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

Li Changqing lowered his eyes and looked at the intricate array patterns on the table.

He extended a long, slender, fair finger and seemingly casually drew an arc along the edge of the water stain.

"When farmers build earthen walls, they need to mix mud and water, but if it is just mud and water, it will crack and collapse when it dries. Therefore, they need to mix wheat straw into the mud and water. The wheat straw crisscrosses in the soil, which can hold the loose soil together tightly, making it as solid as a rock."

Li Changqing's finger followed the arc, slowly leading it to the center of the array.

"This Gathering Earth and Returning to Origin Formation follows the same principle. You only thought about drawing the earth's energy into the formation, but you forgot to give this formation a 'straw'."

Li Changqing pointed to a blank space below the array diagram.

"When drawing in Qi at the Kun position, a very subtle trace of water-elemental spiritual Qi is separated. Earth is moistened by water, and when moistened, they blend together. Then, wood-elemental Qi is transformed into meridians, which are interwoven within them. Earth generates metal, metal generates water, and water generates wood."

Using the generating cycle of the five elements, the earth element energy took root within the formation, firmly embedding itself into the blue bricks and boulders of the city wall.

"Don't think about gathering, think about letting it grow."

As Li Changqing's finger traced across the array, the originally incomplete and sluggish array seemed to be infused with a soul in that instant.

Water stains traced a perfect cycle on the wooden table, and the spirit of endless life and the virtue of carrying all things was vividly displayed on this ordinary wooden table in the marketplace.

Shen You was struck dumb.

He stared intently at the table, his mind reeling as if a thousand lightning bolts were striking him simultaneously.

The array barriers that had troubled him for countless days and nights collapsed with a crash after these few words of advice, which sounded like casual conversation.

"Mixed with wheat straw...the soil is moistened...the five elements are mutually reinforcing..."

Shen You's lips trembled, and his eyes flashed with fanatical light.

This is not just about completing an ancient, incomplete formation; it is clearly about opening up a completely new path of integration for the rune formation system of the Ming Dynasty!

"Sir, you are truly gifted! I understand now! I understand completely!"

Shen You suddenly stood up, took two steps back, and was about to perform the grand salute to Li Changqing.

However, when he looked up...

The bench was empty.

The bowl of tea was still steaming slightly, but the figure in the blue robe, waving a folding fan, had already disappeared into the bustling crowd in the neighborhood.

The shop assistants and merchants around were loudly haggling over prices, and no one noticed what had just happened at that table.

Shen You stood there, stunned.

He looked at the empty bench, then at the array diagram on the table that was gradually drying but had been deeply imprinted in his mind, and bowed deeply.

"Sir, your noble character is truly admirable. I, Shen You, will certainly live up to your expectations in this lifetime. The walls of this new continent will surely be as solid as a rock!"

He turned around, not even bothering to eat the noodles on the table, and dashed towards the workshop of Zhenhai Fort like a whirlwind.

Next to the Fuyuanhao shop in the distance.

Li Changqing sat on a stool, opened the account book, and dipped his brush in ink.

"This kid has a good understanding. With the foundation of this Gathering Earth and Returning to Origin Formation, the Ming Dynasty's foothold in the New World can be considered truly solid."

He wrote down the batch of animal bones that had just been counted in the ledger.

From the direction of Wolong Ridge not far away, came a series of muffled and rhythmic chiseling sounds.

Baskets of glowing spirit stones were being continuously transported out of the mountains and forests, heading towards the massive war and expansion machine of the Ming Dynasty.

The smoke from the campsites drifted slowly in the evening breeze.

This ancient land, which originally belonged to the wilderness and ferocious beasts, is now filled with the unhurried sounds of excavation and the lively atmosphere of the marketplace.

It is gradually taking on the rich, earthy character of ordinary people from the Central Plains.

The immortal remained seated, but this painting of the mortal world had been enriched with yet another bold and colorful stroke.

