142: The clergy began to emerge, and educational laws began to appear.

The information processing and rule analysis capabilities brought by the Godhead crystal gave Lin Zhou a "God's perspective" overlooking the God Realm. However, what truly drove all this and gave meaning to this perspective were the two Authority marks deep in his Soul, which were completely activated as the Divine Fire formed and tightly embedded with the Godhead—the divine office.

[Civilization · Enlightenment] (Faint).

[Law · Order] (Faint).

These two divine offices were not obtained out of thin air, but were the "certification" and "resonance" obtained at the rule level by Lin Zhou since binding the Temple of Civilization, through long-term practice, dissemination, and deepening of the Hundred Schools of Thought, especially Confucian education and Legalist governance concepts.

During the demigod period, they were just vague "sprouts," bringing some implicit bonuses. But at this moment, as a True God, Lin Zhou could finally clearly perceive, touch, and actively use the power of these two great authorities.

"divine office... so this is what a divine office feels like." Lin Zhou immersed his consciousness into the Godhead, focusing on the [Civilization · Enlightenment] divine office mark, which emitted a warm white light and looked like a combination of an open book and a sprouting seedling.

In an instant, countless rule information and past experiences regarding "knowledge transfer," "wisdom enlightenment," "cultural dissemination," "skill teaching," and "potential development" unfolded in his consciousness like a meticulously cataloged library. He "saw" himself promoting the analects and establishing academies among the Forest Elves; saw himself guiding the dwarves to study Mohist Mechanical Arts; saw himself instilling Legalist concepts into the murlocs... Every successful education, every follower's Epiphany and Breakthrough, provided nutrients for the growth of this divine office.

At the same time, he also understood the Authority effects granted by the divine office: For any Spell or action within the scope of "enlightenment and education," Divine Power consumption is reduced by 40%, and the effect is increased by 80%! This is an extremely terrifying bonus! It meant he could accomplish greater things with less Divine Power, or achieve effects far exceeding expectations with the same consumption.

"Just the 'Faint' level has such power; if it improves in the future..." Lin Zhou's heart was fervent. He decided to try it immediately, and the best testing ground was undoubtedly the recently expanded Jixia Academy, which was in a period of vigorous development.

With a thought, his will projection descended upon the academy's largest public lecture hall—the "Hall of Enlightening Relations."

At this time, more than three hundred Confucian Scholar Elves were gathered in the hall. Among them were white-haired, profoundly experienced old scholars (evolved from early Elf Priests) and young elves who had just completed their racial evolution and were full of thirst for knowledge. On the podium, the hero Elwin was teaching her insights on cultivating "Vast Righteous Qi" from "Mencius: Gong Sun Chou I," which was a new realization she had after her own Breakthrough past Rank 40.

Lin Zhou's projection quietly manifested at the back of the lecture hall without disturbing anyone. He restrained most of his Divine Might, leaving only a reassuring and reverent aura of civilization. The elves in the hall immediately sensed the Dominator's arrival and cast excited and pious glances, but discipline kept them quiet as they continued to listen.

Elwin bowed slightly toward Lin Zhou's projection and became even more dedicated to her explanation.

Lin Zhou observed and perceived quietly. Through the Godhead, he could clearly see the "reception status" of every elf listener: most were immersed, with faint white literary Qi swirling above their heads, resonating with the principles Elwin spoke of; a few frowned slightly, seemingly confused; and several young elves seemed restless, finding it difficult to grasp the abstract theories.

"Pure explanation works okay for those with high Ranks and high Comprehension Ability, but for those at middle to low Ranks and average Comprehension Ability, the efficiency is insufficient." Lin Zhou made a judgment instantly, "Perfect, let's try the Authority of the [Civilization · Enlightenment] divine office."

He did not directly interfere with Elwin's explanation but moved his mind slightly to trigger that divine office mark.

"In the name of [Civilization · Enlightenment], I sow the light of wisdom in this lecture hall to enlighten the ignorant hearts."

With this silent invocation of Authority, an invisible yet majestic rule power radiated from Lin Zhou's projection, quietly enveloping the entire Hall of Enlightening Relations. This power was not a crude energy infusion but was full of gentle guidance, clear organization, and "spiritual sparks" that triggered deep Comprehension Ability.

[[Divine Office Authority: Enlightenment Domain]] activated!

Range of effect: Hall of Enlightening Relations (approximately 5,000 square meters).

Core effects:

Rule Analysis Assistance: Automatically deconstructs and transforms the abstract principles, energy paths, and spiritual insights about "Vast Righteous Qi" taught by Elwin into "information packages" easier for followers of different understanding levels to accept. Those with high Comprehension Ability receive deeper theoretical derivations; those with average Comprehension Ability receive vivid metaphors and step-by-step guidance; those who are restless are first calmed by a peaceful and soothing power.

