417: Chapter 352: A Clash of Titans, A Battle of Wills to Determine the Winner

The projection of Mount Buzhou had completely dissipated.

But Pan Qian's will remained.

He suspended in the Void Realm, with the collapsing mountain wreckage behind him and Lin Zhou's newly erected Civilization Pillar in front. The transparent pillar of light shot straight into the depths of the void, and the human epic reliefs on the pillar sparkled in the dark void, each one silently telling the story of "Acquired" power.

Pan Qian looked at that pillar and remained silent for a long time.

"Lin Zhou," he finally spoke, his voice raspy yet calm, "your Civilization Pillar is indeed extraordinary. But can it hold up the 'Heavens'?"

Lin Zhou stood beneath the Civilization Pillar, looking up at the beam of light that pierced through heaven and earth, and slowly nodded. "It can."

"Based on what?"

"Based on people."

"People?" Pan Qian shook his head. "People are too insignificant. Individuals die, tribes perish, and civilizations fall. Your so-called 'people' are but a grain of sand in the river of civilization."

"A grain of sand can also reflect the sun's light," Lin Zhou replied without backing down. "A grain of sand can also gather to form a desert. A grain of sand can also build high towers. Though people are small, their will can change the world."

His voice was not loud, yet it spread clearly throughout the entire Void Realm.

"Captain Pan Qian, your Mount Buzhou is the 'Innate' backbone. It holds up the 'Heavens'—Order, rules, and the Dao itself. But this 'Heaven' is dead."

"And my Civilization Pillar is the 'Acquired' backbone. It holds up 'People'—hope, choice, and the future. This 'Heaven' is alive."

Pan Qian's pupils constricted sharply.

"Dead... alive..."

"Correct." Lin Zhou took a step forward. "Your Mount Buzhou does not feel pain, does not tire, and does not hesitate. Therefore, it will not grow. But my Civilization Pillar will feel pain, will tire, and will hesitate, yet it will grow through pain, persist through fatigue, and make choices amidst hesitation."

"This is the power of the 'Acquired'—imperfect, but it will undergo Evolution."

Pan Qian fell silent for a long time.

Then, he slowly raised his hand.

"Then let me see if your 'Acquired' backbone can withstand my 'Innate' will."

A faint, dark-gold light emerged from his palm.

That was not a projection of Mount Buzhou, but Pan Qian's own Dao Heart.

[Pan Qian · Dao Heart Manifestation — Innate Backbone]

- Form: Miniature Mount Buzhou (only three feet high)

- Essence: The crystallization of will from Pan Qian's hundreds of years of Cultivate the "Innate Dao"

- Characteristics: Pure, solid, unshakable

- Current Status: Although the projection of Mount Buzhou has been destroyed, the Dao Heart has not been extinguished

"This is..." Lin Zhou felt a jolt in his heart as he looked at that light.

"This is my 'backbone'," Pan Qian's voice was calm. "Mount Buzhou can fall, but my Dao will not."

"Lin Zhou, if you want to prove that the 'Acquired' is stronger than the 'Innate', then first shatter my Dao Heart."

He raised his hand and pushed the light toward Lin Zhou.

The moment the light left his palm, it surged violently! It expanded from three feet high to three thousand zhang! From a phantom, it became physical! A brand new Mount Buzhou, formed entirely from Pan Qian's will, lay across the Void Realm!

[Pan Qian · Dao Heart Mount Buzhou]

- Height: Nine thousand zhang (approximately 30,000 kilometers)

- Characteristics: No physical form, pure will

- Effect: Performs "Innate Negation" on "Acquired" existences

- Negation Range: 1,000 kilometers in diameter

- Negation Strength: Proportional to Pan Qian's Dao Heart stability (currently 65%)

"This is a duel of wills," Pan Qian's voice came from the mountain peak. "We are not competing in Divine Power or rules, only in who is more determined."

Looking at that towering Mount Buzhou formed entirely of will, an indescribable emotion welled up in Lin Zhou's heart.

This was not a battle; this was Asking the Dao.

Pan Qian was using his Dao to question Lin Zhou's Dao.

Whose will was firmer, whose Dao was more true.

"Fine," Lin Zhou nodded. "I accept."

He closed his eyes, and his consciousness sank into the God Kingdom core.

Inside the Temple of Civilization, that transparent Civilization Pillar was slowly rotating. The human epic reliefs on the pillar were vivid within the transparent flames—Yu the Great Taming the Flood, Confucius's Travels, Qu Yuan's Chanting, Su Wu Tending Sheep, Wen Tianxiang Crossing the Lingding Sea...

Every relief was a piece of will.

Every piece of will was a cornerstone.

"Civilization Pillar, go!"

He opened his eyes and pointed his finger.

From the God Kingdom core, the transparent pillar of light shot into the sky! It surged from one thousand kilometers to thirty thousand kilometers! It stood at the same height and level as Pan Qian's Dao Heart Mount Buzhou!

