Abundant Martial Arts Virtue

Wu Xiaode looked at the note, speechless for a while.

Are they trying to assassinate me this way?

Have they been brain-damaged by pigs?

...Wait a minute.

"Is it true that what's inside the coffin cannot perceive changes in the external environment?"

Wu Xiaode asked.

A line of words appeared on the note:

"The coffin is independently packaged; unless opened, it cannot perceive changes in the outside world."

Wu Xiaode crossed his arms and pondered, "This is a living person, why can a living person use a coffin?"

The note replied:

"The person used a unique method of causality law to infiltrate the Netherworld and reach you, paying quite a price, such as temporarily shutting down the connection with the sequence."

"Their only misstep is not being familiar with the rules of the Netherworld."

"---Your title 'Inspector General' happens to oversee this kind of life and death newcomer, leading to this situation."

Alright then.

Considering all the effort they've put in—

Wu Xiaode snapped his fingers, just about to say the words "new energy" when he suddenly paused.

Hang on.

Why kill them outright?

Killing one is not an issue.

The key is, what if the sequences find another way next time after this one is killed?

No, need to think of a way...

Should I call Sarina over here?

...No.

Previously, due to my own reasons, there was already a small rift between her and Jiuyao.

This time, even if I'm in the right, it's best not to disturb her.

After all, things happening too close together can lead to "fatigue," and why is everything happening to me anyway?

So it's best not to disturb her.

This way, later when she perceives this matter, she'll first feel I was considering the bigger picture.

If I handle it well, I might even be seen as capable and resourceful.

—Then I'll handle it myself!

But how to do it?

Wu Xiaode's mind kept racing with thoughts.

"That's it, it's not loading the sequence now."

That's their weak point.

So the most suitable method is—

Wu Xiaode raised his hand and placed it on the coffin lid, softly saying:

"Impressive, you've chased me this far. Your causality law technique is truly astounding."

"So, can I join you?"

As soon as he finished speaking, lines of small text appeared on the Evil Spirit Book:

"You have activated your exclusive professional skill!"

"The personal unique skill 'If You Can't Beat Them, Join Them' has been activated."

"Currently, 'If You Can't Beat Them, Join Them' has been integrated into the opponent's causality law technique: 'Blood Vengeance Cycle Curse'."

"Within this technique, you have obtained a 2P-position magic usage permission."

"Due to the 1P-position being in a special environment, please enter the technique within 1 minute, or it will be considered forfeited."

Wu Xiaode turned back to Big Banana and Crooked Tooth, saying:

"You guys keep reading, I'm off to handle something. No need to mind me."

"Yes, Brother Ming." The two replied in unison.

The next second.

Wu Xiaode transformed into a Qilin and disappeared right before their eyes.

The two hadn't paid much attention initially, about to go back to reading, but suddenly noticed something seemed off.

The coffin standing upright on the ground was gradually getting wider.

It was changing from a rectangle to a square.

"Do human coffins get fat, Brother Jiao?" Crooked Tooth asked.

"...People get fat, so why not coffins?" Big Banana said, patting his own belly seriously.

"Brother Jiao is knowledgeable." Crooked Tooth admired.

The two continued to bury themselves in their books.

Inside the coffin.

An elder's tightly closed eyes suddenly snapped open.

"Who are you?"

He asked.

---At some point, another presence had appeared beside him.

Qilin!

The elder turned his hands, gripping a black and a white skull in each, his aura skyrocketing, ready to attack at any moment.

"Calm down, Festos sent me."

The Qilin, with its slightly open angry eyes, looked quite imposing.

"Who is Festos?" the elder asked.

"Don't play games, he's the head of the Execution Committee, spent a lot of Merit just to get me here to wrap things up." The Qilin said.

"Wrap things up?" the elder asked.

The Qilin coldly smiled and said:

"Do you really think Lady Sarina won't notice anything afterward?"

The killing intent around the elder slightly subsided.

He not only knew Festos was the head of the Execution Committee, he even mentioned Merit, and even brought up Lady Sarina's name.

—Not only that, he explained the stakes here clearly in just a few words.

The old man stared at the Qilin.

The Qilin closed its eyes and said slowly, "This magic traverses between two worlds and has cost a great price. You mustn't take it lightly. If the mission fails because of you, then the 300 sacrificed executors will have died in vain."

The old man couldn't help but say, "I am a member of the elders' council, far stronger than that group of ants. If they die, they die!"

"Festos doesn't speak like this," said the Qilin.

"Humph, Festos cares about his subordinates. Little does he know he should have abandoned that garbage long ago and become a member of the elders' council!" said the old man.

