Chapter 19

The mineral resources were temporarily resolved, and the temperature required for smelting metals using the Flame Formation technique was sufficient; this formation technology was already very mature, and as long as charcoal was added to the molten iron, iron could be smelted. The craftsmen in the cultivation world were truly fortunate.

With the materials, the production of cold weapons became much simpler. With the cooperation of the mechanical, metallurgical, and textile zones (for the inner lining of armor and shoe uppers), it took only five days to produce the first batch of 100 complete sets of stainless steel weapons. On that day, even Li Liang went crazy, hugging the stainless steel armor and reciting eighteen poems, although he never mentioned these eighteen poems afterward.

Generals Wang Jian, Chang Lin, and Cheng Jiming were trying to claim a set for themselves, but Li Xian sternly criticized them, emphasizing that good things should be given to the soldiers first to earn their respect.

Li Liang strongly agreed with his "younger brother's" view and, with one hand each, pulled the three men who were rolling on the armor.

A set of weapons included armor, helmet, sword, and boots. For the first set, Li Xian did not forge a long sword, although cultivators liked to use long swords, they were not suitable for the battlefield.

After further discussion, it was finally decided: ten days later, the military would hold the first grand competition! The competition would be based on "hundred-man teams and centurions" as a combat unit, and the first place would receive 100 sets of stainless steel weapons.

Needless to say, the appearance of stainless steel weapons made the soldiers drool. Seeing the weapons that shone in the sunlight and showed no signs of rust even after being exposed to seawater for a whole day, all the soldiers went wild. To the soldiers, a good set of weapons was more valuable than gold and silver. With weapons, they could go and seize gold and silver; this was the simple and straightforward thinking of the soldiers.

However, ten days seemed too long. As the countdown slowly progressed, many soldiers looked at the gleaming weapons and drooled profusely. Many even brought seawater to conduct experiments, and for a time, a thick layer of salt formed on the platform where the weapons and armor were displayed.

Finally, after ten days, the competition began, and the soldiers challenged each other with the intensity of mortal enemies.

In these battles of a hundred men against a hundred men, Li Xian began to consciously cultivate the idea of mutual trust and cooperation among the soldiers.

Thereafter, every few days, Li Xian would release another 100 sets of weapons. Teams that had already obtained weapons could still participate and would receive monetary rewards. Under this incentive, the army strengthened every day.

In the blink of an eye, a month passed, and with everything on track, Li Xian finally began the most important and urgent task—conductive wires.

Currently, whether it was engines, lamps, or even some metallurgical tools, they were all made of jade. However, each piece of jade had its own grain and spirit, which meant that the formations carved on each piece had to be meticulously drawn by experienced people, severely hindering Li Xian's "large-scale industrialization" plan.

Without mass production, it was at best considered research and not industry.

Although Li Xian had many ideas and wanted to establish a complete industrial system, the issue of conductive wires had to be resolved first; otherwise, everything else would be futile.

Initially, Li Xian tried to find related materials in the Great Xia Kingdom, even writing to his capable father, Li Yulong; unfortunately, even Li Yulong was powerless.

To say that such spiritual materials like silk were rare, expensive, and of little practical use! Moreover, the best silk materials could be used to make bows, and the demon race strictly controlled the outflow of such materials.

Seeing that both scientific research and industrial expansion were facing problems, Li Xian became anxious, his mouth breaking out in sores. After several days of hesitation, Li Xian finally made up his mind—to go to the demon race! And he would personally lead a team to negotiate a trade.

To prepare for this trade, Li Xian gathered many items: silk, cotton fabric, mirrors, colored lights, and even stainless steel weapons!

Li Yulong and Li Liang strongly opposed Li Xian using stainless steel weapons for trade, believing that such good things should be kept for themselves. Li Xian, of course, did not want to either; but compared to ordinary cold weapons, he valued conductive wires more.

With conductive wires, they wouldn't need cold weapons anymore; they could use intelligent weapons.

Considering the dangers of traveling to the demon race's territory, Li Xian only brought fifty volunteers, all young and strong. He even refused the bodyguards offered by his elder brother.

