139: Divine fire took shape, and a faint divine power was held in my hand.

The Heart Demon completely dissipated, and the Dao Heart was as clear as glaze.

Lin Zhou's Soul, having experienced the scouring of the torrent of Faith, the interrogation of the Heart Demon illusion, and the protection of the sages of the Hundred Schools, was now like fine gold forged a billion times, with all Impurities and wavering purged, leaving only the purest, most resilient, and most fervent will of "Way of Civilization."

That nascent Fire of Civilization, after undergoing the "tempering" of the Heart Demon and the "blessing" of the light of the Hundred Schools, was no longer the flickering, unstable phantom it once was. It burned steadily at the core of his Soul, its light restrained yet containing heart-stopping power. Within the flames, pale gold, silver-white, and seven-colored starlight intertwined and circulated, forming a seamless whole. It constituted an unprecedented, sacred pattern unique to Lin Zhou—the pattern was neither quite a character nor quite an image; upon closer inspection, it vaguely resembled an abstract Fusion of core concepts of the Hundred Schools, such as "Benevolence," "Law," "Universal Love," "Nature," and "Military"!

The degree of Divinity Fusion had leapt to 65% after the Heart Demon tribulation. At this moment, under the guidance of Lin Zhou's flawless will and the continuous nourishment of the still surging but now much more "tame" torrent of Faith, the remaining Fusion process began to advance at an unstoppable, natural speed!

[Divine Fire Condensation · Final Stage]:

Divinity Fusion degree: 68%... 73%... 80%...!

Faith torrent consumption: Approximately 30 million units remaining, consumption speed trending toward steady but stable.

Fire of Civilization stability index: 92... 94... 96...!

Godhead prototype remodeling progress: Synchronized with Divine Fire Fusion, structure rapidly optimizing and becoming complex.

Lin Zhou's consciousness was incomparably clear. He could "see" those ten points of Divinity stars; they were no longer independent individuals. The rule threads between them were tightly entangled, constituting a stable and profound polyhedron structure. This structure was the prototype of the future Godhead and the eternal pedestal for the Divine Fire to burn upon.

When the Fusion degree broke through the 90% mark, the mutation happened again!

Outside the meditation Star Realm, those star-light intentions projected by the "Seven Stars Alignment," representing the seven virtues, seemed to sense that the Divine Fire was about to take final shape and suddenly increased the intensity and purity of their infusion! Seven beams of light, each with a different color but equally pure and brilliant, ignored the barrier, pierced directly through, and accurately merged into the Fire of Civilization!

The blue of Order, the silver of Wisdom, the gold of Courage, the green of Benevolence, the white of Justice, the purple of Temperance, the color of Hope... The seven-colored light of virtues, like the highest quality pigment, added the final touch of sacred and perfect brilliance to the already magnificent Fire of Civilization.

Meanwhile, Su Yueyao in the distance seemed to sense that the most critical moment had arrived. In the Divine Domain of the Moon where she resided, a bright moon almost seemed to be burning. The vast, cold moonlight was poured out regardless of consumption, flowing along the channel. It was not for suppression, but for the final "purification" and "blessing," ensuring absolute purity and stability at the moment the Divine Fire took shape.

"This is the moment!"

Lin Zhou's Soul let out a silent cry.

"With my will as the guide, the essence of the Hundred Schools as the bone, the faith of all people as the fuel, and the Seven Stars and moonlight as the mirror—Fire of Civilization, condense!"

"Boom—!!!"

There was no earth-shaking roar; instead, a kind of extreme "silence" swept across the Soul level, the rule level, and even the entire meditation Star Realm.

Time seemed to freeze for an instant.

The next moment—

That ball of Fire of Civilization, which had burned for who knows how long and fused with endless resources, suddenly shrank inward! All the light, all the patterns, all the energy were compressed to an extreme point!

Immediately afterward, the extreme point bloomed explosively!

A flame whose magnificence and sanctity could not be described in words was born completely, stably, and eternally!

It was only the size of a fist, quietly suspended in the very center of Lin Zhou's Soul. The flame was no longer a phantom but possessed a substantial texture, yet was as light as light itself. The core of the flame was a deep, pale gold that seemed to contain the Universe and starry sky; the middle layer was a clear, bright, and endlessly circulating silver-white moonlight belt; the outermost layer was the seven-colored virtue starlight flickering like breathing. And running through the inside and outside of the flame, forming its basic skeleton and patterns, were those countless dense, profound runes representing the essence of the Hundred Schools. These runes flowed slowly, as if expounding the immortal chapters of civilization.

