204: Barrier erosion, university core courses open

Xinghai University, College of Basic Rule Application, Seventh Tiered Lecture Hall.

The morning sunlight filtered through the massive arched crystal dome, spilling onto the tiered seats that could accommodate over three hundred people, making the deep gray alloy chairs glow faintly. The air was filled with the faint, refreshing scent of "Clearing Heart Grass," specially set by the school to ensure students could remain focused during important courses.

At this moment, the classroom was packed, and the atmosphere was somewhat different from usual. Gone was the scattered curiosity of the freshmen when they first enrolled, replaced by a hidden excitement, anticipation, and a trace of imperceptible tension.

Because today was the first class where the freshmen would officially encounter one of Xinghai University's core courses—"Basics of Divine Realm Expansion and Barrier Erosion." This course was hailed as the first step from being a "Divine Realm Lord" to becoming a "Starry Realm Conqueror," marking the starting point from relatively safe on-campus competition and simulation toward the real, cruel struggle for cosmic resources and the collision of civilizations.

Lin Zhou sat in the middle section of the classroom near the window, with Zhao Hao and Wang Meng beside him—the latter, after experiencing a crushing defeat and joining the Hundred Schools Society, seemed to have completely changed his mindset. Not only did he take the initiative to attend the lecture, but he also squeezed in next to Lin Zhou, calling it "close-range learning." Li Mo sat in the row in front of them, having already opened his personal terminal's data recording mode, the preparation interface reflecting off his glasses.

Looking around, Lin Zhou saw many familiar faces. Zhou Ming and Ye Wan sat slightly toward the front, their expressions focused; the "Shadow Leopard" Divine Realm freshman (named Ying Feng) who had once questioned the Hundred Schools Society also sat in a corner, his gaze occasionally flickering toward Lin Zhou with a complex expression. What caught Lin Zhou's attention even more was that in the golden seats of the front row, Qin Qing's cold and aloof figure was prominently visible. She occupied an entire row by herself, with an empty circle around her that no one approached. In front of her lay an actual physical notebook emitting a faint silver glow, and she held a metal pen engraved with runes, her posture meticulous as if what was about to take place was not a lecture, but a sacred ritual.

Her presence was like a block of ice, making the temperature in the nearby area feel several degrees lower. Many freshmen looked at her with awe and distance. Lin Zhou could feel that although Michael's unique "Order Insight" field was retracted to the extreme, it still acted like an invisible radar, centered on Qin Qing, slowly scanning the rule environment of the entire classroom. When it swept over Lin Zhou's area, it seemed to pause for half a second before moving away as if nothing had happened.

“Hmph, this cold-faced Minister carries that scent of judgment wherever she goes.” Wang Meng lowered his voice and curled his lip, but his tone lacked its former arrogance, replaced instead by a hint of wariness. Clearly, Qin Qing and Michael had left a deep impression on him.

Zhao Hao also became unusually serious, whispering: “I heard the main professor for this 'Barrier Erosion' course, Yang Zhongshan, is a tough character. He earned merits on the front lines of the Pioneer Army and only retired to teach after getting injured. His course reportedly has a high failure rate.”

Lin Zhou nodded slightly and turned his gaze toward the podium. The podium was crafted from some kind of dark Starwood, heavy and steady. On the wall behind it hung a massive dynamic star map, where countless points of light flowed slowly against a deep background, outlining the known Star Domains of the Human Race and some areas marked as "To Be Pioneered" or "High Risk."

Just then, the heavy alloy doors of the classroom slid open silently.

A figure that wasn't particularly tall, even somewhat thin, walked in with steady steps. The newcomer wore a set of deep blue military-style casual clothes that were slightly faded from washing. The shoulder straps had been removed, but pinned to the collar was an inconspicuous dark gold badge shaped like a crossed sword and broken star—the honorary commemorative medal of the Human Race Pioneer Army's "Star Domain Guardian." He looked to be about forty or fifty years old, with sharp facial features and a bronze skin tone from long-term exposure to Starry Realm radiation. Over his left eye, he wore a precision-engineered pale gold monocle, with tiny data streams flickering at the edges of the lens. Most striking was his right hand; from the wrist down, it was a mechanical prosthetic gleaming with cold, hard metal, its five fingers incredibly flexible, with occasional faint energy sparks jumping from the fingertips.

