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

Chapter 98 Rules Take Shape, Carving Marks on Stone

The air seemed to freeze, and time seemed to become viscous and slow.

On the square, thousands of eyes were fixed on the podium, on the young figure surrounded by tiny yet terrifying purple arcs of electricity.

The immense pressure was as heavy as lead, making it hard to breathe.

In the silent square, only the crackling of electricity resonated clearly in everyone's hearts.

This suffocating silence lasted for about three minutes.

For the audience, who felt like every second was an eternity, those three minutes felt like an eternity.

Finally, the countless tiny arcs of electricity that were constantly flashing in Lin Yi's eyes suddenly subsided and disappeared completely into the depths of his pupils.

The purple lightning that danced and flowed around him disappeared into his body in an instant, like rivers flowing into the sea.

The terrifying pressure that had enveloped the entire area and terrified everyone also receded like a tide.

"call"

Almost simultaneously, a collective sigh of relief, barely suppressed, rose from the square.

Many people even subconsciously raised their hands to wipe the cold sweat that had seeped out of their foreheads, their faces pale, as if they had just been pulled out of the water.

Lin Yi blinked, quickly adjusting to the scene before him, and immediately understood what had happened.

After a brief moment's thought, he decided to change his plans and reveal more "things".

"Since so many talents have gathered here, I've had an epiphany. My previous plan was a bit restrictive and petty. There are so many outstanding people in the universe. What harm is there in showing everyone more?"

As Lin Yi thought to himself, a perfectly timed apology appeared on his face, and his voice returned to its previous calm as he spoke into the microphone.

"Feel sorry."

He nodded slightly, gesturing to the audience and the podium, "Seeing all of you outstanding individuals gathered here just now, I was moved and gained some insights. For a moment, I couldn't control my own energy and disturbed you all. I am truly sorry."

His apology sounded very sincere, but its content left the audience looking at each other blankly, unsure how to react.

Have I gained some insight?
The flow of Qi was out of control?

Was that terrifying pressure, which almost made my heart stop and felt like facing the wrath of heaven, simply because I "had a slight understanding" and "couldn't control myself"?
What kind of "enlightenment" is this?!

Seeing the still somewhat bewildered and shaken expressions on the faces of the audience below, Lin Yi smiled and continued:

"However, now that I have gained something, I will not be stingy with keeping it to myself. Later, I will briefly demonstrate my understanding to everyone, as a small compensation for disturbing you earlier."

These words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake.

Everyone's eyes lit up instantly.

The shock and fear in the eyes of the eight hundred students were quickly replaced by an intense sense of anticipation and curiosity.

It's just a little fright, is it really that easy?
The head instructor is going to personally demonstrate the power he has just grasped.

What a sight that would be!
"However," Lin Yi changed the subject, his tone calm yet carrying a natural air of authority, "as the head instructor of the Dongfeng Training Camp, I first have a few requirements for you trainees."

The audience fell silent instantly, all the trainees holding their breath and listening intently.

"My requirements are very simple, only three."

Lin Yi's voice carried clearly across the square.

"First, obedience."

"Here, first and foremost, you are soldiers. Your first duty is to absolutely obey orders and follow them without question."

"Second, diligence."

“There are no shortcuts to cultivating source energy. Make the most of every minute and second here, and squeeze out every bit of your potential. The resources here far surpass those outside, but how much you can absorb and how much strength you can convert depends entirely on yourselves.”

"Third, to live."

Lin Yi's tone became more serious, "Do everything you can to improve yourself, and survive the arduous training and the inevitable battles to come. Only by living can you have a future and hope."

Three requirements: concise, cold, and to the point.

Like three heavy hammers, they struck the hearts of every trainee, turning the excitement that had just arisen from their epiphany into a real sense of responsibility and urgency.

"very good."

Seeing the change in the students' eyes, Lin Yi nodded slightly.

"Next, I'll briefly share what I just realized."

"As you may already know, once you have mastered the basics of Source Energy, and have cultivated to a certain level and accumulated enough, you can break through the limits and advance to a higher realm, which we call the Stardust level."

Lin Yi's gaze swept over the eager faces below the stage. "Stardust-level power far surpasses that of mortals, enough to directly confront or even crush the vast majority of Abyss Beasts."

