Back in the real world, Zhao Fu made himself a bowl of instant noodles and, as usual, turned on his computer. Sitting in front of it, he ate his noodles while logging into the Apocalypse Forum to see if there was any interesting news.
As it turned out, some major things had happened recently. Someone had compiled a "Hero Ranking."
The Hero Ranking had no set order and made no distinctions between those above or below others. It simply listed these figures, all descendants of famous generals and ministers from history.
For example, there was Lu Zhan, a descendant of Lü Bu, the Red Hare rider from the Three Kingdoms. He could face ten bandits with nothing but a halberd. There was Cheng Daman, a descendant of the famous Tang Dynasty general Cheng Yaojin, who wielded a huge axe with imposing flair. And there was Bao Xiaoduan, a descendant of Bao Zheng, the upright judge of the Song Dynasty, who could solve cases with uncanny skill.
After entering Apocalypse World, these descendants of famous ministers and generals seemed to have inherited their legacies and gained the professions of renowned historical figures. But whether they would be willing to serve the same states their ancestors had served remained unknown. They were all immensely talented and thought highly of themselves. Surely they wanted to carve out a domain of their own in Apocalypse World?
Some news had already surfaced. One example was Zhuge Gui, a descendant of Zhuge Liang from the Three Kingdoms, who had boldly declared that he and his ancestor would each serve a different lord and see who came out on top. Another was Li Jun, a descendant of the Ming Dynasty minister Li Shanchang, who had sworn that he would never make peace with the Ming Dynasty...
As Zhao Fu kept reading, something else caught him completely by surprise: some schools of thought that had long since disappeared were gradually rising again.
Among them were the Legalist School, which governed through law; the Military School, which conquered the world through warfare; the Taoist School, which followed the natural order; the Confucian School, which taught and guided the world; the Yin-Yang School, which studied the Five Elements; the School of Names, which practiced debate; the Mohist School, which advocated universal love and condemned aggression; the Agricultural School, which encouraged farming and sericulture to provide ample food and clothing; and the Syncretic School, which combined Confucianism and Mohism, united the School of Names with Legalism, and mastered the teachings of all the schools...
This really was a world of the Hundred Schools of Thought, with a hundred schools contending. Apocalypse World was gradually becoming more interesting. Zhao Fu smiled faintly, but his expression soon tightened.
"Amid a world in turmoil, with all beneath heaven ablaze, the Hundred Schools of Thought stand forth, but only the School of Diplomacy is mine. The stars and moon hang above; on earth lies Ghost Valley. One alliance, one stratagem—their conflict remains unresolved for a hundred years."
"The School of Diplomacy!"
Zhao Fu watched the school with a grave expression. He couldn't help but take it seriously, because it was truly too dangerous.
During the Spring and Autumn period, the Five Hegemons rose; during the Warring States period, the Seven Kingdoms contended. For seven hundred years, behind the rise and fall of every state and dynasty, there was one name they all had in common: the School of Diplomacy from Ghost Valley.
First, Pang Juan joined Wei. With unmatched bravery, he was invincible, attacking Han and Zhao, fighting Chu and resisting Qi, until the once-weak state of Wei swept across the land and dominated the Central Plains. Sun Bin joined Qi, an unrivaled strategist who weakened Zhao, Wei, Han, and Chu, restoring Qi to its position as hegemon. He also wrote a timeless military treatise that would be passed down to later generations.
Later, Su Qin united the six states in an alliance and wore the seals of all six chancellors, while Zhang Yi's strategy of forming separate alliances shattered them. The two treated the world as their board and all its people as pieces, launching a clash at the peak of their power.
This school had very few members, yet it inspired both admiration and fear. The admiration came from the fact that gaining even one member of this lineage was worth a million troops. The fear came from the fact that even one of them possessed the power to destroy a state.
Zhao Fu, too, was deeply concerned about this school. A strange heaviness settled in his heart, and in the end, all he could do was sigh and continue reading.
