Chapter 157
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Chapter 157: Title
After psyching himself up, Jiang Nan glanced around and suddenly realized his predicament—how the hell was he supposed to get down?
It finally dawned on him—what had that little girl, or rather the big shot, mentioned before departing?
"The Battleground will activate in four hours…"
Jiang Nan let out a curse, momentarily ignoring his vomit-stained clothes from last night’s drunken episode. After brief hesitation, he tentatively called out, "System!"
He knew about systems from Blue Star’s web novels—even a pig could dominate the world with one.
He couldn’t suppress his rising excitement.
[Heavenly Law Battleground System initializing.]
[State your inquiry, User.]
The robotic voice echoed in his mind. "Uh…" Jiang Nan cleared his throat. "Do you have an interface panel? Show me if you do."
[Accessing…]
[Heavenly Law Battleground System:]
[User: Jiang Nan]
[Title: Heavenly Law Battleground’s Founding Champion (Inherited)]
[Battleground Points: -10,000,000,000 / Repayment Deadline: 100 years]
[Cultivation: Null]
[Physique: Battle Spirit Body (Dormant)]
[Cultivation Techniques: Unregistered]
[Spells: Unregistered]
[Active Missions: [Inherit·Defend the Champion Position], [Maintain·Initial Battle], [In the Spotlight·Competitive Battle]]
System Activation Countdown: 03:58:12
…
Jiang Nan gaped at the holographic display. This defied all system tropes he’d ever read about.
"What’s expected of me? Let’s see… units, tens, hundreds… holy shit, ten billion?!" His voice cracked as he stared at the mission list. "Points can’t be harder to earn than actual currency… right?"
The staggering debt made his knees weak. He’d never handled more than four-digit figures—a hundred billion Zhongxia coins might as well be astronomical.
"Founding Champion? Inherited title? Null cultivation? Dormant physique…" Scratching his head, he addressed the void: "System. Priorities?"
[Commence missions immediately.]
"Which one first, damn it?"
[[Maintain·Initial Battle] and [In the Spotlight·Competitive Battle] are underway. Completion in: 03:55:02]
Realizing the system’s rigidity, Jiang Nan focused on [Maintain·Initial Battle]. The interface shimmered, revealing operational guidelines beneath the mission brief:
Maintain order during the Heavenly Law Battleground’s inaugural activation. Attached protocols include…
Regarding the [In the Spotlight·Competitive Battle] task, Jiang Nan speculated that it required broadcasting Battleground matches to all inhabitants of Blue Star, though certainty eluded him.
As Jiang Nan studied the system’s mechanics, many others shared his predicament across the planet.
The moment Jiang Nan acquired the system, every light sphere certificate holder on Blue Star—whether awake or slumbering—heard a resonant declaration:
[Heavenly Law Battleground System installation in progress…]
The proclamation jolted sleepers awake while startling others into suspecting supernatural encounters.
Special Bureau Headquarters
Liang An offered a strained smile to his colleague across the desk. "Must be real. What about you?"
"Confirmed auditory reception," Lin Jing responded, his pen halting mid-stroke above a notebook bearing the header ‘Deity Capability Hierarchy Assessment’.
"Countdown remains at three hours," Lin Jing added, eyes fixed on his holographic interface:
[Heavenly Law Battleground System]
[User: Lin Jing]
[Affiliation: Chief, Analysis Section 3
Special Bureau of Zhongxia]
[Combat Points: 0]
[Cultivation: Ninth Rank·Upper]
Even for someone who’d witnessed miracles since the Awakening of Spiritual Energy, the system’s appearance made Lin Jing’s eyelid twitch involuntarily. Having observed divine manifestations, he’d assumed nothing could surprise him anymore—yet here stood proof that there’s always a higher mountain.
"Alert the deputy director," Lin Jing decided. "This warrants midnight protocol."
Liang An checked his watch—3:17 a.m.—imagining countless officials abandoning their beds.
"And the director?"
"Notify them both."
As Liang An gathered documents, the ambient hum of Section 2’s 24/7 monitoring hub filtered through soundproof walls. Most agents rested strategically, conserving energy for Battleground contingencies.
