Chapter 261

Sun Wu glanced at the speaker, Eastern Han General Dou Xian, second-generation Champion Marquis, the creator of the idiom "Yanran Inscription".

Unlike Xiang Yu, he did not obtain the comprehensive net, but leading a large army he killed an ancient divine beast that had intruded into their world; thus, in the final political struggle, he broke the deadlock with force, successfully rebelled and changed his fate, ascending to become the Military Strategist War God.

There are many similar fellows; in the original history they were only a hair's breadth away from the War God themselves, and the infinite branches of the Multiverse also allowed them to transcend.

However, they are merely special individuals, and they still differ from big shots like Sun Wu who are stable War Gods in each world.

When they die, they truly die; when Sun Wu dies in a certain world, he is simply reborn and gets back up there, so the difference is still quite large.

However, when both sides are alive and fight, it's truly even.

So Dou Xian had no reverence whatsoever for an old-timer like Sun Wu; at worst they'd just have a showdown—who's afraid of whom?

"Dou Xian, don't rush—once everyone's here, I'll naturally give you an explanation." Sun Wu said, half placating, half explaining.

After all, being called the Sage of War, strengthening the Military Strategist also benefits him personally.

The stronger the Military Strategist, the more substantial power boost he, as the Sage of War, can gain; otherwise Sun Wu would have quit long ago—who among those following the Military Strategist is such a self-sacrificing great sage?

They're either crude warriors, brainless hotheads, or mass-murdering demon kings, or else rebel traitors.

Good people? Can good people become war gods?

"Master Sun, could you first tell us whether this matter is important? I have some private affairs to attend to!"

Sun Wu followed the voice and looked over—oh, he'd almost forgotten this guy; he took back his words, indeed good people can truly be war gods.

The speaker was Wei Qing, a senior general of Emperor Wu of Han, upright in character, among the war gods he's a moral exemplar: his orders are clear, he shows kindness to his troops, courtesy to his peers, holding high office yet never establishing personal prestige.

He's also one of the few war gods who can retire with dignity, and likewise a big shot capable of repeatedly achieving war-god status across the multiverse.

"Very important!" Sun Wu said solemnly to Wei Qing.

"Understood!" Wei Qing said, pulling the nearby Huo Qubing to sit down and began to close his eyes to rest his spirit.

Huo Qubing was somewhat restless.

But under Wei Qing's restraint he still sat down honestly.

The originally chaotic venue gradually quieted down; though they couldn't convince each other, they all acknowledged Sun Wu's strength, and when he solemnly convened the meeting, they gave him the respect he deserved.

Earlier, when Sun Wu and Jiang Ziya painted them a big pie, they were all tempted; otherwise they wouldn't have gathered here.

"Pretty much everyone's here!"

Sun Wu glanced around; aside from one or two whose situation was unknown, the war gods he'd previously lobbied had basically all shown up.

"First order of business!" Sun Wu pointed a finger.

"First, send all non-war-gods back!" Sun Wu swept his gaze over the retinues and attendants each faction had brought.

"Is that really necessary?" someone asked, puzzled, since they'd brought only their trusted confidants.

"It's a matter of great importance, and later you must also sign a confidentiality pact witnessed by the Jiuzhou Consciousness with me." Sun Wu spoke quite calmly.

Upon hearing "Jiuzhou Consciousness witness," all the war gods narrowed their eyes, then chose to send away the people beside them.

Anyone who violates the Jiuzhou Consciousness witness will be hunted down by all of Jiuzhou, and at that time the entire populace of Jiuzhou will go berserk over it.

After all, slaying such a person despised by Jiuzhou will earn a reward from the Jiuzhou Consciousness, gain heaven's favor, and cause one's fortune to surge.

This also means Sun Wu is getting serious—the big pie he'd previously drawn now seems poised to become reality.

Once the venue was cleared of unrelated personnel, Sun Wu nodded, produced a Jiuzhou contract he'd exchanged for in the Heavenly Court, and laid it before everyone.

The contract's content is simple: it merely prohibits leaking information during the meeting; everything they hear will be reinforced by the Jiuzhou Consciousness.

They can't even open their mouths to pass along the news—it's like putting on a verification lock, sealing off any chance of inadvertent disclosure.

Even the weight of this contract alone could rival that of a hundred thousand elite troops, and Sun Wu only managed to obtain it from the Heavenly Court after draining his own reserves.