The biggest news that followed concerned the Ying Family. It was gathering everyone outside the family who shared its bloodline, offering them generous treatment. It had also announced that any descendant who inherited an ancestor's legacy should return to the main family as soon as possible. They would provide anything that person wanted—money, wealth, or beautiful women—and even make them the next heir to the entire Ying Family.
After reading this, Zhao Fu thought it over. He didn't want to join the Ying Family, so he paid the matter no mind.
However, the news drew the attention of all the great families. In terms of power and heritage, Xia, Shang, Zhou, Qin, and Han were undoubtedly the five great hegemonic families. After the Han Dynasty came a period of chaos and division, and the states that emerged then couldn't compare with those five.
Who in this world had no ambitions? Who didn't want to rule it? Ordinary families watched the great families with the legacy of a state. Those families watched the dynastic families that had achieved unification, and those dynastic families watched the five great families that came before them.
Seeing the current situation clearly, Zhao Fu realized that this was the true Warring States Era. He quickly finished his noodles, drank a few mouthfuls of soup, and entered Apocalypse World once again.
As soon as he entered Apocalypse World, Li Si walked over and handed Zhao Fu a medicine bottle, saying that the Small Spirit Pills had been successfully refined. Zhao Fu opened the bottle, and a fresh, fragrant scent drifted out.
Zhao Fu nodded and returned to his room, intending to test how effective the pills were. He tipped one out. It was pale red and about the size of a soybean. After taking it, Zhao Fu began cultivating.
Several hours later, Zhao Fu's face lit up. His cultivation had advanced once again.
Name: Zhao Fu Title: None Profession: Demon Priest Battle Merit: Citizen (213/500) Race: Human Lifespan: 21 (100) Attributes: Strength: 9 Intelligence: 12 Constitution: 8 Agility: 10 Special Power: [Weak Demon Power] Cultivation: Second Stage Cultivation Technique: Great Qin Heart Method Skills: Hellfire Ball, Basic Sword Technique... Equipment: Iron Sword...
The Small Spirit Pills were indeed more effective than cultivating on his own. After testing their effects, Zhao Fu immediately ordered people to cultivate them carefully, then continued leading his people through the depths of Terror Forest, hoping to find traces of horses.
This time, Zhao Fu deliberately brought along the Gray Wolf King. Its injuries hadn't healed, and Zhao Fu didn't intend to make it fight. Instead, he planned to use its sense of smell to find other beasts. He also changed its name to Little Gray.
With Little Gray along, Zhao Fu could search for other beasts much faster than before. This time, they found three Fierce Fire Rabbits and finally obtained an Elemental Orb. Zhao Fu planned to take it back and give it to Li Wen. Li Wen was one of the few people in Great Qin Village with an A-grade aptitude, and he was also Li Youcai's son, so he was worth nurturing.
Over the next two days, they killed several Wind Foxes and obtained a Wind Blade Elemental Orb. They also tamed some beasts, but otherwise gained nothing. They still hadn't found the horses they had been carefully searching for.
However, the special equipment that Zhao Fu had commissioned the blacksmith Wang Dawu to forge was ready. This changed Zhao Fu's mind, and he decided to continue exploring the Great Rift.
"I want to go too!" Liu Mei ran over and said to Zhao Fu.
Zhao Fu turned to look at her. "You use a whip. You won't be able to do much damage to the skeletons. Stay up here!"
"But you still have the Wind Blade Elemental Orb. Teach it to me, and I'll go down and see what the skeletons look like!" Liu Mei said loudly, speaking without the slightest restraint.
Hearing this, Zhao Fu glared at her.
Liu Mei was still somewhat afraid of Zhao Fu, so she immediately quieted down. Awkwardly, she bowed and said dejectedly, "Your Highness! I was wrong."
Only then did Zhao Fu hand her the Wind Blade. Liu Mei was pleasantly surprised. She picked up the green Elemental Orb and used it. Afterward, Zhao Fu took Bai Qi, Li Wen, Old Luo, Liu Mei, ten Goblin Champions, ten burly infantrymen, and ten archers down to the bottom of the Great Rift to continue exploring.