292: Chapter 227: The Return Shocks, the Divine Kingdom's Rating Soars

Xinghai University, Advanced Secret Realm Teleportation Management Area.

The silver-white teleportation light gradually dissipated, revealing five slightly disheveled but bright-eyed figures. Lin Zhou stood at the front, his face slightly pale due to excessive consumption of Divine Power, but his back was as straight as a pine. Zhao Hao, Wang Meng, Li Mo, and Qin Qing followed closely behind. All four bore more or less the marks of battle and the aura of energy washing over them, but their mental states were surprisingly good, with a lingering trace of having been baptized by the radiance of civilization in the depths of their eyes.

"They're out! Life signals detected, it's Lin Zhou's team!" the staff member monitoring the teleportation array immediately reported.

Several professors dressed in Xinghai University uniforms, their auras as deep and heavy as an abyss, instantly appeared at the periphery of the teleportation area. Leading them was an authority on Divine Kingdom ecology, Professor Mo Huaiyuan, wearing his signature crystal monocle. Another was Instructor Lei Li, responsible for practical combat teaching, who had served in the Human Race Expeditionary Force for a hundred years, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

"Student Lin Zhou, you..." Professor Mo stepped forward quickly, his gaze scanning the five of them like a precision instrument, lingering on Lin Zhou for a few extra seconds. A flash of surprise crossed behind his monocle. "Your auras... seem to have undergone an extraordinary baptism. Submit the Secret Realm exploration report later; for now, a standard return inspection is required, including personal status and Divine Kingdom stability assessments."

This was the standard procedure at the academy for students returning from Advanced unknown Secret Realms, serving as both protection and evaluation.

"Understood, we will cooperate." Lin Zhou nodded, his voice slightly raspy from fatigue but exceptionally steady.

The five were guided to adjacent independent testing rooms. The rooms were filled with complex rune arrays and floating crystal balls, with gentle yet efficient energy scanning their divine bodies, Divine Souls, and Divine Kingdom link status.

First was the individual status quick check.

【Lin Zhou】

Divinity Rank: LV199 (Faint Divinity Peak, only one step away from the Lesser Divinity threshold)

Divine Fire Status: Extremely active, conversion efficiency temporarily increased by 15%, faint but extremely high-level civilization glow flickering at the core

Divine Power Reserve: 1520/25000 (Heavily consumed, but recovery speed is abnormally fast, estimated to reach 80% within 24 hours)

Divine Perception: Detected high-concentration civilization-attribute divinity fluctuations (estimated total ≥ 2 units), purity is staggering

Comprehensive Evaluation: Good condition, no pollution, potential assessment significantly upgraded, deep observation recommended

"LV199?!" Instructor Lei Li's eyes flashed with sharp light as he stared at the data on the crystal ball. "I remember he was around LV150 before entering? A single exploration, jumping nearly fifty levels, and even touching the edge of Lesser Divinity? What did this kid eat?"

Professor Mo focused more on that "civilization glow" and the divinity purity: "This aura... ancient, heavy, and pure, it's definitely no ordinary Opportunity. And Zhao Hao and the others..."

【Zhao Hao】

Divinity Rank: LV165

Dragon Might Trait: Added faint 'Ancient Majesty' attribute, Bloodline activity +20%

Remarks: Detected a tendency towards atavism in the Red Dragon followers within his Divine Kingdom, with some scale edges appearing pale gold

【Qin Qing】

Divinity Rank: LV160

Divine Light of Order: Purity increased, added 'Civilization Jurisprudence' Fusion trait

Remarks: Pale gold patterns emerged on the edges of the Judgment Angel's wings; judgment skills now carry a faint Enlightenment effect

【Li Mo】

Divinity Rank: LV155

Logic Core: Computing speed +25%, 'Inspiration Burst' abnormal fluctuations detected

Remarks: Research efficiency of Mechanical Goblins significantly increased, three new technologies have entered the verification stage

【Wang Meng】

Divinity Rank: LV158

Life Magnetic Field: Intensity +30%, sanity retention after berserk +5%

Remarks: Behemoth followers' muscle density and bone strength have seen implicit improvements

Although the improvements for the four were not as exaggerated as Lin Zhou's, they far exceeded the gains of a conventional Secret Realm exploration, and all showed positive characteristic changes. This made the two professors even more curious about their experiences within the Grotto-Heaven.

"Individual status is fine, but the key lies in the Divine Kingdom." Professor Mo's expression was serious. "Student Lin Zhou, according to records, your Divine Kingdom area was 100 square kilometers with a rule completeness of about 45% when you entered, rated as 'Primary Divine Kingdom (Excellent)'. Now, I need you to open a portion of your Divine Kingdom's rule projection for a deep scan to evaluate the impact of this exploration on the Divine Kingdom itself."

Lin Zhou was well-prepared. He took a deep breath, sat cross-legged, and sank his consciousness into the core of his Divine Kingdom. The rune arrays in the testing room lit up, and gentle but firm rule tentacles followed the Divine Kingdom link channel opened by Lin Zhou, cautiously probing inward.

