Chapter 203: The Gun‑Repair Technician

Zhang Xingyu became an honorable engineer.

His official unit is the 5th Company (Engineer Company), 1st Battalion, 4th Regiment, 2nd Division, 3rd Corps of the Southern Zhanzhou Volunteer Immortal Army, 3rd Platoon, 2nd Squad.

The squad leader is an old man at Qi cultivation level 12, surnamed Li, and everyone calls him Li Banto.

Li Banto is one‑armed, with white hair and white beard, and a perpetual smile at the corner of his mouth.

It is said that he was among the first batch of Volunteer Immortal Soldiers from Southern Zhanzhou to arrive in Xihe Niu State.

During a battle defending against the demon race, his left arm was bitten by a demon insect.

Demonic Qi entered his body.

To avoid demonic transformation, Li Banto swung his sword and severed his own arm.

After the war, he received a Foundation Establishment Pill as a reward.

Old Li did not consume the Foundation Establishment Pill; instead, he had someone deliver it to his son back in his hometown.

"Li Banto, has your son successfully completed Foundation Establishment?" Zhang Xingyu asked.

Li Banto replied with a grin, "It's still early. That kid is only at Qi cultivation level 6; it will be several more years before he reaches Foundation Establishment."

"In that case, why don't you go back? You've served six years, far exceeding the originally agreed term," Zhang Xingyu asked again.

"I, huh, want to fight a few more years to earn another Foundation Establishment Pill for my son. With two pills, the brat's chance of successful Foundation Establishment will increase considerably," Li Banto said with a smile.

Li Banto chatted with his mouth, but his hands moved steadily.

Zhang Xingyu followed him, chatting while cleaning the damaged runes on the spellgun.

Class Two has six members in total, and their main task is to repair damaged spellguns.

Although spellguns have decent power, they are extremely prone to damage.

In Li Banto's words, a single spellgun can fire continuously up to fifty times.

After fifty shots, the runes in the barrel become damaged, reducing accuracy and power.

Therefore, at intervals, spellguns are sent back for maintenance.

Lately, with the front‑line fighting intensifying, the spellguns returned for repair have piled up like a mountain.

The technical requirements for repairing spellguns are not sophisticated; the key is a clear understanding of the runes on them.

There are three main runes on a spellgun. First is the Activation Rune, which triggers the latent spiritual energy within the spirit stone. Second is the Spirit‑Collecting Rune, which gathers the activated spiritual energy for concentrated use. Third is the Guiding Rune, which directs the spiritual energy precisely toward the enemy.

Zhang Xingyu fiddled with the spellgun in his hand. After several days of study, he had mastered the repair methods for the three core rune components on the spellgun. The damaged part of this spellgun was the Spirit‑Collecting Rune. Consequently, he carefully removed the barrel, then gently took off the energy‑collecting ring. On the ring, the original Spirit‑Collecting Rune had become indistinct. Zhang Xingyu walked to the rune‑crafting table, fetched a rune parchment, lifted the rune brush, dipped it in cinnabar, and, with a calm mind, steady Qi, and a single stroke, completed the rune.

The Spirit‑Collecting Rune was successfully forged.

After installing the new Spirit‑Collecting Rune and reattaching the energy‑collecting ring, the damaged spellgun was repaired.

"Done!" Zhang Xingyu clapped his hands and said.

Li Banto smiled and praised loudly, "Zhang Xingyu, your rune‑drawing skill is quite good. Did you ever formally study rune drawing?"

Zhang Xingyu lifted his head proudly and said, "Of course. I, Zhang Xingyu, am a rune Dao prodigy, disciple of the rune Dao master Huo Lingwu of the Wanfa Immortal Sect, the foremost cultivation sect of the Central Realm Immortal State."

"Hah, with just a few strokes you're still below my level, yet you call yourself a rune Dao prodigy? You claim to be a disciple of the rune Dao master, the one from the Wanfa Immortal Sect, the top sect of the Central Realm Immortal State. Does saying that not make you blush?" a comrade laughed.

