135: Adjust your state and seek the optimal ignition time.

The morning light was faint, yet Lin Zhou had already been sitting in meditation in the quiet room for an entire night.

After confirming last night that all conditions for igniting the Divine Fire had been met, that impulse was like a prairie fire, almost swallowing his reason.

Ascending to True God, the starting point of immortality, the qualitative change in power... these temptations were enough to drive any demigod mad.

But Lin Zhou did not move.

He forcibly suppressed that agitation, like the most seasoned hunter, who, before pulling the trigger, would check the wind speed, humidity, the prey's habits, and whether every inch of his own muscles was in the best state for the last time.

Igniting the Divine Fire is not a simple accumulation of energy and ritual, but an ultimate test of a deity's Foundation, will, path, and even luck.

In history, there was no lack of brilliant demigods who fell short at the final moment of igniting the Divine Fire due to insufficient preparation, poor state, or wrong timing.

At best, their divinity would be damaged, and the path ahead would be cut off; at worst, faith would backfire, the Divine Domain would collapse, and their consciousness would be annihilated.

"I still need time." Lin Zhou opened his eyes, his gaze clear, "The final adjustment, the most perfect state, and... the most suitable timing."

His consciousness first sank into the Divine Domain, starting the final comprehensive inspection before ignition.

【Divine Domain · Comprehensive Status Inspection Report (Final Version Before Igniting Divine Fire)】:

Area and Stability: 60 square kilometers, clear boundaries, rule barriers initially formed (thickness about 3 meters, strength assessment: can withstand conventional impacts of Faint Divinity level for 10 minutes). Overall stability rating of the Divine Domain: A+.

Energy Environment:

Average Spiritual Qi concentration: 17.3 standard units (nourished by Dragon vein fragments and Spiritual Springs, a 45% increase compared to before the league).

Energy circulation efficiency: 94% (after optimization of the elemental fusion furnace, energy utilization rate reached excellent level).

Faith environment: Faith sea purity 82.3% (Impurities content 17.7%, mainly from the distracted thoughts of newly fused believers and some young believers, within controllable range).

Core building complex status:

Temple of Civilization: Operating normally, the light of civilization is stable, and it is in good resonance with the ten points of divinity. The 【seed of civilization · First Call】 state is ongoing.

Jixia Academy: 142 scholars/teachers stationed, 890 students (mainly Elves). Current main R&D projects: 【Righteous Arrow Formation Optimization】 progress 71%, 【Enlightenment Spirit Light】 divine art deduction progress 33%.

Temple of Law: The Net of Law covers the entire Divine Domain and the surrounding 5 kilometers of the Void Realm, with 327 network nodes, under real-time monitoring. No abnormal chaotic fluctuations.

Tian Gong Institute (including Mechanism City): Total number of craftsmen 415 (Dwarves + Goblins). Current key projects: 【Hero Exclusive Equipment Crafting】 in progress (estimated completion: Elwin robe 15%, Snik's Book of Law 30%, Bronzebeard's warhammer 8%), 【Suspended Bombing Platform】 prototype main frame 65% complete.

Hall of Heroes: 47 Heroes stationed, average spirit body stability 91%. The 【Hero Mentor】 System has covered more than 30% of mid-to-high-level believer training.

Overall status of believers:

Total population: 28,789 (naturally growing).

Average Rank: LV30 (stabilized).

Proportion of devout believers: 62.8% (slightly rising).

Morale/Loyalty: 92 (high, due to recent strength improvement, sufficient resources, and heroic examples).

Health status: Good, no large-scale epidemic or abnormal injuries.

Resource reserves:

Faith reserves (converted to pure): 9,950,000 units (continuously growing, expected to exceed 100 million in 18 hours).

Divine Power reserves: 1620/1620 (demigod limit, full).

Strategic supplies: Various Ore, spiritual plants, and potions are well-stocked, capable of supporting full operation of the Divine Domain and medium-scale divine wars for at least three months.

The inspection results put Lin Zhou's mind at ease. The Divine Domain was in an unprecedented state of health, stability, and prosperity, like a drawn bowstring, taut yet full of power, waiting only for that final moment of release.

"The Foundation is unimpeded, next is the state adjustment of 'myself'." Lin Zhou exited the Divine Domain and stood up to stretch his slightly stiff body. Although the demigod body far exceeded that of a Mortal, long-term high-intensity consciousness immersion would still bring mental fatigue.

He walked to the desk, on which were neatly stacked dozens of paper notebooks and more information chips sealed with Divine Power. These were collected by him through various channels, regarding the experiences, failure cases, and precautions of predecessors on "igniting the Divine Fire", among which there were many fragments of words left by True Gods and even higher-level existences.

