Seized by the System

“So that’s how it is.” With a flick of his fan, Ren Ruofeng had already made a decision in his heart.

He already had a basic criterion to distinguish the mighty beings of the Upper Realm.

He immediately began writing a report.

“Regarding the Distinguishing and Response of Top Powerhouses…

“Of all the changes that this world has seen, nothing can compare to the changes happening right now; of all the danger this world has been in, nothing can compare to the ferocity of the danger we face now.

“A punch powerful enough to shatter stars, a kick powerful enough to destroy land; these are no longer mere illusions.

“The ones endangering our world are the strongest people; the ones protecting our world are also the strongest people.

“These strong people include both those that carry righteousness in their hearts and those that are evil beyond compare; many have strayed into evil from good, while little have returned.

“These strong people include the defending and the enterprising. The former is stable, the latter is active. There is also a higher potential of danger in the latter…”

“Aiya, classical Chinese is such a pain to write in. Yet this is confidential stuff, and I can’t push it onto another person. How troublesome.” Ren Ruofeng scratched the back of his head and grumbled, “Besides, if I do write it as a regular report, how would I be able to differentiate myself as the top genius?

“If only those mighty beings were as principled and as firm as the Venerable Dragon God, that would make things so much easier. How unfortunate. Powerhouses are everywhere, yet there’s only one person that is like the Venerable Dragon God in temperament and behavior.”

As Ren Ruofeng wrote away, he started categorizing all the powerhouses he had met. The more people he categorized, the more he felt that Vigilante A’s good morals were truly a blessing to the world.

The only thing that worried him was the fact that a big tree would fold easily under strong wind; with more and more people descending from the Upper Realm, he was afraid that the Venerable One would only face even greater dangers in the future.

Someone like Vigilante A was bound to have fierce conflict with many of the arrogant mighty beings of the Upper Realm.

…

With the arrival of summer, the lush plants in a dense jungle surrounded by the mountains of southwestern China covered everything.

Within the jungle was a small clearing that was dark and damp due to the towering trees that covered the sky.

Just then, the air in the clearing rippled.

This was followed by the sudden appearance of a strip-like creature that proceeded to fall to the ground.

Immediately after, as if it had been cut up by something, it divided into more than 20 sections.

This was followed by more than 20 piercing shrieks.

“D*mn, who knew there would be traps like these… Fortunately, us Earthen Dragon Clan are never afraid of being cut up. Otherwise, we would’ve already lost the first battle.” One of the sections that was leading the group immediately grew a tail and started speaking.

“Yeah. The humans of this Lower Realm are really sneaky, not even having a sense of hospitality at all.” The second section grew a head immediately before it continued speaking.

“Oh, according to my induction, the layout of that trap just now was done by people of the Upper Realm, so it has nothing to do with people of the Lower Realm.” The third section also grew a head so that it could raise objections.

“Is that so? How despicable. We’re all people of the Upper Realm, yet instead of sympathizing with us, they’ve decided to add insult to injury. What kind of person would do this?” The first section was furious.

It had not decided on sectioning its body so soon; it had wanted to at least eat to its heart’s content first…

Many of its brothers that had now been sectioned were all not only thin and weak because of the lack of nutrients, but were also reduced in their qualifications. Fortunately, their intelligence was still the same as it, since they all shared knowledge and memories.

“Ugh, must have been some fellow that had descended early. Were they afraid that we would seize their living space?” wondered the third section aloud.

“D*mn it. The other clans might do that, but us the Earthen Dragon Clan have always lived underground in dark and damp conditions. We’ve always lived in places with terrible conditions, places where no creature would live in, so we’ve never been a bother to anyone,” grumbled the first section.

“Ah, we understand that ourselves, but that doesn’t mean other people would think the same. In the Upper Realm, due to the fact that many mighty beings were afraid that we would steal their Spiritual Roots ¹ , they’ve set up various prohibitions in the ground that have prevented us from living in fertile places. As everyone knows, although we absorb the vitality of the land as nutrients, we are also able to secrete similar spiritual materials that can not only fertilize soil but also nourish the Spiritual Roots.” The second section wearied, seemingly remembering some unbearable memories.

“Forget it, forget it. We’ll settle down here first and continue this after we’ve consumed some vitality and regained some strength,” placated the third section.

“We’ll do as you say then.” The first section nodded its head before it wriggled its strip-like body into the ground.

The remaining 20 or so strip-like bodies also proceeded to burrow their way into the ground.

What was most peculiar was that right after they bore into the ground, the holes they left behind closed automatically, leaving no evidence of them above ground.

High above their heads, a long rainbow flew across the sky.

“Richie, I saw a few monsters that had a lot of potential…” said the System to Fang Ning, who was cooking.