[Civilization Pillar · Will Form]

- Height: 30,000 kilometers

- Characteristics: Carries the will of all "people" in the river of civilization

- Current Will Count: Approximately one million (from the phantoms of ordinary people in the river of civilization)

- Will Strength: Proportional to Lin Zhou's Dao Heart stability (currently 78%)

Two pillars, one dark-gold and one transparent, faced each other from a distance in the void.

The dark-gold Mount Buzhou exuded an aura of being "pure, solid, and unshakable."

The transparent Civilization Pillar exuded an aura of "inclusivity, growth, and never giving up."

"Come," Pan Qian shouted lowly.

Mount Buzhou suddenly pressed down!

It was not a physical collapse, but a negation on the level of will.

[Mount Buzhou · Will Attack — Innate Negation]

- Effect: Denies the rationality of "Acquired" existence

- Target: The Civilization Pillar and the million wills it carries

- Attack Method: Uses Pan Qian's Dao Heart as a weapon to perform a "conceptual level" crushing

The dark-gold light, like a tide, poured down from the mountain peak toward the Civilization Pillar!

Wherever the light passed, space was silently annihilated—not torn apart, but "negated." It was as if those spaces had never existed and were merely illusory phantoms.

[Space Status: Annihilating.]

- Annihilation Range: 100 kilometers... 200 kilometers... 300 kilometers in diameter...

- Annihilation Characteristics: Negated space requires will to be reconstructed before it can recover

Lin Zhou did not retreat as he watched the incoming dark-gold tide.

"Civilization Pillar, defend!"

The transparent pillar of light suddenly erupted with a soft radiance. Within the light, phantoms of a million ordinary people emerged simultaneously—farmers, craftsmen, soldiers, mothers, children... They had no power and no rules, only belief.

"We exist."

"We have worked hard."

"We have persisted."

"We are not illusions."

A million voices converged into a torrent, surging out from the Civilization Pillar to meet the dark-gold tide!

[Civilization Pillar · Will Counterattack — Acquired Affirmation]

- Effect: Affirms the value of "Acquired" existence

- Source of Power: The belief of a million ordinary people

- Attack Method: Uses the fact of "having existed" to counter the negation of "non-existence"

Boom—!!!

The two wills collided in the void!

There was no sound, for sound had been annihilated.

There was no light, for light had been negated.

There was only silence.

An absolute, all-consuming silence.

At the center of the collision, space was silently annihilating. It was not shattering or collapsing, but changing from "existence" to "non-existence." It was as if that region had never been accommodated by the Universe.

[Collision Center · Status]

- Space Integrity: 0%

- Rule Integrity: 0%

- Time Integrity: 0%

- Current Status: Absolute "Nothingness"

However, the annihilation did not spread.

Because at the edge of the annihilation, the transparent light and the dark-gold light were in a standoff.

The dark-gold said: You should not exist.

The transparent said: I have existed.

The dark-gold said: You are merely a phantom.

The transparent said: I have left traces.

The dark-gold said: You will be forgotten.

The transparent said: But my children will remember.

The two wills were like two top debaters, clashing fiercely in the void.

Every "negation" caused space to annihilate a bit more.

Every "affirmation" caused space to be reconstructed an inch further.

Annihilation, then reconstruction.

Reconstruction, then annihilation.

At the point of collision, space was silently annihilating and slowly being reborn.

[Space Status · Dynamic Balance]

- Annihilation Speed: 10 kilometers per second

- Reconstruction Speed: 10 kilometers per second

- Current Stability: Stalemated

Pan Qian stood atop Mount Buzhou, his face pale and his divine fire flickering.

His Dao Heart stability was continuously dropping—65%... 62%... 58%...

With every negation, his Dao Heart consumed a portion of itself.

Because negating others was also negating oneself.

"Why..." he murmured, "Why are they so firm?"

He "saw" the phantoms of those ordinary people.

A farmer, facing the yellow earth with his back to the sky, working from sunrise to sunset. His life had no grand waves or great achievements. But he fed ten children, and those ten children fed a hundred grandchildren. A hundred years later, his descendants were all over the village.

"I have existed," the farmer said.

A craftsman, spending his days with wood and stone, carving exquisite doors, windows, and beams. His works decorated the houses of a thousand families. A thousand years later, those houses had long since turned to dust, but the spirit of craftsmanship had been passed down.

"I have existed," the craftsman said.

A soldier, guarding the frontier for ten years as if it were a single day. He had fought no battles and killed no enemies; he simply stood there, looking into the distance. But because he stood there, the people behind him could sleep in peace.

"I have existed," the soldier said.

A mother, mending clothes under a lamp; every stitch and thread was love. Her child wore the clothes she sewed, grew into an adult, and had children of their own. Maternal love was passed down generation after generation in this way.

