Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

"Ah, what a wonderful girl." Zhu Xianxun sighed, "If only my sister could be so ambitious. And you, my little junior brother. If you can get the top score in the exam right away, it will be convenient. I will directly arrange for you to become a junior cabinet minister, and you can handle all the problems in the world."

"Forget it then. Heaven is busy enough already."

"Speaking of which," he looked at Shangluo, "that golden elixir, isn't there any clue about it?"

Shangluo nodded. "At this point, there are two possibilities—the first is that it's too fast to measure. The second is..."

Shangluo was a little hesitant.

"What is it?"

"I can't quite explain it. I just have a vague feeling—it seems to be fulfilling a wish of mine, or completing an event. But one thing I'm pretty sure of is that calculating it using 'time' probably doesn't make sense. I think it's more reasonable to calculate it based on cause and effect."

Try a few.”

Chapter 475 Plan

"Interesting. But theoretically, it's possible. It might just follow your will, and when you feel you've finished your work, the pill will dissipate on its own. Regardless, today's successful experiment means this approach is feasible. If it works, then it can be scaled up. If it can be scaled up, it can solve many, many problems."

"For example, let someone reach the golden elixir stage?"

Zhu Xianxi shook his head. "We don't lack powerful people in the Jindan stage, and you know that."

He lowered his voice and said, "The imperial examination system is not just about awarding meritorious service. Otherwise, we wouldn't have imposed so many restrictions on tributary states. Granting meritorious service requires granting salaries. Now, the addition of a powerful Jindan-stage cultivator could disrupt our system and put them outside the control of the court. This is unacceptable."

"But the golden elixir stage bomb is enough?"

"That's right. One more person is not as simple as one more pair of chopsticks. But bombs don't matter, because bombs won't clamor for promotion. Even at the Jindan stage, even at the higher levels of the Heavenly Masters, they may not be pure and aloof. Even the Emperor's ancestors..."

He looked at Shangluo and said, "You are very clear about the affairs of the Emperor's ancestors, right? Those 'smoky things'. The real situation is only worse than you know. For us, these extraordinary powers always rely on extraordinary people. This is the most fundamental problem. Of course, I am not saying that Master Sa Tianshi is unreliable."

He added: "Master Sa and several other heavenly masters, although they may not be pure-hearted, but they are all good people. What I am worried about is that after all of them, including Taozu Shengxia, what will happen to the court? Who will be at the helm? Creating a few more powerful people in the Golden Core stage will not be of much benefit. Only those who stand with the imperial court and heaven are useful to us. So you."

He looked at Shangluo and said, "If you can eat it and advance to the Golden Core Stage, then nothing would be better. But I don't want the artifact to fall into the hands of anyone other than you."

"After all, a knight breaks the law with force?"

"That's right. So if resources are limited, rather than advancing a few Jindan stages, I'd rather implement the ultimate vision of those research institutes in the Gobi Desert - to create a devastating explosion that will attract worldwide attention, reminding everyone that we have the ability to remove any city on Earth. Previously, we have been following the path of evil spirit bombs, but now it seems that spiritual evil weapons seem to have more prospects."

"Good boy, good boy. So when does the test start?"

"Don't worry, I'll definitely call you when the test is done. It'll probably be done at sea, I'm afraid the land won't be able to handle it. But it'll be soon."

"Can this be fast?"

"After all, we are cultivators." Zhu Xianfen replied, "As long as we can make it work theoretically, processing accuracy is not a problem at all. But the resources that need to be consumed cannot be saved. This money Outside of the plan, I'm afraid we can only take some out of the internal treasury. But no matter how soon there is a hard time, our testing ground at sea is currently occupied by the Sea Dragon."

"Eh? I remember the last time I went there, it was almost time for the launch. It's been several months."

"Because it exploded when it was filled with liquid hydrogen. Tsk, it turns out they were filling it too slowly, triggering hydrogen embrittlement."

"Hey man, are you okay?"

"It's okay, because the entire rocket didn't explode, just the liquid hydrogen tank leaked. A backup rocket was then sent from Hainan, and debugging took a long time. However, they didn't want to fail again. After all, Lan Fang wouldn't wait forever."

"Is Lan Fang's artillery plan about to succeed?"

"They said they were still debugging and could wait and get second place. But our Hailong had a problem, which has kept them waiting for a while. During this time, the Guoxing side hasn't said anything. They've been holding it back. If we can't launch successfully this time, we'll have to let the Lan Fang side try first. Tsk, it would be embarrassing if the princes took the first manned space launch."

"Have they found the right person? I remember they were looking for a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment stage to load the shells."

"Because it's just a test, they used other methods to withstand it—they prepared enough Good Fortune Pills and spiritual fluids. Withstanding the acceleration of the lunar cannon for a short period of time isn't a big problem. After all, they haven't actually gone to the moon yet, they're just trying to enter orbit."

"If only one of these two plans succeeds, will the situation change?"

