194: Moonlight Resonance

His first move in the public resource zone, though small in scale, yielded significant results.

The Lawful Merman Enforcement Squad's crushing defeat of the Forest Trolls, along with the name "College Entrance Examination top scholar Lin Zhou," quickly spread through the freshman circles. That cold and harsh fighting style, the quality of his followers which far exceeded the average for his level, and the mystery of the "Hundred Schools Divine Domain" he represented gave many freshmen—who had only heard his name but never seen him in action—a more direct understanding of him: this top scholar, even with a damaged Divine Domain, was by no means someone to be trifled with.

Over the next few days, Lin Zhou's actions in the public resource zone became much smoother. Although there were still those who didn't believe the rumors or felt they were strong enough to test him, most returned in defeat when faced with the Lawful Merman Enforcement Squad and the occasional appearance of the Tiangong Dwarves' mechanical Ballista (which, after Li Mo's "minor" modifications, had seen its range and accuracy increase by another notch). Lin Zhou successfully occupied two other suitable resource points: a woodland rich in [Ironwood] (providing high-quality timber and a small amount of associated Ore) and a [Glimmer Spring] (containing gentle light-attribute energy, suitable for purification and healing).

Combined with the steady daily output of 50 units of Spirit Jade and the 50 million faith crystal annual quota provided by the top scholar "Prodigy" agreement (which had begun to be distributed monthly), Lin Zhou's reconstruction and development of his Divine Domain finally entered a virtuous cycle of relatively abundant resources that could be Advanced methodically.

The repair of his Godhead was also progressing steadily. In the superior environment of Xinghai University, coupled with daily nurturing and the nourishment of faith crystals, Lin Zhou successively absorbed the ninth and tenth divinity crystals. When the power of the final crystal fully integrated into the Godhead's core, its integrity finally broke the 40% mark, reaching 41.2%.

[Godhead Status Panel (Moderate Damage)]:

Integrity: 41.2%

Stability: Upper-middle

Divine Power Conversion/Storage Function: Recovered (Medium)

Current Divine Power Conversion Efficiency: Approx. 1 Divine Power / 1.2 hours

Current Divine Power Storage Limit: Approx. 200 points of Divine Power

Rule Processing Ability: Medium (Capable of routine rule analysis and manipulation, recovered partial divine office-related perception)

Divine Fire: Signs of embers reviving are obvious, core temperature has begun to rise slowly, but it has not yet officially reignited.

divine office Buds (Education/Law): Activity significantly increased, capable of preliminary perception and minor guidance; Divine Miracle consumption in corresponding fields reduced by approximately 10%.

Traits: Rule affinity continues to increase, particularly sensitive to rules related to "Order" and "Civilization."

The repair of the Godhead exceeding 40% was an important watershed. Not only was there a qualitative leap in the ability to convert and store Divine Power (averaging about 20 points of Divine Power per day with a storage limit of 200), but more importantly, the perception and application of the divine office began to recover. This meant Lin Zhou could more effectively utilize the authority of "Education" and "Law" to assist the development of his Divine Domain, laying the Foundation for his next step: exploring the Fusion of the Hundred Schools of Thought and his divine office.

In the Hall of Heroes, the nurturing of Elwin's true spirit was also progressing smoothly. With the daily investment of civilization points plus the nourishment of the Sanctuary's own aura, his integrity had steadily risen to 16.8%. His outline became increasingly clear, and the nurturing efficiency slightly improved. The estimated time for full awakening was further shortened to about eight years.

Everything was moving in a positive direction.

On this afternoon, Lin Zhou finished his morning course, "Introduction to Comparative Multiverse Civilizations." This course benefited him greatly; the lecturer analyzed the characteristics, rise and fall patterns of different civilization forms, and their interactive relationships with the development of deities from a macro perspective. Some of these viewpoints subtly corroborated his own Way of the Hundred Schools and provided many new ideas.

