183: Ultimately defeated the demonic tide, achieving the highest rating in the entire universe.

The moment the Abyssal Lord was completely erased by the "principles of civilization · Judgment", the entire "New Realm" battlefield seemed to have been pressed on a pause button.

That suffocating, semi-Divine Might and aura of destruction that had enveloped everything receded like a tide, disappearing without a trace. In the center, the Abyssal Fissure—which had spewed out nine waves of devilish tides and radiated endless evil and Chaos—emitted a reluctant, glass-shattering wail the instant it lost the support of the Lord's power and the guidance of its core will. Its expanding, twisted edges began to collapse and roll inward violently! The dark energy and chaotic rules that made up the fissure lost their core cohesion, rapidly disintegrating and dissipating like leftover snow exposed to the scorching sun.

Without the unified command of the Lord's will and the energy supply from the fissure, the remaining Abyssal monsters on the battlefield instantly fell into total Chaos and collapse!

The Gargoyles that were still circling in the sky, trying to find an opportunity, saw the red light in their eyes rapidly dim. Their wing-flapping became stiff and uncoordinated, and many fell straight from the sky like Puppets with cut strings, crashing into piles of rubble, their core Abyssal marks quickly dissipating.

The Berserk Demons, Corruptors, and other ground monsters remaining in the swamps and scorched earth, like Puppets without strings, let out meaningless, increasingly faint roars before collapsing to the ground. Their bodies withered and weathered at a speed visible to the naked eye, eventually turning into piles of lifeless, grey-black dust that drifted away with the wind.

Even the land polluted by the "Filthy Scorched Earth" saw the Devilish Qi within it rapidly evaporate and fade after losing the continuous erosion of the Abyssal rules. Although the land remained barren and desolate, that nauseating corruption and erosive property were fading away rapidly.

The devilish tide had collapsed.

In a manner akin to "evaporation," as its source (the fissure) and head (the Lord) vanished, it rapidly disintegrated and returned to nothingness.

On the battlefield, apart from the debris everywhere (mostly the remains of the Order side's warriors, damaged mechanisms, and collapsed building fragments; the Abyssal monsters left almost no physical remains), crisscrossing cracks, and energy turbulence that had not yet fully subsided, not a single active Abyssal unit could be seen.

The dead silence lasted for about ten seconds.

Then, a thunderous roar, mixed with all kinds of emotions, erupted from the remaining Order defense line!

"We won... we actually won!"

"The monsters... they've all disappeared! They've scattered!"

"The Dominator... the Dominator won! He killed that monster!"

"Lord Elwin... Lord Rock Shield... Lord Fire Hammer... Lord Qing Lin... do you see this? We held our ground! Sob sob sob..."

Cries, cheers, shouts, the dull thuds of those collapsing from exhaustion, calls searching for the remains of companions... all kinds of sounds intertwined to form a chaotic symphony of survival and mixed sorrow and joy.

Fire Hammer dragged his broken leg, leaning against a piece of rubble, looking at the empty battlefield center and the fading traces of the fissure, crying and laughing like a child. The Stone Spirit Leader sat silently in the ruins, its yellow eyes watching everything, conveying a complex emotion mixed with exhaustion, respect, and relief in its consciousness. The Medical Apprentices and light casualties who could still move began to frantically search through the ruins, rescuing comrades who still had a breath of life.

Deep inside the Imperial Hospital, however, the atmosphere was heavy to the extreme.

Lin Zhou was placed on the only relatively intact stone platform, which was covered with temporarily reinforced runes and healing magic arrays. His condition was worse than before he fell unconscious.

Although the wounds on his body, which had been forcibly "welded" by the scorching white flames, were no longer bleeding, his skin was covered in shocking, pale golden cracks that looked like shattered porcelain—a reflection of his shattered divinity on his body. His aura was so weak it was almost imperceptible, and the intervals between his heartbeats were frighteningly long. That layer of glaze-colored halo, representing the last embers of the Fire of Civilization, had completely disappeared, as if it had never existed.

Supported by several apprentices, Qing Lin barely held on, using the last of her School of Medicine Qi and the most precious Spirit Medicine in stock (the root of a "Millennium Ginseng King," originally saved for life-saving purposes), combined with acupuncture, to hang on to Lin Zhou's last trace of vitality, which was like a candle in the wind. But she herself was as pale as paper and tottering.

