Chapter 9: Poor Mathematics Skills Lead to Lifelong Poverty

Oh no

... ... Alright, I will pay attention next time. However, remember that the food in the Dream Kingdom does not truly solve problems; after waking up, you still need to find something to eat

"Even if I were to be killed, it would not be your skeletal frame that earns Akasha's favor." ... Hearing the decades-long quarrel between these two, Akasha, the central figure, could only hope that this damned day would come to an end soon

The reputation of Yangcheng Academy as the foremost institution on the mainland is the result of centuries of rigorous refinement. The academy is not only equipped with a large number of outstanding dream builders to catalyze the cultivation of its students, but it also offers top-tier meditation techniques within its curriculum

However, this time, despite Wang Wu staring at the pattern for a long time, nothing changed. As he noticed the sunlight outside becoming increasingly bright, Wang Wu thought that if he didn't leave soon, he would miss the early self-study session. He had no choice but to give up the attempt, pick up the broom, cloth, and other cleaning tools, and push the door open to go out

Is it to gain the recognition of classmates and mentors that one works so hard? Although Wang Wu's grades have consistently been poor, his efforts are evident to all

Come, close your eyes, and follow the meditation method taught in class. Regulate your breathing, calm your mind, and gather your thoughts..." Hua Yun said, half-closing her eyes, releasing a hazy white light from her hands. Moments later, the entire classroom was enveloped in it, and a wondrous power began to spread, causing the surroundings to become blurred.

The affairs of the world are often quite amusing. At the tender age of twelve, Wang Wu, who is still oblivious to the very concept of puberty, can freely mock the innocence of three adults. Meanwhile, the issues arising from Wang Wu's unique talent are actually quite easy to resolve, yet the renowned Yangcheng Academy has been at a standstill for an entire month due to this matter

Meanwhile, the three people engaged in a heated discussion beside them suddenly changed their expressions. Wang Wu was the key to their escape; how could they allow him to fall? Akasha was the fastest, and with a swift movement, she was already by Wang Wu's side, holding him tightly. In her two deep purple eyes, Wang Wu's exceptionally pale face was reflected.

In her expectations, even if Wang Wu could induce dreams, the content of those dreams would be absurd and fanciful, exaggerated and extravagant, as he had not yet undergone the trials of the state of emptiness.

---

For these three individuals, it seemed that all the challenges in the world were not issues at all, and the only problem that could pose a challenge to them—the issue of this blood-red space—appeared to be easily resolved after the arrival of Wang Wu. After all, Wang Wu had studied at Yangcheng Academy for a month; although he had achieved nothing in Dream Building techniques, he at least understood the level of the issues that concerned and needed to be addressed by these three people.

Wang Wu displayed a proud smile: "Good morning, Teacher Hua."

Zhou Tong asked again: "So how are you going to send him out?"

In the entire world, there are only myself and Teacher Huayun. Huayun stands before me, dressed in a loose-fitting robe, with arms outstretched and a smile.

"It will come." Leo Rurik suddenly spoke

Hua Yun smiled and waved her hand downward, and immediately a wooden round stool appeared behind Wang Wu, while between the two of them was a round table set with tea and snacks

Huayun was filled with unwillingness in her heart

A single cleaning session unexpectedly brought him such gains. Wang Wu thought to himself that this is indeed a world where good people are rewarded. The early death of Old One-Eyed was clearly related to his lack of hygiene. Perhaps next time he should charge into the central tower of the academy with a broom, and the tower's master, Jin Zhengyang, would be so moved that he would adopt him as his godson, allowing him to dominate the world without rivals.

Akasha was not surprised at all and explained: "It doesn't matter, this ability to steal dreams should be a power of innate bloodline. We can just ask Leo Rick for help in this regard. When it comes to the use of bloodline powers, neither you nor I, combined with the library, can match him."

After being trapped for fifty years, the hope for freedom is truly more exhilarating than anything else

After sweeping the classroom floor, Wang Wu began to wipe the doors and windows. However, just as he had completed half of the task, he noticed someone approaching and could not help but stop.

