The world is like a prison, my body is holy

The opening ceremony of Zhou Tian Academy was held on the ninth day of the eighth lunar month.

The Zhou Tian Academy was originally named "Jixia Academy". Wang Wen originally intended to plagiarize the wisdom and popularity of his predecessors. However, when the main body of the academy, which he envisioned as a "higher education institution", appeared before his eyes as a series of magnificent palaces and buildings, he suddenly felt that copying the achievements and ideas of his predecessors was too petty. What Wang Wen wanted to do was to carry on the past and open up the future!
With a stroke of his pen, the Jixia Academy was transformed into the Zhou Tian Academy.

The two characters "周天" (Zhou Tian) have many meanings, including cosmology, the unity of heaven and man, and the path of cultivation.

But in this context, Wang Wen wanted to express only one theme: Our journey is not just about the country and its people, but also about the stars and the sea!
The Zhou Tian Academy is located on Shugang Hill, a famous mountain in the northwest of Yangzhou. The main buildings, which were completed by the end of July, cover an area of ​​about 1,000 acres and include nine academy palaces, eleven dormitory buildings that can accommodate 300 people each, a canteen, a drill ground, and other supporting facilities. The entire academy took nearly ten months from preparation to completion, mobilizing nearly 50,000 people and costing a huge sum of 300,000 taels of silver!

It also includes a road about six li long and two zhang wide leading from Shugang to the north gate of Yangzhou, which can accommodate three horse-drawn carriages abreast...

Wang Wen has been very busy these days, extremely busy.

He dismissed his men and chopped down all those corrupt officials, gentry, and merchants with a single stroke. He felt incredibly exhilarated while doing so, a feeling of utter coolness and exhilaration.

But after the chopping, all the mess left behind by those officials, gentry, and merchants fell on his shoulders...

He needs to re-calculate the extent of the disaster in various regions.

He was needed to coordinate the grain supply in various regions.

The people in various places need him to find ways to appease them...

The people below had no choice. Many of the Demon Suppression Guards had attended literacy classes at the Demon Suppression General's Mansion. They were all very capable of killing people, but when it came to governing the common people, they were all completely clueless.

no way?
That means the only option is to report it up through the chain of command!

The issue was reported layer by layer, and eventually even trivial matters such as "the town is running out of food, should we kill the oxen to fill our stomachs?" appeared on Wang Wen's desk.

What can Wang Wen do?
He could only scratch his head and sulk while replying with his pen: "Analyze specific problems specifically. If there is grain, eat grain first. If there is really no grain, eat the oxen. Prioritize killing old oxen. The calves must be saved no matter what. The government will find a way to solve the grain shortage as soon as possible."

His massacre was tantamount to him taking over the entire mess in Huainan and Jiangnan with the power of his Demon-Slaying General's Mansion!

He's the number one sucker in the market!

These days, in order to handle the ever-increasing amount of official business, he has even resorted to methods of distraction. He only regrets that he doesn't have the seventy-two transformations of the Monkey King, so that he can pluck a handful of hair and turn it into dozens of Wang Wens, who can then attack side by side...

Even so, he still came in person on the opening ceremony of Zhou Tian Academy.

When 1,432 freshmen, dressed in neat black and white school uniforms, marched into the training ground in orderly formation under the guidance of 36 Demon-Suppressing Guard homeroom teachers, Wang Wen felt a joy like that of a farmer seeing his crops sprouting tender green shoots in the field…

What a fine leek... no, what a fine young man!
A small portion of these newborns were local children of school age from Yangzhou, while the majority were orphans and disaster victims gathered by the General's Mansion from various places.

They will begin their nine-year academic journey at Zhou Tian Academy, following a 3+3+3 schedule.

For the first three years, they will receive an introductory education focusing on Chinese, mathematics, and moral character, supplemented by martial arts and metaphysics, to ensure that even if they cannot continue to the next three-year program, they can become pillars of various industries.

Without a doubt, in the Great Zhou Dynasty where the literacy rate was no more than 5%, a teenager who could read and write, knew some basic arithmetic, and was also skilled in farming would be considered a highly skilled talent in any industry.

In the next three years, depending on their talents, they will begin advanced education focusing on martial arts and metaphysics, supplemented by other general education courses. Students who can begin this stage of learning can already be considered as the new force in the cultivation world.

Although more than four years have passed since the spiritual energy revival in the Great Zhou Dynasty, the various cultivation lines are still unable to escape the predicament of a generational gap and stagnation. Currently, the mainstream of the cultivation world in the Great Zhou is still dominated by a large number of martial artists, while Buddhism and Taoism, which should have been at the forefront of the cultivation world, are still in a long period of dormancy due to the severe damage they suffered in the early stages of the spiritual energy revival. The other folk cultivation lines do not have the universality of Buddhism and Taoism, and have not made much progress so far...