Initially, the data on the testing crystal ball rose steadily, matching a normal growth curve after high-intensity exploration and gains—area slightly increased (about 102 square kilometers), rule completeness slightly improved (about 47%), and rich resource readings.

But soon, anomalies appeared.

【Warning: Large-scale rule structure changes detected!】

【Warning: High concentration of homologous xenogenic rules embedding detected!】

【Warning: Spatial structure reinforcement reaction detected at the edge of the Divine Kingdom!】

The data curve on the crystal ball began to fluctuate violently, and various readings soared as if they had boarded a rocket!

【Recalculating Divine Kingdom area... 102... 115... 130... 145... Final calculation: 149.8 square kilometers!】

【Re-evaluating rule completeness... 47%... 52%... 58%... 63%... Final evaluation: 67.9%!】

【Spatial Stability Index: Far exceeds the standard threshold for a Primary Divine Kingdom!】

【Detected budding of plane independence characteristics—Plane Barrier generating (embryonic form)!】

"149.8 square kilometers?! Rule completeness 67.9%?!" Instructor Lei Li stood up abruptly, knocking over the chair behind him, staring fixedly at the crystal ball, his voice slightly out of tune. "This is impossible! Even if he found a complete small resource plane, it's impossible for a forced Fusion to increase this much in such a short time and remain so stable!"

Professor Mo practically lunged at the control console, his hands operating rapidly to pull up a more detailed spectral analysis chart. When he saw the pale gold, semi-transparent, slowly self-strengthening light membrane structure representing the edge of the Divine Kingdom, he gasped: "Plane Barrier embryonic form... It really is a Plane Barrier embryonic form! Although it's still weak, its structure is complete, its rules are self-consistent, and it's highly coordinated with the internal civilization rules of the Divine Kingdom! This... this is a characteristic that only a Medium Divine Kingdom might begin to nurture!"

Medium Divine Kingdom! The standard was an area exceeding 100 square kilometers, rule completeness exceeding 60%, and the beginning of certain plane independence (manifested as an initial Plane Barrier or similar defensive rule boundary). Lin Zhou's Divine Kingdom area had surged by nearly 50%, rule completeness had leaped by over 20 percentage points, and it had even birthed a Plane Barrier embryonic form—this had completely reached the standard of a Medium Divine Kingdom, and even in terms of 'potential' and 'rule uniqueness,' it far surpassed many Divine Kingdoms that had just stepped over the medium threshold!

In the testing room, other professors and staff members who had rushed over upon hearing the news all held their breath, staring in shock at the constantly refreshing data, every item of which was enough to make anyone envious.

"It's not just the area and rule completeness," Professor Mo forced himself to calm down, enlarging the internal scan of the Divine Kingdom. "Look, inside his Divine Kingdom, there's an additional special area of about 8 square kilometers—the energy readings label it as 'Ancient Ruins,' with a slightly slower time flow, higher Spiritual Qi concentration, and it contains unique residual charms of civilization history rules. This should be one of the core legacies he brought back from the Secret Realm. Also, that 'river' with an extremely high energy reaction inside the Divine Kingdom... what is this? The materialization of a civilization concept?"

"More than that," Instructor Lei Li pointed at the follower data scrolling on another screen, "all of his core followers have undergone positive evolution! The average intelligence attribute of the Literary Heart Elves has broken 50 points, the creative inspiration rate of the Tiangong Dwarves has significantly increased, and the Order synchronization rate of the Law Fishmen has reached 95%! This is no longer a simple Rank increase, but an optimization of life level and characteristic direction! And these newly appeared unit types..."

The more the two looked, the more alarmed they became. This Divine Kingdom assessment report had already far exceeded the scope of an 'excellent exploration gain'; it was practically like the result of a Lesser Divinity's painstaking management for decades, yet it appeared on a student who was just a sophomore and still at Faint Divinity!

"Student Lin Zhou," Professor Mo turned around, his expression incredibly solemn, "you must tell me truthfully, in that 'Unnamed Grotto-Heaven - No. X-07,' what exactly did you experience? What did you obtain? Rest assured, the academy will protect the legitimate opportunities and privacy of its students, but with such a drastic change in your Divine Kingdom, we must evaluate its stability and potential risks."

Everyone's gaze focused on Lin Zhou.

Lin Zhou opened his eyes and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. He knew that part of the truth had to be made public to explain this startling change and to pave the way for obtaining more support from the academy's resources in the future.

"Professor Mo, Instructor Lei," his voice was clear and steady, "in the Grotto-Heaven, we discovered a Legacy ruin of an Ancient Huaxia Civilization."

"Ancient Huaxia Civilization?!" The pupils of several professors constricted. This ancient civilization, which was vaguely described in historical records yet hinted at extreme brilliance and mystery, had always been a research hotspot for academia and the upper echelons of the gods.

"Yes." Lin Zhou nodded. "There were trials left in the ruins. Our team collaborated, passed the trials, and ultimately obtained a portion of the Legacy." He omitted specific information about the seed of civilization, the Ancient Bronze Lamp core, and his own Temple of Civilization, focusing the description on "obtaining some core rule insights of that civilization, special items, and a homologous spatial fragment that was on the verge of annihilation."

