206: Civilizational rejection leads to setbacks in the first attempt at integration.

Buzz—

After a slight dizziness, Lin Zhou's consciousness surfaced as if from the depths of the sea, returning to his body. The soft white light of the operation pod illuminated his face as he slowly opened his eyes, the depths of his pupils still retaining a lingering afterglow of intertwined dark blue water light and pale golden Order rules.

The pod door slid open silently, and the clamor from the hall outside immediately flooded his ears. Excited discussions, frustrated complaints, gasps of lingering fear... all mixed together, filled with vibrant human energy. The freshmen gradually emerged from their respective cocoon pods, their expressions varied—some were beaming with joy, some were frowning, and others looked utterly bewildered, clearly still immersed in the consciousness projection experience from moments ago.

Lin Zhou stepped steadily out of the operation pod, feeling the Divine Power within his body gradually calm. After his consciousness projection returned, his Divine Domain Core transmitted clear feedback: For this practice, the net consumption of Divine Power was approximately 220 units (including the cost of resisting Water Element interference, maintaining anchoring, and slow infiltration), accounting for about 2.6% of his total reserves, within the safe range. The Divine Flame was stable, and the Divine Spark had processed a considerable amount of rule information, leaving him slightly fatigued but otherwise fine. More importantly, he had successfully completed the task requirements: the anchor was stable, he had achieved preliminary infiltration of the water area centered on the anchor point with a radius of about fifteen meters (approximately 0.07 square kilometers), achieving a coverage rate of about 12%, and he had recorded core rule data such as "high-purity Water Element enrichment," "singularity of rule flow," and "the territorial awareness and Fusion characteristics of native Water Elements" for [Micro Water Element Realm-7].

"Lin Zhou! Over here!" Zhao Hao's rough voice rang out. Lin Zhou looked in the direction of the sound and saw Zhao Hao, Wang Meng, and Li Mo gathered together, waving at him. Zhao Hao looked exhilarated, Wang Meng appeared somewhat disgruntled, and Li Mo was holding a personal terminal, fingers swiping rapidly as if recording something.

Lin Zhou walked over, and Zhao Hao immediately exclaimed, "How did it go? What was your situation? I got assigned a crappy rocky mountain—nothing but hardness! Anchoring nearly drained my Divine Power, and after ages, I only managed to infiltrate an area the size of a fingernail!"

Wang Meng grumbled, "Mine was a small forest with a few annoying Treants inside, hopping around like fleas. They harassed me so much I couldn't focus on infiltration at all. In the end, I only succeeded in anchoring, with a pathetic infiltration rate of 3%! So frustrating!"

Li Mo adjusted his glasses and calmly analyzed, "I was assigned to a small mechanical ruins debris zone, with rules carrying faint metallic inertness and structural memory characteristics. Although there was interference from native Mechanical Worms, my Mechanical Goblins' conceptual projection had some affinity with the rules there, so infiltration went relatively smoothly, achieving 15% coverage. However, the sense of Rule Rejection was obvious, and the Fusion degree wasn't high."

Lin Zhou briefly described his own situation: "Water Element realm, rules are singular but highly fluid. Encountered a LV25 Water Element interference, dealt with it using some methods, and completed the basic task."

"Water Element? And LV25?" Wang Meng widened his eyes. "Those things are a nightmare in water! You managed to handle it? What methods did you use? Did you use those 'ideas' again?" He was both curious and somewhat unconvinced about Lin Zhou's "unorthodox methods."

Lin Zhou didn't explain in detail, merely nodding. Zhao Hao slapped his thigh and said, "See! I told you the president had a way! By the way, did you all receive the System settlement notification? I think I got something!"

Reminded by him, Lin Zhou directed his attention to his personal terminal. Sure enough, an encrypted message from the "Teaching Practice Network" had already arrived.

[Practice Course Grade Settlement (First · Micro Astral Erosion)]:

Student: Lin Zhou (Student ID: XH2417001)

Connected Astral Realm: [Micro Water Element Realm-7]

Task Completion Status:

Anchoring: Successful (Stability: Excellent). Grade: A.

Infiltration: Completed. Coverage Area: 0.071 square kilometers (5.9% of target area). Coverage Rate: 12.3% (exceeds basic requirement). Infiltration Stability: Good (recovered after interference). Grade: A-.

Rule Analysis: Completed. Recorded main rule characteristics: 3 items, analysis depth: medium. Grade: B+.

Overall Performance: Successfully completed anchoring and infiltration while encountering active interference from a native creature (LV25 Water Element), demonstrating certain rule-handling capabilities. Additional Evaluation: Rule application approach is novel (requires further assessment).