“What do you mean by a lot of potential?” asked Fang Ning without even raising his head.

“It was a long, strip-like monster that was cut into 20 sections, and yet each section became a complete monster itself and was able to speak like humans. Wouldn’t you call that having a lot of potential?”

“Oh, I see. How did they look like on the Map?” Fang Ning controlled his spiritual sense so that he could manipulate the alchemical fire, before he began to bake a pie.

He had used pheasant eggs, white flour, and brown sugar for the pie, so he had to control the fire extremely well.

His spiritual sense drove straight through the fire and went directly into the center, thus ensuring the temperature of the fire was uniform. This feat would be difficult to achieve for even those top chefs outside.

From within the alchemical furnace, a fragrance gradually emerged, and even Fang Ning himself began to drool.

“Hmm, I did quite well today. Don’t you dare give this to Daqing, I want it for myself,” said Fang Ning.

“I know. And to answer your question from just now, those long strip-like monsters were yellow on the Map, which means they’re neither good nor evil.”

“Then there’s nothing to worry about. Talk to me again when they do something evil.”

“However, when they bore into the ground just now, they no longer showed up on the Map. Who knows what they might do in the future? This is a monster that can split into 20 sections at once that we’re talking about,” said the System hesitantly.

“And what can we do about that? We don’t have an underground System Map yet, and that System Map of yours only covers the areas that humans live in. Things will sort themselves out eventually, so let’s take one step at a time,” said Fang Ning out of procrastination.

“You’re being lazy again. Why not just send someone to keep an eye on them?” asked the System in dissatisfaction.

“And who can I send? They’re creatures that are able to bore into the ground, and who would willingly do that?” retorted Fang Ning.

“There’s someone that would. Doesn’t Bai Shixin’s group of mice live underground? I remember him being quite obedient. When we were looking for the Crimson-mantled Woodpecker the last time, he was very cooperative.” The System immediately raised one candidate.

“Oh, you’re right, then let’s have them keep on eye on things. If that bunch of strip-like monsters do come out to harm humans, you’ll bring them to justice,” said Fang Ning casually.

“Hmm, when that happens, I’ll use the Godly Sword to first chop them up into mahjong tiles, before cutting them into a volleyball team, then finally a football team… Hehe,” hooted the System.

“I don’t understand. But as long as you’re happy.” Fang Ning could care less about the idiotic System. He only wanted to practice his culinary skills.

…

In the newly completed palace hall, Underground Greater Rat Kingdom.

“My king, the Venerable Dragon God has sent a message saying that he has discovered a group of long strip-like monsters in the southwestern mountains at longitude XX, latitude XX. They have burrowed into the ground, so he’s asking for us to send people to keep an eye on them. If they stir up any trouble, we are to notify him immediately,” reported a minister to Bai Shixin.

“Hmm, the heavens really are on my side. I never expected that the Venerable Dragon God would discover these monsters first. Reconciling with him before this is putting me at a great advantage,” said Bai Shixin in a giddy tone.

“How brilliant, my king. Now that we have a powerhouse on our side, as long as they step even half a foot out of line, we can just wait to reap the profits,” complimented the ministers.

Suddenly, a minister with a calm and leisurely demeanor rose to say, “My king, I, Kong Liang, have a plan to propose.”

“Oh, let’s listen to it,” said Bai Shixin, his interest piqued.

“Rather than passively waiting for them to stir up trouble, why not we actively lure them into committing evil instead? If we do so, wouldn’t it be killing somebody through the hands of another?” Kong Liang spoke with a wave of his fan, utterly pleased with himself.

“How dare you!” Contrary to expectations, Bai Shixin continued coldly, “As a military counsellor and my minister, how dare you stray off the righteous path by proposing such a sinister scheme?”

“My, my king, I speak out of loyalty. If we do as my plan proposes, we’ll be able to exterminate them from their roots without wasting a single soldier or a single cent,” explained the minister hurriedly.

“Enough nonsense! I’ll have you know that love and justice are the proper ways of this world. When doing things for others, we must uphold our sincerity; when we’re interacting with other clans, we must leave them alone unless we are provoked. I have already sent people to the Black Jade Clan for soldiers just in case, not for any direct provocation,” said Bai Shixin seriously.

Uh… The ministers in the hall shared looks amongst each other, as if saying, “Do you believe him? I surely don’t.”

However, Bai Shixin did not care what they thought and instead emphasized, “From now on, each of you must remember now to open the borders without consent. Do things with more patience, and always remember that harmony is a virtue.”

The ministers in the room were all dissatisfied; Bai Shixin had not ascended to his position through his own strength, but through prestige and division of interests.

At this time, however, they could not continue to insist on their points. After all, the danger had not yet revealed itself yet.