Reaching the exit, Liang An paused at his superior’s additional instruction:
"Public statement first—system launch containment protocol. Internal memo: maintain regular sleep cycles."
"Acknowledged."
The door clicked shut behind Liang An’s chuckle. Lin Jing refocused on his urgent theological analysis—ever since deities materialized, the Bureau’s website had displayed permanent advisories against divine insults. Whether celestial beings monitored mortal opinions remained unknown…and potentially catastrophic.
No matter what individuals might think, the Special Bureau had to steer the grand scheme from the nation’s perspective.
Though many believed deities wouldn’t deign to notice, maintaining proper protocols was crucial—better safe than regretful.
Lin Jing clutched Analysis Section 3’s latest report, its pages crisp with urgency.
The Divine Hierarchy Chart.
A meticulous ranking of celestial beings from highest to lowest.
Current apex figures included their own Emperor of Heaven—revered through Daoist rituals as "Celestial Sovereign" and "August Heaven"—alongside the West’s radiant God of Light Yahweh.
Only the fabled Heavenly Law itself could theoretically surpass these supreme entities.
Immediately below stood near-equals: the dragon race’s Your Highness Qingdi, the spirit cultivators’ Empress Nuwa, Lord Buddha, the dark god Demon King, India’s Earth Mother, Fusang’s Amaterasu… followed by lesser deities like the elves’ major deities…
The Special Bureau buzzed to life instantly, with most key staff summoned urgently.
Department heads packed the meeting room—an unprecedented assembly made possible only by the Heavenly Law Battleground’s imminent activation.
4:07 AM glowed on wall clocks.
Division 5 Chief Tang Tong swirled instant coffee with a spoon. "Any word from the director?"
Liaison officer Liang An shook his head. "Still at the base. As for the deputy director…" His sentence trailed off as Xi Ning entered.
"Deputy director—last piece of the puzzle."
"My apologies." Xi Ning settled into his seat, gaze locking on Lin Jing—ever the first responder during crises.
"The Heavenly Law Battleground System clearly connects to its namesake arena. Specific functions should manifest upon activation." Lin Jing tapped his tablet.
"My focus was the system’s peripheral components."
"It possesses scanning capabilities—you’ve all seen the identity fields."
"Points obviously relate to Battleground transactions. My emergency survey shows universal zero balances."
"Confirmed: all light sphere recipients host this system. Installation locus remains…" He spread empty hands before turning to Division 6’s leader. "Chief Song?"
Song Fei adjusted his glasses. Division 6’s researchers—mostly septuagenarian transplants from the National Academy—required youthful leadership. Retired Professor Lu couldn’t handle midnight crises, making the ascetic Practitioner Song Fei perfect as…
"—an ideal disposable tool," Tang Tong muttered into her coffee before raising her voice. "Query."
Lin Jing nodded.
"This system’s essence—technology? Sorcery? Hybrid?"
Song Fei steepled fingers. "Recall our conceptual Spiritual Energy network? Imagine magic-forged 3D projections—virtual reality sans goggles."
As murmurs rippled through the room, knuckles rapped the door.
Xi Ning silenced the crowd with raised palm. "Enter."
A Division 2 officer slipped in, ID gleaming. Liang An blinked. "Yu Lin? Shouldn’t you be monitoring Xiao Tianji’s stream?"
The flushed staffer blurted, "Xiao Tianji contacted us!"
Every spine straightened—the elusive streamer rarely acknowledged official overtures.
Xi Ning’s pen froze mid-air. "Details."
"He… proposed official collaboration." Yu Lin’s throat bobbed. "For live-streaming… a tournament."
Ge Yun snorted. "Let me guess—Heavenly Law Battleground?"
"Unspecified. Just this." Yu Lin projected a number onto the screen.
Cui Ming of Division 1 leaned forward. "Trace it."
Liang An’s phone already glowed. "Locating caller now…"
The dial tone echoed through mist-shrouded Battlegrounds where Jiang Nan stared at the vibrating device. Heart pounding, he swiped answer.
"…Hello?"