[Fire of Civilization (Lin Zhou · Unique)] stably formed!

Quality: Perfect (Foundation flawless, Fusion degree 100%, blessed by both Seven Stars and moonlight)

Characteristics:

Civilization Inheritance: Automatically governs, purifies, and sublimates Faith, efficiency +300%. Has natural affinity and amplification for positive forces originating from the "Civilization" concept (such as edification, Order, creation, protection, etc.).

Hundred Schools Resonance: Can invoke the power of the Hundred Schools of Thought, manifesting different characteristics according to needs (such as Confucian righteousness, Legalist Edicts, Mohist craftsmanship, etc.), changing in myriad ways.

Heart Fire Never Extinguished: Having experienced the ultimate test of the Heart Demon, has extremely high resistance to mental attacks, temptation, and fear, and can convert a portion of negative mental energy into resources to temper itself.

Inheritance of Fire: The Divine Fire has a weak but continuous "enlightenment" and "inheritance" characteristic, which can subtly improve the potential of followers and the development speed of civilization.

The moment the Divine Fire took shape, like the first heartbeat of the Universe's creation, an indescribable, extremely high-level "Divine Might" spread out from Lin Zhou as the center!

First chain reaction: Godhead condensation, Rank leap!

The polyhedron structure surrounding the Divine Fire base instantly solidified and crystallized, turning into a Godhead crystal about the size of a thumb's fingernail, pale gold in color, with countless tiny Hundred Schools runes and star-moon light spots flowing inside!

The instant the crystal formed, Lin Zhou felt that his thinking speed, rule perception, information processing ability, Divine Power control precision... all essential abilities related to "God" underwent a earth-shaking qualitative change! A brand new, more efficient, and more magnificent "processor" and "rule core" was born!

[Godhead condensation successful!]

Godhead Rank: LV99 → LV101! (Break through the Demigod limit, officially step into the True God realm!)

Godhead Quality: Foundation of Civilization (Special, great growth potential)

Godhead basic computing power: Increased by about 500 times (compared to Demigod Peak)

Rule parsing/carrying capacity: Increased by about 300 times

Second chain reaction: Divine Power conversion, efficiency qualitative change!

The Divine Fire is the ultimate furnace for converting Faith into Divine Power. The moment this perfect quality Fire of Civilization burned steadily, Lin Zhou immediately understood one of the most fundamental differences between a True God and a Demigod!

Previously, as a Demigod, he needed to condense about one million units of ordinary Faith (deducting impurity consumption) to painstakingly refine one unit of Divine Power. The efficiency was low, and the process was sluggish.

And now—

The Divine Fire swayed slightly, and the Godhead crystal flashed in sync. The remaining approximately 20 million units of pure Faith were easily "swallowed" by the Divine Fire in just a few breaths, and then converted into streams of pure, condensed, and obedient—Divine Power!

[Divine Power conversion efficiency updated!]

Old efficiency (Demigod): Approximately 1 Divine Power = 1,000,000 Faith (requires long-term refinement, high loss).

New efficiency (True God · Faint): 1 Divine Power = 10,000 Faith! (Instant conversion, extremely low loss, and higher quality of Divine Power!)

Current conversion: Remaining approximately 20 million Faith → instantly converted into 2000 Divine Power!

Divine Power pool limit (LV101): Approximately 5000 Divine Power (grows with Godhead Rank).

An unprecedented sense of "fulfillment" and "power" filled Lin Zhou's whole body! If the Divine Power during the Demigod period was like a trickling stream, then at this moment, what surged within him was a roaring river! And this was just after promotion, with the Divine Power pool not yet full!

The third chain reaction, and also the most intuitive and shocking one: The comprehensive evolution of the Divine Domain and followers!

When Lin Zhou officially promoted to True God, and the rule fluctuation of the Divine Fire being eternally ignited was completely bound to his status as the Lord of the Divine Domain and fed back to the Divine Domain—

"Rumble—!!!"

The entire Divine Domain began its most violent and magnificent expansion and sublimation since its creation!

