Merit-based card draws, quickly become a Heavenly Emperor

Lu Zhengfeng hesitated for a moment and said, "I was unable to find out anything about this matter."

However, your investigation into Chu Tiankuo's murder case has also uncovered the bribery involving alcohol.

Subsequently, the local officials in the state followed the clues and arrested many more officials who had accepted bribes, all of whom were punished.

This matter caused quite a stir within the state government, and many officials in charge admired you.

However, at the same time, many officials who have accepted bribes are hostile towards you.

I think perhaps someone in this group sabotaged things and did something behind the scenes.

On the surface, you've been given a great reward, but whether it's good or bad behind the scenes, nobody can say for sure.

He paused for a moment, then suggested, "Fang Zheng, if you are unwilling to go, I can ask Shangguan to mediate for you."

The rank remains the same, still the eighth rank, but the position may be changed to a deputy position, such as a junior officer.

It's not as powerful as a regular officer, but at least it won't confine you to a place like Cangwu County.

Fang Zheng listened but did not rush to answer.

He pondered for a moment, then said, "Sir, I'll go to Cangwu County."

Fang Zheng understood it very well.

The path he took was never one of promotion through the normal officialdom system.

He has a Five Virtues Card Drawing System. As long as one practices the principles of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness, one will continuously gain attributes and merits.

Even without access to other cultivation resources, the cards in the card pool alone would be more than enough for him to enjoy.

From this perspective, the Supervising Officer of Cangwu County was at least a local official.

As the head of the county supervisory office, he had no obstacles in doing his work and was able to better realize his ambitions.

That alone is enough.

As for the so-called "dead end of his career," Fang Zheng didn't take it seriously at all.

Cangwu County is remote, barren, and deserted, but it is precisely because no one wants to go there that it is easier for him to settle down and take root.

From a ninth-rank patrolman to a ninth-rank inspector, and then to an eighth-rank supervisor, every step he took was earned through his own hard work.

A dead end in one's official career? That's a saying that applies to ordinary people.

He was upright and never an ordinary person.

He's cheating!

Lu Zhengfeng paused for a moment, then said no more, "Since you've made your own decision, I won't say anything more."

Please feel free to contact me if needed.

The light on the communication altar went out.

Fang Zheng closed his eyes, his mind already rehearsing his plans before heading to Cangwu County.

A few days later, good news also came from the underworld.

Liu Qingyu, who was originally a ninth-rank Ghost Gate Patrolman, assisted in solving cases in the mortal world and was promoted to the rank of a full ninth-rank Ghost Gate Patrolman at the strong recommendation of Li Yuanshan.

Li Yuanshan then took advantage of the situation to include Cangwu County, where Fang Zheng was about to take office, within Liu Qingyu's tour area.

Upon hearing this news, Fang Zheng finally managed a slight smile.

There are officials in the mortal world and ghosts in the underworld; by taking this step, he has taken both.

No matter how remote Cangwu County is, he still has ways to make his achievements known.

........

Soon, the official appointment from the prefectural government reached Yongqing County.

Aside from the increase in official rank, the greatest gain for Fangzhou is naturally the increase in the Five Virtues attribute and merit.

After accepting the appointment, Fang Zheng focused his attention on the system panel.

"With keen insight and a reputation that resounds throughout the county, he brings clarity to legal cases and peace to the wandering souls. Five Virtues +5."

"With the accumulation of Five Virtues exceeding 50, the Heavenly Pivot has shifted its orbit, and the Card Pool has been upgraded."

"The basic card pool has been upgraded to grade 8 white, and the card shop is now open."

"Upholding righteousness and integrity, punishing the wicked and eliminating evil, ensuring clean governance, winning the hearts of the people, and gaining 100 merit points."

Fang Zheng's eyes swept over the lines of text, and his expression brightened with delight.

Solving the case of Chu Tiankuo's murder resulted in a 25-point increase in the Five Virtues attribute.

The higher the Five Virtues attribute, the greater the bonus to the card, and the higher the probability of drawing rare cards.

Fang Zheng glanced at the new card pool interface. The background color had changed from gray to white, and a faint light floated around the edges, making it look more mysterious than before.

