Library of Heaven's Path - Chapter 2: Shameless

After looking around for a moment longer, Zhang Xuan realized that the books in the library were just like the moon reflected in the water; they were visible but intangible, it was impossible to retrieve them from the shelves. Thus, he lost interest and he retracted his consciousness from his mind.

"Time to eat lunch. After lunch, I'll find some way to coax a few more students in."

Gazing out the window, the sun slowly rose overhead, and it seemed to be approaching noon. Out of the eighteen students who passed by his classroom in the morning, he had only managed to rope in one of them. His acceptance rate was way too low. He mustn’t continue at this pace in the afternoon. Regardless of the situation, he was a transcender. If he was unable to dupe even those who came from the ancient era, how could he proudly claim that he came from a world that was in the digital age?

Stretching his back, he walked out of his classroom and headed for the canteen.

Just like the high schools in his previous life, Hongtian Academy’s canteen was rather large. Its size was sufficient to house more than ten thousand students concurrently. In good spirits after successfully hoodwinking a student into his class. Zhang Xuan ordered a few additional side dishes and sat by the corner to enjoy his meal.

"Isn’t that Zhang laoshi?"

While Zhang Xuan was in the midst of enjoying his meal, a disdainful voice sounded. Lifting his head, he saw a young man gazing at him with a bright smile. Yet, his face didn't carry the slightest hint of warmth, and his smile felt fake.

"Cao laoshi?" Zhang Xuan recognized the other party.

Cao laoshi’s full name was Cao Xiong, and he entered the academy at the same time as Zhang Xuan. He was fond of comparing his achievements with others, and inflate his ego through it.

The previous host of the body couldn't tolerate insults, and this fellow played a huge role in the reason why he drank to his death.

"Today is the day that the freshmen are going to choose their teachers. How is your recruitment going? Judging by how you are in the mood to eat, you seem to be doing well! Look, these are the students that I have just recruited, and there is a total of twelve of them. I'm here to have a meal with them before bringing them to their dormitories!"

Cao laoshi gazed at Zhang Xuan with a look of superiority. He grandly gestured to the students behind him as he bragged his achievements.

No doubt about it, he was here to boast and inflate his ego.

There wasn’t any grudge between Zhang Xuan and him, but as the both of them joined the academy at around the same period, it was hard to avoid comparisons between them. Thus, he often made use of Zhang Xuan to boost his self-esteem.

The bunch of youths following behind him glanced at Zhang Xuan curiously. As new students, they seemed to be fascinated by everything around them.

"Gentlemen, allow me to introduce him to you all. This is Zhang laoshi, a celebrity in our academy. He's the very first teacher to score a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination ever since the inception of our academy! He's a man who created history!"

Cao laoshi introduced to the crowd.

"Zero marks in the Teacher Qualification Examination?"

"Ah! I've heard of him when I was on the way here. Apparently, the cultivation of a student under him went berserk, and that student nearly became a cripple!"

"I've heard of it as well. Quite a few people warned me against choosing him as my teacher. Otherwise, not only will my cultivation not advance, I might even die under his tutelage!"

"To think that he would be the legendary teacher that everyone is talking of. I didn't expect him to have such a kind face!"

...

Upon hearing Cao Xiong’s introduction, a commotion broke out among the students.

The score for the Teacher Qualification Examination was based on an evaluation on various aspects of a teacher, and of which, the examination results of his students played a significant role. As long as a teacher had a student under him, he would earn some points. Obtaining zero marks was truly making history. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

"Are you done with your introduction yet?"

Facing the snide remarks of Cao Xiong, Zhang Xuan remained composed.

The one who scored a zero was the previous Zhang Xuan, what did it have to do with him?

However, even though he wasn't angry, this Cao laoshi's action on stepping over others to boost his ego had gotten on his nerves. He waved his hands impatiently and said, "Since you're done with your introduction, you can scram. Don’t interrupt my meal!"

Cao Xiong thought that this fellow would cower in embarrassment when his history was revealed, but not only did Zhang Xuan remain nonchalant, he even asked him to scram. Cao Xiong’s face darkened in an instant. He flung his hand backward, and putting on the authoritative airs of a teacher, he chastised, "To break the lowest record of the academy by scoring zero points in the Teacher Qualification Examination, don't you feel ashamed at all?"

"Ashamed? Why should I feel ashamed? You've already said it yourself, I have broken a record, and because of that, all of the freshmen know who I am. But what about you?" Zhang Xuan raised his hand and pointed toward the students behind Cao Xiong’s back. "Do they know how much did you score in the examination? Before arriving at the academy, have they heard of your name? If it wasn’t for your persistence, even going to the extent of treating them to food, do you think they will acknowledge you as their teacher? Despite being a figure whom no one knows about, you still have the face to brag before me? What in the world are you feeling so proud of!"

"Ah!"

If anyone else were to score zero in their Teacher Qualification Examination, they would lower their heads when in public in fear of disgracing themselves. Yet, this fellow was the direct opposite. He was gleeful about the matter, and he seemed to take pride in it. On top of that, he even despised Cao Xiong for not scoring a zero.

Cao Xiong was about to explode.

His skin was really way too thick! More importantly… With this kind of results, how in the world can he remain so proud of himself?

Dumbstruck, the students behind him stared at one another blankly.

What about his reputation?

This teacher… wasn't he a little way too shameless!

Shame? Thick-skinned? What a joke! In the era that Zhang Xuan lived in, in order to become famous, some celebrities went to the extent of doing all kinds of shameful deeds. They did everything that one could think of, be it nude photos or fake news, without the slightest sense of shame. He scored zero for his Teacher Qualification Examination, but it was nothing in comparison to the deeds of those people!

Cao Xiong’s face flushed scarlet, "The main responsibility of a teacher is to guide students. I won't squabble with you over this today, let’s cross blows after you find yourself a student. Then, we’ll see whose student is more skilled!"

Leaving behind those words, he turned around and walked away

At this point, the conversation between an old man and a young lady sounded behind him.

"That teacher is really not bad. His personality is good as well…"

The voice of a dazed lady sounded. However, having witnessed the sight before, there was a slight hint of hesitation in her voice.