First is the area. The borders of the 50-square-kilometer Divine Domain, that layer of initially formed Law barriers, began to expand swiftly and steadily outward into the Void Realm, like an inflated balloon!

【Divine Domain Expansion】: Original Area: 50 square kilometers. Expansion Rate: Visible to the naked eye! The land extended, and the sky rose higher. Final Stable Area: 100 square kilometers! (Directly doubled!) New Terrain: Naturally generated hills, small lakes, and mineral outcrops appeared with the expansion, making the geography more diverse. Rule Barrier Strength: Thickness increased from 3 meters to 10 meters, and strength increased to withstand conventional impacts from a Lesser Divinity for half an hour.

Immediately following was a comprehensive upgrade of the environment. The concentration of Spiritual Qi within the Divine Domain skyrocketed once again, nourished by the Dragon vein fragments, the Spiritual Spring, and the rules radiating from the True God's Divine Fire itself!

【Divine Domain Environment Update】: Average Spiritual Qi Concentration: 17.3 → 35.6 standard units (more than doubled, officially stepping into the threshold of a "Blessed Land"). Energy Activity/Purity: Significantly increased; Cultivate, spiritual plant growth, and mechanism operation efficiency received an implicit comprehensive bonus. Sky Phenomenon: The phantom of the river of civilization became more solid, hanging high in the sky like the Divine Domain's new "Celestial Track," continuously radiating the brilliance of civilization.

Then, it was the moment all kin dreamed of—collective evolution!

The majestic Divine Power and the implications of civilization from the formed Divine Fire and rule feedback descended like sweet rain, evenly and deeply bathing every single kin. No matter what they were doing at the time—studying, forging, patrolling, farming—they all froze instantly, enveloped by the surging power of evolution within their bodies.

【Core Kin · Racial Evolution】: Literary Heart Elves → Confucian Scholar Elves (Bronze Upper-Rank Race). Average Rank: LV30 → LV35! (Broke through the racial Rank shackles). New Talent: 【Wenxin Carving Dragon】 (Passive, increases Spell Comprehension Ability and the effect of Dao-conveying-through-text skills by 20%). New Basic Skill: 【Righteousness Protection】 (Consumes Wen Qi/Mana to form a protective layer of Righteousness). Hero Unit · Elwin: Breakthrough to LV40! Comprehended new Hero Skill: 【Speak Celestial Law (Prototype)】 — For a short time, words can trigger weak rule resonance, strengthening allies or interfering with enemies. Own 【Education】 talent improved.

Tiangong Dwarves → Ink-Craftsman Dwarves (Bronze Upper-Rank Race). Average Rank: LV30 → LV34! New Talent: 【Supernatural Craftsmanship】 (Passive, increases forging, mechanism creation quality, and creativity by 15%). New Basic Skill: 【Elemental Smelting】 (Can initially utilize elemental power to assist in forging). Hero Unit · Bronzebeard Stonehammer: Breakthrough to LV38! Comprehended new Hero Skill: 【Tempered a Thousand Times】 — Significantly increases forging speed and critical quality chance for a short time. Own 【Forging Frenzy】 talent strengthened.

Law Fishmen → Law Official Murlocs (Bronze Mid-Rank → Upper-Rank Race). Average Rank: LV30 → LV33! New Talent: 【Discerning Insight】 (Passive, increases investigation, interrogation, and insight into rule loopholes). New Basic Skill: 【Law Chains】 (Can condense Divine Power chains to bind targets, strength related to the target's "crimes"). Hero Unit · Snik: Breakthrough to LV36! Comprehended new Hero Skill: 【Net of Law is Vast】 — Strengthens the Net of Law effect in a small area and marks "illegal" units within the area. Own 【Order Insight】 talent improved.

Other integrated kin (such as a small number of Kobolds, Water Sprites, etc.): All received varying degrees of Rank improvement and trait optimization, with a significant increase in their sense of belonging and loyalty to the Divine Domain.

The fourth chain reaction: Miracle Buildings and Resource Cards promoted simultaneously!

As an important part of the Divine Domain's rules, all major Miracle Buildings and core Resource Cards also absorbed the feedback from the True God's birth, shining brightly and gaining essential improvements!

Temple of Civilization: The hall became more magnificent, the internal space expanded, the river of civilization projection ability was strengthened, and a new effect was added: 【Inheritance of Fire】 — Can slowly increase the initial potential of newborn kin within the Divine Domain.

