145: The National College Entrance Examination begins, and the will descends upon the multiverse war.

Early morning, Cloud City No. 3 High School.

The usually bustling campus was now shrouded in a solemn silence.

All senior high school students, regardless of their background, past grades, or the strength of their Kin, were now dressed in uniform white robes inscribed with basic protective and consciousness-stabilizing runes, neatly arranged within thousands of specially made 【Consciousness Reception Matrices】 nodes on the playground, following their admission ticket numbers.

Lin Zhou stood on his assigned node, number: YC-0307.

The morning breeze brushed against his black hair, causing the hem of his white robe to sway slightly.

His gaze calmly swept across his classmates—some nervous, some excited, some anxious—before finally landing on the invigilators from Xinghai University and the Ministry of Education, whose auras were as deep as the sea, standing on the rostrum.

There were no long speeches, no superfluous encouragement.

When the countdown on the virtual light screen hit zero, and the morning sun just leaped above the horizon, casting its first ray of golden light onto the core of the giant reception array in the center of the playground—

The chief invigilator, a middle-aged man wearing a Star Sea military uniform with three golden stars on his epaulets (representing at least Mid-Tier Divine Power), stepped forward.

He did not speak, but his grand Divine Thought, like a divine decree, instantly resonated in the depths of every examinee's Soul:

"The entire Universe Human Race College Entrance Exam, first round, 【Myriad Worlds Battlefield】 melee elimination tournament, now—begin!"

"Reception!"

"Buzz—!!!"

In an instant, thousands of reception nodes on the playground erupted with blazing white light simultaneously!

The entire sky seemed to be twisted by an invisible force, and a huge, slowly rotating Void Realm vortex appeared above the clouds, emitting heart-stopping fluctuations of Law.

Lin Zhou felt an irresistible, gentle yet immensely powerful traction acting on his consciousness and the core of his Soul.

His body remained on the node, but his main consciousness, along with his closest connection to his Divine Domain, had already been "pulled up" by this force, rapidly ascending toward the Void Realm vortex!

The scene before his eyes changed and blurred rapidly, eventually turning into a bizarre passage.

Countless streams of light converged from every corner of the Universe, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, vanishing into the depths of the vortex.

Who knows how much time passed, perhaps an instant, perhaps an eternity.

"Boom!"

Lin Zhou's "perception" landed abruptly, as if falling from a great height onto solid ground.

The streaming light before him dissipated, and he "saw" clearly where he was.

This was not a physical space, but a boundless—Virtual Myriad Worlds Battlefield—where the Laws were temporarily constructed by some supreme will, yet its solidity was comparable to the real world!

The sky was a permanent leaden gray, with no sun, moon, or stars, only a faint, uniform, cold light of unknown origin.

The ground presented a dark red color after countless energy scourings, with scarlet light occasionally flashing through the cracked fissures.

The air was filled with a faint smell of gunpowder and blood (simulated), as well as an omnipresent, nerve-wracking sense of oppression.

And Lin Zhou's form at this moment was not human, but a condensed projection of his Divine Domain—a phantom of a Divine Kingdom radiating the faint golden brilliance of civilization, surrounded by miniature mountains, rivers, and the phantoms of Hundred Schools buildings!

His Divine Kingdom phantom was about a hundred meters in diameter, like a translucent, glowing crystal ball model, floating ten meters above the ground.

At the core of the phantom was the towering Temple of Civilization, surrounded by miniature versions of the Jixia Academy, Temple of Law, Tian Gong Institute, and other buildings.

At the boundaries, the phantom of a surging river of civilization and resilient Law barriers could be vaguely seen.

The collective will and Power Of Faith of his three major Kin turned into countless fine points of light, circulating within the Divine Kingdom phantom, providing it with power and stability.

【Myriad Worlds Battlefield · Examinee Information Loading】:

Examinee: Lin Zhou (Number: YC-0307)

Divine Kingdom Projection Form: 【Hundred Schools Divine Kingdom · Newborn】 (Faint Divinity)

Projection Scale: Diameter 100 meters (scaled proportionally to the real Divine Domain area of 100 square kilometers; strength is positively correlated with scale).