He didn't carry any textbooks or light-boards, simply walking onto the podium empty-handed. However, the moment he stood still, an indescribable Aura—a mix of iron-blooded Evil Qi and deep majesty—quietly spread out, instantly suppressing all the noise in the classroom. Even Qin Qing in the front row unconsciously straightened her back slightly to show respect for this Senior.

【Deity Information (Perception/Rumors)】:

Name: Yang Zhongshan

Position: Distinguished Professor at Xinghai University's College of Basic Rule Application, lead lecturer for "Basics of Divine Realm Expansion and Barrier Erosion."

Former Identity: Colonel of the Seventh Legion of the Human Race Pioneer Army, decorated veteran of the Starry Realm Battlefield.

godhood Level: Estimated Peak Lesser Divinity (LV450-LV500), specific details unknown.

Divine Realm Type: Rumored to be a special composite "Fortress Divine Realm," leaning toward defense and rule Solidification.

Physical Condition: Right arm is a high-adaptability Divine Power linked prosthetic, capable of perfectly conducting Divine Power and performing precision operations; left eye wears a military-grade rule analyzer ("Insightful Type IV").

Teaching Style: Strict, pragmatic, focuses on actual combat and safety, loathes armchair theorizing.

Yang Zhongshan used his intact left eye (the right being covered by the monocle) to slowly scan the audience. Wherever his gaze landed, the freshmen felt a piercing pressure, as if the core secrets of their Divine Realms were being seen through. His gaze paused slightly on Lin Zhou, swept over Qin Qing, Zhao Hao, and others, and finally returned to the center of the podium.

“I am Yang Zhongshan.” His voice wasn't loud and was somewhat raspy, yet it sounded like coarse sandpaper scraping against a metal surface, carrying a strange penetrating power and unquestionable authority. “Starting today, I am responsible for the introductory 'Barrier Erosion' course for you rookies. In my class, there are no geniuses, no backgrounds—only qualified and unqualified, living and... dead.”

The opening statement was cold and direct, making many freshmen shudder.

“I know many of you had good College Entrance Examination scores and won a few on-campus bouts, and you might feel you're not far from being true deities or conquering the Starry Realms.” A cold curl appeared at the corner of Yang Zhongshan's mouth. “But let me tell you, here, those little tricks from your past aren't worth a damn! Divine Realm collisions? Minion brawls? That's playing house! True deity warfare begins with 'Erosion'—eroding space, eroding rules, eroding... civilizations!”

He raised his mechanical right hand, fingers splayed, and made a grasping motion toward the star map on the wall behind him.

The star map instantly zoomed in and transformed, focusing on a specific, complex star system image composed of three stars and dozens of planets and asteroid belts. In the image, about one-third of the area was marked in soft blue (Human Race controlled area), one-third was a piercing red (marked as "Zerg Active Zone"), and the remaining third was a chaotic gray-white mixed zone.

“Look here, the 'KT-73' Starry Realm. Some of you might have gone to the edges for an internship over the summer.” Yang Zhongshan pointed to the area where blue and red interlocked like dog teeth. “The blue is the territory we have 'eroded' bit by bit from the Void Realm using 'Barriers,' stamping it with the Human Race's rule imprint. The red is the Domain 'eroded' by the Zerg using their set of biomass pollution and hive-mind networks. The gray in the middle is the unowned areas where rules are chaotic or native civilizations are weak; it is also the front line where both sides compete and erode.”

“The so-called 'Barrier Erosion,' simply put, is using your own Divine Realm as the core, Divine Power as the fuel, and your understanding of rules as the foundation. Like ink dropping into clear water, or like a virus infecting healthy cells, you forcibly cover, replace, and fuse your 'Order' (or rather, your 'Dao') onto the target area's original rules, transforming it into a 'Territory' that you can fully control and from which you can draw nourishment (resources, faith).”

“This process is the fundamental way for a deity to obtain resources, expand their power, and elevate their godhood. It is also the front line of confrontation against alien races, Chaos, and the rules of the Universe itself. It is dangerous, complex, and full of variables.”

Yang Zhongshan's words set a serious and cruel tone for the course.

“Today's first lesson won't cover anything profound; we will only talk about the most basic principles, steps, and—Safety Protocols!” He emphasized the last two words. “I do not want my students, because of foolish recklessness, to cause their own or their companions' Divine Realms to collapse, or even lead things that shouldn't be provoked through unstable erosion channels into the school! If that happens, I wouldn't mind personally snuffing out your Divine Fire; it's better than harming others and yourselves.”

