85: Chapter 85 Elder Ye's Test

The top floor of the City Lord's Mansion, Top Secret Conference Room No. 1.

The heavy soundproof door closed, cutting off all outside noise.

The atmosphere was unusually tense and oppressive.

Lin Fan sat at the end of the mahogany long table, holding a cup of freshly brewed premium Dahongpao tea.

Two people sat opposite him.

On the left was City Lord Li Zhen. This usually dignified Grandmaster was now sitting somewhat cautiously, with only half his bottom touching the chair.

On the right was an old man wearing a grey Zhongshan suit.

His hair was white, his face thin, and he was twirling two walnuts in his hand.

He looked like an ordinary old man walking his bird in the park.

But Lin Fan dared not be the slightest bit careless.

[Warning, extremely dangerous high-energy organism detected.]

[Target energy level: General Ye Canglan Realm.]

[System suggestion: Remain still, do not attempt to provoke.]

The system's red warnings kept ringing in Lin Fan's mind.

General Ye Canglan.

General Ye Canglan of the Dragon Nation, leader of the New Martial Arts faction.

The old man didn't speak, just watched Lin Fan quietly.

In those deep eyes, it seemed to contain the ability to see through all disguises.

Lin Fan felt like a skinned lab rat, seen through from inside to outside, with no secrets left.

But he didn't move.

Not only did he not move, but he also gently blew the floating tea leaves in the cup and took a sip.

"Good tea."

Lin Fan put down the teacup, making a crisp clinking sound.

This sound broke the dead silence.

Li Zhen's heart jumped wildly. This was a character who was the ceiling of the entire Huaguo martial arts realm; this kid had guts.

The walnuts in General Ye Canglan's hand stopped.

"Young man."

The voice was calm but carried a faint danger.

"Some things, the water is too deep, you can't grasp it."

Before the words faded.

Boom!

An invisible mental storm exploded in the conference room without warning.

There was no earth-shattering sound, nor was there any chaos of tables and chairs flying.

This pressure was aimed solely at Lin Fan.

Lin Fan felt as if Mount Tai had collapsed on top of his head.

His whole body felt immense pressure, and his bones emitted faint cracking sounds from being unable to bear it.

This was just the absolute crushing power of slightly releasing a bit of momentum.

The terror of a General Ye Canglan expert is truly this great!

As long as General Ye Canglan was willing, in a single thought, he could turn an ordinary Grandmaster into an idiot.

"Junior, put down the opportunity."

General Ye Canglan stared at Lin Fan. "That is not technology you can control. Hand it over to the state, and I will guarantee you a lifetime of wealth."

Li Zhen kept winking at Lin Fan at this moment, meaning for him to withstand the pressure.

Lin Fan seemed prepared, still sitting steadily on the chair.

Enduring this huge pressure, the hand holding the teacup trembled slightly. According to Su Qingxue's information, this General Ye Canglan looked strict but was actually an upright expert who cared about the human race.

Lin Fan put down the teacup.

He raised his head and looked directly into General Ye Canglan's oppressive eyes.

His face wore his signature, harmless smile.

"General Ye Canglan, this greeting gift of yours is a bit heavy."

Lin Fan stretched, his joints popping like he was doing calisthenics.

"Regarding my blind box, I have already reported it to City Lord Li."

"This is my mutated talent, called Equivalent Exchange."

Lin Fan was spouting nonsense with a straight face, without blushing or skipping a beat.

"I am not creating treasures out of thin air, but rather a mover of nature. I convert the flesh and blood essence of exotic beasts into unknown gifts through my talent."

"Even if I were to cut this talent out for you, you wouldn't be able to use it."

The air was dead silent for three seconds.

The sharp gleam in General Ye Canglan's eyes grew stronger.

He increased the output of his pressure.

Twenty percent.

Thirty percent.

Even at the peak of a martial artist, one should be unable to withstand it by now.

But Lin Fan was still only trembling slightly; clearly, he hadn't reached his limit yet.

"Eh?"

General Ye Canglan finally changed his expression.

He dispersed his momentum.

That suffocating feeling of oppression disappeared instantly, as if it had never appeared.

"Interesting."

General Ye Canglan leaned back in his chair, the cold, hard mask on his face instantly collapsing, revealing a hint of fanaticism as if he had seen a rare treasure.

"Facing the pressure of a General Ye Canglan without changing expression, heartbeat not disordered."

"Either you have a god-level defensive treasure on you, or your mental power is gifted."

"No matter which one it is, you have passed."

General Ye Canglan turned to look at Li Zhen and pointed at Lin Fan. "This kid has more guts than you did back then."

Li Zhen smiled bitterly and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"General Ye Canglan, stop probing. This kid is like a spring; the more you press him, the more force he has."

Lin Fan breathed a sigh of relief.

He had bet correctly.