Initial Coordinates: Battlefield edge zone, coordinates (X: -8745, Y: 20331).

Initial Resources: None. All resources within the battlefield must be contested, collected, or seized from the enemy.

Initial Forces: The upper limit of deployable Kin projections is 1000 units (calculated based on total Divine Domain Kin, average Rank, and loyalty). The ratio of types can be adjusted freely. Hero units can be fully projected but consume extremely high maintenance points.

Core Rules:

Survival Points: Gain 1 point for every hour survived.

Kill Points: Gain 10 points for completely destroying an enemy Divine Kingdom projection (forcing them to exit the battlefield). Killing enemy Hero units grants an additional 5 points each.

Elimination Mechanism: Divine Kingdom projection is destroyed (Defense value drops to zero), which is considered elimination, and consciousness is repatriated. The final ranking is calculated based on total points, with the top 100,000 advancing to the next round.

Battlefield Scale: Initial number of Examinees: approximately 1.2 million (all eligible Human Race Examinees in the Universe for this year).

The total area of the battlefield is approximately equivalent to the planar projection of a standard star system, which is extremely vast, but as time passes, the safe zone will gradually shrink, forcing Examinees to meet and engage in battle.

Time Dilation: The time flow within the battlefield is about 100 times that of the outside world, meaning 100 days in the battlefield is about 1 day in the outside world.

The first round of the melee lasts for 30 days of battlefield time (about 7.2 hours in the outside world).

Lin Zhou quickly digested the battlefield rules flooding into his mind, his Godhead crystal operating efficiently to assess his own state.

"1.2 million people, taking 100,000... an elimination rate of over 91%. A cruel screening." His eyes narrowed slightly.

The strength and scale of the Divine Kingdom projection directly reflected the strength of his real Divine Domain.

A diameter of 100 meters should be considered upper-middle level among Faint Divinity Early Stage Examinees, but it definitely couldn't be considered top-tier.

Those from wealthy families who had managed their Divine Domains for years, or perhaps were already approaching Lesser Divinity, might have projections reaching several hundred meters or even larger!

"Starting coordinates are on the edge, which has both pros and cons. The disadvantage is that resources might be scarce, and early development is slow; the advantage is that the enemies encountered initially might also be weaker, or there might be more buffer time."

With a thought, he began to deploy his initial forces. With a 1000-unit limit, he had to be meticulous.

【Initial Force Configuration (Lin Zhou)】:

Confucian Scholar Elves (Ranged/Spell/Support): 400 units. Average Rank LV30 projection, attributes are about 85% of the real entity.

Equipped with basic 【Wen Bamboo Longbows】, 【Righteous Qi Arrows】 (extra damage to evil/chaos).

Commanded by Hero Elwin (LV35 Peak complete projection, consumes 50 maintenance points/day).

Squad Skill: 【Righteous Qi Arrow Formation】 (requires channeling): A volley by over a hundred elves, arrows carry the 【Break Evil】 effect, increasing damage to specific enemies by 15-30%.

Ink Craftsman Dwarves (Melee/Engineering/Defense): 300 units. Average Rank LV30 projection, attributes are about 88% of the real entity.

Equipped with 【Refined Steel Tower Shields】, 【Runic Battle Axes】.

Carrying some rapidly deployable 【Simple Runic Turret】 components (requires resources to build).

Squad Skill: 【Immovable as a Mountain】 (Defensive formation): Significantly increases block and damage reduction, but movement speed is reduced.

Law Official Murlocs (Mid-range/Control/Law Enforcement): 300 units. Average Rank LV30 projection, attributes are about 86% of the real entity.

Equipped with 【Law Chains】, 【Order Spears】.

Skilled in squad coordination and control.

Squad Skill: 【Law Decree · Slow】 (Area control): Reduces enemy movement and attack speed in a small area.

Total: 1000 units, balanced configuration.

Elwin, as the sole Hero, is the core of the core and must be protected.

Just as the force deployment was completed and the Divine Kingdom phantom had not yet fully stabilized, a sudden change occurred!

"Rumble!"

About three kilometers to the southwest, space twisted violently, and another Divine Kingdom projection descended with a boom!

