Extra's Strategy: Cultivate Protagonists, Become Invincible
Chapter 73: Mu Ran’s Quest

Chapter 73: Mu Ran’s Quest

The next hour was spent resting and recuperating from the injuries Mu Ran had sustained during the battle. The whole time, Han Xuhan kept a close eye on the portal and its surroundings.

The few disciples of the Stardust Sect who had stayed outside to guard the portal jumped in as well after someone came out from the other side with a message.

After all, no one wanted to be left out of a treasure hunt like this!

This cleared the way for Han Xuhan and Mu Ran.

"I’ve had more than enough rest. Those guys might have discovered some clues inside by now. They’d have returned by now otherwise."

Mu Ran leaped down from the tree and began to punch the air, warming up his body for more action.

"Let’s change into another pair of clothes first and put on some masks. If we really face those guys again, we can pretend to be cultivators who found the trace of the portal and came in to explore, just like them."

Following Han Xuhan’s suggestion, both of them changed their garments for a more ordinary look, indistinguishable in a typical crowd of mortals. Ever since Han Xuhan had claimed that he had a good plan, Mu Ran had become very agreeable to his proposals.

Carrying things like clothes, weapons, and medical supplies around would have been much easier if there were spatial rings being sold in the sect’s markets, something that Han Xuhan had assumed to be a common device in the world of cultivation.

No matter how expensive one such ring was, he had been determined to buy one in the beginning.

But apparently, spatial magic was something so difficult to comprehend that whoever has managed to do so has already reached the apex of the world of cultivation!

Why the hell would they waste their time making such rings for juniors who weren’t even a part of their family or a direct disciple?

One could say, ’but it’s such an awesome industrial opportunity! Aren’t cultivators always in need of more money?’

The answer to this was very simple.

Cultivators who could comprehend the laws of space were so old and powerful that money was no different from dirt to them. The amount of money they could earn by undertaking the industrialization of spatial rings, spatial bags, and similar apparatuses wasn’t worth the time they’d have to waste on the whole process.

The pursuit of the dao was their only goal.

Besides, it wasn’t exactly a piece of cake to use such apparatuses that operated based on cosmic laws. To even open or close the spatial storage devices, one would need a certain level of comprehension of the spatial laws of the world, as well as some expertise in spatial manipulation.

Cultivators like Han Xuhan and Mu Ran would need to reach a realm far beyond their current goals to even entertain the notion.

After returning to the edge of the clearing, Han Xuhan began the preparations.

"Boss, it’s your time to shine. Go take a peek inside and return immediately if they’re still hanging around the edge of the foggy area. I’m not fast enough to take such risks."

While Han Xuhan waited at a distance, Mu Ran jumped inside the portal for the third time that night and vanished from his sight. A few seconds later, he returned with a hopeful grin and gestured at Xuhan, signaling that the coast was clear.

Han Xuhan went in behind him swiftly and entered the hidden world. The edge of the cliff really was devoid of any human presence.

A bunch of vague footprints showed that the cultivators from the Stardust Sect had indeed entered the foggy area. Mu Ran noticed a grin coming alive on Han Xuhan’s face and his hopes shot higher.

He looked at him expectantly and said, "Can I know about this plan of yours now?"

Instead of going toward the edge of the fog, Han Xuhan walked toward the edge of the cliff. Mu Ran watched with surprise as Han Xuhan looked down carefully from the edge and shouted one word.

"Zhanxian! We’re back. You can come up now!"

Before Mu Ran’s widened eyes, a pale skeleton arm reached out from below, grabbing onto Han Xuhan’s outstretched hands.

With one hard pull, the rest of the skeleton followed its arm and leaped up to the edge of the cliff.

"While we were watching the cultivators from the Stardust Sect fight the zombie, I already understood that we needed their help if we wanted to explore the foggy area faster. But the risk of being used as cannon fodder was too high, and I didn’t know if they could actually figure out a way to protect themselves from the poison in the fog.

"So I summoned Zhanxian during the fight and had him hide here, in a small crevice of the slope where nobody could see him. After all, he is all bones; quite hardy at that too. He can use his joints as hooks to stick to the walls.

"Zhanxian might not be useful in a fight, but fighting isn’t the only way to solve problems now, is it?"

This was his secret card. The insurance of having a spy here was why he had left willingly so fast.

Mu Ran’s mouth opened and closed a few times. Suddenly, he felt that Han Xuhan’s cultivation technique wasn’t actually that bad.

It had practically saved their lives and even helped them eavesdrop on other cultivators during such a crucial moment!

Should I start cultivating this technique too?

A voice in his mind retorted, "You think you’d have the wit to use a disposable minion the way your underling did? Don’t delude yourself, musclebrain!"

The retort didn’t hurt Mu Ran’s ego. After all, this idea was from the brain of his underling. This guy was really proving himself to be a fine addition to his assets, a pillar of strength and wisdom!

Unbeknownst to Mu Ran, the moment this thought was born in his mind, a great change took place in Han Xuhan’s gaze.

His system had been triggered!