354: Chapter 289: Senior Year Planning, Preparations for the Universal Competition

Xinghai University, East District, the newly completed "Hundred Schools Society Hall."

This was a fifty-acre architectural complex that combined classical solemnity with modern functionality. The main hall, a replica of the "Temple of Civilization," stood majestically, surrounded by side halls and functional buildings in various styles—the elegant "Wen Hua Hall," the solemn "Law Pavilion," the "Tian Gong Institute" with faint sounds of mechanisms, the "Military Strategy Mansion" filled with sand tables, the "Hundred Herbs Pavilion" permeated with the scent of medicine... Between the buildings were pavilions, terraces, bridges, and flowing water, with Spiritual Qi permeating the air. A miniature projection of the river of civilization acted as a landscape water System running through it, creating an overall atmosphere that was grand, yet lively and profound.

Here was the new headquarters of the Hundred Schools Society, the face of Xinghai University's university-level strategic club, and also the core base for Lin Zhou to prepare for the "Universal Academy Tournament" in the coming year.

At this moment, on the "Discussing the Dao Plaza" in the center of the academy, more than two thousand people were densely gathered. These were all official members of the society, the lowest of whom were at the Peak of demigodhood, with True Gods everywhere. Among them were many Lesser Divinity backbones with steady auras and sharp gazes. Everyone was dressed in a uniform, moon-white robe embroidered with simple Hundred Schools patterns, standing solemnly, their eyes focused on the high platform in front of the plaza.

On the high platform, Lin Zhou stood with his hands behind his back. He was not wearing a military uniform or casual clothes today; he was also wearing a moon-white society robe, which made his figure appear even more upright and his temperament as deep as an abyss. The dark golden [Special Merit Medal] on his chest was not worn on the outside, but its invisible honor and pressure had long been integrated into the consciousness of everyone present. Su Yueyao and Qin Qing stood half a step behind him on the left and right, like his most solid left and right arms.

Below the stage, in the front row were core hall masters like Li Mo and Zhao Hao (who had temporarily stepped away from Family affairs to return), as well as top talents in various fields selected from the junior, senior, and even some outstanding sophomore years. Everyone's eyes were filled with eagerness, anticipation, and a hint of undisguised excitement.

They all knew that the coming year would determine the position of Xinghai University and each of them on the cosmic stage, and the person standing on the stage would be the absolute core leading them into battle.

"Fellow students." Lin Zhou spoke, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching every corner of the plaza, carrying a convincing, calm power. "At the beginning of our senior year, we gather here. For the past three years, we have struggled, starting from nothing, making the name of the 'Hundred Schools' resound across the Star Sea and first appear in the Galaxy."

His gaze swept over the familiar or unfamiliar faces below the stage, seeing determination and longing.

"But this is far from enough." Lin Zhou's tone shifted, suddenly becoming passionate and full of pressure. "Beyond the Star Sea, there is the Galaxy; beyond the Galaxy, there is the boundless Universe! There, there are ancient Legacies spanning billions of years, eternal Divine Courts condensed by faith, contract academies dancing with the Abyss, and mechanical civilizations ruled by logic... Ten thousand races compete, and Prodigies rise! And the 'Way of Civilization' that we hold, if we want to gain a foothold among them, if we want to make our Human Race and the name of our Star Sea resound throughout the Universe, what do we rely on?"

He paused for a moment to let everyone digest this grand proposition.

"It is not by empty talk, not by Luck, and certainly not by closing our doors to build a cart!" Lin Zhou's voice was resolute. "We rely on strength! On the tempering of iron and blood! On the clash of wisdom and courage! On the victory gained after struggling on the verge of failure countless times!"

"And the upcoming 'Universal Academy Tournament' is the first, and most important, cosmic-level test we face! It is not only a battle for honor, but also a battle for resources, a battle for Luck, and a battle to pave the road for the future!"