"I have existed," the mother said.

A child, chasing butterflies in the fields, his laughter clear. When he grew up, he too would become a farmer, a craftsman, a soldier, or a father. His laughter was the hope of civilization.

"I have existed," the child said.

A million instances of "I have existed" converged into a torrent, impacting Pan Qian's Dao Heart.

[Pan Qian · Dao Heart Status]

- Stability: 58%... 52%... 45%...

- Doubt Index: +30%...+40%...+50%...

"Did they... really exist?" Pan Qian asked himself.

The answer was—yes.

They had existed.

Their traces were carved into the land, into artifacts, into Bloodlines, and into memories.

Although most of those traces had been smoothed away by time.

But being smoothed away did not mean they had disappeared.

Because traces can be passed down as a Legacy.

This was civilization.

"So... this is the Foundation of civilization," Pan Qian murmured.

It was not heroes, not geniuses, and not deities.

It was the millions upon millions of ordinary people.

It was they who, with a lifetime of ordinariness, built the cornerstone of civilization.

It was they who, with silent persistence, held up the heaven of civilization.

"I... have lost."

Pan Qian withdrew his Dao Heart.

The dark-gold light of Mount Buzhou slowly dissipated.

That mountain peak formed from will turned into nothingness inch by inch, starting from the top.

It was not a collapse, but a return.

[Pan Qian · Dao Heart Mount Buzhou — Dissipated.]

- Reason: Pan Qian voluntarily gave up the confrontation

- Dao Heart Stability: 45% (stopped decreasing)

- Current Status: Although shaken, it has not collapsed

Lin Zhou also withdrew the Civilization Pillar.

The transparent pillar of light slowly retracted into the God Kingdom core, the reliefs on the pillar still flashing as if celebrating victory.

"Captain Pan Qian," Lin Zhou's voice was raspy but gentle, "you didn't lose."

Pan Qian looked up.

"You were just... persuaded."

Pan Qian was stunned for a moment, then he laughed.

His smile was bitter, yet it carried a sense of relief.

"Yes, I was persuaded."

He floated in front of Lin Zhou and extended his hand.

"Lin Zhou, I am convinced by your Way of Civilization."

Lin Zhou shook his hand.

"It's not that you were convinced; it's that you understood."

"Understood what?"

"Understood that—Innate and Acquired are originally one."

Pan Qian fell silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"Perhaps you are right."

He turned around, preparing to leave.

"Captain Pan Qian," Lin Zhou called out to him.

Pan Qian looked back.

"I will make good use of the fragment of Mount Buzhou."

Pan Qian smiled.

"It is of more value in your hands than in mine."

He vanished into the Void Realm.

This time, it was truly over.

[Honghuang Academy Main Team — All members withdrawn.]

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

The tournament prompt sounded one last time.

Lin Zhou suspended in the void, looking in the direction where Pan Qian had disappeared, and remained silent for a long time.

"Captain, are you okay?" Qin Qing floated over, looking at him with concern.

"I'm fine," Lin Zhou shook his head. "Just... a little tired."

"Then shall we go back and rest?"

"Okay."

With a flash of white light, all members of the Xinghai University Team were teleported back to the preparation space.

The lights of the medical pod were bright and warm. Lin Zhou leaned against the head of the bed, holding that Mount Buzhou Core Fragment in his hand.

The fragment was no longer dark-gold; it had become transparent—the same color as the Civilization Pillar.

Because it had already been "Enlightened" by the Fire of Civilization.

[Mount Buzhou Core Fragment · Status Update]

- Color: Transparent (formerly dark-gold)

- Contained Rules: Innate "Holding up the Heavens" Dao → Already assimilated by the "Acquired"

- New Attribute: [Civilization Backbone] — Can be merged into the Civilization Pillar, increasing its maximum height limit by 50%

Lin Zhou placed the fragment into the God Kingdom core, at the top of the Civilization Pillar.

The moment the fragment merged into the pillar, the Civilization Pillar jolted violently!

Its height surged from 30,000 kilometers to 45,000 kilometers!

A new relief was added to the pillar—Mount Buzhou.

But it was not Pan Qian's Mount Buzhou; it was a brand new mountain cast from transparent flames. On the mountain stood countless ordinary people—farmers, craftsmen, soldiers, mothers, and children... They were hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, holding up the heaven.

[Civilization Pillar · Status Update]

- Height: 45,000 kilometers (capable of growth)

- Epic Display: Phase Two (Mount Buzhou → Ordinary People)

- Current Power Bonus: +150%

- New Characteristic: [Innate Affinity] — Defense against Innate-type rule attacks +50%

Lin Zhou looked at the newly born pillar, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

"The Civilization Pillar has grown taller again."

He closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

This time, there were no dreams.

Only warm light and the smiles of countless ordinary people.