……

For days, the sound of iron chisels striking stones has echoed from the top of Zhenhai Fort.

Ever since Shen You ran back to camp from that open-air food stall, the young students from the Imperial Academy have been as if they were bewitched.

He locked himself in the workshop for a whole day, wasting dozens of sheets of fine Xuan paper, and finally finished the diagram of the "Gathering Soil Returning to Origin Formation".

Following Mr. Qingshan's guidance on "mixing in wheat straw," we thoroughly deduced the concept of harmony.

The five elements generate each other: water nourishes earth, and wood intertwines.

This is no longer a deadly formation that simply draws power from the earth's veins.

Rather, it was a living being that seemed to possess life, able to breathe and share the fate of this new continent beneath its feet.

Once the blueprints were completed, Minister of War Wang Shouren did not hesitate at all and immediately allocated three thousand of the most elite engineers, entirely under Shen You's command.

At the construction site, torches and pine resin torches illuminated the walls of Zhenhai Fort as bright as day.

"Carve this water ripple half an inch deeper! Remember, the corners must be rounded, without any sharp angles. Water flow is all about natural progression!"

Shen You, dressed in a coarse cloth shirt covered in mud, held a wooden ruler in his hand and climbed up and down the scaffolding, which was several dozen feet high, shouting instructions in a hoarse voice.

The artisans from the Ming Dynasty were shirtless, sweat streaming down their backs.

They channeled the tiny amount of energy within their bodies into the steel chisels in their hands.

With each hammer blow, intricate patterns of varying depths and interconnected lines were carved into the dark brown stone bricks.

Besides carving array patterns, the engineers, under Shen You's guidance, also cut the century-old ironwood felled from the forest into stakes about ten feet long.

They drove deep into the ground, following the foundation of the city wall.

The top of the wooden stake connects perfectly with the array node at the bottom of the city wall, serving as the "straw in the muddy water".

This massive project took a full half-month to complete.

Half a month later, the early winter wind, carrying a biting chill, swept in from the depths of the wild forest.

In front of the barbican of Zhenhai Fort, Wang Shouren, wearing a heavy cloak, led a group of civil and military officials, standing quietly in the cold wind.

All eyes were focused on the slightly thin, pale figure standing beneath the city wall.

Shen You took a deep breath, calming the turmoil of excitement churning within him.

He walked to the very center of the city wall, which was the main point of this massive "Gathering Earth and Returning to Origin Formation".

There is a top-grade spirit stone that was mined from the depths of Wolong Ridge.

Shen You extended his right hand, bringing his index and middle fingers together.

Following the advanced breathing techniques of "The First Chapter of Body Tempering and Breathing in the Great Ming Dynasty," he slowly channeled the warm energy from his dantian along his fingertips onto the spirit stone.

"Gathering earth to its origin, life continues endlessly. Arise!"

This was accompanied by a low shout from Shen You.

The once lifeless spirit stone suddenly burst forth with a warm, earthy-yellow light.

The light was like a drop of ink falling into a calm lake, spreading rapidly in all directions along the painstakingly carved array patterns.

In just a few breaths, the entire Zhenhai Fort city wall, which was five zhang high and stretched for more than ten li, was destroyed.

They were all enveloped in this faint, earthy yellow halo.

A breathtaking spectacle slowly unfolded before everyone's eyes.

The city walls, originally built of huge stones with traces of mortar still visible between the stones, emitted a dull "humming" sound under the flowing light.

Then, to everyone's astonishment, the gaps between the stones seemed to be kneaded and squeezed by some invisible force, and finally completely closed up.

At this moment, the entire city wall of Zhenhai Fortress transformed into a single, perfectly formed boulder, without the slightest trace of being pieced together!

What's even more amazing is that, following those ironwood stakes driven into the ground, a rich vitality and the earth's energy are continuously drawn up.

It transforms into a layer of faint water vapor, nourishing the hard rock, making it both hard and flexible, and greatly increasing its toughness.