"Second young mistress, just listen to me on this matter. The young master has entrusted me to bring you to Lu Xun laoshi before we came here, yet you refused to heed my words and shook me off. On top of that, you even chose him of all possible teachers…"

The voice of an old man sounded out, and a tinge of frustration could be heard from his tone.

"That teacher… is not as bad as you said. H-he is a good person, and he even examined my constitution. He said that… if I were to train properly, I can become the top of the cohort…" The young lady replied hesitantly.

"You still hope to reach the top of the cohort under him? If you were to really study under him, it'll already be a blessing if your cultivation doesn't go berserk. Second young mistress, do you know who he is? He's the most useless teacher in the entire academy. He scored a zero the previous Teacher Qualification Examination… My little ancestor, you should hurry up and withdraw from his tutelage. Otherwise, if the young master hears of this, he'll kill me…" The old man pleaded.

"Big brother!"

Upon hearing the old man bring up the young master, the little girl seemed to be intimidated. Her face warped in fear, and she fell into a dilemma.

Hearing those words, Cao Xiong’s eyes lit up. He stopped, turned around, and smiled at the eating Zhang Xuan. "Zhang laoshi, could this young lady be the student that you just recruited? Haha, looks like things aren't going well for you. It seems like she intends to withdraw from your tutelage!"

Since teachers could pick their own students, then naturally, students were also allowed to pick their own teachers.

If a student felt that their teacher wasn't able to bring out his potential, he could return the identity token back to his teacher.

Cao Xiong’s loud voice attracted quite a bit of attention. The young lady and old man who were in heated discussion a moment ago turned their attention over as well.

"Second young mistress, is he the teacher that you just acknowledged?" The old man’s gaze fell on Zhang Xuan.

"Yes!" The young lady nodded.

The old man immediately stood up and walked over to Zhang Xuan, "Zhang laoshi, the young mistress of our family has decided to withdraw from your tutelage!"

"Old Liu…" The young lady didn’t expect the old man to act instantly. With a flushed expression, she hurried over and faced Zhang Xuan with an apologetic look, "Teacher, I…"

She was the student Zhang Xuan had just accepted, Wang Ying.

"Wang Ying, you know that I don't accept students easily. It's only because of fate that I took you in. Why do you want to give up on such a good opportunity? Do you know how many people desire to become my student, only to be refused in the end?"

Of course, given how much effort Zhang Xuan had given into coaxing her, how could he allow her to escape? Assuming the tone of a disappointed elder, he lectured Wang Ying.

"What the hell…"

Hearing his words, the students in the surroundings, especially those who were aware of his background, felt their vision turning dark, and they nearly keeled over.

Big brother, can you at least have a sense of shame? What do you mean by many people desiring to be your student, only to be refused in the end… It is clear that you are the one who is unable to recruit any student!

"I... don't intend…"

Under Zhang Xuan's vehement lecture, Wang Ying immediately hesitated, but before she could finish her words, she was interrupted.

"She's going to withdraw from your tutelage!" Seeing how indecisive the second young mistress was, the old man, Uncle Liu, stepped forward, "Zhang laoshi, our clan’s second young mistress has officially decided to withdraw from your tutelage. I'll be relying on you to conduct the withdrawal procedures!"

"Withdraw?" Zhang Xuan’s eyelids twitched. "You better reconsider your options. Withdrawing from a teacher's tutelage will leave a student with a bad reputation, and it'll be unlikely for other teachers to accept you! Are you going to ruin your young mistress's future just because of your stubbornness? Are you sure that you can take responsibility for it?"

"This…" Old Liu froze.

Students could withdraw from a teacher's tutelage, but this act was an insult to the teacher. Besides, if one could withdraw from a teacher's tutelage once, they wouldn't hesitate to do it again. Usually, students with such 'bad track record’ would not be accepted by the other teachers.

After all, who would be willing to accept a student who has no regard for the prestige of teachers?

Besides, accepting such a student would mean insulting the other teacher. The teachers in this school were colleagues, and it wasn’t wise for one to offend their peer over a single student.

If a student couldn't find himself a teacher in the academy, his future would be ruined.

Knowing that Zhang Xuan's words were true, Old Liu's determination wavered.

In the end, he was just a servant. He wouldn't be able to bear the consequences if the second young mistress’s future were to be implicated over a lapse in his judgement.

"Rest easy, your family’s second young mistress has good talent. I'll teach her well so that she can score well in the examinations…" Seeing that Old Liu's determination was wavering, Zhang Xuan immediately pushed on.

You must be joking! How can I allow something that is already in my grasp to get away?

"Hold it right there, who says that no teacher will be unwilling to accept her? Young lady, if you were to withdraw from the tutelage of this teacher here, I'll immediately accept you as my student!"

Before Zhang Xuan could finish his words, Cao Xiong stepped forward, and he spread his arms grandly.

His dignity was just trampled by Zhang Xuan, and since an opportunity to get back at him had presented itself, how could he simply let go of it?

"Cao Xiong, what do you mean by this?"

Zhang Xuan’s complexion darkened.

"What do I mean by this? Don't you think that it'll be a pity if such a good bud goes to waste? I'm only offering her a place if she were to withdraw from your tutelage. After all, the students came to the academy to study. It's natural for them to choose the best teacher to guide them, and not someone who scored a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examinations!"

Cao Xiong chuckled gleefully.

"Poaching students from me publicly, do you think that I dare not report this matter to the Education Bureau?"

This was no longer a bicker, the other party was publicly poaching his student!

While the academy encouraged teachers to choose their own students, they did not pardon the poaching of another teacher's students! Not only would such actions sour the relationships among teachers, it could also affect the culture of the school.

"Poaching students? You're exaggerating the matter. How about this, why don't we have a fair competition? We'll offer our pointers to a student and allow her to choose by herself. Do you dare to accept the challenge?"

Cao Xiong said.

The Lord's Empire - Chapter 5 – The Hundred Schools of Thought

“Your Majesty, can you tell us what happened after Great Qin perished?” Bai Qi asked as he cupped his hands respectfully.

Zhao Fu nodded as he said, “After Qin perished, Chu and Han fought for supremacy. Following this, Eastern Han was split into the Three Kingdoms. The Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties followed when foreigners suddenly put China into grave danger.”