Overall Grade: A- (Excellent).

Reward Distribution: Based on performance and astral realm characteristics, rewards have been sent to personal storage space (requires retrieval at designated terminal). Please note that defeating or affecting native creatures within teaching astral realms may generate "conceptual echoes" or "Rule Fragments," which, after harmless processing by the network, have a chance to form low-tier resource/material cards as additional practice rewards.

Rewards? And cards? Lin Zhou's heart stirred. This was an unexpected delight. It seemed that defeating or effectively interfering with those teaching-native creatures wasn't entirely without gains.

"Quiet, everyone!" Professor Yang Zhongshan's hoarse voice once again resounded through the hall, instantly suppressing all the noise. He stood before the main control console, his mechanical right arm already disconnected and resting behind his back, his left eye's monocle scanning the freshmen below.

"For the first practice, overall performance is barely passable!" Yang Zhongshan evaluated bluntly. "Over sixty percent completed basic anchoring, and about forty percent met the minimum infiltration requirements. But nearly half either failed anchoring or had a complete mess during infiltration, with Divine Power control like a drunkard swinging a sword! And a few idiots nearly triggered forced disconnection! Go back and review your operation logs carefully, and write analysis reports!"

He paused, his tone softening slightly: "However, a few performed decently. They completed the tasks and handled some minor troubles. Those whose names are called, after class, go to Terminal 7 to collect your additional practice rewards. Others will have their rewards converted into credit points based on basic performance."

"Lin Zhou."

"Qin Qing."

"Zhou Ming."

"Li Mo."

"Elena (Radiant Elf Divine Domain)."

Five names in total. Lin Zhou wasn't surprised to hear his own name; Qin Qing was also expected—her Judgment Angel's use of Order rules was exemplary, and eroding in such a rule-singular environment was probably easier for her than for Lin Zhou. Zhou Ming and Li Mo making the list also proved their potential. That freshman with the Radiant Elf Divine Domain seemed to have appeared during the club recruitment days a while back but hadn't joined.

Those whose names were called naturally attracted many envious or jealous gazes. Yang Zhongshan didn't say more, announced the next class's content (analysis report and data review), and then left the hall directly.

"Let's go, see what the rewards are," Zhao Hao urged, though he wasn't on the list, he was more curious than anyone.

Lin Zhou and the others arrived at Terminal 7 located at the side of the hall. A small line had already formed here, with Qin Qing standing first. She remained as aloof as ever, indifferent to the surrounding gazes. She swiped her ID card on the terminal, and a flat metal box about palm-sized, glowing with a milky white light, popped out from the delivery slot. She picked up the box, didn't even glance at it, directly stored it away, turned, and left. As she passed by Lin Zhou and the others, her gaze lingered on Lin Zhou for half a second before shifting away.

It was Lin Zhou's turn. He swiped his card, the terminal emitted a faint operating sound, and a similarly styled metal box popped out. It felt slightly cool to the touch and had some weight.

He walked aside, and Zhao Hao, Wang Meng, and Li Mo immediately gathered around.

"Open it quickly and see!"

Lin Zhou lifted the lid. Inside were two cards, stacked together.

The first was the school's standard [Credit Storage Card (Small Amount)], which should contain the credit points from this practice reward. Lin Zhou skipped it and looked at the second card.

The card's texture was jade-like yet not jade, warm to the touch, with faint blue water light flowing along its edges. The front of the card featured a vivid pattern of an elemental creature composed of flowing water—the image of that medium-sized Water Element—surrounded by intricate blue runes representing Water Element rules. The back bore the emblem of Xinghai University, the card's name, quality identifier, and a brief description.

[Item/Material Card: Water Element Core (Echo · Purified Version)]

Quality: Rare (Blue)

Type: Elemental Material/Rule Fragment

Source: Formed after the native medium-sized Water Element in [Micro Water Element Realm-7] was "defeated," its core Concept and part of its pure Water Element rules were harmlessly processed and condensed by the teaching network.

Composition: Highly concentrated pure Water Element essence, faint fragments of water activity rules, purified residual primitive elemental consciousness.

Effects:

Material Use: Can serve as one of the core Materials for high-tier water attribute potions, enchantments, alchemy, or constructs.

Rule Use (Requires Divine Domain Fusion): After Fusion, can add a faint Water Element affinity attribute to the Divine Domain, or be used to strengthen/create water attribute-related followers, buildings, wonders (specific effects depend on Fusion method and compatibility with the Divine Domain's original rules).

