Chapter 165: Robbery Insights

At the Summit!

Mai Zhanchang, unsure of what the future held for him, was currently sitting on the mountaintop, gazing at the stars. From his vantage point, he could clearly see people entering and exiting Shi Chun's cave. Suddenly, he saw a group of over a dozen people enter. He immediately stood up, descended the mountain, and patrolled near Shi Chun's cave entrance.

When that group reappeared, he conveniently "bumped" into them. He remarked that they looked unfamiliar and thus ascertained that the fifteen people before him belonged to three different sects: Zhengtian Sect, Beiting Sect, and Juling Valley disciples. These were among the sects that had not shown themselves since being implicated by Chu Jingting, and they had been recruited by Shi Chun.

Mai Zhanchang pretended to invite them to find a place to socialize. The three sects explained that they had other commitments and couldn't stay. They straightforwardly stated what they were doing: serving as scouts for the forces there. There was nothing they couldn't say; Shi Chun had instructed them to be honest if anyone asked.

Mai Zhanchang could only express regret, hoping for another gathering, and respectfully saw the group off. Suddenly, he turned back and saw someone riding a wind-scaled beast away, seemingly Wang Sheng, wondering where he was headed now.

The other half of the Xuanzhou forces were still reorganizing, working day and night without pause. Inside the central cave, after reporting on the latest reorganization efforts, Wan Daoxuan suddenly changed the subject, blurting out, "I hear Wang Sheng's forces fought three skirmishes in one day, all small-scale, and reportedly acquired 550 Worm Extremity Crystals in a single day." With forces intertwined, it was easy for one side to keep tabs on the other.

Xiang Xuanzhou took the bag from his hand and asked, "You're going back and forth, snatching your own things, putting in so much effort. What exactly are you trying to do?" As he spoke, he crossed his arms over his chest, turned his back, and presented himself in a defiant, somewhat arrogant posture. He understood. This time, Xiang Xuanzhou finally grasped it. So that guy's repeated scheme of snatching his own things was actually for this purpose. He couldn't help but inwardly wonder, 'Is the gap between me and him really that small?'

"Alright," several people responded in succession. After a moment's thought, Mulan revealed, "You know the rules of winning and losing with Lan'er Qingqing's side, don't you?" Mulan continued, "If you truly snatched first place, would you still care about Wukang Mountain's opinion?"

Xiang Xuanzhou might not even have realized that she was becoming more and more casual in front of Mulan, losing her pretense. Mulan smiled faintly, "What's there to show off about? In their eyes, we are nothing but a group of worthless, despicable commoners, mere untouchables." "Over two thousand crystals?" Xiang Xuanzhou was astonished, "Where did so many Worm Extremity Crystals come from?"

Mulan replied, "Wu Zhe's half of Wang Sheng's share, plus our own few hundred pieces." He added, "Therefore, the scale [of each engagement] should also be small, personnel should not exceed a hundred, but we must try to avoid the elite forces of various states. In any case, you can arrange it as you see fit."

The ability to precisely target, the capacity to deploy thousands of troops with perfect control, this effortless command, this seemingly light touch in heavy matters, made Xiang Xuanzhou seem incompetent by comparison. She was also very curious, 'Do Youxia Mountain disciples constantly fight in groups or something? Otherwise, where do they get such ability? I don't believe in stories of innate knowledge.' It had only been one day since the forces separated, yet Shi Chun had already made her feel considerable pressure.

Tang Zhen muttered, "Don't get me wrong, though it's just small-scale skirmishes, it seems Shi Chun really does have some skill." After repeated confirmation, it truly left her speechless. Shi Chun's side was no myth; they had simply and effectively handled the matter.

Mulan said, "Didn't I tell you earlier, we need to snatch first place?" Xiang Xuanzhou paused, still finding the statement a bit hard to fathom. She felt their understandings were somewhat mismatched, but regardless, this guy truly dared. 'Even if they won a few times, their forces would quickly be depleted. How could winning a few times secure them first place?'

Xiang Xuanzhou's face suddenly showed a look of profound realization. "Do you mean that Lan'er Qingqing's side will break the agreement and default on their debt?" Xiang Xuanzhou's bright eyes suddenly lit up. She put her hands down, turned to face him, and said with some excitement, "You want to force them to break the contract and default themselves?"

Xiang Xuanzhou asked, "Throw it all out?"

"Alright, I've explained it clearly enough, haven't I? I'll leave this to you." Mulan kicked the white cloth bag at his feet. "There's still a crowd over there, I'll head back first. When things are clearer, send me a message."

Although it was just three small skirmishes, some things can be observed from small details. Forces that had just been taken over were able to launch long-distance, successive raids. They could swiftly encircle targets at command, acting with discipline, dozens of troops moving without the slightest confusion. While it sounds simple, it's actually very difficult to achieve.

