332: Chapter 267: Clash of Rules, Debate Between Sacredness and Civilization

Three days passed in a flash amidst intense preparations and the ever-growing expectations of the outside world.

The finals for the junior division of the 97th Galactic Top Academies Exchange Tournament finally kicked off under the gaze of millions at the Pantheon Arena in the core region of the galaxy. The specifications of this arena far exceeded those of the Xinghai University venues; the arena itself was a projection of an ancient Divine Artifact, capable of perfectly supporting clashes of Divine Thought and manifestations of Law at the Mid-Tier Divine Power level, ensuring the safety and fairness of the matches.

As the two teams from Xinghai University and the Galactic Royal Academy appeared on their respective exclusive platforms—floating in the Void Realm like small divine temples—via teleportation arrays, countless spectators across the Universe watching synchronously through the Divine Thought network involuntarily held their breath.

On the left, the Xinghai University platform. Led by Vice Dean Wang Zhenyue, Lin Zhou and his team of five were dressed in uniform Star Sea battle robes (slightly modified for easier movement), their expressions calm and their gazes sharp. Despite facing the prestigious Galactic Royal Academy, after the hard-fought battle and baptism against the War God Academy, their temperament now held the steadiness and confidence of the strong. Lin Zhou, in particular, stood at the front of the team with his black hair and black eyes, his figure tall and straight. Though he lacked a pressuring Aura, he seemed like a bottomless vortex, drawing everyone's gaze.

On the right, the Galactic Royal Academy platform. The five members led by Michael St. Augustus displayed a completely different style. They wore magnificent and unique suits of armor or mage robes embroidered with Family crests or sacred sigils. Each possessed an extraordinary bearing, their eyes carrying an innate nobility and a faint sense of disdain. Michael stood at the very front, his face as handsome as a deity's and calm as still water. His golden eyes seemed capable of piercing through all falsehoods. By simply standing there, he seemed to be the light source and center of the entire platform, and even this patch of the Void Realm—holy and majestic.

Two invisible fields of pressure quietly collided and chafed in the center of the arena. Even before the fight began, the tense atmosphere was already pulled to its limit.

According to the special procedures for the finals, before the official drawing of matchups and maps, a "Pre-match Declaration and Debate of Rules" segment was added. This was not a mandatory battle, but rather an opportunity for the team captains (or designated representatives) to articulate their philosophies, showcase their divine domain core rules, and attempt to influence their opponents on a public opinion and rule-based level. To some extent, this was also part of the finals' entertainment and topicality.

The host of these finals was a senior elder from the Galactic Education Alliance, possessing a godhead at the Peak of Mid-Tier Divine Power. His voice was peaceful yet carried an unquestionable authority: "Welcome, the two young talents, to the final stage. Before the battle begins, according to tradition, each side may dispatch a representative to provide a brief exposition and debate regarding the core of this duel—the philosophy and rules that 'Astral Conquest' should follow. This segment aims to showcase wisdom and thought; the outcome does not directly affect the match results, but it may influence the 'Pantheon's' subtle rule inclinations regarding the match environment. Representatives, please step forward."

Almost as soon as the host's voice fell, Michael took a step forward on the Galactic Royal Academy platform. His movements were elegant and natural, as if it were only right. His gaze swept over the Xinghai University group and finally landed on Lin Zhou, his lips curling into a faint smile, as if seeing an interesting challenge.

"Since this is a clash of philosophies, I, Michael St. Augustus, shall not shy away." His voice, amplified by Divine Power, was clear and magnetic, yet carried a sense of high-and-mighty proclamation. "My Dao is 'Holy,' 'Order,' and 'Truth.'"

As he spoke, light and shadow distorted in the void behind him, and a magnificent, solemn Angelic Divine Court phantom emitting endless holy radiance slowly emerged! Within the divine court, one could faintly see towering halls, pools flowing with Holy Light, patrolling ranks of angels, and at the very core, a Holy Throne seemingly composed of pure light. Even more startling was that this phantom was not static; it emitted intense fluctuations of Law—an exclusive, pure, and supreme will of Law! Wherever the phantom reached, even the subtle energy turbulence in the arena's background void was smoothed and purified, as if submitting to that holy existence.

"The Holy is the one and only, Order is the cornerstone, and Truth is my sword." Michael's voice echoed, accompanied by the ripples of Holy Light from the divine court phantom. "Astral Conquest is not for plunder and chaos, but to sow holy Order and radiance into places of ignorance and darkness. All who identify with this Dao and bathe in the Holy Light shall receive salvation and protection. All who rebel, question, or defile the Holy with filth and chaos—"

His gaze sharpened, and the light of the divine court phantom flared. An invisible rule-force field carrying a strong sense of judgment and suppression expanded. Although restricted to a small area by the arena rules, that terrifying rule trait of '+100% damage to 'heretic' and 'chaos' factions' still caused the hearts of countless spectators to tremble, as if their Souls were scorched by that pure and exclusive Holy Light.

