210: In the first group stage match, the Legalist school of thought ruled the entire stadium.

Xinghai University, Virtual Battle Network, Freshman Cup Audition Points Match Dedicated Channel.

Consciousness felt like passing through a cool water curtain, and Lin Zhou's "vision" quickly cleared after a brief blur. He "stood" at the starting point of a standardized battle map—the top of a slightly raised small hill. Beneath his feet was rough brown earth emitting the scent of soil and grass, surrounded by sparse low shrubs with an open view. The sky was a simulated light blue, a few white clouds drifted slowly, the light was soft, and there was no wind.

【Audition Points Match · 7th Match-up】:

Combatants:

Blue Side: Lin Zhou (School of Literature and Law, Hundred Schools Society), Godhead LV150.

Red Side: General Rex (Combat Academy, no club remarks), Godhead LV145.

Map Type: Standard Plain (Miniature). Area: Approx. 10 square kilometers (combat perception scaling). Terrain: 60% flat grassland, 20% low hills, 10% sparse woodland, 10% shallow streams.

Environmental Rules: Basic stability, no special buffs or debuffs. Rule Inertia Coefficient: 1.0 (Standard).

Victory Condition: Destroy the opponent's god domain core projection (located 500 meters behind the starting point), or force the opponent to surrender.

Battle Protection: Fully enabled. Godly tribe "deaths" have no real loss, but will feedback simulated pain and combat experience.

Spectating Permissions: Audition matches default to closed detailed spectating, only recording win/loss data. However, participants are allowed to pay to re-watch their own battle records (anonymous opponent information) after the match.

"Standard Plain... saves the trouble of adapting to the environment." Lin Zhou's consciousness projection scanned the surroundings. His god domain core projection was not far behind him, a simple prismatic structure emitting a faint white light, symbolizing his "base" here. Similarly, on another hill about one kilometer away, a similar red-glowing prism could be seen—that was opponent General Rex's core.

No excessive opening; as soon as both consciousness projections were in place and the System countdown hit zero, the battle began!

Almost simultaneously, from behind the opposite hill came dull, rhythmic footsteps and faint roars! A surge of Divine Power fluctuations mixed with wildness, frenzy, and a faint Aura of thunder, accompanied by the dust kicked up by hundreds of units moving rapidly, surged toward the center of the map!

Lin Zhou's perception quickly captured the opponent's tribe information—it was a group of Thunder Lizardmen!

【Enemy Unit Reconnaissance (Overview)】:

Race: Thunder Lizardmen (Dragonkin variant, possessing weak lightning affinity)

Average Rank: LV 26-28

Scale: Approx. 400 units (Composition: Approx. 300 Thunder Lizardman Warriors, 80 Thunder Javelin Throwers, 20 Lizardman Shamans).

Formation: Typical savage charge formation. Warriors in front, holding bone blades or stone axes, clad in rough leather armor; Javelin Throwers in the middle, spear tips dancing with tiny electrical sparks; Shamans in the rear, holding bone staves, already beginning to chant in low voices, surrounded by unstable lightning.

Characteristic Perception:

Robust Physique: High Strength and Physique attributes (estimated average Strength 30+, Physique 28+).

Thunder Blessing: Attacks may carry weak lightning damage and have a low chance of causing paralysis. Shaman units can cast Elementary lightning Spells (e.g., 【Arc Chain】, 【Lightning Blessing】).

Fanatical Morale: Influenced by their deity's (General Rex) Divine Power, morale is high during the charge phase, with strong offensive desire and some resistance to fear and deterrence effects.

Average Discipline: Relatively loose formation; the charge relies more on individual bravery and swarm effects, and tactical variations may be relatively simple.

"A typical 'brute force' charge style." Lin Zhou made a Judgment instantly. The opponent's Godhead Rank was slightly lower than his, and while their tribe's attributes were similar in average Rank, they indeed held a certain advantage in Strength and Physique. Combined with the lightning enchantment, their frontal impact was not to be underestimated. If he used the conventional Literary Heart Elves archers plus Dwarf Shield Guard defensive line, although he could withstand it, it would inevitably fall into a war of attrition, or even be broken through by the opponent trading injuries.

But Lin Zhou did not intend to conduct a conventional positional defense today.

A barely perceptible curve formed at the corner of his mouth. His consciousness communicated with his god Domain, and a command was silently issued.

