Replace me as the top scholar? Go talk to my Marshal Grandpa!

The book used the phrase "extraordinarily talented" to describe them, but Wang Xian felt that these four words were far from enough.

Those ten people suppressed the internal divisions and forcibly united the major nations of the world.

They used force, prestige, and every means to force those scheming factions to unite.

Then, they led the united human civilization to resist foreign enemies and fight back against invasion.

They reclaimed the lost territory.

They drove the invading race back to the other side of the stargate.

They spent more than a decade recuperating before starting to actively invade and plunder other planes of existence.

Under their leadership, Earth became the most advanced large-scale dimension.

Those ten people were later revered as—

The Ten Emperors.

Wang Xian stared at the two words, speechless for a long time.

The Ten Emperors.

Ten days.

He finally understood why that global event was called "Ten Days".

That was a tribute.

That's nostalgia.

That is hope.

I hope that such a being will reappear in human civilization.

pity……

The book says that the Ten Emperors were born in response to the times.

It is a kind of response from the world's will at the most critical moment for human civilization.

It is the result of countless coincidences and inevitabilities intertwined.

Difficult to reproduce.

The new era began in 404.

The last emperor had reached the end of his lifespan.

The era of the Ten Emperors has come to an end.

The major powers, forcibly united by the ten emperors, are now stirring with restless ambition.

In less than ten years, it completely split apart, returning to the situation of more than a hundred years ago.

That division triggered a period of chaos, which later generations called—

The chaos following the emperor's death.

It was at that time that the two top universities in Great Xia merged, and Tsinghua University and Peking University were born.

After the chaos of the Emperor's Fall, human civilization on Earth returned to a pattern of five major powers and countless smaller nations.

Even as stargates appear more and more frequently, even as the situation becomes increasingly tense.

No one wants to go back to the格局 (geju, a term referring to the overall situation or structure) of the Ten Emperors era.

Especially the five major countries.

They can cooperate, form alliances, and work together to address crises.

But they are unwilling to be subservient to others again.

This pattern has continued to this day.

Wang Xian closed the book and shut his eyes.

He leaned back in his chair and remained silent for a long time.

Countless images flashed through my mind.

Spiritual energy revived, and order collapsed.

The Star Gate descends, and foreign enemies invade.

The Ten Emperors emerged and turned the tide.

The chaos following the emperor's death led to a reshaping of the political landscape.

Eight hundred years of history, eight hundred years of magnificent history, eight hundred years of blood and fire.

He only knew that there were martial artists, talents, and cultivation in this world.

But he didn't know that behind this lay such a profound history.

Such a cruel truth.

Stargates are still appearing.

Foreign enemies are still lurking.

The situation is still deteriorating.

Human civilization is still internally divided, with each civilization acting independently.

Wang Xian opened her eyes.

He looked out the window, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

"A little fairy?"

Qin Chong's voice came from the side.

Wang Xian turned his head and saw Qin Chong looking at him with a worried expression.

"Little fairy, are you alright? You look... a little unhappy?"

Wang Xian paused for a moment, then smiled.

He reached out and ruffled Qin Chong's hair:

"It's nothing. I just read a book and it made me a little sentimental."

Qin Chong scratched his head, not quite understanding what "感慨" meant.

But when he saw Wang Xian smile, he smiled too.

Wang Xian withdrew her hand and looked at the pile of books on the table that she hadn't read yet.

The History of the Great Xia Civilization.

Introduction to the Laws of a Multiverse World

The Theory of the Nature of Spiritual Power.

Stargate Security and Ethics.

He took a deep breath and turned to the next book.

The world is more complex than he imagined.

But it's okay.

He will become stronger.

Strong enough to protect those you want to protect.

Strong enough to gain a foothold in this chaotic world.

Even... to control cultivators worldwide and restore the glory of the Ten Emperors!

……

After spending half a day in the library, Wang Xian finally finished reading all five required textbooks.

He closed the last book, rubbed his eyes, and let out a long breath.

It was already afternoon.

Just then, a weak voice came from the side:

"Little fairy... I'm hungry."

Wang Xian turned his head and saw Qin Chong staring at him expectantly, his expression as aggrieved as a forgotten puppy.

Wang Xian paused for a moment, then slapped his forehead:

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, I got so engrossed in the book that I lost track of time."

He stood up and stretched his somewhat stiff shoulders:

"Come on, let me take you to eat."

The two left the library and found the freshman cafeteria by following the map on their student cards.

The cafeteria is very large, extremely large.

As soon as Wang Xian stepped inside, she was stunned by the sight before her.

The entire cafeteria covers an area of ​​over a thousand square meters, with a ceiling height of over ten meters and a transparent ceiling that allows sunlight to stream in directly.

Dozens of food serving stations are neatly arranged, each with a huge electronic screen above it displaying pictures and prices of various foods.

The variety of food is dazzling.

There was ordinary rice and noodles, various vegetables and fruits, cooked dishes and soups, and... some things that Wang Xian had never seen before.

Those items were placed in a special transparent cabinet, emitting a faint fluorescent glow.

Some look like meat, some like fruit, some like some kind of mineral, and some... it's impossible to tell what they are at all.

Wang Xian walked closer and took a look. The electronic screen displayed:

Thunder Flood Dragon Meat (Tier 3 Exotic Beast): Contains thunder-attribute spiritual power; consuming it can strengthen the physical body and has remarkable effects on cultivators of thunder-based techniques. Price: 80000 Dragon Coins/jin (approximately 500 grams)

【Meteor Demon Elephant Meat (Tier 3 Beast): Contains stellar power; consuming it can increase the purity of spiritual energy, and has remarkable effects on practitioners of stellar-based cultivation techniques. Price: 75000 Dragon Coins/jin】

【Flaming Sun Bird Egg (Tier 2 Exotic Beast): Contains fire-attribute spiritual power; consuming it can increase health and vitality. Price: 30000 Dragon Coins/egg】

[Earth Marrow Spirit Mushroom (Tier 4 Spirit Herb): Greatly increases cultivation speed. Price: 500000 Dragon Coins/plant]

【…】

Wang Xian smacked his lips.

These prices are simply unaffordable for ordinary people.

A pound of meat costs 70,000 to 80,000 dragon coins, enough for an average family's living expenses for several months.

But he's different.

Before he came to the university, the Wang family had already transferred some money to his account.

That sum of money is an amount that an ordinary person could never save in a lifetime.

After thinking for a moment, Wang Xian ordered ten catties of Thunder Dragon Beast meat for Qin Chong.

The Thunder Flood Dragon is a mythical beast with the attribute of thunder, perfectly compatible with the "Overlord Thunder Emperor Scripture" that Qin Chong cultivates. Eating ten pounds of its flesh would definitely be of great benefit to his body tempering.

Then, he ordered five more kilograms of Meteorite Elephant Meat for himself.

He is currently also refining his body, practicing the "Starry Thunder Emperor Scripture".

The flesh of the Meteorite Demon Elephant contains the power of stars, which is perfect for him.

However, his body tempering progress was not as fast as Qin Chong's, and he consumed less energy. Five jin should be enough.

After placing the order, Wang Xian led Qin Chong to an empty table to sit down and wait for the food to be delivered.

Before long, a robot came over carrying two huge trays.

On the tray were two large platters of meat.

One dish contained the meat of the Thunder Dragon Beast, which was dark purple in color and had faint electric arcs flickering on its surface.

One dish is Meteorite Elephant Meat, the meat of which is silvery-white and emits a faint starlight.

……