361: Chapter 296: First Round of Elimination, a Cruel Selection of Ten Thousand to One Thousand

Morning light, or rather, the soft celestial light simulated by the Kronos Star Ring that carried the intent of all-world harmony, filtered through the translucent energy dome of the residence courtyard.

Lin Zhou stood before the miniature landscape specially arranged in the courtyard, which held the Concept of moss and flowing water, his eyes slightly closed. He was not merely viewing the scenery, but immersing his consciousness into his Divine Kingdom within, conducting the final adjustments and inspections before the tournament began.

Divine Kingdom Core Panel (Partial Real-time Data):

Name: Hundred Schools Divine Kingdom (Initial prototype)

Area: 350 square kilometers (280 land, 70 water and special terrain)

Core Buildings: Hundred Schools Temple (conceptual, between virtual and reality), Civilization Furnace (continuously operating), enlightenment tea tree (3 leaves produced daily), Jixia Academy (educational center), Temple of Law (Order core), Tiangong Workshop (R&D and manufacturing), Martial Temple Pointing Platform (military hub).

Total Population: approx. 850,000 (Literary Heart Elves 350,000, Tiangong Dwarves 250,000, Law Fishmen 200,000, 50,000 other affiliated and newborn races)

Average Rank: LV42 (Elite Legion average LV48, Hero units in the LV55-LV60 range)

Faith Output: approx. 920,000/day (slight fluctuations due to environmental changes)

Divine Power Reserves: 200,000/200,000 (Cap) (Yesterday's natural recovery + active conversion replenished to full)

Divine Rank: LV480 (Stable)

divine office: 【Education】 (Weak), 【Law】 (Weak) — Stable, binding with the civilization deepened.

river of civilization Status: Main trunk stable, tributaries (Confucian Order, Legalist Rules, Mohist Ingenuity, School of Military Slaughter, Daoist Nature, School of Agriculture Abundance, School of Medicine Vitality) clear, new "Sword Dao" tributary (Weak, derived from Shushan Legacy) flowing. The phantom of the river can now manifest partial power outside the Divine Kingdom, possessing the effect of purifying, bearing, and scouring rules.

Current Fusion Cards: 47/50 (3 card slots remaining). Core cards include: 【Spirit Spring (Blue)】, 【Griffin Cliff (Purple)】, 【Dragon Blood Secret Realm (Purple, deeply developed)】, 【Titan Skeleton (Purple, partially used for strengthening)】, 【enlightenment tea tree Seedling (Gold, special)】, 【Civilization Furnace Blueprint (Gold, self-derived)】, 【Shushan Sword Control Technique True Explanation · Fragment (Orange, Legacy type)】 etc.

Special Status/Buffs:

【Fire of Civilization · Light Purple】: Divine Power conversion efficiency optimized (1 Faith = 0.000105 Divine Power, slightly better than standard True God).

【Concept of Power】 (Weak): Physical attack effect +15% (derived from devouring Titan Divine Kingdom fragments).

【Void Realm Adaptation】 (Weak): The outer membrane of the Divine Kingdom can resist erosion from the Void Realm environment to a certain extent (derived from Void Realm divinity).

【Scroll of Civilization · Initial Mastery】: Strategic divine art, consumes greatly, effect is Heaven-Defying.

【God King divine office Fragment · Slowly Absorbing】: Current Fusion degree 1.7% (automatically absorbs about 0.01% daily, can be actively accelerated but consumes huge amounts and carries high risk).

Hundred Schools Battle Array · Basic Effect (Kin linkage within Divine Kingdom range): All attributes +28%~30%, skill linkage success rate +45%, morale constantly high, resistance to rule anomaly states significantly improved.