Its scale was slightly smaller than Lin Zhou's, about eighty meters in diameter, earthy yellow in color, with rough rocks and totem phantoms on the surface, exuding a barbaric, bloodthirsty aura.

Almost simultaneously, about five kilometers to the southeast, another fluctuation occurred, and a third Divine Kingdom projection appeared!

This one was even smaller, only about sixty meters in diameter, dark green in color, with twisted vines and swamp phantoms on the surface, exuding a cold, damp feeling.

At the edge zone, three Divine Kingdom projections descended almost at the same time, forming a triangular standoff!

And in the area between their landing points, there happened to be a phantom of a 【Small Energy Crystal Mine】 (battlefield resource point) emitting faint energy fluctuations!

No words were needed; the instinct for battle rose in the consciousness of all Examinees!

Especially the earthy yellow Divine Kingdom that descended first, which seemed to rely on its slightly stronger strength (80-meter scale versus Lin Zhou's 100-meter scale—the difference was not large), and it did not hesitate to drive its projection, crushing toward Lin Zhou and the direction of the crystal mine!

It was clearly trying to take advantage of Lin Zhou's recent arrival and instability to launch a surprise attack, seize resources, and take the potential "first kill" points!

"Sure enough, the melee started the moment we landed!" Lin Zhou's eyes turned cold.

His Godhead instantly magnified and analyzed the details of the opponent's Divine Kingdom projection.

【Hostile Divine Kingdom Projection Rapid Analysis】:

Affiliation: Orc-type Deity (suspected)

Scale: 80 meters in diameter

Strength Assessment: Faint Divinity Early Stage, Kin inclined towards strength and Physique.

Detected Force Projection: About 800 units, mainly melee infantry (Bugbears, Orcs), small amount of ranged (Spear Throwers).

No obvious Hero unit fluctuations detected.

Tactical Intent: Linear charge, intending to use melee force advantage and impact to approach quickly, conduct Divine Kingdom collision and boarding combat.

"Reckless, but fitting for the Orc style. Trying to catch me while I'm not yet firmly established?" Lin Zhou sneered inwardly.

If this were half a month ago, he might have been flustered.

But after a month of consolidation, his subordinate kin were no longer what they used to be, and the hero Elwin had even achieved a new Breakthrough!

"Elwin, Bronzebeard (consciousness projection coordination), Snik (consciousness projection coordination), meet the enemy!" Lin Zhou's Divine Thought instantly transmitted into the interior of his Hundred Schools Divine Kingdom projection, "Follow the predetermined plan: long-range attrition, hold and wait, defensive counterattack!"

"Understood!" three firm thoughts responded.

Lin Zhou's Hundred Schools Divine Kingdom projection's light swelled slightly, and the river of civilization projection at the boundary flowed faster, emitting an aura of stable Order.

The Divine Kingdom did not move, but remained steadily in place, like a reef on the seashore.

That earth-yellow Orc Divine Kingdom roared as it charged closer.

When it was about 500 meters away, the front of its projection suddenly split open.

Over five hundred muscular, green or brown-skinned projections of Goblins and Half-Orcs, wielding crude axes and wooden shields, surged out like a floodgate opening, roaring as they charged, kicking up dust, and rushing straight at Lin Zhou's Divine Kingdom!

Following behind were about one hundred Spearthrowers, who began to charge their throws.

[Enemy Vanguard Force]:

Goblin (LV25 - LV28 projection): High Strength (approx. 28-32), medium Physique, low Agility, poor equipment, loose discipline.

Quantity: approx. 300.

Half-Orc (LV27 - LV30 projection): Balanced Strength and Physique (approx. 30-35), slightly disciplined, slightly better equipment.

Quantity: approx. 200.

Spearthrower (LV26 - LV29 projection): Ranged attack, medium damage, average accuracy.

Quantity: approx. 100.

Facing the low-tier Orcs surging like a tide, within Lin Zhou's Hundred Schools Divine Kingdom projection, four hundred Confucian Scholar Elves had already lined up inside the Law barrier under Elwin's command.

Elwin hovered above the Elf array, holding a virtual scroll, his body billowing with Vast Righteous Qi.

