The Dao Sovereign of Shennong

The Great Ancestor asked his ministers, "I wish to enlighten the world, making everyone as mighty as dragons. Do any of you have a brilliant plan?"

Duke Bi said, "We could build temples, enshrine ghost soldiers and gods, rewarding the good and punishing the evil, spreading across the nineteen provinces."

The Great Ancestor frowned slightly.

Duke Shao said, "We could compile grand tomes, gathering thousands of virtuous teachings and spreading them throughout the land."

The Great Ancestor's expression softened somewhat.

Duke Zhou said, "The common people already face many hardships, working from sunrise to sunset. We must not add to their burdens. Building temples and compiling grand tomes should be the responsibility of officials, not the people. In ancient times, the Nightmare Sect, a so-called evil cult, had a technique called 'The Grand Dream of Spring and Autumn' and a treasure known as 'A Dream of Heaven and Earth,' which allowed disciples to kill in their dreams."

"Techniques themselves are neither good nor evil. I could repurpose this. All citizens of our Zhou Dynasty could gain wisdom in their dreams without harm to their bodies."

The Great Ancestor laughed heartily, "Excellent!"

And so, Duke Zhou was commanded to interpret dreams, spreading this wisdom throughout the land.

Of course, this legend was entirely fictional.

Zhao Xing knew clearly that the Cloud Dream Academy had nothing to do with the Great Ancestor or Duke Zhou, one of the founding ministers of the dynasty.

The ancient sect, Nightmare Sect, was not some evil cult but rather the state religion of a previous dynasty, Dali, which existed before Zhou.

The technique Grand Dream of Spring and Autumn and the treasure A Dream of Heaven and Earth did indeed exist.

The predecessor of Cloud Dream Academy was called Grand Dream Academy.

It was an elite educational institution established by the Dali Dynasty to nurture geniuses, and yes, it could indeed be used to kill people in dreams.

After Dali's fall and several subsequent dynasties, the treasure finally came into the possession of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The Zhou Emperor sought to crack its secrets and repurpose it for his own use but failed.

It wasn't until the reign of Emperor Wu that the treasure A Dream of Heaven and Earth was finally cracked, transforming it into the Cloud Dream Academy.

Along with this transformation, the above-mentioned legend was born.

But why did Emperor Wu attribute this achievement to the Great Ancestor?

Because the treasure wasn't cracked by Emperor Wu himself but rather accidentally discovered by one of his ministers in an ancient text, which revealed the method to enter the academy.

All it took was the simplest Soul Calming Talisman and Guiding Talisman, combined with a single phrase, to enter the academy.

The treasure had already been almost fully developed by the Dali Dynasty. Zhou merely tweaked it slightly for their own use.

After years of trying to unlock the treasure's secrets with no success, discovering that the solution was so simple must have been quite humbling!

Furthermore, ancient emperors had already achieved their ambitions, leaving only the step of mass implementation.

The proud Emperor Wu felt embarrassed, as if he could hear the Dali emperors mocking his incompetence, so he had no desire to claim this "great merit" in the eyes of the world.

Since attributing the achievement to the previous dynasties didn't fit, he simply credited it to the Great Ancestor.

As the Soul Calming Talisman and Guiding Talisman began to glow faintly, a wave of drowsiness washed over Zhao Xing. His eyelids grew heavy, and before long, he was fast asleep, snoring softly.

Within his dream, Zhao Xing suddenly sat up and looked around.

Thick clouds enveloped the surroundings, so dense that nothing could be seen clearly.

Only a towering gate, dozens of meters high, stood before him.

Ancient characters were engraved on the gate, forming four words: Grand Dream Academy.

"I'm really inside?"

Zhao Xing's first instinct was to check his status panel, but he found that he couldn't access it. That meant he had truly entered.

His second thought was:

"I'm rich!"

"The Cloud Dream Academy instance from the early version—wait, no, it's still called Grand Dream Academy! This is an untapped gold mine!"

"This is nothing like the later version, when Emperor Wu emptied out the treasure troves, reducing it to a routine daily instance for players. This is completely different!"

Zhao Xing felt a surge of excitement.

In his previous life, he hadn't been lucky enough to experience this period, but now things were different.

Calming himself down, he recalled some key details and took a step forward into the misty gate.

With one step, the scene shifted dramatically.

Before him stood palatial buildings, resplendent and majestic, each enclosed by a shimmering dome of light.

There were places like the Hall of Reincarnation, Heart-Testing Platform, Tower of the Martial God, Secret Archive of Techniques, Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets, Holy Beast Hall, and Palace of Fate...

Pavilions, towers, and palaces were scattered across the landscape, surrounded by clouds and mist, like an immortal realm.

Zhao Xing's eyes widened in amazement, his mouth watering at the sight.

In the "background story" that players pieced together in his past life, it was said that Emperor Wu's conquest of the Eight Desolations was made possible by the treasure troves accumulated by Dali.

Now, these very treasures lay before Zhao Xing, but before he could inspect them closely, most of the palaces vanished into the clouds, leaving only a few smaller pavilions.

"Huh? What just happened?" Zhao Xing was stunned. "Why did they disappear?"

He hurried toward one of the vanished palaces, but after only a few dozen meters, he was blocked by a gentle force, making it increasingly difficult to move forward until he could advance no further.

After several attempts, all met with the same result, Zhao Xing stood still, deep in thought, and finally realized the truth.

This was the Grand Dream Academy, not the Cloud Dream Academy.

"The Grand Dream Academy of the Dali Dynasty was designed to train geniuses, whereas the Cloud Dream Academy of the Great Zhou was open to all, regardless of aptitude."

"The former offered high-level secret techniques and physical treasures that could be brought back to the real world, each item being incredibly precious. But entry came with strict requirements and difficult trials."

"The latter, by contrast, mostly contained mid- and low-level secrets, with very few physical rewards. However, it had no entry barriers—children could wander throughout the academy without facing any trials."

Having figured this out, Zhao Xing could only watch helplessly as the treasures vanished into the clouds.

There was no need for him to search any further.

The academy's mechanisms had been triggered the moment he moved, leaving only the areas where he was eligible to seek rewards.

"Let's see what's left. There's no rush. There are still a few hundred years before Emperor Wu empties out the treasure vaults, so I've got plenty of time to claim everything bit by bit." With this realization, Zhao Xing relaxed. He had all the time in the world to plunder the academy.

After a short wait, the countless palaces disappeared completely, leaving only a single floating platform in the sky.

The clouds churned, and a spiral staircase extended from the platform down to Zhao Xing's feet.

"Heart-Testing Platform?"

"It seems my level is too low. I don't have the qualifications to access the other places. The only trial I can attempt is the Heart-Testing Platform, which doesn't depend on cultivation realm."

The Heart-Testing Platform was known for testing a person's inner emotions, based on their seven emotions and six desires. It created scenarios tailored to the individual.

The platform followed a basic pattern: it would create the thing one most desired or feared at that moment.

As Zhao Xing gazed at the Heart-Testing Platform, he was reminded of some unpleasant memories.

"Let's hope it doesn't throw something terrifyingly difficult at me right from the start..."

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

"Buzz~"

The surrounding scene suddenly shifted, and Zhao Xing was greeted by a pleasant fragrance.

Water rippled gently, flower petals floated on the surface, and steam rose into the air. A beautiful woman lay draped over the edge of a large bath.

Her shapely hips, bare back, delicate shoulders, and flowing hair were half-hidden, half-revealed...

"What? A trial of lust?"

"Heart-Testing Platform, are you kidding me? Is this what I desire most right now? Such lowly pleasures?!"