Traveling to the demon race's territory, whether it was fifty or five hundred people made little difference; fewer people were actually better for getting things done!

To the northeast of Anyang, there was a mountain range spanning over three hundred miles, serving as the best barrier between the Great Xia Kingdom, the northern Cai Kingdom, and the demon race's territory to the east. This area was home to many grand fortresses, their surfaces weathered and ancient, indicating their long history.

"What a majestic mountain range!" Li Xian exclaimed.

Xu Ren walked beside Li Xian, "Young Master, this mountain range is not simple. Flight is impossible within its range; one can only walk on the ground. It is said that the formations and restrictions here date back to tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of years ago, set up during the great war between the human and demon races."

Li Xian, hearing about the demon race for the first time, became curious. "What is the current relationship between the human and demon races?"

"Mutual confrontation, occasional harassment; large-scale wars are no longer happening. After the era of nations, the human race organized several large-scale battles involving millions of cultivation experts against the demon race, ultimately stabilizing the boundaries between the two sides.

Currently, the northeastern region of Yingzhou belongs to the demon race, occupying about one-third of Yingzhou's area; the remaining regions belong to the human race, occupying about two-thirds.

Additionally, the sea is mainly the domain of the demon race, but the demons in the sea call themselves the Sea Race. It is said, just said, that there are still dragon clans in the sea, secretly controlling the entire sea. But it's just a legend, and there's no way to confirm it."

"The sea belongs to the demon race?" Li Xian's frown deepened. When he first came to Anyang, he was very excited, partly because of the thought of the sea. In another world, the sea meant boundless wealth. If the sea here was filled with demons, well...

A group of over fifty people moved slowly forward, the atmosphere still somewhat heavy. Traveling to the demon race was not a leisure trip; it was a dangerous adventure. Making grand vows was one thing, but actually setting out was another.

Behind them were thirty horse-drawn carriages, loaded with a large amount of goods; each carriage had a five-foot banner held up by bamboo poles, inscribed with the words: "Trade."

By the evening of the second day, as they crossed the southern part of the mountain range, the group saw the vast, surging sea. Many of the people following Li Xian, including Song Xing, had never seen the sea before and were momentarily stunned—facing the vast expanse that was so different from the land, they were all at a loss for words.

Li Xian stood on a rock and suddenly felt inspired: "Everyone, listen up, I'm going to recite a poem, a poem that will be widely known, a poem that will shock the world, a poem that will be remembered for a thousand years."

When everyone looked over, Li Xian stood tall and shouted, "Hey, the sea, it's all water!"

Silence!

Ha ha... Finally, everyone burst into laughter. Seeing everyone laugh, Li Xian also laughed, just to lighten the mood.

But!!!

A light laugh echoed, a soft laugh that spread throughout the scene, and everyone heard it clearly.

"Who!" Xu Ren stood up first, "Young Master, there's an expert, possibly at the Golden Core stage or higher!"

Everyone stood up tensely, looking around, even Li Xian's expression turned serious. Among their group, only Xu Ren was at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, the rest were all at the Qi Condensation stage. If they encountered a Golden Core expert, they wouldn't even have the chance to beg for mercy.

"Swish..." The seawater in front of them churned, and a crystal-clear water column rose, the droplets sparkling like beautiful, translucent crystals. A graceful figure stood in the rolling waves, slowly emerging from the sea.

The woman appeared to be in her early twenties, with eyes like stars, long flowing hair, and a golden hairpin swaying. She wore a light yellow robe, her figure slender and graceful, and she rose from the sea, walking toward the shore, like a fairy of the waves.

"Wow..." Seeing this, many were stunned, unsure of what to do. The fairy was beautiful, and her appearance was otherworldly.

Xu Ren's face turned pale, as if he had seen something unbelievable.

But Li Xian was even more stunned. A scene quickly flashed through his mind—the previous consciousness had teased a girl on the street and was beaten to death; and the face he saw was right in front of him!

Stammering, Li Xian managed to say, "It's you!"

The woman, stepping on the clear waves, slowly floated to Li Xian's side, her eyes also showing surprise, "Little thief, it's actually you!"