The Tree Realm Descends on Douluo Continent

Chapter 131 Pioneering and Creation

It's not yet time for work each day, so apart from a few factory workers, you hardly see any children.

I asked around and learned that most of these children were doing preparatory work in the factory beforehand. That's how it was for children in impoverished times; if they could learn a skill, they were more diligent than their masters.

"Brother Ningyuan, send someone to gather all the children from the factory." Li Xun looked around the factory dormitory and found that it was built better than he had planned.

By today's standards, the accommodations were roughly equivalent to those of a middle-class family.

He had only acted on a whim and hadn't put much effort into it. The way things had turned out was beyond his expectations, and he could only marvel at how wealthy the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was.

Soon after, a large group of children followed Ning Yuan to the open space in front of the dormitory.

Two thousand five hundred children gathered together, a huge crowd.

Given Li Xun's current state of mind, standing on the makeshift platform looking at the sea of ​​people below, it was hard not to feel a little excited.

"Many of you may not know me. Let me introduce myself. My name is Li Xun, and I am the factory manager of this factory."

Looking at the group of children below who were gradually getting excited, Li Xun cleared his throat and slowly amplified his voice with his soul power: "He is also a disciple of Ning Fengzhi, the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School."

Upon hearing this, the children below erupted in a clamor, whispering amongst themselves and looking at Li Xun with excited expressions.

They never imagined that the place they would rely on for survival in the future was suggested by a boy who was about their age. Most of them were orphans or children from poor families.

If they had followed their original life trajectory, a small portion of these people might not have survived to adulthood. Even if they were lucky enough to get through childhood, a happy life might not have awaited them.

They might be forced to beg, work as laborers or servants for landlords, or even be sold into slavery.

However, in such a bleak and hopeless life, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's factory gave them a glimmer of hope.

"Ahem, everyone, please quiet down for a moment." Li Xun smiled and gestured with both hands.

When the room fell silent: "I know you are excited, and I know how you feel right now, because I was also a child from a poor family."

"I know what kind of changes this hard-won opportunity will bring to ordinary people like us."

Li Xun looked around at the children below, their eyes brimming with tears: "But what I want to say today is that your future is far more than this."

"The pinnacle that you can reach is the blacksmith, carpenter, and painter."

"Your future is that of creators, indispensable talents for this continent, something that cannot be compared to a job that merely provides a basic living."

Li Xun looked at the bewildered children below and took out a bow and arrow and a Zhuge crossbow from his soul tool.

Hold both items high so that every child can see them: "The exact number of years since the bow was created is countless. But people's improvements to it have not concerned the bowstring or the bow itself."

"Until the crossbow appeared." Li Xun tapped his toes, and in an instant, a large tree that would take two or three people to encircle grew from the open ground to his side.

Li Xun put away his longbow, aimed the Zhuge Divine Crossbow at the tree, and pulled the trigger. The Zhuge Divine Crossbow instantly fired a series of arrows: "It's more convenient and easier to control, and it can fire multiple arrows at once."

He looked at the crowd below, seemingly lost in thought.

Li Xun smiled, took out his longbow, and fired another arrow at the tree: "Do you see the difference now?"

Looking at the bright eyes below the podium, Li Xun encouraged them, "This Zhuge Crossbow is already capable of harming Soul Masters. I hope you will learn not only to copy and disassemble it, but also to broaden your thinking."

"Create a weapon that surpasses it in every aspect, proving that even ordinary people can rival Soul Masters."

When Li Xun finished speaking, some of the smarter children among the 2,500 children immediately explained the situation to their companions. Upon learning of the factory manager's intention, they erupted in a thunderous response.

Li Xun watched all this with a smile, and after everyone's excitement subsided a little, he continued: "Of course, everyone has different strengths and ways of thinking, so I don't require everyone to participate in the research and development."

"You can learn whatever you want, such as blacksmithing or carpentry, after all, it's about your future survival skills."

"But if any of you can create a brand new weapon, I can promise you not only fame and fortune, but from now on you will never have to worry about making a living."

After Li Xun finished speaking, the eyes of the 2,500 children below instantly shone with boundless enthusiasm and longing.

Who doesn't want fame, fortune, and status? Who doesn't want to be free from worries about food and clothing? And who doesn't want to have power?

They have lost their qualification to become Soul Masters, but if they can obtain the power to become Soul Masters through another path, they are willing to give it a try.

"Your Majesty, do you think this counts as an improvement?" A slightly thin boy timidly raised his hand.

Li Xun looked over upon hearing the voice, realizing that he hadn't heard the title "Your Majesty" for many years.

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

When Li Xun noticed that the boy still retained some features from his childhood, he smiled and said, "Wang Cheng, I remember your family wasn't too poor. What brings you here?"

This boy was the same boy who lost two meat buns to Li Xun when they were children.

"My parents gave birth to a younger brother and sister. If I stay at home and rely on that small plot of land, I'm afraid I won't even have enough to eat in the future." Wang Cheng scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly.

Li Xun understood. It seemed that Wang Cheng's parents, seeing that their main character hadn't become a Soul Master, wanted to try creating two new characters, which was quite in line with the typical thinking of poor families.

However, Wang Cheng is quite clever. A tree dies when transplanted, but a person thrives. Ordinary people in this era have very few fields and jobs. If he continues to cling to his old ways of thinking, his life will only be stagnant.

"Let me see what you've done, and don't call me 'King' anymore, you can call me 'Factory Manager'," Li Xun encouraged.

Upon receiving Li Xun's nod, Wang Cheng's face lit up with joy. He quickly got up and ran towards the dormitory, returning shortly with a huge wooden box on his back.

"Factory manager, this is a sample we made by a blacksmith, enlarged to include sand and shadows."

Wang Cheng placed the wooden box on the ground: "Because it was too big to launch the steel needles, we modified it into a toy for launching arrows."

After Wang Cheng finished speaking, he waved to the crowd, and soon several teenagers of similar age to him walked out from inside.

Upon closer inspection, Li Xun discovered that two of the people among them were actually teenagers from the Ancient Banyan Village.

The group gave Li Xun a shy smile, not daring to speak, and quickly got to work, soon finishing installing the arrows.

They then attached a small piece of gunpowder with a fuse to each arrow.

"Isn't this the 'swarm of rockets' from the Ming Dynasty?" Li Xun stared at the group's actions for a moment, then burst into laughter.

(End of this chapter)