Zhang Xingyu shook his head, "You people, when I speak the truth—

While chatting with the repairman about trivial matters.

The days just passed like that.

In the blink of an eye, a month passed, and Zhang Xingyu had successfully integrated into the Second Class.

That day, he was repairing a spirit gun when suddenly Li Squad Leader's shout came from outside.

"Zhang Xingyu, someone's looking for you!"

Zhang Xingyu turned around and saw Ouyang Lanlan standing quietly at the doorway.

"Ouyang Senior Sister, why are you here too?" Zhang Xing exclaimed in surprise.

He and Ouyang Lanlan had only been apart for a few months.

Back then, Ouyang Lanlan never said she would join the army.

"What, you're not welcoming me?" Ouyang Lanlan asked.

"How could it not be? Senior sister, please come in." Zhang Xingyu set down his spirit gun and ushered Ouyang Lanlan inside.

After they sat down, Ouyang Lanlan then explained her purpose.

As it turned out, the Southern Zhenzhou Volunteer Immortal Army lacked formation specialists, so she was specially drafted to help the army craft formation equipment.

"Great! With you, this formation master, our engineering company's strength will rise another level. No, our engineering company will become the liveliest place in the whole division!" Zhang Xingyu exclaimed.

Ouyang Lanlan shook her head. "I'm not in the engineering company. The Second Division has formed a Formation Battalion, and I serve as a Formation Master there."

"Is that so? What a pity. I thought I could be in the same company as Senior Sister." Zhang Xingyu sighed.

Ouyang Lanlan stood up and said softly, "It's the same wherever you are. I'm leaving. If you have anything later, you can come find me at the Formation Battalion."

Ouyang Lanlan left.

When her slender silhouette disappeared around the corner, Zhang Xingyu slapped his forehead and remembered something.

Back then, at the bottom of Pearl Lake, Fairy DanTai had given him an ancient animal skin scroll.

Fairy DanTai instructed him, hoping he would help her find someone to craft a set of formation equipment.

The formation is called the "Zhou Tian Star Dipper Grand Formation," modeled after the Zhou Tian star constellations.

At that time, Zhang Xingyu was in a hurry to leave and casually agreed.

Later, he inadvertently opened the scroll and only then realized his promise had been too rash.

Because after only looking at it for a moment, he felt dizzy and swollen-headed.

Just looking at that scroll was already very taxing for him.

Clearly, this so-called Zhou Tian Star Dipper Grand Formation must be an exceptionally formidable formation.

Otherwise, given Fairy DanTai's strength, she could certainly have crafted it herself.

Zhang Xingyu patted his own head, sighed lightly, and said: "Forget it, I'll go find my senior sister tomorrow. My senior sister is a formation genius; maybe she'll think of something."

The next day, Zhang Xingyu asked Squad Leader Li for leave and then left the battalion's camp.

He walked along, asking as he went.

Relying on his silver tongue, Zhang Xingyu finally arrived at the Formation Battalion's garrison.

The Formation Battalion's garrison lay in a secluded mountain valley, with tight security all around.

Zhang Xingyu, brazenly, asked the guard to pass a message to Ouyang Lanlan.

To his surprise, the guard ignored him.

Just then, Zhang Xingyu spotted a familiar graceful figure.

Senior Sister Ruoshuang! Senior Sister Ruoshuang!

Zhang Xingyu shouted at the sword-bearing woman by the gate.

Qin Ruoshuang turned and shot Zhang Xingyu a fierce glare.

Senior Sister Qin, what a coincidence! Are you also here to find someone in the Formation Battalion?" Zhang Xingyu asked with a grin.

Qin Ruoshuang glared at him again: "Who said I'm here to find someone?"

Having said that, Qin Ruoshuang handed her identity jade tablet to the guard: "I've come to register for the Formation Battalion."

"You, Formation Battalion?" Zhang Xingyu pointed at the long sword on Qin Ruoshuang's back and asked.

Qin Ruoshuang flicked her hair: "Who told you that sword cultivators can't enter the Formation Battalion?"