My classmates chose martial arts and fantasy, but I chose the prehistoric world.

With the matter in Beihai settled, Meng Chuan returned to Chaoge.

The surrender document jointly signed by the seventy-two feudal lords was casually tossed onto Emperor Xin's desk.

When Di Xin opened it, he saw seventy-two bright red handprints neatly arranged, each word expressing submission. He was overjoyed.

"The teacher is truly amazing!"

Emperor Xin stood up excitedly and paced back and forth. "In just seven days, without losing a single soldier, he made seventy-two vassal states bow down and submit—who throughout history has been able to match such methods?"

Meng Chuan sat on the chair next to him, holding a teacup, his expression indifferent: "It's a trivial matter, not worth mentioning."

Seeing his calm and composed demeanor, Di Xin felt even greater respect for him.

He suddenly remembered something, his smile faded, and he lowered his voice to ask, "Teacher, is that Shen Gongbao... really just a puppet sent by someone else?"

"Absolutely true."

"The person manipulating him behind the scenes..."

Di Xin's eyes sharpened. "Who exactly is it?"

Meng Chuan put down his teacup, glanced at him, and instead of answering directly, asked, "Does Your Majesty know what other forces exist in this world besides the Great Shang Dynasty?"

Di Xin was taken aback and pondered for a moment before saying, "There are various feudal lords... as well as some immortal cultivation sects, such as the Chan Sect on Kunlun Mountain and the Jie Sect on Jin'ao Island in the East Sea... In addition, it is said that there is a Mount Sumeru in the west, where two Buddhas live."

"Then do you know which of these forces least wants to see a powerful Shang Dynasty?"

Di Xin remained silent.

It wasn't that he didn't know the answer, but rather that the answer was too heavy for him to easily utter.

After a long silence, he whispered, "It's those cultivators."

To be precise—

Meng Chuan stood up, walked to the window, and stood with his hands behind his back. "They are those self-proclaimed saints who look down on ordinary people like ants."

Di Xin's pupils contracted.

Meng Chuan did not turn around and continued, "Your Majesty, whose world do you think this belongs to?"

"Naturally, this is my domain."

"Wrong."

Meng Chuan turned around and looked at him calmly. "In this world, the true masters have never been the emperors of the mortal realm, but rather those few high-ranking Heavenly Saints and their teachers."

"In their eyes, your Shang Dynasty is nothing more than a pawn in a game. And you, the king, are nothing more than a pawn in their game."

Di Xin's face turned extremely ugly.

He clenched his fist, his knuckles turning white, and after a long pause, he managed to squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth: "So... I, the king, am merely a puppet?"

"It used to be."

Meng Chuan looked at him, a smile playing on his lips. "But not anymore."

Di Xin raised his head, a glimmer of hope igniting in his eyes: "What the teacher means is..."

"Because I'm here."

Meng Chuan spoke calmly, as if stating a trivial fact: "As long as I am here, no one can use you as a pawn. Not even a saint."

Di Xin stared at him blankly, a surge of indescribable emotion welling up inside him.

He didn't know exactly how capable this teacher was, but he did know—

When the teacher said this, there was no hint of boasting or exaggeration in his tone, so he couldn't have any doubts.

"teacher……"

Di Xin stood up and solemnly bowed deeply to Meng Chuan, saying, "On behalf of the millions of people of the Great Shang Dynasty, I thank you, teacher!"

Meng Chuan waved his hand: "Don't rush to thank me. The Investiture of the Gods has only just begun; there will be plenty of trouble ahead."

"The Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods?"

When Di Xin heard this word for the first time, he asked in confusion, "What is that?"

"A calamity of gods and immortals initiated by the Heavenly Dao."

Meng Chuan explained, "To put it bluntly, the Heavenly Court is short-handed and needs to select a group of gods from among the cultivators in the mortal realm to fill the positions. But cultivators all have sects and backgrounds, and no one wants their disciples to be listed and conferred titles—after all, being on the Investiture of the Gods list means that although one gains a divine position, one also loses the opportunity to live a carefree life."

"So, those sages set their sights on the Shang Dynasty?"

"clever."

Meng Chuan nodded approvingly. "They plan to use the war between the Shang Dynasty and Xiqi to involve a large number of cultivators and take the opportunity to complete the Investiture of the Gods. And you, the King of the Shang Dynasty, are the perfect 'trigger' in their eyes."

