14: Chapter 14 marks the beginning of contact with the "Ruins Clan".

After the assessment ended, Shen Ye was asked to stay behind by Qin Shu.

It wasn't to review today's battle.

Qin Shu led him to a classroom deep within the training base.

The classroom was small, windowless, and the four walls were covered in law patterns for soundproofing and anti-peeping.

In the center was a long table with a crystal ball placed on it.

"Sit." Qin Shu pointed to a chair.

Shen Ye sat down.

Qin Shu didn't sit; he stood beside the crystal ball, pressing his palm onto its surface.

The crystal ball lit up, projecting a 3D image above the table.

It was a Void Tribe Scout.

It looked exactly like the one Shen Ye had killed in the city's Simulated Rift—mantis-shaped, pitch-black bone armor, with two bone blades for forelimbs.

The image rotated slowly, displaying every angle of the scout.

"What is this?" Qin Shu asked.

"A Void Tribe Scout. I've fought them in the Simulated Rift."

Qin Shu nodded.

"The Void Tribe Scouts in the Simulated Rift are projections generated based on battlefield data provided by the military."

Combat power, behavioral patterns, and Devouring Abyss power concentration were all identical to a real Void Tribe Scout.

He paused for a moment, "But do you know what the Void Race is?"

Shen Ye thought about it. "Enemies of humanity."

"Enemies."

Qin Shu repeated the word.

He pressed his palm against the crystal ball again, and the projection changed.

It was no longer a single scout, but a city.

A complete city built of black stone.

Towers, city walls, palaces, and squares—the layout was rigorous, and the architecture was exquisite.

There were Void Race members walking in the square—not in battle formation, but in the postures of daily life.

There were smaller Void Race juveniles chasing and playing with each other.

Elderly Void Race members with bone armor covered in patterns sat on the steps.

There were warriors holding bone blades on patrol, and laborers carrying heavy loads of some dark ore.

This was a city on the border of the Abyssal Empire.

Images brought back at the risk of their lives by the military's deep reconnaissance units.

Qin Shu said, "Look at their architecture."

It wasn't a nest or a beast den; it was a city.

It had functional zoning, status symbols, and aesthetic pursuits.

The patterns on the towers weren't random carvings; they were their script.

He pointed to a tall stone pillar at the edge of the square.

The pillar was covered in dense patterns, arranged in an orderly fashion with an obvious grammatical structure.

Their writing system was older than the common language used by humans.

The Institute of Ancient Scripts at Wanxiang University had spent over a thousand years only to decipher less than thirty percent of it.

Qin Shu's finger moved, pointing to a statue atop the palace—a winged member of the Void Race, different in form from the scouts and warriors, with thinner bone armor and broader wings. Its posture wasn't one of combat, but of looking up at the sky.

"This is their deity."

Not a totem, but a Void God-King who actually existed in history.

The inscription on the statue's base recorded his name, reign, and major achievements.

"There is no essential difference between this and the God-King statues standing in the Human Divine Domain Federation Square."

Shen Ye stared at the statue.

He had killed many Void Tribe Scouts in the Simulated Rift, and even more during Qin Shu's projection training.

He had always viewed the Void Race as 'enemies'—a vague, collective concept that needed to be eliminated.

But this city, these juveniles chasing each other in the square, these characters carved on the stone pillars, this God-King statue looking at the sky—they didn't belong to 'monsters'; they belonged to a civilization.

"The Void Race has its own Divine Kingdom system."

Qin Shu's palm moved again, and the projection switched to a complex power chart.

The Human Awakened Divine Kingdom system: Divine Creature, Demigod, True God, Main God, God-King.

The Void Race system: Abyss Newborn, Devouring Abyss Warrior, Devouring Abyss Lord, Devouring Abyss Sovereign, Lord of the Abyss.

Two lines were side by side, corresponding one-to-one.

"The hierarchical structure is almost completely parallel."

Human Demigods correspond to the Void Race's Devouring Abyss Warriors, True Gods to Lords, and Main Gods to Sovereigns.

The cultivation methods differed—humans relied on the power of faith and the growth of their subjects, while the Void Race relied on devouring and transformation—but the logic of promotion was consistent: quantitative accumulation leading to qualitative breakthroughs.

Qin Shu drew a horizontal line between the two systems. "The gap in combat power between a Void Race member and a human Awakened of the same level does not exceed twenty percent."

"Who wins depends on tactics, experience, and on-the-spot judgment."

He turned off the projection.

The crystal ball dimmed, and the classroom returned to silence.

"What humans and the Void Race are fighting for is the same thing—Divine Domain space."

Qin Shu sat down, speaking for the first time in a tone that wasn't for teaching.

"You've studied Divine Kingdom theory, so you should know that the Divine Domain is finite."