“Why? How could our glorious country be bullied by other tribes?” Bai Qi couldn’t help but speak when he heard what Zhao Fu had said. After realizing that he had spoken out of turn, he quickly apologized to Zhao Fu.

Zhao Fu lightly shook his head, signaling that it was fine. He explained that China was no longer a place that other tribes feared and could be bullied easily after the Qin Dynasty. During the Qin Dynasty, there was the School of the Military, Legalists, School of Vertical and Horizontal, Taoists, Confucianists, and Mohists, creating the Hundred Schools of Thought and a galaxy of talented people.

However, after the Han dynasty, the Hundred Schools of Thought were rejected, with Confucianism being favored. Studying literature became favored, and even though this was not bad, the military was neglected as a result.

“Your Majesty! I believe that we must stay away from big battles if we are to win, especially those with other Chinese factions,” Bai Qi said seriously. Even though Bai Qi had been quite angry initially, he quickly calmed down.

Li Si nodded. “Your Majesty, China is currently the largest battle region, and if we’re caught up in these battles, our consumption of resources may be too great. The best thing for us is to remain independent and neutral.”

Zhao Fu took in their advice and nodded before continuing to outline the history of China. Soon, the three of them created a roadmap of Great Qin’s future.

Even though they had planned quite far into the future, this was the direction they would head in. Right now, the most important thing was to develop the Great Qin Village well.

Without knowing it, Zhao Fu had stayed in the Heaven Awaken World for 10 or so hours, and it would nearly be dawn in the real world. Because there were some things he needed to take care of in the real world, Zhao Fu instructed Bai Qi and Li Si to send people to patrol during the night to ensure their safety. Following this, he came out of the Heaven Awaken World.

After his consciousness returned to his body, Zhao Fu slowly opened his eyes and saw that it was daytime. He found his phone and looked at the time, and it was already 8 AM.

After crawling up from the ground, Zhao Fu washed his face and rinsed his mouth before going out to buy some things for breakfast.

Following this, Zhao Fu planned to withdraw from his university. During the Legacy Trial, he had been warned that the real world would be devoured by the Heaven Awaken World not too long in the future. As such, continuing to study was pointless, so Zhao Fu decided to change his way of living.

Nanshi University was a famous university within China, and anyone who could enter was elite. Entering this kind of university was something that many people dreamed about.

“Are you sure you want to withdraw?”

The teacher in charge of Zhao Fu’s classes, Li Hong, looked at Zhao Fu with pity and tried to talk him out of it. Zhao Fu was quite reclusive during class, but his grades were always quite good. If Zhao Fu graduated, he would have a bright future, but Li Hong had never expected that Zhao Fu would suddenly withdraw.

Zhao Fu sincerely nodded, confirming that he had thought about it thoroughly. In the end, Li Hong could only reluctantly agree. After going through the withdrawal procedures, he received $5000 from the university.

During his years in university, Zhao Fu didn’t have any fun. Whenever he had free time, he worked. Currently, he had 3 different jobs. Even though it had been quite tough, he had quite a bit of money saved up. If he lived frugally, it would last him a few years.

Zhao Fu bought a few boxes of instant noodles and returned home. He turned on his second-hand laptop and looked through some of the information regarding the Heaven Awaken World. Right now, the Heaven Awaken World was the most popular thing on the news.

Almost everyone was chatting about the Heaven Awaken World, and as Zhao Fu searched on the internet, countless pieces of information jumped out. Zhao Fu found that someone had already created a Heaven Awaken World Forum, on which there were already over 100 million users. What’s more, this number was still rapidly increasing.

“Who created this forum so quickly?” Zhao Fu wondered before creating an account. He entered the forum and had a look around. Apart from chatting about things in the Heaven Awaken World, there were threads about selling and buying things in the Heaven Awaken World. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

1 copper coin was already worth $8 in the real world.

Of course, the powerful families in the real world also knew what would happen in the future, so they started to funnel all of their resources into the Heaven Awaken World. In fact, someone had offered hundreds of millions of dollars to purchase a Legacy Stone. Normal people had no idea about what was to come, and they only felt incredibly jealous. If they had one of those stones, the money they could earn from it would last them several lifetimes.

However, to those who had Legacy Stones, they could only laugh. They had to pass through many trials to obtain the legacy, and if they sold the Legacy Stone for a bit of money, they wouldn’t have deserved it in the first place.

Zhao Fu felt quite a bit of pressure when he saw the large families pouring their resources into the Heaven Awaken World.

However, something worth rejoicing over was that even though there were many main cities from the system, each main city was managed by the Lord of that city. This meant that the regions were not connected to each other, and it also meant that there were many different regions within the Heaven Awaken World. If one wanted to move to another region, it would depend on his or her own efforts.

However, with how big the Heaven Awaken World was, all of the regions were tens of thousands of kilometers away from each other, and one could only imagine the danger of crossing to another region.

When people usually entered the Heaven Awaken World, they were randomly placed at a location. Even though the powerful families had invested massive amounts of resources, they were in different regions, or Zhao Fu would have lost from the very beginning.

In the forums, Zhao Fu found the place where he was. It was called the ‘Forest of Horrors’ and had 3 main cities. The one in the east was called ‘Holy Light City’, the one in the south was called ‘Soldier Forest’,  and the one in the west was called ‘Demon Tree City’.

Zhao Fu looked at the introductions of each of the main cities. Each main city was very big, and it could hold more than 1 million people. Entry into the main cities cost 2 copper coins, and ordinary fights were forbidden, though there was an Arena where one could legally fight. The guards at the main cities normally had above Stage 1 cultivation.

There were all sorts of things in the main cities, such as Silver grade weapons. The Heaven Awaken World’s weapons were split into Normal (White), Superior (Blue), Rare (Silver), Perfect (Gold), Legendary (Violet), and Epic (Orange).

Normal weapons gave one stat, Blue equipment gave two stats, Silver equipment gave three stats, Gold equipment gave four stats, and so on.

Apart from the things sold in main cities, each main city had Merit Points, and completing quests from the main cities gave Merit Points. Merit Points could be exchanged for different rewards, and they could even be exchanged for positions in the city.

