Now, the ecological balance in the entire Divine Realm was on the verge of collapse. It was only thanks to William's efforts at regulation that the population of the insect swarm could be maintained without a decrease. Once all the large-leaf trees and sweet sap trees matured, the insect swarm’s numbers would rise again, but William was not going to do that.

When the insect swarm reached the critical threshold of 10 million, William had already stopped the population growth and started culling the earliest units, leaving enough resources for the more advanced units of the swarm. Gradually replacing the older units within the swarm was the main reason he had ceased expanding the insect swarm’s numbers.

Although many early units consumed less, their combat capabilities were far inferior to the current main battle units. For example, a piercing wolf spider could easily wipe out thousands of early worker ants without taking a scratch, as long as the tactics were right. The wolf spider had faster speed, stronger defense, more agile mobility, and could use wide-area acid sprays. As long as it didn't foolishly charge into an ant swarm to get surrounded, the early worker ants would be nearly helpless.

Once all the early units were replaced, it would be a huge resource drain. William estimated it would take four to five years to complete this process, after which his Divine Realm would truly reach its development limit. The only way forward was to leave the beginner protection period and enter the world of the gods, where he could acquire external resources and continue to develop. By that time, he would face the first test that all life forms entering the world of the gods must face: war and plunder.

"There are five years left, which is half a month in the real world. I need to prepare during this time, make contingency plans, organize and verify all the information, and ensure the Divine Realm survives after leaving the protection period." William paused, finishing the entry and waving his hand to close the light screen.

He looked up at his Divine Realm—the world he had spent 20 years gradually shaping. From the initial chaotic, primitive jungle, it had transformed into a well-ordered realm. A sense of accomplishment washed over him. "This is the miracle I achieved with 20 years of hard work. No matter what the future holds, I will lead you all to create a bright future," he said, his words resonating with the faith lines. In an instant, his declaration spread throughout the entire insect swarm within the Divine Realm.

For a moment, the Divine Realm seemed to come alive. Countless stinger dragonflies and scythe cockroaches flew into the sky, while non-flying piercing wolf spiders and logistics spiders climbed up to the tree crowns, gazing in the direction of William. The dense sound of insect calls reverberated through the world. The few remaining rare species in the Divine Realm trembled at the fear instilled by the insect calls.

Watching the swarm of insects take to the sky, William slowly retreated from the world of the gods.

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He opened his eyes again after leaving the divine landing pod, habitually rubbing the back of his neck. After two months of divine power enhancement, his body was gradually transforming into an extraordinary one. The pain he used to feel after getting up was gradually diminishing.

He raised his right hand, and the divine energy wristband on his wrist lit up with white light, linking with the information system of the divine landing pod. The data William had organized from the Divine Realm was rapidly downloaded. Once the download was complete, he stood up, sat on the edge of his bed, and casually took a high-energy nutritional compound from his bag. While eating, he opened a light screen and entered the class chat group of High School 2-1.

Upon entering the chat, the messages had already flooded the screen, with over 99 unread messages. After two months of absence, William scrolled to the top and began reading from the beginning.

Andrew: "I awakened as a Merman. Is anyone else awakened as the same type of subordinate species? We can exchange cultivation experiences. Also, my merman has black scales, so it may be similar to the Black Tide Merman in the textbook. I'm looking to buy a comprehensive guide for raising them. I’ll pay with credit points."

Richard: "Nice! I awakened as a Lizardman. Our species should have some similarities, both amphibians. We can exchange ideas. I have a guide for raising crawling-type subordinates. Do you want it? I'll send it to you for free!"

Andrew: "Yes, send it over quickly! Why not take the free offer? We can exchange ideas later!"

George: "I awakened as a Water Sprite, but there’s no water in my Divine Realm. What should I do? Can anyone help me?"

Samuel: "Have you checked underground in your Divine Realm? Try digging a well. Or check how your subordinate species survives on their own and think of other solutions."

George: "Thanks, Samuel! I’ll try that now."

Richard: "By the way, where’s our cold academic prodigy, William? He’s the one we should ask for this kind of knowledge."

Samuel: "You think everyone’s as idle as you? Prodigies like William are working hard on their Divine Realm, not chatting idly."

Richard: "Samuel, what’s going on with you? Are you that free?"

Samuel: "What else could it be? With our grades and knowledge, we’ve probably opened up a Divine Realm that’s scenic, with mountains and rivers, rich in minerals, and human-type subordinates. We’ve already set up houses and are working on farming and breeding."

Henry: "My Divine Realm is a desert, and my subordinate species are Frogs. I've tried every solution, and now I’m ready to leave the protection period and enter the world of gods. My father has already prepared the resource cards I need. Wish me luck, everyone."

Mary: "Similar situation to Henry. I’m also preparing to leave the protection period. Wish me luck, everyone."

Samuel: "Good luck to all of you! Hope to see everyone at school when we return!"

Richard: "I’m going back to work on my Divine Realm."

The atmosphere in the chat immediately cooled down. A few more people posted occasionally, but overall, the chat became quieter and quieter. Everyone had shifted their focus to developing their Divine Realms, and the group had turned into more of a message board than an active chat group.

………

After more than an hour, William finished reading all the messages in the class chat. About a third of his classmates had left the protection period for various reasons during the past two months. This didn’t even include those who hadn’t notified the group yet. William estimated that over half of the class would leave the protection period early.