"I absorbed and fused those rule insights, and used all my strength to integrate that spatial fragment, which was highly homologous with our Divine Kingdom's rules, along with its remaining Earth Vein Spiritual Nexus, into my Divine Kingdom before the Grotto-Heaven completely collapsed. The process was dangerous, but fortunately, it succeeded. This should be the main reason for the significant increase in the Divine Kingdom's area and rule completeness. That 'Ancient Ruins Area' is the core region of that spatial fragment. As for the Plane Barrier..." Lin Zhou paused and looked at Professor Mo, "it might be related to my deepened understanding of Way of Civilization and the overall qualitative change of the Divine Kingdom's rules; I am still sensing the specific principles."

His explanation was seventy percent true and thirty percent vague, explaining the source of the huge gains (fusing a homologous Grotto-Heaven fragment) while hiding the most core secrets (the Temple of Civilization and spark), and attributing the creation of the Plane Barrier to the natural result of his own path and the Divine Kingdom's qualitative change—it was entirely reasonable.

Professor Mo and Instructor Lei Li exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock and realization in each other's eyes. Fusing a nearly destroyed homologous high-Order spatial fragment? The idea itself was extremely bold, with a minuscule success rate! But combined with Lin Zhou's special "The Way of the Hundred Schools" and its powerful inclusive and harmonizing ability for rules, as well as the detected highly coordinated and stable state within the Divine Kingdom, it seemed... plausible?

"A crazy idea... but also Genius-like courage." Instructor Lei Li stared at Lin Zhou and said slowly, "Do you know that with even a slight error, your Divine Kingdom's rules would have conflicted and collapsed, even implicating your own body?"

"I know." Lin Zhou replied calmly. "But opportunities are fleeting. Way of Civilization should have a heart that dares to hack through brambles and open new ground."

Professor Mo was silent for a moment, then let out a long sigh: "The younger generation is truly formidable." He turned to the control console and operated it quickly. Finally, a brand-new virtual badge, its edges shimmering with pale gold starlight, condensed into form above the crystal ball.

【Divine Kingdom Owner: Lin Zhou】

【Divine Kingdom Name: Hundred Schools Temple / Civilization Divine Kingdom (Self-named)】

【Divine Kingdom Area: 149.8 square kilometers】

【Rule Completeness: 67.9%】

【Divine Kingdom Stability: High (Enhanced by Plane Barrier embryonic form)】

【Core Follower Evolution Degree: Excellent】

【Special Areas/Creations: Ancient Ruins Area, river of civilization (Semi-materialized), Living Soil (Fragment reaction), etc.】

【Comprehensive Rating Change: Primary Divine Kingdom (Excellent) → Medium Divine Kingdom (Newly Promoted)!】

【Potential Assessment: SSS (Highly growth-oriented and unique)】

"According to the 'Xinghai University Divine Kingdom Assessment and Management Regulations'," Professor Mo's voice echoed through the testing room, "Student Lin Zhou's Divine Kingdom has reached the Medium Divine Kingdom standard and is now officially confirmed for the rating!"

"Medium Divine Kingdom..." Zhao Hao murmured, giving Lin Zhou's shoulder a hard slap. "Boss, this is huge!"

Qin Qing's eyes shimmered, Li Mo excitedly recorded the data, and Wang Meng grinned widely.

The news was like a thunderclap, instantly spreading through the upper echelons of Xinghai University and diffusing to the outside world at an alarming speed.

"A sophomore, Faint Divinity, possessing a Medium Divine Kingdom?!"

"A Plane Barrier embryonic form?! Isn't that something many lesser divinities can't even achieve?"

"I heard he fused a fragment of an ancient Grotto-Heaven... this luck and strength are just too Heaven-Defying!"

"The Way of the Hundred Schools... it seems it's really about to rise."

Shock, envy, wariness, curiosity... various emotions spread throughout the young generation of the Human Race's divine circles in the Milky Way.

After the testing ended, Lin Zhou's team of five was required to submit a detailed exploration report (with key privacy reserved) and received corresponding credits and contribution point rewards. As the primary discoverer and biggest beneficiary, Lin Zhou's rewards were particularly generous, including a chance to enter the middle-level area of the 'Academy Treasury' to select an item, as well as double the basic resource quota for the coming year.

When Lin Zhou walked out of the testing center, the afterglow of the setting sun gilded the buildings of Xinghai University with a layer of gold. He stopped his pace and looked toward the vast starry sky in the distance.

The leap in Divine Kingdom rating was just the beginning. Next, he would use the academy's resources to quickly consolidate his gains, digest his insights, and then... break through that barrier, officially step into the realm of Lesser Divinity, and welcome an even broader stage in the sea of stars.

He did not notice that in the shadow of a distant tall tower, a blurry figure was watching the direction he was leaving, a communication crystal in hand flickering with a dark light.

"Target's Divine Kingdom has been confirmed to have leaped to Medium, potential assessment extremely high. 'Spark' reaction is strong... Suggest raising the attention level and considering the activation of 'Contact' or 'Containment' contingency plans. Report finished."

The figure quietly dissipated, as if it had never existed.