As for the story of narrowly escaping death due to an inability to adapt to the spatial characteristics, Wang Wu had not paid any attention to it at all

... ... ''

With a helpless shake of her head, Huayun had no choice but to get straight to the point

Before long, Akasha found a usable flaw and, without hesitation, immediately picked up the child in her arms and threw him into the gap. In the blink of an eye, the handsome boy from Penglai vanished from the blood-red space

While thinking, Huayun spoke with difficulty, saying: "It is not as simple as that; matters such as inheritance are ultimately coincidental. Most people still need to be pragmatic in order to achieve success"

It cannot even be described as a flame; it is merely a faint, barely perceptible hint of purple, which appears even more elusive against the backdrop of Wang Wu's black eyes

However, Zhou Tong frowned and raised an objection: "That may be the case, but since he has been studying at Yangcheng Academy for such a long time and has not been able to steal even a fragment of a dream, it is evident that his dream-stealing ability is not as proficient as it seems..."

That child, is his name Wang Wu?

Wang Wu smiled and said: "Exactly, I said at the time that if that young man persevered, he could earn 2 to the power of 30 coins in just one month, which is ten million free currency. In the end, he couldn't calculate the figures and wasted his life. In fact, this story is meant to tell everyone how important it is to learn mathematics."

Akasha shook her head in silence; who can say for certain about such matters? Although the child appeared relatively calm in the space and did not seem overly surprised upon encountering the Skeleton King, Leoric, the dangers of this space, as well as the threat level posed by the three individuals within it, are beyond doubt

Zhou Tong was somewhat anxious: "Don't bother explaining, what should we do!?"

Not long after, a woman dressed in a loose long robe slowly walked into the classroom. Upon seeing Wang Wu, she displayed a look of surprise: "So early?" Then, noticing the broom in his hand and the significantly cleaner classroom, her astonishment deepened.

Closing his eyes, and following the meditation method previously taught by Huayun, Wang Wu released his own dream. In the dream, he was no longer devoid of everything; he could clearly feel a gentle purple flame burning in the dream, which was derived from the Akasha's purple fire

Rising to his feet, Wang Wu moved his limbs in the posture he had practiced for many years in the underground maze, confirming that his physical condition was still good, and he let out a sigh of relief. Remembering the extraordinary encounter he had just experienced, Wang Wu gratefully patted the broom beside him

You can take your time to study it later; for now, let me find out where the problem lies.

This is useless... Otherwise, I and Li Ao Rui Ke would not have had to forcibly change our race in the first place" Akasha said, letting out a helpless sigh

Zhou Tong chuckled, "Even after a hundred years, our admiration for you will never fade. When rivals meet, the tension is palpable; just look at Old Li's red eyes!"

Leo Rurik shyly touched his head once again, while Zhou Tong huffed in indignation

Zhou Tong and Li Aoruike, who arrived later, were both taken aback and asked, "What happened?"

In the early morning at Yangcheng Academy, a few students have already begun their morning exercises, either jogging around the tranquil Illusory Light Lake or practicing martial arts on the playground at the edge of the dormitory area. As dream builders, the students do not need to make themselves exceptionally strong, but a vigorous body can provide ample energy, enhancing the effectiveness of dream-building techniques.

Teacher Hua, your words remind me of a story that my master told me a long time ago

Did you not have breakfast

However, Huayun did not even notice the existence of the purple fire

He is indeed far more accomplished than his beautiful mentor, Hua Yun. At least Hua Yun has never mentioned anything about rocket three waves; she merely engages in silly hypnosis, seduction, and waits for students to discover the marvelous power of dreams on their own, then sighs deeply about Wang Wu. From the words of Akasha and others, it is not difficult for Wang Wu to deduce that these three are attempting to transform him into an incredibly powerful dream weaver at the fastest speed possible—advancing to a senior dream weaver within four to five years—to help them escape their predicament. Given the abilities of the three, this is not a difficult task to accomplish.

Huayun feels as if she has been profoundly educated

Focus and emptiness are two methods of practice in the waking dream stage. Among them, the latter is faster but requires a high level of aptitude and insight, while the former can yield results as long as the practitioner is willing to exert effort. In the style of Yangcheng Academy, few would choose the method of focused meditation; even the most dull-witted students can master the method of emptiness meditation after a period of practice.

Recalling the various past events with Kim Jong-yang, Akasha could not help but let out a sigh; however, the purple fire in her gaze only burned brighter. More than fifty years of time could allow her to forget the harsh environment in which she existed, but the anger deep within her heart only grew deeper.