It isn't infinitely large or infinitely numerous.

There is an upper limit to the total number of Divine Kingdoms it can carry, and an upper limit to the Primal Divinity it can produce.

For every additional human Awakened, more Divine Domain space is needed to accommodate their Divine Kingdom.

"The same goes for the Void Race."

"Whoever occupies more of the Divine Domain can have their civilization propagate more deities."

This isn't a battle between good and evil; it's a struggle for living space.

"They are called the Void Race, and we are called humans."

From another perspective, in their eyes, we are the invaders."

Shen Ye was silent for a long time.

Then he asked, "Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because the goal Principal Zhou Wenyin set for you is the top fifty in the country, but the goal I've set for you is higher than hers."

Qin Shu looked at him. "The top fifty in the country gets you into the core cultivation program. After graduation, you'd become a regional Guardian—guarding borders, rifts, and mineral veins."

That is Principal Zhou Wenyin's expectation for you.

But I think if you take that path, you'd be wasted."

"Jin Lin's Deflection Sword, Mu Sheng's Differentiation Vine Net, Elder Quan's Spiral Water Curtain."

None of these three tactics were taught by you; they were developed by them in the Divine Kingdom on their own.

The reason you could have them develop these things in fourteen years isn't because you have great talent, but because you gave them freedom.

You gave them resources and then stepped aside to let them grow on their own.

This ability is wasted as a Guardian."

Shen Ye looked at Qin Shu.

Qin Shu's right hand rested on the edge of the table, the stumps where his index and middle fingers were missing clearly visible under the light.

"Awakening isn't a gift; it's a conscription."

Qin Shu said, "Every Awakened must go to the battlefield in the future."

But what kind of battlefield you go to is your own choice.

The college entrance exam isn't the finish line; it's the starting line."

The next day, Qin Shu kept Shen Ye behind alone after the practical combat class.

It wasn't in yesterday's sealed classroom, but in a lounge by the training field.

The windows were open, and the sounds of commands and footsteps could be heard from the playground.

Qin Shu leaned against the window, holding a can of energy drink. He took a sip and then placed it on the windowsill.

"Two paths," he said.

Shen Ye sat on a bench, waiting for him to continue.

"The first one: steady and sure."

Qin Shu held up one finger. "With your apparent strength—a Land of Cultivation with maxed-out subjects and area, S-grade Double Time, plus Jin Lin, Mu Sheng, and Elder Quan, these three subjects who have Awakened individual consciousness—the top fifty in the province is guaranteed."

You'll get into a provincial key university and be assigned to the border after graduation as a regional Guardian.

Guarding a city, a mineral vein, or a section of the rift defense line.

Clearing out infiltrating Void Tribe Scouts every day, with the occasional small-scale border conflict.

Building seniority, accumulating military merits, and slowly getting promoted.

"You'll reach the True God level around forty, and if you're lucky, you'll live until retirement."

He took another sip of his drink.

"Fang Zhen took this path."

He guarded the border for twelve years, and his kill count ranked in the top ten among Pioneers of the same period.

When he was thirty-one, a large-scale rift eruption occurred in the gray zone, and the section of the defense line he guarded bore the brunt of it.

He single-handedly held off a Devouring Abyss Lord for a full hour until reinforcements arrived.

But his Divine Kingdom was shattered, and less than one in ten of his subjects survived.

Three years after retiring, his Divine Kingdom withered, and he died."

Qin Shu's tone was very flat, as if he were saying the weather was nice today.

"The second path."

He held up a second finger. "Aim for the top ten in the province, enter the National Competition, and fight your way into the core cultivation program of a top-tier university—the highest tier."

Not as a Guardian, but as a Pioneer."

Shen Ye asked, "What is a Pioneer?"

"People who proactively charge into Void Race-occupied areas."

Qin Shu said, "Not defending the border, but passing through the light curtain and entering the territory of the Void Race."

Clearing Void Race strongholds around the rifts to open up new Divine Domain space for humanity.

Every mission could be a one-way trip.

But every successful pioneering effort means humanity's territory has expanded one step further."

He threw the empty can into the trash, turned around, and leaned his back against the windowsill.

"I took this path."

Independent Pioneer Sequence, number 0047. Thirty-one years, fighting from Warrior to Lord, and from Lord to Sovereign.

The Divine Domain space I personally opened up is larger than the entire area of Nanjiang City.

My subjects don't respawn; if they die, they're really dead.

In thirty-one years, not a single one of the original subjects who followed me survived.

The few hundred I have now were newly condensed from the source later on."

He raised his right hand, which was missing two fingers.

"I came back alive. My subjects did not."

The lounge was quiet for a while.

"Neither path is right or wrong."

Qin Shu said, "Fang Zhen guarded the border for twelve years, until he died."

