Three Kingdoms Lords: Starting by walking into the mouth of a giant python

Chapter 65 Heavenly Ladder

Chapter 66 Heavenly Ladder

On the first day of the fifth lunar month, the dark clouds that filled the valley dispersed, and the swarms of insects disappeared.

Li Yu and Xiong Ba appeared, stepping on a thick layer of insect corpses.

"Dean, you've finally emerged from seclusion!"

"The dean is awesome, number one on both lists!"

[Strength] 59 (max level), ranked first.

[Intelligence] 48, ranked first.

The results of six days of "asceticism".

There are also Xiong Ba with [Martial Power] at level 69 (max) and [Snake Princess] at level 74 (max). As long as they pass the [Bottleneck Test], they can be promoted to [Mysterious Rank] and [Mysterious Rank] Upper Rank.

Besides that, there is a [Grasshopper Feather], a [Construction Blueprint], and two [Unknown Scrolls].

During the Zhou Dynasty, there were officials in charge of collecting folk songs. "Men over sixty and women over fifty who had no children were provided with food and clothing by the officials." Every year in the third month of spring, these officials would walk through the countryside, ringing wooden clappers, to collect folk songs. After compiling them, they would be handed over to the chief musician to be set to music and sung to the Zhou emperor. This music would serve as a reference for governance, allowing the emperor to observe customs, understand gains and losses, and correct his own mistakes.

The "Airs of the States" and "Minor Odes" sections of the Book of Songs are mostly derived from this.

Among them, there is a poem called "The Locust" in the "South Wind" section, which the ancients used to celebrate having many children and grandchildren, and for blessings to last long.

The katydid feathers... vibrate.

The grasshopper's wings... are so long and strong.

The grasshoppers' wings... buzzing and buzzing.

[One-third of the grasshopper's feather], each feather has a line.

The three feathers came together and formed a complete [grasshopper feather].

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"The Wings of the Grasshopper"

[Rank] Yellow

[Attributes] Luck +5, Harmony +50

[Description] The grasshoppers multiply and the gourds and melons grow long.

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Luck and harmony are two attributes, but Li Yu values the former most. Luck is extremely important when exploring secret realms or entering strange scroll worlds.

The blueprints are for the [Gate of the Locusts], a low-grade building. Wang Zhang is not qualified to appraise it, so we need to find someone else.

After Li Yu and his companion left the valley, [Zhongsi Valley] suddenly changed.

Clumps of grass, piercing through the countless insect corpses, covered the entire valley.

The insect carcasses rotted and disintegrated at a visible speed, turning into nutrients that were absorbed by the wild grass.

Locusts and nymphs thrive in the roots of grass and the topsoil.

The chirping of insects resumed.

Grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets leaped to the tips of the grass.

As the players ventured into the valley, a swarm of insects immediately attacked.

However, although they still swarmed in large numbers, they no longer resembled the old spectacle of dark clouds and swarms of insects. While they struggled to cope, they were still able to level up normally.

The players cheered and jumped into the valley. Many of the local inhabitants also followed.

Amidst the bustling crowd, Li Yu spotted two burly men, each eight or nine feet tall—Pan An and Zuo Zizhangba.

interesting.

Li Yu turned and walked away, taking Xiong Ba back to [Sky Courtyard].

Lu Xiuxi, Li Min, and others were delighted to pay their respects.

Seeing that their political rank had been raised to 20, Li Yu appointed Lu Xiuxi and Li Hua as field officials and Li Min as a village gatekeeper.

Others, such as Mu Jin, Zhang Guoqiang, and a bandit henchman named "Xiao Nu," were given the titles of [squad leader] and [tenth leader] for their good performance.

These positions offer bonuses in both civil and military affairs; the bonuses are small, but enough to make them happy.

After the appointments were made, everyone went about their business. Lu Xiuxi talked about some affairs within the institute, as well as a few rumors circulating outside.

Firstly, there are two more individuals recognized as "top-tier" talents. One is Su Hui, who is skilled in cement production; the other is Wang Yong, an expert in gunpowder.

Cement and gunpowder are temporarily unavailable, and due to the mutation of raw materials in this world, the two need to explore production methods anew.

Secondly, while the skills to avoid or separate water were not found, a player offered a [Building Blueprint - Kangwang Mud Horse Temple] and asked the Dean if he needed it.

Li Yu shook his head and said no, and let him build it in the [Sky Courtyard].

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Kangwang Mud Horse Temple

[Rank] Yellow

[Attribute] Transportation +45. You can obtain thirty [Divine Mud Blocks] daily, which can be used to summon a [Seven Hundred Mile Mud Horse] for riding.

