Great Dream Academy

The Grand Ancestor asked his ministers, "I wish to enlighten the realm, so that everyone may become like dragons. What good plans do you have?"

Duke Bi said, "We can build temples, confer divine titles upon Netherworld Soldiers and generals, reward good and punish evil, and cover all Nineteen Provinces."

The Grand Ancestor frowned slightly.

Duke Zhao said, "We can compile a grand canon, gather countless virtuous methods, and spread them throughout the realm."

The Grand Ancestor's expression eased somewhat.

Duke of Zhou said, "The common people already endure many hardships. They work at sunrise and rest at sunset; we must not merely add to their burdens. Building temples and compiling canons should encourage the officials, not burden the common folk. The ancient Nightmare Sect, branded a heretical cult, possessed an art called 'Great Dream Spring and Autumn' and a treasure called 'One Dream World,' which allowed its disciples to kill in their dreams."

"Arts are neither good nor evil; this minister can alter their use. All citizens of our Zhou Dynasty may gain enlightenment in their dreams without harming their bodies."

The Grand Ancestor clapped his hands and laughed. "Excellent!"

Thus, he ordered Duke of Zhou to decipher dreams and spread the method across the realm.

Of course, that historical tale was fabricated.

Zhao Xing clearly remembered that Cloud Dream Academy had absolutely nothing to do with the Grand Ancestor or Duke Dan of Zhou, one of the founding fathers.

The ancient Nightmare Sect was not some heretical cult at all, but the state religion of Great Li, another Dynasty of Fate that existed before Zhou.

The cultivation art 'Great Dream Spring and Autumn' and the supreme treasure 'One Dream World' did indeed exist.

Cloud Dream Academy's predecessor was called Great Dream Academy.

It had been used by the Great Li Dynasty for "elite education," recruiting talented individuals, and it could indeed be used to kill people in dreams.

After Great Li fell, several dynasties rose and fell before the Great Zhou obtained the supreme treasure.

The Zhou Emperor wanted to decipher it and make it his own, but he utterly failed.

It was not until the era of Wu Emperor that One Dream World was deciphered and transformed into Cloud Dream Academy in Wu Emperor's hands.

At the same time, this historical tale emerged.

But why did Wu Emperor place the credit on the Grand Ancestor?

Because the treasure had not actually been "deciphered" in his hands. Rather, one of his ministers had accidentally discovered the method of entering it in ancient records.

All it took was the simplest Soul-Soothing Talisman and Guiding Talisman, along with a single phrase.

Moreover, Great Li had already developed most of its functions. It only needed a few casual modifications before it could be used.

They had possessed the supreme treasure for years without finding a way to decipher it. When they finally found the method, they discovered it was outrageously simple!

Furthermore, the ancient emperors had already done everything he wanted to do. All that remained was large-scale promotion and simplification.

The proud Wu Emperor found that humiliating. It was as though he could see the emperors of Great Li mocking his incompetence. Naturally, he could not bring himself to covet the "great achievement" and "great merit" the world would see in it.

It was unsuitable to attribute it to any of the preceding dynasties, so he simply pushed it all the way back and credited the Grand Ancestor with it.

The Soul-Soothing Talisman and Guiding Talisman glowed faintly. A heavy drowsiness swept over him, and Zhao Xing's eyelids grew heavy. Before long, soft snores rose from him.

Within the dream, Zhao Xing abruptly sat up and looked ahead.

Endless clouds blanketed the surroundings, so dense that he could not see clearly.

Only a towering gateway dozens of zhang high stood before him.

Four ancient characters were carved upon it: Great Dream Academy.

"I really got in?"

Zhao Xing's first instinct was to check his panel, only to find that he could not access it at all. That meant he had truly entered.

His second thought was:

"I'm rich!"

"This is an early-version Cloud Dream Academy instance—no, that's not right. It's still called Great Dream Academy! It's an entirely undeveloped mountain of gold!"

"It's utterly incomparable to the later version, after Wu Emperor emptied its treasures and it became an everyday player instance!"

Zhao Xing was somewhat excited.

He had missed the good times in his previous life, but things were different now.

After sorting through his thoughts and recalling certain precautions, Zhao Xing stepped into the gateway shrouded in clouds and mist.

With one step, the scene abruptly changed.

Before him rose magnificent palaces wrapped in semicircular barriers of light.

Reincarnation Hall, Heart Questioning Platform, Martial God Pagoda, Secret Arts Repository, Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, Sacred Beast Palace, Life Palace...

Pavilions, towers, palace complexes, covered corridors, and sky bridges were arranged in elegant layers amid rolling peaks and swirling clouds, as though he had entered an immortal paradise.

Zhao Xing's eyes immediately dazzled, and saliva nearly dripped from his mouth.

According to the "background story" compiled by players in his previous life, Wu Emperor had only possessed the confidence to forcibly conquer the eight wildernesses because he obtained the treasure vault Great Li had accumulated.

Now, all those treasures were displayed before Zhao Xing one by one. Yet before he could inspect them closely, most of the palaces sank into the clouds and vanished.

Only several small pavilions remained.

"Hm? What's going on?" Zhao Xing froze. "Why did they disappear?"

He quickly chased after the direction in which one palace had vanished. Yet after walking only several dozen meters, a gentle force blocked him. Every step became extremely difficult until he could no longer advance.

He tried several times, but the result was always the same. Zhao Xing stood where he was, frowning as he pondered for a long while before finally realizing.

This was Great Dream Academy, not Cloud Dream Academy.

"Great Li's Great Dream Academy was specifically meant to cultivate geniuses, while Great Zhou's 'Cloud Dream Academy' taught without discrimination, regardless of aptitude."

"The former not only allowed one to learn high-level secret arts, but also to bring back tangible rewards, each one a precious treasure. However, it had entry requirements and difficult trials."

"The latter mainly contained low- and mid-level secret manuals, with very few tangible rewards. But it had virtually no threshold. Even children could wander through every part of the academy, and there were hardly any trials."

Once he understood, Zhao Xing could only helplessly watch the treasure-filled buildings disappear into the clouds.

Now, he did not need to search for them himself.

The moment he began moving, he had triggered the mechanism. What remained in the end were the places where he could attempt to claim rewards.

"Let's see what's left. There's no need to rush. It'll be at least several hundred years before Wu Emperor empties the treasure vault." Zhao Xing immediately relaxed. He had plenty of time to slowly empty the place out.

After waiting a moment, the countless palaces and pavilions finally disappeared, leaving only a high platform floating in the sky.

Clouds churned as a staircase spiraled down from the platform to Zhao Xing's feet.

"Heart Questioning Platform?"

"Looks like my level is too low. I'm not qualified to touch anything else. Only this Heart Questioning Platform, which has nothing to do with cultivation level, gives me hope of clearing a trial and winning rewards."

The Heart Questioning Platform's trials were mostly based on the seven emotions and six desires, creating scenarios tailored to different people.

It also followed certain rules: it created whatever one currently desired most or feared most.

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

"Don't tell me it's going to start with something terrifyingly difficult..."

He took a deep breath and cautiously stepped onto the first stair.

Buzz—

The scene around him suddenly changed, and Zhao Xing caught a refreshing, intoxicating fragrance.

Water rippled. Flower petals floated on the surface, steam rose into the air, and a beauty leaned against the edge of a bath barrel.

A pert rear half-hidden from view, a bare back, fragrant shoulders, silky hair...

"What? The Lust Trial?"

"Heart Questioning Platform, did you get something wrong? Could this old man's greatest current desire possibly be such lowbrow indulgence?!"