He had already studied these materials repeatedly countless times, but at this moment, he opened them again with a state of mind close to "pilgrimage".

【《Notes of the God of Glimmer · Fragment》】: "...At the moment of igniting the Divine Fire, faith pours in like a torrent, and divinity collides like stars. Must remember: the lake of the heart must be quiet, without dust; the Divine Domain must be stable, without flaws; the timing must be accurate, without error. I chose to ignite at the 'moment of the convergence of the twin moons and the calming of the Star Abyss tides', borrowing the advantage of the timing, increasing the success rate by about half a percent..."

【《Iron Wall War God Legion · New Recruit Guide (Internal Summary)》】: "Warning: Do not attempt to ignite immediately after your Divine Domain has experienced a great war, believer morale is low, resources are scarce, or rules are turbulent! It is recommended to rest for at least one standard year (Divine Domain time) and conduct at least three simulated ignition deductions. Legion statistics show that the length of the state adjustment period is significantly positively correlated with the success rate of ignition (r = 0.43)."

【Anonymous True God Weblog (Paid Unlock Section)】: "...Damn it, I regret not listening to advice. Just won a divine war, captured some divinity, felt like I was capable again, and immediately went back to ignite. As a result, the torrent of faith was full of the resentment of the war dead and the chaotic faith plundered, almost polluting my divinity! It took a full three units of divinity to stabilize, and I am still the tail-ender among Faint Divinity... A bloody lesson: fuel must be pure, mentality must be stable!"

Lin Zhou's gaze swept over these texts, which were either rigorous, coarse, or painful, and the string named "caution" in his heart tightened further. The experience exchanged by predecessors with blood and tears could not be ignored.

"The lake of the heart must be quiet, the Divine Domain must be stable, the timing must be accurate..." He muttered, repeating the motto of the God of Glimmer, "I have tried my best for the first two, but this timing..."

Timing is ethereal, yet crucial. Different deities, due to differences in divinity attributes, divine office tendencies, Divine Domain environments, and even personal paths, have vastly different "optimal ignition timing". Some need to trigger fire divinity when a volcano erupts, some need to condense the Divine Fire with the help of water pressure in the deep sea, and some need to gather the torrent of faith at the boiling moment of the prayers of ten thousand people.

Then, for him, Lin Zhou, taking civilization as the Dao and integrating the strengths of the Hundred Schools, when is the optimal timing?

He pondered for a moment, connected his consciousness to Jixia Academy, and directly issued an Order to the academic committee with the highest authority.

"Elwin, summon all scholars in the academy who are proficient in astronomy, calendrical science, Yi theory, Yin and Yang and Five Elements, and divination deduction, to form the 'Enlightenment' special group. Task: Combine all current data of the Divine Domain, my divinity traits, and the status of the Temple of Civilization to deduce and calculate one or more specific time nodes within the next thirty Divine Domain days that are most suitable for me to ignite the Divine Fire, and attach relevant celestial phenomena, energy tide predictions, and theoretical basis. Priority: Highest. Resources: Unlimited."

Inside Jixia Academy.

Elwin, who received the divine oracle, looked solemn and immediately rang the "Gathering Sages Bell" in the center of the academy. The bell rang nine times, representing the highest level of academic summons.

Within a short quarter of an hour, seventeen Wenxin Elf Scholars with the most achievements in this field gathered at the top-level Star Gazing Platform. Among them were old men who had studied hard for their whole lives, young men with eyes as agile as stars, and even two Hero Mentors with exceptionally prominent Soul strength were invited.

"Gentlemen, the oracle of my god has arrived." Elwin clearly conveyed the task, and amazing brilliance burst into the eyes of the scholars. To deduce the Opportunity for the Dominator to become a god, what an honor and heavy responsibility this was!

The dome of the Star Gazing Platform slowly opened, revealing the brilliant starry sky simulated by the Divine Domain (linked to real-time star map data provided by some Xinghai University). A large number of counting rods, astrolabes, Bagua diagrams, and Hetu Luoshu were moved out, and some scholars even directly constructed complex three-dimensional deduction models with Divine Power.

"Based on the ten points of divinity of my god, seven parts Order wisdom, three parts tenacious protection, the core bearing is Way of Civilization..."

"Need to observe the Spiritual Qi tide cycle of the Divine Domain, the fluctuation frequency of the sea of faith, and the activity curve of the light of civilization of the Sanctuary..."

"Celestial phenomena should be in harmony: it is suitable to see the brilliance of the Wenqu and Wenchang stars; it is suitable to avoid the direct radiation of killing stars such as Tanlang and Pojun; it is necessary to consider the possible resonance points of the residual fluctuations of the 'principles of civilization' in the Void Realm..."