[Description] Emperor Gaozong of Song, then Prince Kang, was held hostage by the Jin dynasty. After escaping, he rested wearily at the temple of Lord Cui. In a dream, a divine being said, "The Jin cavalry are approaching; Your Majesty should leave quickly. Horses are already waiting at the gate." Prince Kang awoke with a start, and his horse was already beside him. Prince Kang leaped onto the horse and galloped south, traveling seven hundred li in a single day. After crossing the river, the horse stopped moving. Upon inspection, it turned out to be a mud horse.

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Okay.

[Mud Horse] can be used for rapid marches and surprise attacks. However, [Divine Man Mud Block] cannot be stored for long, otherwise its uses and value will be much higher.

After reading it, Li Yu told Lu Xiuxi that if there were any more blueprints in the future, those below the [Mysterious Grade] could be built directly without asking him.

Lu Xiuxi agreed.

Thirdly, someone saw a village called [Overlord Village] on the Territory Ranking, whose lord's name was "Dong Zhuo". [Overlord Village] flashed by and never appeared again.

Fourthly, the Great Teacher Zhang Jiao established the [Taiping Immortal Sect] in Yunmeng Marsh, attracting countless players and natives by boat. Some joined the [Immortal Sect] and were taught extraordinary skills and elixirs. As a result, followers flocked to it.

Fifth, Emperor Liu Hong of the Han Dynasty obtained a seed of a divine tree from an unknown source and planted it in the center of Luoyang. Overnight, it grew into a giant tree ten zhang tall.

The giant tree is called "Sky Ladder," and its leaves fall every day.

Once you possess the [Heavenly Ladder Leaf], you can travel to the ancient battlefield to engage in combat with other players and native inhabitants.

Li Yu listened, seemingly lost in thought.

Dong Zhuo's [Overlord Manor] also appears in [Dream].

[Village Building Blueprints] can be used not only by players but also by native inhabitants. In [Dream], most of the famous generals and wise ministers were feared by Liu Hong and could not serve in office, so some people started to manipulate [territories].

However, most of them are openly player-driven, but secretly manipulate various affairs.

As for the [heavenly ladder], it's not a rare sight either.

The Heavenly Ladder is a legendary stairway connecting heaven and earth. Its form includes mountains, trees, and towers.

If players obtain [Jianmu Fragment], [Lingshan Fragment], [Babel Tower Fragment], etc., they can also build [Sky Ladder] in their own territory.

Then came Zhang Jiao.

Li Yu was certain that there was no Taiping Immortal Sect in the dream.

In the first [Dream], Zhang Jiao was pursued by the prefectures and counties. He led the remaining forces of the [Way of Peace] to hide in the east and west, trying to turn the tide with the [Moonlight Scroll] but failed. In the end, he died in depression.

In the second [dream], Zhang Jiao obtained a thousand-year-old wood spirit from the [moonlight scroll], and he himself was promoted to [heavenly grade], thus the [Way of Peace] continued to exist for several decades.

However, according to rumors, Zhang Jiao was once ambushed by a player using a secret technique. The leader of the [Taiping Dao], who still appears to be the Great Teacher of Wisdom, has actually been usurped by a player who has taken over his body and replaced him.

……

After leaving the village committee office, Li Yu sought out Wang Zhang to authenticate two moonlight scrolls.

One is [Huangpin·Nanfeng], and the other is [Huangpin·Tangdizhijia].

The former followed the Zhou Dynasty's officials in charge of collecting folk songs, traveling through the countryside to gather them. If they recognized a good song, they could gain considerable [intellectual experience].

The latter went to Yuanju in Caozhou (present-day Heze, Shandong) during the Zhenguan era of Emperor Taizong of Tang. There, he became acquainted with the brothers Jia Dunyi and Jia Dunshi, gaining intellectual and political experience.

The scroll was alright, but it took a bit too long, so Li Yu didn't like it and put it away to trade with others.

With everything settled, Li Yu led Xiong Ba into the [Fanghu].

The two are about to undergo a [test of their combat skills].

Xiong Ba shared some of his experiences in passing the [60 Bottleneck Test] with Li Yu, and Li Yu nodded.

"[System]: The player has initiated the [Strength 60 Bottleneck Test]. Due to the player's special status, the [Bottleneck Test] examiner can only be selected from the indigenous population."

Please select...

Several messages appeared before my eyes—

"[Force] 64, Female, 36 years old."

"[Force] 69, Male, 56 years old."

"[Force] 62, Male, 9 years old."

"[Martial arts...]"

Li Yu originally intended to choose someone at random, but when he suddenly saw the "9-year-old," he immediately became interested.

Choose him!

As time and space shifted and light changed, Li Yu found himself in a dense forest.

Three zhang away, a blond-haired boy holding a long spear appeared.

Li Yu looked over and saw that he was wearing a coarse linen shirt and plain cloth trousers. His features seemed somewhat familiar.

Upon recalling the event, Li Yu immediately grinned.