Chapter 3: Great Dream Academy
The Emperor Taizu asked his ministers, "I wish to enlighten the world so that everyone may become as dragons. What strategies do you propose?"
Minister Bi said, "We could build temples, enshrine divine generals, reward virtue and punish evil, spreading this across the nineteen provinces."
Emperor Taizu frowned slightly.
Minister Zhao said, "We could compile a great canon, gathering all virtuous methods, and disseminate it throughout the land."
Emperor Taizu's expression eased a little.
Duke Zhou said, "The common people already face many hardships. They work from dawn to dusk and cannot bear additional burdens. Building temples and compiling great canons should be a task for officials, not the people. The ancient demonic sect known as the Nightmare Sect had a method called ‘The Great Dream Chronicle’ and a treasure named ‘One Dream, Heaven and Earth.’ It allowed disciples to kill in their dreams."
"The method itself is neutral, neither good nor evil. Your Majesty could modify its use. All our people of the Zhou Dynasty could be enlightened in their dreams without harm to their bodies."
Emperor Taizu clapped and laughed heartily, "Excellent!"
Thus, he ordered Duke Zhou to interpret dreams and spread this method throughout the world.
Of course, this story is entirely fictional.
Zhao Xing clearly remembered that the Cloud Dream Academy had absolutely nothing to do with Emperor Taizu or the founding hero, Duke Zhou Dan.
The ancient sect Nightmare Sect wasn't a demonic sect either. It was actually the state religion of the previous great dynasty, the Li Dynasty.
The technique ‘The Great Dream Chronicle’ and the treasure ‘One Dream, Heaven and Earth’ did indeed exist.
The predecessor of the Cloud Dream Academy was called the Great Dream Academy.
It was used by the Li Dynasty to conduct 'elite education' and recruit geniuses, and it could indeed be used to kill in dreams.
After the fall of the Li Dynasty, it passed through several dynasties before the Great Zhou acquired the treasure.
The Zhou Emperor sought to decipher it and use it for his own purposes but never succeeded.
It wasn’t until the reign of Emperor Wu that the treasure ‘One Dream, Heaven and Earth’ was finally deciphered and turned into the ‘Cloud Dream Academy’ in his hands.
At the same time, the legend surrounding it was born.
So why did Emperor Wu credit this achievement to Emperor Taizu?
Because the treasure wasn't actually deciphered by him, but rather discovered by a minister who unintentionally found the method in ancient texts.
The method was absurdly simple, involving the use of basic talismans—[Calming Talisman] and [Guiding Talisman]—in conjunction with a simple incantation to enter.
The treasure had already been extensively developed by the Li Dynasty, so it only required slight modifications for use.
After possessing the treasure for years without cracking it, they finally found the solution, only to realize it was so simple that it was almost ridiculous!
Moreover, by that time, the ancient emperors had already done everything they had intended, only needing to simplify the method for mass implementation.
Prideful Emperor Wu felt deeply embarrassed. He could almost imagine the Li Dynasty’s emperor mocking his incompetence and couldn't possibly claim such an achievement as his own 'great merit.'
It wasn't fitting to attribute this to any of the preceding emperors either, so he ultimately credited it to Emperor Taizu.
As the [Calming Talisman] and [Guiding Talisman] began to glow faintly, a wave of drowsiness washed over Zhao Xing, making his eyelids grow heavy, and soon, soft snores filled the air.
In his dream, Zhao Xing abruptly stood up and looked around.
Endless clouds surrounded him, so thick that he could barely see through them.
A towering gateway, several dozen meters high, appeared before him.
On it, ancient script engraved four words: Great Dream Academy.
"Did I really get in?"
His first instinct was to check his interface, but he realized he couldn’t access it, confirming that he had indeed entered.
His second thought was:
"I’ve struck gold!"
"This is an early version of the Cloud Dream Academy dungeon. No, wait, it’s still called the Great Dream Academy! It's an untouched goldmine!"
"It’s completely incomparable to the later version after Emperor Wu emptied the treasure vaults, leaving it as a mere daily dungeon for players!"
Zhao Xing felt a surge of excitement.
In his past life, he hadn’t caught this opportunity, but now things were different.
After gathering his thoughts and recalling some important details, Zhao Xing stepped through the mist-covered gateway.
With one step, the scene changed dramatically.
Before him appeared grand palaces, each encased in a dome-shaped barrier, gleaming with golden brilliance.
Hall of Reincarnation, Platform of Reflection, Martial God Tower, Secret Law Archives, Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, Sacred Beast Palace, Palace of Fate...
Pavilions, halls, bridges, and corridors stood tall and majestic, nestled among the mist-covered peaks, as though he were in a celestial paradise.
Zhao Xing's eyes gleamed with excitement, and he couldn't help but salivate.
In the background lore that players of his previous life had pieced together, Emperor Wu had seized the accumulated treasures of the Li Dynasty, giving him the resources to subjugate the Eight Desolations.
Now, those very treasures were laid out before Zhao Xing. However, before he could examine them closely, the majority of the palaces vanished into the clouds, leaving only a few small pavilions.
"Huh? What’s going on?" Zhao Xing was taken aback. "Why did they disappear?"
He hurried toward one of the palaces that had vanished but was quickly stopped by a gentle force, making it difficult to move forward.
After several attempts, he realized he could no longer advance.
Standing in place, Zhao Xing pondered for a long while before it dawned on him.
"This is the Great Dream Academy, not the Cloud Dream Academy."
"The Great Dream Academy of the Li Dynasty was designed to cultivate geniuses, while the Cloud Dream Academy of the Zhou Dynasty admitted all, regardless of aptitude."
"The former allowed one to learn high-level secret techniques and even bring back physical rewards, each being a valuable treasure. But there were entrance requirements and difficult tests."
"The latter primarily offered mid- to low-level secret texts, with few physical rewards. However, it had no barriers to entry, even children could wander its halls without facing challenges."
Realizing this, Zhao Xing could only watch helplessly as the treasure-filled palaces disappeared into the clouds.
At least he no longer had to search on his own.
Because the moment he moved, the mechanism had been triggered, leaving behind only the places where he could try to earn rewards.
"Let’s see what's left. There's no need to rush. After all, there are still a few hundred years before Emperor Wu empties the treasure vaults." Zhao Xing relaxed, knowing he had plenty of time to claim everything here.
After waiting a moment, all the countless palaces and pavilions vanished, leaving only a single high platform floating in the sky.
The clouds swirled, and a staircase spiraled down from the platform to Zhao Xing's feet.
"Platform of Reflection?"
"It seems my level is too low, and I’m not qualified to touch the other places. The ‘Platform of Reflection,’ which doesn’t depend on cultivation level, is my only chance to earn a reward."
The tests of the Platform of Reflection were primarily focused on emotions and desires, with the scenarios tailored to each individual.
There were certain patterns to it: it would create scenarios of either what one most desired or most feared at the time.
Looking at the Platform of Reflection, Zhao Xing felt a hint of a bad memory surfacing.
"It better not be something terrifying and impossible to handle right away..."
Taking a deep breath, he carefully stepped onto the first stair.
Buzz~
The surroundings shifted instantly, and Zhao Xing caught the scent of a soothing fragrance.
Water rippled softly, petals floated on the surface, and steam rose in the air. A beautiful woman lay across the edge of the tub.
Her half-hidden, shapely figure, bare back, delicate shoulders, and flowing hair were faintly visible...
"What? A test of lust?"
"Platform of Reflection, you must be mistaken! How could such base desires be what I crave the most right now?!"
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