412: Chapter 347: The Cauldron Refines All Things, and the Ideologies of a Hundred Schools of Thought are

At the mouth of the qiankun tripod, the golden light of refinement slowly receded.

However, the cauldron was not put away.

Pan Qian stood atop Mount Buzhou, his hands resting lightly on either side of the cauldron's body. His golden pupils reflected the surging river of civilization within. His expression was no longer calm, but carried an unprecedented focus—one might even call it obsession.

Because he was doing something he had never done before.

He wasn't refining Lin Zhou; he was analyzing the river of civilization.

[qiankun tripod · Special Mode — Rule Analysis]

- Effect: Reduces the "refinement" speed of the target to the minimum while deeply analyzing its rule composition.

- Current Target: river of civilization (The core manifestation of Lin Zhou's Way of Civilization)

- Analysis Progress: 3%... 7%... 12%...

- For every 1% increase in analysis progress, river of civilization stability decreases by 3%.

- Estimated Time for Full Analysis: Approximately thirty minutes (if Lin Zhou does not resist).

“Pan Qian is analyzing our river of civilization!” Li Mo's synthesized voice carried a rare sense of urgency. “He doesn't want to refine the Captain; he wants to comprehend Way of Civilization!”

Qin Qing's face instantly turned pale.

Comprehending Way of Civilization—this meant Pan Qian wanted to find the flaws in the river of civilization.

“We can't let him continue!” Qin Qing grit her teeth. “Everyone, attack the qiankun tripod!”

Wang Meng and Zhao Hao struck simultaneously.

The giant claws of the Behemoth Legion and the Dragon's Dragon Breath landed on the body of the qiankun tripod at the same time.

But the cauldron remained completely motionless.

[qiankun tripod · Defensive State]

- Current Defense: Can withstand full-strength attacks from Mid-Tier Divine Power Peak (Ineffective below LV600).

- Wang Meng's Attack Power: LV520 (Insufficient)

- Zhao Hao's Attack Power: LV480 (Insufficient)

- Effect: None

“Our attacks can't even break through its defense!” Wang Meng roared.

“Then attack Pan Qian himself!” Qin Qing changed her strategy.

The chains of the Net of Law reached out, attempting to entwine Pan Qian. But behind Pan Qian, the pressure from Mount Buzhou suddenly intensified, shaking off the chains.

[Mount Buzhou · Pressure Enhancement]

- Effect: All attributes of enemy units within range -35%.

- Net of Law Stability: Decreased by 40%.

“It's no use, we can't get close!” Zhao Hao's Dragon was suppressed by the pressure, making even flight difficult.

Qin Qing's expression grew more and more grim.

She looked toward the qiankun tripod; inside, the light of the river of civilization was slowly weakening. It wasn't because it was being refined, but because it was being "analyzed"—for every bit analyzed, the river's stability dropped, and the fragments of civilization within the water began to grow blurred and chaotic.

[river of civilization · Status]

- Water Level: 35%

- Stability: 82% (Decreases by 3% per 1% analyzed; current progress 12%, stability decreased by 36%)

- Current Stability: 64% (Continuing to drop)

- Estimated Time for Total Collapse: Approximately twenty minutes (if analysis continues).

“Captain...” Qin Qing murmured.

Inside the cauldron, Lin Zhou felt the "pain" of the river.

Those flowing fragments of civilization—Great Yu Taming the Floods, Confucius Traveling the States, Qu Yuan Chanting by the River—were being "read," "disassembled," and "analyzed" by an invisible force. It wasn't destruction, but understanding.

This feeling was even more terrifying than being refined.

Because being refined was merely "disappearing," while being analyzed was "being seen through."

“Pan Qian...” Lin Zhou grit his teeth. “You want to read Way of Civilization?”

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the unease in his heart.

“Then I'll let you read it.”

He let go of his protection over the river, allowing the power of analysis to penetrate.

[Analysis Progress: 15%... 18%... 22%...]

- river of civilization Stability: 64%... 58%... 52%...

“What is the Captain doing?” Wang Meng cried out. “He's actively letting go of his defenses!”

“He's... gambling.” A flash of realization crossed Qin Qing's eyes. “He's gambling that Pan Qian won't be able to understand Way of Civilization.”

“Won't understand? Isn't he analyzing it right now?”

“Analysis is not the same as understanding.” Qin Qing shook her head. “You can analyze a poem's meter, vocabulary, and allusions, but you might not necessarily understand the poet's emotions. Way of Civilization is the same.”

Inside the cauldron.