"Divine Kingdom status is good, the rule network is running smoothly, the kin's morale is full... reserves are sufficient." Lin Zhou recited silently in his heart, his consciousness sweeping across every key node of the Divine Kingdom. The Civilization Furnace burned quietly, using the base of about one million Faith per day to maintain the Divine Kingdom's basic operation while slowly accumulating a portion of "burst energy" for emergency maneuvers. On the enlightenment tea tree, three tender green leaves with pale gold patterns had just reached the standard for picking, and were collected by his intent and stored in a special jade box. The Sword Cultivator seedlings had already started their morning lessons in a specific "Sword Intent Forest." Although the Sword Qi was immature, it already carried a trace of unique "Civilization Sword Intent"—not pure slaughter, but containing multiple Concepts such as "protection," "slaying evil," and "clarifying reason."

He withdrew from introspection and opened his eyes. The divine light in his pupils was brilliant before returning to deep calm.

In the courtyard, all participating team members had assembled, dressed in uniform Star Sea battle robes, standing solemnly. After yesterday's final free activities and intelligence gathering, everyone's faces lacked the curiosity and tension of being newcomers, replaced by a bit more composure and sharpness. They had witnessed the myriad forms of the myriad races in the Universe and felt the omnipresent competition and prying Aura.

Su Yueyao stood slightly behind Lin Zhou, her moon-white divine robe making her skin look like jade, and a hint of imperceptible killing intent added to her cold temperament. Her Moon God Divine Domain was also adjusted to its best state; the moonlight was restrained, yet it had a mysterious resonance with Lin Zhou's Fire of Civilization.

Qin Qing pressed her hand on the sword hilt, and her Law divine office emitted a trace of inviolable Order fluctuations. Li Mo adjusted his glasses, the eyes behind the lenses flashing with data stream-like light, clearly deducing various contingency plans in his mind. Zhao Hao stretched his wrists, his Dragon Aura contained but not released, but the Battle Intent in his eyes was already burning. Other regular and substitute members were also in their positions, their Auras condensed.

"Everyone," Lin Zhou spoke, his voice not loud, but clearly transmitted to everyone's ears. "The 'Star Ring Trial,' or rather, the 'Endless Star Sea Elimination Battle,' is about to begin. You all know the rules: one million teams will be thrown into the simulated 'Endless Star Sea' environment. There are no fixed factions, no absolute safe zones, and we will attack each other to plunder points. In the end, only the top one thousand teams by points, or those who survive to the end, will advance."

His gaze swept over the crowd: "Our goal is not just to advance. It is to advance with the highest possible ranking and in the best possible condition. This means we need points and we need to fight, but we also need strategy and need to preserve our core strength to deal with the more difficult and complex schedule that follows."

"Initial strategy: Steady and steady, observe the environment, and choose a relatively favorable area to establish a temporary stronghold. Prioritize obtaining basic resource points, and choose engagement targets cautiously. Follow these principles for skirmishes: If you can win quickly and are sure to annihilate or severely damage the point-grabbers, fight; if you encounter unknown forces or those who might get entangled, avoid; if you encounter those whose ranking is significantly higher than ours or whose Aura is extremely dangerous, make maneuvering and detachment the top priority, and abandon non-core interests if necessary."

"Remember, this is a simulated Star Sea, but the damage is real. The loss of kin, the damage to the Divine Kingdom, and even the excessive consumption of Divine Power will be truly reflected and affect our subsequent matches. Do not be blinded by the temptation of temporary points."

"Team coordination is based on the established battle formation. Su Yueyao is responsible for long-range support, purification, and battlefield control; Qin Qing is responsible for maintaining battlefield Order and resisting rule pollution and mental control; Li Mo is responsible for technical cracking, mechanism setup, and battlefield information analysis; Zhao Hao, you lead the Dragon legion as the main assault and frontal containment force; other members, perform your respective duties and coordinate closely."

"Finally," Lin Zhou paused, his tone carrying a trace of iron-willed strength, "No matter what kind of enemy or desperate situation we face, remember who we are—we are the representatives of Xinghai University, the practitioners of Way of Civilization. Our strength comes from thought, from Legacy, and from unity. This battle, we must win!"

"We must win!" All members shouted in response, their momentum like a rainbow.

