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

"All troops on high alert!"

Wang Shouren gave a low shout, and the engineers behind him immediately spread out, holding their steel pickaxes horizontally in front of them, warily surveying the surrounding darkness.

Carrying a lantern, Shen You carefully approached the white jade platform, stepping on the protruding rocks on the lake.

When he saw the intricate and ancient array patterns on the stone platform, his eyes widened instantly, and his breathing became rapid.

"This...this is an ancient teleportation array!"

Shen You squatted down, his hands trembling with excitement.

He ignored the skeleton and pressed his face almost against the cold white jade surface, greedily examining the incomplete patterns eroded by time under the lamplight.

Wang Shouren also walked to the stone platform, looked at the skeleton, and a thoughtful look flashed in his eyes.

"This new continent was indeed set foot on by early humans in extremely distant times."

Wang Shouren surveyed his surroundings, his gaze sharp.

"Shen Jiansheng, is this formation still usable?"

Shen You shook his head, took out a charcoal pencil and a few sheets of rough paper from his pocket, and quickly copied down the remaining array patterns.

"Reporting to the Commander, this formation has long been damaged, and its most crucial spirit-gathering hub is missing. However..."

Shen You's gaze lingered on a groove on the edge of the stone platform.

The groove was empty except for a little bit of dark red powder remaining in the cracks between the stones.

He stretched out his finger, dipped it in the powder, sniffed it, and his expression suddenly changed.

"General, there was originally an extremely dangerous trap set up here. This powder contains extremely violent fire elemental energy. If I am not mistaken, there was once an ancient fire bomb here that was powerful enough to completely collapse this underground cavern."

Wang Shouren frowned, his grip on the sword hilt tightening: "Where is the Fire Thunder?"

Shen You stared blankly at the empty groove, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"It's shattered...it was forcibly crushed into powder. Moreover, this violent fire elemental energy was completely neutralized using an extremely skillful technique, leaving only these remnants."

Upon hearing this, Wang Shouren broke out in a cold sweat.

If the fire and thunder were still there, and the army rashly touched this stone platform, these five hundred elite soldiers, along with him, the Minister of War, would probably all perish here.

Who exactly was it that, deep underground in this desolate wilderness, silently eliminated this potentially fatal threat for the Ming army?

Countless thoughts flashed through Wang Shouren's mind, and finally, a casual figure wearing a blue cloth robe and waving a folding fan swept through his mind.

"Could it be... that you, sir, also came to the New World with the army?"

Wang Shouren was greatly shocked, but being a calm and composed man, he did not voice his suspicions.

He knew the man's ways well; since he was hiding in the shadows, he didn't want anyone to know.

"Now that the hidden dangers have been eliminated, we can proceed with mining in an orderly manner."

Wang Shouren suppressed his shock and turned to give orders to the engineers.

"Engineering battalion, build a walkway along the lake wall and mark the direction of the ore veins. Remember, only take the highest quality ore; do not damage the earth's foundation. This Wolong Ridge will be the first official silver treasury of our Great Ming Dynasty in this new continent!"

"Yes, sir!"

Hundreds of engineers responded in unison, and the crisp sound of picks striking the rocks instantly echoed through the underground cavern that had been silent for countless years.

In the following days, the Zhenhai Fort camp became extremely busy.

A steady stream of spirit stone ore was transported from the depths of Wolong Ridge by mule carts and piled up in heavily guarded warehouses.

These stones, emitting a faint glow, will become the most solid foundation for the Ming Dynasty to operate its new rune-inscribed warships and cannons.

The neighborhoods that engaged in informal trade also benefited from this.

Those merchants and their associates who were responsible for transportation and setting up the outer camps all made a fortune.

It was noon that day.

Shen You dragged his weary body out of the mine in Wolong Ridge.

He had been underground for three whole days and nights. Besides copying the incomplete patterns of the teleportation array, he had focused more on the few pieces of rubble scattered next to the skeleton.

On the rubble, a fragment of the "Gathering Earth and Returning to Origin Formation" was carved.

Although the formation was incomplete, Shen You keenly sensed that if it could be completed and engraved on the walls of Zhenhai Fort, it could draw upon the earth element to make the walls as solid as a rock, and even withstand the impact of high-level ferocious beasts.

In the past few days, he racked his brains and ruined countless drawings, but he still couldn't get the flow of energy of the formation to be smooth and harmonious.

In the final step of returning to the origin, the earth element dissipates, making it impossible to form a continuous cycle of life.

Shen You, starving, staggered into the market district.

He found an empty table at an open-air food stall, sat down, and ordered a bowl of hot soup noodles with some meat scraps.

When the noodles were served, he didn't even bother to eat them.

Instead, he habitually dipped his chopsticks in the noodle soup and began to draw the incomplete "Gathering Earth and Returning to Origin Formation" on the mottled wooden table.

"The Qi originates from the Kun position, gathers in the central palace, and disperses to the four symbols... But why is it that when it reaches the Gen position, it always seems to sink into the sea like a clay ox, unable to continue?"

Shen You stared at the water stains on the table that were gradually drying, his brows furrowed into a knot, and he kept muttering to himself.

"The earth is heavy and profound, born from the land and growing wild. If you try to use formations to bind and gather it, it will naturally become like stagnant water, unable to flow."

A gentle, leisurely voice, yet filled with boundless clarity, quietly reached Shen You's ears amidst the bustling food stalls.

Shen You was startled and abruptly raised his head.

There stood a middle-aged scholar wearing a slightly worn blue cloth robe, holding a bowl of tea, standing just two steps away from him.

The scholar held a mottled Xiangfei bamboo folding fan in his hand, his deep eyes quietly watching the water stain patterns on his table.

"gentlemen?!"

Shen You's eyes welled up with tears, and he suddenly stood up, almost tipping over the bench behind him.

He never expected that he would meet the wise man in blue robes who had once enlightened him in the streets of the capital again in this desolate camp on the New World thousands of miles away.

Li Changqing gestured slightly to him to sit down, and then sat down on the bench opposite him.

"Years have passed since we last met, and you, young scholar, have certainly made something of yourself. Wearing this official robe of the Imperial Academy is quite a fitting tribute to your understanding of the principles of things."

Li Changqing put down his teacup, speaking casually as if chatting with an old friend.

Shen You was so excited that he rubbed his hands together on his clothes and bowed respectfully.

"Without your guidance at the tea stall that day, I'm afraid I'd still be stuck in a dead end, and I wouldn't be where I am today. How did you end up in this new world, sir?"

Li Changqing opened his folding fan, the fan surface swaying gently.

"I've been in the capital for too long, so I came out for some fresh air. I'll work as an accountant on merchant ships to make a living."

Shen You naturally didn't believe that such a divine figure would be an ordinary accountant.

But he was a smart man and knew that a wise person would act with discretion, so he didn't press the matter further.

He pointed eagerly at the broken array on the table with inquisitive eyes and asked a question.

"The master just said that the earth element is heavy and should not be restrained. But this formation is called Earth Gathering. If it disperses, how can the defense of the city wall be reinforced? I have been stuck on this key point of the Gen position for three days and three nights."