He did not immediately Order a volley, but waited until the Orc vanguard charged into the optimal 300-meter range, and their formation became slightly scattered due to the charge, before shouting clearly:

"Target, the Orc cluster ahead, Vast Righteous Qi Arrow Formation—Fire!"

"Twang! Twang! Twang! Twang!"

A dense and rhythmic sound of bowstrings vibrating rang out!

Four hundred arrows shimmering with milky-white Vast Righteous Qi tore through the lead-gray sky, forming a neat parabolic arc, like a violent storm, precisely covering the densest middle section of the Orc charging cluster!

"Puff, puff, puff, puff—!"

The arrow rain descended!

The attached [Evil-Breaking] effect dealt considerable additional damage to units like Orcs, which generally possessed "Savage" and "Chaotic" attributes!

[First Volley Results]:

Direct hits/Critical damage: Approx. 70-80 Goblin/Half-Orc projections (low defense, vital points hit on unarmored areas).

Light injuries/Disruption: Over 150 Orcs.

Righteous Qi intrusion caused slowed movement and a slight drop in morale.

Enemy Spearthrower counterattack: About eighty crude short spears whistled over, striking the Law barrier of the Hundred Schools Divine Kingdom; most were easily deflected or annihilated, causing only a slight fluctuation in barrier energy (-0.3%).

"Effective!" Lin Zhou monitored the battle results through his Godhead.

Under the invisible blessing of Elwin's [Subtle Influence] Domain (enhancing focus and precision), the Elves' archery appeared exceptionally sharp.

Moreover, as the defensive side, relying on the Divine Kingdom barrier, the Elves could pour out firepower without any worries.

"Continue free-fire scattering, focus attacks on the enemy Spearthrowers and elite units attempting to approach!" Elwin commanded calmly.

Meanwhile, three hundred Ink-Crafting Dwarves, under the consciousness command of Bronzebeard, had quickly set up the bases for five [Simple Rune Turrets] behind the key nodes of the Divine Kingdom barrier.

Although these turrets were crude, their range could reach 400 meters, and the [Explosive Rune Shells] fired had good effects against dense formations.

Three hundred Law Official Murlocs, under the consciousness coordination of Snik, were dispersed throughout the barrier, their [Spears of Order] glowing slightly, prepared to deal with any stragglers that might break through the long-range firepower and reach the front, and ready at any moment to cast [Order · Slow] to interfere with the enemy's follow-up troops.

The Orc deity clearly did not expect Lin Zhou's long-range firepower to be so sharp and his discipline so strict.

After losing nearly a hundred units, his vanguard force's charging momentum was clearly frustrated, and their formation became even more chaotic.

The sporadic counterattacks from the Spearthrowers had minimal effect.

"Roar! Trash!" The Orc deity's roar came through the vibration of the Divine Kingdom.

The earth-yellow Divine Kingdom projection suddenly accelerated forward, seemingly wanting to crash into him personally, using the Law power of the Divine Kingdom itself to crush him!

"Want to collide? That's exactly what I wanted!" A cold light flashed in Lin Zhou's eyes.

Although his Hundred Schools Divine Kingdom was known for civilization and enlightenment, the stability of its Law barrier, after a month of careful reinforcement, could not be easily shaken by a Divine Kingdom of the same Rank that followed a savage path.

"Net of Law, manifest! river of civilization, bless!"

Lin Zhou urged his Divine Power, and the patterns of the Net of Law on the surface of the Divine Kingdom projection suddenly became clear, emitting a brilliant blue-gold light, further stabilizing the barrier.

The river of civilization projection flowed faster, injecting an aura of "endless vitality" and "great resilience" into the entire Divine Kingdom.

"Boom!!!" The two Divine Kingdom projections, like two asteroids, collided violently on the dark red ground!

The intense Law shockwave swept out, overturning layers of soil on the ground!

The result of the collision—the Orc Divine Kingdom projection was knocked back dozens of meters, the earth-yellow light on its surface flickering violently and dimming significantly, clearly indicating that its Law structure had been impacted.

As for Lin Zhou's Hundred Schools Divine Kingdom projection, it only shook slightly, ripples of light swaying on the barrier, but overall it remained as steady as a mountain!

The barrier integrity only dropped by 5%!