"Can introduce the Daoist concept of 'Qi is used for harmony', the 'Doctrine of the Mean' of Confucianism, and the 'Temple Calculation' Opportunity of the School of Military..."

The concepts of different schools collided here, and data streams were transmitted rapidly between models. This was not simple divination, but supercomputing and deduction combined with Advanced mathematics, rule perception, philosophical speculation, and a large amount of real-time data.

Lin Zhou did not disturb the scholars, as he trusted their abilities.

During this period of waiting for the deduction results, he decided to carry out another important preparation: the "final fine-tuning" of the Divine Domain rules.

When igniting the divine fire, the Divine Domain would become the largest reaction field and support base.

The more perfect, resilient, and compatible the rule network of the Divine Domain was with the deity himself, the stronger its auxiliary and protective effect on the ignition process would be.

He immersed himself in the rule level of the Divine Domain again.

It was not empty there; instead, it was a three-dimensional network interwoven by countless fine, shimmering "rule threads" of various colors.

White threads of Confucian indoctrination, cyan threads of Legalist Law, black threads of Mohist craftsmanship, yellow threads of Taoist nature, red threads of School of Military killing... The rules corresponding to the Hundred Schools of Thought were like warp and weft of different colors, weaving together the cloth of civilization.

Lin Zhou's consciousness, like the most skillful weaver, began to perform the final "trimming" and "reinforcement."

He bound several slightly loose nodes in the Net of Law more tightly to the Order power of the Hall of Heroes.

He optimized the connection between the energy output veins of the elemental fusion furnace and the creation rules of the Tian Gong Institute and the growth rules of the School of Agriculture, reducing unnecessary loss during transmission (estimated reduction of 0.5%).

He adjusted the "filtering" settings of the rule barrier at the edge of the Divine Domain, making its absorption of external Void Realm energy more selective in the coming period, favoring gentle, orderly, and nourishing types of energy to create a more stable internal environment.

He even carefully combed through the most stubborn "clumps of distracting thoughts" on the surface of the Sea of Faith, not by forcibly clearing them (which might damage the Origin of faith), but by guiding and transforming them with the lighter, gentler light of civilization, so that the impact of their explosion during ignition would be slightly reduced.

These adjustments were subtle to the extreme, having almost no impact on the daily operation of the Divine Domain, and most of his kin could not even feel them.

But they were like tightening the screws and lubricating a precision instrument; the effect of each one was minimal, but cumulatively, they could make the entire System perform more reliably when under extreme pressure.

Just as Lin Zhou completed the seventeenth subtle adjustment and felt a faint feedback of "perfect harmony" from the Divine Domain rule network, Elwin's voice came respectfully through the faith link.

"my god, the preliminary deduction results of the 'Enlightenment' group are out."

Lin Zhou's spirit lifted, and his consciousness immediately projected to the Star Gazing Platform of Jixia Academy.

Seventeen scholars looked tired, but their eyes were exceptionally bright.

Elwin held a scroll condensed from Divine Power, which was constantly flowing with star patterns and complex data.

"Reporting to my god, after joint deduction and comprehensive consideration of 127 variables such as Divine Domain energy tides, Void Realm celestial phenomena, divinity resonance cycles, and the activity of principles of civilization, we have screened out three relatively suitable time windows." Elwin unfolded the scroll.

The scroll displayed clear dynamic star maps and data streams:

【First Window】: About 6 days later in Divine Domain time (corresponding to about 1.7 days in the outside world).

Celestial phenomena: In the simulated star map, the phantom of the "Wenqu Star" will pass over the zenith of the Divine Domain, which may cause a weak resonance with the Temple of Civilization.

Energy tide: The Spiritual Qi of the Divine Domain will be in a stable peak period of a small cycle, and the volatility of the Sea of Faith will be 15% lower than the average.

Advantages: The time is the closest, no need to wait long.

Disadvantages: The window period is relatively short (about 2 Divine Domain hours), and a faint, unknown "interference ripple" was detected in the calculation, which may pass by. The source is unknown, and the impact is uncertain (estimated to reduce the success rate by 0.5% - 2%).

Comprehensive recommendation index: 7.2 / 10

【Second Window】: About 14 days later in Divine Domain time (corresponding to about 4 days in the outside world).

Celestial phenomena: A small, harmless energy flow will pass through the "Xu Su" (corresponding to civilization and library constellations) area, which may slightly boost the activity of rules related to knowledge and Legacy within the Divine Domain.

Energy tide: Both the Spiritual Qi tide and faith fluctuations are at the starting point of the rise after the "double bottom," with a pure environment and minimal interference.

Advantages: The environment is extremely pure and stable, with the least interference factors.

Disadvantages: Requires waiting for a longer time, and the window period is also not long (about 3 Divine Domain hours).