He planned to go to the university's Central Library to look up information on ancient divine scripts, lost rituals, and "Early Civilization Response Strategies to Astral Erosion." The latter was inspired by the Principal's warning at the opening ceremony; he vaguely felt that the Hundred Schools of Thought might contain certain wisdom for countering "Chaos" and "Nothingness," which required more systematic theoretical and historical support.

The Central Library was located on an independent floating island surrounded by emerald vines and glowing crystals. The island itself was a massive architectural wonder; its interior utilized extremely Advanced space expansion technology, and its collection was boasted to be the "Greatest in the Star Sea."

Lin Zhou arrived at the library entrance via a teleportation array. The magnificent archway was made of a warm white jade-like stone, upon which flowed countless tiny golden characters that constantly combined and changed as if alive, displaying the library's latest collection updates and announcements.

Just as he was about to step through the archway, a familiar voice, cold yet carrying an imperceptible tremor, came from behind him to the side.

"Lin Zhou?"

Lin Zhou paused and turned around.

Beside the library entrance, under a strange ancient tree that emitted a faint moonlight halo and had branches and leaves with a semi-transparent glazed luster, Su Yueyao stood quietly.

She was still dressed in a simple and elegant moon-white long dress, its hem adorned with starlight-like glints. Her black hair fell like a waterfall, partially tied up with a simple white jade hairpin. Her face was extraordinarily beautiful and refined, her temperament as cold as a secluded spring under the moon. Only now, those wise eyes held less of their previous pure detachment and more of a searching look and... a faint sense of joy, as if meeting a kindred spirit?

The afternoon sunlight, filtered through the "xinghai dome," became soft and bright, blending with the moonlight emitted by the ancient tree itself. It cast a hazy halo around her, making her look somewhat unreal, like a Moon Fairy who had accidentally fallen into the mortal world.

Many people were entering and leaving the library; many freshmen and even upperclassmen were drawn to this scene, unable to resist casting stunned or curious glances. But when they saw clearly that the person under the tree was Su Yueyao, they subconsciously averted their eyes, walking away hurriedly with awe and a touch of self-deprecation—the successor of the Moon God Divine Domain, the runner-up of this year's College Entrance Examination, cold, aloof, and difficult to approach; these labels had already spread among the freshmen.

"Su Yueyao." Lin Zhou nodded in greeting. For this girl with whom he had already formed a tacit "alliance" during the College Entrance Examination, who had also chosen Xinghai University, and who had deep research into Ancient Chinese Civilization, Lin Zhou naturally felt a considerable amount of goodwill and respect.

Su Yueyao walked closer slowly, stopping about three steps away from Lin Zhou. As she approached, Lin Zhou immediately felt a very faint but incredibly clear throb from the dormant embers of the Fire of Civilization deep within his Godhead! It was as if ashes that had been in darkness for a long time had sensed a kindred, cold, and pure light.

At the same time, the cold Moonlight Divine Power on Su Yueyao also seemed to be pulled by something, rippling slightly and becoming more active. A flash of surprise crossed her eyes; she had clearly noticed the abnormal movement of her own Divine Power as well.

The air between the two seemed to change at this moment. An indescribable affinity and resonance, originating from the source of the rules, quietly emerged.

Lin Zhou could "see" (not with his eyes, but through rule perception) an extremely thin, glazed-colored wisp of the Fire of Civilization's aura uncontrollably escaping from his Godhead; and from Su Yueyao, a wisp of Moonlight Divine Power like clear light naturally flowed out. These two wisps of power, different in nature but equally pure and Advanced, did not repel or annihilate each other. Instead, like the two poles of a magnet, they gently interlaced and wound around each other in the air, forming a brief and harmonious balance, even showing a faint trend of mutual nourishment and complementarity!

[Special Status Triggered]: Detected highly compatible foreign Divine Power (Moonlight) nearby, generating rule resonance.

[Fire of Civilization (Embers) Reaction]: Activity +300%, spontaneously absorbing a trace of Moonlight Power; ember core temperature recovery speed temporarily increased by 15%.

