On the card's face was nothing but a colossal structure.
With nothing else depicted, the core of this card was clearly the arena itself.
A building card?
Lu Heng was a little surprised.
He ran a hand over the card. A flash of red light passed through, and the jade plaque's information thickened.
[Battle Arena]
[Rank]: Sixth Tier – Red
[Type]: Multifunctional Item Card
[Traits]: Time – Self-Repair; Gravity – Training Ground; Skill Contest – Fair Suppression
[Description]: "Walk the path of cultivation—fight the heavens, fight others, seize opportunities! Whoever has the bigger fist speaks the truth. If you're unconvinced, then step up and fight again!"
Good heavens.
This card was literally an arena.
Lu Heng examined it carefully.
It had plenty of uses.
First, it could be thrown like a skill, trapping people inside.
Its effect resembled a set of special rules: once trapped inside, you could only leave by defeating your opponent. If you lost and died, you stayed in the arena forever.
The gravity trait obviously allowed him to inflict negative effects on opponents.
If the opponent was too strong, he could weigh them down first, then fight.
"If the two sides are close in strength, pulling them into the arena basically seals their fate," Lu Heng mused with a nod. This card was definitely interesting.
A one-on-one duel where you could cripple your opponent before the fight—just the thought of it felt satisfying.
And when there were no enemies, the arena still had plenty of functions.
The gravity training ground could increase pressure on himself to hone his skills under strain.
The fair suppression of skill meant both fighters' cultivation levels would be forced to the same baseline, leaving only technique to decide the outcome.
As for the time-based self-repair trait, that was easy to grasp: even if the arena was damaged, it would revert to its original state using time's power—a perfect reset point, like a game's rollback feature. Shattered to pieces? It would simply restore itself.
"Useful… but not much for me." Lu Heng frowned.
With the boost of his Ninth-Tier Equipment Device, the arena's strength would increase, but what of it?
He had the card "Money Is Power," which had already raised his "realm" well beyond Seventh Tier.
Even at Seventh Tier, what could the arena do for him?
He had plenty of other boost cards.
As it stood, against the enemies he faced, the arena was chicken ribs—something good but tasteless, hard to throw away.
"It's a good thing, but it needs to sit for now."
He was about to equip it casually and leave it be when a thought struck him.
Lu Heng stared at the arena on the card's surface.
Its structure looked remarkably like the Bird's Nest Stadium—only larger.
"There's even spectator seating…" he muttered.
Didn't Paimon complain there was no place to use the cards?
Well, here it was.
"But there's no opponent…" Lu Heng pondered.
After a moment's thought, he had an idea.
With his power, he could attach another structure beside the arena.
The effect would be like Genshin's Spiral Abyss—or, say, Wuthering Waves' tower—
In short, a place for "players" to climb floors and claim rewards.
He had no need to hand out rewards, but building such a venue would let people directly see where their strength truly stood.
And then something else would naturally arise:
If rankings and results were made public, competition would spark.
A and B had similar strength; A was on the sixth floor while B was on the fifth. Wouldn't A feel superior?
"A: Bro, we're about the same strength, how come you're only on the fifth floor?"
B would feel indignant—wouldn't he want to climb?
If he couldn't, wouldn't he come to Lu Heng's shop to draw cards and get stronger?
"Am I really starting to push people to spend money?" Lu Heng blinked in disbelief.
Was he about to walk that path?
But thinking it through—
Forcing spending in a game and spending in real life were two different things.
Here, they paid to get stronger, and in the end the benefits were theirs.
With that in mind, Lu Heng felt no guilt.
It gave people something to do, helped them understand their strength, fueled the economy—and, incidentally, filled his own coffers.
"This line of thinking is right!"
"Hmm, and I should create a sense of honor!" The arena had spectator seats, after all.
He could host tournaments with millions in the audience cheering.
Even the calmest heart would stir under such thunderous acclaim.
Inspired, Lu Heng pulled out his phone and searched for a while.
