"Let's see what this amazing technique is..."
After seeing Mu Ran off, Han Xuhan opened the scroll that Mu Ran had forced him to take with a hint of doubt.
[ The Skeleton Monarch Manual ]
A super awesome cultivation technique suitable for any realm known to mankind. This heaven-defying technique allows the practitioner to create his own army of skeletons that shall obey the practitioner's every order without hesitation. This super badass and incredibly powerful technique that surpasses every technique in existence is the creation of the unrivaled genius master Duo Tian! Buy it or regret it!
"...What is this abomination? Who wrote this description?"
Han Xuhan gasped at each and every line of that introduction. A suffocating sensation enveloped his lungs.
His impression of the cultivators in this world hit an all-time low through that one paragraph.
This technique was the most unreliable thing he had ever seen in his life. Even the guaranteed STD treatment experts from the back-alley of his apartment on Earth suddenly seemed more reliable after seeing this impactful sales pitch.
"Why did Mu Ran praise this technique? He said it's a better Mystic Art than anything else I can find in the Archives. Is this a prank?"
With the doubt in his mind getting heavier, Han Xuhan went back to that helpful senior disciple to verify his suspicions.
"Senior, is this technique any good? Do you have any impression of it?"
The senior disciple turned his face toward the scroll presented to him and his eyes widened at the description. Despite opening his mouth several times, he seemed at a loss for words.
"Junior brother, how is this thing still in the Archives? Oh, no! Didn't some disciples make a petition to the sect to chuck that manual out in the river?"
"...Is it that bad?!" Han Xuhan's eyes began to water.
"Yes! The technique really lets you summon skeleton soldiers, except these skeletons are so weak that one slap from any average cultivator can reduce them to mere bones.
"Moreover, you can't summon a large number of them unless you cultivate this technique to a great depth. So normal disciples cannot even use the soldiers as disposable meat shields.
"Furthermore, the skeletons are dumb as hell, not to mention sometimes they rebel against their summoner's orders, driven by their own opinions. The only thing they can effectively do for you is to cheer you on from the sidelines while you're locked in a friendly duel."
Han Xuhan finally realized why Mu Ran had given this technique to him!
As a protagonist's lackey, Xuhan's main job would naturally be to cheer for him from a distance while he fought all the enemies. He had to admire Mu Ran's techniques and analyze his awesomeness in an extremely loud voice to let everyone hear just how badass his boss was.
If an author was writing Mu Ran's story right now, he wanted Han Xuhan to become the voice of the peanut gallery!
So these skeleton soldiers could supposedly be his helpers in this job. He could already imagine the scene in the near future...
Mu Ran: Evil demonic cultivator! How dare you glance at my woman's sister's pet! Die for me!
Han Xuhan: It's time to roll, boys!
Skeleton-1: HEAVENS! How can Mu Ran defeat a cultivator of a higher realm! It's impossible!
Skeleton-2: Oh My God! What a vigorous fist strike! That aura surpasses his own cultivation!
Skeleton-3: Incredible! How did Mu Ran dodge that? What level of accomplishment do you need to have in ABC heaven-defying cultivation technique to achieve such perfection? This Mu Ran is a monster!
Skeleton-4: So Handsome! I- I think I'm falling for him...
Han Xuhan: Wait, Skeleton-4, did you forget that you're dead? And even more importantly, why are you gay?
Skeleton-4: Hmph! True love has no such boundaries! And even more importantly, did you forget that our boss is a wo-
In his overactive imagination, he slapped Skeleton-4 to dust. The dust made his eyes tear up, and the sensation of tears rolling down his face brought him back to reality.
"Do I really have to cultivate this Mystic Art just to get the other rewards of the Quest?" He thought to himself morosely while wiping the tears off his cheeks.
Han Xuhan considered using his Silver Token to decide whether or not to grasp this 'olive branch' extended by Mu Ran. But remembering that he only had two more uses left of the token, he decided against it.
The 120 points of reward promised by the system hadn't been given to him yet, despite agreeing to become Mu Ran's underling. Perhaps he needed to develop the relationship more before passing the requirements for those points.
There was one more factor convincing him to accept the arrangement. In the system panel, the second reward for the Quest- [ An unorthodox Mystic Art ] was already greyed out.
Han Xuhan decided to cultivate the technique without further thoughts, since it was recognized by the system and didn't seem to have any negative effects. Actually, it didn't have any effect at all, but that is not the point...
He needed this technique to gain the protagonist's trust and become his lackey.
But he also felt how defenseless he was when it came to personal strength. He couldn't find any suitable cultivation technique to boost his own strength.
The [ Warrior's Body ] technique seemed useless in front of any half-decent martial cultivator, [ Divine Physique Manifestation Art ] was out of the question, [ Dragonskin ] was too expensive, and the Spiritual Bone Arts would require perverted pain tolerance, no wait...
...Bone Art?
Han Xuhan slowly looked at the scroll in his hand before making his way to the shelf where he had seen that freaky manual.
"What if I combine both techniques and cultivate the spiritual bones on the skeleton soldiers' body?"
It was like a bulb lighting up inside his mind, illuminating him from the darkness of despair.
These trashy techniques might look simple, but they could still promote him to the status of a cultivator. Even if they were trashy, their simplicity was an advantage.
A smile appeared on his face, a smile that spoke of a cunning plan.
Five feet away from him, the senior disciple was left confused, seeing how Han Xuhan's countenance went from tearful to cheerful.
"Why is he smiling like that? I clearly explained to him how trashy that technique is. Why did that make him so happy?!"
The confusion kept haunting his thoughts, which only intensified upon seeing Han Xuhan grab two horrible cultivation manuals and head towards the registrar, clearly intending to purchase their copies.