Just then, the participant identity crystal cards worn by everyone vibrated simultaneously, projecting a clear holographic announcement. At the same time, a grand, indifferent voice, as if woven from countless rules, sounded directly in the depths of every participant's mind:

【All-Universe Academy Championship · First Stage: Endless Star Sea Elimination Battle, officially begins.】

【Countdown: 10, 9, 8...】

【Teleportation initiated. Target: Simulated Dimension — Endless Star Sea (Number: XK-7749).】

The moment the countdown hit zero, Lin Zhou felt a strong distortion and pulling force in the space around him. The scene before his eyes blurred and shattered instantly, turning into countless streams of brilliant light. But this discomfort passed in a flash; his divine essence and the stable Divine Kingdom core immediately adapted to this cross-dimensional teleportation.

The next moment, the feeling of standing on solid ground came, but the touch was not soil or metal, but a special "ground" with slight elasticity, as if between virtual and reality.

The view before him suddenly opened up.

He was standing on a piece of "land" floating in the dark Void Realm. This land was not large, irregular and oval-shaped, with a diameter of about five kilometers. The surface was covered with sparse, faintly glowing moss-like plants and some strange, crystal-cluster-like minerals. Beyond the edge of the land was the endless dark Void Realm. In the distance, there were little stars (perhaps simulated), and further away were slowly rotating nebula-like light bands, as well as other floating lands of various sizes, broken building debris, and even asteroid-like objects.

The air (or environmental medium) was thin, but contained free energy of various attributes, just very thin and chaotic. The gravity was about 0.7 times the standard planetary gravity, and the direction was perpendicular to the land beneath his feet.

"Simulated Star Sea... It really lives up to its reputation." Lin Zhou quickly unfolded his Divine Thought, simultaneously linking his own Divine Kingdom. The Divine Kingdom did not fully descend, but was in a state of "semi-deployed, semi-hidden." The power of the core area (about fifty square kilometers) could be projected onto this temporarily occupied "initial platform," forming a "Divine Kingdom Domain Projection" under his control. Within the Domain, the rules were closer to his Hundred Schools Divine Kingdom, the environment was slightly optimized, and the kin could be summoned to fight, but the range and intensity were limited by the stability of the projection and the consumption of interaction with the local rules of the "Endless Star Sea."

Behind him, rays of light flashed, and other members of the Xinghai University representative team appeared one after another on this initial platform, not far from each other. Everyone quickly gathered, formed a defensive formation, and simultaneously unfolded their own Divine Kingdom Domain projections. Their Auras connected, faintly forming a larger joint Domain, covering the entire initial platform—this was one of the results of the special training, Domain coordination in a short time.

"Environmental scanning complete." Li Mo spoke first. His Divine Domain characteristics allowed him to analyze energy and matter extremely quickly. "The platform is solidified from some kind of high-density energy and rule fragments and can be used as a temporary base, but the resources themselves are barren (fluorescent moss energy level is low, crystal clusters contain trace amounts of various elemental systems). In the Void Realm environment, the rules are biased towards 'chaos' and 'void,' which has a certain suppression on our Order-side and life-side rules. Preliminary estimation is that our conventional combat power is about 92% - 95% of the normal level. A large number of platforms and other terrain units are detected in the distance. The nearest one is about eight hundred kilometers away, with weak life or energy reactions, and the intensity is unknown."

"Safe zone?" Qin Qing asked. Her Law Domain had already opened an invisible "Order Detection Net," alert to any abnormal disturbances at the rule level.

"No direct threat approaching for now." Lin Zhou sensed the interaction between the river of civilization and the environment. "But our arrival fluctuations may have already been sensed by other teams within a certain range. There is no absolute safe zone here."

"Leaderboard!" Zhao Hao summoned another interface projected by the identity crystal card.

I saw a huge, constantly scrolling virtual leaderboard floating in mid-air. The title at the top of the list was: 【Endless Star Sea Elimination Battle · Real-time Point Ranking (Top 10000 displayed)】.