Zhao Fu read the introductions to the main cities with great interest before letting out a breath, planning to enter the Heaven Awaken World again. The real world looked quite peaceful as usual, but in actuality, it was only the calm before the storm.

The Lord's Empire - Chapter 4 – Military

As for their grades, Normal grade Primary level Villages usually summoned F grade villagers and one E grade villager every three days, one D grade villager every 12 days, one C grade villager every 48 days, one B grade villager every 192 days, and one A grade villager every 768 days, while S grade and above villagers simply couldn’t be summoned in Normal Villages.

From this, one could see how rare high-grade villagers were. If it took more than two years to summon an A grade villager, it would be essentially impossible for a Normal Village to summon S grade villagers or above.

This was how long it took to summon certain villagers for Normal Villages. The time was reduced by 2/3 for Blue Villages, another 2/3 for Silver Villages, and so on.

Most of the villagers summoned at Violet Legendary grade Villages were F grade, some were E grade, a few were D grade, and very few were C grade. Higher grades required more than 2 days, but adding on the Great Qin Village’s special stats and Li Si’s Title’s effect, the Great Qin Village had a 25% bonus to attracting higher grade population, so it would take a bit more than a day for the Great Qin Village to summon higher grade villagers.

Out of the thirteen summoned villagers, one was C grade, two were D grade, three were E grade, and seven were F grade.

After this, Zhao Fu brought Bai Qi and six of the youths who had decent fighting power to the five stone steles. The five stone steles were Profession Change Stone Steles, and four of them could be used to change one’s profession to a certain profession.

[Great Qin Soldier]: E grade Military. Description: The Great Qin Soldiers who swept across and destroyed the other six states. Effects: Every soldier who changes professions will receive the basic cultivation technique [Great Qin Mantra].

That was the introduction to the Great Qin Soldiers, and the different professions were as follows:

The first was Infantry, which could choose [Sabermen], [Swordsmen], or [Spearmen].

After changing professions, Infantry could obtain profession-specific skills. For example, [Sabermen] received the skill [Basic Saber Technique] and the Infantry profession bonus of Strength +2% and Constitution +2%.

The second was Shieldbearer, which could choose [Saber and Shield Soldier] or [Spear and Shield Soldier]. They received the skill [Shield Defence] and the Shieldbearer profession bonus of Strength +1% and Constitution +3%.

The third was Archer, which could choose [Sword Archer] or [Dagger Archer]. They received the skill [Basic Archery Technique] and the Archer profession bonus of Strength +2% and Agility+2%.

The fourth was Cavalry, which could choose [Saber Cavalry], [Sword Cavalry], or [Spear Cavalry]. They received the skill [Horsemanship] and the Cavalry profession bonus of Strength+2%, Constitution+1%, and Agility+1%.

The fifth was not a battle profession but a Scholar Profession Change Stone Stele, which allowed 10 people to change their profession to Scholar. They received the skill [Research] and the Scholar profession bonus of Intelligence +4%.

The amount of Scholars was limited to 10 at most, and they conducted all sorts of research, such as agriculture, which increased production, animal husbandry, which allowed one to tame wild beasts, and brewing, which allowed one to make good wine.

Of course, the higher grade Scholars were better. As such, Zhao Fu did not plan on changing anyone’s profession to Scholar today. Because the village had just been established, he had 50 free profession changes. After 50 profession changes, he would only be able to change professions by paying the corresponding number of copper coins.

Zhao Fu changed the six villagers he had brought to Infantry. Zhao Fu regarded Bai Qi as quite important, so he turned and asked, “Bai Qi, what profession do you want? You can choose for yourself.”

Hearing this, Bai Qi nodded. Because Generals could choose 2 professions, he chose Cavalry and Infantry.

Zhao Fu also chose Infantry. He did not like using sabers or spears, so he chose Swordsman and received [Basic Sword Technique] as well as the [Great Qin Mantra]. It is only possible to cultivate using cultivation techniques, and his current cultivation was only Stage 0, which he could only raise by cultivating.

Cultivation was split into nine Stages, and each Stage was split into nine Steps. Every time one advanced a Step, he or she received +1 to all stats.

Only by having a Legendary Village would one be able to obtain the corresponding cultivation technique and have such comprehensive military professions.

If it was a Normal Village, they would only be able to change to F- grade [Militiamen] at the beginning, and would have to obtain their own cultivation techniques.

There were wheat seeds in the Village Hall, some simple farming tools, ironware, and weapons in the Smithy, clothes in the Tailor Shop, and basic medicines in the Medicine Shop. Zhao Fu arranged for the women to go and pick wild fruits and berries, while the men were to cut wood and build houses and fences. After settling down, they could start clearing wild areas for farming.

At this moment, when Li Si saw that Zhao Fu was also going to cut wood, he quickly called out, “Your Majesty! Please rest; how could we allow Your Majesty to do such heavy jobs.”

Everyone heard this and looked quite worried that Zhao Fu would tire himself out.

When Zhao Fu saw this, his cold heart finally started to relax, and he slightly smiled as he said, “Don’t worry about me; just treat me as a friend or a family member.”

When Li Si heard this, his expression tightened. Zhao Fu was the Great Qin Empire’s inheritor, and he would one day be an Emperor. How could he treat him as a friend? That was blasphemy. However, just as he was about to say something, Zhao Fu cut in front of him. “Alright, it’s getting late, so let’s go cut wood!”

Li Si didn’t dare to say anything, but his respect towards Zhao Fu increased.

After working for a while, they finally built a few wooden houses and some simple fences. Without knowing it, the 13 resident’s Loyalty all increased by 10, bringing Popular Support to 80.

At night, Bai Qi hunted a wild deer and a few rabbits. Everyone sat around a large bonfire together, making it seem quite lively. However, Zhao Fu was too used to being alone and could not join in, so he stayed indoors.

Normally, killing non-humanoid creatures in the Heaven Awaken World would not result in any drops apart from a few copper coins. At the same time, residents or soldiers killing other creatures increased the experience of the Village, which helped the Village level up.

At this moment, Li Si respectfully walked in with a wooden plate with many carefully-cut pieces of cooked deer meat on it and said, “Your Majesty, please eat.”

Zhao Fu nodded. After working for so long, he felt quite hungry. He picked up the wooden chopsticks that they had made and tasted a piece, finding it incredibly fresh and delicious.