"Apprentice of Cards: The Master's Path"—a new hit by a famous Inazuma light novel author.
"This might really have potential."
He thought it over more and more seriously.
There were already plenty of Fifth-Tier powerhouses in the card system, but aside from occasional sparring, nothing big ever happened.
Why?
The reason was simple: everyone knew how terrifying the destruction of gods could be.
There was no place to unleash it.
A slight mistake, and innocent lives would be swept away. One stray blow could crush someone who'd done nothing wrong—bloodshed for no reason.
But with the arena, this would change.
Fights in the arena wouldn't affect the outside world.
Even a battle maniac like Tartaglia would practically live there.
"First I need to build the tower."
Lu Heng made up his mind.
Holding the card, his figure flickered into the void.
He equipped the card, lifted his hand—
The void churned, and the arena rose like an island suspended in space.
Opening his right hand, endless magic surged forth, condensing as though 3D-printed.
In moments, a small tower took shape, climbing to ninety-nine floors.
The first ninety floors—every ten floors represented one rank.
Honestly, beyond the Fifth Tier, these levels were off-limits to today's Teyvat.
Maybe only Phanes at full power could clear two floors.
"The tower's done, but what monsters do I put inside?"
He frowned in thought.
The lower levels were easy—phantoms of Hilichurls or Lawachurls would do, their strength low.
But the gap between Fourth and Fifth Tier was a true wall.
Against a Fifth-Tier, endless mobs were useless unless their source was unkillable.
The best test for a Fifth-Tier was a flawless single opponent.
"Ah!"
Lu Heng suddenly thought of a good idea—
The Uncrowned.
In holographic mode, its speed was extreme, its martial skill stunning.
It could even feint.
It might clutch its head and stagger like it's losing, then in the next instant flash to your side and drive a punch into your ribs—could you take it?
"Can't make it too rigid—needs to be flexible."
From the fifty-first to fifty-sixth floors, he placed Uncrowned warriors of various strengths.
On the fifty-seventh, he set "Calamity-Bearing Mikoto."
On the fifty-eighth, the mighty "Full-Power Morax."
On the fifty-ninth, "The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles."
And on the sixtieth—the threshold of Sixth Tier—"The Original Four Shadows."
"Perfect."
Seeing the phantoms appear inside the tower, Lu Heng nodded.
He tossed the tower aside.
It landed beside the arena and instantly grew towering and grand.
With a wave of his hand, the entire arena shrank countless times and fell into his palm.
Carrying it, Lu Heng stepped through the void, emerging above Teyvat's vast ocean.
He chose his spot and set the arena on the sea.
Several runes sank into it, merging with its form, and an invisible barrier wrapped it to contain the power within.
He also built a teleportation hub.
Anchored to his various branches, they linked together so anyone in any shop could teleport straight to the arena.
After finishing, Lu Heng logged into his social account and posted a message.
Snezhnaya.
Having finally returned home, Tartaglia had visited his family.
He knew he couldn't delay; he had to send money to the Great Dendro Archon soon.
Wrapped in his executive's cloak, he was about to enter the palace to bid the Tsaritsa farewell when his phone chimed softly.
He glanced at the screen.
[The "Lu Heng" you follow has posted a new update.]
"Mr. Lu posted something?"
Even the Tsaritsa could wait—this had to be checked first.
He opened it.
[Lu Heng]: Since the advent of the card system, everyone's strength has grown differently, yet rankings remain unclear. Equipment Devices have tiers but can't authoritatively measure your true power. Now, good news! The Ranking Tower has appeared! Every rank corresponds to ten floors. Want to know exactly where you stand? Enter the Ranking Tower! The opponents within are powerful and authoritative. Defeat them to earn recognition! Your record will be displayed on your account. No more guessing your own strength!
Tartaglia blinked, then read the detailed description carefully.
By the end, his pupils contracted.
In Snezhnaya's freezing air, he exhaled a white breath; his whole body trembled.
His blood was boiling.
