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

The snow in the New World lasted for three whole days before it finally stopped.

The edge of that bottomless chasm outside Zhenhai Fort is now filled with banners and bustling crowds.

Upon receiving Chen Hu's urgent report by galloping horse, Minister of War Wang Shouren did not dare to delay for a moment. He personally led 10,000 elite troops and an engineering battalion, braving the wind and snow to reach the location.

Standing atop the high cliff, one can look down upon the ancient city of Taixu, shrouded in warm mist at the bottom of the valley.

Even Wang Shouren, a man who had spent his life on the battlefield and had seen much of the world, was filled with undisguised shock.

"General, this ancient city covers a vast area and contains twelve temples and four towers. Although most of them have collapsed, the bluestone slabs paving the city are all engraved with spirit-gathering arrays that draw upon the earth's veins."

Shen You had two huge dark circles under his eyes, but his face was full of fanaticism.

He hadn't left the valley floor for the past few days, leading dozens of array masters to thoroughly explore the outer perimeter of the ancient city.

Wang Shouren nodded slightly and, with the help of his guards, descended to the bottom of the valley via a thick rope ladder.

As soon as he stepped onto the bluestone streets of the ancient city, Wang Shouren saw dozens of broken stone puppets piled up by the roadside.

He walked up to a headless stone sculpture, extended his hand adorned with steel gauntlets, and tapped the material, which was neither gold nor stone, producing a dull echo.

"Shen Jiansheng, you're saying that these inanimate objects nearly wiped out Chen Hu's thousand-man army that day?"

Wang Shouren asked in a deep voice.

Shen You strode forward and pointed to the tiny through hole in the chest of the stone sculpture.

"Reporting to the Commander. The puppets of the Taixu Sect are made of basalt, a material unique to this place, as hard as refined steel. They are engraved with an array that draws in the earth's vein fire. Once activated, they possess immense and tireless power. The muskets and swords under Commander Chen's command cannot harm them in the slightest."

Shen You took a deep breath, a deep sense of awe flashing in his eyes, and lowered his voice.

"If it weren't for that mysterious gentleman's secret intervention, using his flying stone technique to precisely shatter the spiritual energy hubs in the chests of these puppets, General Chen and his men would certainly not have survived."

"General, please look at this hole. The cut is smooth, and the residual force did not dissipate after the pivot was shattered. Such extraordinary skill is truly awe-inspiring."

Wang Shouren stared intently at the hole, the image of the Grand Tutor sitting idly in a blue robe appearing in his mind.

He knew the Grand Tutor's temperament well.

Since the Grand Tutor has cleared away the most dangerous obstacle in this ancient city for the Ming Dynasty, he has bestowed upon the Ming Dynasty all the blessings of this city.

"Pass on my command!"

Wang Shouren suddenly turned around, his bright red cloak billowing in the warm air currents at the bottom of the valley.

"Dispatch three thousand engineers to set up camp in the valley! Disassemble all the puppet remains, as well as the intact array-patterned stone slabs within the city, pack them into crates, and transport them up the cliff face using winches. Send them back to the Qintian Pavilion in the capital at top speed!"

"Furthermore, order the master craftsmen of the Array Formation Camp to make a copy of the earth vein array of this ancient city. This Taixu Ancient City will be the second major stronghold of our Great Ming Dynasty in the New World, named Zhenxuan Fortress!"

At Wang Shouren's command, tens of thousands of Ming soldiers busied themselves in the ancient city ruins.

Shen You was overjoyed, as if he had found a treasure.

He and several trusted master craftsmen studied the broken stone puppet day and night.

"Wonderful! Truly a masterpiece!"

One late night, Shen You held a newly drawn blueprint in his hand, trembling with excitement under the lamp.

"The joints of the puppets from the Taixu Sect are not inflexible knots, but are connected by miniature levitation array patterns. When spiritual energy is infused into them, the joints can rotate in mid-air, resulting in minimal wear and tear and the ability to withstand immense weight!"

