Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

"Although the ironwood is tough, this black iron skin is a product of a hundred refinements. When you were carving this 'Wind of the Sun' spirit pattern, at this turning point, you failed to follow the natural grain of the wood underneath and instead forcibly pressed it down with the chisel."

"In this way, the flow of spiritual energy will stagnate here. It's fine on ordinary days, but if we encounter a hurricane at sea and the formation is fully activated, this stagnation will turn into a hidden injury, making it very easy for the mast to break."

The old craftsman nodded repeatedly, a layer of cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"Shen Jiansheng is absolutely right! I was so focused on chiseling through this black iron sheet that I forgot about the principle you always taught me: 'Let your qi flow freely and follow the natural flow.'"

"I will now use fine sandpaper to smooth out this groove and make it smooth."

"Thank you for your trouble, Master Zhao. When going on an expedition at sea, the warship represents the lives of millions of soldiers, and we cannot afford to be careless."

Shen You spoke gently, without the slightest air of a superior.

Watching the old craftsman climb back up the scaffolding, Shen You wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and let out a long sigh.

For the past few months, he has been living and working at the shipyard, spending his days and nights with these craftsmen.

They broke down the profound battle formation theories of the Imperial Academy into plain language that these old craftsmen, who hadn't read many books, could understand.

The hardships and difficulties during this period are difficult for those who did not experience them firsthand to understand.

Those originally lofty celestial formations, if they were to be inscribed on these enormous war machines and ensure their survival amidst raging storms, would require countless trials and failures.

Sometimes, Shen You and the craftsmen would stay up for three nights in a row to create a single shock-absorbing spirit pattern.

But whenever I see a giant ship engraved with battle formations successfully launched, the sense of accomplishment that wells up from the bottom of my heart can sweep away all my fatigue.

"Brother Shen, take a break."

A rough voice came from behind.

Hu Tie, the chief shipyard manager of Tianjin and a direct disciple of Master Lu, walked over carrying a huge food box.

He placed the food box on a pile of wood and took out two bowls of steaming hot seafood noodles, along with a plate of sliced ​​braised beef.

"Building a ship is not something that can be done overnight. Although the Emperor is urging us on, we can't afford to ruin our health."

Hu Tie handed over a pair of chopsticks and sat down casually on the wood.

Shen You's stomach was growling with hunger, so he didn't stand on ceremony and picked up the bowl of noodles to eat heartily.

"Brother Hu, the progress is still too slow."

Shen You swallowed a mouthful of noodle soup and said with a worried expression.

"Over in the New World, although Admiral Zheng's vanguard has established several camps, those two-headed giant pythons and strange, fire-breathing beasts frequently come down from the mountains to harass them. The defensive formations of the camps consume a great deal of spirit stones."

"If we cannot build these Wavebreaker-class warships equipped with psionic cannons and send them to support the front lines as soon as possible, the casualties among the soldiers on the front lines will increase significantly."

Hu Tie took a bite of the braised beef, snorted coldly, and his eyes revealed the fierceness of a Ming Dynasty warrior.

"Those beasts are only good because they're tough. Once our warships are launched, we'll set up those thirty new Thunderfire Rune Cannons on them."

Whether it's a two-headed snake or a four-legged lizard, I'll blast it into mincemeat with one cannon shot!

Hu Tie leaned closer and lowered his voice.

"According to the information from the Ministry of War, this expedition to the New World includes not only the elite of the navy, but also tens of thousands of heroes recruited by the court from various regions."

"Among these people, there are many fierce men who have mastered the 'First Chapter' to perfection. The Imperial Palace even specially crafted steel swords and spears engraved with the Great Strength Array for them."

"With tens of thousands of people marching over, even if the New World is filled with ferocious beasts, our Great Ming Dynasty will flatten it!"

Shen You was deeply moved.

This was the source of the Ming Dynasty's confidence.

They are no longer weak mortals dependent on the immortal sects, but a fierce and powerful army armed to the teeth, using collective wisdom and industrial strength.

He raised his head and gazed at the vast, boundless ocean to the east, the sea breeze ruffling his blue robe.

Involuntarily, the image of the gentleman in the blue robe, who stood at the tea stall in early summer, fanning himself with a tattered folding fan, effortlessly enlightened him.

"Sir, do you see? The seed you planted has now grown into a towering tree on the coast of the Ming Dynasty."

Shen You said this silently to himself.

……

The Forbidden City, the Qianqing Palace.

Unlike the bustling activity in Tianjin, this grand hall, symbolizing the center of power in the world, was shrouded in a solemn and dignified atmosphere.

The autumn sunlight streamed through the windowpanes, falling on the golden bricks and illuminating the enormous nautical chart spread out on the imperial desk.

Emperor Chengping, Zhu Youzhen, sat upright on the dragon throne, the wrinkles between his brows appearing to be deeper than they had been a few years ago.

But the light in those eyes was as intense as a burning flame.

The cabinet included Grand Secretary Song Yin, Minister of War Wang Shouren, and several key officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works.

They all stood solemnly on either side of the imperial desk.

"Your Majesty, this is a map of the New World that Admiral Zheng just sent back by fast ship."

Wang Shouren stepped forward, pointing to the vast outline drawn with ink lines at the far east of the nautical chart, his voice steady.

"The New World boasts a long coastline and deep, wide harbors, ideal for anchoring large ships. The advance force has already constructed three sturdy fortresses along the coast, forming a defensive perimeter. However…"

Wang Shouren paused for a moment, his expression solemn.

"After venturing a hundred miles inland, the terrain became extremely complex. High mountains and deep valleys were everywhere, and miasma permeated the air. What was even more troublesome was that the scouts discovered that those strange, ferocious beasts were not simply wandering aimlessly."

"They seem to be driven by some higher being and are gathering towards our camp in an organized manner."

"Driven by higher-level beings?"

Zhu Youzhen raised an eyebrow, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes.

"Exactly."

Wang Shouren nodded.

"According to the survey conducted by the Qintian Pavilion cultivators accompanying the army, several extremely large spirit stone veins are hidden deep within that new continent. Those ferocious beasts usually cultivate by relying on these spirit veins."

"Our Ming army's landing to mine spirit stones has undoubtedly touched their sore spot."

"A few days ago, a beast tide of hundreds of flame-breathing demonic wolves stormed Camp No. 3. If it weren't for the four rune cannons set up on the camp and bombarding it desperately, the camp would probably have already been breached."

Upon hearing this, the Minister of Revenue stepped forward with a worried expression and reported the matter.

"Your Majesty, the war at the front is intense, and the consumption of artillery ammunition is a bottomless pit. In addition, we need to recruit heroes from all over the country and distribute resettlement allowances. The silver in the national treasury and the spirit stones stored in the Tongling Bank are being spent like water."

"If the war in this new continent drags on for too long, the imperial court's finances may not be able to sustain itself."

Silence fell over the hall.

The growing pains of expansion were clearly revealed at this moment.

While secularizing the cultivation of immortality certainly endowed the Ming Dynasty with immense power, the operation of this power required the consumption of massive amounts of resources.

The New World is both a treasure trove and a bottomless gold-devouring beast.

Zhu Youzhen slowly stood up, placed his hands on the imperial desk, and stared intently at the sea chart.

Retreat?

These two words had long since disappeared from the dictionaries of the Ming Dynasty.

The Grand Tutor who once sat idly in the courtyard once said that all the water in the world must be diverted to the vast ocean, otherwise it will burst its banks and cause a backlash.