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

Chapter 211 A Desperate Gamble, The Final Battle Arrives (3-in-1 7K)

In a tranquil courtyard floating above a verdant nebula in the distant territory of the Eldar.

Beside a stream flowing with the spring of life, in a quiet room entirely formed by the natural growth of living ancient trees, Liyue Sheena slowly opened her eyes.

She was dressed in elaborate traditional Ling ethnic clothing, her hair was like moonlight, and her eyes contained the wisdom and gentleness that comes with the passage of time.

But beneath this gentle demeanor lurked a deep-seated anxiety.

Liyue has just ended a cross-galactic communication with her granddaughter Irelia, who is far away in the human realm.

During the communication, Irelia's tone seemed no different from usual, still aloof and composed, as she reported on her routine work.

But no one knows a grandson better than his grandfather, and Li Yue keenly sensed the subtle change beneath that calm tone.

This reignited the unease that had been simmering within her.

Her slender, jade-like fingers tapped twice unconsciously on her knee.

"Old buddy."

Li Yue's voice, tinged with coldness, shattered the tranquility of the quiet room.

"Irelia first sold the life-bearing planet I gave her for her thousandth birthday, and now, through encrypted channels, she has applied for full access to the reserve funds that the family has stored in the Human Star Bank."

As soon as she finished speaking, the space beside Li Yue rippled slightly.

A phantom figure, composed entirely of soft light, slowly coalesced.

It was Oran, the intelligent life form that had accompanied Liyue for countless years.

Oran stood quietly to the side. As Li Yue's father, the intelligent life left behind by that fallen world-level being, he had spent far more time with Li Yue than any of her blood relatives.

Because Oran still possesses information access at the realm level, which is extremely important for a star-domain level family.

Therefore, within the family, Oran is not only the highest-level intelligent life form, but also a pillar of stability.

Moreover, for Liyue, Oran, who has been with her since childhood, is both a father and a friend, and her most solid support throughout her long life.

“Liyue.” Oran’s voice was gentle and steady. “That child, Irelia, has been exceptionally intelligent and discreet since childhood. Selling the inhabited planet might be for a more important purpose. As for that sum of money… you and I both know that the amount held by the humans was never large; it’s just a drop in the ocean for our race.”

"Perhaps she simply discovered some worthwhile investment opportunity in that unfamiliar star system?"

Li Yue slowly shook her head, her emerald eyes filled with even deeper worry.

“The financial loss is a minor matter. What I’m worried about is that when I asked her about the reason during our conversation just now, she was evasive and only said it was a necessary investment, but she wouldn’t say more about the details. She has never hidden anything from me before.”

"Old friend, do you think she encountered some unspeakable trouble in human territory? Or... was she deceived?"

"If it were just a matter of being scammed out of money, that would be fine. But you know, we Spirit Clan take emotions very seriously."

Her words carried the natural worry of a grandmother, as well as the wariness of a family leader who had seen the darker side of the universe.

Liyue knew very well that the human race, which was rapidly rising in power, did not have a benevolent territory.

Oran's figure shimmered slightly, as if he were also deep in thought.

“Irelia has grown up. Maybe she just doesn’t want you to worry. Too much interference might not be a good thing.”

"But Oran, knowing she might be in trouble, still ignored it and let things develop unpredictably. This is extremely irresponsible behavior. Her parents..."

Li Yue stopped halfway through her sentence, then looked at Oran and changed the subject, "Although Irelia's intelligent life form 'Star Language' is now an independent entity, at its core it is still a sub-entity that you separated from, and your superior authority should still exist."

Oran's illusory figure stiffened, its light flashing violently, revealing clear resistance. "Liyue... invading the privacy of an individual... isn't that inappropriate?"

"If it turns out she wasn't in any danger, but was simply making an investment she considered important and safe..."

Li Yue interrupted him, her tone extremely serious, "I swear, I will never let her know what happened today, nor will I interfere with any of her decisions. I just want to make sure my granddaughter is safe."

Her gaze was intense, filled with a rare worry and anxiety.

Oran was silent for a moment, and finally, he let out a long sigh.

"Alright, since you insist on Liyue, I hope you're right."

After speaking, Oran's figure became more solid. He raised his hand, made of light, palm up, and a link quietly extended to the distant other side of the starry river, to the intelligent life form attached to Irelia—Star Language.

In an instant, a massive amount of information, like a bursting dam, flooded into Oran's processing core, where it was highly refined and compressed, transforming into mental images and data streams that Liyue could intuitively understand, which slowly unfolded before her.