After a few breaths, Wang Wu suddenly realized that the classroom he was in had been replaced by a vast expanse of white space, surrounded by soft white light, with only a few indistinct dark shadows obscured in the background

Before she could finish her sentence, Huayun's eyes widened as she watched Wang Wu devour all the pastries in a whirlwind, including the piece of mille-feuille she had originally intended to save for herself

Wang Wu nodded vigorously, then washed down the snacks in his mouth with tea in one go

Wang Wu scratched his head and said, "However, what my master originally said was: On the third day, a distant relative, whom he could not even reach with an 800-foot pole, suddenly left him an inheritance of 10,000 free coins. From then on, the young man lived a life of indulgence, eating top-quality veal imported from the Northern Alliance, drinking fine wine from the Lafite estate, and sleeping with high-class female slaves from the Holy Empire. He never touched an apple again in his life. This story teaches everyone how unpredictable fate can be" This story teaches everyone how unpredictable fate can be

To further master the art of dream invasion, the best mentors would be that trio. Wang Wu gazed at the indistinct pattern on the ground, which somewhat resembled a kneeling cat and also bore a resemblance to an old urine stain, pondering whether he should return for another look

Then, let's try focused meditation first. Since ethereal meditation has proven ineffective, we shall take a different path

As a mentor, Huayun indeed has the responsibility to provide serious guidance to her students. However, the mentor's energy is limited, making it impossible to offer one-on-one guidance to every student. Nevertheless, Huayun believes that the child before her is worthy of her individual attention and guidance

It is rare to communicate with Wang Wu alone, and Huayun couldn't help but feel fortunate for her habit of arriving early to the classroom every day to prepare lessons. She smiled and said, "Can you tell me about it?"

Moreover, that boy lives within the sphere of influence of Jin Zhengyang at Yangcheng Academy. This time entering the space can be considered a coincidence, but what about next time? Will Jin Zhengyang just stand by and do nothing?

Although Wang Wu could not understand the point of what Huayun was saying, he still nodded in agreement, fully convinced.

Are you here to do the cleaning? That is truly thoughtful of you

... ... ''

For an apprentice dream builder who has not even completed the lucid dreaming phase, the existence of this flame is akin to a miracle. Without undergoing the baptism of the lucid phase, even if the dream builder can release dreams at any time, the content of those dreams remains absurd and unstable. Perhaps one desires a snake, but halfway through it transforms into an earthworm. Only by completing the training in lucidity, purifying the dream space to a high degree, and then following proper meditation methods to gradually create dream power can one construct rich dream content that can be manipulated with ease. However, the dream content remains absurd and unstable; perhaps one desires a snake, but halfway through it transforms into an earthworm. Only by completing the training in lucidity, purifying the dream space to a high degree, and then following proper meditation methods to gradually create dream power can one construct rich dream content that can be manipulated with ease. And now, this infinitely mysterious purple flame that is burning may not even be manageable by those novice dream builders who have already crossed the threshold. It is indeed a leap to the heavens.

Hua Yun felt that her smile must be somewhat distorted. Just how detestable could that storyteller master be to tell such a non-inspirational and malicious story to children? Yet, to have grown up amidst such a master’s toxicity and possess a heart as bright as the sun, Wang Wu truly is a miraculous existence.

Zhou Tong suddenly realized and immediately summoned a large array of various magical tools, piling them around Wang Wu, causing a slight flush to appear on the latter's face. The old Taoist's assortment of instruments was diverse and seemingly inexhaustible; however, none could sustain their effectiveness for long. After a brief restoration, Wang Wu's vitality once again began to wane.

In the Dream Kingdom of Huayun, the existence of wild dreams is very prominent. It is impossible for them to be as elusive as purple fire.

Hua Yunxiao: "Yes, that's right. As long as we persevere, even in times of poverty and hardship, there will come a day of fortune."

After listening to the skeleton's explanation, Zhou Tong decisively turned his head and said, "It's one-sided affection! What a beautiful thought! Old Li, have you overindulged in your fantasies about Akasha?"

Zhou Tong still needed to argue further, but Akasha made a decisive statement: "Leo Rick is right; we cannot preserve his life in this space and state. If we want to keep hope alive, we must ensure he survives. As for whether he will return, we can only take a gamble."