He was going to continue eating, but when he saw Li Si politely standing by his side, ready to tend to his needs, he couldn’t help but say, “Li Si, you don’t need to stay here with me; you can go outside. It’s more lively out there.”

Li Si slightly smiled before replying, “It’s better for me to stay with Your Majesty!”

Zhao Fu felt a slight warmth within his heart and didn’t say anything. He continued to eat the deer meat when Bai Qi also walked in and stood by his side.

“What are your thoughts towards Great Qin’s future?” Zhao Fu, who was eating the deer meat, suddenly asked. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

Li Si was the Prime Minister of an empire, and Bai Qi was a famed General. Their insight and knowledge of tactics were definitely above Zhao Fu’s, so he did not act arrogantly, and instead sincerely asked for their opinions.

Right now, the entire world was a chaotic chessboard, but there was nothing that had been determined yet. Life, death, heroes, altruists, and formidable characters had not been determined yet, neither had who the chess pieces or the players were. None of this was certain. If they didn’t start preparing now and failed to advance and consolidate at every step, all that was waiting for them would be failure and death.

The Lord's Empire - Chapter 3 – Village Stats

After these buildings appeared, five figures also slowly formed before Zhao Fu. The two people standing at the front were both youths. One had a cold and handsome appearance, while the other looked refined and cultured.

Behind them were two men and one woman. One of the men was well-built and muscular, looking like a blacksmith, while the other was dressed like an apothecary. The woman was quite pretty, and she was most likely the owner of the Tailor Shop.

“We greet Your Majesty!”

The five people looked quite dazed after appearing, but they quickly came to their senses and half-knelt as they spoke in unison.

Zhao Fu was naturally the lord of Great Qin now that he had received the Great Qin’s legacy, so he calmly replied, “All rise!”

The five people respectfully stood up.

Zhao Fu started to look at their stats, starting with the cold and handsome-looking youth in front.

Name: Bai Qi

Grade: SSS

Title: [God of Killing], Title Effects: All stats +10% and causes enemies to feel fear, reducing their battle strength and increasing his own troops’ morale.

Profession: [General], Profession Effects: Can hold two different military professions.

Achievement Points: Commoner (0/200)

Race: Human

Age: 24 (100)

Loyalty: 100

Stats: Strength: 10, Intelligence: 10, Constitution: 10, Agility: 10

Cultivation: Stage 0

Cultivation Technique: None

Skills: None

Equipment: Coarse Cloth Clothes, Cloth Shoes, Coarse Cloth Pants

Even though Zhao Fu had expected to see the Great Qin’s strategic experts and powerful generals, Zhao Fu still felt quite surprised when he saw Bai Qi. Bai Qi was the strongest of the Four Great Generals of the Warring States period, and he had fought in countless battles during his lifetime, winning almost all of them. He had killed over one million people in his lifetime, so he was called the God of Killing.

However, his end was not pleasant – he was forced to commit suicide out of fear of him joining another state.

After looking at Bai Qi’s stats, Zhao Fu turned to look at the refined and cultured youth.

Name: Li Si

Grade: SS

Title: [Prime Minister], Title Effects: Raises Popular Support, Population Attraction +5%, chances of attracting higher grade population +5%

Profession: [Civilian Court Official], Profession Effects: Can choose one type of military profession, Intelligence +2%, Constitution +2%

Achievement Points: Commoner (0/200)

Race: Human

Age: 23 (100)

Stats: Strength: 6, Intelligence: 10, Constitution: 5, Agility: 4

Cultivation: Stage 0

Cultivation Technique: None

Skills: None

Equipment: Coarse Cloth Clothes, Cloth Shoes, Coarse Cloth Pants

After looking at Li Si’s stats, Zhao Fu did not feel as shocked. Li Si was a famed Prime Minister of the State of Qin, and he had greatly helped the First Emperor of Qin unify China. However, his end was not very pleasant either – he was charged with treason and was executed by waist chop.

Following this, Zhao Fu looked at the other 3 people. They were:

Wang Dawu, Profession: Blacksmith, Skills: Forging (can create weapons)

Zhang Baizhu, Profession: Apothecary, Skills: Healing (can heal sicknesses)

He Yun, Profession: Tailor, Skills: Tailoring (can create defensive items)

All three people were S grade, and their other stats were not so important. In the Heaven Awaken World, grade was of paramount importance. There were nine grades in total, and they were, from highest to lowest: SSS, SS, S, A, B, C, D, E, and F.

The higher one’s grade was, the faster his or her cultivation and comprehension would progress. E grade was two times faster than F grade, D grade was four times faster than F grade, C grade was eight times faster than F grade, B grade was sixteen times faster than F grade, and so on.

Military forces also had grades, and they were also split from F to SSS. However, there were 3 sub-grades for each grade, such as F-, F, and F+.

After looking at their stats, Zhao Fu asked them to wait before he entered one of the rooms in the Village Hall, where the violet cube was silently floating in the air. He then looked at the Village’s stats.

Village Name: Great Qin Village (Legendary)

Level: Primary (0/5000)

Village Area: 1 square kilometer

Village Territory: 46 square kilometers

Residents: 6/1100

Soldiers: 0/440 (Every Village has a population and soldier limit. Most Normal grade Primary level Villages have a limit of 300 people, Blue grade Villages have a limit of 400 people, Silver grade Villages have a limit of 600 people, Gold grade Villages have a limit of 800 people, and Legendary Villages have a limit of 1000 people.)

Currently, it displayed that the limit was 1,100 residents because 100 residents were from the Village’s special stats, while the military limit of 440 was the number of residents that had a military profession.

Popular Support: 100 (Popular Support refers to the loyalty of residents. If Popular Support is at least 80, the Village will attract more people. If Popular Support is 0, residents will start to betray and flee. When Popular Support is negative, criminals will be attracted. Those people will of course not be loyal, and they must be continuously monitored or lives could be lost.)