He saw that blue planet—Blue Star.

They saw the terrifying golden domain of rules that enveloped Mount Everest and instantly purified all the abyssal beasts within a range of millions of square kilometers.

I saw the young human named Lin Yi, whose personal evaluation score was a staggering 97 million points.

I saw his personal milestones, each shining with purple and gold light: [Dominating the Domain], [Leading the Way in Civilization], [Preaching to the World].
I saw that the Blue Star civilization had a rating of nearly 5 million.

We witnessed the golden milestones achieved by the Blue Star civilization, such as [Civilization Revival] and [Light of the Alliance].

Seeing how Irelia's initial observation report, which was just a preliminary observation, gradually evolved into shock and anticipation, and even now, she has stopped all her cultivation resources to devote herself to it.

I saw that she was secretly selling off planets and applying for funds, all in order to provide "assistance" to Lin Yi and the Blue Star civilization after the assessment.

The flow of information gradually subsided.

Oran silently withdrew the link.

Liyue's Hina sat there quietly, without moving for a long time.

The worry and coldness on her face had vanished, replaced by a complex expression.

A Star Core Level 7 Rule Domain Personal Evaluation Approaching a Level 5 Civilization Evaluation—All of this actually happened to a rudimentary human civilization in a "source energy barren zone"?

Her granddaughter, Irelia, did not encounter trouble or deception, but instead discovered an incredible treasure with limitless potential.

She is trying to seize this once-in-a-millennium opportunity to fight for an unprecedented future for herself, and perhaps also for her family.

Silence spread through the quiet room, broken only by the gentle murmur of the spring water.

After a long while, Li Yue slowly raised her hand and gently pressed her brow, as if to digest the overwhelming amount of information.

".I see."

Li Yue murmured to herself, those four words seemingly containing a thousand unspoken words: relief, amazement, realization, and anticipation.

She finally understood the scheme behind Irelia's seemingly abnormal behavior.

This was not an impulsive act, but a high-stakes gamble.

The stakes were her entire fortune, and on the other side of the table was a human named Lin Yi, and behind him, a blue star that was shining brightly.

However, Li Yue was, after all, a very experienced Starfield-level powerhouse and the leader of an ancient family. Soon, the initial shock slowly subsided and turned into a deep sense of relief.

But beneath this sense of relief lies a hint of helplessness and affection, a knowing look from someone who has experienced life's vicissitudes when observing the actions of younger generations.

"Achieving a Level 7 rating during the assessment period. Over forty years of understanding of star-domain rules."

Li Yue repeated these key pieces of information in a low voice, a smile involuntarily curving her lips, like an orchid quietly blooming in a secluded valley.

“Oran, look, this little girl Ellie has such good fortune to meet such a human prodigy that even you and I have to take seriously.”

The fact that Liyue could think of using the human civilization advancement assessment as a path to contact the eternal gods naturally indicates that they have a far greater understanding of the human race and its assessment mechanism than ordinary people. This includes a lot of hidden information that Oran collected using his high-level privileges.

She knew that while Irelia's actions of selling planets and requesting the transfer of her meager reserve funds showed determination, in her and Oran's eyes, they still carried a touch of childish naiveté.

Those resources might be a huge sum for Irelia, a Star Swirl-level expert, but they would probably not cause much of a stir in the eyes of any Star Domain-level powerhouse.

After all, with Oran assisting in management, the Sheena family has established emergency fund accounts in the territories of more than a dozen powerful races under the Pan-Spirit Alliance, so the reserves in a single human Star Sea Bank account are really nothing.

Li Yue knew very well that once this assessment was over, the various organizations belonging to the "Purple Gold Star Alliance" would swarm in like sharks smelling blood, extending olive branches to Lin Yi and the Blue Star civilization.

It could be a gesture of goodwill, an investment, or even a combination of threat and investment.
At that point, the support Irelia can offer now will likely pale in comparison to the conditions offered by those behemoths.

"Now that we have encountered such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, we must seize it firmly and not hesitate or be stingy in the slightest."

A resolute glint flashed in Li Yue's eyes. She looked at Oran, her gaze questioning, but even more so, filled with the determination to make a shared decision. "To forge this initial bond with someone who will at least reach the Transcendent Realm in the future, and perhaps even have the potential to reach the God Realm, is a tremendous opportunity for my Xena family to escape this quagmire and return to the Star Sea. Oran, what do you think?"

In the light and shadow of Oran, ancient runes flowed slowly as he deduced using the underlying logic of the realm-level and a vast information database.

