTTH : From the beginning of the battle to the top

"Good morning, did you have a good dream? Your Majesty." Under the moonlight, Lin Yuan waved his hand and greeted the Medusa Queen, who was glaring at him, with a smile.

Seeing Lin Yuan, who had sealed her and was now casually greeting her in front of the four elders, the Medusa Queen's expression turned colder. She said coldly, "Kid, you really have some guts. You dare to make an enemy of my clan and show up so brazenly in front of the elders. Do you really think that just because you defeated me, you can disregard my clan? Aren't you afraid?"

"Stop," Lin Yuan said, raising his hand to block the Medusa Queen's icy gaze, unfazed. "Don't threaten me. To me, you are not even as formidable as a sick cat right now. As the ruler of your clan, you shouldn't be boasting and acting impulsively at this moment. Besides..."

Lin Yuan looked at the Medusa Queen calmly and activated the Blood God Transformation after mastering the Beast Refining Spirit Technique. His aura surged, breaking through the barriers between the Dou Wang and Dou Huang levels, rising from a Nine-Star Dou Wang to a Two-Star Dou Huang level. "I didn't use this in our previous battle. Do you understand what this means?"

Seeing this, the Medusa Queen fell silent, her white teeth biting down on her lower lip, leaving a faint mark that silently expressed her struggle, unwillingness, and shame.

The elders understood the situation and realized that what Lin Yuan had said about the Medusa Queen losing to him without using her full strength was indeed true. A sense of heaviness filled their hearts.

The Grand Elder stepped forward and cupped his hands, saying, "Young master, could you give us a moment?"

"Go ahead, discuss it. And by the way, inform her of the current situation!" Lin Yuan waved his hand, not caring about their schemes.

The Grand Elder exchanged glances with the other three elders, and then they pulled the Medusa Queen aside to talk.

"Your Majesty, did you really lose to that person in a direct confrontation?" the Grand Elder asked in a deep voice.

The Medusa Queen bit her lip until it bled, crimson blood trickling down her delicate chin. However, her proud nature prevented her from lying, and she admitted, "That's right. I was completely defeated in a direct confrontation."

She endured the humiliation and began to recall how she had been thoroughly defeated by someone whose cultivation was a whole level below her, and the opponent hadn't even used their full strength. During their battle, the opponent's secret technique to temporarily boost their cultivation wasn't even used.

"That person's techniques, combat skills, secret arts, body refinement, perception, movement techniques, and combat awareness are all exceptionally strong, and he also possesses异火 (strange fire)." After reflecting, the Medusa Queen was astonished to find that aside from her absolute advantage in cultivation, she was outmatched in every other aspect.

The Third Elder sighed, "It's the异火. No wonder after Yue Mei took the poison, such potent fire poison appeared in her body. The Queen and Yue Mei's poison is troublesome!"

"Alas, it seems that even if we all join forces, our chances of defeating him are slim. But once we engage, we will have to pay an unpredictable price. It seems we can only yield this time and hope he doesn't go too far," the Second Elder summarized.

"To be so powerful at such a young age, he must be a prodigy from some major power in the Central Continent. We need to be cautious in our response," the Grand Elder said solemnly, and the other three elders nodded in agreement. The Serpent People had migrated from the Central Continent to the Northwest, so they still had some understanding of it.

The Grand Elder looked at the Medusa Queen, softening her tone. They had watched her grow up, and they knew how proud she was. This time, having been defeated by someone who had crossed an entire level to challenge her, the blow was significant.

"Your Majesty, don't be disheartened. We know your strength. This situation arose for a reason. In the Northwest, who could achieve better results against that person than you? The Serpent People still need your leadership. Let's focus on how to handle this incident."

Then, the Grand Elder explained to the Medusa Queen what she knew about her being knocked out and captured.

Upon hearing this, the Medusa Queen suppressed her mixed feelings, regaining her composure as the queen of the Serpent People. Her expression became steady again as she said in a deep voice, "Let's go. I want to see what his intentions are and how he wants to negotiate."

Looking at the group approaching, Lin Yuan smiled, "It seems you have reached a consensus. Tell me your conclusion."

The Medusa Queen looked deeply at Lin Yuan and said calmly, "We need you to lift the seal on me and the poison placed on both me and Yue Mei. State your conditions."

"Straightforward!" Lin Yuan praised, not beating around the bush. "I need your side to agree to three things."

Lin Yuan raised a finger and said solemnly, "First, I may have to fight an enemy at the Dou Zong level soon. You need to intervene when he is defeated and tries to escape, to intercept him."

Currently, Lin Yuan was confident he could face a Dou Zong in direct combat, but if the opponent tried to flee, it would be difficult for him. After all, he was well aware of the difference in difficulty between defeating someone in a direct confrontation and pursuing them. He had previously eliminated many opponents whose visible strength was higher than his by using escape and counterattack tactics.

"Can this person compete with a Dou Zong at full strength?" The Medusa Queen was somewhat shocked. She had put in so much effort to break through to Dou Zong, yet this clearly young person dared to scheme against a Dou Zong at the Dou Wang stage, even aiming to defeat a Dou Zong. Was the gap between people really that vast?

Not caring about what the Serpent People thought, Lin Yuan raised another finger. "Second, I need to review all the classics, combat skills, secret arts, etc., of the Serpent People."

Lin Yuan was somewhat interested in the various histories, secret arts, and techniques of the Serpent People. Qing Lin had half of the Serpent People's bloodline, so some of their knowledge might be of reference value for her cultivation. As he was planning some detailed training for Qing Lin, Lin Yuan wanted to refer to some unique bloodline techniques of the Serpent People, especially their combined secret arts.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible."

Upon hearing Lin Yuan's second condition, the Medusa Queen flatly refused, and the four elders glared at him angrily.

"Oh?" Lin Yuan asked with interest, "Why such resistance?"

The straightforward Fourth Elder retorted angrily, "You are coveting the foundation of our clan's inheritance. How can we agree? How could we possibly hand over the secrets of our clan to an outsider? If we do that, we would be historical criminals of the Serpent People."

"Even if it means sacrificing the life of the Medusa Queen, you still refuse to let me review your inheritance?" Lin Yuan asked.

The Medusa Queen glanced at everyone and resolutely said, "Don't underestimate my resolve as the leader of my clan. Losing to you is my problem. How could I allow my clan's inheritance to leak into the hands of an outsider because of my own issues?"

"Clap! Clap! Clap!"

Several claps echoed as Lin Yuan applauded, looking at the Medusa Queen with a hint of admiration. "Not bad, not bad. This is more like a queen, a queen's responsibility. The Serpent People are fortunate to have you as their queen."

"Then what about the previous condition?" The Grand Elder asked with a hint of expectation.

Lin Yuan smiled slightly, his gaze deepening. "My conditions remain unchanged, but..."

"Since the Serpent People's secret arts and classics are unwilling to be shared, then I can join the Serpent People and become one of your own, right? I believe that as a sixth-grade alchemist, you would warmly welcome me into the Serpent People!"

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(End of Chapter)