He then shifted the focus to a deeper question: "But have you ever considered what lies beyond the Stardust level?"

"Why was that Abyss Beast leader, with an energy intensity of 17900 points, so easily defeated in front of me, who only had an energy intensity of around 2000 points at the time?"

This question instantly captured everyone's attention.

Not only the trainees, but also members of the various diplomatic delegations in the viewing area, and even Li Zhenguo, Nie Chang and others on the podium, subconsciously sat up straight and focused intently.

This is the core secret that touches upon the essence of power.

Under everyone's gaze, Lin Yi slowly extended one index finger.

With a "poof," a ball of pure and condensed azure source energy flame spontaneously ignited at his fingertips, burning steadily and emitting powerful energy fluctuations belonging to the stardust level.

"The foundation of power is source energy, like firewood," Lin Yi stated calmly.

Immediately afterwards, countless fine purple arcs of electricity crackled and sprang up around the azure flame of energy.

These electric arcs are extremely active and full of destructive energy. They are wrapped around the source energy flames, but instead of destroying them, they seem to endow them with some more essential and terrifying properties.

"And this," Lin Yi's voice seemed to carry a strange magic, guiding everyone's thoughts, "involves a key point in breaking through the Stardust level and moving towards a higher level: the rules."

"rule?"

A low gasp of surprise rose from the audience.

"That's right, the rules."

Lin Yi affirmed, the purple lightning and blue flames at his fingertips reflecting each other, “The universe operates according to its own rules. Metal, wood, water, fire, earth, light, darkness, wind, thunder, time, and space are all manifestations of these rules.” “According to the cultivation method I practice, the Ninefold Origin Method, cultivators need to continuously accumulate source energy at the Stardust level until they reach the ninth level of perfection.”

"At the same time, more importantly, we must try to perceive, understand, and eventually grasp a trace of the basic rules governing the operation of the universe."

“When enough source energy is accumulated, and a trace of the rules is grasped,” Lin Yi’s voice suddenly rose, “then one can use the power of the rules to condense a source sea star core. At this point, one can break through the shackles of the Stardust level and advance to a more powerful existence, the Star Core level!”

"The reason I was able to kill the Abyss Beast leader in one blow was because I incorporated a trace of the metal element power that I had comprehended into the attack, which caused a qualitative change in its power."

Lin Yi paused, his gaze sweeping across the room, looking at the faces that were both excited and confused as they came into contact with a completely new field, and continued, "Just now, I felt something, and my grasp of the rules has deepened to a deeper level."

As he spoke, everyone clearly saw that the energy flame wrapped in purple electric arcs at his fingertips began to undergo a dramatic change in shape!
The vibrant purple electric arc seemed to come alive, frantically drawing upon the azure source energy, before stretching, deforming, and condensing.

Sizzle, crackle!

The lightning surged, then suddenly subsided.

Under everyone's stunned gaze, a true dragon composed entirely of extremely refined purple lightning appeared at Lin Yi's fingertips.

It was only as thick as an arm, yet it was incredibly lifelike, with scales and claws clearly visible. Its dragon head was slightly raised, and its eyes, composed entirely of lightning, gleamed with a terrifyingly destructive light.

Its tail was connected to Lin Yi's fingertips, while its front half was coiled around his arms and shoulders. With a slight sway, it exuded a terrifying pressure that looked down on all things and held the power of divine punishment.

Although this pressure was far less intense than during the sudden enlightenment, it was more refined and sharper, like a drawn Thor's sword hanging over everyone's hearts, making everyone feel a tremor from the depths of their souls.

"After gaining a deeper understanding of the rules, I discovered that I could manipulate them in a more nuanced and creative way."

Lin Yi's voice remained calm, as if creating this thunder dragon was merely a casual act, "and leaving a trace."

His gaze suddenly turned towards the entrance of the training camp, where a huge, solid blue stone, about five meters high, stood.

This boulder was originally a decoration at the entrance of the hotel. It is hard and has been preserved. It is planned to be used as a landmark of the training camp. Originally, at the end of the ceremony, he was to step forward and carve the two characters "Dongfeng" with his finger.