This is not a good sign. You should know that while the human cultivation world is stagnating, the wild demons and monsters that are born and grow wildly in the wild are rising up in great numbers and blooming in all directions!
If the human cultivation world does not rise up and catch up, and demons and monsters gradually break free from the suppression and intimidation of humanity, then who will be the protagonist of heaven and earth will be another matter entirely...

In the final three years, the novice cultivators will begin their courses focusing on various cultivation arts, such as talismans, formations, and weapon crafting.

Wang Wen, a student graduating this academic year, is benchmarked against elite disciples of prestigious sects in the cultivation world. His upper limit is a rising star like Zhang Yunxiu, the young celestial master of Longhu Mountain, while his lower limit is a high-end assembly line worker in the cultivation world.

In general, outstanding students who can advance to this level of education may make a huge profit, but Wang Wen will definitely not lose out!

Not to mention that Zhou Tian Academy, a unique "higher education institution" in the Great Zhou Dynasty, was solely funded by the General of Demon Suppression's Mansion. Every student studying at Zhou Tian Academy is born with the mark of the General of Demon Suppression's Mansion.

Just the fact that every student who steps into Zhou Tian Academy will enjoy tuition reductions and room and board subsidies provided by his Demon-Slaying General's Mansion, and that the homeroom teachers who accompany each student throughout their studies at Zhou Tian Academy are all the best and most loyal Demon-Slaying Guards from his Demon-Slaying General's Mansion, is enough to make every student emotionally lean towards his Demon-Slaying General's Mansion.

Moreover, the background and nature of Zhou Tian Academy have already destined it to become a powerful force in the cultivation world of the Great Zhou Dynasty. This force will grow stronger as more and more students graduate from Zhou Tian Academy, eventually becoming so powerful that any student who wants to betray Zhou Tian Academy or harm it will have to think twice about whether they can withstand the pursuit of their senior classmates...

At that time, as long as Wang Wen does not commit any heinous crimes that would arouse the wrath of both gods and men, anyone who wants to harm him will have to get past the Zhou Tian Academy first!
"Hello everyone, I am your principal, Wang Wen. I am very happy to be here with you all to hold this great opening ceremony that is destined to be recorded in history and passed down through the ages!"

After all the students had entered and taken their positions, Wang Wen spoke with a kind and approachable smile, and his opening remarks were absolutely brilliant.

The gentle voice, which carried throughout the entire school grounds without the need for any amplification equipment, caused everyone on the grounds to instinctively straighten their backs and raise their heads, participating in this great opening ceremony that would go down in history with the most vigorous and full spirit.

Wang Wen smiled and continued, "Two years ago, I was just a small-time hoodlum on the streets of Yangzhou, spending my days with my brothers, living a carefree life of drinking and laughing as the day was over. Back then, I thought life would always be carefree and peaceful."

"Until I stumbled upon the White Lotus Rebellion..."

Without hesitation, he added his own sideline: "Among the people present, there may still be some who remember that incident, some who have some impression of it, but I want to tell you all that the incident was ten times, a hundred times worse than what you have heard!"

"In that incident, I encountered thousands upon thousands of boys and girls who had been sacrificed by the White Lotus Sect. They were about your age, and if they were still alive, they might be a head taller than you. They were also raised by their parents from a foot tall to the same height as you, cherished and protected by their grandparents. They should have grown up carefree and peacefully, married, had children, and lived their lives..." "But when I met them, they were only this small..."

He stretched out a hand, spreading his thumb and forefinger: "Their souls were sealed inside these tiny porcelain dolls by those villains of the White Lotus Sect. They can neither ascend to heaven nor descend to earth. Their lives, their future, ended on that day. Their parents and grandparents will never see their beloved grandchildren again..."

As he narrated, everyone on the training ground subconsciously clenched their teeth and fists, wishing a White Lotus Sect villain would appear so they could rush up and beat him to death with a flurry of punches.

"I was furious. I rushed up and destroyed the White Lotus Sect's altar. Then I went to Huangshan with my brothers-in-arms. I carried two large machetes and fought my way from the foot of the mountain to the summit. I cleaved every White Lotus Sect villain I saw in two. I thought I had dealt with them and saved the innocent folks in Jiangnan..."

"But what happened later, I think some of you here know, is that the people of ten prefectures were turned into wronged souls in the White Lotus Sect's sacrificial array!"

"I don't know if any of the students here are from those ten prefectures, nor do I know if anyone here has ever been to those ten prefectures..."

