"To think! The people of the Confucian Civilization were roaring. Usually, they were all very refined, but when civilization was on the verge of collapse and their homes were about to be destroyed, who cared about being refined? They roared out loud, their roars incredibly tragic and fierce.

At first, only those nearby were shouting.

But soon, similar roars echoed from farther away.

The sounds rose and fell, continuous as a tide, wave upon wave; both the distant and the near roared with such magnificent fervor.

Yes, the Confucian Civilization, what a wonderful civilization it was. The former Vice Lord of the Confucian Civilization was such an approachable leader; no matter what issue anyone brought to him, he would help if he could. And while the Vice Lord of the Three Scriptures Civilization was somewhat stiff-necked, demanding strict adherence from everyone, people understood this was for their own good. There was also the Vice Lord of Integrity Civilization, a newly ascended leader who never put on airs, sometimes even committing a few foolish blunders.

In this civilization, the atmosphere was wonderful. The relationships between fellow disciples were extremely close; apart from a few exceptions, most people were amicable and affectionate. The bonds between disciples were quite warm and harmonious. Usually, they cultivated together, studied texts together, and shared countless other 'togethers.'

The Confucian Civilization held so many memories for them all.

Precisely because this civilization was so good, how could they bear to see it destroyed? Thus, everyone wanted to help the Confucian Civilization, to fight for their own culture, but the reality of their situation was stark: their strength was far too weak, far too weak.

What could be done? How could the Confucian Civilization be saved? They asked Heaven, but Heaven remained silent.

Li Taishi’s clone stood in the very center of the Confucian Civilization: "Trust me, won't you? Entrust your faith to me, and I will take that trust into battle."

"Is trust enough?" someone asked.

"Yes, trust is enough," Li Taishi's clone nodded.

"I trust you, Li Taishi," said a young woman at the sixth heaven of the World Realm.

"I trust you, Li Taishi," said a refined scholar.

"I trust you, Li Taishi," said a scholar whose age was drawing him toward the end.

"We trust you." The people of the Confucian Civilization—the aged elders, the mature middle-aged men, the beautiful young women, the spirited young men, the adorable young girls, the children with their hair tied up—regardless of gender or age, young or old, all roared their trust simultaneously.

Of course, they believed in Li Taishi. When Wang Xueze and Zhu Tianren attacked, it was Li Taishi who saved them.

When the Vice Lord of the Extinction Ethics Civilization unleashed his power, it was Li Taishi who saved them.

And now, Principal Li had gone to the Heavenly Principle Civilization for rescue.

More importantly, they were all brothers and sisters of one civilization; for this reason alone, they trusted him.

Countless energies of trust poured into Li Taishi’s clone, and through this Earth Ancestor clone, they were transmitted to Lu Yuan's body. Lu Yuan endured the strength of this boundless trust, feeling his internal magic power churning violently—yes, it was this sensation, one he had felt once before in the Magic Treasure Civilization, but this time it was far purer.

Lu Yuan himself was currently at the peak of the Sixth Epoch, and after being bolstered by countless instances of trust, he felt his magic power surging upward, striving to break into the Seventh Epoch. Truly, this method worked. In fact, the way to elevate Epochal magic power was not just the three methods mentioned by the Vice Lord of the Martial Harmony Civilization; there was a fourth method, the one he was using now.

The transmission of countless trusts was almost complete, yet Lu Yuan felt he hadn't quite reached the Seventh Epoch; he was still slightly short. What to do? It was quite difficult to elevate one's strength solely on the trust from a minor thousand world. He was still lacking a bit, so he had to seek trust elsewhere.

Where exactly should he look for trust?

While contemplating, Lu Yuan glanced at the battle situation. He saw that although the Vice Lord of the Zither Civilization was playing the Green Zither Ten Melodies using the Green Zither, summoning pieces like 'Lofty Mountains and Flowing Water,' 'Evening Songs of the Fishermen,' and 'Guangling San,' the combination of the Vice Lord of the Heavenly Principle Civilization’s Book of Axioms and the Brush of Truth was truly more terrifying. The ability to convert Axiom into Truth was too frightening. If the Vice Lord of the Heavenly Principle Civilization increased his strength further to the Ninth Epoch, he would surely be one of the strongest figures beneath the Civilization Realm.

Indeed, he needed to accelerate his own progress; the Vice Lord of the Zither Civilization might not be able to hold on for long. Lu Yuan pondered inwardly, but where to find trust? This required the absolute faith of countless people. Right, there was a perfect place to obtain trust. Lu Yuan swiftly infiltrated the Heavenly Principle Civilization.

The experts of the Heavenly Principle Civilization had long since gone outside to observe the battle. Within their own civilization remained only those rigidly bound by the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues. Lu Yuan, disguised as Li Taishi, scattered his divine sense, sending wave after wave of mental probes into the minds of countless people. Within these probes, he planted the Orthodox Way of Confucianism, dismantling the distorted, heretical Confucian Way espoused by the Heavenly Principle Civilization.

