Extra's Strategy: Cultivate Protagonists, Become Invincible-Chapter 248: I Had Deeper Intentions Behind Showing Off, You Know!

Rubbing his sore shoulders, Han Xuhan voiced a complaint.

"Look at Senior Brother Yan, swaggering away like he hasn't been taught a lesson just now. Doesn't he feel any shame?"

He turned to look at Mu Ran, and noticed a flash of golden light in his eyes that disappeared almost immediately.

But even more intriguing was Mu Ran's extremely hostile expression as he stared at Chen Yan's retreating back.

"Boss, what's wrong?"

His call seemed to startle Mu Ran, who quickly hid his hostility by awkwardly rubbing a palm over his face.

"Nothing. I was just thinking that Martial Sister Zhou was right. That guy Chen Yan does seem a bit off. His aura feels... "

"Violent," Xuanyuan Zhou helpfully supplied the description he was struggling to come up with.

"Right! 'Violent' is a mild way of putting it. I've faced so many enemies at the Soul Reformation realm, but none of them exuded such a menacing aura!"

Han Xuhan's face twitched at the casual mention of feats that sounded impossible. But anyone hanging around Mu Ran was bound to have gotten used to it by now.

"Maybe it's because his breakthrough was recent," he theorized.

"He probably hasn't learned how to control his spiritual pressure properly yet. One moment of break in focus was enough to undo all his efforts."

"Xuhan, did you really deduce all that just by simply observing that Chen Yan was overly confident today?" Xiao Wu suddenly asked in puzzlement.

Mu Ran and Xuanyuan Zhou also turned to stare at Han Xuhan as soon as this question was raised. Clearly, they were curious to know the answer as well.

Han Xuhan surveyed their serious faces for a moment and then started laughing stiffly.

"Of course... not. That would be ridiculous!"

All three of them seemed to choke on air at the same time.

"Then how the hell did you come up with-"

Han Xuhan pointed at Xuanyuan Zhou. "It all started when we arrived here, and Martial Sister Zhou made that remark about Chen Yan's unusual aura."

Xuanyuan Zhou looked flabbergasted, as if he were accusing her of a crime she had no part in.

"I thought about it a little at that time. What exactly can suddenly cause a peak Physique Transformation realm cultivator to exude an unusual aura? It's either a newly learned, hard-to-control Mystic Art, or a recent breakthrough.

Chen Yan is a very cautious person. He wouldn't attempt to learn difficult Mystic Arts just before facing a duel so significant to his plans.

So the chances of it being caused by a breakthrough to the Soul Reformation realm are higher."

"There are plenty of other reasons that can make a cultivator's aura turn chaotic and unusual," Xuanyuan Zhou said. Mu Ran and

Xiao Wu both nodded in support.

Han Xuhan sighed.

"But those aren't the worst possible outcomes in our equation. When handling matters like this, you always need to be prepared for the worst.

Chen Yan stepping onto the Soul Reformation realm makes him a far more dangerous opponent compared to the other scenarios I envisioned."

"So you blindly assumed that he had broken through..." Xiao Wu muttered.

"And worked on my deduction backwards, yes. If it really were true, then my deduction wouldn't have been in vain. If it turned out to be false, then that would be even better."

Seeing the eyes of his Martial siblings light up in realization, Han Xuhan felt a rush of joy.

It was the same kind of joy a villain experiences while explaining to his henchmen how his comically elaborate evil plans are succeeding!

So he couldn't restrain himself from showing off a little more.

"In fact, I could have shortened my deduction to a few sentences or kept Chen Yan in the dark. But I decided to touch so many points and connect so many dots... Do you think I didn't have deeper intentions behind it?"

"You did?" Xiao Wu sounded unsure.

"I thought you were just trying to show off," Xuanyuan Zhou said. Han Xuhan decided that he hadn't heard her.

"Chen Yan approached me before the duel with ill intent. I suppose he wanted to make me lose my momentum and confidence before the showdown starts, at the very least. So how could I not return the favor?"

Grinning with a malicious look in his eyes, he explained his masterstroke.

"I had two goals in mind as I went into a detailed analysis of Chen Yan's plans.

Firstly, it would shake Chen Yan's confidence in himself. Some of my deductions might be wrong, but some are bound to be correct.

Even if the main point of deduction—that Chen Yan has broken through to the Soul Reformation realm—were wrong, the other correctly deduced points would make his heart shudder.

He will feel like many of his plans have been seen through, and he will panic!"

Mu Ran, Xuanyuan Zhou, and Xiao Wu simultaneously turned to look in the direction Chen Yan had disappeared.

'Seems like Han Xuhan's first goal has been achieved!'

The next moment, they heard something even more outrageous come out of his mouth.

"As for my second goal, that was to plant a seed of distrust between Chen Yan and Xiao Mei!

Based on the information I've gathered on them, Chen Yan is practically Xiao Mei's personal servant and bodyguard, employed under her clan.

A powerful and talented servant who cannot be trusted is a hidden threat. Once Xiao Mei begins to harbor doubts about Chen Yan's character and loyalty, her clan's support behind Chen Yan is going to waver.

This might even create a life-threatening situation for Chen Yan in the near future. After all, the Xiao Clan wouldn't want their princess to be escorted to a different planet by someone unreliable."

Xiao Wu's jaw fell open. Mu Ran's astonishment was clear enough in his gaze. Only Xuanyuan Zhou looked like she had guessed this much already.

Her thoughts were flowing at a different wavelength. She squinted at his self-satisfied grin and said,

"Don't you think you sacrificed too much for such a small reward? Chen Yan would've never guessed that you've managed to discover his biggest trump cards.

Now he might not hide his claws anymore and go all out as soon as the duel starts. You've missed a crucial opportunity to ambush him while he's hiding his strength."