[Moonlight Divine Power (Perception)]: Nature: Cold, pure, purifying, tranquil, nurturing. Highly complementary with the Order, Legacy, Wisdom, and Hope attributes of the "Fire of Civilization."

[Resonance Effect (Current)]:

Divine Power recovery speed of both parties slightly increased (Lin Zhou +5%, Su Yueyao +3%).

Clarity of rule comprehension temporarily increased (weak).

Triggering small-scale beneficial environmental anomalies (probability).

This resonance came suddenly, yet felt incredibly natural. Both were silent for a moment, carefully experiencing this wonderful sensation.

Lin Zhou felt his Godhead grow warm, and the dull pain from the repairs seemed much soothed; his thinking was also exceptionally clear. Su Yueyao felt the heaviness and coldness that had always lingered deep in her Godhead due to inheriting the massive Moon God Divine Domain seem to be injected with a trace of gentle "vitality," becoming a bit lighter.

"Your 'Fire'... is recovering faster than I imagined," Su Yueyao spoke first, her voice still cold but her tone much softer. "And it indeed resonates with my 'Moon'." She used "Moon" rather than "Divine Power," seemingly viewing her power as a whole.

"Moonlight Power, clear light purifying the world, indeed has commonalities with the warm hope of the Fire of Civilization's Legacy," Lin Zhou said, speaking from his true feelings.

Su Yueyao nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over the course notes and borrowing list titles in Lin Zhou's hand: "You're here to look up information? About civilizations resisting erosion?"

"Yes. I can't ignore the Principal's words," Lin Zhou said frankly. "Besides, I always feel that in the wisdom of the ancestors, there might have already been ways to deal with it, only they've been buried in history."

A flash of wisdom appeared in Su Yueyao's eyes: "You mean... the Hundred Schools of Thought?"

"More than that. In any orderly, upward-moving civilization that treasures life and Legacy, its essence may contain the code to fight 'Nothingness'," Lin Zhou's gaze was profound. "But my Foundation lies in the Hundred Schools, so I naturally start from there."

"A very good entry point," Su Yueyao agreed. She pondered for a moment, seemingly making a decision. "I came to the library this time also wanting to look up some things. About... sacrifices, calendars related to the 'Moon' in Ancient Chinese Civilization, and the position of the 'Taiyin' concept in their worldview."

She looked at Lin Zhou, her eyes clear: "My Family has inherited the Moon God Divine Domain for generations, but we have also been dedicated to collecting and studying records of various lost civilizations, especially ancient literature related to concepts like the 'Moon', 'Stars', and 'Celestial Bodies'. In the Family's secret collection, there are some broken Jade Slips and Oracle Bones with scripts... that have similarities to certain writing Systems you've shown before."

Lin Zhou's heart skipped a beat! Su Yueyao's Family actually owned relics suspected to be from Ancient Chinese Civilization?!

"Similarities?" he pressed.

"The structure of the characters, the way they express meaning, even the phonetic derivation of some vocabulary..." Su Yueyao nodded. "I've studied the few 'Aphorisms' you let slip during the high school league and the College Entrance Examination (she was referring to the phantom characters that accompanied Lin Zhou's use of Confucian and Legalist abilities). Although they aren't exactly the same, their spirit is identical. This was also one of the reasons I initially became interested in you."

So that was it. Lin Zhou realized why someone with Su Yueyao's cold personality would take the initiative to contact him.

"What do those Jade Slips and Oracle Bones record?" Lin Zhou asked.

"Most are broken and incomplete, making them difficult to read. But the parts that can be identified mention 'Observing Stars to Set the Calendar', 'Praying to the Moon for Blessings', 'Harmonizing Yin and Yang', and... blurred legendary fragments like 'Severing the Connection between Heaven and Earth', the 'Great Flood', and 'Mending the Heavens'," Su Yueyao said softly. "My Family elders believe those might be traces left by an extremely ancient, once glorious, but long-vanished powerful civilization. Its level of civilization might far exceed our imagination, perhaps even touching upon... the Primordial."