No arrow rain from Literary Heart Elves was summoned, no Ballista lines of the Tiangong Dwarves were deployed, and he didn't even let Wang Meng or Zhao Hao's tribes (if he had permission to summon them) out for practice.

On the open ground in front of Lin Zhou's god domain core projection, a light blue light rippled like water. Immediately after, a hundred figures silently marched out of the light in formation.

They were about 1.8 meters tall, with slender and athletic builds, covered in fine deep blue scales. Their hands and feet had translucent webbed structures, and there were gill slit marks on their necks, indicating their aquatic features. But most striking was the cold, rigorous, and unquestionable Aura of Order they carried, as well as the gleaming, uniform, trident-like but straighter and sharper standard weapons in their hands—Law Halberds.

They stood in five neat square formations, twenty people per formation. Their movements were perfectly synchronized and silent, with only the faint sounds of scales rubbing and weapons lightly touching the ground. Leading them was the hero of the Lawful Merman Enforcement Squad—Iron Face (Rank increased from LV33 to LV35). He stood at the very front of the queue, his deep blue eyes showing no emotional fluctuations, only absolute focus on Execution.

【Deployed Units: Lawful Merman Enforcement Squad (Full Complement)】

Quantity: 100 (Elite Units)

Average Rank: LV 32 (Increased by recent training and Order faith feedback)

Core Attributes (Average):

Strength: 28 (Slightly inferior to Thunder Lizardmen, but sufficient)

Agility: 31 (Flexible movement in both water and land)

Physique: 30 (Scale armor provides good protection, good resistance to energy attacks)

Intelligence: 25 (Understanding and executing complex edicts)

Spirit: 38 (Core attribute! Extremely high Order faith and willpower, the foundation for the power of the Legalist school)

Charisma: 15 (Usually unattractive to non-Order factions, even intimidating)

Talents/Characteristics:

Law Faith: Extremely firm faith in Legalist Edicts, solid mental defense, +40% resistance to mental effects like fear, chaos, and charm. Effects are enhanced when casting Legalist-related skills.

Order Synergy: When acting in squads (10+ people), through the Law link, movement, attack, and defense coordination are significantly improved, providing an overall combat power bonus.

Aquatic Adaptation/Land Combat: Amphibious units, capable of fighting in both water and land, but land attributes have a slight decay (-5% to all attributes).

Core Skills (Relying on the Temple of Law and Lin Zhou's prototype Law divine office):

Net of Law (Group/Domain): Consumes collective Mental Energy (guided by Lin Zhou's Divine Power) to unfold an invisible "Law Domain" in a designated area. Within the Domain:

Rule Definition: Can briefly define or strengthen certain basic "Order Rules," such as "Prohibit Rapid Charge" (reduces movement speed), "Prohibit Random Attacks" (increases attack interval or reduces accuracy).

Detection Judgment: Automatically detects whether the "behavior" of units entering the Domain conforms to preset or universal "Order" standards (defined by Lin Zhou's god Domain civilization), and imposes continuous mental pressure and attribute reduction on "violating" behaviors (such as malicious attacks, chaotic roars, using skills defined as "unrighteous," etc.).

Range and Intensity: Influenced by Lin Zhou's Godhead Rank, the number of Enforcement Squad members, and Spirit attributes. Current maximum expansion range is approx. 150 meters radius, with medium intensity.

Judgment (Single Target/Mental): Launches a mental-level "Judgment" against a specific target (usually an enemy hero, elite unit, or serious "violator"). Forces the target to undergo a spirit/willpower contest check; if failed:

Basic Effect: Falls into a "Stunned," "Confused," or "Feared" state (depending on the target's willpower weakness and the focus of the Judgment), attributes drop, and actions are restricted.

Advanced Effect (Requires target's willpower to be severely lacking or "crimes" to be "grave"): May trigger a "Repentance" state—the target will temporarily (usually several to over ten seconds) fall into intense self-condemnation and cognitive confusion, potentially viewing nearby allies (especially those who instigated or "committed crimes" with them) as "criminal accomplices" or "stains to be removed," and launching indiscriminate or reverse attacks. This effect's trigger conditions are harsh and the duration is short, but once triggered, it has a huge impact on the battle.

