261: Chapter 196: The winning streak continues, and Wenfa's reputation resounds throughout the entire academy.

The massive body of the Beast King hero, "Thunder Fang," crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. In those giant eyes that had lost their luster, the reflection of the Law Fishman hero, Seth, coldly retracting his halberd was captured, along with the rapidly collapsing beast tide around them.

The leader had fallen, the mental link snapped, the totems shattered, and the shamans scattered in disarray.

The tens of thousands of remaining beasts on the battlefield felt as if their Souls had been instantly snatched away. The frenzied red light in their eyes vanished completely, replaced by pure animalistic bewilderment and instinctive fear. The Raptors, which had been charging and biting madly just a second ago, stopped in their tracks, tilting their heads and emitting confused low cries. The Wolf Riders lost their command; the wolves began to paw the ground restlessly while the Orc knights on their backs looked at each other in confusion. Even the few War Mammoths and Red Behemoths still grappling with the Behemoths stopped their attacks, letting out low, anxious roars as they looked around for commands that no longer existed.

The overwhelming savage Aura was like a punctured balloon, rapidly deflating and dissipating.

"Now is the time! All forces, counterattack!" Lin Zhou seized this fleeting opportunity and issued the command for a general offensive through the team link.

Wang Meng, who had been holding his breath, roared as he commanded the Behemoth Legion to launch a final charge, targeting the few high-tier giant beasts that had lost their Battle Intent. Zhao Hao's Dragon let out an earth-shattering roar in the sky, its Dragon Breath like the scythe of the Grim Reaper, beginning an organized purge of the gathered beast swarms. Qin Qing's Judgment Angels spread out, their [Light of Purification] blooming at full power to dispel the lingering chaotic Aura on the battlefield, while their Holy Light blades ruthlessly slashed at the beast leaders attempting to flee or still putting up a desperate struggle. The [Vast Righteous Qi · Pressure Domain] maintained by the Literary Heart Elves did not dissipate; instead, it became more concentrated, acting like invisible shackles that continuously weakened the beasts' will to resist.

The defeat was like a mountain collapsing.

The beast tide, having lost its unified command and core Battle Intent, was completely reduced to lambs for the slaughter. Although individual beasts remained fierce, they quickly crumbled under organized division, encirclement, and focused strikes. The remaining high-tier giant beasts fell one by one under the siege of the Behemoth Legion, and the mid-to-low-tier beast swarms perished in droves under the Dragon Breath and Holy Light purification.

Half an hour later, on the Ancient Roaring Grassland, the last wail of a beast fell silent. The smoke had not yet fully cleared, and the air was thick with the scent of blood and char, but the battle was over.

The Heart of the Wild squad was completely wiped out.

The simulated battlefield began to slowly dissipate, and the participants' consciousness was guided back.

The Dome Arena was deathly silent for a full three seconds.

Then, like a volcanic eruption, deafening cheers, gasps of wonder, and incredible screams almost blew the roof off the entire dome! Especially in the blue area where the School of Literature and Law was located, students jumped up in excitement, waving anything they could wave, and many had tears in their eyes.

"We won! We won again!"

"The top eight! Our School of Literature and Law has entered the top eight! For the first time in history!"

"The Hundred Schools Squad! Invincible!"

"Too strong! From the steel torrent to the floating fortress, and now this stampede of ten thousand beasts... how on earth did they win?!"

"That Lin Zhou... his command was simply divine! And those elves' chanting, the fishmen's assassination..."

"Ideological tactics... can ideology and culture really be used on the battlefield like this?"

On the judges' bench, several senior professors and military observers from different colleges also looked surprised, talking in low voices.

"Incredible... under such an absolute disadvantage in terms of map and troop strength, they managed to reverse the situation purely through tactical coordination and the application of rules."

"That 'Vast Righteous Qi' Domain is very interesting. It doesn't cause direct damage, but it fundamentally shakes the morale Foundation of the savage faction. It has the embryonic wisdom of the ancient 'subduing the enemy without fighting.'"

"The decapitation strike by the Law Fishmen was timed to perfection. Precise and lethal."

"This team has huge potential. Their tactical system seems different from any we are familiar with—more... flexible, relying more on the commander's on-the-spot response and the use of different ideological powers."

Inside the preparation room, the five consciousnesses returned.

"Yeah! We won!" Zhao Hao was the first to jump up, punching the air forcefully, his face flushed with excitement. "Old Lin, we're in the top eight! Hahaha, let's see who dares to call our School of Literature and Law weaklings from now on!"