Of course, the cost of drawing cards has also increased tenfold, corresponding to an overall leap in the probability of obtaining white cards and the quality of cards.

Fortunately, he had just acquired another hundred strands of white skill, which is equivalent to a thousand strands of gray skill.

Such a number was unimaginable in the past.

Fang Zheng has never received so much merit since he awakened the system.

He casually clicked on the newly opened card shop section, and two exchangeable items came into view.

[Advanced Card]: Requires 10 strands of White Power to exchange. Can be used to upgrade one Grade 9 Gray Card to Grade 8 White Card.

[Fusion Card]: Requires 10 strands of White Power to exchange. You can choose two Grade 8 White Cards with similar effects to fuse.

Fang Zheng was delighted. The ninth-grade gray cards in his hand were all very useful, but after entering the eighth grade, the effect of those low-grade cards was visibly weakening.

Now that there are advanced options, it's a good time to bring up those cards that you're comfortable using and fill the gaps that will appear soon.

It's like a pillow being delivered just when you're about to fall asleep.

He began to count the cards he already had, one by one, and before he knew it, he had accumulated quite a lot.

The basic card pool has obtained [Masterful Painting].

The following items were obtained from the A Chinese Ghost Story gacha pool: [Tiger Painting Technique], [Spiritual Eye], [Returning Soul Incense], [Yin Qi Shield], [Shadow Catching Lantern], and [Life and Death Bond].

The "Painting the Spring and Autumn Annals" gacha pool yielded the following items: [Splashing Ink to Form Soldiers], [Drawing a Circle as a Prison], [Accumulating Ink to Form Peaks], [Photographic Memory], and [The Finishing Touch].

The Ghost Gate Tour card pool yielded [Burning Soul Fire], [Ephemeral Moonlight], [Ghost Howl Technique], and [Soul-Guiding Banner].

The "Cleansing the Turbid and Promoting the Pure" card pool yielded the following: [Unraveling the Mystery], [Insightful Insight], [A Wake-Up Call], [Eloquent and Persuasive], and [A Clear Mirror Hanging High].

After removing some of the resource cards that had been consumed, Founder quickly prioritized the advancements.

The best and most advanced cards are naturally the four peerless cards: [Life and Death Bond], [The Finishing Touch], [The Soul-Guiding Banner], and [The Mirror of Justice].

Forty strands of white energy were thrown down, and all four cards were stained with a white luster.

Fang Zheng felt a pang of regret, but it was a necessary expense.

Even if you put all these white cards into the basic card pool, you'll only get one or two white cards at most, and their rarity is definitely not top-tier.

Fang Zheng carefully read the card descriptions, nodding in approval.

Each upgrade of these legendary cards brings a significant boost.

After advancing to the next level, the connection between him and Liu Qingyu became noticeably stronger, and the cultivation he received during his cultivation was also more refined.

The advanced effect of "Adding the Finishing Touch" is more directly applied to the spiritual painting techniques.

The enhancement originally applied to ninth-grade spells can now extend to the casting of eighth-grade spells.

The advancement of the [Soul-Guiding Banner] is the most intuitive.

The original capacity to control ten ninth-rank wandering ghosts has now been increased to ten eighth-rank cursed ghosts.

However, Fang Zheng, who had cultivated in the underworld, knew that an eighth-rank cursed ghost was no longer a low-level soldier.

To get them to voluntarily join the banner, you need sufficient strength or to exchange for them.

Even if we can't achieve that yet, the bonus from the original formation on the banner has already increased significantly.

The improvement from "A Clear Mirror Hangs High" is even more subtle.

Previously, his ability to sense the aura and intentions of eighth- or ninth-rank cultivators was already powerful enough; now, he has expanded his perception to an even higher level.

Even if a seventh-grade Night Wanderer cultivator stood in front of him, Fang Zheng could quickly detect the flaws in the other party's aura.

Now, only 60 strands of white energy remain.

Currently, each of the five virtues—benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness—has two card slots, which greatly enhance the card effects, so they should definitely be filled.