Ten Thousand Ways To Eliminate Players

"If the skin is lost, where can the hair attach itself?"

Lin Bai concluded with a rhetorical question and then dismissed everyone, including Jiang Qingqin, who had wanted to stay and keep him company.

He had sounded confident when reassuring the others, but only he knew the magnitude of the problem he faced; his current skills were insufficient to handle this crisis.

The boisterous Dao Xu and Pei Yanzong were stored away in his Cards.

At this moment, only three dazed Transcendental Boundary Masters were by Lin Bai's side: Zhenren Li, Sword Nineteen, and the Cangming Sword Immortal.

In the silent main hall, Lin Bai quietly reviewed his current tasks.

The prestige of the Great cheng was immense, so much so that He Qin and the others had overlooked the fact that the Great cheng cultivators were accompanied by a large contingent from the Hollow Realm, as well as countless Transcendental Boundary Masters drawn by the Wen and Evil Decree.

Facing such formidable foes by relying on sheer martial power would be no different from seeking death, Lin Bai mused. He hadn't fought Hollow Realm experts before, but Rush Moon was likely not as effective against them as it was against those in the Divinity Transformation Realm.

The more one resisted, the faster Rush Moon became. With the strength of a Hollow Realm master, the instant Rush Moon was used on them, they might soar into the sky in a flash and launch a counterattack.

Before planning for victory, one must account for defeat!

Lin Bai never underestimated anyone. To overcome his enemies, he still needed to rely on his System skills.

...

"Host an inter-city level cooking competition; Reward: Food emits an ultimate aroma."

"...Save people with alchemy, earn the title of renowned doctor in a country; Reward: Palm Flame."

"...Be the Straight Man; Reward: Provocation."

"Spread incomplete ideologies...; Reward: Eye of the Broken."

"...Enhance your reputation, so that miscreants dare not transgress against the Righteous Door; Reward: Main Hall."

"...Fight for a path to survival; Reward: Flash."

"...Perform a deed so momentous that enemies tremble at the mere mention of your name; Reward: Near-death Counterattack."

"Initiate a large-scale war; Reward: Power Doubled."

"Turn two mutually hostile individuals into a CP (Couple)...; Reward: Milky Way."

"...Arrange trials for disciples, allowing them to make a name for themselves; Reward: Ruler."

...

These were all his currently active tasks.

Excluding those unsuitable for the present circumstances, like hosting a cooking competition or earning the title of a renowned doctor, there weren't many tasks Lin Bai could actually undertake. Moreover, many of them could be progressed simultaneously.

The tasks that could boost his strength most rapidly were those from the Matchmaker System and the Great Language System.

If the Great Language System had a high success rate, he could gain another skill within 24 hours. In the worst-case scenario, even if he encountered the first wave of enemies in five days, he could still acquire at least three to five new skills.

As for the Matchmaker System, its rewards were all powerful abilities.

Therefore, these two systems needed to be prioritized.

Making two hostile people into a CP and publicizing their deeds... Lin Bai murmured to himself. He possessed the Red Thread and the Arrow of Love; turning hostile individuals into a couple wasn't difficult at all.

The problem was, where could he find two people who were genuinely hostile towards each other?

Even Dao Xu, who had been struck by the Arrow of Resistance, only felt annoyance towards him, not hatred.

And the relationships among the Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demon Sects were quite delicate. They were more akin to cooperative competitors, not as irreconcilably opposed as ordinary people imagined—a fact that could be inferred from their joint issuance of the Wen and Evil Decree.

Mutually hostile individuals? Finding those who fit this description seemed genuinely difficult!

Even though something sordid had occurred between [Crispy Rice] and [Lonely Old Man], it was merely [Lonely Old Man]'s unilateral hatred for [Crispy Rice]; [Crispy Rice] might not necessarily have hated [Lonely Old Man] in return.

Many people in the world hated him, but he couldn't bring himself to hate anyone. Even the Sect Masters of the Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demon Sects, who had issued the Righteous & Evil Killing Order, he couldn't bring himself to hate them. It couldn't be helped; his mindset was too detached.

If he couldn't find people who truly hated each other, he would just have to create a pair.

Lin Bai quickly found a solution. There were undoubtedly many hostile pairs in the world, but time didn't permit him to search for them. His supply of Red Threads was limited. If he chose the wrong targets and wasted a thread without completing the task, the loss would outweigh the gain. It was far more reliable to create a pair of enemies himself.

...

"Old Wolf, 'Justice Weekly' has already released several issues. 'Heavenly Review' needs to keep pace. Now that the Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demon Sects have successively launched their own publications, we cannot afford to lose ground in this war of public opinion," Lin Bai said, finding [Wild Wolf] and admonishing him with a tone of dissatisfaction.

