Qin Dynasty: They've all turned into zombies, what's there to fear about a rebellion?

"Thump!"

The giant zombie named "Confucius" took a step forward, and the hard bluestone floor of the alchemy room instantly cracked, with fine cracks spreading wildly in all directions like a spider web.

It was enormous, a full three meters tall, standing there like an insurmountable mountain of flesh. Its bronze muscles bulged and jutted out, each one like a granite carving, gleaming with a cold, metallic sheen in the candlelight. What was most captivating was the enormous "德" (virtue) character tattooed on its back, a mixture of blood and cinnabar, its wild, cursive strokes exuding a grotesque beauty that seemed to want to smash one's brains out.

"Mr. Fu Nian, please."

Su Ming stood behind the giant corpse, gesturing for it to proceed, a smile on his face that suggested he was enjoying the spectacle. "Don't be shy, this is the highest level of courtesy I've prepared specifically for 're-educing' stubborn individuals. Whether it's reasoning or explaining physics, it understands a thing or two."

Fu Nian's knuckles turned white as he gripped the Tai'a sword, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

As the head of a Confucian school, he cultivated righteous energy and believed in remaining calm even in the face of imminent collapse. But this thing... this thing was just too oppressive! Just standing there, the overwhelming aura of corpses and blood made his protective inner energy tremble.

"You fiend, prepare to die!"

Fu Nian roared and launched the first attack. He couldn't wait any longer; momentum is fleeting. If this monster's aura were to fully unfold, he feared even his courage to draw his sword would be extinguished.

The Tai'a Sword, imbued with immense power, transformed into a dazzling golden light, piercing straight towards the giant corpse's throat. This sword strike, gathering all of Fu Nian's life's strength, already sliced ​​through the air before the sword energy even arrived, emitting a sharp whistling sound.

However, faced with this deadly sword strike, the [Confucius] didn't even blink—even though it didn't have eyelids at all.

It simply raised its right hand slowly.

The hand was as large as a palm-leaf fan, and in it was a steel ruler weighing three hundred pounds, forged from meteorite iron from outer space.

"call--"

The ruler swung without any fancy moves, just a simple horizontal sweep. But because of the immense power and speed, it created a visible cloud of air in the air!

"when--!!!"

A deafening roar, loud enough to shatter eardrums, exploded in the alchemy room.

Fu Nian felt an overwhelming force surge through the sword, instantly splitting his hand and splattering blood. The Tai'a sword, ranked among the top swords in the manual, had actually been bent by that rough ruler!

He was sent flying like a kite with a broken string by the ruler, crashing heavily into a bronze cauldron in the distance with a muffled "bang".

"How is that possible?!"

Yan Lu exclaimed in surprise, his usually gentle and refined face filled with horror. His senior brother's Tai'a sword intent was known as "Majestic Path," and it was best suited for head-on confrontation. How could he have been sent flying in a single exchange?

"You can't even handle this?"

Su Ming crossed his arms, shook his head with a look of utter disappointment, and began his on-the-spot teaching mode:

"Fu Nian, your physique is no good! You're too fragile! Look at 'Confucius,' that's the physique a Confucian should have!"

"You...you're talking nonsense!" Fu Nian struggled to his feet, a trickle of blood escaping from the corner of his mouth. He trembled with rage. "The sage was a teacher for all ages, gentle and refined. How could he...how could he be like this!"

"Gentle and refined?"

Su Ming chuckled, stepped forward, and patted the giant corpse's biceps, which were as hard as iron, making a "bang" metallic sound.

"You scholars, have you wasted your time reading books? Have you even read the *Records of the Grand Historian*? Sima Qian wrote it clearly: Confucius was nine feet six inches tall, and everyone called him a tall man and considered him extraordinary!"

"Nine feet six inches! Converted to modern units of measurement, that's a giant over 2.2 meters tall! And historical records also state that Confucius was strong enough to wrestle an ox and lift a city gate with his bare hands! What does that mean?"

Su Ming became more and more excited as he spoke, spittle flying everywhere, pointing his finger at the huge character "德" (virtue):

"Do you think Confucius traveled around the states just because of his eloquence? Back then, society was in chaos, and bandits and robbers roamed everywhere. If he hadn't had that muscular physique, he would have been hacked to death on the road long ago!"

"The reason no one dared to touch him was because he was truly formidable! His three thousand disciples were essentially three thousand fully armed thugs; and his seventy-two sages were seventy-two elite warriors capable of taking the head of a general from the midst of a massive army!"

