Pretending to be a genius starts with the civilization advancement assessment.

Chapter 103 Returning to My True Self
As his thoughts raced, an idea involuntarily surfaced in Lin Yi's mind.

"When did the passionate and daring 'Thunderstorm' become so calm and conservative?"

Lin Yi fell into a brief sigh.

In his previous life, from the end of the civilization assessment and the beginning of the Blue Star humanity's formal entry into the universe, as he gradually became the Blue Star's most powerful cultivator and the most promising person to break through to the Star Swirl level, the future of the entire civilization and the expectations of countless people all rested on his shoulders.

The once flamboyant and unrestrained "Thunderstorm" Lin Yi, hailed as the strongest blade in the Xia Kingdom, slowly disappeared.

Instead, Lin Yi, a cautious and conservative interstellar mercenary in the cosmic mercenary group, took a step-by-step approach.

This change lasted for thousands of years.

For thousands of years, he had become accustomed to this cautious, fraught-of-thin approach.

After all, aside from his good fortune in joining the early-stage Leliat Mercenary Group and receiving sporadic guidance from Star Domain level experts, Liu Yuan, who made the fastest progress, was only at the sixth level of Star Core, and had almost no chance of breaking through to Star Vortex within ten thousand years.

At that time, he couldn't afford to die, nor could he afford to die. If he fell, the future of Blue Star would be almost over.

But now, as Lin Yi thought about it, a slight smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.

Everything is different now.

Even if he were to perish in a future battle, given the current momentum and potential of the Blue Star civilization, he would still be able to obtain a rating of level 3 or higher by the end of the assessment, which would be enough to make him an "administrative star" protected by the Human Council, providing him with a foundation for continued development.

Lin Yi recalled that at the opening ceremony, when he looked around at the hopeful trainees below the stage, the "old acquaintances" from his previous life in the viewing area, and the high-ranking officials of the country who gave him their full support, the string that had been taut for thousands of years in his heart suddenly relaxed.

It was this sense of relief—shedding a heavy burden and severing numerous constraints and shackles—that resonated with the core of the metal-based rules he had come to understand, leading him to an unexpected moment of enlightenment.

After all, the core of the metal-based rules he is good at emphasizes sharpness, ambition, ferocity, and initiative, rather than protection and forbearance.

If one's mindset and the rules one perceives are not compatible over a long period, progress will inevitably be slow.

"Perhaps this is one of the reasons why the cultivation speed of Liu Yuan and the other old brothers also slowed down in the later stages. It's a pity that Andrei and Wang Bo both perished at the last moment of the assessment."

Lin Yi sighed inwardly, "As a result, none of us Star Core level survivors are majoring in Guardian-type rules."

After reflecting for a while, Lin Yi's thoughts returned to the present.

He now realized that although he had gained the upper hand by using his prophecy after his rebirth, his mindset was still largely influenced by the cautious habits he had developed over thousands of years in his previous life.

In fact, with the ultimate trump card of spiritual enlightenment, we can be bolder and more aggressive in many areas.

After all, from his last epiphany, Lin Yi had already discovered that the more aligned with the rules, the better the effect of the epiphany would be. This was the fundamental reason why Lin Yi directly revealed his Star-level understanding of the rules this time.

According to the original plan, he needed to continuously improve in order to maintain his genius persona, and his original ultimate realm was only the Star-Spinning level of rule comprehension.

Therefore, he originally planned to spend more time at the core-level stage and make gradual progress.

But after a moment of realization, Lin Yi discovered that he could be even more radical.

First of all, his cultivation level has reached the third stage of the Star Vortex level, but he has only shown the first stage of the Star Vortex level, so there is still room for improvement.

Secondly, after practical verification, he discovered that a three-minute epiphany could lead to such a significant improvement.
In other words, he could have another epiphany in five months.

Although the rules become more difficult to understand as time goes on, they do allow him to stop struggling to make ends meet and counting the grains of rice in his food bag.

Having figured all this out, Lin Yi, who had already broken free from the heavy barriers, went all out and boldly raised his realm comprehension to the Star-Spinning level.

Of course, he didn't reveal everything all at once.

After all, he was simply returning to his true nature, rather than completely erasing his experiences over the years; a certain degree of composure remained.

"Although I've clarified my true intentions this time, there's no need to overcorrect; some of my strengths still need to be preserved."

"The experience of thousands of years in the past is also a valuable asset, especially in a perilous universe."

Lin Yi pondered for a while and set the tone.

"I was too radical before, and then too conservative later. The right path is to embrace diversity."

"Moreover, once you reach the Star Domain level, you will need to start integrating and comprehending more rules. At that time, this experience of 'protection' and 'caution' may come in very handy."

Of course, those are still quite far off.

For Lin Yi right now, what he needs to do is actually very simple.

Back then, I was forced to compromise and suppress my true nature. Now that the shackles are gone, I no longer need to look back and can directly be my true self.
-
At 1:50 p.m., the large classroom of the Dongfeng Training Camp was already packed.

Eight hundred students selected from all over the country, along with more than twenty auditors from various diplomatic missions, had already taken their seats in the designated areas.

The classroom, which can accommodate nearly a thousand people, was completely silent at this moment. A mixture of tension, excitement, anticipation, and a little unease permeated the air.