Rock Shield was placed on the other side. Under the final cleansing of Elwin's Vast Righteous Qi and the influence of the weak Order fluctuations unconsciously emitted by Lin Zhou before he fell unconscious, the deterioration of the black wound on his chest had slowed down, but he was still not out of danger and remained unconscious.

Everyone knew that although they had won, the price was immeasurably heavy. The Dominator himself was on the verge of complete extinction.

However, at this moment of mixed sorrow and joy, with the future uncertain—

Hum!

A gentle, vast, pure white beam of light, seemingly from above the Nine Heavens, pierced through the barrier of the "New Realm" without warning. It descended from an infinitely high place, precisely enveloping the entire battlefield area, and finally, above Lin Zhou's unconscious body, condensed into a huge golden light screen flowing with countless profound runes and data!

The appearance of the light screen carried a supreme, unquestionable majesty, instantly attracting everyone's gaze, and even the crying and cheering fell silent.

【College Entrance Exam · Abyssal Survival Trial · Final Settlement Interface】:

Examinee: Lin Zhou (Exam Number: XC-8745 - Star Sea Star Domain - Yuncheng No. 1 High School)

Trial Scenario: "New Realm" Abyssal Erosion War Zone

Trial Mode: Extreme Survival (Twelve Waves of Devilish Tides)

Settlement started...

The data on the light screen began to refresh and scroll like a waterfall, finally freezing!

Trial Completion Rate: 100% (Successfully resisted all twelve waves of devilish tides, killed the final leader 【Abyssal Lord · Controller of Lava and Earth (Demigod / LV190)】)

Waves Held: 12/12 (Perfect)

Total Kill Contribution: 97.8% (Comprehensive assessment of the quantity and quality of accumulated kills of Abyssal units, topping this exam site, and also the highest known record for this universal unified exam)

Own Casualty Ratio: 42.3% (Final survival rate of dependents and temporary allies is 57.7%, excellent performance in similar extreme trials)

Civilization Dissemination Assessment: Detected stable 'Order civilization' ideological dissemination (preliminary), successfully attracted and signed a temporary alliance (Earth Element · Stone Spirit Guards), utilized various non-traditional combat philosophies (Confucianism, Law, Mohism, Daoism, Military, Agriculture, Medicine, Names, School of Diplomacy, Miscellaneous, etc.) and generated linkages and innovations. Assessment of civilization diversity, depth, adaptability, and potential: S+

Tactical Innovation Assessment: Utilized various cross-philosophical tactical combinations (e.g., Net of Law + conceptual confusion; Tao Follows Nature guidance + Mohist energy flood discharge; Confucianism and Law combined · Words Become Law; Mohism and Daoism fusion · Spirit Creation; Military school death battle + precision decapitation; final principles of civilization Judgment, etc.), assessment of tactical flexibility, creativity, and Execution difficulty: S+

Deity Personal Performance: Successfully severely damaged and eventually killed a Demigod-Rank Abyssal unit during the Faint Divinity stage (LV201) (cross-Rank challenge). Demonstrated excellent command, understanding of rules, strength of will, and spirit of sacrifice during the battle. Divinity potential assessment: S+

Comprehensive Environment Utilization: Effectively utilized initial resources, terrain, neutral forces, and battlefield residual energy, and carried out creative transformation (School of Agriculture swamp). Assessment of resource utilization and environmental adaptation: A+

Deduction Items: Severe damage to the divine domain core building (approx. 65%), one major hero unit died and three were seriously injured, causing a certain impact on subsequent development. Deduction: -0.2.

Final Comprehensive Score:

【99.8 points (Full score 100)】

Historical Ranking: This year's Universal Human Race College Entrance Exam · Abyssal Survival Trial individual performance — Historical First (Record broken)

Real-time Ranking in Exam Site: 1 / 1,250,000+ (The only survivor and completer of this trial in this exam site, other Examinees were eliminated or "killed" in action during the previous eleven waves of devilish tides)

Estimated Total Universal Ranking: Top 0.0001% (Specific ranking confirmed when the total list is announced, but a top-ten seat is already locked)

On the golden light screen, the number "99.8" appeared in dazzling gilded characters, surrounded by auspicious clouds, Dragon shadows, and olive branches and star patterns symbolizing supreme glory! The comments and data below it were each enough to shock everyone into silence!