"Trust me, and you can shatter the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues, let feudalism go to the devil!" Lu Yuan poured his most fervent will into the strongest divine sense. Under Lu Yuan’s intense transmission, many among those shackled by the feudalism of the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues felt their resolve waver. Yes, who would willingly stay in a world governed by such rigid constraints? They were numb normally, but now, confronted with the soul-shaking Orthodox Way of Confucianism, they yearned to breathe the air of freedom. Women reacted most intensely. They had long tired of a life where they must obey their husbands in marriage, then their sons after their husbands died, and where a mere touch from another man meant having that patch of skin severed. They were all human, intelligent beings, not toys, not puppets; they possessed feelings too.

Freedom!

Freedom!

Freedom!

Give me Freedom!

Innumerable voices cried out in their hearts.

Amidst this chorus of inner shouts, an immense amount of trust was bestowed upon Lu Yuan—a trust born from cries in the throes of despair. Lu Yuan received this bolstering. In fact, Lu Yuan faintly sensed through the Great Karma Iron Rule that if he failed after receiving this trust, the consequences would be severe: backlash from heaven and earth, leading to a decline in his realm and grievous injury. This kind of trust was not easily acquired. But at this moment, Lu Yuan had no other choice, no retreat; this was, after all, a battle he was walking into knowing death was a likely outcome.

Now, grant me success!

Lu Yuan roared loudly. The trust of countless people surged onto him, causing his entire magical power to ascend with a thunderous roar, rising and rising, like a thousand silver rivers descending from the heavens, like the sound of a billion lightning strikes against the earth. Lu Yuan’s entire being underwent a revolutionary transformation: he attained the magic power of the Seventh Epoch.

He had finally reached the power level of the Seventh Epoch.

It hadn't been easy! This method of ascending to the Seventh Epoch power was completely different from before. However, Lu Yuan knew this ascent was exceedingly difficult; it could only be achieved when countless people were driven to the brink of desperation and had absolute faith in one person who could channel that trust to elevate their strength. The impending destruction of the Confucian Civilization and the long, suffocating bondage of the Heavenly Principle Civilization’s people—these desperate situations were what made this utilization possible; normally, it couldn't be exploited.

After reaching the power of the Seventh Epoch, Lu Yuan first utilized three hundred and sixty Heaven-grade Spirit Veins to push his own magic power to the peak of the Seventh Epoch. This left him with one hundred Heaven-grade Spirit Veins remaining. Upon reaching the peak, he felt his magic power differed once more from before. Although there was no fundamental qualitative change, the quantitative increase was substantial.

His current strength had increased significantly compared to moments ago; he should now be capable of contending with the Vice Lord of the Heavenly Principle Civilization.

No, still a little short.

Lu Yuan recalled the unnervingly bizarre ability of the Vice Lord of the Heavenly Principle Civilization to convert Axioms into Truth, and his heart skipped a beat. That power was too heaven-defying. Converting an Axiom into a Truth—he had suffered setbacks under this very move before. The reason the Vice Lord of the Zither Civilization was currently at a disadvantage was also due to falling prey to this strange ability. He sent out his divine sense and found that although the Vice Lord of the Zither Civilization was at a disadvantage, he could still hold on.

So, he still had some time to figure out how to break this bizarre capability: Axiom into Truth!

. . . . . .

Lu Yuan sat cross-legged, contemplating: Axiom into Truth!

An Axiom, as he understood it, was a principle established by someone, a true proposition judged correct by logical methods and used as a basis for inference—something believed to be true but unproven. Simply put, 'one plus one equals two' is an Axiom.

Truth, however, was the inherent reality that existed since the beginning of time, the highest natural law within our known scope that can predict phenomena, existing objectively, and which the logic of a formal system cannot prove on its own.

This utilized an ethereal sense of cause and effect between heaven and earth, seemingly pushing the Great Karma Art to its absolute limit to achieve this. Lu Yuan felt that either the Vice Lord of the Heavenly Principle Civilization was far superior to him in the Great Karma domain, or the Book of Axioms and Brush of Truth in his hands were somehow peculiar; otherwise, this feat should be impossible.

But how to break it?

At that moment, a phrase suddenly struck Lu Yuan.

History is hard to change! The word 'hard' here actually meant 'impossible,' not merely 'difficult.'

Yes, History records that across eons of time, History is hard to change.

History is the objective record of everything that has occurred between heaven and earth.

Regardless of what Axiom or Truth reigns, History remains.

Regardless of what wind or rain may blow, History remains.

Regardless of what gods or demons exist, History remains.

Regardless of what Emperors or ministers hold sway, History remains.

History is hard to change!

Throughout the ages, countless gods, demons, emperors, and ministers have tried to alter History, but they could not. History was not theirs to change.

Axiom transforming into Truth is a form of alteration, and the greatest characteristic of History is that it is difficult to change.

If he could master History, perhaps he could shatter the ability of Axiom turning into Truth.

(First update delivered.)