A heretical cultivator in Bureau 749, I'm the fiercest at pulling out tendons and skinning peop

Liu Ming nodded, agreeing with the point, and then added:

"Just a heads up, the power of this thing drawn on A4 paper is completely different from that of a proper talisman."

"It's true that everyone's cultivation level has been suppressed to the Meridian Opening Realm, but those bastards are all seasoned veterans with a wealth of experience. These talismans will at most cause minor injuries to the few who charge ahead; eliminating people directly is difficult."

"A few bruises? Heh, that's exactly what I want them to get!"

Ji Zuodao raised an eyebrow, his smile somewhat sinister.

"Think about it, once they finally manage to wrestle ashore, full of pent-up anger, hey, they'll 'crash, crash' and step right into the trap."

"Some of them were injured on the spot, yelling and screaming. And then what? They stared wide-eyed, the beach was empty, the woods were deserted, and they couldn't find a single hair of ours. What would they be thinking at that moment?"

Liu Ming's eyes slowly brightened, and he slapped his thigh:

"Holy crap! Brilliant! If we can't find the real culprit, then our pent-up anger has to shift its target! Those who've already been injured become easy targets, punching bags, and competitors!"

"Smart!" Ji Zuodao patted Liu Ming on the shoulder approvingly.

Li Shuwen, who had been listening quietly the whole time, adjusted his glasses, a glint of light flashing in the lenses, and added calmly:

"Not only that. Even if the people from other branches don't have any designs on us for the time being, can those who are injured feel at ease? Can they trust their backs to an ally who was just trying to cooperate but is now unharmed?"

"Once suspicion arises, it's only a matter of time before this hastily assembled troupe falls apart. In the end, everyone will go back to their own homes and mothers, returning to the original state of disorganized chaos."

"Look! Look!"

Ji Zuodao gave Li Shuwen a thumbs up, "That's why they say you're a cultured person; your insight into things is so clear! Alright, stop dawdling and hurry up and set up the talisman! Get it done!"

"Alright!" Liu Ming took the talisman, squatted down, and started working.

He was quite skilled; he carefully buried the talismans in several sand pits that seemed to be essential passageways, and then carefully covered them with sand to erase any traces.

But after only a few tables were set up, Ji Zuodao squatted down next to him, tilting his head and looking disgusted:

"Hey, hey, stop, stop! Where did you learn this talisman-making technique? It's so proper, like a primary school student doing exercises."

Liu Ming paused, looked up, and seemed a little lost:

"Huh? The 749 Bureau's 'Standard Application and Countermeasures Manual for Talismans (Third Edition)'! A standard procedure for drawing, activating, and placing talismans."

"Many senior members of the bureau praised this method as solid and reliable. It was compiled by a certain expert, drawing on the strengths of many schools of thought. It's an essential course for talisman cultivators! I even stayed up all night memorizing it back in the day!"

Upon hearing this, Ji Zuodao rolled his eyes to the sky.

"You know this is a required course that many people in the bureau have taken, right? So, in the eyes of your colleagues who have also memorized the textbook and taken the exam, what's the difference between your method and an open-book exam?"

Liu Ming was stunned, speechless: "Then... what do we do?"

"What to do? Use your brain and figure out some unconventional methods!"

Ji Zuodao looked at Liu Ming with a disappointed expression and took a stack of talismans directly from Liu Ming's hand.

"Come on, let me show you how I set up talismans today. This thing is all about surprise attacks, catching the opponent off guard, and it's all about ruthlessness and unconventional methods!"

Holding the talismans, he began setting them up and giving on-the-spot instruction, his words flowing smoothly and fluently.

"See? I deliberately created a flaw here. When those old foxes come over and see this, they'll realize something's wrong, and they'll avoid this obviously suspicious area..."

He pointed to the seemingly calm, unmarked sand beside him and chuckled:

"Then, bang! He stepped right into the spot where I actually buried the talisman! This is called making the real appear real and the illusory appear real! I predicted your prediction!"

What the hell!

Liu Ming's eyes widened.

Ji Zuodao moved to another spot, took out three or four talismans, and stacked them together before burying them in the shallow sand, covering them with only a thin layer.

"Look here again! In the same spot, I'll bury a few more! One on top of another! The first person steps on it, 'poof,' triggering one."

"The people behind saw it, 'Oh, there's a trap here, but someone has already triggered it, it's useless, safe now.' They relaxed and stepped on it... and guess what?"

"Bang! Bang! Bang! A series of explosions!"

Liu Ming's breathing became a little rapid; this line of thinking was too unconventional!

Ji Zuodao then pointed to a grove of trees nearby, where the trees grew quite densely.

"And over there! I've stuffed a few more into the branches and bark crevices of the trees that look like the easiest places to climb up!"

"Once they've had their fun on the ground, they'll probably be figuring out how to climb the tree. Then, the moment they push off the trunk or grab a branch... hehe, another surprise gift!"

