107: Chapter 107 The Standoff Era, The Great Prophecy

The seven-day study visit passed in a flash.

For Li Yuan, these seven days were both fulfilling and novel—

He had seen the cutting-edge Primarch in the biological laboratory of Holy Brilliance Purity.

He had touched the main cannon model of the "Light of Judgment," which was claimed to be capable of shattering an asteroid with a single shot, at the Starship Manufacturing Center.

He had also taken a tour of the Angel Race's "Ark of Holy Light"; he had to admit, those winged young ladies were truly enthusiastic.

The most absurd part was on the third day, while visiting the "Sanctum of Judgment," when that straight-faced Inquisitor pointed at a specimen of a Teddy dog soaking in culture fluid and said:

"This is a Zerg spy we captured three years ago. It perfectly replicated the physiological structure of a Teddy and even passed a comprehensive physical examination at a pet hospital. But every night at twelve o'clock, it would punctually get up and attempt to use its mouthparts to suck out its owner's brain marrow."

Laya was so scared at that moment that she dove straight into Li Yuan's arms: "Master, we must never keep a dog in the future!"

In short, when the notification "Practical Combat Trial Officially Begins" popped up on the terminal on the morning of the eighth day, Li Yuan actually felt a sense of relief, as if to say, "Finally, it's time to do some real work."

"So today's schedule is..." Li Yuan read the agenda while buttoning his uniform, "First, go to the Papal Hall to observe the historical recorded footage of the 'Great Prophecy Art,' and listen to the Holy Son team's situation forecast for the trial battlefield over the next three months based on the prophecy art and big data?"

Elia walked out of the room, already dressed neatly, her ice-blue eyes gleaming with anticipation: "I've checked the information; the 'Great Prophecy Art' is the only SS-level talent in the known universe. Each casting requires the assistance of dozens of high-ranking priests, and the Pope himself also consumes a massive amount of energy. But its strategic value... is immeasurable."

When the three of them were ready and stepped out, they happened to run into Sai Wei.

Because they were going to meet the Pope, everyone was dressed quite formally today; ordinary students were wearing the standard academy formal attire.

As for the nobles, such as Sai Wei, this genius from Olympia was wearing a crisp black dress suit today, with the Krol Family's thunder emblem pinned to his chest, looking quite dapper—if one ignored the fact that he was biting one end of his tie with his teeth while his hands were fumbling to tie a knot.

"Who on earth invented this thing..." Sai Wei gritted his teeth.

Ansevier stood gracefully to the side, covering her mouth with a light laugh: "Need some help, dear cousin?"

"No! I can handle it!" Sai Wei stubbornly continued to struggle with the tie, only to end up tying a dead knot.

Li Yuan couldn't bear to watch any longer, walked over, and with a few quick movements, untied it for him and re-tied it into a standard Windsor knot: "There."

Sai Wei stared blankly at the neat tie in the mirror, then looked at Li Yuan: "How do you know how to do this?"

"It's just tying a knot. Besides, the smart terminal issued by the academy has everything; it's not hard to watch and follow along." Li Yuan patted his shoulder.

"...It's much harder than fighting." Sai Wei was very annoyed.

"Some stupid little brother, he can't even beat me in a fight." Ansevier continued to add insult to injury.

The group walked toward the assembly point, chatting and laughing. The central square of St. Alburn Glory Academy was already packed with people—the Angel Race's wings shimmered with a soft white light in the morning sun, the Demon Race's bat wings were folded behind their backs like capes, the Light Giant Race exuded a faint glow that seemed to say "I have plenty of energy," and there were various bizarre-looking races that were still barely recognizable as humanoid.

Laya's eyes widened: "Which race is that one with three eyes?"

"The Three-Eyed Race." Elia whispered an explanation, "Their third eye is said to be able to see through energy flows, making them excellent warship fire control operators."

Guides were busy organizing the teams. Li Yuan saw Chu Xinghe standing at the very front of the Blazing Dragon Federation's team, surprisingly wearing a formal military uniform for once—though the collar button was undone, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.

"Senior Brother Chu actually looks presentable today." Luo Lan pushed up his glasses and commented.

"Do you know how to give a compliment?" Chu Xinghe shot him a side-glance, "This is called looking dashing and heroic."

"The last time you wore formal attire was at the entrance ceremony, and then you hid in the restroom to change back into sportswear half an hour later."

"That's because the formal attire constrained my free soul!"

As the two bickered, the teams began to move slowly. Tens of thousands of students, like a colorful torrent, surged toward the floating, inverted mountain peak deep within the academy—the Papal Hall.

The grandeur of the Papal Hall exceeded everyone's imagination.

