532: Chapter 467: Intermediate Divine Power, Divine Rank Breaks Through Level 800

Three days after the promotion of the Divine Kingdom to Heaven-Grade, Lin Zhou sat cross-legged in the Temple of Civilization. Floating before him was the Order crystal stripped from the core of the Marshal's divinity. Under the scorching heat of the Fire of Civilization, the golden crystal slowly melted, turning into wisps of golden streams that merged into his own divinity. The Marshal's lifelong combat experience and the rules of Order were merging with his own Way of Civilization.

[Lin Zhou · Absorbing Marshal's Legacy] - Target: Marshal's Divine Core (Golden) - Absorption Progress: 10%... 20%... 30%... - Cost: None (Voluntary Legacy) - Effect: Divinity Level +50, Hand of Order power +100%, river of civilization level +5%

Three days and three nights later, the absorption was complete. His Divinity Level had increased from LV580 to LV630, and the river of civilization level had recovered from 60% to 65%. However, there was still a large gap to the LV800 required for Mid-Tier Divine Power (Mid-Stage). He needed more essence of order and combat experience.

Wang Meng walked out of Bingge Cave, drenched in sweat, but his eyes were full of excitement. "Captain, my Divinity Level has broken through to LV600."

[Wang Meng · Status Update] - Divinity Level: LV550 → LV600 - Reason: High-intensity combat in Bingge Cave + increased Spiritual Qi concentration in the Divine Kingdom - New Skill: Behemoth Battle Roar — Friendly units within range gain +50% Attack Power

Qin Qing walked out of the Temple of Law, holding the golden token in her hand. "Captain, the rule completeness of the Temple of Law has also improved."

[Temple of Law · Status Update] - Rule Completeness: 95% → 98% - New Characteristic: Net of Law can cover a diameter of 100 kilometers - Cost: 1000 Divine Power per minute

Lin Zhou nodded without saying much. He needed a Breakthrough, not from LV630 to LV650, but to LV800. Only then could he have enough say in the New Universe and lead the Human Race to fight when Guixu is reborn in a hundred years.

He walked into Bingge Cave and came to the training ground in the center of the cave. He called out the strongest war spirit—a bronze war spirit at LV1000, holding a long spear and clad in heavy armor. It was the only remnant of a God-King Level Lord war spirit in Bingge Cave.

[Bronze War Spirit · Data] - Level: LV1000 (Peak Mid-Tier Divine Power) - Form: Humanoid, 10 zhang tall - Weapon: Long Spear - Skill: Army-Breaking Strike — Attack power equal to a full-force strike of a Peak Mid-Tier Divine Power - Characteristic: Immortal (Respawns infinitely in Bingge Cave)

Lin Zhou drew his zhan nian sword, with the green lotus sword at his waist. He did not use the river of civilization, nor the Hand of Order, using only his sword. Sword strike after sword strike, he sparred with the war spirit. The war spirit's long spear thrust like a rainstorm, every strike carrying the momentum of a broken army. Lin Zhou's zhan nian sword parried, countered, and dodged; sword light and spear shadows intertwined on the training ground.

[Lin Zhou · Bingge Cave Training (Day 1)] - Sparring War Spirit: LV1000 - Number of Battles: 10 - Wins: 0 - Combat Experience: +5% - Divinity Level: LV630 (Unchanged)

On the second day, he continued to spar with the war spirit. On the 11th time, he struck the war spirit's shoulder armor. On the 12th time, he struck the war spirit's chest. On the 15th time, he pierced the war spirit's throat with one sword strike.

[Lin Zhou · Bingge Cave Training (Day 7)] - Number of Battles: 100 - Wins: 12 - Combat Experience: +30% - Divinity Level: LV630 → LV650

On the seventh day, his Divinity Level broke through to LV650. But he did not stop. He needed more combat experience and more essence of order. He took out the essence of order crystal extracted from the energy core of the Gate of Guixu from the Divine Kingdom's warehouse—it was ten meters in diameter and contained about 10,000 units of essence of order. It was the essence remaining after the Gate of Guixu's energy core was destroyed, which Li Mo had collected using a reverse device.

[essence of order Crystal · Data] - Size: 10 meters in diameter - Content: Approx. 10,000 units - Source: Residual energy core of the Gate of Guixu - Effect: Can significantly increase Divinity Level

Lin Zhou pressed the crystal against his chest, and the river of civilization surged out from the Divine Kingdom, wrapping around the crystal. The crystal slowly melted in the river, and the essence of order seeped into his divinity in wisps.