99.8 points! Full score 100, only 0.2 points deducted! And that was due to unavoidable hard losses like casualties and building damage!

Historical first! A landslide first place!

"My... god..." Fire Hammer opened his mouth wide, forgetting even the pain in his broken leg. The surrounding warriors were even more dumbfounded, then erupted into even more fanatical cheers!

"The Dominator is the top scholar! No, he's the strongest top scholar in history!"

"99.8 points! Hahaha! I knew it! The Dominator is the strongest!"

"Lord Elwin... what you protected is a future legend..."

The seven Observers in the sky were also bathed in the pure white settlement light beam at this moment. The voice of the star map phantom carried a hint of amusement and realization: "As expected. Such performance, if it didn't get near full marks, would be unfair. The judgment of the Universe's will is always direct and accurate."

"Trial ended, settlement complete." A grand, neutral, announcement voice, seemingly gathering countless wills, resonated throughout the "New Realm". "Examinee Lin Zhou, performance excellent, results top-tier. According to the rules, trial rewards are issued."

Following the announcement, three light clusters, more solid and emitting different levels of precious light, separated from the golden light screen and slowly descended toward the location where Lin Zhou was.

【Abyssal Survival Trial · Ultimate Reward】:

【Epic Wonder Card · Monument of Civilization (Incomplete)】: A rule creation recording outstanding "civilization" related performances in this trial. Effect: Place it in the divine domain to slowly increase the comprehension speed of all dependents in the divine domain regarding "civilization" related thoughts (Hundred Schools) by +30%, and slightly increase the stability of divine domain rules and anti-erosion ability. It can be gradually completed into a complete wonder as Lin Zhou deepens his understanding of "civilization" and achieves subsequent accomplishments. (This card is extremely special, not a fixed reward, but generated by triggering a hidden mechanism due to Lin Zhou's performance.)

【Legendary Resource Card · divinity crystal (Faint) × 10】: Crystals containing pure rule power, can be used to repair divinity damage, increase divinity Rank, or serve as high-level Divine Power reserves. Each unit is priceless and is one of the most precious hard currencies in the True God stage after igniting the divine fire.

【Massive civilization points Reward】: 1,000,000 points! Directly injected into the Temple of Civilization System bound to Lin Zhou! This is a direct recognition of his successful dissemination, practice, and innovation of the Hundred Schools of Thought, and the extremely high civilization potential shown in the trial! Enough to unlock a large number of profound classics, exchange for precious items, or conduct multiple high-level summons!

The reward light cluster merged into Lin Zhou's body (in reality, it bound his Soul and divine domain). Lin Zhou, who was in a coma, was completely unaware, but deep within his damaged godhead, the link with the Temple of Civilization vibrated slightly as a result. The Sanctuary itself seemed to have absorbed some form of nourishment; a faint light emerged from the damaged areas, and the speed of its self-repair accelerated slightly.

Just then, deep in the Temple of Civilization, beside the area that originally stood with the nameless inscription, a new, more solid phantom of a hall, emitting a warm, milky-white light, slowly emerged and condensed. On the plaque of the hall, two large characters were written in primitive seal script—'Hall of Heroes'.

Inside the hall, the first hazy figure, emitting Vast Righteous Qi and the light of wisdom, was slowly taking shape. Its features were vaguely those of Elwin! Although still blurry and far from being summonable, its very existence was a kind of comfort and hope—the true spirit of the hero who sacrificed for civilization is immortal, can be nurtured in the Sanctuary, and may have a day of return in the future!

This scene seemed to have been captured by some kind of rule, reflected in the additional information on the settlement light screen, causing another low gasp.

"The trial scene is about to close. All surviving units will be teleported back to their respective anchored coordinates in thirty seconds." The grand announcement sounded again. "Examinee Lin Zhou and his associated units will return to their initial divine domain projection node. Injuries and status will be basically stabilized, but deep recovery must be carried out by yourself."

"Wishing you all a bright future."

The pure white pillar of light began to shrink, and the golden light screen gradually faded. Everyone in the Imperial Hospital felt a gentle but irresistible force begin to envelop them.