Current Assessment (for Lin Zhou's Divine Domain):

Direct Enhancement Effect (Estimated): If perfectly fused, can slightly improve water quality within the Divine Domain, increase water attribute environmental adaptability by +5%, boost growth speed of water attribute units among followers (e.g., Law Fishmen) by 3%~5%, and may unlock very low-tier water attribute skill research options.

Civilization Compatibility Assessment: Low. The card's contained rules lean toward "pure natural Water Elements" and "simple elemental consciousness," fundamentally differing from the civilization rules of Lin Zhou's Divine Domain, which are centered on "humanistic Order" and "crafting logic."

Warning: This card is a product of a teaching astral realm, with limited rule strength and having undergone purification processing. Rule Rejection reactions may still occur during Fusion; proceed with caution, recommended to operate in a safe environment.

Tradable: Yes (within the campus network, subject to relevant regulations).

"Blue quality! Good stuff!" Zhao Hao marveled. "This thing in the trading area would be worth at least a few dozen credit points, right? Or maybe trade it for some rare metals to sharpen my Dragon's teeth."

Wang Meng also felt envious: "Water Element Core... For those specializing in water Systems, this would probably be a treasure. President, your Divine Domain... doesn't seem very water-friendly, right? Can you use it?"

Li Mo focused more on the data: "The card's rule description is very clear. But the warning mentions 'Rule Rejection' and 'low civilization compatibility.' President, your Divine Domain's rule composition is special; the rejection reaction from fusing such a purely elemental-oriented card might be stronger than for others."

Lin Zhou's fingers rubbed the warm edge of the card, feeling the gentle yet fundamentally different rule fluctuations contained within compared to his Divine Domain's keynote. He naturally saw the "low civilization compatibility" assessment. This reminded him of the "Civilization Rejection" mentioned in Yang Zhongshan's class—the resistance phenomenon that occurs when attempting to integrate the achievements of an alien civilization (cards, technology, followers, etc.) into one's own Divine Domain, due to differences in core rules, belief Concepts, and underlying civilization logic, ranging from reduced effects to Fusion failure or even backlash.

This was the first time he had explicitly obtained and prepared to fuse a card with a distinctly "alien" rule color. Previously fused cards like [Small Iron Mine], [Dwarf Miner], [Fishmen Tribe], etc., though from different races, were more on the material or biological level; their inherent rules (the Dwarves' forging, the Fishmen's Order tendency) had some points of compatibility with the Mohist and Legalist philosophies Lin Zhou later developed, resulting in weak rejection. But this [Water Element Core] represented another form of existence—pure elemental life and natural rules, fundamentally different from Lin Zhou's Divine Domain constructed around "humans" and "civilization."

"Rejection... I have to try anyway." Lin Zhou put away the card and his credit card. "Back to the dorm."

He needed to conduct his first "high-risk" Fusion attempt in an absolutely safe and quiet environment.

Dormitory, Divine Realm Link Quiet Room.

Lin Zhou sat cross-legged, his consciousness sinking into the core of his Divine Realm. He adjusted his state to the optimum, with ample Divine Power reserves (approximately 7,000 units). Within the Divine Realm, the Jixia Academy echoed with the sound of reading, the Temple of Law stood solemn and majestic, the Tiangong Workshop clanged in an orderly fashion, and the Altar of Shennong brimmed with vitality. Each performed its own duties, operating smoothly.

He took out the glowing blue Water Element Core (Blue) card. In the Divine Realm environment, the card's light seemed more gentle and lively, and the Water Element pattern within it appeared to flow slowly.

"Begin Fusion." Lin Zhou focused his will on the card and activated the Divine Realm's card Fusion function. This was an ability he naturally mastered after becoming a True God, allowing him to "digest" and absorb the rules of eligible cards, integrating them into his Divine Realm.

A soft white light shot out from the core of the Divine Realm (the Temple of Civilization), enveloping the card. The card transformed into countless tiny blue light points, which, as if drawn, slowly flew toward the sky of the Divine Realm, preparing to merge into the realm's rule network.

Fusion Process Initiated...

Target Card: Water Element Core (Blue)

Divine Realm Status: Stable. Rule Network Load Capacity: Good.

Estimated Fusion Consumption: 80-120 units of Divine Power (estimated based on card strength).

Estimated Fusion Time: 5-10 minutes.

Civilization Compatibility Pre-check: Warning! Moderate rule Concept conflict detected! Rejection Risk: Medium-High!