"For this reason," Lin Zhou's voice turned steady, yet carried unquestionable decisiveness, "I announce that starting from today, the Hundred Schools Society will enter a one-year 'Tournament Preparation Special Training Period'! As captain, I will integrate all the resources of the society and formulate the most rigorous and effective special training plan. There is only one goal—"

He slowly raised his right hand and clenched his fist.

"Sweep away all enemies and reach the pinnacle of the Universe!"

"Roar—!!"

Below the stage, more than two thousand society members, regardless of grade or strength, felt their blood boil at this moment, an unprecedented cohesion and fighting spirit ignited! They shouted in unison, the sound like thunder, echoing over the academy, startling the spirit birds on the eaves.

This was prestige! This was the charm of a leader! After the battle of the Ancient Battlefield, slaying a Mid-Tier Divine Power, and receiving a Special Merit Medal, Lin Zhou's prestige and authority in the society and at Xinghai University had reached a Peak!

In the time that followed, Lin Zhou did not waste words and began deployment directly.

He first appointed the core command team for the special training period:

Commander-in-Chief/Tactics Formulation: Lin Zhou (concurrently serving as the Chief Instructor of Divine Kingdom Warfare).

Deputy Commander/Intelligence and Logistics: Su Yueyao (responsible for intelligence analysis, resource allocation, and external liaison).

Deputy Commander/Discipline and Internal Affairs: Qin Qing (responsible for special training discipline, internal rewards and punishments, and rule safety).

Research and Training Director: Li Mo (responsible for developing targeted technologies, equipment, and cracking plans, and in charge of "Multi-Civilization Rule Confrontation" simulation training).

Combat Training Director: Zhao Hao (responsible for "Team Limit Coordination" and actual combat confrontation training, coordinating various combat sequences).

Hall Masters of each hall: Responsible for personnel management, specialized skill training, and assessment within their own halls.

Subsequently, Lin Zhou announced the preliminary special training outline, the core of which was the three major blocks mentioned in the summary, but more refined, specific, and full of challenges:

1. Divine Kingdom Warfare Simulation (Individual and Squad Level)

Goal: Master the ability to use the Divine Kingdom as a mobile war fortress for offense, defense, raids, support, and protracted warfare; optimize the war mobilization mechanism and resource conversion efficiency within the Divine Kingdom.

Content:

Fortress-style Transformation: Under the leadership of Li Mo's Tian Gong Institute, targeted reinforcement and functional transformation will be carried out on the Divine Kingdoms of core society members (especially the tournament reserve team). Key points include:

Enhancing Divine Kingdom Power/Mobility: Develop [Civilization Furnace] optimization plans or alternative energy cores adapted to different Divine Kingdom characteristics to improve the movement speed and flexibility of the Divine Kingdom. Lin Zhou will open up some underlying principles of the [Civilization Ark Engine] for reference.

Constructing a Multi-layered Defense System: Combining Mohist Mechanisms, Legalist Net of Law, Daoist Formation, and School of Military fortifications, building a three-dimensional defense line from outer energy barriers, mid-section rule interference, to core absolute defense. Drawing on research progress on the remains of the [heaven-guarding shield].

Developing Internal Attack/Support Platforms in the Divine Kingdom: Such as the Civilization Elves' [Words as Law] amplification towers, Creation Dwarves' ultra-long-range rune cannon arrays, Legalist Heaven Constitution Envoy's rule judgment anchors, etc.

Virtual Combat Drill: Using the [Heavens Battlefield Simulation System (Myth-level item partial permissions)] provided by the academy to set up various extreme environments (Void Realm, deep sea, lava, thunderstorms, rule chaos zones, etc.) and imaginary enemies (insect swarms, mechanical legions, undead disasters, elemental lords, trickster pantheons, etc.) to conduct high-intensity Divine Kingdom attack and defense confrontation drills.

Extreme Stress Testing: Simulating extreme situations such as continuous rule erosion, resource blockade, internal rebellion, and multi-faceted siege on the Divine Kingdom to exercise the Divine Lord's adaptability and the resilience of the Divine Kingdom System.