Thought Acceleration and Linking: Slightly increases the mental activity and memory retention of all followers within range, and establishes a faint knowledge resonance link between them. When an elf experiences an Epiphany on a certain point, this "spark of inspiration" will slightly radiate to nearby companions through the link, increasing the probability of a group Breakthrough.

Potential Stimulation: Provides extremely gentle potential stimulation to followers who are in a Bottleneck period or whose talents have not been fully developed, guiding them to find the point of integration between themselves and the principles they are learning.

All this happened silently. The elves in the hall only suddenly felt that Teacher Elwin's explanation seemed to become "easier to understand." Those originally obscure descriptions of Meridians operations automatically formed clear energy flow diagrams in their minds; those expositions on the spiritual Realm of "being supreme and unyielding" seemed to turn into tangible images of mountains and great winds; several originally distracted young elves were suddenly attracted by a vivid metaphor from Elwin on the stage, their minds involuntarily becoming immersed.

And Lin Zhou, as the initiator of the Authority, felt it even more deeply. He "saw" that with the unfolding of the Enlightenment Domain, the consumption of his Divine Power pool was minimal! Originally, to create a "group comprehension assistance" effect of similar range and intensity, it would require a continuous consumption of at least 50 Divine Power/minute. Now, under the enhancement of the [Civilization · Enlightenment] divine office Authority, the actual consumption was only 30 Divine Power/minute! Consumption was reduced by a full 40%! And the effect... the effect appeared quickly!

First were several Confucian Scholar Elves who had been stuck at the threshold of Rank 34 to Rank 35 for a long time. When they heard Elwin talk about how "Vast Righteous Qi is cultivated by the accumulation of righteous deeds, and cannot be obtained by incidental acts of righteousness" in conjunction with her own Breakthrough, combined with the clear energy diagrams and spiritual resonance provided by the Domain, they had a sudden flash of insight! The literary Qi and righteous Qi accumulated in their bodies suddenly boiled and smoothed out, operating along a more optimized path!

"Buzz!" "Buzz!" "Buzz!"

Three consecutive pillars of milky-white Vast Righteous Qi shot into the sky from the heads of these three elves! Although not as grand as the scene during Elwin's Breakthrough, it clearly marked their successful advancement to Rank 35! They officially stepped into the backbone of the Confucian Scholar Elves!

Next was a collective "explosion of Comprehension Ability"! More than fifty elves had bright spiritual light in their eyes. Some solved a long-troubling Spell model node, some gained a new and deeper understanding of some Subtle Influence in the classics, and some found a small technique that could be optimized on their own cultivation path... Although they didn't level up directly, their accumulation deepened significantly, making future Breakthroughs even more promising.

What surprised Lin Zhou most was that in this environment where strong rules of enlightenment and education converged and group wisdom sparks burst forth, the Authority Domain seemed to have a certain positive "resonance"!

Above the lecture hall, the invisible and intangible wisdom guiding force naturally condensed by the Domain rules actually began to absorb the scattered literary Qi, the sparks of Epiphany, and a trace of the Civilization Divine Fire aura emitted by Lin Zhou himself, gradually manifesting a visible phenomenon—

A soft, bright rain of light, seemingly composed of countless tiny golden characters and wisdom symbols, fell in a flurry, enveloping the entire Hall of Enlightening Relations!

The light rain fell on the elves, bringing no physical energy impact, but it made their minds clearer and their thinking more agile. Their ability to absorb and understand knowledge significantly increased in a short time! It was as if everyone's brain had been temporarily boosted with a "super learning state"!

[Special Effect Triggered: Light of Education (Group)]

Trigger Condition: Within the [Civilization · Enlightenment] divine office Authority Domain, large-scale, high-quality group comprehension events (such as multiple people breaking through simultaneously, collective epiphanies) trigger rule resonance.

Effect: All units within range (including the caster, such as heroes present) receive the temporary status [Gushing Inspiration].

[Gushing Inspiration] status:

Comprehension Ability temporarily increased by 25%-40% (the increase varies based on the individual's base Comprehension Ability).

Skill learning, knowledge understanding, and Spell model construction speed +50%.

Duration: 30 minutes (or until leaving the Domain range).

Current trigger range: All elves in the Hall of Enlightening Relations (approximately 320), Hero Elwin.

"Light of Education..." Lin Zhou felt the enlightening power contained in the light rain and understood. This was not a skill directly granted by the divine office Authority, but a "miracle" produced by the resonance of the Authority's power with the local civilization atmosphere under specific conditions! This undoubtedly raised the practical value of the [Civilization · Enlightenment] divine office to a new strategic height! It could not only save consumption and improve effects but also trigger powerful group buffs at critical moments!

Elwin was also bathed in the light rain. As a hero, her Comprehension Ability was already extremely high. At this moment, she felt some previously vague concepts about "education" Spells become clear, and her mastery of the embryonic "Speaking the Law" skill deepened slightly. Her gaze toward Lin Zhou's projection was filled with even deeper reverence.

After testing [Civilization · Enlightenment], Lin Zhou turned his attention to another divine office—[Law · Order].