"Yes," Zhu Xianxun nodded. "If the Water Dragon is successful, we can launch an entire spacecraft at once, weighing several hundred tons. Or we can transport large pieces at once and then assemble them in orbit. On the other hand, if the lunar cannon is successful, then we will build artillery clusters in various locations and launch the materials into orbit for assembly."

"Well, which one do you like?"

"It's not a question of whether I like it or not. But if I were to say I like it, I can't say I like it, you know?"

"I understand~" Shangluo made an OK gesture to show that he understood.

"But you know what men like, right? I don't need to tell you!"

【Yeah?Do all men know this? ] Apollonia suddenly asked.

"How should I know?" Shangluo muttered to himself, "There are people who like big rockets and big cannons. How do I know which school he belongs to? But when it comes to carrying the 'big bomb', neither of these two is very suitable at the moment. The Hailong is too big and its carrying capacity is unnecessary. The cannon is too small. Hmm, it's a difficult problem."

But one thing is clear at the moment.

"I say, Senior Brother, do you still have that [Unity of Heaven and Earth]? Can you give me a few dozen?"

"Dozens??? Are you eating them??? No, no."

"How about one day I can say Monkey King's lines too?"

"Why do you want so much?"

"I used one before and didn't feel any effect. I want to try a few more."

[Isn’t this still Zhu Bajie’s line?]

"There are five more." Zhu Xianxun looked at him. "I'll give you five more tomorrow morning. We don't have any more in the short term, so we don't have that much extra divine chromium to waste. Give it a try first. If you can take this opportunity to break through to the Golden Core Stage, it will be great. If you can't break through, there's no need to rush. You haven't used the cultivation methods of the Foundation Establishment Stage yet, so you don't need to rely on such powerful external objects. I suggest you keep a few for emergencies. Remember Monkey King's life-saving hairs? You need to keep a few more trump cards."

Chapter 476 Inquiry

Qi Yuan took a sip of the soup and said, "I say, you've been bringing this steamed bread for lunch lately. Is this steamed bread really that delicious?"

Shangluo gave a thumbs-up. Although he didn't eat the school meals, he still went to the cafeteria on time to drink carrot soup at noon.

"Well, is that some kind of tribute provided by the gods?"

"Oh yes, that's it."

While it was indeed delicious, he didn't want to call it panda food. He borrowed the mooncake mold from Yuyuan that day and hasn't returned it yet. Admittedly, the original shape of the food did easily remind people of panda food, but with the addition of the mooncake mold... Even though panda food is also made with a mooncake mold, at least the shape makes people think, "This is a mooncake."

"If I eat this, can I become an immortal?"

"No. You have to become an immortal to eat it."

"What a shame." Qi Yuan shook his head. "After seeing the powerful Taiyi Jinhua yesterday, I realized how far I still have to go. I haven't even reached the Qi training stage yet."

"It's okay, it will be soon, it will be soon."

"..." This made Qi Yuan stunned for a moment. "Yesterday, 'that person' said it would be soon, and you also said 'soon'. So what exactly is soon? Is that something you can say?"

"This is a secret." Shangluo took a sip of soup - but he also thought about it.

Everyone would know about this sooner or later. And although it was confidential, it was a matter of heaven, so he could make his own decision.

"Let me ask first," Shangluo asked, "What's our schedule today?"

"Two things happened this afternoon. First, we were supposed to be debugging the 'torpedo' you were going to install yesterday, but because that person came and tested something more powerful, the torpedo debugging was moved to this afternoon. Also, our original plan for this afternoon was to have a final information exchange with the Wudang and Yanshan teams."

"Isn't Lan Fang coming?"

"They're not coming." Qi Yuan shook his head. "They're hanging out with the Guangzhou team, so they're not very familiar with us. And I don't think they'd want to exchange information. The so-called exchange means you have to produce it yourself. And the Lan Fang team is full of secrets. We still don't know what kind of power is hidden inside that slender body. Ha, it can't be rechargeable, right?"

"Not necessarily. But it's normal for them to want to keep it secret. But is it also normal for us to exchange information with the other two teams?"

"No. The Yanshan team came to the meeting because of you, and the Wudang team came to the meeting because of Lu Liang. It's because we haven't made it to the finals in years, and we don't even see the shadow of other teams."

"So, before the game, let me tell you something. Why is it 's coming soon'?"

"Yeah, yeah. Go ahead." Qi Yuan moved his head closer.

"We found the spirit stone."

"Spirit Stone? Are they the same spirit stones mentioned in novels? The kind that truly condenses spiritual energy, the kind that's a natural elixir, the kind completely different from carrot soup?"

"Yes. That's it."

Qi Yuan understood immediately:

"No wonder I can't talk nonsense. If this were to become known, wouldn't the world be in chaos, with everyone scrambling to cultivate? I've read those immortal cultivation novels before, the ones about killing people, stealing treasures, and becoming kings of the mountains. Well, mainly because my dad likes them. He especially likes them when the protagonist is an alchemist, as it gives him some inspiration. Does the court have any solution?"