Primordial! That word again! The highest-level items in the Temple of Civilization's exchange list were related to the Primordial!

"Can I see those records?" Lin Zhou suppressed the excitement in his heart and asked as calmly as possible.

"You can," Su Yueyao's answer was unexpectedly straightforward. "But those are Family secrets and cannot be taken out. If you're interested, you can visit my Divine Domain, the 'Moon Palace', this weekend. We can study them together. I'm also very curious about your 'Hundred Schools' System; perhaps we can corroborate with each other to decipher the meanings of more characters and legends."

This was an invitation, and also a signal for deep cooperation.

"Fine," Lin Zhou did not hesitate. "I will definitely make the appointment this weekend."

Their conversation came to an end, but that wonderful resonance did not immediately disappear. Just then, with the two of them as the center, the plants within a radius of about ten meters suddenly underwent an anomaly!

The glazed moonlight ancient tree went without saying; the moonlight on its leaves became brighter and softer. Around the ancient tree, the originally ordinary ornamental flowers, shrubs, and even the small grass stubbornly growing in the cracks of the stone floor were suddenly injected with infinite vitality and Spiritual Qi, beginning to grow, stretch, branch, and sprout at a speed visible to the naked eye!

Several unknown light-blue flowers that were originally in bud bloomed layer by layer, emitting a refined fragrance; a cluster of low shrubs quickly sprouted tender green new leaves, with faint light flowing through the veins; even the most inconspicuous grass on the ground seemed to be plated with a faint gold border, appearing vibrant.

More miraculously, the growth of these plants was not haphazard but faintly presented a harmonious, orderly, and naturally aesthetic posture, as if silently praising some higher level of life and Order Laws.

This strange and beautiful sight immediately drew the attention of more people. Students entering and leaving the library stopped one after another, letting out low exclamations.

"Look! Those flowers!"

"Why did they suddenly bloom so vigorously? And that grass..."

"Is it Senior Su Yueyao's Moonlight Power? Such a strong life-catalyzing effect!"

"No... look at Senior Lin Zhou's side... there seems to be a warmer feeling..."

"It's two powers! They're resonating! Heavens, they can actually cause an environmental anomaly!"

Su Yueyao looked at the plants around her that had instantly burst into life, a hint of surprise also flashing in her cold eyes. Her own Moonlight Divine Power did indeed have the effect of nourishing life, but such a clear, rapid, and wide-ranging beneficial anomaly was difficult to achieve with her power alone, especially when she was deliberately restraining it.

"It seems the combination of our powers produces unexpected effects," Lin Zhou thought as he watched a nearly invisible wisp of glazed ember aura at his fingertips slowly blend with a wisp of moonlight clarity in the air.

Su Yueyao nodded gently, her hand brushing over a light-blue flower blooming before her. The moonlight spots on the petals and an almost imperceptible glazed warmth circulated. "A very wonderful feeling. It's like... cold moonlight has gained temperature; sleeping embers have been nourished."

She withdrew her hand and looked at Lin Zhou: "See you this weekend at the Moon Palace. I'll send you the specific time and location later."

"Good."

Su Yueyao said no more, gave Lin Zhou a slight nod, turned, and walked gracefully into the library archway, disappearing toward the vast sea of books. Where she passed, the remaining moonlight clarity and that weak glazed warmth in the air slowly dissipated, but the plants that had been forced to bloom remained vibrant, becoming a unique scenery at this library entrance.

Lin Zhou stood in place, feeling the warm and active ember throb deep in his Godhead that had not yet completely subsided, then looked at the vibrant flowers and grass around him.

The resonance between moonlight and the Fire of Civilization... the lost records of Ancient Chinese Civilization... Su Yueyao's Family secrets... a clearer and more alluring path seemed to be slowly unfolding ahead.

He no longer lingered and stepped into the library. His heart was full of anticipation for the trip to the "Moon Palace" this weekend.

Perhaps there, he could find more opportunities to repair his Divine Fire, accelerate Elwin's return, and even deepen his Way of the Hundred Schools.