I have to get lucky right away.

Chapter 424 Of the Hundred Schools of Thought, which one is the most declining?
Although he was full of questions, Xiao Lingdang's information gathering skills were still working. During his tour, he also gathered some information about the process of various schools of thought by listening to the conversations of passersby.

The first stage was called "Hundred Schools of Thought Emerge," which is what we have now. Anyone can set up a booth and display their own achievements. The main purpose is to gain popularity and let people know that there is such a branch.

The second phase, called the "Scholarly Pavilion Showdown," will take place in a place called Xueting in Xianyang. Here, disciples from different schools will be assigned to different areas according to their respective factions. At this point, it's no longer just a "performance" for the common people, but a "competition" between peers. Some factions will even determine their dominance for the next few years here.

As for the third stage, called "Joint Construction of the Tripod," it can be considered the most valuable stage of the Hundred Schools of Thought. Talented individuals from various schools will team up to complete a project. The content of the project is unrestricted, but it must be completed by multiple parties. It can range from thousands of people working together to build a city to a few people working together to build a house. It is even said that more than a dozen landmarks in Xianyang City, including the Academy, were designed by the Civil Engineering School during the Joint Construction of the Tripod.

However, not everyone can complete a creative task in a short period of time. This "Hundred Schools of Thought Contend" event is held every four years, but each time there are achievements from the previous session, or even the session before that.

Such achievements are ineligible for the final Casting Award selection of that year. However, someone who can work on a project for several years is not necessarily doing it for that award. If they can produce something truly high-quality, the previous Casting Award winner might even voluntarily send over the trophy, creating a memorable story.

According to the gossip Xiaolingdang overheard, the longest one lasted forty years, with ten sessions of the Hundred Schools of Thought debate before finally producing results. As for what those results were... how could someone who talks about such gossip possibly discuss that?
When Tao Qing said that "the project has been finalized," he was actually implying that his project from the previous year was still not settled.

Although Meng Zhen seemed genuinely interested in having Feng Xue join his team, Feng Xue had absolutely no interest in the Casting Award at the moment, since he hadn't even figured out what kind of system this world was.

After decisively declining Meng Zhen's invitation, Feng Xue strolled around the streets for a while until Xiao Lingdang found out some information. Only then did he finally speak and say goodbye to Tao Qing.

"It's alright, you know my room. Just come find me if you need anything!" Tao Qing didn't hesitate at all about Feng Xue's farewell. She patted her chest generously and they parted ways just like that.

……

After saying goodbye to Tao Qing, Feng Xue followed the direction indicated by the little bell.

Compared to the chaotic post-apocalyptic world of Terra, the order of this world made Feng Xue feel uneasy, especially since he, a "disabled person," had been strolling the streets with two beautiful women for so long without even encountering an ATM, making it impossible for him to cause trouble.

Considering the legendary "strict Qin laws," Feng Xue decisively abandoned the idea of ​​breaking the law.

Fortunately, the guiding spirit of Little Bell was indeed powerful. After Feng Xue provided a large amount of vital energy, she finally found a breakthrough.

It wasn't Feng Xue impersonating a Yin-Yang master, but rather the most esoteric of esoteric schools in the world today—

Novelist. It sounds a bit strange, but the novelist is indeed one of the Hundred Schools of Thought. Although it is named after novels, the Hundred Schools of Thought are essentially manifestations of "administrative philosophy". The Mohists advocate universal love and non-aggression, the Confucians advocate benevolence, righteousness and moderation, the Daoists advocate tranquility and non-action, and the medical school advocates saving the world and helping the people. So, what means and ideas do novelists use to govern the country?
Do you write novels? No, not really.

The "novel" in "novelist" actually means "the words of the common people." It can be understood that this school of thought believes that when a monarch governs the world, he should listen to the opinions of the people. The so-called novel can be understood as expressing his own ideas by "telling the monarch stories collected from the people," which is the so-called "fable."

This theory seems to make no problem, but the problem is that it was proposed at the wrong time!
The pre-Qin era was an era where almost everyone received prenatal education, an era where "the people can be made to follow, but not to understand." It was difficult enough to simply explain government decrees to the people, let alone collect opinions. Even if you did collect opinions, you'd only hear things like tax cuts and reduced corvée labor. What substantial stories could the common people possibly have at that time? Therefore, when the ruler heard such a story, he knew it was probably fabricated.

In addition, due to low literacy rates and the high cost of writing materials such as bamboo slips and silk, the works could not be spread out on the lower floors.

It's normal for novelists to not rise to prominence in history, but what's abnormal is that even though they declined, they were still included among the Hundred Schools of Thought alongside a bunch of successful ones. In fact, when people talk about the Hundred Schools of Thought, after Confucianism, Mohism, Taoism, and Legalism, they immediately think of this school, but if you ask about their representative works, most people can't think of any at all.

The various schools of thought in this world seem to be more prosperous, but novelists do not seem to have changed their impoverished situation. Even in the midst of the contention of a hundred schools of thought, their stalls are practically deserted.

Feng Xue came to this stall not because he, a failed author, wanted to claim kinship or revive the glory of novelists in this world, but simply because novelists are relatively weak.

Based on Sarah's monitoring of combat power, Feng Xue discovered a pattern: the more prosperous a faction's doctrines were, the stronger its combat power seemed to be.

Regardless of whether this is due to the prosperity of factions leading to a large number of talented individuals, or because the cultivation system of this world is closely related to the prosperity of factions, it is certain that declining factions are weak.

So, in other words, is the novelist who ranks last also the one who is the least competitive?

With this in mind, Feng Xue cast a spell on herself that she had learned from Xiao Ye to erase her presence, and quietly approached the stall located in a remote corner, which was practically deserted.

"Is this the novelist's 'young prodigy'?"

Looking at the man in front of the stall across the street, Feng Xue asked hesitantly. It's no wonder he was suspicious. All the young people he had met along the way were handsome and dashing. Even those who had been beaten in the ring had a confident air about them. But this man in front of him, if it weren't for the four hundred years of lifespan he could see above his head, Feng Xue would have suspected that he was an old man on his deathbed!
After all, his demeanor was enough to make people overlook the fact that he looked to be only in his early twenties.

Seeing that no one was around, Feng Xue checked her cognitive impairment, locked her lifespan, and confirmed the location of the spells and talismans before taking a deep breath and saying:
"It's better if he's down on his luck! Yingbao, give him a bewitching spell!"

(End of this chapter)