This mark appeared cyan-gold, shaped like crossed chains and a code of Law, emitting a cold, rigorous, and unquestionable aura.

Lin Zhou's projection appeared next in the square in front of the Temple of Law. A tall "law stele" stood here, engraved with the basic code of the God Realm. Teams of Law Official Murlocs were conducting daily drills under Snik's command, their movements uniform, and a chill of slaughter permeated the air.

Without redundant words, Lin Zhou directly triggered the Authority of [Law · Order].

"With this place as the core, Net of Law, strengthen!"

"Buzz—!"

Cyan-gold light erupted with Lin Zhou as the center! Unlike the gentle soaking of [Civilization · Enlightenment], the power of [Law · Order] was more direct and forceful!

First, the Net of Law that originally covered the entire Domain saw its network density instantly increase threefold in this core area of the temple square! Countless fine cyan-gold Law lines appeared out of thin air, crisscrossing and bringing every inch of this space under strict monitoring and rule control. The Law Official Murlocs within it immediately felt their "Order" attribute greatly strengthened, their perception of Law became more acute, and the feeling of "acting as an extension of his arm" when executing orders became even stronger.

Next, Lin Zhou tried an Advanced Rank Spell—[[Regional Rule Imprisonment]]. This was a large-scale control Spell that could form a powerful order force field in a designated area, greatly limiting the movement speed, attack speed, and casting speed of units within the area, and dealing continuous holy damage to chaotic and evil alignment units.

During the demigod period, he wouldn't even dare to think about such an Advanced Spell. Now, as a True God, he could try.

"[Regional Rule Imprisonment], target: the hundred-meter square open space ahead, intensity: standard, duration: 60 seconds."

With a thought, Divine Power began to surge toward the Godhead, preparing to construct the Spell model.

However, just as the Divine Power flowed through the [Law · Order] divine office mark, a sudden change occurred!

That cyan-gold mark suddenly flashed, actively "taking over" part of the Spell model construction work! The originally complex and obscure order runes, under the enhancement of the divine office Authority, seemed to possess life, automatically arranging and combining in the most optimized way! The construction speed increased by nearly double! Moreover, the final Spell model was not only more stable, but its core "Order Suppression" and "Chaos Punishment" rules were significantly strengthened at the Origin level!

[Spell Casting · Comparison Data ([Regional Rule Imprisonment])]:

Without divine office enhancement (estimated): Divine Power consumption about 180 units, construction time about 3 seconds, standard intensity.

[Law · Order] divine office enhancement (actual): Divine Power consumption 108 units (reduced by 40%!), construction time 1.8 seconds, effect intensity increased by 80%!

Actual effect test (against open space test targets, simulating Rank 30 Chaos Demons):

Movement/Attack/Casting speed reduction: 65% (standard is about 50%).

Holy damage per second: 12 points (standard is about 8 points).

Order force field stability: Extremely high, not easily broken by Chaos energy of the same Rank.

"Consumption halved, effect doubled... it truly does not deceive me!" Lin Zhou looked at the test area enveloped in cyan-gold light, where even space seemed frozen and imprisoned, his heart exhilarated. This was only standard intensity; if he increased the Divine Power input, under the enhancement of the divine office Authority, its power would be even more terrifying! This was undoubtedly a Sharp Weapon for clearing minions, controlling the battlefield, and fighting against chaotic evil forces!

Snik led the Law Official Murlocs to kneel on one knee. They felt that powerful force of Order originating from the Dominator and resonating with their own Law attributes, and their loyalty and faith became even firmer. Snik's own [[The Wide Net of Law]] skill also seemed to become more proficient in this environment.

Having preliminary tested the power of the two divine offices, Lin Zhou's projection returned to the core of the God Realm, but his consciousness connected with the distant Moonlight Mark through the Godhead.

He carefully extracted the scene information of the "Light of Education" trigger just now, as well as the data fragments of the doubled Spell power under the enhancement of [Law · Order] (not containing core rule secrets), and packaged them into an information stream carrying a sense of sharing and a bit of achievement, and transmitted it.

Soon, a response came from the other end of the mark. It was no longer a simple wave of concern, but a clearer intention carrying appreciation and a faint smile: "Light of Education, Might of Order... your path has already blossomed. Congratulations, True God Lin Zhou."

Along with this intention came a strand of extremely pure Moonlight Origin, not as aid, but more like a "congratulatory gift," gently merging into the outer layer of Lin Zhou's Godhead, bringing a hint of coolness and tranquility, as if it could smooth out the slight rule restlessness that might arise from frequently using divine office Authority.

Lin Zhou received this sentiment, and a sincere smile appeared on his face.

The formal appearance and application of the two great divine offices marked that his path as a True God not only had a powerful "processor" (Godhead) but also held a "Sword of Authority" (divine office) exclusive to his own path.

Education to enlighten civilization, Law to determine order.

In the upcoming journey to Xinghai University and even the future astral wars, he will have more confidence and more... unique characteristics.