The trainees wore the same training uniforms, but subtle differences could still be seen.

The cadets from the military sat the straightest, with sharp eyes, displaying the discipline unique to soldiers.

The participants from the community were more diverse; some looked around excitedly, while others appeared somewhat reserved, placing their hands neatly on the table.

Chen Yu and Zhou Yuxuan sat in relatively forward positions.

Chen Yu could clearly feel that there were occasional glances that subtly swept over the two of them, especially when they landed on him, they would often linger for a moment, accompanied by low whispers.

"That's Chen Yu? I heard he's childhood friends with Chief Instructor Lin!"

"Not only that, they lived in the same dormitory before the disaster. I heard that Chief Instructor Lin was training early on, and he was always by his side!" "No wonder he was able to get in. Tsk, I'm really envious."

"Keep your voice down! Don't let anyone hear. But then again, he seems to be working really hard, and his test scores are supposedly pretty good."

"It's hard to say now. Whether it will work or not, we'll see the truth in a while."

Although the whispers were low, they stung Chen Yu's ears like needles.

His face flushed slightly, and he subconsciously straightened his back, staring intently at the empty podium in front of him, his fists clenching slightly under the table.

"The rumors are getting more and more outrageous, with things like childhood friends coming up!"

What Chen Yu least wanted to see was this situation.

He didn't want others to think he got in here because of Lin Yi's connections. He had worked hard and passed the test!
He was just luckier than others, able to learn from Lin Yi from an early age.

Zhou Yuxuan seemed to sense Chen Yu's emotions, nudged him lightly with his elbow, and whispered, "Ignore them. Just focus on ourselves. The first class is Yi-ge's, so pay attention."

Chen Yu took a deep breath and nodded emphatically.

That's right, this is Yi Ge's first lesson. He absolutely cannot let Yi Ge down. He must prove that he, Chen Yu, is sitting here because of more than just connections.

The atmosphere was even more subtle in the observation area marked out on the other side of the classroom.

Elizabeth of England and Adams sat together.

Elizabeth stood gracefully with her chin slightly raised, like a princess attending a banquet, but a sharp light gleamed in the depths of her azure eyes. She carefully observed everything around her, from the signs on the wall to the expressions of every Xia Kingdom student around her, not missing a single detail in the classroom.

Adams, on the other hand, was more direct. He leaned forward, his eyes filled with undisguised desire and fighting spirit, as if he were ready to plunge into a fierce competition at any moment.

"Adams, relax."

Elizabeth spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear, her tone carrying a hint of reminder, "We are here to learn, not to duel. Remember Her Majesty's expectations."

“Of course I know,” Adams replied in a low voice, his muscles still tense. “But look at them, Elizabeth. We must learn the real thing. We must become stronger than them. Otherwise, we will lose all our voice in the future world.”

His gaze swept over the Xia Kingdom students, filled with a strong sense of competition.

Not far away, the auditors of the America Mission appeared to be more diverse.

Several energetic-looking young people were talking quietly to each other and gesturing, seemingly discussing something.

Andrei, an auditor, was also among them.

He didn't seem too nervous. Instead, he looked around curiously with a simple smile on his face. Occasionally, he would nod to those who looked up at him, as if he were there not to attend a class, but to participate in a friendly gathering.

However, the way his broad, calloused hands occasionally rubbed against each other betrayed a hint of unease in his heart.

Another tall and composed female student sat quietly, quickly taking notes of the information she observed.

The auditors from other countries mostly looked more serious, even with a hint of barely perceptible anxiety.

They shouldered the important task of learning from the experiences of the nation, and the opportunity was hard-won, so they were afraid of missing any detail.

All the different emotions and expectations converge here at this moment.

Many of them were just ordinary people a little over a month ago—students, workers, clerks, farmers. Now, by chance, they are sitting here, about to systematically learn about the power that can change the fate of individuals and even civilizations.

They were eager to see what kind of changes the legendary source energy would bring.
They were anxious, wondering if they could keep up with the pace and not waste this hard-won opportunity.
They were even more eager to see how their legendary head instructor would guide them through this new world.

Time passed by, and the atmosphere in the classroom grew increasingly solemn.

Just as the clock struck exactly two in the afternoon, the front door of the classroom was silently pushed open.

A figure walked in with steady steps.

In an instant, all the whispers, all the chaotic thoughts, all the scrutinizing gazes vanished.

The eyes of nearly a thousand people in the classroom were drawn to it as if by a magnet.

Lin Yi was wearing the instructor's uniform, his face expressionless, except for his deep, sharp eyes, which seemed to see right through people.

He walked onto the podium empty-handed, without any lesson plans or materials in his hands.

Standing behind the podium, Lin Yi's gaze slowly swept across the dark mass of people below, across every face filled with longing, nervousness, and curiosity.

Chen Yu subconsciously held his breath, while Zhou Yuxuan adjusted his glasses, his eyes extremely focused.

Elizabeth straightened her back, while Adams's fighting spirit intensified.

Andrei stopped grinning and his expression became serious.

All the students unconsciously fell silent.

Lin Yi's gaze swept around the classroom before finally settling on the front.

He spoke, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"Class begins now."

(End of this chapter)