Chapter 163: What Is Knowledge?

Xu Zhi lightly leaped down, looking at the terrified armored knights and swordsmen. He subtly turned his head. Albert, David, Shirley, and others were staring intently at him. Xu Zhi thought for a moment, then broke the tense silence. "Where is your King Wesley?"

"Who are you?" Albert asked, as if facing a formidable enemy. At that moment, the heavily wounded Emperor Wesley, wrapped in black animal hide bandages, slowly emerged from the military tent behind him. Supported by servants, he approached. "May I ask why this brave warrior seeks me?" He walked with calm dignity, neither humble nor arrogant. "Your Majesty Wesley! Don't come out..." Albert cried out in alarm, quickly stepping in front of his brother. But Wesley waved his hand, his expression calm, refined, and gentle. He knew clearly that if this monstrous being wished to kill him, no one there could stop it.

"Might you come in for a discussion?" Wesley mused for a moment, then made a gesture of invitation. Xu Zhi did not refuse and followed him into the tent. Inside the tent, King Wesley sat calmly. The hot-tempered David and Albert were asked to wait outside, with only Shirley accompanying them. Shirley was not wearing heavy armor. She was dressed in a dark brown, tight-fitting hunting suit, her snow-white hair tied in a single braid down her back. Her figure was perfectly proportioned, and she held a magic sword, with a black longbow and quiver slung across her back, her face alert.

"This is our kingdom's unique ale." Wesley, the human king, offered him a wine-red wooden cup. Xu Zhi gently sipped the ale. It was mellow with a unique fragrance, layered with a rich creamy taste, unlike anything he had ever tasted. King Wesley watched him silently. "I have come to rescue humanity from this disaster." Xu Zhi looked out at the sunshine beyond the tent. King Wesley couldn't help but ask, "Are you a super ancient human?" Xu Zhi neither confirmed nor denied it. Wesley was overjoyed, bursting into laughter. "Heaven does not wish for our human kingdom to perish! With a warrior as powerful as you, we will surely break through this encirclement and rise again!"

Xu Zhi shook his head. "No, I'm not here to save all of you. I just need you to come with me to meet Brom, the King of Beastmen." Wesley fell silent, then said, "Are you mad? You're going to assassinate the King of Beastmen?" He trembled all over, trying to control his emotions. He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "I am willing to surrender my throne, abdicate to become your advisor, and assist you in ascending! For the rise of humanity, in this situation, we should find a way to break through the encirclement..."

Xu Zhi was momentarily stunned, then simply stated, "I don't want the throne." "What!?" Wesley exclaimed, standing up in shock. This man had so easily rejected the most powerful kingship in the world, one that countless people yearned for. Xu Zhi had no time to linger here helping to develop civilization. He was here for other matters, and what he needed to do now was prevent humanity from becoming extinct. War was acceptable. Decline and oppression were also acceptable. But extinction was not permissible. Not only humans, but beastmen were also not allowed to become extinct. It was rare to have two intelligent races; he even wished for more. How could he allow them to self-destruct? This land could not be left with only one intelligent race. As a high-level transcendent world, having only one intelligent race was unfitting. Moreover, if a land had no competition, no natural enemies, a single species would reproduce madly without restraint, leading to prosperity, arrogance, and ultimately, destruction.

The era of Gilgamesh was just like this. "Wesley, come with me." He looked at Shirley next to him. "I need to borrow an Ara giant beast mount. I'm going to meet the other King of Beastmen... Today, I will rule both kingdoms, becoming the next Monarch Emperor, and bring peace to this realm." Shirley froze for a moment, then clenched her jaw and nodded. She didn't know what was going to happen, but if she didn't obey him, they might all die.

"Let's go." With that, Xu Zhi took Wesley onto the Ara giant beast, heading directly towards the royal palace. On the back of the Ara giant beast, fierce winds whistled around them. Xu Zhi's approach was simple and direct. Why should he bother spending so much time helping humanity rise? He had no time for that. How humanity rises is their business; without oppression, there can be no breakthrough. The simplest way to resolve the war was to gather the kings of the two kingdoms, thoroughly beat them, declare himself Monarch Emperor above both, bring peace to the current age, and then it would be over.

Wesley, behind him, looked at the furry ape-man ahead, his face instantly turning pale. They're mad! Everyone's mad! How could the fate of the human kingdom be in the hands of such people! Albert disregards the bigger picture like this! And this ape-man warrior, who seemed to be their last hope, was just the same! He didn't want the throne, yet he still wanted to directly claim emperorship? Simply deranged!! The human kingdom cannot perish under my watch! They are all mad, but I am not! Wesley trembled all over from fear. He didn't fear death, but he feared something far more terrifying.