Execution (Physical/Combined Attack): Launches an efficient physical combined attack on units already controlled or weakened by "Judgment," with a damage bonus.

Equipment:

Standard Law Halberd (Blue): Attack +15, +10% damage to "Chaos" and "Evil" (defined by Lin Zhou's Law) faction units. Attached with weak "Armor Piercing" and "Order Penetration" runes.

Deep Blue Order Scale Armor (Green): Defense +8, mental resistance +5%.

Enforcement Badge (Accessory): Slightly increases the effectiveness and range of Net of Law and Judgment skills.

One hundred Law Fishmen, facing four hundred Thunder Lizardmen in the distance with billowing dust and great momentum, were at an absolute numerical disadvantage, and their formation was much thinner. However, they stood there like reefs in the deep sea, silent, stable, and emitting a heart-palpitating sense of cold Order.

A spectator's perspective (if any) would likely be in an uproar. Using a hundred seemingly "average attribute" Law Fishmen to hard-counter over four hundred frenzied Thunder Lizardmen? This was simply suicide!

Opponent General Rex clearly thought so too. His Divine Thought waves came through, carrying undisguised contempt and bloodthirsty excitement: "Haha! Lin Zhou? The one from that Hundred Schools Society? Sending these few fish fry out to die? Charge! Crush them! Use thunder to roast them into charcoal!"

The Thunder Lizardman legion let out earth-shattering roars, the speed of their charge quickened again, and the ground trembled slightly! The lizardman warriors in the front had frenzied red light flashing in their eyes, and tiny electrical arcs began to jump on their bone blades and stone axes!

The distance between the two sides closed rapidly.

800 meters... 600 meters... 400 meters... Entering long-range attack range! The Thunder Javelin Throwers in the back row struck first, roaring together as they threw the short spears in their hands with all their might! Eighty short spears entwined with electrical sparks traced arcs through the air, with a piercing sound of breaking wind, like a swarm of death bees, covering the Law Fishmen's neat formation!

"Stand!" Iron Face's cold voice rang out through the Law link.

One hundred Law Fishmen slammed the ends of their halberds onto the ground simultaneously, producing a unified, dull thud. They bowed slightly, a faint layer of pale green Law · Order light shimmering on their scales. No dodging, no blocking—it was as if they intended to take the rain of spears with their bare flesh!

However, the moment before the spears landed, an invisible ripple carrying the cold sense of rules instantly spread out with Iron Face as the center!

[Skill Activation: Net of Law (Domain Expansion)!]

Expansion Range: A spherical area with a 120-meter radius centered on the Lawful Merman Enforcement Squad (covering themselves and a large portion of the charge path ahead).

Divine Power Channeling: Lin Zhou consumes 30 units of Divine Power for initial activation and rule definition.

Temporary Rule Definitions within the Domain:

Definition One: 'Unauthorized mass projectile attacks are prohibited in this Domain.' (Targeting the rain of spears)

Definition Two: 'Interfering with Order via chaotic roars is prohibited in this Domain.' (Targeting the Lizardmen's morale roars and Shaman chants)

Definition Three: 'All chargers must follow the rule of "Orderly Advancement".' (Targeting the charging formation)

Domain Effects in Action:

The eighty flying thunder short spears, upon entering the pale green Domain, seemed to crash into a layer of incredibly thick, invisible gel! The electric sparks on the spear shafts dimmed sharply, their flight speed decayed visibly, and their trajectories became skewed! In the end, fewer than twenty crooked spears landed in the Fishmen formation, and their power was greatly reduced. Most were deflected by the scales or caused minor grazes; only a few Fishmen were hit in non-vital areas, with their movements slightly affected.

The deafening roars of the Thunder Lizardmen also seemed to be strangled upon entering the Domain, becoming muffled and intermittent. They could no longer provide effective morale boosts; instead, they made some Lizardmen feel inexplicably irritable and... guilty? As if their own shouting was 'wrong'.

The Lizardmen warriors at the forefront felt their feet sink, as if the ground had become exceptionally sluggish. Their originally unstoppable momentum stalled, and the formation showed slight gaps and chaos. They irritably tried to accelerate, only to find it even more taxing.