Because the 5 residents in the Village were all given to Zhao Fu by the system and they had a Loyalty of 100, Popular Support was also 100. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

Village Special Stats: Territory Crop Output +30%, Territory Crop Growing Time -30%, Population Limit +10%, Residents’ stats can randomly +1, Soldiers’ stats +1%, Population Attraction +20%, chances of attracting higher grade population +20%

Subsidiary Village Limit: 4 (Subsidiary Villages receive 10% of the special stats from the Main Village. Normal Villages cannot have Subsidiary Villages, and they need to be raised to Intermediate Villages before they can have any. Blue grade Villages can have one Subsidiary Village, Silver grade Villages can have two Subsidiary Villages, Gold grade Villages can have three Subsidiary Villages, and Legendary Villages can have four Subsidiary Villages.)

After looking at the Village’s stats, Zhao Fu felt that his Village was quite powerful. However, it was a pity that it was not the only one because the Qin Dynasty was not the only dynasty to exist in China’s thousands of years long history.

There were the Three Holy Dynasties: Xia, Shang, and Zhou; the Seven Powerful States of the Warring States period: Qi, Chu, Qin, Yan, Zhao, Wei, and Han; the Chu-Han Contention: Chu and Han; the Three Kingdoms: Wei, Shu, and Wu; the Five Dynasties: Later Liang, Later Tang, Later Jin, Later Han, and Later Zhou; the Ten Kingdoms: Wu, Wuyue, Min, Chu, Southern Han, Former Shu, Later Shu, Jingnan, Southern Tang, and Northern Han.

There were countless dynasties and kingdoms, and even though there were many forces that had unified a country, there were not that many legendary-level ones, and this was only China – there were many other countries as well.

At the same time, enmity and hatred would also be passed down with the legacies, such as Qi, Chu, Yan, Zhao, Wei, and Han hating Qin.

The six states destroyed by Qin would definitely have vowed to destroy Great Qin, and this sort of hatred was simply irreconcilable and unforgettable. It was something that would only disappear when one side was destroyed.

Great Qin also had hated foes such as Great Han and Great Chu, who destroyed Great Qin.

All of these chaotic forces from history would now appear in this world at the same time.

There were also normal people who could develop their own City by obtaining a City Heart or by conquering a Village. Adding on the countless other races, one could only imagine how cruel, bloody, and dark the future would be.

Zhao Fu took a deep breath, putting all of this out of his mind. He walked out of the Hall, taking the five people to the Origin. This round stage made from bricks was where new residents would come from.

Normal grade Primary level Villages were only able to summon one to four new villagers every day; Blue grade Villages could summon three to six, Silver grade Villages could summon five to eight, Gold grade Villages could summon seven to ten, and Legendary Villages could summon nine to twelve. Because of the Village’s special stats and Li Si’s Title bonus, the village had a 25% bonus to Population Attraction, so the Great Qin Village could summon eleven to fifteen people in a day.

Zhao Fu waved his hand toward the Origin, and new villagers started to be summoned. thirteen figures slowly appeared: eight males and five females. Some were elderly, while others were children.

The new villager’s Loyalty was not very high: it was around 60. As such, the Popular Support fell from 100 to 70 when the people were summoned.

The Lord's Empire - Chapter 2 – Legacy Trial

“Ding! You have two imperial bloodlines within you. One is the Great Tang Imperial Family’s bloodline, and the other is the Great Qin Imperial Family’s bloodline. Please select which bloodline you would like to take the Legacy Trial for.”

“Warning! The Legacy Trial can only be attempted once, and upon failure, all qualifications to inherit a legacy will be made void.”

“Legacy Trial? Great Tang Imperial Family bloodline? Great Qin Imperial Family bloodline?”

At this moment, Zhao Fu was standing in a gray, foggy area. When he heard that announcement, he felt quite confused because he had no idea what was going on. He remembered that he had been holding the crystal before he fainted, and was in this space when he had woken up.

Even though he didn’t know what a Legacy Trial was, when Zhao Fu heard ‘Great Tang Imperial Family bloodline,’ he couldn’t help but grit his teeth and clench his fists. He would never forget what happened on that rainy day even until he died, and was filled with hatred and disgust towards that bloodline.

From what he knew, the Li family was a descendent of the Great Tang Imperial family, so the Great Qin Imperial Family’s bloodline was definitely from his mother. As such, Zhao Fu didn’t hesitate to choose the Great Qin Imperial Family bloodline.

“Selection complete!”

A one hundred meters or so tall altar slowly appeared in front of Zhao Fu. The altar was made of black stones, and each step was about twenty-five centimeters high and half a meter wide. The altar seemed to extend up into the clouds, giving off an ancient, majestic, and dignified feeling.

When Zhao Fu stepped onto the first step, he felt his body become heavy as a pressure weighed down on him. In the beginning, the pressure was not very great, but as he advanced step after step, the pressure pressing down on him became more and more intense.

By the time Zhao Fu had climbed up half of the altar, his body was covered with sweat, drenching him completely. He was barely able to stand firmly on the steps, and he swayed as if he was going to fall.

However, Zhao Fu gritted his teeth and continued, walking step by step up the altar. Soon, illusions started to appear. Some were incredibly beautiful women doing their best to entice him, followed by other illusions of power and money.

These illusions may have caused normal people to have chased after them, making them unable to extract themselves from them, but Zhao Fu’s cold heart was completely unaffected.

Finally, after much effort and hardship, Zhao Fu finally stood on the top of the altar. His mind felt empty and clear when countless images started to flash before his eyes, all of which were related to the Great Qin Empire’s beginning, rise, and downfall.

The scenes started to play before his eyes like a movie, starting from the Qin family’s ancestor ‘Qin Feizi.’ He was a skilled horse breeder who gained the favor of the King of Zhou and was given a small piece of land on which he established his fief.

Then, there were scenes of ‘King Ying Zheng of Qin’ destroying the six states in ten years, unifying China, and establishing the ‘Qin Dynasty.’

In the end, King Ying Ziying of Qin surrendered to Liu Bang, resulting in the end of the Qin Dynasty.

Zhao Fu stared at the scenes, feeling as if he was right there. The rise of Great Qin caused his blood to boil, while the fall of Great Qin caused him to feel desolation.

Suddenly, Zhao Fu felt as if his blood was burning, and it was as if there was a fire that was causing his entire body to erupt in flames. This feeling came from within and spread outwards, but it was not painful. Rather, it felt quite warm and comfortable and was as if he was bathing in a hot spring during winter.

