Extra's Strategy: Cultivate Protagonists, Become Invincible-Chapter 249: Shamelessness And Prejudice

Xuanyuan Zhou's suggestion was simple but brilliant. Both Xiao Wu and Mu Ran looked crestfallen upon realising that Han Xuhan had let such a precious opportunity slip out of his grasp.

But Han Xuhan shook his head in disagreement.

"Chen Yan would've gone all out from the beginning of the duel either way. His character is just like that. Isn't it apparent from his actions till now?

The moment he gained the confidence to emerge victorious in this duel and evade the sect master's displeasure, he spread a bunch of rumors among the disciples about the Holy Land of Laws and my connection to that place.

Even though he had the confidence to win, he approached me before the duel and tried to shake my morale and conviction while testing whether I had other backup plans.

It was only when he realized that I had already foreseen the worst outcomes and may have prepared for them that he decided to retreat."

Xuanyuan Zhou pursed her lips as she considered his dissenting opinion. Feeling that his logic was reasonable, she eventually gave him a curt nod.

This was a nod from a teacher towards a student. This was a nod of acknowledgement of the student's skills.

Of course, this skill in particular wasn't taught by the teacher, but such technicalities are better left untouched.

Still, as his teacher, she had to say something worth contemplating, make a contribution befitting her status. So she cleared her throat and muttered,

"I wonder what made him gain such confidence. Could one of your guesses be the truth? Has Chen Yan really received support from an Elder of our sect, or perhaps forces from outside, like the Xiao Clan?"

The grim atmosphere around them that had just alleviated a little with their lighthearted banter returned. Han Xuhan's complacent smile shifted into a frown.

"This mystery isn't easy to solve, I'm afraid. For now, we can only keep guessing. There are too few clues in our hands. And truth is often stranger than fiction."

"That's a really wise saying, underling Xuhan," Mu Ran said emphatically.

"I almost never lie about my great achievements and my incredible adventures, but other than you, nobody ever believes me!"

Han Xuhan feigned a look of sympathy, as it was his duty as an underling. Xiao Wu and Xuanyuan Zhou, on the other hand, didn't even show that little bit of effort.

"I noticed a small clue back when Chen Yan was trying to break past your mental defenses. You might have missed it since his spiritual pressure was focused on you," Xuanyuan Zhou said.

"He said that the accusations against you that are going to be raised through rumors are all proven facts. But back when he attempted to have an investigation committee arrest you, he avoided tipping them off about many of your 'misdeeds'.

Naturally, this means that he either didn't have enough evidence in his hands, or that he intentionally refrained from it. Either way, nothing involving the current rumors was proven.

But now, his statement gave off the impression that he's holding onto a lot of hard evidence against you.

Not only that, but also his conclusive manner of speech and subconscious usage of grammar hints at the possibility that the evidence has already been under the scrutiny of someone with significant authority, for example, an Elder of the sect.

If we consider his official post in the disciplinary committee, a conclusion isn't hard to reach..."

"You're implying that Chen Yan has already gotten the Disciplinary Committee Head on his side!" Xiao Wu said, wide-eyed.

Han Xuhan carefully dissected her analysis and found no big caveats. The result made him sigh.

"It might not just be the Disciplinary Committee Head," he said, shocking Xiao Wu further.

Xuanyuan Zhou's gaze grew sharper and darker as he began adding his own analysis of that particular point.

"Publicising our contest was my idea, but turning it into an official duel was his idea. He is the one who submitted the request to borrow the official dueling arena of the sect.

He is also the one who went around inviting a group of Elders to judge the contest. Any of these Elders could be in cahoots with him, intending to hand him the victory unless Chen Yan's defeat is conclusive beyond debate."

"This is... this is cheating!" Xiao Wu spluttered.

"What a villain! Full of empty air and wicked ideas!" Mu Ran said indignantly.

Han Xuhan decided to avoid pointing out the issue that his own deeds weren't exactly heroic.

If Chen Yan was labelled as a wicked villain, he, Han Xuhan, at least deserved the tag of a conniving scammer.