But now, Lin Yi has changed his mind.

He pointed gently at the boulder.

"Ow!!"

A deep dragon's roar, seemingly from the heavens, suddenly rang out. Though not deafening, it pierced the very soul.

The purple lightning dragon coiled around him responded to the call, instantly detaching from his fingers and transforming into an extremely condensed purple lightning bolt. As if traversing space, it arrived in an instant and silently disappeared into the hard, giant blue stone.

The entire process was completely silent, as if the terrifying thunder dragon were merely an illusion.

However, the next moment.

boom! ! !
A deafening thunderous roar suddenly erupted from inside the boulder, and blinding purple lightning shone through, making the entire boulder appear as translucent as amethyst.

At that moment, everyone involuntarily closed their eyes or turned their heads away.

The lightning came quickly and went quickly.

As everyone endured the visual and auditory discomfort and forced their gaze back to the boulder, they were all startled.

On the surface of that incredibly hard giant bluestone, two enormous, wildly enlarged characters, deeply embedded in the stone's marrow, had appeared.

Dongfeng!

These two characters are not simply carved, but seem to be eternally imprisoned by countless fine purple arcs of electricity. The strokes are like dragons and snakes running, sharp and piercing, revealing a thunderous will that can cut through all obstacles and is unstoppable.

Just by looking at it, one feels an incomparably sharp and fierce thunderous aura piercing the eyes, and the ears are ringing, as if thousands of thunderclaps are echoing in the head, making one's mind shake and unable to look for long!
Everyone instinctively turned their heads away, not daring to look anymore.

Only then did Lin Yi's calm voice come again, as if he had done something insignificant:

"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you all, the cosmic rule I've come to understand is 'gold'."

"Of course, different cultures and civilizations may lead to different understandings and expressions of rules."

"I simply imprinted my own understanding of the rules of 'gold'—its sharpness, its cohesion, its destruction, and its immortality—into those two words."

His gaze swept across the entire room, finally settling on the eight hundred students who were filled with surging emotions and unable to contain themselves:

"After reaching the Stardust level, if you have the opportunity, you are welcome to come and observe and learn from this. How much you can comprehend depends entirely on your own destiny."

After he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent.

Only on that giant rock, the two characters "Dongfeng" are surrounded by purple lightning and brimming with thunderous intent, like an eternal mark, telling of the power of rules, and also signifying that this training camp has possessed a unique foundation and level of achievement since its inception.

Lin Yi's gaze swept across the entire venue once more, from the eight hundred young faces filled with longing and awe, to the various delegations in the viewing area with complex yet undisguised admiration, and finally briefly met the expectant gazes of Li Zhenguo, Nie Chang, and others on the rostrum.

He took a deep breath, and his voice, transmitted clearly through the microphone, reached everyone's ears.

"Finally, I just want to say to everyone, especially to you..."

Lin Yi's gaze fell on the student formation. "Let me say a few words to these students who are about to embark on their journey of source energy cultivation."

The square was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; everyone held their breath.

"The path to energy is long and arduous, and by no means easy. You will encounter bottlenecks, feel lost, endure unimaginable pain, and may even face the threat of death."

Lin Yi's words made no attempt to conceal the cruelty of the situation: "But please remember why you are standing here today, remember the expectations of countless compatriots behind you, and remember the pain and resilience that this land beneath our feet has endured."

His voice gradually rose, “Power is never for personal gain. It is a responsibility, a heavy duty to protect the flame of civilization and to pave the way for the future of mankind.”

"I hope that when you truly master power in the future, you will use it for good, for protection, and for exploration!"

"I hope that you will not only be the sharp blades that pierce the darkness, but also the torches that illuminate the future."

"The future belongs to you, and it depends on you!"

The concise and powerful closing remarks, devoid of flowery language, resonated deeply with everyone.

The trainees' chests heaved, their eyes became more determined, and an unprecedented sense of mission and honor welled up in their hearts.

Lin Yi paused for a moment, allowing the power of his words to fully settle.

Then, he announced loudly, his voice echoing throughout the square and reaching far away via radio waves:

"Now, I declare."

"Dongfeng Training Camp, officially begins!"

(End of this chapter)