At this moment, the list was almost blank. Only at the very top, behind a few dozen names, were small point numbers (single digits to double digits), and these names and points were still changing and alternating at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Obviously, a very small number of teams had already relied on luck or special abilities at the moment of arrival to discover "resource points" or "weak opponents" in the immediate vicinity, and quickly took action to obtain the initial points.

Xinghai University's name was not yet on the list. Initial points, zero.

"Ways to obtain points, in addition to defeating other teams and plundering 10% of their points, should also include exploring the map, occupying resource points, completing random tasks, etc." Su Yueyao analyzed calmly. "We must act as soon as possible to obtain initial points and find a more favorable stronghold. This initial platform does not have the value of long-term defense."

Lin Zhou nodded, his gaze cast into the depths of the Void Realm: "Li Mo, prioritize analyzing energy flow and relatively stable rule areas. Zhao Hao, send out your Swift Shadow Dragons to conduct short-range reconnaissance in four directions, and be careful to hide. Qin Qing, maintain Order detection, especially paying attention to whether there are hidden rule traps or prying Spells. Others, set up simple early warning and defense measures on the spot, and try to perform shallow assimilation with the platform under your feet to see if you can extract a small amount of resources or information."

Orders were quickly issued, and the team operated efficiently.

Several precise compass-like instrument phantoms appeared around Li Mo, the pointers spinning rapidly; Zhao Hao let out a low roar, and three Swift Shadow Dragons with smaller bodies and scales whose colors were almost integrated with the Void Realm flew out from his Domain void, skimming towards different directions silently; Qin Qing unfolded a pale gold Law array under her feet, and thin lines of rules spread outward; other members used their own means, some scattered shimmering alert spores, some constructed simple rune stone pillars, and Lin Zhou himself also drew a wisp of Fire of Civilization, infiltrating the platform under his feet, trying to parse its composition.

Ten minutes later, the first batch of information was fed back.

"In the northeast direction, about 1,200 kilometers away, relatively strong and relatively stable water element and life energy gathering was detected, suspected to be a medium-sized resource point, but there are at least three different energy reaction sources nearby. It is very likely that teams have already approached or occupied it." Li Mo reported.

"To the due west, at that platform 800 kilometers away, the energy reaction suddenly fluctuated violently, then rapidly decayed... A battle may have broken out, and one side was quickly eliminated." One of Zhao Hao's Shadow Raptors sent back fragmented, blurry images: a collision where light flashed and vanished.

"To the southeast, the rules are relatively stable, but there is a large-scale energy turbulence zone in the distance; it could contain risks, but it might also hide opportunities."

"To the northwest... no special findings for now; the Void Realm is relatively 'clean'."

"Results from the platform's shallow assimilation," Lin Zhou said, retracting the Fire of Civilization, "I extracted trace amounts of 'Chaos Crystal Dust' (very low quality; about 100 kilograms can refine 0.1 units of standard chaotic energy), as well as some fragmented, meaningless rule information. The value is very low."

Just then, Qin Qing suddenly hissed: "Detected a high-speed approaching rule disturbance! Three o'clock direction, about 400 kilometers away, approaching rapidly! Target... one, but the energy reaction intensity is very high, at least at the Peak of Lesser Divinity, and it carries strong 'Devour' and 'Corrosion' characteristics!"

Everyone instantly went on alert.

"Can you identify the race or academy?" Lin Zhou asked, his gaze already cast in that direction. In the Void Realm, a speck of dark red light was rapidly enlarging in their field of vision.

"The rule characteristics lean towards... Abyss or Void Realm mutated races, specifically unknown. The hostility is obvious; it's coming straight for us!" Qin Qing's speaking speed increased, "Extremely fast, contact expected in two minutes!"

"Prepare for battle!" Lin Zhou's eyes narrowed, "It seems we've been taken for a 'soft persimmon'. Very well, let's use this first battle to claim our initial points and also test the depth of this 'Endless Star Sea'!"