2. Multi-Civilization Rule Confrontation (Individual Adaptability and Team Strategy)

Goal: Improve the ability to understand, adapt to, crack, and even reverse-utilize the rules of alien civilizations; develop specialized tactics and "rule weapons" aimed at different civilization Systems.

Content:

Rule Database Construction: Led by Su Yueyao and assisted by Qin Qing, extensively collect and organize information on the rule characteristics, common divine arts, follower characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses of major powerful civilizations in the known Universe (Honghuang Immortal Dao, eternal divine arts, Abyss contract, mechanical logic, Zerg evolution, elemental dominion, undead stillness, etc.), and establish a dynamically updated "Ten Thousand Civilization Rule Archive."

Specialized Simulation Training: In the simulation System, set up battlefield environments highly compatible with specific civilization rules, allowing team members to experience rule suppression firsthand, and try to use the Hundred Schools of Thought to find a way to break the situation. For example:

Countering the "Holy Unique" rule, try to use Daoist "All Laws are Natural" and School of Names "Conjoining Differences" to confuse and disintegrate.

Countering the "Absolute Logic" rule, try to use Mohist "Logic Bomb" and School of Miscellaneous "All Rivers Run into the Sea" to create paradoxes or inclusive interference.

Countering the "Abyss Erosion" rule, try to use Confucian "Vast Righteous Qi" and Legalist "Net of Law" to purify and define.

"Civilization Resonator" Practical Application: Li Mo reported that based on some inspiration and remnant civilization technology fragments obtained from the Ancient Battlefield, the [Civilization Resonator (Prototype)] previously gifted to Lin Zhou had been significantly upgraded. The new model could more effectively share rule insights within the team, temporarily unify rule cognition, and collaboratively launch joint divine arts based on specific thoughts. This would be a key piece of equipment for dealing with complex rule environments and needs to be tested and mastered urgently.

Development of Characteristic "Rule Weapons/Skills": Encourage each hall to develop "special effect" methods against specific civilization rules based on their own specialties. For example, the School of Medicine develops "pheromone bombs against the Zerg Queen's neural network," and the School of Military develops "oscillating battle Formations that crack the resonance frequency of elemental life cores," etc.

3. Team Limit Coordination (Five to Ten-Person Squad Collaborative Combat)

Goal: Hone a top-tier combat team capable of seamless connection, complementary shortcomings, and exerting 1+1 > N efficacy in the cosmic-level tournament; clarify the positioning and responsibilities of each member in the team.

Content:

Positioning Refinement and Responsibility Division: Based on the maximum size of the participating team (usually 5-10 main members + a number of substitutes), pre-set multiple tactical positions, such as: Core Output/Crowd Control (Lin Zhou), High-speed Assault/Breach (Zhao Hao type), Long-range Support/Rule Interference (Su Yueyao type), Defense Core/Position Maintenance (needs selection), Intelligence Reconnaissance/Battlefield Control (needs selection), Logistics Support/Emergency Treatment (needs selection), etc. Preliminary positioning and specialized reinforcement will be carried out according to the characteristics of the members.

Deepening the Hundred Schools Battle Formation: Based on the previously developed [Hundred Schools Battle Formation] (Confucian Soul, Legalist Bone, Military Form, Mohist Instrument), further develop Formations and combo techniques suitable for different scales (three, five, seven, ten people) and different combat conditions (encounter, assault, defense, retreat). Emphasize the unification of thought and resonance of Divine Power.

Extreme Environment Coordination Training: Set up various environments unfavorable for cooperation in the simulation System (such as communication silence, Divine Power interference, vision obscuration, random teleportation/separation, etc.), forcing team members to rely on tacit understanding, rehearsed tactics, and emergency plans to conduct collaborative combat.

High-Intensity Gauntlet/Melee: Organize internal society or invite strong teams from other academies to conduct continuous gauntlet or chaotic melee battles to temper the team members' coordination and survival ability under sustained high pressure and complex enemy situations.

