Extra's Strategy: Cultivate Protagonists, Become Invincible-Chapter 228: Yang Kai’s Trump Card

There was nothing Yang Kai could do except silently curse Han Xuhan and his minion.

It felt like no matter what he said or which plan he followed, these wily bastards were always a step ahead of him. Even if he wanted to vent, he had no choice but to do what they were leading him into doing.

He had absolute confidence in being able to crush Han Xuhan’s skeleton soldier. That bag of bones wouldn’t stay in one piece after one simple kick on the spine.

But to duel Han Xuhan himself was a whole different matter. That guy had defeated Brother Jiang Chen and Sister Mei so thoroughly that they practically lost their will to live.

Even if some tricks were involved in those victories, Han Xuhan’s combat capability couldn’t be underestimated. Yang Kai wasn’t as arrogant as his two martial siblings. He understood his own strength.

However, there was no way he could back out of it now. More than a hundred outer court disciples were watching him. Senior Brother Chen Yan’s plan was reliant on him, on this test duel.

Chen Yan had even told him that as long as he could return with the desired results, he’d recommend Yang Kai’s name to the Elder in charge of the disciplinary committee of the sect.

If he could become a member of the disciplinary body, he wouldn’t need to worry about basic cultivation resources anymore. That reward itself was enough for Yang Kai to consider taking the risk.

"Fine, then. I’ll duel you first," he announced, and a bunch of troublemakers in the crowd began to cheer immediately.

Han Xuhan looked resigned as he came to stand at the center of the field, facing Yang Kai, while everyone else formed a circle around the two combatants.

"What kind of duel is it going to be?" Someone yelled from the crowd.

"Mystic Arts! Even if we fight hand to hand, we can’t resort to vital energy," Yang Kai proposed before anyone else could react.

He had learned from Senior Brother Chen Yan that Han Xuhan’s collection of Mystic Arts was pitifully meager, and his cultivation in that path even more so.

Moreover, there was a strong rumor in the outer court that Han Xuhan’s meridians were too defective to cultivate the path of Mystic Arts anyway.

Sure enough, Han Xuhan glared at Yang Kai the moment he suggested it, clearly in disagreement. A sense of anticipation rose inside Yang Kai.

Come on, bastard. Why don’t you admit it and let us all know whether it’s true or not?

But to his disappointment, Han Xuhan simply shrugged in the end and said, "Of course, I can duel you using Mystic Arts if that’s what you want. Can I use any weapons?"

Hmph! Clutching at straws to avoid humiliation!

Yang Kai hid his sneer and shook his head. "If we use weapons, our martial expertise might get involved. That would be terribly unfair to you, brother Xuhan."

In truth, dueling through martial arts was what he wanted to avoid the most against Han Xuhan. Both Jiang Chen and Sister Mei had been defeated in a duel of martial prowess.

He didn’t want to follow their footsteps.

Fortunately, Han Xuhan didn’t expose him and said, "Alright, I won’t use any weapons, then. But let me warn you, it would have been better for you if I had. Now you have absolutely no chance of winning."

His bragging was so absurd that not only Yang Kai, but the entire crowd also started laughing. Even those who were on good terms with Han Xuhan looked embarrassed on his behalf.

But he really had a thick skin, that much Yang Kai had to admit. He looked completely unperturbed by the ridicule as he sat down to meditate. Yang Kai distinctly felt that this guy was trying to buy time...

But for what?

The meditation did not last very long. No sudden twists came to save Han Xuhan from his inevitable humiliation either. The duel began without a hitch, with both combatants circling each other slowly.

Yang Kai was a bit nervous at first. Dueling someone with Mystic Arts in front of so many people wasn’t necessarily a good thing for a young cultivator.

His combat style, mystic art expertise, and trump cards would get exposed, rendering him an easy opponent for ill-wishers in the near future.

As long as I can get that membership, I can use that status as a shield against such enemies... 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Taking a deep, determined breath, Yang Kai ran a cycle of qi inside his body and stopped the flow just before the effect could manifest. Then he approached Han Xuhan with quick steps.

The crowd’s anticipation rose while the distance between them shrank, all eager to see the sophisticated violence of Mystic Arts.

Ten meters, eight meters, six meters, three meters...

Yang Kai sprang forward like a tiger, his speed increasing suddenly as he grew close enough to strike. He pulled back his right hand, fist formed, and then punched forward in a simple but efficient motion, targeting the center of Han Xuhan’s chest.

It was the most mediocre approach one could take in a duel, involving no fancy moves. Even a street brawl between two ordinary mortals would not have such an ordinary opening.

Han Xuhan turned his torso slightly and raised an upturned palm to throw off Yang Kai’s fist from its trajectory, keeping open the option to launch a tentative strike as a follow-up to the defensive move.

However, the moment his palm landed under Yang Kai’s wrist, Yang Kai’s entire hand disappeared!

Bang!

An invisible force struck him several inches below where Yang Kai’s fist would have landed. It definitely didn’t carry an iota of vital energy, but it was still enough to send Han Xuhan flying into the crowd.

He crashed into a wall of shocked people who did their best to move out of the way. Yang Kai gave him no respite as he executed his second move, a flying stomp right where Han Xuhan had landed.

Seeing Yang Kai’s feet joined together in the air, Han Xuhan yelped fearfully and tried to move out of his jump’s reach.

Bang!

Yang Kai’s feet missed him by the smallest margin. Had this been another move based on illusions, like the first strike, Han Xuhan knew he wouldn’t have been able to avoid it.

Digesting the pain from receiving that punch was no small feat. His entire chest was burning. If his body hadn’t been enhanced by the recent martial breakthrough, some of his ribs would be in pieces right now.

Seeing him struggling to get back up on his feet, Yang Kai’s eyes lit up. His strategy to go all out from the very first move had worked!

Hahahaha! Han Xuhan, you never saw it coming, did you? My family’s secret Mystic Art of illusory combat isn’t something you can defend against with mere tricks and strategy!

Unlike that fool Jiang Chen, I don’t keep my trump cards hidden, just to use them when I’m a step away from being defeated.

Grinning victoriously, he leaped towards the fallen opponent and aimed a kick at his groin, something that would make any male go into defense mode by instinct.

But that was an illusion, too.

His true strike was aimed at Han Xuhan’s knee, intended to disable him in one go.

Just as predicted, Han Xuhan tried to protect his groin as his legs curled back, exposing his knees. Yang Kai’s invisible foot landed on one of them with a sickening crunch.

"Aaaaoooghh! FUCK!"

While his opponent screamed out in pain and Yang Kai retracted his foot for a follow-up strike, his world suddenly turned inexplicably dark.