With a thought, the phantom of the river of civilization faintly emerged behind him. Although not fully unfolded, its surging, eternal Concept had already permeated the area. The phantom of the Hundred Schools Temple loomed vaguely at the source of the river.

Moonlight flowed around Su Yueyao, and a moon blade with restrained brilliance condensed in her hand. Qin Qing's Law longsword unsheathed half an inch, a chilling Aura of slaughter emanating from it. Zhao Hao grinned, and a massive Red Dragon phantom reared its head and roared behind him. Beside Li Mo, several uniquely shaped mechanical Puppets stepped out from the Void Realm, their eyes flashing with red light. The other team members also took their positions, their Battle Intent rising.

The dark red light drew closer, and they could now see its true form—it was not a ship or aircraft, but a hideous, colossal monster!

It was over a hundred meters long, shaped like an infinitely magnified, dark red worm with bat-like wings and a scorpion tail. Its body was covered in a carapace that constantly writhed and secreted corrosive mucus. Its head was a giant maw filled with spiral teeth; it had no eyes, but emitted intense Mental Energy fluctuations, locking onto the platform where the Xinghai University team was located. Its method of flight was not simple physical propulsion; instead, it was surrounded by dark red energy vortices, constantly devouring the surrounding Void Realm energy to propel itself forward.

【Void Devourer (Mutant)】 Estimated Rank: LV470 - LV490 (Lesser Divinity High-Stage - Peak) Rule Tendency: Void Realm, Devour, Corrosion, Chaos Characteristic Perception: High mobility, powerful physical/energy devouring, mental pollution Aura, high magic resistance of the carapace, weakness is the relatively poor resistance to "Order" and "Extremely Pure Energy". Note: Common in dangerous Void Realm areas or planes contaminated by the Abyss; mostly wild monsters or the war beasts/familiars of certain Abyss or Void Realm faction gods. This one's size and energy intensity far exceed the norm; it is likely the core war unit or special summoned creature of a contestant.

"It's not an independent monster; it has a master!" Lin Zhou judged instantly. In this simulated Star Sea, the possibility of such a powerful wild monster locking onto them as its first target was low; it was more likely driven by another contestant!

Sure enough, behind the head of the "Void Devourer," a blurry figure stood upon its carapace. The person was shrouded in a layer of twisted shadows, their exact appearance unclear, but the divine fluctuations they emitted were cold and greedy. Their gaze swept over the Xinghai University team like a physical presence, lingering for a moment on Lin Zhou, as if sensing the "rich foundation" within him that differed from ordinary gods.

"Tsk, good luck, just got in and already ran into a flock of 'academic' little fat sheep... Fifteenth place? Hmph, ranking doesn't represent strength! Hand over your initial points and a portion of your divine Origin obediently, and perhaps you can suffer a little less!" A hoarse, accented mental thought directly bombarded the outer layer of Xinghai University's joint Domain, filled with malice.

Clearly, the opponent regarded Xinghai University as an "academic" team that could be easily manipulated and whose ranking was falsely high. This tactic of relying on powerful individual units in the Early Stages to quickly hunt down weaker teams and snowball points was not uncommon in melee mode.

"You want points?" Lin Zhou stepped forward, his voice calm yet clearly transmitted through the Domain, "Then come and take them yourself."

Before the words even faded, he pressed his fingers together like a sword and pointed forward!

"Confucian Righteousness, ward off evil spirits!"

"Legalist Edicts, define illegality!"

In an instant, two invisible forces burst from his fingertips and merged into the surrounding Domain.

A clear, grand white halo, full of the essence of Education and Order, spread out from Lin Zhou; this was the 【Vast Righteous Qi Domain】 manifested from Confucian thought!

Wherever the Domain passed, the mental pollution Aura of the Void Devourer melted and retreated rapidly like snow meeting the sun, hissing as it vanished, and even the activity of the corrosive mucus on its carapace visibly decreased. Its weakness to "Order"-side resistance was instantly targeted!

At the same time, an invisible, pale golden net composed of countless dense legal texts quietly opened, enveloping the Void Devourer and the controller on its back. This was the 【Net of Law · Definition Domain】 manifested from Legalist thought!