He glanced down at the platinum Equipment Device at his waist—exquisite, dignified.
With a thought, twelve cards floated around him, and a projection-like light curtain appeared:
[Holder]: Tartaglia
[Equipment Device Tier]: Fifth (57%)
[Ranking Tower Record]: None
"By device tier I should reach the fifty-fifth floor?" Tartaglia frowned.
Was fifty-five enough?
If that score showed on his Device, how could he speak loudly?
He locked his phone and tightened his cloak, striding into the Winter Palace with determination.
"Your Majesty!!!"
He burst in, dropping to his knees in dramatic despair.
The Tsaritsa: "…"
"Your Majesty! I'm the pride of Snezhnaya! If I can only reach the fifty-fifth floor, it's humiliating! Liyue will look down on us!"
The Tsaritsa: "…"
Was it really that serious?
Though she had to admit, Tartaglia's acting had improved—from clumsy at first to convincingly tearful now.
But Snezhnaya had no such money.
Give it all to Tartaglia, how would they live?
Liyue Harbor.
"What do you think of the Ranking Tower?" Ningguang asked.
Keqing thought a moment. "It's a good thing. At least it lets us see where we really stand."
Seeing Keqing's eager expression, Ningguang smiled. "You're itching to challenge the Lord of Geo, aren't you?"
"Of course! But I can't just draw my sword on him. If it's his phantom in the Ranking Tower, though, I can strike without hesitation!"
"Oh~" Ningguang drew out the sound lazily. "Then either don't rank at all, or get a score strong enough to impress."
"I know," Keqing nodded firmly.
Port Ormos.
"Want to give it a try?" Kaeya asked with a grin.
Diluc stared at the tower's description on his phone.
His expression didn't change much, but inside, an old fire stirred.
Let's be honest—everyone was young once. Who didn't like to compare?
"I'm counting on you," Kaeya clapped Diluc's shoulder.
"Heh." Diluc gave him a glance. "You? Which floor will you reach?"
Kaeya shrugged. "Not sure. Maybe the forties?"
"In the Ragnvindr family we don't raise weaklings. I'll name a number: forty-six," Diluc said coolly.
"You're trying to kill me?" Kaeya groaned.
He had a Fifth-Tier Gold Card, but his Equipment Device tier wasn't high.
"You're young—now's the time to fight." The more miserable Kaeya looked, the more satisfied Diluc felt.
Inazuma.
At Tenshukaku, Raiden Ei finished reading the Ranking Tower's details and couldn't sleep.
Honestly, she hadn't fought seriously in centuries.
Across Teyvat, few could be called her opponents.
Venti and Morax were colleagues with their own duties—no time for duels, much less grudges.
Her strength had nowhere to go. It was painful.
But now she had a place.
"Sister, how many floors do you think I can reach?" Ei asked eagerly.
Raiden Makoto thought a moment. "I'm not sure. With just your own strength, the fifty-whatever floor shouldn't be a problem?"
"Definitely no problem!" Ei said with full confidence.
"Arrogant," the puppet Shogun chuckled.
The phantom on the fifty-seventh floor was her—Ei really thought she could beat it?
She looked forward to Ei crying inside when she failed.
"Brothers, you all saw the new Ranking Tower, right?"
Lumine smiled at her stream. "This isn't just hype—I can easily clear the fifty-first and fifty-second floors!"
"No way, I don't believe it!"
"Can you stream inside the tower? Show us the view from the fiftieth floor!"
"Just watch and see!" Paimon crossed her arms, brimming with confidence.
"Hang on, I'll ask."
Lumine messaged Lu Heng and got the green light. She turned back to the stream. "Alright! Today I'll show you my unbeatable technique in the Ranking Tower!"
"Hope you get crushed!"
"No crying if you lose!"
"Hope the tower's tough enough—I want to see her break down."
"Even if it's hard, she's a genuine Fifth-Tier master!"
The chat scrolled fast with excitement as the stage was set for a new challenge.
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T/N:
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