"Alliance Hierarch, we're currently looking for new topics," [Wild Wolf] explained. "The situation is chaotic. The publications of the Seven Righteous Sects naturally possess inherent authority. Under these circumstances, if we merely offer simple commentary, we won't be able to make any significant impact in this public opinion war. After all, people have too many publications to choose from, and most of their attention is focused on the Seven Righteous Sects' encirclement of us..."

"I'd rather see your efforts, not your excuses," Lin Bai interrupted. "I brought you out to contend with the Beggar Gang. Now, you're being thoroughly outmaneuvered by 'Justice Weekly'. How can I entrust you with important responsibilities in the future? I don't want a repeat of the incident where we were effectively held hostage by the Beggar Gang."

"Alliance Hierarch, I will do my best," [Wild Wolf] said.

[Lord] complained in a private chat on the side, "Easier said than done. Lin Bai provides all the content for 'Justice Weekly'. They're the main publication; as long as they keep up with current events, hot topics emerge one after another. What do we have?"

[No.1 Sword Immortal] added, "Exactly! We can't just review the Seven Righteous Sects and Five Demon Sects again!"

Pretending not to hear their private chat, Lin Bai shook his head. "Old Wolf," he said, looking at the few players before him, "don't underestimate 'Heavenly Review'. A well-done review can also be a great service to the alliance. For instance, this time, you can review and rank the Mahayana Realm masters sent by the Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demon Sects."

"Alliance Hierarch, to be honest, we already have this plan and are in the process of collecting data," [Wild Wolf] said.

"Perhaps you've misunderstood my intention," Lin Bai glanced at him. "I want you to dig deeper into their backstories. Use the rankings to instigate conflicts among them, thereby damaging their relationships. The ultimate goal is to have them weaken each other from within."

"That's what we've been doing all along," Wild Wolf stated.

"The natural opposition between the Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demon Sects is undeniable," Lin Bai continued, disregarding his response. "This time, we'll select a quintessential pair from among them and deliberately create conflict. For example, consider the leaders of the Heavenly Sword Sect and Heavenly Dao Sect for this operation. In your review, you could rank the perennial runner-up, the leader of the Heavenly Sword Sect, as number one. Then, subtly attribute some statements to him or those around him—statements that are outwardly praise but subtly critical…"

"Hmm," Wild Wolf didn't question it. Given their current adversarial relationship, nothing Lin Bai proposed would be considered excessive.

"That's just an example; it doesn't have to be the Heavenly Sword Sect and Heavenly Dao Sect. Other sects could work as well. If possible, choose two who currently get along well," Lin Bai elaborated. "You should understand that if strangers are compared, they might just laugh it off. But it's different with people who are familiar with each other. Once friends turn against one another, they can become the bitterest of enemies…"

Wild Wolf frowned slightly.

Lin Bai chuckled, his amusement spreading to the others. "You decide on the specifics of how to execute this. It would be best to see results within a day or two. If you do well, I can reward you with a Transformation Pill and an Enlightenment Pill. The Enlightenment Pill enhances intelligence, and the Transformation Pill allows a Demon Beast to transform according to your specifications. They can be used in tandem…"

The players' eyes instantly lit up.

"Damn, we're going to strike it rich!" Lord exclaimed.

No.1 Sword Immortal said, "Old Wolf, we absolutely have to nail this, no matter the cost! If we succeed, the Justice League Army will have the first player-owned beast-eared lady. The promotional value and the economic benefits from that would be astronomical!"

Man with Golden Tongue swallowed hard. "That's right! Lin, the Storekeeper's Little White Fox has countless fans on the forums, but she ultimately belongs to Lin Bai. If we have our own beast-eared lady, it'll be different. Imagine the advertisers we could attract if she personally endorsed products!"

"But the deadline Lin, the Storekeeper, gave us is too short. I'm afraid it will be challenging," Wild Wolf mused. "We're talking about turning two Mahayana Realm individuals into sworn enemies. Their Dao hearts must be incredibly resilient. How could a couple of articles make them turn against each other?"

"Relying solely on our 'Heavenly Review' will indeed be difficult. But aren't there other players?" Lord suggested. "There are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests. As far as I know, the publications of sects like the Heavenly Dao Sect and Heavenly Sword Sect are also managed by players. We could bribe those players, incite infighting among all the publications, and really fan the flames…"

No.1 Sword Immortal chimed in, "Exactly! For the media, mudslinging and hype are the biggest sales drivers. They can use this to attract traffic and more advertising revenue. It's a win-win situation and worth exploiting thoroughly. If necessary, we can even rope in 'Justice Weekly'. However, we must keep the Transformation Pill and Enlightenment Pill reward a secret. When we finally unveil our beast-eared lady, those top gossipmongers will probably explode with rage!"