"—are heretics, and shall be purified by the holy fire until they are annihilated." Michael's tone was flat, yet it contained an unquestionable decisiveness. "This is the ultimate logic of the Universe, and the heavenly mandate borne by my Galactic Royal Academy, adhering to the ancient holy covenant."

His declaration was like a challenge, and even more like a preemptive strike on the level of rules. That pure and exclusive holy will seemed to announce: under this holy radiance, all who are not of my kind and not of my Dao are objects that must be purified!

On Xinghai University's side, Wang Meng couldn't help but curse under his breath, "Damn, he really knows how to put on a show!" Qin Qing's brow was furrowed, Su Yueyao's eyes were cold, and Zhou Yan's expression was grave. The opponent was not just declaring war, but using the momentum of rules to apply psychological pressure.

Everyone's gaze turned toward Lin Zhou.

Lin Zhou's expression remained calm as he met Michael's golden eyes—which seemed capable of seeing through one's heart—and the divine court phantom emitting boundless holy pressure. He took a step forward. His pace was steady without the slightest hesitation, as if that holy pressure was nothing more than a gentle breeze to him.

"The Dao of the Galactic Royal Academy is lofty and holy, truly admirable." Lin Zhou spoke, his voice clear and bright. It wasn't loud, yet it strangely pierced through the humming of the Holy Light, clearly entering the consciousness of every spectator. "However, the Universe is vast, and civilizations are as numerous as the sands of the river of stars. To use the words of one school to set the rules for ten thousand worlds, and to use a single light to judge the sins of all living beings, is, in my humble opinion, somewhat biased."

As soon as he finished speaking, the void behind him also shifted with light and shadow! It wasn't a magnificent divine court, but a phantom of the river of civilization that seemed to run through endless time and space, carrying infinite wisdom and the passage of ages, slowly flowing out! Within the long river, waves surged, each wave seemingly reflecting a fragment of civilization, a flash of thought, an epic of struggle. There were ancestors drilling wood for fire, sages writing books to establish theories, craftsmen creating exquisite works, soldiers fighting bloody battles on the field, commoners toiling in the fields... The brilliance of the Hundred Schools of Thought shone together within it: the benevolence of the Confucianists, the justice of the Legalists, the ingenuity of the Mohists, the strategy of the School of Military, the naturalness of the Daoists... Though not as purely dazzling as the Holy Light, it was heavier, richer, and full of vitality and resilience, carrying an Aura of inclusion that embraced a hundred rivers!

"My Dao is named 【Civilization】." Lin Zhou's voice resonated with the flowing sound of the river phantom. "Civilization is not the private property of one Family or name, nor is it an unchanging dogma. It is born from ignorance, grows through collision, flourishes through exchange, and prospers through inclusion. It acknowledges differences, respects choices, merges through collision, and develops through competition."

"If Astral Conquest is merely the strong bullying the weak, judging others by one's own standards, and forcibly covering ten thousand possibilities with a single truth, then how is it different from barbarism? I believe the true meaning of conquest lies in exchange, enlightenment, and co-construction. To use the fire of my civilization to illuminate the mists of the road ahead; to use the wisdom of my Hundred Schools to answer the problems of development; to use my heart of inclusion to accept beneficial differences. We do not force assimilation, but seek harmonious coexistence; we do not recklessly speak of a single truth, but seek to walk the Great Dao together."

"This is the correct path for civilization's advancement, and also the grand wish of the Human Race's ancestors to 'open up peace for ten thousand generations.'"

As Lin Zhou elaborated, the phantom of the river of civilization became increasingly solid. Its all-encompassing Aura formed a sharp contrast with the pure and exclusive Holy Light opposite it. The void between the two began to emit a faint sizzling sound, like glass rubbing together. Invisible rule-force fields had already begun to probe and collide with each other, splashing rule-sparks that were invisible to the naked eye but clearly felt by Divine Thought!

One side was the pure, exclusive, and supreme "Holy Singularity."

The other side was the inclusive, evolving, and all-embracing "Civilizational Pluralism."

Two completely different worldviews and philosophies of rules had already begun the most direct and intense clash of ideas on this final stage, even before the official start of the battle!

"Absurd!" Before Michael could respond, a haughty team member behind him (Roland Plantagenet) couldn't help but sneer. "Inclusion? Harmony? It's nothing more than a whitewash for weakness and compromise! The Law of the Universe is the survival of the fittest. Only the strongest, purest, and most correct path can lead all living beings toward the light! Your hodgepodge of a 'civilization' is nothing but a prelude to chaos!"