Following this, Zhao Fu slowly opened his eyes.

A figure appeared before him. He was wearing a black-gold dragon gown and gave off a dignified and imposing aura. He stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes seeming to look down on everything under the heavens. He gave off an air of invincibility and seemed quite domineering. He was the First Emperor of Qin… Ying Zheng!

Ying Zheng examined Zhao Fu before faintly smiling and saying, “I’ll leave Great Qin in your care!”

After saying this, Qin Zheng’s figure slowly disappeared, and a magic cube glowing with a violet light appeared at the center of the altar.

Even though Zhao Fu had guessed something like this would happen, he still felt slightly shocked. His bloodline belonged to the Great Qin Empire that had ended the Warring States period. Now, he was responsible for making this empire rise again.

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Fu walked forwards and grabbed the violet cube. After a dizzying feeling, he appeared in a forest.

The trees in this forest were dense and tall, and the tallest ones were hundreds of meters tall and more than ten meters wide. The leaves growing on the trees were able to completely block out the sun.

Even though it was still daytime, there was not much sunlight where Zhao Fu was. Moreover, these trees had strange shapes – some looked like humans, while others looked like beasts. Some of their expressions were ones of struggling, while others had painful or savage expressions. Adding on how dark it was, this forest seemed quite horrifying.

Zhao Fu had never expected that he would appear in such a place. After obtaining the legacy, he had obtained some information. Zhao Fu looked at his attire: he was wearing clothes made of coarse hemp and had cloth shoes. That was all he had.

Zhao Fu then opened his stats interface the way that the system announcement had told him.

Name: Zhao Fu

Title: None

Profession: None

Achievement Points: Commoner (0/200)

Race: Human

Age: 21 (100)

Stats: Strength: 5, Intelligence: 8, Constitution: 4, Agility: 6

Cultivation: Stage 0

Cultivation Technique: None

Skills: None

Equipment: Coarse Cloth Clothes, Cloth Shoes, Coarse Cloth Pants

After looking at his stats, Zhao Fu found that his Strength and Constitution were fairly low. His current stats were based on his body and mind in the real world. In the real world, the more exercise he did, the better his body would be, resulting in better stats. Conversely, the weaker he was, the lower his stats would be. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

The world he was currently in was called the Heaven Awaken World, and it was tens of times larger than earth. Only Zhao Fu’s soul had entered this world, while his real body was still in the real world, similar to the situations in virtual reality novels.

The Heaven Awaken World’s time was different to the time in the real world. A single day in the real world was equivalent to three days in here, and he would not truly die after dying in this world. Rather, he would not be able to enter this world for ten days and would lose all of his levels, equipment, and skills.

What was important to note was that this world was not safe – other than the human race, there were countless other races and terrifying magic beasts.

Normally, he would have been sent to the system’s main city after entering the Heaven Awaken World. However, because of the Legacy Trial, Zhao Fu was not sent to a main city.

Following this, Zhao Fu quickly found a concealed mountainous region, took out the violet cube, and pressed it against the ground. A system announcement immediately sounded out, “Would you like to use the Legacy Stone?”

Zhao Fu immediately replied, “Yes!”

Ripples of light started to come out from the violet cube before a formless energy covered the surrounding 1 square kilometer area. In the next second, all of the trees, grass, and flowers disappeared, revealing flat and smooth ground.

Buildings started to slowly appear. There was a thatched cottage with two rooms and the name [Village Hall] above the cottage. There was another thatched cottage with a furnace and a flag hanging outside it with the name [Smithy] above the cottage. There was also a thatched cottage with many simple clothes inside it with the name [Tailor Shop] above the cottage, as well as a thatched cottage called the [Medicine Shop] with all sorts of bottles filled with medicine.

There was also a round stage made from bricks with the name [Origin], and another thatched cottage with five stone steles and the name [Profession Change].

The Lord's Empire - Chapter 1 – Heaven Awaken World

It was 3 AM in the morning, and a full moon hung high in the sky. Its bright moonlight shined down on the ground, making the surroundings seem not so dark.

By now, the streets were quite quiet because most people had already fallen asleep. However, a delicate looking youth was walking on the streets, dragging his weary body back home.

This youth was called Zhao Fu, and he had taken his mother’s surname. He was twenty-one years old and a second-year student at Nanshi University. He was currently working while studying. For convenience’s sake and because his night job earned him quite a bit of money, Zhao Fu did not live on campus at his university, and he instead rented a room outside.

As a lowly commoner, Zhao Fu’s thinking was very simple. He did not have any lofty ambitions or great ideas. He just wanted to find someone who he could spend his life with and live a peaceful life – that would leave him extremely satisfied.

Zhao Fu continued walking along the street. Right now, all he wanted was to have a good night’s sleep.

Suddenly, a dark figure rushed out from a corner, slamming Zhao Fu against a wall and pressing a fruit knife against his neck.

Feeling the icy blade pressed against his neck, Zhao Fu’s body froze, his hairs standing on end. He did not dare to move at all because he knew that the person might not hesitate to kill him if he moved rashly.

Luckily, he had forgotten his phone today, and he did not have anything valuable on him. All he had was $36.50, and if he had to choose between the money and his life, he would not hesitate to choose the latter.

Zhao Fu obediently took out all of his money, $36.50, and smiled stiffly. “Big bro! This is all I have, please take it.”

“Who wants your money? Turn around, press yourself against the wall, and take off your pants,” the man shouted, dashing Zhao Fu’s hopes of paying him off to save his life.

“Eh? Turn around, press myself against the wall, and take off my pants?” Zhao Fu frowned and looked over. The lewd-looking middle-aged man started to unbutton his own pants.

“Fudge! This isn’t a robbery; this is a rape!” Zhao Fu inwardly cursed.

At this moment, the lewd-looking middle-aged man waved his knife and said threateningly, “Didn’t you hear me? Your elder said to take off your pants.”

“Is my ‘chrysanthemum’ going to be torn today?” Zhao Fu shuddered as he frowned, thinking about how he could escape.

BOOM!!!

At this moment, a deafening explosion sounded out from above. Zhao Fu, who was pressed against the wall, raised his head in surprise.