Behind the section of the defense line he guarded were three cities and over ten million people.

Without him, that rift eruption would have killed at least hundreds of thousands. He was a hero."

He lowered his hand.

"But you are not Fang Zhen."

Fang Zhen's Magma Hell was a high-grade attribute, his subjects were Lava Giants, and his combat style was direct confrontation.

His tactical system determined that his best position was as a nail on the defense line—standing there and never retreating. Your Land of Cultivation is different.

Jin Lin's Deflection Sword, Mu Sheng's Differentiation Vine Net, Elder Quan's Spiral Water Curtain—your subjects excel at flexibility, finding weaknesses, and breaking power with finesse.

Placing such a tactical system on a defense line is a waste.

"In a pioneering mission, it is the sharpest blade."

Shen Ye was silent for a long time.

The commands on the playground outside stopped, replaced by the sound of rhythmic running.

The setting sun shone through the window, casting an orange-red light spot on the floor.

"Which path did Gu Yan take?" Shen Ye asked.

Qin Shu's expression didn't change, but the gap before his answer was a split second longer than before.

"Pioneer. He entered the Cangqiong University core cultivation program and executed pioneering missions in the northern mineral vein area after graduation."

"He went missing during a deep mission behind enemy lines and hasn't been found to this day."

"What about He Man?"

"Pioneer."

She retired the earliest, not because she couldn't fight anymore, but because she stayed behind alone to cover her teammates' retreat during a mission.

Her Divine Kingdom suffered a heavy blow, and her subjects were almost entirely lost.

She came back alive, but she can no longer fight."

Shen Ye lowered his head and looked at his hands.

There were no marks on his palms, but he knew that in his Divine Kingdom, Jin Lin was practicing his sword in front of the sword stele, Mu Sheng was weaving vine nets by the spirit fields, and Elder Quan was deducing spiral techniques by the spirit spring.

The angel Chen stood on the east side of the Twilight Spirit Spring, while the succubus Ye stood on the west side. Holy light and the abyss blended in their clasped hands.

Fourteen years.

In seven days of the outside world, they had already lived in the Divine Kingdom for fourteen years.

They were his subjects, and also his responsibility.

"I choose the second path," Shen Ye said.

Qin Shu looked at him. "Why?"

"Because Principal Zhou gave me Gu Yan's broken sword."

Shen Ye looked up. "Gu Yan was a Pioneer, and he's missing. The broken sword contains his full-power strike from when he broke through to the True God level."

He Man was a Pioneer. She came back alive but can no longer fight.

Fang Zhen was a Guardian. He guarded for twelve years and died.

He paused for a moment. "Three paths, three people, and not one of them truly reached where they wanted to go."

"I want to reach it."

Qin Shu was silent for a long time.

Then he picked up a data pad from the windowsill, pulled up a file, and pushed it in front of Shen Ye.

"Pioneer Preliminary Training Plan."

Starting tomorrow, your practical combat classes will double.

The Void Race configuration in the Simulated Rift will be upgraded from Scout-level to Warrior-level.

Void Race Intelligence will increase from two sessions per week to five, taught personally by Elder Meng from the City Association.

Elder Meng is a retired Pioneer who killed Void Race members at the border for forty years and came back alive.

The things he teaches aren't in books."

Shen Ye took the data pad and signed his name at the end of the file.

Qin Shu took back the data pad and stood up.

"Seven o'clock tomorrow, Third Training Ground. Don't be late."

He walked to the door and stopped, without looking back.

"Gu Yan was my captain."

Shen Ye was stunned.

"Independent Pioneer Sequence, number 0031, Gu Yan."

I was his vice-captain.

Qin Shu's voice was very low. "The day he went missing in the gray zone, I had retired due to a hand injury and didn't go with him."

I've always wondered if he would still be alive if I had been there.

He pulled open the door.

"Reach it for him."

The door closed.

Shen Ye sat on the bench as the patch of sunlight from the setting sun slowly crawled from the floor onto his shoes.

Gu Yan's broken sword hummed slightly in the resource bag, like a silent entrustment.

Fang Zhen, a Guardian, died.

Gu Yan, a Pioneer, went missing.

He Man, a Pioneer, had her Divine Kingdom shattered.

Three people, three paths, and not one of them truly reached where they wanted to go.

Principal Zhou Wenyin gave him Gu Yan's broken sword, and Qin Shu told him Gu Yan's number.

Shen Ye stood up and walked out of the lounge.

The corridor was very quiet, and his footsteps echoed between the walls.

In the Divine Kingdom, Jin Lin sheathed his sword, Mu Sheng retracted his vines, and Elder Quan closed his palms.

Chen and Ye simultaneously looked up from both sides of the Twilight Spirit Spring, gazing toward the sky.