"Quick! Take the Dominator and all the seriously injured! Prepare for teleportation!" Fire Hammer forced himself to command.

The remaining warriors helped the unconscious Lin Zhou, Rock Shield, and Qing Lin, carried the seriously injured, and gathered together. The Stone Spirit Leader, with the remaining Stone Spirit Guards, also silently gathered around—the agreement had not yet fully ended, and they seemed to be implicitly classified as "associated units."

In the air, the figures of the seven Observers became clearer, and they seemed to be communicating about something. The star map phantom looked at the direction of Lin Zhou one last time, and an imperceptible thought, containing specific coordinate information, was quietly branded in the deepest part of Lin Zhou's damaged godhead, like a secret mark.

"Young Fire Sower, your 'fire' has passed the initial tempering. The real stage is among the Star Domain. Looking forward to... the day we officially meet."

The thirty-second countdown ended.

The pure white light flared, enveloping everything.

The next moment, the scarred battlefield, the broken buildings, the remains of the sacrifices... all scenes quickly faded and disappeared like a fading oil painting.

...

When Lin Zhou's consciousness, like a shipwreck salvaged from the deep sea, felt the first faint "sense of existence" in the endless darkness and void, what he first felt was an indescribable emptiness and sharp pain.

It was not the pain of the body, but the void pain of the Soul, godhead, and the Origin of power being completely hollowed out, torn, and burned out. It was as if he had become an empty shell that had been scraped by a gale, leaving only a broken frame.

He struggled, extremely slowly, to open his eyes.

His vision was blurred, as if covered by a layer of thick frosted glass. It took him several seconds to barely recognize that he seemed to be lying in a simple but clean stone house, with a stone bed covered by dry straw mats underneath him. The air was filled with a faint, familiar medicinal fragrance, and... a richer breath of life and nature?

"Do... Dominator?! You're awake?!" A young voice, trembling with surprise and tearfulness, rang out from the side. It was an Elwin apprentice left in the divine domain to be responsible for basic operations.

Lin Zhou wanted to speak, but found his throat so dry that he couldn't make any sound, and even turning his eyeballs was extremely difficult. He could only blink slightly.

"Great! Lady Qing Lin! Lord Fire Hammer! The Dominator is awake!" The apprentice ran out excitedly to shout.

Soon, a chaotic sound of footsteps, with obvious weakness and staggering, came.

Fire Hammer leaned on a makeshift crutch, and Qing Lin was supported by an apprentice. Both of them had the paleness and fatigue of someone recovering from a serious illness on their faces, but their eyes were full of the excitement of surviving and the ecstasy of seeing Lin Zhou wake up. Behind them followed several less seriously injured Dwarf captains and Elves.

"Do... Dominator!" Fire Hammer's voice was hoarse, and his eye sockets turned red instantly.

Qing Lin's tears fell directly. She wanted to say something, but choked and couldn't speak.

Lin Zhou looked at them, looked at this familiar but seemingly slightly different stone house (it should be the building of the Imperial Hospital in the divine domain body), and felt a little relieved. He was still alive, and his core partners were still there.

He tried to mobilize his Divine Sense to look inside, but it caused a more violent twisting pain and dizziness from the depths of his Soul. He had to give up and ask with his eyes.

Fire Hammer immediately understood his meaning, endured his excitement, and reported quickly and concisely: "Dominator, we are back! Back to our own divine domain! The trial is over! We won! You killed that demigod monster! The score... the score is 99.8! The first in history! The reward has also been issued!"

99.8 points? First in history? Lin Zhou's consciousness was still a bit chaotic, but this information still shocked his mind.

"Lord Elwin... he..." Fire Hammer's voice lowered, full of grief, "He burned his Divine Soul to create an opportunity, performed the ultimate verbal command, and severely damaged the monster's Soul... He himself... was destroyed in body and Soul..."

Elwin... had fallen.

Although he had a premonition, when the exact news came, Lin Zhou's heart was still gripped tightly, feeling a dull pain. That gentle and wise Elwin scholar... could never be seen again.

"However!" Fire Hammer added quickly, hope reigniting in his eyes, "During the settlement, the Temple of Civilization seemed to have a reaction! We vaguely felt that there was an extra 'Hall of Heroes' in the Sanctuary, and Lord Elwin's figure seemed to be in it! Although it was very blurry... but, maybe... maybe there is still hope!"