The room was pin-drop silent; even breathing became light.

“First, let's clarify a few core concepts.” Yang Zhongshan turned, using the index finger of his mechanical prosthetic to trace in the air. Pale gold Divine Power lines appeared, outlining clear diagrams and text.

【Core Elements of Barrier Erosion】:

Erosion Source (Your own Divine Realm):

Requirement: Divine Realm rules must be relatively stable and complete. At the demigod stage (Divine Realm), one can barely perform micro-scale erosion exercises in a laboratory environment. A True God (Divine Kingdom) is the starting point for effective Starry Realm erosion. The Divine Fire is the engine of transformation, and the godhood is the CPU for rule processing.

Current Average Student Level: Faint Divinity (LV100-LV200), Divine Kingdom is in its preliminary stages, rule framework is being built. Only capable of theoretical learning and extremely low-risk micro-simulated practice.

Erosion Target (Unowned/Weakly Owned Areas):

Types: Barren celestial fragments, rule-thin Void Realm regions, planets where weak native civilizations reside (requires assessment of civilization resistance strength and rule rejection).

Initial Selection Principle: Simple rules, inert energy, no powerful native consciousness or Chaos pollution. Avoid being overly ambitious!

Erosion Medium (Extension of Divine Power and Rules):

Process: Consuming Divine Power to construct temporary "Rule Channels," projecting and infiltrating your own Divine Realm's rules into the target area.

Consumption Formula (Simplified): Basic Divine Power Consumption = Target Area Volume (cubic kilometers) * Rule Inertia Coefficient * Distance Decay Coefficient. For initial practice, use 'square centimeters' or even 'cubic centimeters' as the unit!

Erosion Process (Rule Coverage and Fusion):

Steps:

a. Anchoring: Find or create a stable "Rule Pivot" in the target area (such as specific ley line nodes or energy convergence points).

b. Infiltration: Through the rule channel, implant your Divine Realm's rule "Seeds" (such as rule fragments representing your core divine office).

c. Diffusion: Rule seeds absorb local energy (or consume the Divine Power you continuously supply), growing and spreading to gradually cover a larger range, while repelling, transforming, or integrating with original rules.

d. Solidification: When coverage reaches a certain proportion (usually exceeding 60%) and the rule network is stable, final Solidification can be performed, making the area a permanent extension of your Divine Realm (Divine Kingdom), synchronized with your core Divine Realm rules.

Key Indicators: Rule Compatibility (determines rejection reaction strength), Erosion Speed (influenced by godhood Rank, Divine Power output, and target rule strength), Stability (whether rule collapse or backlash is triggered during erosion).

Erosion Product (Territory):

Complete Erosion: The area is fully incorporated into the Divine Kingdom, allowing for free modification, resource acquisition, migration of Subordinate Races, and development of faith. One can obtain the concept of "ownership" for the area and have the chance to extract [divinity fragments] or special [Rule Traits] from the fused rules.

Partial Erosion/Influence Zone: Not fully covered, but an area with dominant rules has been established. One can obtain partial resource collection rights, limited passage rights, and lay the foundation for subsequent Complete Erosion.

"Sounds beautiful, doesn't it? Turning someone else's (or ownerless) territory into your own backyard." Yang Zhongshan sneered, "But every step could be a trap. The rules of the target area might contain hidden toxins (such as high concentrations of Chaos energy); ancient sleeping consciousnesses might be awakened; seemingly weak native civilizations might have exceptionally stubborn faith networks, producing strong 'Civilization Rejection' that makes your erosion twice as hard for half the result, or even triggers a faith backlash; more likely, halfway through your erosion, you discover the neighbor was already marked by a more powerful existence, just waiting for a fool like you to help clear the path!"

The various possibilities he listed caused the freshmen's foreheads to sweat slightly.

"Therefore, Safety Regulation Number One, and the most important one: conduct thorough reconnaissance, assess risks, and act within your capabilities!" Yang Zhongshan's voice was firm and decisive, "Use every means to understand everything about the target area: energy spectrum, material composition, rule activity, signs of life, traces of civilization, historical records... Without more than an eighty percent certainty, better to give up! Greed is the most common epitaph for a deity in the Astral Graveyard."