"Yes, but it has to be kept secret for now."

"Keep it secret, this must be kept secret." Qi Yuan nodded repeatedly, "If you don't tell me, I won't ask. As long as there is a way, it's good. If the news leaks out and things can't be done, it will be a big trouble."

"Yeah." Shangluo looked at her. "I'm telling you this to get your opinion. I'll ask every person I know. What's your opinion?"

"It's just like what I said. Having spirit stones is a good thing, but if you don't have enough to share because you have them, then it's worse than having none. I'd rather be a commoner in a peaceful time than a mountain king in a chaotic world. This peaceful and harmonious world where doors are unlocked at night and people don't steal on the streets is hard-won, and even ascension can't replace it."

"Wow," Shangluo sighed, "You're quite enlightened. But if you think about it, you usually manage everything so neatly. Without such rationality, it would be impossible. But are there many people as enlightened as you?"

"Not much. Rationality is a scarce resource everywhere. I inherited my mother's strengths, unlike my father's. You can't expect everyone to think from the long-term perspective of society as a whole. Most people are still concerned about whether they can live a little longer. That's why I feel that if the news of the spirit stone gets out, there will be chaos in the world. Ah, if only I hadn't asked. I don't want to know now."

"It's okay, it's okay." Shangluo waved his hand. "Many people know about the spirit stone, but not many people know about the second half of how to solve this problem. Don't worry too much about it, just remember it. Read more news, especially space news."

"Oh~~~You mean, the spirit stone is in the sky?"

"Ah."

"No wonder they built such a large Water Dragon. So that's why it's necessary."

"What do you think?"

"I feel like my mission is becoming increasingly important, and I mean all of us. The spirit stone is in the sky, so we have to fly up to get it. Humans can't fly in the sky, so we need tools. We 'professionals' have been trained since childhood to invent and make tools, and to research the 'methods' of inventing and making tools. I really want to graduate soon, because I really want to go under the rocket and take a look."

"I think we'll see each other again soon. Somewhere bigger than our school."

"Hey, I'll lend you my good wishes."

"Um so that's it, Taoer?"

After dinner, today's work began.

"This peach had some problems yesterday, but it shouldn't be a problem to use it here."

Although this "peach" directly caused the locomotive to fly out and hit the wall, it just shows that its traction is very good, just right for use in car races. And its "enemy detection range" is also very far.

Now, just being able to control it is enough.

"I'll go up by myself this time. Something went wrong yesterday, probably because I didn't completely suppress this peach."

Install this peach and start the experiment.

Shangluo got into the driver's seat and took out his magic weapon: "Ball number two, I leave it to you."

If there was no ball number two, Shangluo would not be sure what to do with this hairy peach from another world.

Although Mao Tao still comes from another system, he also has the core of a second operating system in his hands.

Chapter 477 Mark

Although the Maotao part has nothing to do with the other Tianyi nobles who work closely with it, it’s fine as long as it can be used.

The target had been in place before - at the end of the runway, Wen Yuan poked his head out of the tank's cockpit.

"Are you ready?" Wen Yuan asked while typing with her head exposed. "If you're ready, I'll retreat."

"Wait a moment." Han Xingzhi, who was at the other end of the runway, replied first, "We're still moving the fire extinguisher. And, big brother, are you okay?"

Shangluo sent a thumbs-up emoji.

"Well then," Han Xingzhi reminded, "I suggest that Wen Yuan return to the cockpit immediately."

"Then how can I observe?"

"You'd better stop observing. I saw that train fly out yesterday afternoon. I don't know if you can control it. For your own safety, you'd better hurry back to the tank."

Wen Yuan said nothing and went back silently. But before leaving, he smashed a bottle of phlogiston marker liquid on the front armor of the tank.

The reason for using a tank was convenience. Since there weren't any targets prepared here, it would be better to grab some free labor from next door and stake out the spot. The phlogiston marker fluid was obtained from Gao Shiyu, who had plenty of it.

Shangluo was well prepared this time. He didn't load the peaches directly into the vehicle body. If something went wrong, it would be irreversible. The entire vehicle might crash directly into the armor plate, and the adjacent tanks might be scrapped along with it.

He mounted the peach in an external pod on the car, like a camera pod on a reconnaissance plane. If anything went wrong, Dali would probably tear the pod off first, rather than taking the whole car with him.

"Okay, get ready." Shangluo put on his mask and started counting down on the screen to remind others.

"Three, two, one"

With a sharp brake screech, the Tiandao Shadow Puppet—Team Longjiang's racing car—began to move forward. Every meter, the locked tires scraped black marks on the ground, the entire car pulled forward by a tremendous force. Its target was the iron-lump tank ahead, aiming for the front armor plate, where the phlogiston mark had been struck.

"receive."