Now, we can prepare to begin. This child is inherently resistant to the power of dreams, so we will provide a finished product directly. If he can steal my purple fire, then the undead seed of Li Ao Ruike and the immortal realm of Zhou Tong should also be usable by him... Gathering the dream kingdoms of the three of us, he is indeed quite fortunate

Wang Wu is akin to those savage pirates of the far north, completely disengaged from production, surviving solely by plundering the wealth of others. Generally, a Dream Builder must diligently meditate to generate the power of dreams, and then process this power to construct various dreamscapes. In contrast, Wang Wu can only seize what others cherish and claim it as his own

Wang Wu closed his eyes and then opened them: "It feels very strange. Closing my eyes and dreaming in a dream, I believe this is a philosophical question worth studying"

Such a child made Huayun feel a twinge of sadness

"Living is hope; once dead, there is only despair"

The gloomy Skeleton King was instantly enraged: "Damn it! Do you really think I can't kill you!"

Just as she was thinking, she noticed that Wang Wu had already completed the cleaning, fully absorbed and at ease, showing not a trace of impatience, which moved Hua Yun deeply

Welcome to my dream space, please take a seat

Space is like a piece of glass on the verge of shattering, with countless fissures crawling across its surface. These fissures are too minuscule for Akasha and others, yet they are sufficient for others to traverse through.

Generally speaking, no one would choose to return here, even if they once promised to make that boy a powerful dream builder, but after all, it is not worth exchanging one's life for

Once upon a time, a young man in dire poverty used his last two copper coins to buy two apples at the market. After polishing them until they shone, he sold them for four copper coins. The next day, he bought four apples for four copper coins and sold them for eight copper coins

Just as he was thinking, Wang Wu suddenly changed his expression, his body swayed, and he fell backward.

Gazing at the radiant smile of the boy from Penglai, Huayun felt an increasing sense of regret... Without a doubt, Wang Wu was exceptionally intelligent, and intelligent individuals have an advantage in cultivating the art of dream-building compared to ordinary people. Unfortunately, Wang Wu uniquely lacked the necessary aptitude, and he could not even pass the threshold of lucid dreaming.

The periodic test in two months is theoretically expected to eliminate a portion of the students, and given Wang Wu's current progress... Hua Yun shook her head, deciding that if he really had to be expelled at that time, she would go to the dean to plead on his behalf. With her status, she should be able to secure Wang Wu a little more time.

However, this is quite fun as well

According to Professor Huayun's method, Wang Wu focused his mind on a single point... Before long, a wisp of purple flame began to gently burn in front of his eyes

Too much layer cake sugar was added, and the shrimp shells in the shrimp dumplings were not cleaned properly

Decades ago, when they were first trapped in this space filled with death, apart from Zhou Tong, who possessed the Immortal Realm and had particularly vigorous life force, both Li Aoruike and Akasha found it difficult to survive for long in this space. Ultimately, they had to change their races. Among them, Li Aoruike had slightly lower cultivation, thus his transformation was more thorough, becoming an undead being. However, as time passed, the three of them surprisingly forgot the dangers of this space.

Liao Ruike explained: "He dodged my knife... Very few can do that, let alone a child. He does not seem like a dreamweaver, but more like a thief, and thieves are always more adventurous and better at finding loopholes than others, so he will definitely come."

"Hmm, good morning." Huayun nodded, looking at the other person's innocent smile, and couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.

However ... ...

From Akasha's words, Wang Wu finally understood his current situation: due to the nature of his bloodline power, he was inherently unable to possess the power of dreams. As a consequence, he had acquired a unique ability to steal dreams, which destined him to grow differently from an ordinary dream weaver.

However, Wang Wu's situation has clearly exceeded general theories. Therefore, Hua Yun taught him focused meditation techniques more than a week ago. Unfortunately, it is to be expected that there has been no effect.

Once this point is clarified, many things will naturally fall into place

When Wang Wu opened his eyes, he found himself lying on the cold floor, with his long-handled broom beside him. Through the window of the small room, a beam of crimson light illuminated his face. The blood-red hue made him feel slightly disoriented, and it took him some time to gather his thoughts and realize that he had returned to his original world

Zhou Tong sneered: "How do you know?"

---

Wang Wu, let's try meditating once more. I will help you analyze the issues seriously, alright?