[Lin Zhou · Absorbing essence of order] - Essence Content: 10,000 units - Absorption Progress: 1%... 2%... 3%... - Cost: 1000 Divine Power per day - Effect: Divinity Level +100 (Estimated)

In thirty days, the crystal completely melted. His Divinity Level increased from LV650 to LV750. The river of civilization level increased from 65% to 75%. The height of the Heavenly Pillar rose from 1.8 million kilometers to 2 million kilometers.

[Lin Zhou · Status (After 30 Days)] - Divinity Level: LV750 - river of civilization level: 75% - Heavenly Pillar height: 2 million kilometers - Divine Kingdom area: 1,400 square kilometers - Rule Completeness: 100%

He was only 50 levels away from LV800. But conventional means were exhausted—the essence of order was depleted, and the combat experience from the Bingge Cave war spirit had been mostly absorbed. He needed a new way to break through. He walked into the Temple of Civilization and stood under the Heavenly Pillar. Golden Scale lay coiled on the Heavenly Pillar, its dragon head lowered.

"Master, your divinity has encountered a Bottleneck."

"I know. I need a new kind of power to break through."

Golden Scale was silent for a moment. "The second floor of the Temple of Civilization might have the answer."

Lin Zhou looked up at the dome of the temple. The Temple of Civilization had three floors. The first floor was the Legacy of the Hundred Schools of Thought, which he had fully opened during his university years. The second floor had always been closed and required specific conditions to open—Divinity Level LV800 and the river of civilization level reaching 80%.

[Temple of Civilization · Second Floor Opening Conditions] - Condition 1: Divinity Level LV800 (Current LV750) - Condition 2: river of civilization level 80% (Current 75%) - After Opening: Unlock "Technology Zone", containing modern Hundred Schools of Thought

He was still 50 levels short, and 5% short on the level. He needed more essence of order, or more combat experience. The LV1000 war spirit in Bingge Cave could no longer bring him enough combat experience. He needed stronger opponents—real, mortal opponents.

On the edge of the Chaos Star Domain, there were still a large number of remaining Chaos Beasts. Among them were many LV800 or even LV1000 existences. Clearing them out would not only gain combat experience but also obtain chaos crystals, which could be purified to obtain essence of order.

Lin Zhou gathered the entire army. "Brothers, there are still a large number of remaining Chaos Beasts on the edge of the Chaos Star Domain. From today, the entire Civilization Guardian Legion will set out to clear the remnants. The goal—completely clear all Chaos Beasts on the border of the New Universe within three months."

"Yes!" Fifty thousand people roared in unison.

The next day, the Civilization Guardian Legion split into three routes. Wang Meng led the 20,000-strong Vanguard Battalion to advance to the east side of the Chaos Star Domain. Lei Zhan led 10,000 troops of the Heavy Armored Legion to advance to the west side. Lin Zhou personally led 5,000 Civilization Sword Cultivators to advance into the depths of the Chaos Star Domain. Qin Qing, Su Yueyao, and Iron Face accompanied him. Golden Scale coiled above the legion, its dragon roar shaking the sky.

[Clearing · Week 1] - East Side (Wang Meng): Killed about 100,000 Chaos Beasts, obtained about 50,000 chaos crystals - West Side (Lei Zhan): Killed about 80,000 Chaos Beasts, obtained about 40,000 chaos crystals - Depths (Lin Zhou): Killed about 120,000 Chaos Beasts, obtained about 60,000 chaos crystals, including three LV800 Chaos Beast commanders

Lin Zhou fought fiercely with the three LV800 Chaos Beast commanders for three days and three nights. For the first one, he used the Sword of Civilization to chop off its head. For the second one, he used the Hand of Order to crush its core. For the third one, he drowned its body with the river of civilization.

[Lin Zhou · Killing Chaos Beast Commanders] - Quantity: 3 - Level: LV800 - Combat Experience: +30% - Obtained chaos crystals: About 30,000 - Divinity Level: LV750 → LV770

Two weeks later, the Civilization Guardian Legion established a temporary outpost on the edge of the Chaos Star Domain. The camp of 50,000 people stretched for dozens of kilometers, and the Fire of Civilization burned in the camp, illuminating the gray-white Void Realm.

[Clearing · Week 3] - East Side: Killed about 300,000 Chaos Beasts, Wang Meng's Divinity Level LV600 → LV650 - West Side: Killed about 250,000 Chaos Beasts, Lei Zhan's Divinity Level LV500 → LV580 - Depths: Killed about 400,000 Chaos Beasts, Lin Zhou's Divinity Level LV770 → LV790

At the end of the third week, Lin Zhou's Divinity Level reached LV790. It was only 10 levels away from LV800. He stood on the wall of the temporary outpost, looking at the dark red light spots deep in the Chaos Star Domain. There was a LV1000 Chaos Beast Emperor—not the previous God-King Level Lords, but a true Beast Emperor, about 500 kilometers in size, entirely dark red, with Guixu runes covering its surface.