In addition to these three core special training contents, Lin Zhou also announced the resource guarantee plan:

Credits and Resource Pool: Society A-level resource permissions, academy rewards, and voluntary contributions from some members will jointly form the "Tournament Preparation Resource Pool," prioritized for the tournament reserve team and those with excellent performance in special training, to be used for exchanging precious potions, temporary upgrade cards, repairing Divine Kingdom damage, etc.

Expert Guidance: Lin Zhou will use his own permissions (including part of the exchange rights of the Special Merit Medal) to invite strong individuals inside and outside the academy (including military generals, academy academicians, retired old professors, etc.) to give special lectures or one-on-one guidance from time to time.

Internal Selection and Elimination: A strict point and assessment System will be implemented during the special training, with regular internal ranking matches and comprehensive evaluations to ensure that the final team representing Xinghai University is the most top-tier and tacitly understood.

After the deployment, the plaza was solemn, and everyone felt the heavy responsibility on their shoulders and the challenges to come.

"Special training will officially start at the hour of the dragon tomorrow." Lin Zhou finally said, his eyes like electricity. "I hope that one year from today, everyone standing here will be worthy of the name 'Hundred Schools' and can proudly represent Star Sea and step onto that cosmic-level battlefield!"

"Now, dismissed! Each hall master take your people, get familiar with the academy facilities, and receive the preliminary training plan!"

The crowd dispersed in an orderly manner, but that high fighting spirit and tension permeated the entire Hundred Schools Society Hall.

On the high platform, Su Yueyao walked to Lin Zhou's side and said softly: "The plan is very comprehensive, and the pressure is also very high. You... also need to pay attention to rest."

Lin Zhou nodded and looked at her: "Yue Yao, the intelligence and resources part is crucial, especially the information about the seed teams of other top academies. I will leave it to you."

"Don't worry." A flash of determination appeared in Su Yueyao's cold, clear eyes.

Qin Qing also stepped forward: "Leave discipline and safety to me. I will ensure that the special training ground is a place for tempering, not a place for meaningless consumption."

Li Mo rubbed his hands, his eyes behind his glasses shining with excitement: "Boss, the upgrade packs for the simulation System and resonator are ready, just waiting for you to activate the highest permission test! And those rule weapon concepts, they are so interesting!"

Zhao Hao was rubbing his hands: "Leave the actual combat confrontation to me! I guarantee that I will train those kids until they peel a layer of skin, but also train them into real gold!"

Looking at this group of reliable partners by his side, Lin Zhou was full of confidence.

He looked up at the vast starry sky simulated on the dome of the academy, as if he had already seen the magnificent arena that gathered geniuses from all over the Universe.

One year is tight.

But, it is enough for them to sharpen their edge to the sharpest, and to burn the Fire of Civilization to the brightest!

The cosmic debut of the The Way of the Hundred Schools will surely be earth-shattering!

Appendix: Lin Zhou / Xinghai University Tournament Reserve Team Initial Core Data Reference (Beginning of Senior Year):

Captain - Lin Zhou: LV420 (Peak Lesser Divinity actual combat power), Divine Kingdom 320km², river of civilization manifested, god-king fragment Fusion, Special Merit Medal.

Deputy Captain - Su Yueyao: LV398 (High-stage Lesser Divinity), Bloodline of the Moon God refined, intelligence, purification, long-range support specialization.

Deputy Captain - Qin Qing: LV385 (High-stage Lesser Divinity), divine office of Law deepened, defense, crowd control, rule definition specialization.

Core - Li Mo: LV375 (Mid-stage Lesser Divinity), Mechanical Goblins / Mohist Mechanisms Dual Cultivation, R&D, cracking, logistics support specialization.

Core - Zhao Hao: LV388 (High-stage Lesser Divinity), dragon divine domain (mutated through the influence of Way of Civilization), frontal assault, high-speed assault specialization.

Other reserve team members (candidates, about 20 people): Average Rank LV350 - LV370, covering defense, healing, reconnaissance, special rules, etc., requiring selection through special training.

The journey officially begins.