After a moment, he spoke, “The risk is moderate, but the potential return is extremely high. However, the scale of the investment needs to be reassessed.”

With Oran's approval, the last trace of hesitation in Liyue's heart vanished.

She took a deep breath and said firmly:
"That's right. Either we don't do it at all, or we do it right the first time, overwhelming everyone else. I'm going to offer a price that those forces that come running after me will absolutely not be able to match!"

After saying that, Li Yue's gaze sharpened. "Oran, help me contact Serena, the patriarch of the 'Shadowthorn' family."

Even Oran, upon hearing this name, paused for a moment, revealing the worry characteristic of an elder.

"Liyue, Serena. Our feud with the Shadowthorns runs deep, and now that they are powerful, it is time to contact them."

His dissuasion was not out of fear, but based on prioritizing the safety of Liyue and his family.

"It is precisely because she has a great advantage now that I need to find her."

Li Yue snorted coldly, "Tell her that our Sheena family is willing to give up our ancestral land."

"Abandon our ancestral land?!"

The light and shadow of Oran suddenly dissipated, then quickly coalesced again, and the voice rose, "Liyue, be careful! That is Sheena's root, the place that our old master once protected!"

"Isn't what Serena is coveting the core 'Lanshui Stone' vein on our ancestral home planet?"

Li Yue curled her lips into a cold smile, as if she were talking about something that had nothing to do with her.

“Give it to her! But tell her we want 700 billion Lan Yue Crystals. Once we get this money, our Xina family will immediately leave the Spirit Clan territory and go far away to the Human Clan.”

Oran remained silent for a moment.

He wasn't calculating gains and losses; with his abilities, he had already arrived at countless possible deductions in an instant.

He was sensing Liyue's do-or-die determination.

After a while, seeing that Liyue showed no sign of changing her mind, Oran spoke again, his tone shifting from persuasion to a realistic reminder: "Liyue, Serena is greedy and cautious. She may not agree to such a huge deal. She is more likely to choose to exploit you slowly."

"No, she will agree."

Li Yue's voice carried a certainty, "We've been fighting for so many years, I know her too well. She's greedy, but also suspicious, and lacks patience. She knows what our Sheena family would do in despair."

Li Yue paused, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. "She understands me, just as I understand her. She knows I have the ability to completely destroy the core of the mine, leaving her with nothing."

"Although 700 billion Lan Yue Crystals is a huge sum of money, it is not a crippling blow to the Shadow Thorn family at present. She can use this money to buy the complete departure of a major threat and a complete and undamaged Lan Shui Stone mine. She can make this choice."

She looked at Oran. "Tell her, this is my final condition, presented on behalf of the Oran family. If she doesn't agree now, then there's no point in talking anymore. Even if we end up trapped in this star system, she won't get what she wants." Oran's aura flickered slightly, and he fell silent again.

This time, he was using his Transcendental-level authority to simulate countless possibilities for negotiating with Serena and to assess the risks and opportunities of traveling to the human realm.

After a long silence, he finally spoke with difficulty, his voice tinged with helplessness, "Even if the deal is reached, abandoning the ancestral land and moving to the human territory of Liyue, there will be many clansmen who are unwilling to leave the clan council. The resistance will be beyond imagination."

Li Yue's eyes suddenly turned cold, and the gentle life aura around her instantly vanished, replaced by an aura of authority and ruthlessness that came with long-held power.

This is the spirit she honed when she led her family to struggle for survival amidst the storms of adversity and absolute disadvantage.

"Elders?" Li Yue snorted softly. "Oran, in my name, urgently summon all the core elders for a meeting. They will agree."

After speaking, Li Yue paused, "As for those ordinary clansmen, they usually enjoy the protection of the clan. Now that the clan has reached a critical juncture where it needs to break through and rebuild to secure the future, they have no choice but to either follow the clan or remain in this ancestral land that is about to change hands and fend for themselves."

"I understand, Liyue."

Oran gave Liyue a deep look, a look that contained the care of an elder, the trust of a comrade, and the absolute execution of the highest command by an intelligent life form.

"The instructions have been confirmed. Initiate encrypted communication with Serena, prepare the agenda for the elders' meeting in sync, and begin a feasibility rehearsal for the entire tribe's migration."

Li Yue nodded slightly and closed her eyes again.

A storm concerning the fate of a family is about to erupt in this ancient territory of the Spirit Clan.

Together they will stake everything on a future created by a young woman and her granddaughter on a distant blue planet.
-
The next day.