Pan Qian's analytical power had already penetrated the core region of the river of civilization.

He "saw" it—Great Yu Taming the Floods, passing his own home three times without entering.

“Is this... sacrifice?”

He "saw" it—Confucius traveling through the various states, besieged and starving between Chen and Cai, yet still playing his lute and singing without cease.

“Is this... persistence?”

He "saw" it—Qu Yuan chanting by the marsh's edge, sighing, "The road ahead is long and far-reaching, I shall seek high and low for my goal."

“Is this... seeking?”

He "saw" it—Su Wu Herding Sheep at the North Sea, holding his staff of office for nineteen years without yielding.

“Is this... integrity?”

He "saw" it—Wen Tianxiang passing through the Lingding Sea, leaving behind the words, "Since ancient times, who has escaped death? Let my loyal heart shine in the annals of history."

“Is this... righteousness?”

Fragment after fragment of civilization flashed through his consciousness like a revolving lantern. Each fragment contained a kind of "spirit"—sacrifice, persistence, seeking, integrity, righteousness, benevolence, universal love, rule of law, nature, martial valor...

Taken individually, these spirits weren't particularly powerful. But combined, they formed the indestructible river of civilization.

“Is this... Way of Civilization?” Pan Qian murmured.

He tried to find a flaw.

Was Confucianism too pedantic? Legalism too harsh? Mohism too idealistic? Taoism too passive? The School of Military too cruel?

But he found that within the river of civilization, these "weaknesses" were all compensated for by other schools of thought.

The pedantry of Confucianism was checked by the harshness of Legalism.

The harshness of Legalism was tempered by the benevolence of Confucianism.

The idealism of Mohism was grounded by the realism of the School of Military.

The passivity of Taoism was countered by the enterprise of Confucianism.

The cruelty of the School of Military was constrained by the universal love of Mohism.

No single school of thought was perfect. But their combination was nearly perfect.

[Analysis Progress: 35%... 40%... 45%...]

- river of civilization Stability: 52%... 43%... 37%...

Pan Qian's brow furrowed tighter and tighter.

He "saw" even more fragments of civilization—

Shang Yang's reforms, establishing trust with a wooden pole, causing the State of Qin to turn from weak to strong.

The First Emperor of Qin unifying the six kingdoms, standardizing the script and the axle lengths of carriages.

Emperor Wu of Han exalting Confucianism alone, laying a cultural Foundation for two thousand years.

Emperor Taizong of Tang's Reign of Zhenguan, with ten thousand nations coming to pay court.

Emperor Renzong of Song's Reign of Jiayou, with literati emerging in great numbers.

The Yongle Encyclopedia of Emperor Chengzu of Ming, achieving a Major Achievement by gathering all knowledge from ancient to modern times.

Every fragment was an "Acquired" creation, every one bore the traces of "Man."

“All of this... was achieved by 'Man'?” An indescribable emotion welled up in Pan Qian's heart.

He cultivated the "Innate Dao," pursuing purity, Origin, and an "Innate" state that transcended time. He believed that the "Innate" was the truth of the Universe, while the "Acquired" was merely secondary.

But the river of civilization told him—the "Acquired" could also be incredibly powerful.

Powerful enough to change the world, to create history, and to be passed down for thousands of years.

[Analysis Progress: 50%... 55%... 60%...]

- river of civilization Stability: 37%... 31%... 25%...

Lin Zhou's face grew paler and paler.

His Godhead integrity had dropped to 60%, and his Divine Power reserves had hit zero; he was relying entirely on the inherent resilience of the river of civilization to hold on. But the river's stability had already dropped to 25%, and the fragments of civilization within the water were becoming blurred, some even starting to dissipate.

[river of civilization · Critical State]

- Stability: 25% (Critical Point)

- If stability drops below 10%, the river will be temporarily "frozen."

- Consequences of Freezing: Lin Zhou will lose control over Way of Civilization and will be unable to use it for at least one month.

“The Captain can't hold on much longer!” Wang Meng paced around in a panic.

Qin Qing bit her lip, her nails digging deep into her palms.

She knew that all she could do now was—wait.

Wait for Pan Qian to make a choice.

Inside the cauldron.

Pan Qian's analytical power had finally touched the very core of the river of civilization.

There, a flame resided.

It wasn't an ordinary flame, but the Fire of Civilization.

The flame wasn't large, only the size of a fist, but its light was warm and steady. Within the flame, there was no "Innate" purity, only "Acquired" complexity—there was laughter, tears, success, failure, hope, despair, life, and death.