“I went there. Right after those ten prefectures turned into a ghost town, I went to Kuaiji.”

"When I entered the city, all I saw were corpses lying haphazardly in every corner. The sky was gray, the ground was gray, and there was not a single living thing in the entire city except for me."

“At night, countless wronged souls emerged from every corner of the city, their faces contorted in agony as they howled at me, searching for their parents, their children, their enemies… When I was performing the ritual to help them pass on, I could barely hold my weapon.”

"But I had no choice, I was all alone..."

Nearly two years later, when Wang Wen recalled that night in Kuaiji City, his voice still trembled uncontrollably.

Everyone present felt goosebumps rise on their skin as he spoke, as if they could see a man wielding a long spear, charging back and forth among the endless stream of wronged souls and vengeful ghosts under the moonlight...

Wang Wen swallowed hard to calm himself down before continuing, "Later, I became the Demon-Slaying General of Huainan. I led my brothers-in-arms on a tour of the entire Huainan region. We encountered villages and towns that had been devoured by demons and monsters, and we also encountered evil people and demons who colluded to treat an entire city's inhabitants like cattle and sheep..."

"Of course, we also encountered a loyal demon who had endured more than two hundred years of suffering for his former master. I almost killed a good demon by mistake that time, which was a real lesson for me."

"My comrades and I, with swords drawn, fought our way from south to north and then from north to south, killing every demon and monster that dared to lay a finger on my fellow villagers in Huainan!"

"All the demons and monsters in the entire Huainan region tremble with fear at the mere mention of the name of my Demon-Slaying General's Mansion, and flee at the mere sight of them. Even if the people of Huainan region go into the mountains alone to gather firewood, those demons would never dare to harm them in the slightest..."

"I fully believed that without the evil spirits causing trouble, everyone could go back to the carefree and peaceful life they used to live."

"Who would have thought that before we could even enjoy a few days of peace, we would be hit by this once-in-a-century drought..."

"I think I'm pretty smart. Back in February, I noticed that the rainfall this year was unusual, so I started actively procuring grain, negotiating with grain merchants to stabilize grain prices, discussing with the imperial court about reducing taxes and providing disaster relief, and talking with officials about distributing porridge to help the people..."

"I was convinced that I had considered all aspects and made all the necessary arrangements. I thought that even if the drought was severe this year, everyone could just tighten their belts and get through it."

"Who would have thought that when the grain merchants had suppressed grain prices to half their limit, he stopped; when the officials had distributed porridge for a few days, he stopped... Grain prices changed every day in various places, and the people of the region had no way to survive and could only flee the famine in groups."

"But where can they escape to?"

"There's no other way to make a living!"

"Just half a month ago, I went to a place in Jiangnan to procure food. Guess what I encountered on my way back?"

"Stop guessing, I encountered cannibalism..."

"I was furious, so I led them to the nearby prefectural city and summoned all the officials and clerks in the city. I asked them whether these people were officials under their jurisdiction. I killed them one by one for every question I asked. After I had killed all the officials in the city, not one of them could answer whether those people were under their jurisdiction or not."

"I don't understand. I don't understand how people can be so wicked. Is making money really that important? Are they willing to disregard the lives of their fellow villagers just to make a few pennies?"

"I pondered this all the way before it suddenly dawned on me: among demons there are good demons who have developed human hearts, and among humans there are rotten people who are just wearing a human skin!"

"Man-eating demons deserve to be killed, but man-eating humans deserve to be killed even more!"

"But I'm all alone! How can I possibly fight all these demons and monsters by myself?"

Wang Wen stood on the stage with a smile on his face at the bear stall, but the more than 1,400 people below the drill ground could read anger, sorrow, and helplessness on his face.

Many students bowed their heads, tears streaming down their faces, sobbing uncontrollably... because they were the children of those families who had starved to death!

Wang Wen paused for a few seconds, then changed the subject: "I have a dream, a dream that one day everyone in the world can live a prosperous life with their heads held high!"

"At that time, there will be no more trouble from demons and monsters, and good people and good demons can live together under the same blue sky."

"At that time, the elderly were cared for, the young were educated, the poor were supported, and those in distress were helped. People no longer had to live in fear of starvation."

"At that time, children from wealthy and powerful families could study and eat at the same table as children from poor families. Wealth and poverty were no longer the sole criteria for measuring social status; morality was..."

He scanned the room with a hopeful look on his face: "But I can't do all this by myself. Are you willing to lend me a hand?"

There was a two-second silence on the training ground, then a deafening roar of young voices erupted: "We're willing!" (End of Chapter)