Three days after the Wake-Up Array disaster, the Heavenly Alliance convened an emergency assembly.
No sect leaders, no diplomatic pleasantries — just one agenda item:
"Ban sleep."
The Decree
By nightfall, golden proclamation scrolls fluttered down across the continent.
Order of the Heavenly Alliance:
Effective immediately, all cultivators, mortals, beasts, and spiritual entities are forbidden from sleeping.
Rest may be taken in waking meditation only.
Anyone found napping will be fined, imprisoned, or executed depending on level of cultivation.
Yes, we are serious.
Markets erupted. Sect elders swore. Tavern owners panicked — their late-night business relied on tired drunks staggering in after naps.
Skyward Leaf Sect's Response
Mu Shun slammed the proclamation on Jin Ye's tea table.
"They've gone insane! You've pushed them so far they're legislating against human biology!"
Jin Ye poured him tea. "Good. Now they'll be too tired to bother me."
Elder Ping grinned. "Senior Brother, this is our moment. If they can't nap, they'll be desperate for someone to give them naps."
Jin Ye nodded slowly. "Nap monopoly…"
The Nap Resistance
That week, an underground network sprang up across the continent — hidden rooms in teahouses, backrooms of alchemy shops, cargo compartments in merchant barges — all run by agents loyal to the Nap Sovereign.
Members of the Resistance carried subtle signs: a small pillow charm on their belt, a folded blanket in their sleeve, a faint scent of lavender Qi.
At the top of it all sat Jin Ye, sipping tea in his courtyard as coded nap requests arrived via carrier pigeons wearing tiny sleeping caps.
First Clash
The Heavenly Alliance's "Wake Patrols" scoured cities, dragging suspected sleepers into the streets for inspection.
One unlucky patrol captain kicked open the back room of a teahouse… only to find Jin Ye himself reclining on a couch.
"You're under arrest for violation of the Anti-Sleep Act!" the captain barked.
Jin Ye yawned. "You first."
Moments later, the patrol was snoring in a pile, their boots sticking out the doorway.
[Heavenly System Log]
User: Jin Ye
Cultivation: Foundation Establishment – 1st Stage
New Title: "Nap Sovereign" – Your naps are now classified as a black-market commodity; demand increases cultivation gains from naps by 15%.
Passive Effect: Nap Resistance loyalty doubled.
The Alliance's Counter
Elder Tian announced their newest measure: the Eternal Caffeine Formation.
Infused into city water supplies, it would keep everyone permanently awake by flooding their meridians with stimulating Qi.
The first city to test it, Golden Harbor, became a nightmare.
Citizens twitched. Merchants shouted prices until their throats bled. Cultivators trained nonstop until their bones cracked. The streets were full of people staring at walls, unable to blink.
By the third day, half the population begged for unconsciousness.
Jin Ye's Infiltration
Disguised as a tea merchant, Jin Ye entered Golden Harbor with his most dangerous contraband:
Decaffeination Pills — small, black spheres of pure sleepy Qi, capable of undoing the Eternal Caffeine Formation's effects for twelve blissful hours.
He distributed them in alleys, backrooms, and under the noses of Alliance enforcers.
The city's productivity collapsed overnight as an entire district overslept.
The New Problem
Mu Shun brought grim news.
"They've stopped targeting just you, Senior Brother. They've put bounties on anyone found helping you nap people."
Elder Ping smirked. "They're scared. Good."
Jin Ye's eyes glinted. "Let them come. The moment they fight me, they'll sleep. The more they fight, the faster I cultivate."
[Heavenly System Log]
World Event Unlocked: "The Sleep Wars" – Conflict between the Heavenly Alliance and Nap Sovereign escalates to continent-wide proportions.
Victory Condition: Make the Alliance fall asleep simultaneously for over 24 hours.
Jin Ye closed the system window and stood.
"Mu Shun, Elder Ping, gather the Resistance.
We're going to make the whole continent take a nap at once."