The entire sky seemed to be burning, turning into a massive sea of flames. Countless rainbow lights fell from the sky with long tails trailing behind them, making them look like meteors as they descended.

This shocking scene not only grabbed Zhao Fu’s attention but also the lewd-looking middle-aged man’s attention as well. Zhao Fu took advantage of this to grab the man’s wrist, and he twisted with all of his might.

“Arghh!”

The lewd-looking middle-aged man cried out in pain, his knife falling to the ground. Following this, Zhao Fu brought his knee up and kicked the man’s groin.

“Arghhhhh!!!!”

The man screamed again as he collapsed to the ground, his face a mask of pain. He arched his body with both hands covering that area. Zhao Fu was still feeling quite angry, and he continuously kicked the man a few times before quickly running away.

Bang!!

Just as Zhao Fu was running out from this street, a rainbow-colored meteor crashed in front of him. The blinding light caused Zhao Fu to instinctively use his hands to cover his face. After the light disappeared, a crystal that was one finger length in length and two finger lengths in width silently floated two meters above the ground. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

Zhao Fu curiously walked forwards and held the crystal. The floating crystal did not react at all as Zhao Fu grabbed it.

By now, everyone who had been sleeping had been woken up by the loud sounds. They all opened their doors and windows and looked at the countless floating crystals, and began to madly rush out. They all started to fight over these crystals because they looked quite valuable.

Seeing this chaotic scene, Zhao Fu did not stay around and hurried home.

Within his single room apartment, Zhao Fu carefully examined the crystal. From its appearance, no gemstone could compare to it, and if it was rare enough, it could be worth cities. However, a countless number of these crystals had descended from the sky, at least a few billion, so they definitely wouldn’t be worth much.

Suddenly, the crystal shined with a rainbow glow as a robotic voice said, “Host has been detected to be a Basic Intelligence Lifeform, Soulbinding commencing…”

“Ding! Soulbinding has been successfully completed; you will now head to the Heaven Awaken World.”

After hearing this, Zhao Fu’s vision darkened as he fell to the ground.

The Lord's Empire - Prologue

It was pouring outside when a 27 or 28-year-old beautiful woman brought a 5 or 6-year-old young boy to kneel in front of the iron gates of a luxurious villa.

The woman was called Zhao Meiling, and she came from a remote village. Six years ago, she had brought her hopes and dreams to enter a university here, but she had never expected that she would meet a man who would change everything for her. This man was the most famous hedonistic young master of Beitang City… Li Zhe!

Back then, Zhao Meiling and Li Zhe had attended the same campus, and Li Zhe had set his eyes on her after meeting her. Afterwards, he madly pursued her, using all sorts of methods and tricks to woo her.

Zhao Meiling was a simple and guileless girl who had only just come to the city; how could she withstand the courting of an expert? She had given him not only her body but also her entire heart to him. However, after Li Zhe had become bored of her, he had savagely tossed her away.

Afterwards, Zhao Meiling found out that she was pregnant. She decided to give birth to the child and had a massive falling out with her family because of this.

After the child was born, Zhao Meiling wanted to raise him herself. However, after five years, because she had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and her body had become incredibly weak, she knew that she didn’t have many years left. She decided to send the child to the Li family so that he could experience fatherly love and have a better life. That way, she would be happy even if she died.

However, she had been coldly refused by the Li family, who claimed that the child did not belong to the Li family. As such, Zhao Meiling and the child could only kneel in front of the iron gates and bitterly plead.

At this moment, the iron gates slowly opened, and a few people holding umbrellas walked out. The man in the lead looked quite similar to the boy; he was the boy’s father, Li Zhe.

“Here! This amount of money will be enough for you to live well, you filthy woman,” Li Zhe said as he frowned and held out a check to Zhao Meiling.

Zhao Meiling shook her head and looked up at Li Zhe, saying, “Zhe, you must take in Fu’Er; he’s your son!”

“Absolutely not!” Li Zhe immediately refused before coldly saying, “Do you want the money or not?”

Zhao Meiling’s tears covered her entire face, and she shook her head.

Li Zhe coldly harrumphed and threw the check at Zhao Meiling before turning to leave.

Kneeling on the ground, Zhao Meiling grabbed Li Zhe’s leg and begged him, “Zhe, Fu’Er really is your son. You have to take him in, my body is…”

Pa!

Before Zhao Meiling could finish her sentence, Li Zhe heavily smacked her on the face and snarled, “Let go, you filthy woman!”

Seeing his mother being hit, the boy quickly ran over and grabbed onto Li Zhe’s leg, yelling with his tender voice, “Daddy, don’t hit mummy!”

In actuality, the boy had never known who his father was, and his mother had never mentioned it before. Only recently had Zhao Meiling shown the boy a picture of his father, and he had been so excited that he had jumped up and down.

However, right now, he couldn’t understand why his father didn’t want his mother and was hitting her.

Li Zhe looked down at the boy holding on to his leg with a look of contempt and kicked him away, yelling, “Who’s your dad, you damn bastard?!”

The boy was sent flying and crashed onto the ground, and he curled up into the fetal position. He wrapped his arms around his stomach with an expression of pain – this pain was far beyond what a 5-year-old boy could endure, and he couldn’t stop the large tears rolling down his face. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

A look of shock appeared on Zhao Meiling’s face, and she let go of Li Zhe to pick up the little boy. She asked with a concerned tone, “Fu’Er, are you alright?”

The little boy saw how worried his mother looked, and he forced back his tears as he nodded.

Li Zhe looked at the mother and son and walked back past the gates. A manager with slightly greyed hair picked up the check and handed it to Zhao Meiling, saying sympathetically, “It’s best you take it.”

Zhao Meiling shook her head and held the boy as she slowly walked away in the rain.

The manager watched the mother and son leave and deeply sighed as he locked the gate before walking back.

Four years later, before Zhao Meiling passed away, she called the 9-year-old boy to her bedside. She gently stroked his head and smiled as she said in a weak voice, “Fu’Er, make sure you study hard and get a good job in the future. Don’t hate the Li family or your father. Can you promise me that?”

The boy fought back tears as he nodded earnestly.

Seeing the boy nod so seriously, a peaceful smile lingered on Zhao Meiling’s face as she slowly closed her eyes forever.