"Is there anyone in particular whom you suspect?" Xuanyuan Zhou asked curiously.

"A few days ago, I got a heads-up from Brother Po, who works in the Treasury Pavilion. He said Chen Yan went into Elder Shen's resting chambers and spent half an hour engaged in a secretive discussion.

The Elder saw him out afterwards, which is very unusual considering his temperamental personality. The time of their secret meeting was right after Chen Yan met me in the infirmary.

These facts make me think that the reclusive Elder Shen is going to make an appearance today. And if he does, he'll definitely give it his all to make Chen Yan win."

Xuanyuan Zhou gazed at the crowded dueling arena in the distance and exhaled deeply.

"Two old Elders who have strong influence in the outer court, and probably a bunch of other secret supporters whom we can't detect before the duel begins... this is starting to look a lot tougher than I thought it would be."

Mu Ran grumbled, "You should have just listened to my suggestion, underling. We could've just lured Chen Yan out of the sect, then killed him in an ambush. That would have nipped the problem in the bud."

Before Han Xuhan could reiterate the law of 'Avoiding killing the small ones to avoid attracting the big ones', Xuanyuan Zhou pointed out the flaw in Mu Ran's plan.

"If any random rogue cultivator killed Chen Yan, the investigators from our sect might not be able to track them down.

But if we, disciples of the sect, were directly or indirectly involved in such a crime, we would get tracked down immediately. Don't you know that this sect has treasures that can trace karmic threads?"

That was news to Han Xuhan.

Treasures capable of tracing karmic threads? Really? 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

How were such devices operated?

Who had the qualifications to operate them? What was their level of cultivation?

But he could only suppress his curiosity for now. This wasn't the time to discuss such things.

"Arguing here will do us no good. Let's go to the venue and gauge the situation first. If some measures can be planned

to take control of the situation, we can't let the opportunity slip."

Xuanyuan Zhou voiced her agreement. "Indeed. You also need to mentally prepare yourself, Xuhan.

You brought me out of my seclusion, claiming that today, you'd honor me as your teacher by putting on a show of what I've taught you so far. Don't disappoint me!"

Xiao Wu shot her a reproachful look and said,

"Hey, hey, Sister Zhou, don't put more pressure on Brother Xuhan. He's already in enough pressure as it is."

Mu Ran clapped Xiao Wu's shoulders with a thunderous noise, making him yelp in pain.

"Brother Wu, a gem is born after experiencing cuts and friction. Similarly, a man is born after experiencing pressure and sex!"

"You made that up just now to sound smart and cultured, didn't you?" Xiao Wu said in a hoarse voice.

"No, no, no, I heard this saying in the far eastern shore of our continent. In fact, it is the most popular saying in that region," Mu Ran said insistently.

Nobody tried to argue that. Because none of them had been to the perilous eastern parts of the continent. Rumors said that the legendary Poison Sea could be explored from that place.

Giving each other knowing looks, their little group broke up and blended into the massive crowd ahead.

Han Xuhan surreptitiously summoned Zhanxian and Tun Shi Tian, and briefed them about the drastically changed circumstances.

These two minions had witnessed his dealings with Chen Yan and his group first-hand. So they had a better grasp of things than his martial siblings did. They weren't too surprised to hear what Chen Yan had done.

"You've memorized what you need to do and say, right, Zhanxian?"

"I'll probably sound a bit more nervous than my character should sound. Will that be a problem?" Zhanxian said hesitantly.

"Just say your lines, and that'd be more than enough. And you, Tun Shi Tian, you know when to act, right?"

"Of course. Let alone those damned old Elders, even if a Celestial from the sky descends to support Chen Yan, I will teach them a lesson today! You can count on me, master!"

Han Xuhan looked up at the sky, and then his gaze fell on a distant mountain peak.

"It's not a celestial in the sky we need to worry about. There's a part of my deduction that I never told the others.

I have a suspicion... that Chen Yan's strongest backer isn't any of the Elders of the sect. It's the sect master himself!"