After receiving the Jiuzhou Consciousness's affirmation, the contract took shape, and everyone felt an intangible shackle appear within them.

To be frank, if Sun Wu's promised pie weren't so huge, they wouldn't have accepted these terms.

But the more stringent the conditions, the more they reveal Sun Wu's seriousness about this matter.

"First agenda item!"

After Sun Wu communicated with the Jiuzhou Consciousness and confirmed that everyone had signed the contract, he nodded satisfactorily and began to speak.

"We have news from the great world, and the source can be guaranteed accurate; we need personnel to go investigate together—any suitable candidates to recommend?"

"Can you be sure the news is accurate?" a voice of doubt and excitement rang out.

"Ninety percent confidence!" Sun Wu chose to trust Mu Yi.

"I'll go myself!" Xiang Yu's battle spirit surged mightily.

Even the spirits of another world are worthy opponents for a battle.

"You going might just scare the snake!" a dissatisfied grumble came from Han Xin's mouth on the other side.

"Hmph!" Xiang Yu glanced at Han Xin; even in the world he had unified, Han Xin remained a formidable rival, and their final showdown still leaves him with endless aftertaste to this day.

"What lofty ideas does the Marquis of Huaiyin have?"

Xiang Yu replied indifferently, also knowing Han Xin's fate—died at the hands of a bunch of women, truly a great joke.

Han Xin's eye twitched; frankly, when he first encountered Xiang Yu back then, it was like seeing a ghost.

Although calling him Marquis of Huaiyin is a normal title, when it comes from Xiang Yu's mouth he always hears a thick tone of mockery.

Still, Han Xin is a person who can endure; moreover, if they came to blows, he'd definitely lose in a one-on-one against Xiang Yu and would only embarrass himself, so Han Xin held back and instead offered his own suggestion.

"Going personally would just scare the snake; each faction should send one or two trusted hands to scout—just get a clear picture of the general intel, and the rest is simply a matter of going to war!"

Bringing up war, Han Xin's tone grew a bit heavier—this is precisely what the Military Strategist excels at.

"Each war god gets two slots, you decide; when the time comes, hand the people over to me and I'll arrange them uniformly!" Sun Wu looked around and then made his decision.

"No objections!"

"Agreed!"

"Sure!"

A series of assenting voices rose, and everyone approved this decision.

Although their personalities differ, they are all military gods, and the only thing they share is reliable military competence; Sun Wu's arrangement is very reasonable, and they naturally have no objections.

"Second agenda!"

As soon as Sun Wu spoke, a teleportation light appeared at the center of the hall, and a figure was being transmitted from the void.

After Mu Yi shook his head and returned to normal, before even raising his head he felt nearly a hundred abyss‑like, prison‑like auras surge upward, pressing on him from all directions.

Mu Yi lifted his head, looked around, and saw familiar figures—Bai Qi, Jiang Ziya, Sun Wu and a few others—and slightly bowed to the seniors.

Seeing Mu Yi move freely, the military gods present raised an eyebrow; although they had not truly condensed their aura to press down, the mere leakage of their breath would leave anyone with a slightly weak will with a completely blank mind.

"Sun Wu? What do you mean?"

Nevertheless, despite Mu Yi's composure, the military gods present easily saw through his level and all became dissatisfied.

"This is the intelligence provider! Mu Yi! The champion of the previous Hundred Schools gathering!" Sun Wu gave a brief introduction of Mu Yi.

The several military gods were momentarily stunned, then quickly recalled the information from the Hundred Schools gathering.

"All present are Military Strategist seniors; you recount the whole matter!"

Mu Yi gave a brief overview of the trial outline in which he obtained intelligence rights from Bai Ze.

However, under Sun Wu's hint, he said three chances were two.

"Bai Ze..." many people murmured, no wonder Sun Wu was ninety percent confident.

The name of a person, the shadow of a tree, the Bai Ze diagram still circulates in the world today, and they are somewhat part of the official Heavenly Court records; the stories of Bai Ze have indeed been heard.

"Mu Yi has two opportunities at hand; the first will be repaid with the previously agreed mission reward, and the second...!"

"This is the second agenda I am putting forward now: what price shall we pay to Mu Yi to obtain the second chance for intelligence exploration!"

Sun Wu tapped the table and asked the crowd.

