Grand Ancestor asked his ministers, "I wish to enlighten the masses, making everyone as wise as dragons. What good strategies do you all have?"
Bi Gong said, "Construct divine temples, seal ghost soldiers as Divine Generals, reward the good and punish the evil, covering the Nine Provinces."
Grand Ancestor frowned slightly.
Zhao Gong said, "Codify the grand canons, gather thousands of good laws, and disseminate them throughout the land."
Grand Ancestor's expression slightly cleared.
Zhou Gong said, "The common folk endure much hardship. They rise at sunrise to toil and rest at sunset and should not be burdened further. Establishing divine temples and codifying grand canons should motivate the officials, not the commoners. The ancient sect Nightmare Sect from before had a secret technique called 'Great Dream Spring and Autumn' and a treasure called 'One Dream under Heaven,' which could enable their disciples to kill people in dreams."
"Laws are neither inherently good nor evil. I could alter their application. All citizens of the Great Zhou could awaken their intellect in dreams without harming their bodies."
Grand Ancestor clapped excitedly and laughed, "Excellent!"
He then ordered Zhou Gong to interpret dreams and spread it throughout the land.
......
Of course, the above legend is fictional.
Zhao Xing vividly remembered that Yun Meng Academy had absolutely nothing to do with Grand Ancestor and the founding luminary Zhou Gongdan.
The ancient sect Nightmare Sect was also not some heretical cult but the state religion of another Fortune Dynasty from before the Zhou, the Da Li Dynasty.
The cultivation technique 'Great Dream Spring and Autumn' and the treasure 'One Dream under Heaven' did indeed exist.
The predecessor of Yun Meng Academy was called the Dream Palace.
It was used by the Da Li Dynasty for 'elite education,' to attract geniuses, and it could indeed be used to kill people in dreams.
After the fall of Da Li, several dynasties passed, and the Great Zhou acquired the treasure.
The Emperor of Zhou sought to decipher it for his own use, but he never managed to.
It wasn't until the Emperor Wu Period that the treasure 'One Dream under Heaven' was deciphered and turned into 'Yun Meng Academy' by Emperor Wu.
At the same time, this legend also emerged.
So why did Emperor Wu attribute the achievement to Grand Ancestor?
Because the treasure wasn't 'deciphered' under his reign but was discovered inadvertently from ancient texts by one of his ministers.
Access was as simple as using a "Soul Calming Talisman" and a "Guiding Talisman," combined with a single phrase.
The effects had already been nearly fully developed by Da Li, ready to be slightly modified and used.
Having possessed the treasure for many years without a way to decode it, when he finally found a way, he was flabbergasted at its simplicity!
Moreover, ancient emperors had already accomplished what they wanted to achieve; all that remained was to implement it on a large scale, simplifying this step.
The proud and high-spirited Emperor Wu felt humiliated, as if he could see the Emperor of Da Li mocking his incompetence. He couldn't possibly claim such 'great achievement' or 'great merit' in the eyes of the people.
Attributing it to earlier dynasties seemed inappropriate, so he decisively pushed it all the way back to Grand Ancestor.
......
The Soul Calming Talisman and the Guiding Talisman glowed faintly, and a profound sleepiness overcame Zhao Xing, who soon felt his eyelids weigh heavy, and gentle snores began to sound.
In the dream, Zhao Xing suddenly sat up and looked around.
Endless clouds enveloped everything, so dense that visibility was poor.
Only a towering gate, several tens of feet tall, appeared before him.
Ancient script was carved on it with four characters: Dream Palace.
"Did I really get in?"
Zhao Xing's first instinct was to check his panel, but since he couldn't see it, he must really be inside.
His second thought was:
"I'm going to be rich!"
"An early version of the Yun Meng Academy instance, oh no, it's still called Dream Palace! Totally an undeveloped goldmine!"
"Compared to later, when Emperor Wu emptied the treasure vault, turning it into a routine dungeon for players, it's simply incomparable!"
Zhao Xing was somewhat excited.
In his previous life, he hadn't caught the good times, but now things were different.
Gathering his thoughts, remembering certain precautions, Zhao Xing stepped into the mist-enshrouded portal.
With one step, the scene changed dramatically.
In front of him appeared palaces wrapped in a semi-circular light shield, resplendent in gold and splendor.
Reincarnation Hall, Heart Inquiry Platform, Martial God Tower, Magic Secret Storage, Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, Holy Beast Palace, Fate Palace...
Pavilions, palace complexes, corridors, and sky bridges were laid out in an orderly manner, with cloud and mist winding around, as if he was in a fairyland.
Zhao Xing's eyes dazzled, and his mouth watered.
In the 'background story' summarized by players in his last life, it was because Emperor Wu had gained access to the treasure vault accumulated by the Da Li Dynasty that he had enough confidence to conquest the Eight Wastes.
Now these treasures were displayed in front of Zhao Xing, but before he could take a closer look, most of these palaces were hidden in the clouds and disappeared from sight.
Only a few small pavilions remained.
"Hmm? What's going on?" Zhao Xing was startled. "Why did they disappear?"
He quickly followed the direction where a palace had disappeared, but after walking a few dozen meters, a gentle force blocked him, making it extremely difficult to advance any further.
After several attempts, it was the same, Zhao Xing stood in place, frowning and pondering for a long time before he realized.
This was Dream Palace, not Yun Meng Academy.
"Da Li's Dream Palace is specifically for training geniuses, while the 'Yun Meng Academy' of Great Zhou admits all comers regardless of aptitude."
"The former not only provides the opportunity to learn high-end secret techniques but also to bring back physical rewards, each one a precious treasure. However, it does have an entry threshold and difficult challenges."
"The latter mainly focuses on mid to low-level secret texts with very few physical rewards. But it has no thresholds; even children can wander throughout the academy without facing any challenges."
Understanding this, Zhao Xing could only watch helplessly as one treasure after another disappeared into the clouds.
Now he didn't need to search by himself anymore.
Because as soon as he moved, he triggered a mechanism, and what remained were the places he could try to claim rewards.
"Let's see what's left, no need to rush. There are still several hundred years left until Emperor Wu empties the treasury," Zhao Xing suddenly felt relieved, knowing he had plenty of time to slowly empty this place.
After waiting for a while, all the thousands of palaces and towers disappeared, leaving only a platform floating in the sky.
The clouds churned, with stairs spiraling from the platform down to Zhao Xing's feet.
"Heart Inquiry Platform?"
"It seems my level is too low, I'm not qualified to touch the others. Only this 'Heart Inquiry Platform', which doesn't concern cultivation level, gives me a chance to challenge for rewards."
The Heart Inquiry Platform's challenges are mostly about desires and fears, tailored to different people.
It also has a pattern: creating the things one desires or fears the most.
Looking at the Heart Inquiry Platform, Zhao Xing seemed to recall some unpleasant memories.
"It can't be some terrifyingly difficult thing right off the bat, can it..."
Taking a deep breath, he cautiously stepped onto the first stair.
"Buzz~"
The surrounding scene shifted abruptly, and Zhao Xing suddenly smelled a refreshing fragrance.
Water rippled, petals floated on the surface, steam rose, and a beauty was lying at the edge of a tub.
A hint of buttocks, bare back, shoulders, and flowing hair...
"What? A lust challenge?"
"Heart Inquiry Platform, have you got it wrong? Is this low-grade pleasure really what I desire most right now?!"