Chapter 3: The Great Dream Academy

The Great Ancestor asked the ministers, "I wish to enlighten the world, so that everyone may be like Dragons. Do you have any wise strategies?"

Minister Bi said, "We can establish a Temple, enshrine the gods of war, reward the good and punish the evil, covering the Nineteen States."

The Great Ancestor slightly nodded.

Minister Zhao said, "We can revise the Great Canon, gathering ten thousand virtuous methods to spread wisdom across the world."

The Great Ancestor's expression softened slightly.

Minister Zhou said, "The common people suffer greatly, working from sunrise to sunset, and cannot bear additional burdens. Establishing a Temple and revising the Great Canon should compel the officials, not the common people. The ancient sect Dream Demon Sect has a method called 'Great Dream of Spring and Autumn' and a treasure named 'One Dream of Heaven and Earth,' which allows disciples to kill in dreams."

"The method itself is neither good nor evil; I can modify its use. All the people of our Zhou dynasty can be enlightened in dreams without harm to their bodies."

The Great Ancestor clapped and laughed heartily, "Excellent!"

Thus, he ordered Minister Zhou to interpret dreams and spread wisdom across the world.

The above story is, of course, fictional.

Zhao Xing clearly remembered that Yunmeng Academy had nothing to do with the Great Ancestor or the founding hero Minister Zhou. The ancient sect Dream Demon Sect was not an evil cult but the state religion of the previous dynasty, Great Li.

The method 'Great Dream of Spring and Autumn' and the supreme treasure 'One Dream of Heaven and Earth' indeed existed. The predecessor of Yunmeng Academy was called 'Great Dream Academy.' It was used by the Great Li dynasty for 'elite education,' attracting talents, and could indeed be used to kill in dreams.

After the fall of Great Li, several dynasties passed, and the supreme treasure was acquired by Great Zhou. The Zhou emperor wanted to decipher it for his own use but never succeeded.

It wasn't until the Martial Emperor's era that the supreme treasure 'One Dream of Heaven and Earth' was deciphered and transformed into 'Yunmeng Academy' by the Martial Emperor.

With this, the legend also followed.

Why did the Martial Emperor attribute the credit to the Great Ancestor?

Because the treasure was not deciphered by him but was accidentally discovered by a minister in ancient records, entering the method.

With the simplest [Soul Calming Talisman] and [Guiding Talisman], one could enter with just a phrase. The effects had long been developed by Great Li, and with slight modifications, it could be used.

Having held the supreme treasure for many years without a breakthrough, finally finding the method only to discover it was so simple was frustrating!

Moreover, the ancient emperors had already accomplished everything they wanted, only lacking the promotion of the grand scale, simplifying this step.

The proud Martial Emperor felt humiliated, as if he saw the emperor of Great Li mocking his incompetence, making it impossible for him to covet this so-called 'great achievement' and 'great merit' in the eyes of the world.

It didn't fit the previous dynasties either, so he naturally pushed it to the Great Ancestor.

The Soul Calming Talisman and Guiding Talisman glowed slightly, and a strong drowsiness overcame Zhao Xing, making his eyelids heavy, and he gradually fell asleep.

In the dream realm, Zhao Xing suddenly rose and looked up.

Endless clouds surrounded him, so dense that he couldn't see clearly.

Only a towering gate tower appeared before him, with ancient script carved on it: Great Dream Academy.

"Am I really here?" Zhao Xing's first thought was to check the panel, but he found he couldn't see it, so he was indeed here.

The second thought was: "I'm going to get rich!"

"This is the early version of Yunmeng Academy, oh no, it's still called Great Dream Academy now! It's a completely undeveloped gold mine!"

"Compared to later when it was emptied by the Martial Emperor and became a common dungeon for players, it's incomparable!"

Zhao Xing was a bit excited.

In his previous life, he missed the good times, but now it's different.

After organizing his thoughts and recalling some important details, Zhao Xing stepped into the swirling clouds and mist of the gate.

With one step, the scene changed dramatically.

Before him appeared a series of palaces enveloped in a semicircular light veil, shining with golden jade brilliance.

[Hall of Reincarnation], [Heart Inquiry Platform], [Martial God Tower], [Secret Method Treasury], [Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion], [Sacred Beast Palace], [Life Palace]...

Pavilions and towers, palaces scattered, corridors and sky bridges, orderly and layered, clouds and mist swirling, as if in a fairyland.

Zhao Xing's eyes were dazzled, and he drooled.

In the 'background story' concluded by players in the previous life, the Martial Emperor obtained the treasure trove accumulated by Great Li, which gave him enough confidence to conquer the eight wildernesses.

Now these treasures were presented one by one before Zhao Xing, but before he could examine them closely, most of the palaces disappeared into the clouds, vanishing from sight.

Only a few small towers remained.

"Hmm? What's going on?" Zhao Xing was puzzled. "Why did they disappear?"

He quickly chased after the direction where a palace disappeared, but after walking a few dozen meters, he was stopped by a gentle force, making it difficult to proceed, unable to move an inch.

After several attempts, all the same, Zhao Xing stood in place, pondering for a long time before realizing.

This is the Great Dream Academy, not Yunmeng Academy.

"Great Dream Academy of Great Li is specifically for nurturing talents, while Great Zhou's 'Yunmeng Academy' teaches without discrimination, regardless of aptitude."

"The former not only allows learning advanced secret methods but also brings back real rewards, each being a precious treasure. However, it has entry barriers and high difficulty trials."

"The latter mainly focuses on mid-to-low-level secret techniques, with very few real rewards. However, it has no entry barriers, even children can explore every corner of the academy without any trials."

After understanding, Zhao Xing could only helplessly watch as the treasures disappeared into the clouds.

Now he didn't need to search himself.

Because as soon as he moved, he triggered the mechanism, and what remained was the place where he could try to get rewards.

"Let's see what's left, no need to rush. Now, there's still at least a few hundred years before the Martial Emperor empties the treasure trove."

Zhao Xing's mindset relaxed, he had plenty of time to slowly explore here.

After waiting for a while, all the palaces and towers disappeared, leaving only a high platform floating in the sky.

Clouds rolled, and a staircase spiraled from the high platform to Zhao Xing's feet.

"Heart Inquiry Platform?"

"Looks like my level is too low, I can't touch anything else, only this 'Heart Inquiry Platform' unrelated to cultivation has hope for rewards."

The Heart Inquiry Platform's trials are mostly about the seven emotions and six desires, creating scenarios based on different people.

It also has some rules: creating the most desired or feared situation at the moment.

Looking at the Heart Inquiry Platform, Zhao Xing seemed to recall some unpleasant memories.

"It won't be something terrifying and difficult, will it..."

Taking a deep breath, he cautiously stepped onto the first step.

"Ah~"

The surrounding scene suddenly changed, and Zhao Xing smelled a heart-stirring fragrance.

Water rippled, flower petals floated on the surface, steam rose, and a beautiful woman was leaning against the edge of a tub.

Half-hidden curves, bare back, fragrant shoulders, silky hair...

"What? A trial of lust?"

"Heart Inquiry Platform, did you make a mistake? Is this low-level desire really what I crave most right now?!"

(End of Chapter)