Hua Yun never expected that due to a momentary lapse in attention, she would miss the opportunity to witness a miracle

The use of bloodline power has its limitations. As Zhou Tong said, Wang Wu is still far from being able to wield the power of dream theft with ease; otherwise, with Hua Yun's fascinating hypnosis, he would have subconsciously stolen it to play with long ago

Akasha smiled gently, her gaze filled with flickering purple flames, revealing her immense joy within

Is it really impossible for this child to practice the Dream Building Technique at all

Thinking that since he was already there, and coincidentally had brought something, he might as well take the opportunity to clean the classroom. Wang Wu simply put down the broom and began to earnestly clean. For him, cleaning, doing laundry, and cooking had already become part of his daily hobbies. Unfortunately, during the time in the underground maze, Old One-Eyed, for reasons unknown, refused to let him enter the kitchen, leaving him with only two out of his three major hobbies, which was quite regrettable

Wang Wu, you need not worry so much. Even if your talent is lacking, as long as you persist in your efforts, there will still be a way forward. For dream builders, encountering bottlenecks is quite common; do not pay too much attention to what other students say.

In order to ensure the efficiency of cultivation, starting from meditation, each stage of instruction has strict regulations. The freedom for both teachers and students to express themselves is quite limited, even for those from prestigious backgrounds with unique bloodline powers. The process of study must follow the academy's plan step by step. Thus, problems that could be easily solved with a slight change in perspective became unsolvable under the guidance of the excellent teacher Hua Yun. Reflecting on this, Wang Wu felt that his occasional distractions during class were indeed worth it. Thus, problems that could be easily solved with a slight change in perspective became unsolvable under the guidance of the excellent teacher Hua Yun. Reflecting on this, Wang Wu felt that his occasional distractions during class were indeed worth it

Relax a bit, have some tea first. Although it is merely a creation of dreams, it is not too different from reality

Akasha bit her lip, her face filled with frustration: "I actually forgot this most critical matter... This space is not suitable for ordinary people to survive! We have lived here for too long and have already forgotten the most basic nature of this space"

Akasha bit her lip, her mind rapidly turning over plans. Among the three, she possessed the highest cultivation and was the most adept at strategizing. Yet, at this moment, there was not a single method that could guarantee a solution to the problem

It was still Li Ao Rui Ke who broke the deadlock: "Take him out."

Zhou Tong immediately jumped up: "This is our only hope, you must send him out! Do you expect this child to have the courage to come back in after he wakes up? If he doesn't come, who are we going to rely on to break this damned space?"

Unfortunately, for Wang Wu, these diligent and enterprising students were merely obstacles. As the morning light grew stronger, Wang Wu felt that walking was more arduous than avoiding the guardian spirit in the middle of the night. He had thought more than once about violently harming someone. Carefully avoiding the crowd, Wang Wu trudged along an exceptionally winding path and finally succeeded in entering Class 4's classroom one hour before the morning self-study session began

Wang Wu listened, set down the cloth in his hand, quietly found a seat, and waited for Hua Yun's guidance

As someone who has undergone twelve years of education in the art of the golden finger, diligently building a kingdom of dreams like an old workhorse, how could it possibly be more interesting than directly stealing someone else's ready-made creations? During the twelve years in the underground labyrinth, Wang Wu learned to steal most of the things in the world, but even that master-level golden finger—Old One-Eyed—could not steal the dreams of others

Leo Rurik angrily declared: "These eyes of hell exist solely to ensure that I can kill you as soon as possible"

Then there was a long silence, until Zhou Tong muttered to himself: "Will that child really come back?"

As the two were about to engage in battle, Akasha suddenly appeared between them: "Stop fooling around, it's been over fifty years, haven't you had enough!?"

For instance, the three-legged water buffalo, the bright yellow crow... or simply a mass of meaningless vibrant colors. These dreams, filled with fantastical hues and lacking coherence and stability, are referred to as wild dreams. They represent the most primitive manifestation of the power of dreams, which can only be truly stabilized through the experience of clear and enlightened practice

This child has stolen a trace of spatial power, allowing them to exist here safely for a period of time, but that trace of power is clearly insufficient to sustain them for long

According to conventional theory, even with the most limited talent, it should be impossible to make no progress after two weeks of cultivation like Wang Wu. Hua Yun instinctively understood that there was an issue, yet she could not grasp where the problem lay

Releasing dreams in my dream space is much easier than in reality, and it also allows me to see your cultivation status more intuitively. However, this technique carries certain risks, so remember not to use it recklessly in the future. Alright, now let's prepare to try releasing your dream.

As she spoke, purple flames blazed fiercely between her eyes. Through this enchanting fire, Akasha was able to see through the space before her, as the blood-red mountains and sky transformed into countless points and lines in her vision

Akasha sighed: "He is different from us; he should not have come. The constraints of space on him are minimal. I have a way."

However, this ability to steal dreams has been unique for thousands of years, unprecedented in history