Liu Ming listened, completely absorbed.

This tactic was intricate and cunning, with a hint of wickedness hidden within its cunning, completely overturning the orthodox tactics he had learned over the years.

Li Shuwen, standing to the side, murmured a sigh of admiration, his tone surprisingly tinged with respect:

"Damn it, when it comes to the heart, you still have to look at the boss. This isn't just dirty, it's rotten to the core... uh, it's reached a whole new level."

As Ji Zuodao got into the swing of making talismans, he kept chattering away, coming up with all sorts of wildly imaginative, insidious, and immoral ideas.

From initial shock to numbness, and finally, a strange light began to flicker in Liu Ming's eyes, as if to say, "I've learned something! So this is how it can be done!"

Just as Liu Ming felt he was about to be opened a door to a new world, Ji Zuodao patted the sand off his hands, straightened up, and looked out into the depths of the island.

"Alright, that's about enough here. Hurry up, let's get this done! We need to get back to work quickly, we still have important things to do!"

"Serious business? What serious business?" Liu Ming asked instinctively. Right now, besides plotting against someone, what could be more "serious" than this?

Ji Zuodao smiled mysteriously, lowering his voice but unable to hide his smugness:

"Treasure hunting! Only an idiot would waste time fighting them on the beach. Do you know why I'm urging you to hurry up?"

He looked around, then stealthily pulled the crumpled map from his pocket and flashed it quickly in front of Liu Ming and Li Shuwen.

"See that? A map! Old Li gave it to me. It clearly marks where the treasures are and where the pits are on this island! It's like having a full map cheat in a game!"

"We need to grab the benefits before they swim ashore, scheme against each other, and try to find their way!"

"A map?!" Liu Ming and Li Shuwen exclaimed simultaneously, their eyes lighting up instantly.

Liu Ming was so excited he almost jumped up: "Damn! You're so unfair! Why didn't you say you had this good stuff sooner!"

Li Shuwen looked at the detailed map, adjusted his glasses, and, a little worried, leaned closer to Ji Zuodao, lowering his voice with a hint of guilt:

"Boss, is using this map to cheat considered cheating? Won't they just ban our accounts?"

"A ban?" Ji Zuodao was squinting at the map, trying to figure out the direction. Hearing this, he chuckled, glanced back at him, and said, "What are you thinking? Don't worry, it won't be banned."

"I've only just figured it out myself. This map was probably ordered by higher-ups."

"Ordered from above?!" Liu Ming suddenly leaned closer, his eyes wide. "Holy crap! Did Uncle Zhang bribe someone up there? How much would that cost to get this kind of treatment?"

"Go away! What are you thinking about!" Ji Zuodao tapped Liu Ming's head with the map scroll in his hand in an annoyed tone.

"Don't you know Uncle Zhang's temper? He's always the one getting money from others; trying to squeeze a single penny out of him is harder than climbing to heaven!"

"Think about it, why did they suddenly change the rules for this year's martial arts competition? In previous years, it was always a ring match, a one-on-one duel to determine the winner, wasn't it?"

"I reckon those old guys up there have figured it out. If we stick to the old rules and have a tournament, with our Jinghai lineup this year, four Dharma Aspects, plus you, that beast who swept seven in the last tournament."

"Is there any suspense left about who won the martial arts competition? Just give them the award already!"

"So this year it's been changed to a free-for-all! Not only a free-for-all, but they even deliberately chose this godforsaken place, and the moment we entered, they suppressed everyone's cultivation to the Meridian Opening Realm!"

"Just like that, our biggest advantage in Jinghai—overwhelming cultivation level—is gone! We're back on the same starting line as those bastards from the other branches."

"The higher-ups are doing this simply to muddy the waters, to make the competition more interesting, and to prevent one team from dominating, which would be too embarrassing."

As Ji Zuodao spoke, he shook the map in his hand and chuckled, "But is doing this fair to Jinghai? It's clearly not! They're diminishing our advantages; they have to offer some compensation, something to make up for it, right? Otherwise, it doesn't make sense!"

Liu Ming stroked his chin and clicked his tongue: "That makes sense... but this compensation... isn't this a bit too much of a cheat code? Isn't this like showing someone your hole cards in a card game? It's like they're practically throwing money away!"

Li Shuwen spoke softly at this moment, his gaze behind his glasses revealing a calm understanding of everything, "I'm thinking that the original purpose of this map might not be that complicated."

"The higher-ups probably gave us this map so that it would be easier for us from Jinghai to find hiding places after we come in, and avoid the early encirclement and suppression by other branches."

"By the way, I'll pick up some scraps of resources to smoothly get through the dangerous period when my cultivation is suppressed. Once my cultivation gradually recovers, I'll plan my next move."

"They probably never imagined that our boss would puncture the plane at the very beginning, and now, with the strategy guide in hand, they're not thinking about how to dodge, but how to plunder the land."