The Blue Star Community headquarters building stands like a sharp sword piercing the sky.

The main circular conference hall, which can accommodate a thousand people, was packed to capacity.

Not only were all the high-ranking officials of the Blue Star Community present, but the hall was also filled with nearly three hundred energy fluctuations of varying strengths, all of which were equally unsettling.

All registered Star Core-level powerhouses from around the world gathered together.

This is a grand occasion that the Blue Star civilization has never witnessed since the outbreak of the Abyss Beast Crisis.

However, at this moment, the place where this enormous power was gathered was filled with an uncontrollable commotion and whispers.

Everyone's conversation revolved around the earth-shattering scene that took place on Mount Everest yesterday.

"Have you heard? All the Abyss Beasts in the main nest of Mount Everest are gone! Just yesterday afternoon, in an instant!"

"Nonsense, the global energy monitoring network has collapsed, how could we not know? The question is, how did it disappear?"

"Wasn't it said that Lin Yi was there? And Chief Chen Yu was also there."

"It must have been them! But what methods did they use?"

"I heard there wasn't even a sound of an explosion, nor any sign of energy collision. It's as if all the Abyss Beasts in the entire main territory have evaporated!"

Speculation, doubt, shock—various emotions spread among the crowd.

Most of the Star Core level powerhouses knew the result through various channels, but they knew nothing about the process. This unknown brought them even deeper awe and confusion.

They whispered among themselves, their eyes occasionally glancing at the empty seats at the front of the hall, especially the one in the middle that belonged to Lin Yi.

Several representatives or powerful figures from countries like America and Russia, which possess global high-precision monitoring capabilities, had somewhat unusual expressions.

Their organization did indeed mobilize the most advanced observation equipment and capture that brief but mind-blowing scene above Mount Everest—the invisible force field that enveloped the heavens and the terrifying sight of the abyss beast disappearing as if erased by an eraser.

But it was precisely because they saw it that they were even more terrified.

That was completely beyond their understanding of power.

Before Lin Yi made a clear statement, no one dared to risk angering him by making the observation results public.

Therefore, they could only keep their lips tightly shut and let the powerful figures around them, who were unaware of the truth, speculate.

As a result, everyone's attention was focused on another "participant" at the scene—Chen Yu, who was surrounded by a large group of Star Core level experts.

At this moment, Chen Yu was enjoying an unprecedented moment of glory in his life.

He was naturally outgoing and flamboyant. As one of the earliest veterans to follow Lin Yi and one of the first strongmen on Blue Star to break through to the Star Core level, he had long been accustomed to the praise and attention he received.

However, being surrounded by so many Star Core level experts of the same rank, like stars around the moon, and being looked at with curious, inquisitive, and even slightly ingratiating eyes, the feeling is completely different!
"Old Chen, tell me quickly! What exactly happened back then? You were closest to the commander, so you must have seen it clearly, right?" A burly man of the Star Core level from the Europa Federation urged in a loud voice.

"What method did you use? Could it be a newly created secret technique?" a female Star Core-level being from the Europa region asked softly.

Chen Yu stood in the center of the crowd, feeling the powerful auras around him holding their breath because of him, and his vanity was greatly satisfied.

He cleared his throat, trying to put on a serious and profound expression, but the barely suppressed smile at the corner of his mouth betrayed him.

"Cough cough!"

He deliberately kept everyone in suspense, looking around and enjoying the feeling of being anticipated. "The scene back then was truly amazing! Let me tell you, I was only a few hundred meters away from the principal, and I saw it all clearly!"

The surroundings fell silent instantly, and everyone pricked up their ears.

"You didn't see it, those dozen or so Star Core-level Abyss Beasts, at least Tier 3 or higher, pounced at us with their claws outstretched. Their momentum was... wow, if it were me, I probably would have turned and run away," he described vividly, gesturing with his arms. "But guess what? The principal just stood there, without even moving an inch!"

He paused, noticing the tense yet expectant expressions on the faces of those around him, before lowering his voice as if sharing some earth-shattering secret: "Then, I felt a chill all over my body, as if the whole world had changed. I can't quite explain how it changed, but it just felt different, and then..."

He suddenly made a gesture of expanding his hands outwards and then clenching them tightly, accompanied by wide-open eyes.

"Just like that, really, just like that, in the blink of an eye, gone. All gone!"

"From the strongest Star Core-level leaders to the countless lowly minions below, they're all gone. Not even a speck of ash remains! All that's left are the Spirit Crystals, falling like rain!"