Within the range of this net, Lin Zhou, relying on the principles of civilization, temporarily defined "unauthorized devouring behavior" and "malicious looting against inheritors of civilization" as "illegal" in this place!

The moment the definition took effect, the Void Devourer's giant maw, which was just about to open, suddenly froze, and the devouring energy vortex around its body showed signs of disorder, as if it had been subjected to some invisible "rule repulsion." The shadow figure on its back also let out a muffled groan, feeling their Divine Power circulation stagnate for an instant, and the mental link with the Devourer was interfered with!

"What?!" The existence within the shadows was shocked and furious. He had not expected the opponent's reaction to be so swift and their methods so bizarre, capable of directly interfering with his core abilities and rules!

"Now!" Lin Zhou hissed.

"Moonlight · Stagnation!" Su Yueyao acted; a cold, bright moonlight arrived first despite being cast later. It was not an attack, but transformed into a viscous moonlight force field, enveloping the Void Devourer's massive body, causing its movements to slow down significantly for a beat!

"Law · Judgment!" Qin Qing drew her longsword, and a brilliant golden sword light tore through the Void Realm, striking precisely at the relatively vulnerable area where the Devourer's head connected to its body. The sword light contained the Legalist will that "those who violate Order shall be punished," granting an extra damage bonus against its chaotic attributes!

"Giant Dragon Roar!" Zhao Hao and the Red Dragon phantom behind him roared simultaneously. A visible sound wave, mixed with dragon might and a trace of "martial virtue" imbued by civilization, bombarded the Devourer's mental plane, causing its already interfered-with mental link to shake even more!

"Mechanical Chains · Bind!" The several mechanical Puppets controlled by Li Mo simultaneously fired special alloy chains engraved with anti-magic and stabilization runes, wrapping around the Devourer's meat wings and arthropod joints!

The first wave of coordination was seamless, precisely striking the flaw the opponent revealed due to their rules being interfered with!

The Void Devourer let out a painful hiss, its body twisting violently as it tried to break free from the chains and the moonlight force field. The shadow controller desperately channeled their Divine Power, trying to stabilize the link and launch a counterattack.

But would Lin Zhou give him the chance?

"School of Military · Swift as the Wind!" Lin Zhou moved his mind again, and the Hundred Schools Battle Array effect was triggered. The speed of all familiars and hero units participating in the attack suddenly increased by nearly 100%! The attacks, which were already tightly connected, now turned into a dazzling storm of light and shadow!

"Mohist School · Armor-Piercing Explosive Bolt!" The ballista positions (part of the Domain projection) operated by the Tiangong Dwarves fired special giant bolts with rotating arrowheads engraved with "Armor-Piercing" and "Energy Dissipation" runes, slamming them into the gaps of the Devourer's carapace!

"Sword Cultivator · Green Lotus Blooms!" Under Lin Zhou's instruction, several newly class-changed civilization Sword Cultivators (transformed from Literary Heart Elves) joined forces to activate the Shushan Sword Technique. A slightly immature yet righteous cyan sword lotus bloomed on the Devourer's abdomen. While the Sword Qi was not seasoned, it excelled in attribute suppression and surprise!

"Roar—!" The Void Devourer finally suffered heavy damage; a large hole was blown open in its abdomen by the sword lotus, and dark red flesh and energy fluid gushed out. Bound by chains and pierced by arrows in many places, its movements became increasingly sluggish. The shadow controller on its back had wildly fluctuating Auras; clearly, the backlash was severe.

"No... impossible! What kind of power is this?!" He was terrified and began to consider retreating.

"Want to leave?" Lin Zhou's eyes were cold. The phantom of the river of civilization suddenly shook, and an even more magnificent, ancient will descended. "Too late. river of civilization · Cleansing!"