The System prompt arrived as expected. Lin Zhou did not interrupt and continued to push forward. The blue light points began to touch the rule barrier at the edge of the Divine Realm and attempted to penetrate it.

The initial stage went relatively smoothly. About 20% of the blue light points successfully merged into the outer periphery of the Divine Realm. In some areas at the edge of the Divine Realm, the air seemed to become slightly more humid, and a few small ponds shimmered with faint spiritual light. Lin Zhou could feel a weak but pure Water Element rule trying to take root within the Divine Realm.

However, when the Fusion progress reached about 30%, an anomaly occurred!

Those blue light points attempting to penetrate deeper into the Divine Realm, especially near the core miracle building areas, encountered strong resistance! Within the Divine Realm, the Confucian Vast Righteous Qi, the Legalist Net of Law, the Mohist logic field, the Daoist natural rhythm... these rule forces that had already formed stable Systems showed clear "unwelcome" attitudes toward this "foreign," pure, non-humanistic Water Element rule!

At the boundary where the blue light points contacted the internal rules of the Divine Realm, unstable, faint sparks of light began to flicker—a visual manifestation of rule conflict!

Fusion Real-time Feedback:

Current Progress: 31%... 32%... Divine Power Consumption: 45 units (normal).

Rule Conflict Index: 1.8 (yellow alert threshold is 2.0)... 2.1! (Yellow alert triggered)

Rejection Phenomenon: Active rejection and neutralization of Water Element rules by internal Divine Realm rules detected. Fusion efficiency decreased by 20%.

Suggestion: Consider increasing Divine Power output to force progress, or pause Fusion for rule mediation.

Lin Zhou frowned slightly but did not choose brute force. He attempted to mobilize the weak power of the river of civilization, hoping to use its inclusive and mediating nature to lubricate the conflict. An almost imperceptible, pale golden ripple, carrying the Concept of all rivers flowing to the sea, swept over the conflict area.

The conflict index briefly dropped to 1.9, and the Fusion of blue light points seemed slightly smoother. But the good times did not last long. When the Fusion progress struggled to reach 40%—

Bang!

A dull "impact" sound, perceptible only at the rule level, rang out!

It was as if two waves of vastly different natures collided fiercely! The cluster of blue light points and the Order-education rules emanating from the core of the Divine Realm, centered on the Temple of Law and the Jixia Academy, clashed most directly!

The Water Element's characteristics of "free flow" and "pure nature" were incompatible with Legalist's "strict laws" and Confucianism's "ethical norms"! Although the strength of both rules was not high, the conflict in their core Concepts caused the Fusion process to instantly deadlock!

Fusion Process Alert!

Current Progress: 40.2% (stalled).

Divine Power Consumption: 68 units.

Rule Conflict Index: 3.5! (Red alert!)

Rejection Phenomenon: Intense rule confrontation! Water Element Rule Fragments and the core humanistic rules of the Divine Realm fiercely conflict, mutually annihilating/neutralizing! Fusion process obstructed!

Card Status: Unstable! Rule structure showing cracks! On the verge of destruction!

Divine Realm Impact: Local rules slightly disordered (ponds at the edge of the Divine Realm boiled and then calmed, some plants swayed without wind).

Urgent Suggestion: Immediately pause or interrupt Fusion! Forcing continuation may lead to complete card destruction (rule dissipation) and cause small-scale rule turbulence in the Divine Realm, resulting in unpredictable effects.

The progress bar on the Fusion interface was stuck at 40.2%, unmoving. A glaring red warning box popped up, centered on those startling large characters: Rule Conflict! Below it, an icon indicating the card was on the verge of destruction flashed continuously.

Lin Zhou could clearly "see" that the cluster of blue light points suspended in mid-air of the Divine Realm, not yet fully fused, now flickered unsteadily, with fine, web-like cracks appearing in its internal structure, as if it might collapse into meaningless rule turbulence at any moment. Within the Divine Realm, the Temple of Law trembled slightly, emitting stronger waves of Order, seemingly spontaneously rejecting this "discordant" force; the Jixia Academy also emitted a dull bell toll, its educational power attempting to "discipline" the unruly natural element will, but with little effect, instead intensifying the confrontation.

A strong sense of rejection, like a cold tide, fed back to Lin Zhou's Divine Soul through the Divine Realm link. It was not pain, but an extreme sense of "discomfort" and "awkwardness," as if trying to force an irregularly shaped stone into a precisely fitted gear set, with every tooth screaming in resistance!

"Civilization Rejection... is so intense." Lin Zhou felt a chill in his heart. Although he had anticipated it, experiencing such intense rule-level confrontation firsthand still exceeded his expectations. The rule power contained in this blue card itself was not strong, but its "incompatibility" with his Divine Realm civilization amplified the conflict.