He described it in an extremely exaggerated way, his spittle almost spraying onto the faces of the people in front of him, but the core process remained vague, only repeatedly emphasizing the shock of that instantaneous annihilation.

"What kind of power is it? Is it a rule-based attack? Or some kind of method that we can't understand?" someone couldn't help but ask.

"this one"

Chen Yu stroked his chin, his eyes flickering. Lin Yi hadn't explicitly forbidden him from revealing it, but he himself couldn't accurately describe that power. More importantly, he had a deep-seated intuition that perhaps it wasn't his place to speak of that level of power.

He chuckled, "Anyway, it's awesome, invincible! All you need to know is that with the principal around, what are the main nests and abyssal beasts? They're nothing but chickens and dogs."

His statement, which was half boasting and half concealing, further whetted everyone's appetite and made the atmosphere at the scene even more restless.

Just as Chen Yu was getting overwhelmed by the questioning and was preparing to fabricate some more details...
Buzz.
An invisible and intangible fluctuation, like mercury spilling onto the ground, silently enveloped the entire conference hall.

In an instant, all the discussions ceased.

Nearly three hundred Star Core level powerhouses, including Chen Yu who was bragging, felt their source energy slightly stagnate, and a natural awe and obedience to the supreme being emanated from the depths of their souls.

They all straightened their backs, held their breath, and turned their gazes toward the podium.

Without a sound of footsteps or a burst of energy, Lin Yi's figure appeared before the main seat as if he had always been there.

He was still wearing that seemingly ordinary combat uniform, and there was no imposing aura emanating from him. But when he stood still and his gaze calmly swept across the entire scene, everyone felt as if that gaze had pierced through their souls and seen through all their inner thoughts.

The entire hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Lin Yi slowly sat down. His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"Please, everyone, have a seat."

Everyone immediately returned to their seats.

After everyone was seated, Lin Yi slowly began to speak:

"What happened on Mount Everest yesterday was my doing."

He got straight to the point, without any pleasantries or preamble.

"It is neither a new type of weapon nor a specific secret technique."

Lin Yi paused, seemingly considering how to explain a concept beyond their current understanding to everyone, "My understanding of the rules has recently broken through to a new level."

A new realm?

Everyone held their breath, even Chen Yu's eyes widened. He only knew that Lin Yi was ridiculously strong, but he didn't know exactly what level he was at.

Lin Yi's gaze seemed to pierce through the dome of the conference hall and look towards the endless sea of ​​stars: "In the cultivation techniques I have practiced, there are a few words that mention the realm of rule comprehension above the Star Vortex level. Some of you who have exchanged for cultivation techniques dropped by the main nest leader may have heard of them."

"Above the star vortex lies the star field."

Star field!

These two words struck like a thunderclap in everyone's minds.

"One of the hallmark abilities of a Star Domain-level comprehension of rules is the Rule Domain." Lin Yi's voice remained calm, as if stating an objective fact. "Yesterday on Mount Everest, I experienced the power of the Metal-type Rule Domain for the first time."

Rules are the domain!

Lin Yi didn't give everyone much time to process this shocking information.

Because, besides explaining everything that happened on Mount Everest, he has something even more important to do today.

That means wiping out the remaining five main nests and ending the assessment as soon as possible.

Of course, this needs to be phrased differently.

Therefore, Lin Yi changed the subject, and his tone became serious.

"Everyone, I think you all have doubts about this sudden apocalypse. Even now, we still don't know where these abyssal beast lairs came from or why."

"We also don't know what the real purpose is of the mastermind behind creating and deploying these nests."

Lin Yi's gaze swept over the faces below, some shocked, some bewildered, and some thoughtful.

"However, I think that when we completely wipe out all the Abyss Beast lairs, including the last five main lairs, from Blue Star at our own pace, those behind-the-scenes manipulators will not remain indifferent."

A chill ran down everyone's spine.

"Perhaps some people think that we should continue to wait, accumulate more strength, develop stronger technology, and wait until we are fully confident before facing that unknown enemy."

Lin Yi's tone suddenly sharpened, "But who can guarantee that these outposts entrenched in our homeland aren't just a smokescreen deliberately laid by the enemy? Waiting might not bring us stronger forces, but rather a more complete plan by the enemy, or... a crueler truth."

He stood up, looked at the crowd, and slowly said:

"Therefore, I have decided that since I have the ability to destroy the main hive, I will not wait any longer."

"Everyone."

"Get ready for the final battle."

(End of this chapter)