[Chaos Beast Emperor · Data] - Level: LV1000 - Size: About 500 kilometers long - Characteristic: Chaos Domain, Guixu Devouring, Existence Erasure - Weakness: Fire of Civilization

Lin Zhou did not wait. He flew out of the outpost and charged towards the Beast Emperor. Golden Scale followed closely, its Dragon Breath scorching the Beast Emperor's scales. Su Yueyao's moonlight shone from behind, suppressing the Beast Emperor's guixu energy. Qin Qing's Net of Law entangled the Beast Emperor's limbs. Iron Face's Fire of Justice performed existence judgment.

[Battle · Chaos Beast Emperor (LV1000)] - Lin Zhou Level: LV790 - Beast Emperor Level: LV1000 - Battle Time: About 3 hours - Lin Zhou Wins: 1

Three hours later, Lin Zhou's Sword of Civilization pierced into the Beast Emperor's core. The Beast Emperor's body disintegrated, turning into gray-white light spots. Lin Zhou took out a dark red crystal from the Beast Emperor's remains—the Chaos Beast Emperor Core, containing about 1,000 units of essence of order.

[Lin Zhou · Killing Chaos Beast Emperor] - Obtained chaos crystals: About 100,000 - Obtained Chaos Beast Emperor Core: 1 - Combat Experience: +20% - Divinity Level: LV790 → LV795

He was still 5 levels short. He put the Beast Emperor Core into the river of civilization to purify it. Three days later, the core was converted into essence of order. He absorbed the essence, and his Divinity Level increased from LV795 to LV800.

[Lin Zhou · Breakthrough!] - Divinity Level: LV800 (Mid-Tier Divine Power, Mid-Stage) - river of civilization level: 75% → 80% - Heavenly Pillar height: 2 million kilometers → 2.2 million kilometers - Divine Kingdom area: 1,400 square kilometers → 1,500 square kilometers

At the moment of the Breakthrough, the second floor of the Temple of Civilization slowly opened. It was not a door, but a beam of light—a cyan-gold light, shooting down from the dome of the temple, illuminating the main hall of the first floor. Countless characters and patterns appeared in the light, not the bamboo slips of ancient sages, but the crystallization of modern technological civilization: steam engines, generators, computers, nuclear reactors, quantum communication, artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, space engines...

[Temple of Civilization · Second Floor Opened] - Name: Technology Zone - Content: Modern Hundred Schools of Thought (Science, Democracy, Rule of Law, Freedom, etc.) - Unlocked Classics: "Scientific Methodology", "Democratic Charter", "Principles of the Rule of Law", "On Liberty", "Philosophy of Technology"... - New Function: Technology Deduction — Can deduce new technologies, improving the Divine Kingdom's R&D efficiency - Cost: civilization points

Lin Zhou walked into the second floor and stood in the light. Those characters and patterns merged into his consciousness, and the modern Hundred Schools of Thought merged with the ancient Hundred Schools of Thought in the river of civilization. Scientific methodology combined with the Mohist investigation of things, the Democratic Charter combined with the Confucian people-centric thought, the Principles of the Rule of Law combined with the Legalist legal system, On Liberty combined with the Daoist natural inaction, and the Philosophy of Technology combined with the School of Miscellaneous' compatibility.

[river of civilization · Modern Thought Fusion] - Science + Mohist: R&D Efficiency +200% - Democracy + Confucian: Public Cohesion +100% - Rule of Law + Legalist: Law Effectiveness +200% - Freedom + Daoist: Clan Creativity +100% - Technology + School of Miscellaneous: civilization points Acquisition +50%

Lin Zhou walked out of the temple and stood on the Wall of Heroes. His Divinity Level had reached LV800, and the river of civilization level had reached 80%. Golden Scale flew out from the Divine Kingdom, its dragon roar echoing in the Void Realm. Fifty thousand soldiers lined up under the city wall, and fifty thousand Flying Swords rose into the air simultaneously.

"From today, the Civilization Guardian Legion enters a new era." Lin Zhou raised his left hand, and the golden Hand of Order condensed in his palm, "Science, Democracy, Rule of Law, Freedom, Technology—will become the new cornerstones of the Way of Civilization."

"Civilization forever prosperous!" Fifty thousand people roared in unison.

The Fire of Civilization burned, illuminating the road ahead, and also illuminating the phantoms of those modern sages on the second floor of the Temple of Civilization. They looked at Lin Zhou and smiled. The Way of Civilization, passing the torch.