In the audience, these two declarations had already caused a massive stir! Spectators who supported the Galactic Royal Academy and worshipped power and pure Order cheered in agreement, believing the Holy Dao was the orthodoxy and future of the Universe. Meanwhile, more spectators from diverse backgrounds, or those who held doubts about a single truth, were touched by Lin Zhou's "Civilizational Inclusion Theory," believing it better suited the diversity and developmental uncertainty of the Universe. The two ideological camps argued fiercely in the viewing channels, their Divine Thoughts intertwining, nearly evolving into another bloodless battle.

"Sophistry!" Michael finally spoke again. He raised a hand to stop his teammate, his golden eyes staring straight at Lin Zhou as the Holy Light became even more concentrated. "Inclusion often implies a weakness and lack of confidence at the core. Embracing a hundred rivers? If among those hundred rivers there are filthy and poisonous currents, and you embrace them all the same, would that not be self-destruction? Civilization needs a lighthouse; it needs unquestionable standards! The purity and exclusivity of the Holy is precisely to sift out the dregs, preserve the essence, and guide the lost lambs toward an unshakeable direction! Your 'civilization' sounds beautiful, but in reality, it is full of the risks of compromise and chaos. How can it deal with true darkness and evil?"

"Sifting out the dregs and preserving the essence—there is truth in those words." Lin Zhou was unhurried. Within the river of civilization, waves belonging to the Legalists' "Holding Names Responsible for Reality" and the Confucianists' "Distinguishing Right from Wrong" lit up. "However, what are dregs? What is essence? Who decides the standard? If the holiness of one school is used as the yardstick, will it mistakenly harm the jade of other mountains? Will it stifle the possibilities of the future?"

"True strength lies not in rejection and exclusion, but in possessing the ability to discern, absorb, and transform. Filthy and poisonous currents can be purified; alien thoughts can be analyzed and selected. Through the tempering of my civilization's fire and the measurement of my Hundred Schools' wisdom, we take the essence and discard the dregs, making them the nutrients for civilization's progress rather than simply and crudely dismissing them as heresy to be eliminated. This is called 'harmony without uniformity,' and 'being new every day, and yet again new.'"

"As for darkness and evil," Lin Zhou's gaze sharpened, and the imagery of Vast Righteous Qi and the thunder of Law within the long river surged violently. "Civilization naturally has its edge and iron rules! Against true, irredeemable darkness and evil, civilization will also draw its sword of punishment, using the strategies of the School of Military to quell chaos, the punishments of the Legalists to stop evil, and Vast Righteous Qi to cleanse the demonic Aura! But this sword is swung to protect the seed of civilization and the myriad of living beings, not to maintain a certain 'uniquely correct' dogma!"

"Boom—!"

As if provoked by Lin Zhou's final words, the Holy Light of the Angelic Divine Court phantom behind Michael flared up, and the river of civilization phantom behind Lin Zhou also became turbulent! The rule collision between the two suddenly intensified, and that patch of void actually burst with clearly visible rule-sparks of intertwined gold-white and pale purple-gold! Though they vanished in an instant, smoothed over by the arena's own rules, the sight of that momentary rule-clash was enough to shock the Souls of all spectators!

This was a conflict of philosophies, and even more, a mutual exclusion and probing of the essence of rules!

The Holy Light wanted to purify and rule everything.

The Fire of Civilization wanted to include, illuminate, and temper everything.

Between the two, there seemed to exist a fundamental, irreconcilable contradiction!

Michael gave Lin Zhou a deep look. For the first time, a trace of gravity flashed in those golden eyes, but more of it was a more blazing holy Battle Intent ignited by the challenge to his authority. He no longer engaged in verbal debate, but slowly withdrew part of the pressure from the divine court phantom, saying flatly: "A clash of philosophies must ultimately see the truth on the battlefield. I hope your 'Sword of Civilization' is sharp enough to withstand the holy fire of purification."

Lin Zhou also withdrew the river of civilization phantom and responded calmly: "I also hope your 'Holy Light' is broad enough to see the ten thousand possibilities of the path of civilization."

The pre-match debate ended in an atmosphere of tension and ideological opposition. Although no verbal winner was decided, the core contradictions and rule traits of both sides were now laid bare before everyone.

The host announced at the right time: "The exposition of philosophies is complete. Now, let the drawing for the first match of the finals begin!"

Everyone's hearts rose into their throats once again. The clash of philosophies was already so intense; how brutal would the actual battle be?

Lin Zhou knew clearly that this debate was not just for public opinion, but to strive for a potential slight inclination of the Pantheon Arena's rules in the upcoming battle—at the very least, to prevent his side from being easily judged as "heretics" and suffering excessive rule suppression. Judging from the intensity of the rule-spark collision just now, his "Way of Civilization" did not seem to be completely suppressed. This indicated that his philosophy had received some degree of "recognition" or at least "non-rejection" from this ancient arena.

This might just be a small but crucial advantage.

The first battle of the finals was about to begin.