...

Right in front of Lin Bai, the players discussed and quickly formulated a viable plan.

Lin Bai listened, thoroughly impressed.

Indeed, with the right incentives, players would overcome any hardship to complete a task—a truly effective and obedient group of tools.

After offering a few words of encouragement, Lin Bai turned and left.

In Lin Bai's view, failing to maximize the benefits of a task was a failure in itself. Creating a feud within the Justice League wasn't much easier than finding one externally. Those within the League had been under his influence for a long time and had grown accustomed to his peculiar words and actions. Attempting to turn them against each other might prove futile, especially considering the precedent from the task of provoking people using the Great Language System.

Targeting prominent figures directly, however, was different. It could disrupt the enemy's ranks, simultaneously help popularize the CP, and propagate his Law of Love. Most importantly, the act of forcing two sworn enemies into a relationship under public scrutiny would serve as a powerful deterrent, enough to awe the petty and villainous, thereby completing the Super Sect Leader System's task.

In the future, when Mahayana Realm individuals wished to provoke him, they would have to consider whether they could stomach suddenly gaining a lover in such an inexplicable manner. It was a way to kill several birds with one stone. And since he wouldn't have to exert much effort, why not do it?

...

With the Matchmaker System's task addressed, what remained was the 'Straight Man' task from the Great Language System.

This task was equally challenging, and he had to perform it personally.

For someone like him, accustomed to controlling the entire situation, playing a supporting role was exceedingly difficult.

As it turned out, since Jiang Qingqin and the others couldn't act as the 'joker', the task required finding a stranger to interact with.

After some thought, Lin Bai gave Sword Nineteen an Enlightenment Pill.

The Cangming Sword Immortal and Zhenren Li had been thoroughly intimidated by his methods; they would probably be unwilling to speak to him even after regaining their senses.

But Sword Nineteen was different. They hadn't had much direct contact, and a young man's emotions were easier to manipulate. The success of the task might very well depend on him.

Sword Nineteen's eyes flickered as he gradually regained consciousness. He surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings, his brow furrowed slightly. When his gaze fell upon Lin Bai's face, everything that had transpired before he lost consciousness flooded back into his mind.

"Is it you?"

Sword Nineteen's expression changed dramatically. He jerked, instinctively summoning his sword light and attempting to flee. However, after flying only a few hundred meters, before he could feel any relief, the scene before him abruptly shifted, and he found himself back in front of Lin Bai.

And so, his expression became even grimmer. Grasping his sword, he asked tremblingly, "Did... did you turn me into a puppet?"

"Precisely," Lin Bai nodded with a smile.

Sword Nineteen forced a smile in return. Drawing his precious sword, he exclaimed anxiously, "How dare you? Do you have any idea who stands behind me?"

"The Heavenly Sword Sect, of course!" Lin Bai replied.

"You knew it was the Heavenly Sword Sect, yet you still turned me into a puppet? Aren't you afraid of retaliation from my Sect?" Sword Nineteen was on the verge of tears, terrified by Lin Bai's methods. A crack had appeared in his Heart of Sword. Even though his strength had been fully restored after his time in the Card, an involuntary fear of Lin Bai still surged from deep within him.

"That's a fair point." Lin Bai nodded with a laugh. Just as I thought, strangers are more talkative; acquaintances are too reserved. When I first subdued the Cangming Sword Immortal, he was quite chatty too. If it hadn't been for the Card task back then, it would have been a perfect opportunity to work on the 'Straight Man' task.

"And you still dare?" Sword Nineteen asked, his smile strained. Then, his expression turned despondent, and he lowered his sword dejectedly. "Ah, I see. You're already burdened with the Wen and Evil Decree and are in a fight to the death with the Seven Righteous Sects. Why would you show me any mercy?"

"Isn't that so?" Lin Bai sighed.

"But I'm still so young! I'm only in my twenties! As a new-generation prodigy of the Heavenly Sword Sect, I was destined for a limitless future, and now you've turned me into a puppet! Why is my fate so bitter?" Sword Nineteen wailed, bursting into tears.

"My, what a mess this is." Lin Bai looked at Sword Nineteen sympathetically, tut-tutting. "Those Seven Righteous Sects are truly contemptible!"

"You're no better…" Sword Nineteen glared furiously at Lin Bai. "Are you toying with me?"

"Right! No, wrong! Pah!" Lin Bai spat lightly, then chuckled. "My tongue slipped. Little Nineteen, settle down. Tell your big brother here everything that's upsetting you. Get it off your chest, and we'll all feel much better..."