Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

”First-order Optical Array Recorder.”

Zhou Xiuyun pointed to the machine, which was almost the size of a room, and said, ”It’s one of the milestones of the Xianmen Sect’s Immortal Dao Industry, capable of engraving first-order formations to the precision of silk meter level (one ten-thousandth of a meter) with mortal hands.”

”The machine is divided into four parts: energy storage component, transformation component, engraving component, and gold pool component.”

”The energy storage component can absorb a large amount of Inner Qi from Inner Qi Realm Martial Artists and store it, the transformation component then mixes it with light and electrical energy to form a new type of mild energy, the engraving component engraves the respective formation on the Magic Arts-Breaking Steel substrate, and the gold pool component is a metallic liquid formed by the high-temperature fusion of a small amount of Spirit Metal and a large amount of specially made alloy, which can be considered the ink of a Talisman.”

She handed each of the three people an Array diagram.

”The 89-style Half Magic Tool Heavy Machine Gun barrel is engraved with the 10089-type first-order heavy machine gun barrel special formation, which was announced by the military department of the Xianmen Sect in the year 10089 and standardized for use.”

”It can be considered a variant of the First-Order Gale Formation, which can streamline and concentrate the propulsive force of the gunpowder gas, creating a wind attribute force field to accelerate the bullet, increase the speed and stability of the bullet’s spin, and enhance the bullet’s resistance to Divine Sense.”

”Moreover, it only needs to autonomously draw a trace amount of Heavenly Earth Spiritual Qi from the air to operate on its own, it’s simple to maintain, stable and reliable.”

”You have ten minutes to understand, is that enough?”

Zhou Xiuyun said casually, as if this wasn’t an Array diagram that ordinary workers took a year to understand with an eighty percent chance, let alone pass the test on it.

The three didn’t rashly agree but took the Array diagram and carefully looked at it for a while.

”We can.”

”No problem.”

Hua Bing and Wu Tianli replied one after another.

”I can.”

Jiang Ding responded a moment later, similarly.

Within his Flying Sword was a First-Order Gale Formation, and in this time he had spent looking at it, he had already gained some understanding of this formation, which could organize various disordered currents and unify their direction.

”Let’s start.”

Zhou Xiuyun’s expression was unchanged, but in her heart, there was indeed some envy.

It took her three months to learn.

These brightest students of Rongcheng City had futures she couldn’t compare with, and even now their strength was far beyond her own; only her older age gave her some respect.

Ten minutes later, the three put down the 89-style heavy machine gun Array diagram one after another.

”I’ll demonstrate it once, then you’ll practice.”

Zhou Xiuyun sat at the control panel and said unhurriedly, ”Don’t be afraid to waste, accidents are inevitable at the beginning; the steel plant has prepared enough practice material for you, so don’t feel burdened.”

”Understood.”

Jiang Ding and the others observed carefully.

Hum!

Zhou Xiuyun officially started the control panel, the first step being a self-check to confirm that each part of the Optical Formation Engraving Machine was functioning normally. Then, a series of fine beams of light scanned the Magic Arts-Breaking Steel heavy machine gun barrel, making its data clear to her.

”Connect to the gold pool.”

A red indicator light flickered and turned green. The mechanical arm-like engraving component seemed to have something added to its tip, too small for the naked eye to discern.

Jiang Ding knew this was the high-temperature liquid Spirit Metal filament, over seven thousand degrees Celsius and silk meter in size.

Under Zhou Xiuyun’s control, the engraving component moved deftly above and below, left and right on the heavy machine gun barrel prototype, occasionally extending a tiny engraving tool into the inner wall of the barrel to rapidly engrave something.

Seventeen minutes later, Zhou Xiuyun stopped inputting mana into the control panel, and the gun barrel fell onto the conveyor belt, moving on to the next testing process. A green light lit up, indicating the formation had been successfully recorded and the product was up to standard.

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”That’s the way, just practice more, and ask me if there’s anything you don’t understand.”

Zhou Xiuyun stood up and assigned each of the three a separate Formation Engraving Chamber.

…

In another room.

Jiang Ding sat on the operator’s chair and infused his Inner Energy into it.

In an instant, his vision blurred, and his perspective seemed to magnify countless times; the originally smooth metal surface now appeared full of uneven pits. A slight shift in viewpoint felt like the world was spinning, causing his perspective to become immensely disordered.

”How amazing…”

Jiang Ding knew that his perspective had magnified many times over, giving him a microcosmic view.

He steadied his mind, waiting for the machine to complete its self-check.

Soon, only an endless world of metal remained in his view, his perspective fixed at the micrometer level with a reference line clearly visible.

Above the sky, a towering pillar that held up the heavens was clearly visible, resembling the barrel of a heavy machine gun.

”Scan the item to be engraved.”

”Connecting to the gold pool…”

Jiang Ding methodically followed the operation manual, and the molten gold wire spat out by the mountainous mechanical hand at the tip of its fingertip finally became clearly visible.

With a thought, Jiang Ding maneuvered the mechanical hand to touch the top of the gun barrel, marking the first stroke of the array diagram from this point.

The micrometer-scale molten gold wire touched the gun barrel and instantly melted a trace that fit perfectly, integrating seamlessly. From this point, the molten gold wire branched out in all directions, and the corner of the array diagram gradually took shape.

All went well until, several minutes later, the molten gold wire collided with a house-sized protrusion on the heavy machine gun barrel under the microscopic view, spilling molten gold wire and engraving a messy trace nearby.

”Failed.”

Jiang Ding sighed. He had been very careful, yet an accident still occurred.

However, he had also roughly understood the difficulty. For someone like him who had mastered the ”Thousand Threads Guide”, practicing for three to four days, four hours each day, should be enough to become as skilled as his mother.

This kind of technical occupation among mortals generally requires five to seven years of training, with a selection process for the relatively excellent individuals.

”Continue.”

Swapping out for a new heavy machine gun barrel, Jiang Ding calmed his heart and continued to practice.

”This, should be applicable to the third layer of the ’Supreme Sword Refining Method (Jiang Ding’s Version)’. The cultivation of iron swords.”

Touching on the fundamental path of the Dao, a thread of his mind dispersed.

The third layer requires the wooden sword to be refined to perfection, then once again infused with Great Sun Essence and Heavenly Earth Spiritual Qi to increase the temperature and transform back into a liquid. Then, the array diagram is to be re-engraved into the well-crafted sword embryo.

This step is the most difficult. The better the material of the sword embryo, the more challenging it is. In the past, the Great Sun Sword Pavilion selected nine candidate swordsmen from dozens of Small Worlds, and most of them fell at this very step, dying from deviating into madness.

Mortals, who possess neither Divine Sense nor Mana, must cultivate the highest form of sword refining, causing their Divine Sense to undergo a fundamental change while still mortals and thus gain a huge advantage on the Immortal Path from the outset. The difficulty can be imagined.

Deviation into madness is expected.

The Optical Array Recorder should be able to reduce some of the difficulty.

Of course, only to an extent, enough to turn the survival rate from one out of nine to two out of nine. Only the cultivators with the topmost aptitude, comprehension, and fortune can refine the supreme Sword of Dao Foundation of the Great Sun Sword Pavilion.

But that in itself is commendable.

In those years, the Great Sun Sword Pavilion attacked the Xianmen Sect with reckless abandon, ultimately paying the price with the lives of the Nascent Soul Cultivator and the Sect Elders, leading to the sect’s annihilation. A major reason was the existence of the Magic Arts-Breaking Immortal Gold, with the secondary reason being the technology of the Optical Array Recorder.

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