According to Su Qingxue's information, although General Ye Canglan acted domineeringly, he was a martial arts fanatic who cherished talent at his core.

As long as one could withstand his initial intimidation, one could win the right to speak.

"Since you passed the test, let's speak openly."

General Ye Canglan leaned forward, his thin, withered hands pressing on the tabletop.

"Lin Fan, I have read your file. Weapons, pills, even that kind of potion that can instantly heal injuries, I am not lacking."

"In the national treasury of Huaguo, these things are piled up like mountains."

"I only want one thing."

General Ye Canglan stared fixedly at Lin Fan, enunciating word by word:

"Talent."

"That kind of blind box that can allow ordinary people to awaken talents, or allow low-level talents to advance."

As expected.

Lin Fan understood.

The core philosophy of the New Martial Arts faction was to break the theory that talent determines everything.

General Ye Canglan had been attacked by the conservative faction for so many years and desperately needed a breakthrough.

"General Ye Canglan, are you trying to..."

"My laboratory is stuck at the final step."

A flash of unwillingness crossed General Ye Canglan's eyes. "We can strengthen our bodies through genetic potions and improve combat power through mechanical modifications. But there is no way to improve talent."

"But your blind box can achieve this. If it can be promoted, the entire human race can improve its overall strength on the Ten Thousand Races Battlefield."

"Fatty Zhang Hao, talent upgraded from D-rank to C-rank."

"That little girl from the Su Family, her ice-type affinity increased by 15%."

"I have checked these data clearly."

General Ye Canglan's voice became urgent. "I want this kind of blind box. As many as you have, I want them all. You name the price!"

"As long as you can provide a stable supply, let alone a Major, even a Major General, I can get it for you!"

A naked promise.

The promise of a General Ye Canglan weighed as heavy as Mount Tai.

Lin Fan's heart skipped a beat.

But he quickly calmed down.

Scarcity creates value.

If he agreed easily, not only would he expose the secret of the system, but the other party would also think the item was cheap.

"General Ye Canglan, you overestimate me."

Lin Fan showed a bitter face, as uncomfortable as if he had been constipated for a week.

"Do you think this kind of thing that defies heaven and changes fate is like Chinese cabbage?"

"Making this kind of blind box that involves the level of laws consumes me greatly. And..."

Lin Fan paused and started making things up. "My cultivation is too low. The Martial Master Realm limits the upper limit of the blind box talent."

"To make blind boxes that can stably produce talents, the success rate is extremely low. Out of a hundred, one might not even come out."

"And the raw materials are extremely harsh; they must be the corpses of exotic beasts that are Lord-level or higher and have pure bloodlines."

Li Zhen listened from the side, stunned.

Didn't this kid just say he could do it as long as there were corpses? How did it suddenly become so difficult?

But he didn't expose him.

This is the art of business negotiation.

General Ye Canglan frowned.

"Lord-level corpses? That's easy to handle. The military warehouse has plenty of them."

"As for the success rate..."

General Ye Canglan waved his hand. "One out of a hundred? Then make a thousand! Ten thousand!"

"I don't lack money, nor do I lack resources."

"Lin Fan, I will give you special privileges."

General Ye Canglan took out a black metal token from his pocket and threw it on the table.

A ferocious black dragon was carved on the token, exuding a cold, murderous aura.

"This is the special consultant token for the Supreme Military Academy."

"With it, you can mobilize the military logistics warehouse of any province and prioritize selecting the raw materials you need."

"I only have one requirement."

General Ye Canglan held up a finger.

"Within three months, I want to see at least ten blind boxes that can open B-rank or higher talents."

"Can you do it?"

Lin Fan looked at the token.

This is no mere token.

This is clearly the key to the national treasury, an endless supply of free high-level raw materials.

This is a huge profit.

Lin Fan took a deep breath, put away the bitterness on his face, and replaced it with a look of determination.

"Since General Ye Canglan trusts me so much, for the sake of the Dragon Nation's martial arts, for the future of the human race..."

"I, Lin Fan, even if I have to risk my meridians snapping and overdraw my life, I will definitely complete the task!"

If you're going to act, you have to do it all the way.

General Ye Canglan nodded with satisfaction.

"Good! Ambitious!"

"Li Zhen, this kid is in your hands. If he loses a single hair in Jianghai City, I will hold you accountable."

After speaking, General Ye Canglan stood up.

Swift and decisive.

When he walked to the door, he suddenly stopped and turned to look at Lin Fan.

"Kid, don't think I don't know you're raising the price on the spot."

"However, as long as the goods are good, what does it matter if I let you make a profit?"

"I, General Ye Canglan, like doing business with smart people the most."

The door closed again.

Lin Fan slumped in the chair, feeling his back already soaked.

Playing mind games with a General Ye Canglan expert is damn exciting.