Di Xin's face was ashen.

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Does the teacher have a way to solve this?"

"have."

Meng Chuan's answer was concise and to the point.

Di Xin's eyes lit up: "What method?"

Meng Chuan smiled, but instead of answering directly, he asked, "Does Your Majesty trust me?"

"Of course I believe it."

"That's enough."

Meng Chuan patted him on the shoulder, "You just focus on being a good king, leave the rest to me."

Although Di Xin still had many questions in his mind, seeing that Meng Chuan was unwilling to say more, he did not press further and could only nod in agreement.

……

In the days that followed, Meng Chuan continued to live a leisurely life.

He spends his days drinking tea, reading books, basking in the sun, and occasionally giving Di Xin pointers on his cultivation. His life is even more pleasant than when he was on Mount Niming.

But the others in Chaoge City were not as relaxed as he was.

Although the rebellion in Beihai was quelled, the undercurrents in the court did not subside.

Although Grand Tutor Du Yuanxian's attitude towards Meng Chuan had changed somewhat, he still harbored doubts.

This imperial tutor is indeed very capable, but his origins are too mysterious, making people wary.

Meanwhile, other important officials in the court, such as Prime Minister Shang Rong and Vice Minister Bi Yu, also maintained a cautious wait-and-see attitude towards Meng Chuan.

Unlike Du Yuanxian, they did not openly express hostility, but they also would not easily trust someone of unknown origin.

Meng Chuan was fully aware of this, but he didn't care at all.

He knew that these people would eventually realize that he, Meng Chuan, had no interest in this throne.

All he did was because—

It's just funny.

On this day, Meng Chuan was sunbathing in the Imperial Garden when he suddenly sensed a familiar aura coming from the horizon.

He opened his eyes, looked southeast, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"They're here."

A moment later, a guard rushed in to report: "Your Majesty, Imperial Tutor, we have heard that Grand Tutor Wen has returned victorious from his expedition against the Eastern Barbarians and has now led his army to the outskirts of the city!"

Emperor Xin was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately ordered the city gates to be opened, personally leading civil and military officials out of the city to welcome him.

Meng Chuan didn't join in the fun; instead, he continued to lie on the rattan chair, closing his eyes to rest.

About half an hour later, a steady and powerful sound of footsteps came from afar.

Meng Chuan didn't open his eyes, but lazily said, "Grand Tutor Wen, you've worked hard."

The person stopped in their tracks.

A moment later, a deep voice rang out: "You are the Imperial Tutor?"

Meng Chuan then opened his eyes and looked at the person who had come in.

Standing before them was a burly middle-aged man, clad in golden armor, with a resolute face and a vertical eye in the center of his forehead—

Although it was not open, the power contained within was enough to make any cultivator wary.

This man was none other than Wen Zhong, the Grand Tutor of the Shang Dynasty, a veteran of three dynasties, and one of the most outstanding disciples of the three generations of the Jie Sect!

Meng Chuan sized him up and nodded: "It is indeed I. I have long admired the Grand Tutor's name, and seeing you today, I can see that it is indeed well-deserved."

Wen Zhong didn't speak, but stared at Meng Chuan with his single eye, his gaze sharp as a knife, as if he wanted to see right through Meng Chuan.

Anyone else, being stared at like that by Wen Zhong, would probably be sweating profusely.

But Meng Chuan remained leisurely lying on the rattan chair, even stretching.

"Has the Grand Tutor had enough?"

He asked with a smile, "Would you like to sit down and have a cup of tea?"

Wen Zhong remained silent for a moment before speaking, "Thank you for your help with the matter in Beihai."

His tone was stiff, clearly indicating he wasn't used to thanking people.

Meng Chuan smiled and said, "It was nothing, Grand Tutor, you don't need to be so polite."

Wen Zhong glanced at him again, then turned to leave.

After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped and said without turning his head, "No matter who you are—if you are detrimental to the Shang Dynasty, I, Wen Zhong, will be the first to not let you go."

After saying that, he strode away.

As Meng Chuan watched his departing figure, the smile on his face only deepened.

"interesting."

He muttered to himself, "This Wen Zhong is quite a man."