Continue increasing Divine Power to force Fusion? Extremely high risk, likely to end in failure, with the card destroyed and the Divine Realm suffering minor turbulence.

Directly interrupt Fusion? That would mean this attempt was a complete failure. Although the card could be partially preserved (the fused 40% might retain some effect), its value would be greatly diminished, and unstable rule residue would remain.

There was another choice... attempt deeper "mediation," rather than crude "overwriting" or "interruption."

Lin Zhou's gaze was calm, his mind racing. The Temple of Civilization trembled slightly, as if conveying something. He remembered the civilization points, the deeper, not-yet-fully-unlocked texts of the Hundred Schools in the Sanctuary, the School of Miscellaneous thought of "the sea embracing all rivers," the chapter on "The Highest Good Is Like Water" in Tao Follows Nature... Perhaps he shouldn't view the Water Element rule as a heresy to be "conquered" or "eliminated," but as a "stone from another mountain" that could be tried to "understand," "guide," and "transform"? Using his own civilization as a vessel to contain, interpret, and give new meaning to this alien rule?

As this thought arose, the trembling of the Temple of Civilization seemed to ease slightly, conveying a sense of approval.

Lin Zhou did not act immediately. He needed to be more cautious. The conflict was intense now, and rash action might backfire.

He first stabilized the current state, no longer attempting to push the Fusion forward or forcibly interrupt it. Instead, with precise Divine Power control, he maintained the fragile balance between the nearly collapsed 40% Fusion area and the external conflict area, like stabilizing a rolling stone at the edge of a cliff.

Simultaneously, he quickly searched through the ideological resources he had mastered. Confucian "The Wise Find Joy in Water," Daoist "Water Benefits All Things Without Contention," Military School "Military Form Resembles Water"... Could this wisdom about "water" be used to build a bridge of understanding and reduce rejection?

Carefully, he injected a trace of weak Divine Thought (blending Daoist and Confucian understandings of water), carrying the Concepts of "water's gentle virtue" and "going with the flow," like a lubricant, into the forefront of the intense rule conflict.

The "sharpness" of the conflict seemed... to ease slightly? Although the conflict index still hovered at the high level of 3.5, the trend of the blue light point cluster collapsing seemed to have temporarily halted.

But this was far from enough. This was only a temporary stabilization and did not solve the fundamental "civilization incompatibility" problem. To truly fuse this card and utilize its effects, he needed to find a way to incorporate or transform the "Water Element" rule into a part that fit his "Hundred Schools civilization" System.

For example, could this Water Element core be combined with Legalist, defined as the "Spring of Law," symbolizing law like flowing water, ceaselessly fair? Or combined with Mohist, becoming "Tiangong Living Water," driving mechanisms and moistening ingenuity? Or combined with the School of Medicine, transforming into the "Source of Life"?

These thoughts flashed through his mind, but none were mature enough, requiring deeper deduction and experimentation. For now, he needed to resolve the immediate crisis.

Lin Zhou took a deep breath (at the consciousness level) and made a decision. He no longer attempted to complete the Fusion in one go, but adopted a strategy of "segmented processing, gradual digestion."

With powerful Divine Thought control, he carefully "stripped" the already successfully fused, relatively stable 40% blue light point area and temporarily "stored" it in a specially designated buffer zone at the edge of the Divine Realm, where rules were relatively sparse. Although this part of the rule conflicted with the core, it had initially "absorbed" the Divine Realm's aura and was relatively mild.

Then, he prepared to actively "abandon" the remaining 60% part where the conflict was most intense. Not letting it be destroyed, but attempting to "guide" it out of the Divine Realm with minimal consumption, or... "purify and refine" it, retaining only the most basic, attribute-less "essence of water" part, discarding the parts related to elemental consciousness and pure natural rules, which caused the most intense conflict.

This process required extremely high skill and patience, and still carried the risk of failure.

His first attempt to fuse an alien civilization card had encountered such a setback. Lin Zhou gazed deeply at the deadlocked, dangerously flashing red and blue Fusion area within his Divine Realm.

"The blending of civilizations is indeed not easy," he murmured to himself. "But this first step must be taken."

Setbacks are also opportunities for learning and progress. This failed Fusion attempt gave him the most direct and profound experience of "Civilization Rejection," and also pointed out the direction and challenges for how to use the power of the river of civilization in the future to truly achieve "The Sea Embraces All Rivers, tolerance leads to greatness."