"Why, why must it be this way? Can't you just listen to my advice!" This contemporary King Wesley, the most resourceful and brilliant, suddenly roared, completely losing control. "Why do you disregard everything! You all possess only brute force; the world is not something you can change. You lack social skills! You lack strategic ability! You lack administrative skills! You are ignorant of the art of kingship! You haven't even read the treatises on governance penned by past human kings..." He became hysterical. "You are also arrogant and conceited! You want to become the next Monarch Emperor? Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous! Your understanding is too shallow! You lack the ability to assess the overall situation! Why won't you listen to my counsel!?" As he spoke, he couldn't help but wail. Albert was like this... a reckless brute who disregarded the bigger picture, insisting on returning to save him. And this madman in front of him... even more reckless! Since childhood, he had received an elite education to become the next emperor, a rare kingly talent in this land for hundreds of years—resourceful, exceptionally wise, skilled in statecraft—yet now he was seeing the situation utterly ruined by a group of brutes!

"Are you finished?" Xu Zhi calmly looked at the sky, a touch of emotion in his voice. "Has this era fallen to such a state? In my opinion, your younger brother Albert is ten thousand times more suitable to be king than you, Wesley. His knowledge is far richer than yours." Emperor Wesley became utterly enraged. "That brute?? He never learned how to govern a realm! He's just a foolish warrior! Instead of leading the remaining humans to flee, he stormed into the royal capital to save me, destroying humanity's last hope—is that what you call... a king?" Xu Zhi said, "He is foolish, he doesn't understand patience, but do you know that all previous Monarch Emperors were warriors and brutes, and you are not." Wesley suddenly trembled.

"Do you want me to give examples?" Xu Zhi paused, then suddenly smiled. "What is this knowledge you speak of? Is it the ability to play mind games? The talent to control the world's situation? The mind of a great strategist? These... have never been knowledge." Wesley, exasperated, couldn't help but argue, "I have diligently studied the first king's Code of Amykes, read rare treasured editions from the Church of Light, and even researched the history and books of the Beastmen Kingdom. I even master the most powerful and profound knowledge in the world—the art of kingship, of ruling a nation. There is no one in the human world more knowledgeable than me, yet you say these are not knowledge? Then what *is* knowledge!"

"Do you truly master the art of kingship?" Xu Zhi calmly asked. "What was the art of kingship for the ancient Monarch Emperors?" Wesley was startled, falling into a daze again. Xu Zhi suddenly chuckled. "Their knowledge is different from yours... Their knowledge is truth! And knowledge, indeed, has always been the sole standard for becoming a Monarch Emperor throughout history. It is undeniable that every Monarch Emperor was profoundly knowledgeable, a supreme powerhouse surpassing all mortals." Xu Zhi's voice was distant, like that of an ancient sage warning posterity, or like the God of Wisdom of old, teaching truth to the mortals on the ground. "My dear Wesley, human king..." "Charity has never been a credential for becoming a Monarch Emperor. Gilgamesh ruled with tyranny, yet no one in the world dared to rebel." "Good governance is also not a credential for becoming a Monarch Emperor. Back when the Alchemist Emperor governed the world, he did not hold court for a hundred years! He ignored state affairs, immersing himself in his alchemy laboratory for most of his life, secluding himself for decades and letting his witches govern on his behalf. Did anyone in the world dare to rebel? During his prime, it was still an era of great peace!" Xu Zhi's gaze was piercing, his voice resonant and clear. "The standard for becoming a Monarch Emperor... is a singular truth! Every ancient emperor possessed the mighty power to suppress the world alone. As long as they lived, they *were* an era! When they fell, it was the end of an era!"

Emperor Wesley's mind reeled. Xu Zhi calmly said, "Hehehe... You pitiful, ant-like beings, you ridicule the great seekers of truth who aim for the gods in heaven, you laugh at the past Monarch Emperors for their shallow knowledge, their lack of wisdom, for being brutes and warriors. Wesley, it is truly you people of this era who are pathetic." Wesley's mind went blank, as if a magnificent ancient curtain had been drawn back, and one by one, the ancient Monarch Emperors standing at the pinnacle of the world came into view.

Rumble! As they spoke, the Ara giant beast they rode gradually left the mountains and entered the encirclement. Countless beastmen surged forward, armed with spears, staffs, and some even uprooting large trees, their roars shaking the sky! "War Qi Hammer." Suddenly, the air condensed, and a War Qi Hammer rapidly materialized, lunging fiercely forward. Whoosh! In the overwhelming tide of beasts, the war hammer seemed to plow a massive furrow of earth on the ground, sending countless beastmen flying backward, spitting blood. "This... what is this?" Emperor Wesley stared at this almost mythical scene, his eyes wide, losing his composure completely for the first time. It was as if all his childhood beliefs were overturned. His heart trembled violently, and something began to sprout within him. "Is this... the true knowledge required to become a Monarch Emperor who brings peace to the world?" "Yes, this is my truth, the only truth." Xu Zhi said calmly, "Watch closely..." "War Qi Hammer." Rumble! Another huge path was blasted open. The Ara giant beast followed the deeply plowed furrow in the ground, and the beastmen along the way were sent flying backward, heading directly towards the Vidichimiya Royal Palace. Xu Zhi rode the giant beast, leading the human king through the midst of the countless forces as if taking a leisurely stroll. His voice echoed, "I came to this land to also awaken another ridiculous king, one who believes he can rule the world with stratagem alone."