A phantom of pale golden river water, not surging, yet seemingly containing the power of countless years of civilization, flowed out from the river of civilization and washed over the Void Devourer and its controller.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, but the shadow figure let out a shrill scream. He felt his own Divine Power, divinity, and even his comprehension of rules related to the Abyss/Void Realm being "washed" and "purified" by this strange force! It was like dirt being washed away by clean water! And the Void Devourer was like a snowman thrown into lava, its massive body rapidly melting and disintegrating under the washing of the river water!

【Detected the defeat of an enemy contestant unit (main familiar/summoned creature).】

【Calculating point looting... Opponent's original points: 85.】

【Your team gained points: 8.5 (10%).】

【Current points: 8.5.】

【Xinghai University ranking rose to: 97,435th.】

Almost the instant the prompt sounded, the shadow figure made a decisive decision. With a roar, he actively severed most of his connection with the almost completely purified Void Devourer, transformed himself into a dim blood-red light, and fled frantically into the distance! He even sacrificed part of his Origin!

Lin Zhou did not pursue. Do not chase a desperate foe, especially when the situation in the Early Stages is unclear. The opponent had suffered heavy damage and would be unable to pose a threat in the short term, and the direction of their flight was not an area his team planned to explore.

In less than five minutes, the battle was over.

Xinghai University had no serious injuries, only a small consumption of Divine Power and Mental Energy. At the cost of near-zero damage, they annihilated a Void Realm giant beast nearing the Peak of Lesser Divinity, scared off its controller, and secured their first points.

On the platform, the residual corrosive mucus and chaotic energy quickly dissipated and were purified under the lingering influence of the Vast Righteous Qi and the river of civilization.

The team members breathed a slight sigh of relief, but did not let down their guard.

"The opponent's strength was not weak; they were just caught off guard by our information advantage and suppressed by our rules," Lin Zhou summarized, "But this also exposed some of our methods. Next, we need to be more cautious."

He looked at the leaderboard. Xinghai University's name had appeared in the 90,000s, with 8.5 points. At the top of the leaderboard, points had already reached hundreds or even thousands; the first-place team was clearly "Honghuang Academy," with a massive 1,870 points! It was unknown how many teams they had defeated or if they had discovered high-value resource points.

"The ranking rose quickly, but there is still a huge gap to the top 1,000," Su Yueyao said.

"The competition for that resource point in the northeast direction seems to have become more intense," Li Mo reminded, as he monitored that the energy reactions there were becoming increasingly chaotic.

"Our next step?" Zhao Hao looked at Lin Zhou, his Battle Intent still burning.

Lin Zhou pondered for a moment, his gaze cast towards the relatively stable area to the southeast, which had energy turbulence in the distance.

"Change of plans. The northeast direction has become a quagmire of melee combat, and it's not advisable to get involved in the Early Stages. A battle just broke out to the due west, and there may still be residual dangers or observers. No findings in the northwest direction."

"We are going to the southeast," Lin Zhou made his decision, "The rules there are relatively stable, which is favorable for us. The energy turbulence zone in the distance could be a risk, but it could also be an opportunity, or more likely... a relatively 'blank area' that other teams are unwilling to easily step into. We will fight steadily, move towards there first, clean up small groups of enemies along the way, occupy low-intensity resource points, and steadily improve our points and strength."

"Agreed." Su Yueyao nodded. The others had no objections.

"Regroup and prepare; we depart in ten minutes. Zhao Hao, have the Shadow Raptors expand the reconnaissance range, focusing on exploring the southeast path. Li Mo, continue to monitor the overall energy trends. Qin Qing, maintain the Order reconnaissance. Everyone else, be ready to fight at any time."

The Xinghai University team, like a waking, steady, and precise Dragon, began to quietly cruise in the direction they had chosen within this simulated, cruel Endless Star Sea.

The first victory was just the beginning.

The cruel selection process of one in a million, the volatile leaderboard, and the countless opponents hidden in the starlight and darkness all spoke of the fact that this path of advancement was destined to be filled with thorns and bloodshed.

But Lin Zhou's steps were firm and composed. The Fire of Civilization had already ignited its first spark in the Star Sea.