"This is the true meaning of 'winning people over with virtue'!"

Su Ming suddenly waved his hand, and the [Confucius] behind him raised the huge ruler in response, waving it twice in the air, making a sharp whistling sound, as if to provide a footnote to Su Ming's theory.

"So-called 'virtue' is this 300-pound iron ruler! You won't listen to reason? Fine, then let 'virtue' have a talk with you! Until you're convinced!"

This astonishing "new interpretation of archaeology" left Fu Nian and Yan Lu completely dumbfounded.

Their worldview was subjected to an unprecedented, dimensional reduction attack at this moment.

For a long time, the Confucius in their minds was that venerable elder in a tall hat and wide belt, patiently guiding and enlightening others. But now, Su Ming is telling them that their ancestor was actually a violent maniac over two meters tall, all muscle, wielding a large knife (ruler) and traveling the world to "reason" with people?

"No... I don't believe it! This is slander! This is a slander against the saint!"

Fu Nian's eyes were bloodshot, and his Dao heart was on the verge of collapse. He could not accept this setting; it was more painful than death for him.

"You evil cultivator! Don't you dare disturb my resolve! Today, it's either you or me who dies!"

Fu Nian roared, forcibly suppressing the injuries within his body, and the Tai'a Sword once again erupted with a dazzling golden light. This time, he held nothing back, directly burning his primordial essence and blood, unleashing the Confucian school's strongest forbidden technique—"Inner Sage, Outer King."

"Stubborn and obstinate."

Su Ming sighed and snapped his fingers at [Confucius], "Zero, give him more responsibilities and let him know what 'heavy fatherly love' means."

"roar!"

The giant corpse let out a deep, muffled roar, and with a leap, its massive body displayed an agility completely disproportionate to its size. Like a runaway heavy tank, it charged towards Fu Nian in an instant, carrying a suffocating wind pressure.

The giant ruler in his hand was raised high, and then—

"Snapped!"

It's like a schoolteacher slapping someone's hand—simple, direct, yet unstoppable.

The sword energy of the Tai'a sword shattered instantly under that foot, and Fu Nian was slammed into the ground again, sword and all. This time, half of his body was embedded in the bluestone slab, and the Tai'a sword flew out of his hand, stuck in a beam in the distance, buzzing.

"Did you see that?"

Su Ming walked over, squatted down in front of Fu Nian, whose head was the only part of his body sticking out, and said with a smile:

"This is what is meant by 'The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits.' It means: The Master did not want to talk to you, and he used strange force to beat you until you lost your mind."

"You've gone astray in your training, Master Fu Nian. How can you truly understand Confucian principles if you only practice your words without building up your strength?"

Fu Nian's eyes rolled back, and he was overcome with anger and the intense pain in his body caused him to faint without warning.

The head of a Confucian school was thus "convinced" by physics.

The main hall was deathly silent.

Wei Zhuang, carrying a chainsaw, looked at Fu Nian, who had buried himself in the ground, and a playful smile appeared on his lips: "Interesting. It seems that Confucianism is nothing special after all."

"stop!"

Just as Su Ming was about to have Fu Nian dug up and made into a specimen, Yan Lu, who had been standing to the side with an ever-changing expression, finally made a move.

This second-in-command of the Confucian school was usually very gentle, known as the "Master of Draws," and never engaged in fierce battles with anyone. But at this moment, seeing his senior brother being humiliated like this, and seeing the Confucian tradition being wantonly trampled on by Su Ming, a rare coldness finally appeared in his eyes, which were always filled with a gentle smile.

"Imperial Advisor, you've gone too far."

Yan Lu slowly drew the Han Guang sword from his waist.

It was an invisible sword. Only the hilt existed; the blade flickered in and out of existence in the light and shadow, as if it did not exist in this world.

"Insulting the sages and trampling on civilization."

Yan Lu's figure began to fade, like a wisp of smoke that might dissipate in the wind at any moment. His aura completely vanished, and even Su Ming's [Eye of Corpse Insight] lost its lock in an instant.

"Since the Imperial Preceptor insists on teaching physics, then Yan Lu has no choice but to..."

"Excuse me!"

Before he finished speaking, Yan Lu's figure vanished completely into thin air.

The next second, an invisible sharp edge, carrying the determination to cut through everything, appeared out of thin air at Su Ming's throat!

"Take this!"