Rule Conflict Feedback: The Thunder Lizardmen's charging, roaring, and projectile actions were judged as 'Violations' by the Net of Law (violating the temporarily defined rules of Order). All Lizardmen units entering the Domain began to suffer continuous mental pressure and attribute weakening: [Movement Speed -15%], [Attack Power -10%], [Skill Success Rate -20%]. The Shaman's chant was interrupted, and the Spell failed to manifest.

'What the hell is this?!' General Rex's Divine Thought transmitted emotions of shock and fury. He felt as if his kin had fallen into an invisible quagmire, hindered at every turn!

At this moment, the Lizardmen vanguard had already charged to within a hundred meters of the Fishmen line! Although weakened, their numerical advantage and charging momentum remained. Their hideous faces and weapons flickering with electricity were clearly visible!

'Judgment, prepare.' Iron Face's voice remained cold. He raised the halberd in his hand, pointing at several Lizardmen warriors in the charging cluster who were exceptionally tall, roared the loudest, and were clearly leaders or hero units (one of whom reached Rank 30, suspected to be a squad leader hero).

'Target Lock: Formation Breakers (Charging Leaders), Sources of Chaos (Shamans). Crime: Illegal Intrusion, Violent Charging, Disturbing Order. Verdict: ...' In Iron Face's deep blue eyes, a sharp, ice-like light suddenly erupted!

Simultaneously, the Mental Energy of all Lawful Merman Enforcement Squad members resonated and converged through the Law link! They chanted in unison, their voices cold and grand, like a final sentence in a court of Law:

“—Cease movement, submit to your crimes!”

[Combo Skill Activation: Mass Judgment · Penalty of Silence!]

An invisible and intangible mental shockwave, yet more piercing than the coldest frost, was like a precision-guided arrow. It instantly crossed the hundred-meter distance and slammed into the minds of the locked Lizardmen leaders and Shamans!

[Mental/Willpower Check Triggered]

Judging Party: Lawful Merman Enforcement Squad (Mass Mental Resonance + Lin Zhou's Divine Power Buff + Net of Law Domain Bonus), equivalent Willpower impact strength approximately 55 points.

Judged Targets:

Lizardman Leader (Rank 30 Hero): Strength 35, Physique 32, Mental Energy 25, Willpower 28 (slightly increased by charging fanaticism, approx. 30). Check disadvantage.

Lizardman Shaman (Rank 28): Mental Energy 32, Willpower 26 (casting interrupted, unsettled). Check disadvantage.

Check Result: Leader's Willpower check failed! Shaman's Willpower check failed!

Judgment Effects in Action:

Basic Effect: Both the Leader and Shaman simultaneously fall into 'Deep Deterrence' and 'Confusion' states! Their consciousnesses go blank, their bodies stiffen, and they are unable to effectively command or cast Spells. All attributes decreased by 20% for 8 seconds!

Advanced Effect Triggered (Targeting Leader): Since its 'crimes' of 'Violent Charging' and 'Leading the Destruction of Order' were judged as severe by the Law, and its own willpower (the fanatical charging will clashing violently with the Law's Orderly Judgment) showed a massive flaw, a low-probability 'Repentance' state was triggered!

Repentance State Description: Under the mental impact, the leader's simple mind was forcibly implanted with a distorted cognition of 'guilt' and 'the need to make amends for mistakes.' It now viewed its previous actions of leading the charge and destroying the 'Order Domain' as 'unforgivable sins,' and regarded the ordinary Lizardmen warriors following it in the charge—who were also 'destroying Order'—as 'sinful accomplices that need to be purged'!

Behavioral Manifestation: The leader (Rank 30 Hero), recovering a sliver of mobility from the deterrence, saw its eyes suddenly turn crimson (not a berserk red, but a red filled with remorse and madness). It let out a shrill and strange roar, actually turning the arc-wrapped bone blade in its hand and slashing down fiercely at the nearest Lizardman warrior! Meanwhile, it roared incoherently: “Sin! Purge! Atonement!”

Puchi!

That caught-off-guard Lizardman warrior was struck in the neck from the side by its own leader. Blood sprayed wildly as it collapsed with a scream (judged as severely wounded by Combat Protection and withdrawn)!

This sudden and eerie 'infighting' caused the charging Lizardmen cluster to instantly fall into chaos! The warriors in front looked in horror at their leader frantically attacking his comrades. The charging momentum completely collapsed, and the formation fell into even greater chaos and hesitation. The warriors behind, not knowing what was happening, pushed and collided with each other.

