Chapter 106: Discussing the Grand Plan

Chapter 106: Discussing the Grand Plan

Seeing they still refused, Lin Xing could only explain further. "As I said before, I won't be staying here long. After I leave, you'll still be the ones running this place. If I gave you the title of Stronghold Master on my way out, I might as well just let you keep it now, while I remain in the background."

Seeing they were still reluctant, Lin Xing stopped explaining and asked, "What's your read on the continent these days?"

The three exchanged glances. Alex said, "The continent is peaceful now, with no major wars. But it's been calm for so many years that this is likely just the calm before the storm!"

Lin Xing nodded. "So what're your plans?"

"Plans? What plans could we possibly have?" Alex replied with a bitter laugh.

"So, you intend to live out your lives in obscurity? You don't want to venture out, make a name for yourselves, and achieve something?" Lin Xing countered.

"We're just a bunch of bandits. What could we possibly accomplish?"

Lin Xing shot back immediately. "Perhaps that was true before, but if you follow me, your lives will change completely!" Lin Xing declared confidently.

"A complete change? What do you mean? Do you have a plan?" All three men's eyes lit up. After all, no one truly wanted to live an ordinary, uneventful life.

"Exactly," Lin Xing felt it necessary to elaborate. "You will become my secret force. Don't doubt my words, because I have another identity, but I'm not ready to talk about that yet. However, if you follow me, Lone Star, I won't let you down, nor will I ask you to do anything that goes against your conscience!" Lin Xing assured them.

"Since you'll be my secret force, I can't be out in front. That would jeopardize our plans! And you would no longer be secret. What I need is absolute secrecy! Therefore, I cannot be the Stronghold Master here now. I can only operate from behind the scenes!"

Seeing they were coming around, Lin Xing continued.

"So, for now, you will continue as the Stronghold Masters. You'll still be in charge here. I won't interfere much; I'll let you run things your way."

"Alright, we'll continue as the Stronghold Masters then. But what about your status?" Claire agreed.

"From now on, you can call me 'Young Master.' Don't assign me a position, as I won't be staying long. I've got a lot of other things to do." Lin Xing's matters, of course, involved going to the Beast Forest.

"Very well, Young Master Lone Star!" Claire said immediately.

From then on, Claire and the others continued as the Stronghold Masters. Although outsiders found it strange, when Claire and the others gave a simple explanation, they settled down. After all, nothing had changed; the previous contest was just dismissed as a show.

A few days later, in the meeting hall of the Black Wind Stronghold, Lin Xing and the three—Claire, Alex, and Kerry—gathered again. This time, Claire sat at the head of the table. They had wanted Lin Xing to take the head seat, as he was now their actual leader, but Lin Xing refused.

Lin Xing simply said, "Right now, you are the Great Stronghold Master here. It's only right that you sit at the head. What kind of sense would it make for me to sit up there?" With just that, they had nothing more to say.

"I called everyone together because there are matters to discuss," Lin Xing began.

"Is it about our future development?" Alex immediately asked.

Lin Xing gave Alex an appreciative look. This man's mind was indeed sharp, guessing his intention before he stated it. "Yes, Alex. Do you have any thoughts or plans?"

"If we want to develop, we must expand our influence. The way to expand is to take over some of the surrounding bandit groups. Only then can we grow stronger."

"However," Alex frowned, "to take them over, we lack the capability. Of course, that was before. But now..." Alex glanced at Lin Xing and fell silent.

"Right. If we want to grow, this is necessary. But we can start by swallowing up the smaller bandit groups. The larger ones can be dealt with slowly over time."

"Alex, do you have information on the surrounding forces?" Lin Xing asked.

"Yes, I've been studying them for years." As he spoke, he took out a map with markings on it.

"These are the bandit groups close to us," Alex said, pointing. "These are small. With our current strength, subduing them should be straightforward. But here," Alex pointed to a mark not far from the Black Wind Stronghold, "the Evil Wolf Bandit Group is a tough nut to crack because both of their leaders are Saint Level experts! Moreover, they are extremely cruel and bloodthirsty, and they've always had their eyes on our stronghold. That's why we haven't dared to annex the smaller forces—we're afraid they might stab us in the back and attack when we're vulnerable. If that happened, we'd be done for."

"Two Saint Level experts? Claire, are you confident against one?" Lin Xing asked.

"Handling one isn't a problem, but defeating one won't be easy. Moreover, the two brothers have a combined attack Cultivation Method that is very powerful!"

"As long as you can handle one, that's good. I'll take the other."

"What's your plan?" Alex's eyes lit up as he asked eagerly.

"First, we eliminate this threat. Having a vicious wolf so close to our den is always a danger!" A glint flashed in Lin Xing's eyes as he said coldly.

"We eliminate this threat first, then slowly encroach and annex the others! But before that, we need to improve your strength!" Lin Xing looked at them. "Although there's no shortcut Cultivation Method, I can help slightly enhance your offensive capabilities."

Claire and Kerry's eyes brightened. Being able to improve their strength was, of course, a good thing.

They then continued to discuss specifics before concluding the meeting. Afterwards, Lin Xing began to instruct them.

After all, Lin Xing's theoretical knowledge was extensive. Based on their performance, he offered pointers on application techniques and other skills.

Claire and the others also had a deep understanding of martial arts. After Lin Xing's guidance, things they hadn't understood before suddenly became clear, and their strength improved as a result.