In the rugged wilderness under the night sky, where the terrain offered no concealment, Wu Zhe descended from the heavens, landing beside Xiang Xuanzhou.

As a commander, Lan'er Qingqing didn't want to boost others' morale while dampening her own. She dismissed the matter with a single sentence: "Small-scale skirmishes won't make a big difference. We also need to speed things up here. We must complete the division of forces by tomorrow." Therefore, the true strength capable of seizing first place from the various states still lay with Lan'er Qingqing's side. To snatch first place, they would still have to rely on Lan'er Qingqing's forces.

Xiang Xuanzhou immediately stated, "Hey, don't talk nonsense. I've never thought that way. If you look down on yourself, don't blame it on me." She took a deep breath, composed herself, and asked, "Have you not thought, if you truly snatch this first place, how will Wukang Mountain explain it? They look like they can't enjoy the good fortune."

Wu Zhe replied, "Exactly. It's still the same principle: everyone wants to snatch things from the other's hands. How can the strong simply surrender? But we are, after all, Wang Sheng's forces. They can't kill us and forcibly seize them. Yet, ultimately, all the Worm Extremity Crystals must end up in one side's possession. So the final solution must be one that both you and they can accept."

Xiang Xuanzhou watched him leave from afar, standing still for a long time.

It was tiring to keep holding onto a pile of things. Mulan first put down the items before saying, "Junior Sister Feng Meimei, you might have forgotten your origins, forgotten where you came from." According to the originally agreed-upon competition rules, even if our side were to lose all our people, we still wouldn't be able to win against them. Without any pleasantries, Wu Zhe picked up a few white cloth bags, patted them, and said, "A total of 2,841 pieces. You handle them tonight. You saw the process last night, just continue doing it that way." If one were to speak of any influential help, it would be you.

Lan'er Qingqing had also heard about this and was somewhat perplexed. They had just taken over their forces a day ago, and within that single day, they had already led them in three consecutive battles. Meanwhile, their own side hadn't even finished reorganizing their troops; one day simply wasn't enough.

Mulan said, "This is not a war between mortals. Without strength as a foundation, numbers alone are useless. Although the cultivation gaps are not large, a hundred mediocre practitioners cannot stop one master." As he spoke, he unconsciously glanced at Lan'er Qingqing a few times, muttering inwardly, "What kind of people are her elders? It seems like everyone is questioning their elders' judgment in choosing a son-in-law."

"What we need to do," Mulan continued, "is force Lan'er Qingqing's side to snatch first place even more frantically, to make them snatch it at any cost, and finally, to make them realize that no matter how hard they try to snatch it, they can never win against us!" Success lies in secrecy, and Mulan truly didn't want to reveal it easily. However, since things had already been guided in this direction and reached this point, he indeed had to rely on their help, and was truly at their mercy to a certain extent.

Xiang Xuanzhou didn't want to appear dumber than the other person, but this time she genuinely couldn't understand. She seemed to vaguely sense something, but couldn't quite figure it out. Unable to restrain herself any longer, she gave up trying to understand and started acting petulantly. "How exactly do we snatch it? Tell me now. I can't help you blindly and then get sold out without knowing."

Having finished speaking, he sprang up and soared into the air, manifesting wind scales and riding them to traverse the starry sky. Her gaze towards Mulan became somewhat complex. Only now did she truly realize that what this guy had said before was no joke. This guy genuinely intended to snatch first place, and he was actually going to try to achieve it by himself, without any hidden backing.

Xiang Xuanzhou calmly said, "I know, it's about whoever snatches more Worm Extremity Crystals, and then all the crystals from both sides go to them, right? The problem is, you've been repeatedly snatching your own things; the number remains the same no matter how much you snatch. How can you possibly win against me in the end?"

Mulan skipped over that point, deeming it not worth debating, and returned to the main topic. "I came from the land of exile. I might not have other great skills, but I have quite a bit of experience in snatching things. Let me put it this way: everyone wants to snatch things from the other's hands. How can I possibly believe that the stronger side would simply surrender?" Xiang Xuanzhou glanced at him, "Isn't it just the land of exile? Is that something to boast about?"

When she first heard the news, she thought it was utter nonsense. Was that even humanly possible? It was simply a myth.

Mulan continued, "Throw everything out. That's still not enough. Tomorrow, continue with three more battles. For the first two, you need to arrange an amount over a thousand. Once those Worm Extremity Crystals are in my hands, I'll send them over to you again. For the third battle, you need to arrange an amount exceeding twenty thousand."

All of Wang Sheng's elite forces were with Lan'er Qingqing. On your side, you only had a disorganized rabble. The large quantities of Worm Extremity Crystals in each state were probably in the hands of each state's elite forces. Even if the dozens of disorganized people under you were courageous, how many times could they sustain continuous clashes against the elite forces of the various states?