The Shaman was still in deterrence, unable to cast Spells to guide them.

The fiercest 'spearhead' of the Thunder Lizardman Legion was thrown into turmoil from within by one of its own!

“Execution.” Iron Face coldly spat out two words.

The hundred Lawful Merman Enforcement Squad members moved. They did not launch a full-scale charge but instead moved in five-man teams, like the most precise scalpels, cutting into the edges of the Lizardman formation that was riddled with holes due to the chaos. Their targets were clear—the units deterred or confused by 'Judgment,' as well as the minor leaders trying to reorganize.

The Lawful halberds were thrust and retracted with precision and efficiency. Every attack was perfectly coordinated, targeting vital points. The Lizardmen warriors, continuously weakened by the 'Net of Law' and suffering a plummet in morale due to the infighting, were like straw being harvested before this cold and efficient enforcement squad. White lights of Combat Protection lit up on them in groups as they were judged to have 'Withdrawn from Battle'.

The leader hero, who had fallen into the 'Repentance' state and was only barely restrained by other Lizardmen after frantically attacking several comrades, was soon given special attention by two enforcement teams. Under the suppression of the 'Net of Law' and the lingering power of 'Judgment,' it barely put up a decent resistance before being pierced by several halberds, vanishing into white light.

Losing their hero leader, with their formation in chaos, ranged attacks ineffective, melee countered, and morale collapsed... the Thunder Lizardman Legion was routed like a mountain collapsing!

From the expansion of the Net of Law to the infighting triggered by Mass Judgment, and then the precision harvesting by the enforcement squad, the entire process took less than three minutes.

When the last few dozen Lizardmen warriors completely lost their will to fight and fled backward in terror, Lin Zhou's Divine Thought calmly transmitted toward his opponent General Rex's god domain core projection:

“Surrender, or should I come over?”

General Rex's Divine Thought was filled with disbelief, frustration, and a hint of fear. He watched his carefully nurtured Thunder Lizardman army, which had been invincible in the past, being toyed with, divided, and easily crushed like a group of headless flies before a mere hundred Fishmen, without even managing to touch a hair on the opponent... He had never experienced such a battle, nor could he understand it.

“You... what kind of evil sorcery did you use?!” General Rex's voice trembled slightly.

“Legalist Edicts.” Lin Zhou's answer was simple and direct.

After a few seconds of silence, General Rex's god domain core projection flashed with red light, transmitting a wave of extreme reluctance yet helplessness:

“...I surrender.”

[Battle Ended]:

Winner: Lin Zhou (Blue Side)

Battle Duration: 4 minutes 17 seconds

Casualty Ratio:

Lin Zhou: Lawful Merman Enforcement Squad, 12 lightly injured (can be quickly recovered after battle), zero withdrawals.

General Rex: Thunder Lizardman Legion, 387 units Withdrawn from Battle (including hero leader). Remaining units routed.

Overall Rating (System): S (Perfect suppression, tactical innovation, extremely low casualties).

Points Earned: +12 (Base win + evaluation bonus).

Current Qualifier Ranking (Real-time): Lin Zhou, 7 wins in 7 matches, 84 points, temporarily ranked 41st.

Consciousness returning, Lin Zhou slowly opened his eyes, still in the link meditation room of his dormitory. A soft notification sound came from his personal terminal—it was the update for his points.

The first Group Stage match (qualifier match) was won easily with absolute advantage and in a way that was incomprehensible to others, without spilling a drop of his own blood.

Lin Zhou stretched his neck, his eyes calm and ripple-less. This was just the beginning, a small trial of the Legalist Edicts in a formal tournament. The effect was even better than he had anticipated. The triggering of the 'Repentance' state was a pleasant surprise, but it also proved that under specific conditions, suppression at the mental and rule levels was far more efficient than simple physical confrontation, and more... despair-inducing for the opponent.

“The Legalist school manages punishments and names, sets rules, and executes edicts. The battlefield is also a court of Law.” Lin Zhou whispered to himself, gaining a deeper understanding of the practical application of Legalist thought.

He pulled up the upcoming matchmaking queue; there were still a few minutes of rest left. In his mind, he had already begun to consider the types of opponents he might encounter in the next match, and... whether he should use a different 'Hundred Schools' method to deal with them?