This was the essence of civilization.

Not perfection, but reality.

“So... this is civilization.” Pan Qian murmured.

He withdrew his analytical power.

[Analysis Progress: 62% (Stopped)]

- river of civilization Stability: 25% (Stopped dropping)

- qiankun tripod Analysis Mode — Closed

The golden light within the cauldron slowly dissipated.

Lin Zhou felt the pressure vanish, his body going limp as he nearly collapsed to his knees. However, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to stay up, lifting his head to look at Pan Qian outside the cauldron.

"Why did you stop?" his voice was hoarse.

Pan Qian remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking, "Because, I finally understand."

"Understand what?"

"I understand—Way of Civilization has no flaws."

Lin Zhou was stunned for a second, then he laughed.

"It's not that there are no flaws." He shook his head. "Rather, the flaws are patched by 'inclusivity.' One school of thought has flaws, but when a Hundred Schools are combined, those flaws are covered. This is the 'fault tolerance' of civilization."

"Fault tolerance..." Pan Qian murmured.

"Correct." Lin Zhou nodded. "A single truth, once falsified, will cause the entire system to collapse. But a pluralistic civilization, even if one school of thought is eliminated, has others that can take its place. This is why civilization can be passed down for thousands of years—not because it is perfect, but because it is not afraid of making mistakes."

He looked at Pan Qian with a calm gaze:

"Your 'Innate Dao' pursues perfection. But perfect things are often the most fragile. Because it does not allow for errors."

"Whereas my 'Way of Civilization' accepts imperfection. Because we know that civilization advances through constant trial and error."

Pan Qian fell silent for a long time.

Then, he slowly nodded.

"Lin Zhou, you are right."

He withdrew the qiankun tripod.

"This round, I lose."

[qiankun tripod — Withdrawn.]

[Honghuang Academy Main Team — Surrendering?]

No.

Pan Qian did not surrender.

He had only put away the qiankun tripod, but he had not withdrawn Mount Buzhou.

"Lin Zhou, I acknowledge your Way of Civilization." His voice was calm. "But, the match is not over yet."

He raised his hand and pointed at Mount Buzhou.

"Next, I will show you—the Fusion of 'Innate' and 'Acquired'."

The mass of Mount Buzhou vibrated once again.

But this time, it wasn't tilting; it was—transforming.

The Innate Runes on the mountain's surface began to merge with another set of runes emerging behind Pan Qian.

That set of runes was not 'Innate', but 'Acquired'—they were the rune projections of the Hundred Schools of Thought that Pan Qian had analyzed from the river of civilization.

[Pan Qian · Status]

- Current Action: Attempting to fuse 'Innate' and 'Acquired'

- Fusion Targets: Mount Buzhou Projection (Innate) + Hundred Schools Rune Projections (Acquired)

- Fusion Progress: 3%... 7%... 12%...

- Estimated Time to Full Fusion: Approximately ten minutes

"He's fusing our Hundred Schools of Thought!" Qin Qing exclaimed in shock.

Lin Zhou's pupils contracted sharply.

He hadn't expected that Pan Qian had not only analyzed the river of civilization but had also learned the Hundred Schools of Thought.

Although it was only a 'projection' at the rune level and not true understanding, it was already dangerous enough.

Because once Pan Qian successfully fused 'Innate' and 'Acquired', his power would no longer be 'pure' Innate, but 'inclusive' Innate—possessing both the purity of the Innate and the diversity of the Acquired.

That would be—the perfect power.

"We can't let him succeed!" Lin Zhou gritted his teeth, trying to stand up.

But his body no longer obeyed him.

Divine Power at zero, Godhead integrity at 60%, river of civilization stability at 25%—he couldn't even stand steadily, let alone fight.

"Captain, don't move!" Qin Qing held him down. "Leave it to us."

She turned to look at Wang Meng, Zhao Hao, Li Mo, and Su Yueyao.

"Everyone, attack Pan Qian with everything you've got! Don't let him complete the Fusion!"

"Yes!"

The Behemoth Legion, Dragon Legion, mechanical beasts, Law Fishmen, and Moonlight Projections—all forces attacked Pan Qian simultaneously!

However, the pressure from Mount Buzhou reached its Peak at this moment.

[Mount Buzhou · Pressure — Maximum Power!]

- Effect: All attributes of enemy units within range -50%

- Star Sea Summons: Movement Speed -70%, Attack Power -60%, Defense -50%

- Current Status: Almost impossible to approach

"It's no use... the pressure is too strong..." Wang Meng gritted his teeth; his Behemoth Legion was pressed down, unable to move a single step.

