Taixu's sultry voice rang out.

Gu Jianlin was in a good mood today. Not only could he earn a hefty reward, but he could also enjoy the misfortune of the Judgement Court.

Suddenly, he remembered something.

He quickly took out his phone to check.

Among the twelve traitors reported by the Judgement Court, Lin Wanqiu was not listed.

"It seems this woman must have some sort of method to bypass regular scrutiny; otherwise, she wouldn't have lasted until now. But this is probably not a long-term solution. Sooner or later, they'll trace it back to her."

Gu Jianlin fell into thoughtful contemplation. It was time to decide whether to recruit this woman or not.

There were still many things he needed to do right now.

The immediate priority was to nurture the shadow behind him, to let it hatch as soon as possible and leverage the advantages of dual paths.

The shadow's advancement also needed to be scheduled promptly.

The Ghost Slayer Path was a profession with obvious strengths and weaknesses, emphasizing high output and speed with zero utility.

Its key transformation point was at the Fourth Rank, known as the Shura Rank.

Youzhu was currently at this Rank, mastering the ability of Space Freeze, significantly enhancing her instant-kill capabilities.

Gu Jianlin's main path was the Divine Path, which, at the Fourth Rank, granted the Power of Life and Death, essentially the Corpse Control Technique. Although it seemed like a relatively weak ability, it could play an immense role on the battlefield.

By then, these two professions would be enough for him to handle any battlefield situation.

·

·

Rumble.

The glass curtain walls trembled, soundwaves shaking the walls as though the building floors were quaking.

"Zijin, I've already told you, before you reach the Holy Land, you cannot act rashly. You're still young and have the talent of a Divine General. Now is not the time to pick a fight with the Judgement Court yet."

"In as little as a month, or at most three months, I guarantee I'll ascend to the Seventh Rank. Now is the time. Besides, Xiao Gu's performance has exceeded our expectations and even earned the old teacher's approval. I think the timing is perfect. I've spoken with my father; he respects my decision."

"But there are still risks. The thing you did back then, secretly letting that little girl go – the Judgement Court is still investigating it. Rhein is very concerned about this matter. If they trace it back to you, you're finished!"

"That little girl has the Mythical Weapon Old Gu gave her; what's there to fear?"

"During this mission in the Returning Burial Forest, she showed up again. Wang Taisheng has his eyes on her now."

"Wang Taisheng, that idiot, doesn't even know who she is."

"One day, he'll figure it out!"

"Not listening, not listening—turtle reciting sutras!"

"How are you still so stubborn at your age? Why don't you try yelling even louder?"

"Anyway, you've already set up a barrier; no one can hear us."

Gu Jianlin had just reached the conference room door when he heard two big shots arguing inside.

He hesitated, unsure whether he should enter.

"You're here?"

The glass door of the conference room opened automatically. Chen Bojun sat behind his desk, frowning.

Middle age brings its struggles; his thermos was filled with wolfberry tea.

On the leather sofa, Lu Zijin held a cup of milk tea in both hands. As usual, her hair was styled in cute twin ponytails. She wore a black Lolita dress with lace edges, black stockings hugged her slender legs, and rounded leather shoes adorned her feet.

These two looked like they belonged to different generations.

"Director Chen, Minister Lu."

Gu Jianlin forced himself to enter, sensing the tension in the room had slightly dissipated.

"Come sit beside me."

Lu Zijin glanced at the empty seat next to her, smiling sweetly. "Come over and let big sis have a good look at you."

Gu Jianlin's scalp tingled. He glanced at the parrot perched on his shoulder and instead chose to sit across from her.

"What, are you afraid I'll eat you or something?"

Lu Zijin chuckled, letting out a delicate hum. "It seems your relationship with that little girl has progressed quite a bit in the past few days. As expected of young teenagers—after dropping their masks and being honest with each other, I can smell the stench of romance from across the coffee table. Got yourself a girlfriend and forgot all about sis, huh?"

Gu Jianlin was left utterly dumbfounded by her barrage of teasing. This woman seemed to know everything.

"Girlfriend? Romance? What are you talking about?"

He replied grimly, "I don't have one."

Sighing in resignation, Chen Bojun finally intervened. "No need to make a fuss. This matter has already spread everywhere. Yesterday, Mr. Jing took someone to Greenland. A Ninth Rank Great God, Judith Strick herself, resides there in seclusion."

Gu Jianlin thought about it and suddenly realized. "I know. My senior mentioned it to me."

Lu Zijin's expression turned peculiar as she snorted coldly.

Chen Bojun's face displayed a similar strangeness. Unable to resist, he explained, "Do you know that Judith announced her retirement five years ago? Since then, she's refused to treat anyone."

Gu Jianlin froze for a moment.

"Haha, back in the day, even when Judith's own grandson fell ill, she turned a blind eye and let him perish."

Lu Zijin sneered sarcastically. "What a person of principle she is."

Chen Bojun echoed her sentiment. "Indeed. Your senior has some serious cajones."

Gu Jianlin internally acknowledged that this must have come at a hefty favor cost.

"I see."

He muttered, "How on earth did my senior convince her?"

"Your senior straight-up put a knife to her throat."

Chen Bojun imitated someone's tone: "If the person I brought dies, then you, old hag, can follow them down to the grave."

Lu Zijin raised her thumb in admiration. "Respect for the seniors when needed; disrespect for the old hag when not. Bravo!"