The Qilin sneered coldly and spoke, "Is the elders' council necessarily powerful? Didn't you see the trouble this time was caused by a temporary council member? If he was dealt with earlier, how could it have come to this?"

This brings the matter to its root.

To any outsider, it is impossible to speak such extremely confidential information with such detail and truth.

The old man couldn't have imagined that in this world, there would be a profession called "The 3,999,999,999th profession name is mine, everyone don't fight over it, I am Wu Xiaode, I love you all, muah."

Even more unimaginable is that this profession has only one skill called "If you can't beat them, join them."

Therefore, he naturally regarded the Qilin as someone in the know.

"In truth, the sequence is not wrong. It has always operated according to merit, and everyone acts within this system. Everything is based on merit, and it's always been like this."

The old man commented.

"Has it always been right because it's always been like this?" asked the Qilin.

"What do you mean?" the old man asked.

"Since the pioneers have accumulated enough merit long ago, this completely suppresses newcomers. For instance, this time Festos used his merit to seize access to the Cold Ice Cave Heaven," the Qilin spoke eloquently.

"You're talking about—class monopoly?" the old man said with interest.

"Indeed, do you have anything else to say?" asked the Qilin.

"I can't agree. Actually, such a Grotto Heaven indeed requires a veteran like Festos to handle it. Newcomers are too likely to die young," the old man replied eloquently.

"However, Festos did not succeed, and at the same time dampened the enthusiasm of newcomers. Continuing this way, there will always be no fresh blood, only nepotism," the Qilin spoke eloquently.

"That is indeed a problem, but now is not the time to discuss these matters. Let's argue about it when we return later," the old man said.

He no longer carried any intent to kill.

Only those under the "Jiuyao" sequence, familiar with the operation of the entire sequence, would raise such questions.

This Qilin clearly seems unusual.

"How do you plan to finish this later?" the old man made small talk.

"That depends on how you attack—I am responsible for redirecting things to a situation completely unrelated to Festos," said the Qilin.

"You can do such a thing?" the old man doubted.

"Do you think I came into this cycle of causality for no reason?" the Qilin retorted.

Indeed.

The old man believed somewhat and nodded slightly, saying:

"To be honest, even though I'm an elder, I don't want to easily offend Lady Sarina."

"Oh?" the Qilin said.

"Can you steer the situation in a direction unrelated to me?" the old man asked.

Speaking of serious matters, the Qilin became more serious and said:

"The Death World is fraught with danger, and their power undergoes great enhancement through the Death Trial. This is where I intend to step in—it's also my area of expertise."

"I see... indeed professional," the old man nodded.

He thought for a moment and said, "Can you erase me from this matter?"

"It'll cost more!" said the Qilin.

"Don't you want merit?" the old man doubted.

The Qilin explained, "I have more merit than you can imagine, but I need wealth to make deals with the Holy Side."

Indeed.

The vampires on the Holy Side require real silver to deal.

"How much do you want?" asked the old man.

"That depends on your sincerity," said the Qilin.

"How much sincerity do you have?" the old man retorted.

The Qilin smiled broadly and said, "We conduct business by taking only one-tenth deposit. If the matter fails, the rest is not charged; only if it succeeds do we claim the balance."

"Very fair," the old man was relieved.

"Of course it's fair, do you want to do this business?" the Qilin asked.

"I do," said the old man.

"Then pay up, just pay one-tenth," the Qilin paused, naturally saying, "Also, I need to know what weapon you use and what treasure you intend to kill that guy with, only then can your traces be erased."

"That's only natural!" the old man nodded.

Five minutes later.

Big Banana and Fang involuntarily looked up at the coffin.

"Brother Jiao, it has slimmed down," Fang said.

"I've heard that humans slim down when faced with distress; maybe the dead also have worries," Big Banana said in a deep voice.

Fang sighed, "Brother Jiao is indeed powerful. He has started to understand human emotions."

The next moment.

Wu Xiaode suddenly appeared before them.

"Brother Ming!"

Both said in unison.

"Keep studying, don't get distracted," Wu Xiaode waved at them.

"Yes! Brother Ming!" both said in unison.

Yet they continued to read while glancing frequently at Wu Xiaode.

—The dead in the coffin fatten and thin out, should they tell the boss?

They were thinking when Wu Xiaode reported a long series of numbers and terms, speaking for more than a minute, then yawned, stretched, and waved, saying:

"New energy."

As soon as the words fell, the coffin shook continuously and sank underground.

One breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths.

A wave of Netherworld Power suddenly emerged from Wu Xiaode.

—With this instance of "arbitration," he directly accumulated enough dark merit to advance!