"What?!" The Orc deity transmitted a fluctuation of shock and anger.

He clearly did not expect that this seemingly "effeminate" Divine Kingdom would have such a solid and stable Law Foundation!

Just at the moment his Divine Kingdom was damaged, his internal kin were swaying due to the collision, and they fell into a brief chaos—

"Now is the time! All troops—Charge!" Lin Zhou seized this fleeting opportunity!

The Divine Kingdom barrier quietly opened several portals.

Three hundred Ink-Crafting Dwarves, who had been waiting in battle formation, formed a tight formation of [Immovable as a Mountain], like a moving steel wall, and charged out fiercely!

They did not charge in a scattered manner, but precisely inserted themselves between the retreating Orc vanguard and the enemy's Divine Kingdom body, cutting off their connection!

Four hundred Confucian Scholar Elves, led by Elwin, followed closely behind the Dwarf line, their arrows beginning to focus on the weak points revealed on the enemy Divine Kingdom barrier due to the collision, as well as the Orc troops attempting to reorganize.

Three hundred Law Official Murlocs, like agile hunters, flanked from the side, throwing their [Spears of Order] to specifically attack the straggling, injured Orc projections, while the aura of [Order · Slow] lit up from time to time, further delaying the enemy's reorganization speed.

Elwin, seizing the moment when the opposing deity's consciousness fluctuated due to the setback, spoke loudly.

His voice was not loud, but it carried the Law power of [Subtle Influence], piercing through the noisy battlefield and reaching directly to the core of the opposing Divine Kingdom:

"Aggression is unjust, and it will recoil upon yourself! If you do not retreat now, when will you?"

This voice fell into the ears of the Orc deity, causing his heart to inexplicably flutter, raising an absurd feeling that "this battle is ominous," and his command experienced an extremely brief hesitation.

On the battlefield, things change in an instant.

This hesitation was keenly captured by Lin Zhou's Godhead, who commanded the Dwarf line to push forward steadily by another fifty meters, completely separating the enemy's remaining vanguard from the Divine Kingdom, and began to besiege those remaining troops.

Seeing his vanguard almost completely annihilated, his Divine Kingdom damaged, and the opponent's command methodical while strangely influencing his own mind, the Orc deity finally developed an intention to retreat.

If he continued to fight hard, it was very likely that his Divine Kingdom projection would be severely damaged or even destroyed, and that would mean elimination!

"Retreat!" Amidst the unwilling roar, the earth-yellow Divine Kingdom projection's light contracted, and it began to move slowly backward, while simultaneously releasing a tractor beam to retrieve the remaining Orc projections on the periphery.

Lin Zhou did not Order a deep pursuit.

Do not pursue a desperate enemy, especially in the Early Stage of a melee; preserving strength and consolidating territory is the key.

He commanded his troops to clear the remaining few Orc projections on the edge of the battlefield, then recalled his troops to defend, while sending out a small squad of Elf scouts to watch the dark green Divine Kingdom projection in another direction, which had been holding its ground all along.

[First Battle Settlement]:

Enemy projection units killed: Approx. 230 (Goblins/Half-Orcs/Spearthrowers).

Enemy Divine Kingdom projection destroyed: No (the opponent retreated).

Own losses: 12 Elves lightly injured, 8 Dwarves lightly injured, Murlocs suffered no losses.

Divine Kingdom barrier integrity: 95% (automatically recovering slowly after the battle).

Points obtained: 23 points (kill points, 1 point per 10 projection units? The algorithm here may be different according to battlefield rules, temporarily counted as valid kill points).

Resource point occupied: [Small Energy Crystal Mine], began dispatching Dwarves for projection mining (can provide a small amount of virtual energy daily, used to maintain turrets and other buildings or accelerate recovery).

The first battle was a victory.

Clean and neat.

Lin Zhou's Divine Kingdom projection floated quietly beside the newly captured resource point, the light of civilization appearing exceptionally striking and firm on the lead-gray ground.

He looked toward the depths of the battlefield, where more and more intense energy explosions and Law tremors were faintly heard.

The melee of a million Examinees had already fully erupted.

His path to the college entrance exam had taken a solid first step on this cruel myriad-world battlefield.