Comprehensive recommendation index: 8.5 / 10

【Third Window】: About 22 days later in Divine Domain time (corresponding to about 6.3 days in the outside world).

Celestial phenomena: Rare! According to the connected star map, there will be an astronomical phenomenon of "Seven Stars in a Row" (seven star phantoms symbolizing different virtues connected in a line) at that time, and the extension direction of their connecting line happens to point to the approximate location of the Divine Domain. Although they are phantoms, their condensed intention fields of "Order, Wisdom, Courage, Benevolence, Justice, Temperance, Hope" are highly compatible with my god's Way of Civilization!

Energy tide: Driven by this celestial phenomenon, the activity of the Divine Domain rule network is expected to increase by 20% - 30%, and the response speed of the Sea of Faith resonance will accelerate.

Advantages: The celestial phenomenon provides significant blessing, has the highest compatibility with divinity and the sanctuary, may trigger benign resonance, and greatly improves the stability of the ignition process and the quality of the divine fire! The window period is also wider (about 6 Divine Domain hours).

Disadvantages: The longest waiting time. And the injection of celestial energy may cause short-term overload of Divine Domain rules, requiring preparation for channeling in advance.

Comprehensive recommendation index: 9.8 / 10 (Note: The premise is that the celestial energy can be perfectly channeled; otherwise, the risk of overload will cause the index to plummet)

"Seven Stars in a Row... the intention field of the star of virtues..." Lin Zhou stared at the deduction data of the third window, his heart beating faster involuntarily.

This kind of celestial phenomenon is rare and hard to find; its symbolic meaning and blessing effect are tailor-made for his path!

"What is this 'interference ripple'?" He pointed to the disadvantage item of the first window.

An old elf scholar who was good at perception and divination stepped forward and bowed: "Reporting to my god, this ripple is extremely faint and obscure. The deduction model can only capture its existence and cannot trace the specific source. Its nature... is not a natural celestial body fluctuation, nor is it a common trace of deity activity, with a hint of... an extremely faint sense of 'prying' and 'disorder'. For the sake of safety, it is recommended to avoid it."

Lin Zhou's eyes narrowed slightly.

Prying? Disorder? Could it be that the shadow of the "Void Sect" has already loomed here? Or was it an unintentional sweep by some unknown existence? Better safe than sorry.

"Then, between the second and third windows, what do you suggest?" Lin Zhou looked at Elwin.

Elwin exchanged glances with the scholars and said solemnly: "my god, if you seek absolute safety and want to reduce all variables, the second window is the best choice, and the success rate is guaranteed. If... if you want to pursue the ultimate, forge a supreme Foundation, and my god is confident in channeling the celestial energy, then the third window is a once-in-a-lifetime Opportunity! Its potential benefits may far exceed our current calculation upper limit. But risks coexist."

Pursue stability, or gamble for a higher upper limit?

Lin Zhou was silent for a moment.

He remembered the desperate situation when he awakened the most useless kin, the surprise when he bound the Temple of Civilization, the hardship of opening up the situation step by step with the Hundred Schools of Thought, and even more, the challenges he might face in the future from the "Void Sect," the myriad races of the Universe, and even the Prehistoric world.

"Stability can allow me to safely become a True God. But if I want to walk to the end and see the scenery at the highest point... some risks are worth taking." Lin Zhou's voice was calm, but it carried a decisive meaning, "Prepare the ignition plan for the third window. The next task of the 'Enlightenment' group is to fully deduce how to safely and efficiently guide the celestial energy of 'Seven Stars in a Row' for my own use, while formulating multiple emergency plans to prevent the risk of overload. All resources, priority supply!"

"Obey the divine oracle!" Elwin and all the scholars bowed to take Orders, their eyes full of excitement and a sense of mission. Planning such an Opportunity for the Dominator was their supreme glory.

Just as Lin Zhou was preparing to further refine the rule channeling plan, his early warning array left in the villa sent a slight fluctuation—someone was visiting, and the permission authentication passed: Su Yueyao.

Lin Zhou's heart moved, and he temporarily exited the Divine Domain.

Pushing open the door, he saw Su Yueyao in a moon-white dress, standing in the morning light, her dark hair like a waterfall, her temperament still cold, but the look in her eyes when she looked at him had a bit more profound meaning than usual, as if she had something to say.

"Lin Zhou," she spoke, her voice clear, "I watched the stars last night and had some feelings. Your path... is about to reach the most critical leap, right? I might... be able to provide a little help."

Lin Zhou was slightly startled, looking at her eyes that seemed to reflect the moonlight and starlight, and suddenly smiled.

"You came just in time, Yue Yao. I do, indeed, need the help of a 'kindred spirit'."