Next, he explained in detail safety points such as Divine Power management during erosion (avoiding excessive output leading to unstable Divine Fire), emergency handling of rule conflicts (how to safely interrupt erosion and evacuate), and preventing the spread of rule pollution (avoiding the introduction of dangerous rules from the target area back into one's own Divine Domain). Each point was accompanied by a brief but bloody case study (with specific names hidden), making everyone's spines chill.

The theoretical part took up more than half the class. Yang Zhongshan saw that the time was about right and noticed that many freshmen already showed signs of exhaustion and confusion from being unable to digest it all.

"Talk is cheap," Yang Zhongshan suddenly said. "Next, I'll demonstrate once what the most basic and ideal 'erosion' process looks like. Watch closely, I'll only do it once."

He walked to one side of the podium, where a square platform about two meters long on each side was placed. The surface of the platform looked like ordinary black stone. Yang Zhongshan pressed his mechanical right hand into a groove on the edge of the platform.

Buzz—

The platform surface lit up, revealing complex formation lines. Immediately after, in the center of the platform, an area of about one square meter began to change. The black stone seemed to melt and sink, replaced by a small piece of extremely realistic, slightly undulating "land." The land was grayish-brown, covered with fine sand and gravel, with no signs of plants or life, only a few heavily weathered rocks scattered about. A weak but clear Aura of "desolation," "inertia," and "thin rules" emanated from this miniature land.

[Teaching Demonstration Tool: Rule Simulation Sandbox (Miniature)]

Function: Simulates a highly simplified miniature ownerless area with an extremely single and stable rule composition (mainly inert soil and stone rules). Area: 1 square meter (simulated equivalent to about 10 square kilometers of desolate surface rule environment).

Energy Supply: Powered by the Divine Power pool beneath the classroom floor to ensure simulation stability.

Safety Level: For teaching use only, the maximum simulated rule conflict intensity is only "slight," and it has built-in mandatory interruption and purification programs.

Purpose: Used for professors to demonstrate erosion steps and observe principles without risk.

"This is the ideal target for your Early Stage practice—a 'rule blank slate'." Yang Zhongshan pointed at the miniature land. "Now, I will use a small part of the rules from my Divine Domain (non-core) to demonstrate erosion on it. Pay attention to my Divine Power output curve, the path of rule extension, and the changes in the land."

He closed his eyes, and a steady, heavy Divine Power fluctuation rose from him. Although his godhood Rank was not fully displayed, that Aura as solid as the earth made all the freshmen feel a huge gap. His mechanical right arm lit up with a soft golden glow, connecting with the sandbox's formation.

"Step one, Anchoring." Yang Zhongshan's voice became low and focused. On that piece of land in the center of the sandbox, an extremely faint golden light lit up, like a seed falling in the center surrounded by several rocks. "In the real Starry Realm, you need to find or create such a 'fulcrum'. Here, I am directly condensing a temporary anchor point with Divine Power."

"Step two, Infiltration." That golden light began to slowly extend extremely fine golden threads, like plant roots. These threads did not spread randomly but followed a complex geometric structure, as if weaving a miniature network. "This is the prototype of a rule channel and the carrier of the 'Fortress Solidification' rule fragment from my Divine Domain. Pay attention to the output power—very low, slow, and steady."

Above the sandbox, an auxiliary light screen appeared, showing real-time data:

Divine Power Output: 5 units/minute (extremely low)

Rule Coverage Progress: 0.1%... 0.2%... Rule Conflict Index: 0 (The target area's rules are too inert, with almost no rejection)

Erosion Range (Simulated Equivalent): Slowly spreading outward from the anchor point.

"Step three, Diffusion." As time passed (actually an accelerated demonstration), the golden rule network gradually became denser, and the coverage area slowly but firmly expanded outward from the anchor point. In the area covered by the golden network, the grayish-brown land seemed to gain an extremely faint "luster" and sense of "stability," as if turning from loose sand into slightly firm rammed earth. "My rules are compatible with and transforming the underlying soil and stone rules here; the process is peaceful. Because the target is simple and the rule fragments I output are relatively mild (non-aggressive)."

Data Changes:

Divine Power Output: Stable at 5-7 units/minute.

Rule Coverage Progress: 10%... 25%... 50%... Erosion Range (Simulated Equivalent): Spreading from the center point to an area of about 5 square kilometers.

"Finally, step four, preliminary Solidification." When the golden network covered about 70% of the sandbox land, Yang Zhongshan suddenly increased the Divine Power output. The light on his mechanical right arm flared! All the golden networks lit up simultaneously, then the light converged inward, sinking deeply into that land like a brand. The next moment, the light completely dissipated.

