The second volume is finished.

This volume was a bit long, with too much content, making it hard to summarize. A detailed summary would be too lengthy.

Actually, this volume primarily aimed to highlight two things: firstly, the Evil Professions.

Originally, in my setting, Evil Professions were purely evil people. Later, I thought this was too simplistic. Some people are born evil, while others are forced into it.

Thus, the concept of "Evil Professions being the karmic fire of humanity itself" emerged.

Following this concept, the existence of self-redemption Evil Professions, like the team members of No Trace Hotel, came about.

Opposite the Evil Professions are the Lawful Professions, i.e., the official organization, Five Elements Alliance.

Therefore, the second thing I wanted to emphasize appeared: Are official organizations necessarily absolute justice and goodness?

I've read many novels where the superpower organizations leaning towards the official side are filled with selfless, enthusiastic, and kind-hearted people.

This seems to have become a fixed mindset. Hence, many people criticize Five Elements Alliance, and even some "big names" who review online novels point fingers, saying the official organization in The Way of the Extraordinary is strange.

Strange? Not at all!

As we get older, we gradually realize that defining officials with "kindness" and "justice" is very narrow.

Kindness and justice can only be used to define individuals.

You can say there are kind and just people in official organizations, and in large numbers, but you can't use them to define and describe an organization.

If kindness and justice can define officials, how do you explain those who abuse their power for personal gain, the black sheep who misuse public resources? And there are quite a few of them, right?

I said in the book that if you have to use one word to define officials, it's: Lawful!

Maintaining stability and order in the big picture, providing a peaceful and harmonious living environment for most people, is the duty and essence of all official organizations throughout history, both in ancient and modern times, at home and abroad.

Therefore, there are many black sheep among the Lawful Professions in Five Elements Alliance, which is more in line with reality.

Regarding the attitude of the Ten Elders towards Item Heavenly Lord, for these high-ranking pinnacle dominators, the first things they consider are definitely not the organization or the big picture, but their own power and interests.

Many people believe that the protagonist is exceptionally talented and will achieve great things in the future, so high-ranking officials in the Lawful organization should selflessly support him and elevate him highly.

Of course, there are such people, but they will never be the majority.

Yuan Shiqing isn't their own son. If an outsider with exceptional talent grows up, the first thing the Ten Elders at the pinnacle of power in Five Elements Alliance will think is: This kid is completely uncontrollable. Will he squeeze our power in the future?

People are selfish.

A talented and exceptionally gifted person will only be admired and supported by the organization under one condition: during times of war.

An era that yearns for a hero to turn the tide.

But the background in the book doesn't fit that era.

In peaceful times, power struggles are the forever unchanging mainstream.

Speaking of the ending of the volume, I originally planned to kill Xiao Yuan too. After careful consideration, I gave up on this idea, not because I couldn't bear it, but because it didn't meet my expectations.

Yuan Shiqing's operation of exchanging one for four at the trial was what I wanted to express and highlight his character.

He and Demon Eye are both eccentric and extreme idealists. If you touch my bottom line and moral standards, I will fight you to the death, even at the cost of my life, even if the people involved in the event aren't closely related to me.

If Xiao Yuan were also killed, it would become Yuan Shiqing rushing into a rage for love, greatly reducing the scale.

I am Demon Eye, and Demon Eye is me. This is Zhang Yuanqing's exclamation after recognizing himself.

It's just that Demon Eye's paranoia and madness are directly visible, while Zhang Yuanqing's paranoia and madness are wrapped under a sophisticated exterior.

Then let's talk about the progress of the book. It should reach four million words. Four million words is the bottom line. How much specifically is still unclear because I haven't finished the outline for the subsequent content.

Therefore, I need to take two days off to calm down and think about the outline for the third volume.

Finally, let me mention the current achievements of the book: average subscription 220,000+, following subscription 180,000.

Perhaps it can reach 300,000 average subscriptions by the end of the year, not sure, we'll see…

So, see you the day after tomorrow, my dear readers.