He turned his head sharply, looked at the craftsman beside him, and his eyes lit up.

"Gentlemen! Our Ming Dynasty's Divine Machine Battalion's cannons are getting bigger and bigger, and the gun carriages are getting heavier and heavier, all relying on pack oxen to pull them. If we could imprint this method of levitation array patterns and gathering spiritual power onto four-wheeled war chariots made of fine steel..."

"Then wouldn't our Ming Dynasty's heavy artillery be able to traverse these mountains and hills as if they were flat ground, without needing to be pulled by livestock?"

Upon hearing this, all the craftsmen gasped in astonishment, then erupted into a deafening cheer.

When immortals enter the mortal realm, what they fear most is being aloof and superior.

Once these ancient cultivation techniques are dismantled by the ambitious and pragmatic craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty, the resulting war potential will be a torrent that will tremble the entire world.

……

Several months later.

The capital city, the Forbidden City.

The warm breeze of early spring swept across Taiye Pond, turning the weeping willows on the banks green.

Inside the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Chengping, Zhu Youzhen, sat behind his desk, holding a memorial sent urgently from Baliqiao in the New World by Wang Shouren.

Below the imperial desk, Grand Secretary Song Yin and the six ministries and nine ministers stood with their hands at their sides, and the atmosphere in the hall was filled with an irrepressible excitement.

"Excellent! What a magnificent ancient city of Taixu!"

Zhu Youzhen slammed his hand on the imperial desk and slammed the memorial shut.

That face, weathered by years of hard work, radiated an amazing glow.

"What the Grand Tutor said back then was true. At the end of this vast world, there truly lies boundless wonder! The ruins of an ancient cultivation sect—such a foundation is enough to save the Ming Dynasty from taking a hundred years of detours!"

Zhu Youzhen stood up and strode down the steps.

"Minister Song, how is the study of the puppet remains and array diagrams that were sent back to the Imperial Observatory?"

Song Yin quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and answered loudly.

"Your Majesty, the Qintian Pavilion, together with three hundred master craftsmen and students from the Imperial Academy of Immortal Cultivation, has completely cracked the floating hub of the Taixu Sect."

"Currently, the Ministry of War is trying to apply this method to heavy supply wagons and artillery. If successful, the mobility of the Ming army will be greatly enhanced."

"Moreover, the large number of fragmented jade slips unearthed from the ancient city ruins, although written in archaic language, have already shown initial promise thanks to the joint efforts of the great scholars of the Imperial Academy in deciphering them."

"Among them is the 'Tai Xu Dao Yin Technique,' which is more moderate and peaceful than the 'First Chapter' that we promote, and is more suitable for ordinary people of mediocre talent to learn."

Zhu Youzhen was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly.

"By imperial decree! Once the *Tai Xu Dao Yin Shu* (Great Void Guiding Technique) is compiled into a book, it shall be printed and distributed throughout the land immediately. For the Ming Dynasty to establish a foundation for ten thousand generations, the health of its people is the very foundation of the nation!"

His gaze swept over the assembled officials in the hall, and his tone suddenly became extremely authoritative.

"Furthermore, establish the Taixu Bureau in the New World, jointly managed by the Ministry of War and the Imperial Academy. Open numerous special examinations; anyone with expertise in formations, physics, and mathematics can enter the Taixu Bureau. I intend to firmly grasp that ancient city, along with every single spirit stone deep underground, in the palm of the Ming Dynasty!"

"Your Majesty, we obey! Long live the Emperor! May the Ming Dynasty last forever!"

The courtiers shouted in unison, and the deafening roar seemed to overturn the glazed tiles of the Qianqing Palace.

After receiving the potent remedy of the Taixu Relics, the massive machine of the Ming Dynasty began to operate even more wildly.

Merchants from all walks of life, impoverished youths, and ambitious swordsmen flocked to Tianjin like a tidal wave, vying to board the treasure ship bound for the New World.

It was a land flowing with gold and spirit stones, a miracle where even mortals could touch the threshold of immortality.