Hall of Heroes? Lin Zhou's heart moved. Is this a new function of the Temple of Civilization? His last memory before falling into a coma was that after using [principles of civilization · Judgment], his consciousness fell into darkness. It seems that after the Sanctuary absorbed a massive amount of civilization points (he vaguely felt an extra huge "civilization" reserve in his body) and the "civilization" brand of this trial, it had undergone new changes.

This might be Elwin's only chance of survival.

"Big Brother Rock Shield is seriously injured, but he has stabilized for the time being and is lying in the next room. According to the agreement, the Stone Spirits have returned to their hills after receiving their share of pure earth-attribute Materials after the war, and left a mark of friendship before leaving." Qing Lin calmed down and added softly, "The territory... suffered heavy losses, many buildings were destroyed, and the population... also lost nearly half. But the seeds of the core kin are still there, and those who survived are real warriors tempered by blood and fire. Moreover, because of your final victory and super high score, our divine domain is now... famous throughout the Star Domain, and perhaps even higher levels. Just now when we teleported back, I sensed more than one powerful Divine Sense sweeping over the divine domain, with curiosity and... evaluation."

Lin Zhou listened quietly, digesting this information. Victory, but at a heavy price. However, the Fire of Civilization was not extinguished, the core remained, and he had gained unprecedented prestige and resources (rewards). More importantly, he personally verified the feasibility of The Way of the Hundred Schools in the era of gods and touched the edge of "principles of civilization."

The road, although still long and full of thorns, the direction has never been so clear.

He blinked again, indicating he understood. Then, using all his strength, he moved his fingers extremely slightly, pointing to his chest—the location of his godhead, which was also the place where the pain and emptiness were most intense.

Fire Hammer and Qing Lin looked at each other, understanding that the Dominator was asking about his own condition.

Qing Lin looked solemn and said in a low voice: "Dominator, your body... has been forcibly repaired by a power beyond our understanding, and the external injuries are basically stable. But your godhead... is extremely seriously damaged. We cannot probe it, we can only feel that its fluctuations are so weak that they are almost extinguished, and... it is full of cracks. The Divine Power is completely exhausted, and the Fire of Civilization... can no longer be sensed. You need long-term rest and a large amount of top-level resources to slowly recover."

Godhead shattered, Divine Power exhausted, Fire of Civilization extinguished...

Lin Zhou understood in his heart. It was inevitable to pay such a price for such a strike. He had no regrets, just a deep sense of fatigue. It was a blessing that he was still alive.

Just then, the Elwin apprentice hurried in again, holding a strange leaf that emitted a faint moonlight and had silver characters constantly appearing and disappearing.

"Dominator! Lord Fire Hammer! Lady Qing Lin! Just now the warning array at the edge of the divine domain automatically received this! It seems to be... a message from the Moonlight Divine Domain!"

Moonlight Divine Domain? Su Yueyao?

Lin Zhou's eyes moved slightly.

Qing Lin took the Moonlight leaf, swept it with her Divine Sense, and her face showed a complex expression, with surprise, relief, and a touch of realization. She looked at Lin Zhou and said softly: "It is a message from Your Excellency Su Yueyao. She said... she had been watching your trial (through some high authority or special channel) and saw the end. She said... 'Where the Dao resides, even if there are millions of people, I will go. You have gone first, and I will follow. See you at Xinghai University.'"

See you at Xinghai University...

A touch of warmth and waves rose in Lin Zhou's heart. The girl who was as cold as the moon, yet had a unique persistence and closeness to the Huaxia Civilization, had been watching him. Her message was both an acknowledgment of his path and a promise.

Xinghai University... that was the goal he had set before. Now, as the top scholar with the "highest score in history," admission must be a foregone conclusion. There, there will be a broader stage, deeper mysteries, and... the moment to reunite with her.

And those seven mysterious "Observers"... the mark they left at the end...

Lin Zhou slowly closed his eyes. Sharp pain and fatigue surged like a tide, but in his heart, a faint flame named "hope" and "responsibility" was tenaciously reigniting in the absolute darkness.

The river of civilization flows endlessly. The Way of the Hundred Schools has just set sail.

The college entrance examination is over. But the era of gods that belongs to him, the real legend, perhaps, has just begun.