Wang Meng let out a heavy sigh of relief and slumped onto the floor. His face showed exhaustion, but more than that, it was filled with a sense of pure, unadulterated satisfaction. "Awesome! That was so damn awesome! It's just... my Behemoth brothers..." His voice lowered slightly. In this battle, although his Behemoth Legion had performed great feats, they also suffered the heaviest casualties. Of the fifteen Behemoths, only seven were left standing, and every one of them was severely injured. Giant Rock was even on the verge of death and needed a long period of recovery.

Li Mo didn't have time to celebrate; he was already clutching his data pad, the lenses of his glasses reflecting a rapidly scrolling stream of data as he muttered to himself, "The mental interference coefficient of the Pressure Domain on beast units needs to be recalibrated... optimization model for the Law Fishmen's assassination route... analysis of the overlapping effects of the Behemoth's berserk state and will enhancement..."

Qin Qing quietly tidied her slightly messy hair and priestess robes. Her face was also somewhat pale; maintaining high-intensity judgment and purification had taken a significant toll. She looked at Lin Zhou with a complex gaze—admiration, reflection, and a hint of relief. "The combination of your 'Law' and 'Confucianism' on the battlefield was more... effective than I imagined." She paused. "I admit, my previous doubts about your path were narrow-minded."

"It's everyone's credit. Without your trust and perfect Execution, even the best tactics would be nothing but empty talk." Lin Zhou smiled slightly, feeling his Divine Power mostly depleted and a slight stinging pain in his Godhead (an aftereffect of high-load calculations), but his heart was filled with a sense of accomplishment. He looked at Wang Meng and said seriously, "Wang Meng, your Behemoths sacrificed a lot, but everyone will remember their contributions. After we return, I will use the Fire of Civilization and the classics of the School of Medicine to help them recover as much as possible."

Wang Meng nodded heavily, gratitude flashing in his eyes.

Just then, there was a knock on the door of the preparation room. A staff member from the arena walked in respectfully and handed over several physical newspapers still smelling of fresh ink—the Star Sea Daily, published internally by Xinghai University. The headline was printed in bold, enlarged gold foil:

[The Dark Horse of Literature and Law, Leading the Pack! On the Rise of 'Ideological Tactics' and the New Tactical Landscape of Star Sea]

Subtitle: The Hundred Schools Squad Defeats Powerful Enemies to Break into the Top Eight; Captain Lin Zhou's 'Way of Civilization' Sparks Heated Discussion Across the Academy!

The article took up an entire front page, accompanied by several exciting screenshots of key battles (non-core secrets). The content was detailed, ranging from an analysis of the Hundred Schools Squad's members and Divine Domain characteristics to a tactical review of the three classic battles against the College of Science and Engineering, Wings of the Firmament, and the Beast Emperor Branch. It highly praised Lin Zhou's command artistry and the amazing adaptability and creativity shown by the Hundred Schools of Thought in actual combat. The article concluded: "...This is not just a victory in a competition, but potentially the dawn of a brand-new tactical concept. When power and wisdom combine, when rules and ideology resonate, the form of divine warfare may be quietly being rewritten by these young people."

"Whoa! We're on the front page!" Zhao Hao grabbed a copy of the newspaper and read it excitedly. "This is written quite well! 'Ideological Tactics'... that's a good term!"

Qin Qing also took a copy and scanned it quickly, her eyebrows raised slightly. "The analysis has some depth. It seems some upperclassmen tactical enthusiasts or professors are paying attention to us."

Li Mo finally put down his data pad temporarily and leaned over to take a look. "The data citations are basically accurate, but the derivation models for some tactical details still have room for optimization..."

Lin Zhou remained relatively calm. Becoming famous was expected, but what followed would likely be more than just praise; there would be stricter scrutiny, more powerful opponents, and potential attention—both overt and covert—from various factions.

Sure enough, in the time that followed, various messages flew in like snowflakes.

First was a congratulatory message from the Dean of the School of Literature and Law himself, highly commending their performance and informing them that the college would allocate additional resources. This included access to some of the college's treasured classics, more Advanced cultivation rooms, accelerated time in the Divine Domain, and a substantial reward of credits and contribution points.

Next came invitations or exchange letters from the student union, various academic clubs, and even some elite upperclassmen squads. Among them were several teams famous throughout the school; their attitudes had changed from initial dismissal to current cautious respect or even active attempts to build connections.

What caught Lin Zhou's attention even more were several private messages. One was from Qin Feng (War God Academy), whom he had collaborated with before, with only a short sentence: "Well played. After the top eight, watch out for 'Starfire' and 'Abyssal Gaze'." This was a reminder about two other top-tier teams in the top eight.

Another message made Lin Zhou's eyes narrow. The sender's ID was hidden, but the content was impossible to ignore: "Student Lin Zhou, your 'river of civilization' and Hundred Schools of Thought are very interesting. If you are interested in discussing the secrets of civilization's fall and Legacy, come to the third basement level of the 'Ancient Books Restoration Center' in three days' time at dusk to find Dr. Chen." The signature was a phantom image of an ancient "Chen" character seal.