It was a mountain peak made of Holy Light Stone that had been forcibly inverted and was floating a thousand meters high in the air. The peak pointed downward, the base pointed upward, and the base had been transformed into a flat plaza and entrance. The entire mountain was enveloped in a soft, seven-colored light membrane, and as sunlight refracted through it, it cast a dreamlike halo all around.

"So extravagant!" Chu Xinghe muttered, looking up, "Inverted and floating, just imagine how much energy that consumes! A bunch of rich snobs."

Luo Lan calmly added, "Senior Brother Chu, firstly, they are indeed wealthy; after all, before the Zerg appeared, they plundered so many small countries and colonial planets. Secondly, according to the data released by the Holy Alliance, the Papal Hall's suspension system uses a permanent anti-gravity field; as long as the potential energy does not change, it consumes no energy."

"Permanent? That's even less scientific!"

"According to the generalized conservation of energy, this is very scientific, just like a boat floating on water without consuming energy."

When they passed through the light membrane and entered the interior, everyone held their breath.

The dome was so high it seemed endless, painted with a dynamic, vast star map. Hundreds of millions of light points flowed slowly, outlining galaxies, nebulae, wormholes... and that "Confrontation Line" that spanned the field of view, symbolizing a length of several million light-years.

In the center of the hall, a giant holographic star map over three hundred meters in length and width floated in mid-air. On the star map, the blue areas representing the Ten Thousand Races Alliance and the red areas representing the Zerg were interlocked, forming a winding boundary line millions of light-years long. Densely packed light points on the line marked fortresses, outposts, and fleet bases.

"This is the universe we live in." The Guide's voice echoed in the hall, "In the 327th year of the Confrontation Era, the total length of the front line is approximately 4.12 million light-years. On average, there are 7,300 skirmishes every month. However, there hasn't been a legion-level engagement in the past hundred years."

The students looked up, many of them seeing the full picture of the battlefield so intuitively for the first time.

Li Yuan stared at the star map, a strange feeling welling up in his heart. Each of those light points represented a fleet, a base, thousands upon thousands of lives. And this line was the defense line for the survival of civilization.

He suddenly understood why the "Great Prophecy Art" was needed.

On such a vast battlefield, if they could only passively respond to the Zerg's attacks, humanity would have been dragged down long ago. They had to anticipate, they had to plan ahead.

"My young friends."

A gentle voice rang out.

The Pope had appeared on the high platform at some unknown moment. He looked to be about sixty years old, with silver hair draped over his shoulders, a kind face, dressed in a simple white robe, holding a wooden staff in his hand. There was no ornate crown, no dazzling scepter, but the moment he stood there, the entire hall naturally fell silent.

It was a sense of tranquility that stemmed from a gap in life levels.

"Before the practical combat trial begins, I want everyone to understand one thing." The Pope smiled, "Our war with the Zerg has never been just a confrontation of military force, but a contest of information. And what you will see today is our most important source of intelligence—the results of the Great Prophecy Art."

He tapped his wooden staff lightly on the ground.

"Hum—"

The star map on the dome suddenly began to flow at an accelerated speed, and time began to rewind. The boundary between the red area and the blue area changed constantly, and the light points of various battles flickered and extinguished. Finally, the image froze at a moment four months ago.

"This is the third large-scale prophecy this year." The Pope's voice was calm, "Each casting requires myself, twelve cardinals, and thirty-six high-ranking priests to complete together. The process lasts for seven days, during which everyone must enter deep meditation and establish a connection with the source of the universe."

He waved his hand.

The holographic star map in the center of the hall began to change.

There was no dazzling light, no deafening sound, but everyone felt the air become viscous—not physically viscous, but as if some higher-dimensional "information" was being injected into this space.

The light points on the star map began to flicker irregularly, and blurry phantoms appeared in certain areas. Those phantoms moved slowly, outlining possible future trajectories. The entire process was solemn and dignified, as if performing some kind of sacred ritual.

Li Yuan felt the bei ming core within his Energy Center tremble slightly. It was an instinctive reaction to the act of "peering into fate."

Laya gripped his hand tightly and whispered: "Master, I feel a bit of pressure..."

Laya's talent, Hope Dust Sound, was also a fate-aligned talent, and she was affected by detecting the large-scale energy fluctuations on the fate side.

"Relax, it's just the aftermath of high-dimensional information." Elia comforted her softly, the light of the star map reflected in her eyes.

The recorded footage accelerated.

One could see the Pope and the priests sitting cross-legged in the magic circle, faint light patterns appearing on the surface of their bodies. The phantoms on the star map gradually coalesced, eventually turning into one hundred and seventy clear red dots, marked all over the front line.