Jixia Academy → Jixia Academy (True God Rank): The scale expanded, and the number of students it can accommodate doubled. New building effect: 【Spring of Wisdom】 — Periodically generates "Wisdom Aura" at random locations within the academy; capturing it can temporarily significantly increase Comprehension Ability.

Temple of Law: The coverage range of the Net of Law extended to 10 kilometers of the Void Realm outside the Divine Domain, strength increased, and a new effect was added: 【Sky Net Monitoring】 — Monitoring sensitivity for abnormal energy fluctuations and malicious intent within the coverage range increased by 50%.

Tian Gong Institute / Mechanism City: Obtained the 【Divine Fire Forge】 auxiliary building blueprint (requires construction), which can utilize the residual heat of the Divine Fire for higher-level forging and R&D. The performance of existing mechanism creations received a slight increase.

Hall of Heroes: The Hero spirits became more solid and can briefly leave the hall's range to move about; the 【Hero Mentor】 effect was enhanced.

Core Resource Card 【Eternal Mine Core (Fragment)】: Absorbed True God rules, generation speed increased by 50%, and rare mineral yield probability increased to 3%.

Terrain Card 【Spiritual Spring】: The spring eye expanded, daily Spiritual Water production increased to 150 units, and quality improved.

The fifth chain reaction: divine office budding, officially activated!

With the formation of the Divine Fire, the "Authority" corresponding to everything Lin Zhou had done in the past finally broke free from the "budding" state and began to truly combine with him, turning into the source of power for a True God.

Deep in his Soul, two originally illusory runes completely solidified, carrying the majestic power of Authority, branded onto the Divine Spark crystal, and established a close connection with the Fire of Civilization.

【divine office Activated!】 divine office One: 【Civilization · Enlightenment】 (Faint) — Sublimated from the 【Education】 bud absorbing the core implications of the Fire of Civilization. Scope of Authority: Imparting knowledge, enlightening wisdom, and the initial spread and acceptance of civilization. Effect: Within the corresponding Domain, the consumption of related miracles is reduced by 40%, and the effect is increased by 80%. Significant bonus to kin potential development and technical Comprehension Ability speed.

divine office Two: 【Law · Order】 (Faint) — Consolidated from the 【Law】 bud. Scope of Authority: Establishing rules, maintaining Order, executing contracts, and judging evil. Effect: Within the corresponding Domain, the consumption of related miracles is reduced by 35%, and the effect is increased by 70%. Excellent effect for maintaining Divine Domain stability and resisting chaotic erosion.

The two divine offices, one focusing on "creation and development" and the other on "stability and protection," perfectly echo the Yin and Yang sides of Way of Civilization, forming the Foundation of Authority for Lin Zhou as a True God in the Early Stage.

When all the chain reactions gradually subsided, the Divine Domain returned to "normal" operation. But this "normal" was already a new world after earth-shattering changes.

Lin Zhou's consciousness returned to his body in the meditation Star Sea. He slowly opened his eyes.

In his eyes, the phantom of the river of civilization flashed and vanished, the light of the Divine Fire jumped slightly, and there was a natural display of indifference and majesty that belonged to a True God, transcending mortal beings. But deep down, that calmness, rationality, and persistence belonging to "Lin Zhou" remained clear.

He reached out his hand, his mind slightly moved.

Above his palm, with a "poof," a miniature, incomparably magnificent Fire of Civilization quietly ignited. The flame danced gently, yet it radiated a majestic Divine Might that made the surrounding space slightly distorted.

Faint Divinity... True God...

Feeling the surging Divine Power within his body, as vast as a river; feeling the eternally burning Fire of Civilization and the solid Divine Spark in his Soul; feeling the heaven-shaking cheers from the kin in the Divine Domain due to the evolution and the even more fanatical torrent of faith (at this moment, the efficiency and quality of faith output were incomparable to before)... Lin Zhou knew that a brand-new era had officially begun for him.

The Peak of his high school career had been reached.

The next stage would be even broader, crueler, and more exciting — Xinghai University, and the vast, boundless heavens and myriad worlds!

He gently clenched his fist, and the Divine Fire in his palm vanished.

A calm and confident arc curled at the corners of his mouth.

"True God Lin Zhou... feels good."