"Ancient Books Restoration Center... Dr. Chen?" Lin Zhou's heart stirred. Xinghai University was a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, especially some research departments focused on ancient civilizations and lost knowledge, whose backgrounds were unfathomably deep. This person could directly name the "river of civilization" (a name he hadn't made public), so they were clearly no ordinary observer.

"It seems that being prominent brings unwanted attention." Lin Zhou pulled his thoughts back; now was not the time for distractions. After the quarter-finals would be the semi-finals, and the opponents would be even stronger. Moreover, advancing to the top eight meant they had at least secured the qualification to explore the [Shattered Court] Secret Realm (runner-up is enough), but that wasn't enough. Their goal was the championship, for those even richer rewards and a higher starting point.

"Let's go, let's head back and rest first. Our battle is far from over," Lin Zhou said to his teammates.

The five left the preparation room and walked through the long corridor leading to the rest area. Along the way, no matter which college the students were from, their eyes were filled with complex expressions: admiration, curiosity, jealousy, scrutiny... Students from the School of Literature and Law cast fervent glances, actively making way for them, and some even whispered "Keep it up."

At this moment, the names "Hundred Schools Squad" and "School of Literature and Law" truly resounded throughout Xinghai University, known to everyone.

Back in the exclusive rest area of the School of Literature and Law, Lin Zhou did not immediately begin to recover his Divine Power. Instead, he first entered his Divine Domain to handle post-war affairs.

Divine Domain Status Update (Post-War):

Divine Power Reserve: 8,920/27,000 (continuously and slowly recovering)

Core Sub-race Status:

Literary Heart Elves: 1,250 units remaining (approx. 70 lost in battle), average Rank lv33.8, Hero Elia lv39 (excessive Mental Energy consumption, slight weakness).

Tiangong Dwarves: 860 units remaining (approx. 50 lost in battle), average Rank lv34.7, Hero Grum Anvil lv37 (minor injuries, can recover quickly).

Law Fishmen: 720 units remaining (approx. 30 lost in battle, mainly ordinary fishmen), Elite Execution Team of 50 fully intact (minor injuries), Hero Seth lv37 (experience increased, gained significant insights from executing the Beast King).

Naturalized Orcs: 310 units remaining (approx. 10 lost in battle), average Rank lv28.5, Hero Grom lv32.5 (participated in defensive operations, increased identification with the civilization).

Behemoth Legion (belonging to Wang Meng, temporarily stationed/recovering): 7 units remaining (8 permanent losses), all severely injured, Hero Giant Rock lv38 (near death, life Origin damaged, requires a long period of recovery and precious resources to repair).

Core Buildings:

[Steel Bastion]: Construction progress increased to 68% (dwarves urgently reinforced parts of the structure during the war), currently providing a +12% durability Aura for defensive buildings within a 3km radius.

[Temple of Law]: Repair progress at 92%.

Other buildings are operating normally.

civilization points: +18,500 points (Main sources: defeating a stronger enemy, practicing and spreading Confucian/Military/Legalist thoughts, deepening of sub-race comprehension, achieving the "Top Eight" accomplishment), Total: 57,250 points.

river of civilization: Slightly expanded, the phantom image is clearer. Vague image fragments of this bloody battle on the grassland have surfaced in the river, with flickering images of Behemoths roaring, Elves chanting, and Fishmen lunging. The river's ability to carry and harmonize the rules of the Divine Domain has slightly increased.

Looking at the sub-races in the Divine Domain busy treating the wounded, repairing their homes, and summarizing battle experience, Lin Zhou felt deep emotions. Every victory was hard-won, accompanied by sacrifice and growth. He used some civilization points to accelerate the construction of the Steel Bastion and exchanged for some mild nourishing resources, granting them to the severely injured Behemoths and the over-exhausted Elves through a divine oracle.

After handling the Divine Domain affairs, Lin Zhou exited and began to sit quietly to recover his Divine Power. However, he couldn't help but recall that mysterious invitation in his mind.

"Ancient Books Restoration Center... Dr. Chen... civilization's fall and Legacy..." He vaguely felt that this might be an opportunity—an opportunity that could allow him to delve deeper into the Temple of Civilization and the clues of the lost Huaxia civilization in this Universe.

But before that, he had to play the upcoming matches well.

The Hundred Schools Squad and the name of Literature and Law already shook the entire academy. But their journey had only just begun. A broader stage, more powerful opponents, and deeper mysteries were all waiting ahead.

Lin Zhou closed his eyes and focused, his Aura becoming as calm as water. Only the divine fire burned quietly in the depths of his consciousness, illuminating that ceaselessly flowing river of civilization.