"You need not answer this question yet, gentlemen, because there is a third agenda!"

"Regarding Mu Yi's cultivation plan!"

When that sentence was spoken, the crowd was even more surprised, not understanding what Sun Wu meant.

Even Mu Yi was startled, not expecting Sun Wu to hold him in such high regard—was this planning to cultivate him as the next generation leader of the Military Strategists?

"Show us your barrier!" Sun Wu said concisely.

Mu Yi nodded at the words and then unfolded his own barrier.

"Reincarnation!"

Some military gods recognized the meaning and shouted the essence of the barrier; the more intelligent among them immediately realized what it signified.

"Some may already understand, while others may not yet; let me tell you, this is what I previously promised you—a equal logistical development opportunity for everyone."

Sun Wu finally revealed to the military gods the foundation of his grand scheme—the Mu Yi who masters Reincarnation.

"Not only the mortal realm, but also the Underworld sector, we can likewise claim a portion of the share!"

Sun Wu was pleased with everyone's expressions, and then dropped a bombshell.

A world's resources are usually divided into three equal parts: the Heavenly Court takes one portion to maintain the operation of heaven and earth, the Underworld takes one to handle reincarnation, and the Hundred Schools share one to educate the mortal world and cultivate talent.

Normally, the Heavenly Court and Underworld organize troops to subjugate the four corners of the world, while the Hundred Schools follow along, also responsible for stability, turning the world into a complete Jiuzhou.

Correspondingly, in the operation of the conquered worlds, some are recruited from the Hundred Schools to serve as divine seats maintaining heaven and earth.

Now, Sun Wu's plan is for the Military Strategists themselves to seize a great world of their own, which is far stronger than the bitter scramble for profit among the other Hundred Schools.

More intriguingly, Mu Yi's mastery of Reincarnation allows him to transform management‑talented individuals via rebirth into the Military Strategists' ranks to oversee the entire world.

Of course this will inevitably clash with other schools, but the Military Strategists care little about friction; have you not seen the Confucian school seize a Confucian holy land directly through such means, forging far ahead?

Even so, the Confucian holy land can only claim that one‑third.

Through Mu Yi, they can obtain between one‑third and two‑thirds of the share, placing as many Military Strategist personnel as possible in positions.

But this also creates a problem: how much of the share Mu Yi can receive in this process, which is why Sun Wu deliberately combined the two agendas.

All the military gods fell into contemplation, fully aware that this would be a heavy issue; although Mu Yi's strength is lacking and he is hardly useful in conquering worlds, his role in establishing a Military Strategist holy land is irreplaceable.

It would be better to have a few fewer military gods than to let Mu Yi and the Military Strategists become estranged.

Sun Wu's meaning was clear: either bring Mu Yi in as a shareholder or buy him out outright.

"Give him a one‑tenth share, plus a one‑on‑one instruction for each person! The former can be redeemed upon final success, the latter is realized now, counting as investment cultivation."

While everyone was pondering, Bai Qi was the first to stand up and speak.

Many were momentarily stunned; they grasped the subtext of Bai Qi's words—by teaching Mu Yi, the relationship would be fully transformed into a named master‑apprentice bond, thereby completely tying the two sides together.

It also alleviated some people's resistance; it feels uncomfortable when outsiders profit, but if they are one's own disciple—even a late‑coming one—it truly eases matters considerably.

"Agreed!"

Sun Wu was, of course, the first to agree; profit sharing was secondary to him—what he truly wanted was the elevation of a Military Saint, and perhaps he could become a second Guan Yu, attaining the Imperial Lord's throne, which would be the true pinnacle of Jiuzhou.

"Agreed!" Jiang Ziya, like Sun Wu, concurred; he was also a co‑initiator, sharing essentially the same intention as Sun Wu.

One world may not be enough, but as the Military Strategists grow, they may still be able to continue conquering more lineages.

Do you not see Confucian school's Confucius leading seventy‑two sages and three thousand disciples, fiercely battling a great world, all to carve out a second Confucian holy land?

Who would reject having more of this?

The Heavenly Court is so vast, yet it is constantly expanding.

Mu Yi felt dizzy, one loop after another, and the value of the intelligence seemed greater than he had imagined.

Although he did not know what the grand plan was, this thing involving so many military gods could not be a minor scheme.

He was making a fortune.