Looking at the sandbox again, the originally grayish-brown, lifeless land now displayed a faint, uniform dark golden luster. Although it still had no life, it emanated a weak Aura of "stability" and "Order" similar to that on Yang Zhongshan. It was clearly demarcated from the surrounding un-eroded black platform, as if they had become two different worlds.

[Demonstration Result]:

Final Erosion Area: About 0.7 square meters (simulated equivalent to about 7 square kilometers).

Total Divine Power Consumption (Simulated Value): About 350 units (calculated based on the accelerated demonstration).

Time Taken (After Simulated Acceleration): About 3 minutes (in reality, at the gentle speed demonstrated, it would take several days or even weeks).

Rule State After Erosion: Successfully branded with the "Fortress Solidification (Weak)" Rule Trait; physical stability of the area +5%, with a slight increase in resistance to natural erosion such as earthquakes and weathering.

Ownership: This miniature area has established a weak but stable link with Yang Zhongshan's Divine Domain rules, becoming an "extension" of his Divine Domain in concept (teaching tool, no actual value).

Yang Zhongshan withdrew his right hand, and the scene on the sandbox slowly returned to black stone. There wasn't even a drop of sweat on his forehead; clearly, this was easy for him.

"Did you see clearly? This is erosion under the most ideal circumstances." Yang Zhongshan looked around at the audience. "Simple target, mild rules, steady process. But remember, in the real Starry Realm, ninety-nine percent of cases are ten thousand times more complex and dangerous than this! What you need to do is use similar simulated environments in school (of course, the area will be smaller and the target simpler) to first find the 'feeling', master the basic procedures and safe operations, and through a large amount of practice, improve your godhood's efficiency in processing rules and your fine control over Divine Power."

"After class, each of you will receive a temporary, lowest-permission 'Miniature Rule Sandbox' access port, which you can use in your dormitory to connect to the school network for personal practice. The initial practice goal is to successfully complete one full, stable 'Anchoring' and 'preliminary Infiltration' on a simulated '1 cubic centimeter inert rule block', with a coverage rate of 1%. Next class, I will check the practice progress and data records."

He glanced at the timer at the back of the classroom: "The first lesson ends here. Assignments and practice requirements will be sent to your personal terminals. Remember my words: be cautious, be patient, only those who stay alive have a future. Class dismissed."

As Yang Zhongshan crisply announced the end of class, the frozen atmosphere in the classroom suddenly relaxed. The freshmen let out a long breath and began to pack their things, their faces mostly showing expressions of shock, reflection, and eagerness to try. A buzzing sound of discussion rose.

"So cool! Is this the true means of a deity?"

"It sounds easy, but it's hard to do. Just maintaining that stable low-power Divine Power output feels like it'll take a while to practice."

"I wonder what effect my 'Tidal' rules will have when eroding..."

"Minister Qin Qing seems to have understood it long ago, look at how she was taking notes..."

Lin Zhou sat in his seat, not getting up immediately. In his mind, he was still replaying every detail of Yang Zhongshan's demonstration, especially the process of the rule network extending, covering, and branding. The Temple of Civilization gave off a faint throb, seemingly having a kind of instinctive interest in the concept of "rule erosion." In the Hundred Schools of Thought, the Legalist "Net of Law," the Confucian "Way of Enlightenment," the Mohist "The Exploitation of the Works of Nature"... could they also be used as "rule seeds" for erosion in some form? If the "civilization" as a whole was used as a rule for erosion, what would that look like?

His gaze involuntarily turned toward the front row again. Qin Qing had already closed her notebook and was standing up. Seemingly sensing Lin Zhou's gaze, she turned her head slightly, her cool eyes meeting Lin Zhou's. There were no ripples in her eyes; she just gave Lin Zhou a deep look, then turned and left the classroom amidst a small, silent wave of attention.

That look seemed to say: The path has been shown to you. But how far you can go, and whether you will go astray, I will be watching.

Lin Zhou withdrew his gaze and looked at Zhao Hao and Wang Meng, who were excitedly discussing, and Li Mo, who was lost in data-related contemplation.

The door to the erosion of the boundary has opened. On this path, there are Seniors to guide, fellow travelers, competitors, and... cold observers. And his own path of erosion, using the Hundred Schools of Civilization as a blade, has only just begun.