Zhao Hao's dragons were forced out of the sky, crashing to the ground and struggling to rise.

Qin Qing's Net of Law was torn to shreds under the pressure of Mount Buzhou.

Su Yueyao's Moonlight Projections grew so dim they were almost invisible.

Li Mo's mechanical beasts were being crushed in swathes.

[Xinghai University Team · Status]

- Overall Combat Power: Only 20% of normal status

- Current Action: Unable to approach Mount Buzhou

"Are we... just going to watch?" Qin Qing was unwilling to give up.

Lin Zhou did not speak.

He closed his eyes.

His consciousness sank into the river of civilization.

The river's water level had dropped to 25%, and the civilization fragments within were becoming blurred. However, the Fire of Civilization at the core was still burning.

"Fire of Civilization..." Lin Zhou murmured, "How much longer can you burn?"

The flames did not answer.

But Lin Zhou felt it—the temperature of the fire was higher than usual.

It wasn't burning more brightly, but rather—more resolutely.

"So, you are fighting too." Lin Zhou smiled.

He opened his eyes and looked at Pan Qian in the distance.

"Captain Pan Qian, you want to fuse 'Innate' and 'Acquired'?"

His voice wasn't loud, yet it echoed clearly across the entire battlefield.

"But, you missed one thing."

Pan Qian's movements faltered slightly.

"What?"

"'Acquired' is not runes, not rules, and not power." Lin Zhou said each word deliberately. "'Acquired' is 'People'. It is human emotion, human choice, and human persistence. These things cannot be projected by runes."

"You analyzed the river of civilization, but you cannot understand the 'Human Heart'."

His words were like sharp arrows, piercing into Pan Qian's Dao Heart.

Pan Qian's Fusion progress suddenly stalled.

[Fusion Progress: 35% (Stalled)]

- Reason: Cracks appearing in Pan Qian's Dao Heart

- Source of Cracks: Insufficient understanding of the essence of 'Acquired'

"Human Heart..." Pan Qian murmured.

He recalled the fragments in the river of civilization—Da Yu's sacrifice in controlling the floods, Confucius's persistence in his travels, Qu Yuan's search in his chants, Su Wu's integrity while herding sheep, Wen Tianxiang's righteousness while Passing Lingdingyang...

None of these were runes, rules, or power.

They were—choices.

"Can I... really not understand it?" Pan Qian asked himself softly.

No one answered him.

Only Lin Zhou in the distance watched him quietly.

That gaze was not hostile or mocking, but—expectant.

Expecting him to make a choice.

Pan Qian remained silent for a long time.

Then, he slowly withdrew Mount Buzhou.

The Fusion stopped.

[Mount Buzhou — Withdrawn.]

[Honghuang Academy Main Team — Surrender.]

The tournament announcement echoed through the Void Realm.

Pan Qian stood in the void, looking at Lin Zhou with a complex gaze.

"Lin Zhou, you are right. 'Acquired' is not runes, not rules, and not power. 'Acquired' is 'People'."

"I analyzed the river of civilization, but I cannot understand the human heart."

He bowed slightly.

"In this battle, I am utterly defeated."

Lin Zhou slowly stood up; though his body was still trembling, his back was straight as a ramrod.

"Good game."

Their gazes met in the void.

There was no hostility or hatred, only mutual respect.

"Until we meet again." Pan Qian turned and, taking the projection of Mount Buzhou with him, vanished into the void.

[Honghuang Academy Main Team — All members withdrawn.]

[Xinghai University Team — Advanced to the Top Five!]

On the light screen, the golden words shone brilliantly.

And Lin Zhou finally couldn't hold on any longer.

His vision went black, and his body tilted forward.

"Captain!" Qin Qing rushed over and caught him.

"It's nothing... just a bit tired..." Lin Zhou's voice was faint, but a smile played on his lips, "We won..."

"We won." Qin Qing's voice carried a hint of a sob. "We won."

Wang Meng, Zhao Hao, Li Mo, and Su Yueyao gathered around, looking at Lin Zhou's pale face with eyes full of heartache and admiration.

"Captain, you pushed yourself too hard." Wang Meng said softly.

"If I didn't, how could we win?" Lin Zhou closed his eyes, his voice growing smaller, "The road ahead... is still long..."

"The road ahead, we will walk it together." Qin Qing gripped his hand tightly.

Lin Zhou did not answer.

He had fallen asleep.

There was still a smile on his lips.