Chapter 756: New Production Line

Pan Yun frowned: "Why do you all only think about not using it, and never about making it affordable for everyone?"

"It's not scarcity we fear, but inequality," Xue Shao said. "There are so many people in the world, yet so few who cultivate, and even fewer who can draw talismans—there's simply no way to supply daily needs."

Pan Yun: "Then let more people cultivate and learn to draw talismans."

"Wouldn't that mean abandoning all trades and shaking the nation's foundation?"

Pan Yun: "Driving a cart requires power; crushing stone also requires power. Now, my array and set of talismans can replace the labor of a hundred, even a thousand people, freeing up manpower for other tasks—how is that abandoning all trades?"

She said: "No one thinks a power plant is abandoning all trades or shaking the nation's foundation; on the contrary, it only promotes the development of all trades."

Xue Shao's gaze flickered slightly as he pressed: "Talismans depend on talent; cultivation depends even more on innate constitution and comprehension. How can you guarantee this power source won't remain scarce, and that ordinary people can truly use it?"

Pan Yun: "What they lack is a suitable cultivation method, along with spiritual energy and guidance."

Pan Yun's mind flashed to Zhang Liuzhen—he sat reclining in the courtyard, smiling faintly at her.

A storm of realization surged within her; she finally understood what he intended to do, and what he was doing.

Pan Yun sprang to her feet, spinning in place: "So that's it—that cultivation method isn't just for students with mediocre talent to enter the Dao; it's meant for countless ordinary people too!"

"But that method is too radical—it easily causes qi deviation. Once the qi goes awry, it leads to qi deviation; if the method doesn't stop, it doesn't just disrupt the mind, it directly burns the practitioner's essence and lifespan. So that's why, so that's why…"

Pan Yun placed her hands on her hips and burst into laughter: "I get it—I need to lock it. Yes, a lock. Even if the qi goes awry, it can be reversed, preventing qi deviation. I also need a fuse—something that can cut off the method entirely, stopping the burning of essence and lifespan."

Xue Shao watched her silently, then immediately picked up his brush and recorded her words, lest she forget them later.

Pan Yun could never forget—she turned and saw Xue Shao, pounding her chest to assure him: "Don't worry—the era when all people cultivate together is coming soon!"

Xue Shao said: "Then shouldn't you also install a fuse for this plan, to prevent the risk that if the new method fails, this tool will end up in the hands of only a tiny few?"

He said: "You must know—even mighty Han and Tang fell because wealth concentrated in the hands of a tiny few—one percent controlled ninety-nine percent of the nation's wealth, leaving the people destitute."

Pan Yun grew serious and nodded: "I have a backup plan. Wait—I'll start copying books right now."

She would copy down everything—steam, electricity—and distribute it. Let those with insight and fortune study it. She believed that with the Chinese people's intelligence, they would soon develop these technologies to replace talismans.

Xue Shao sat up straight: "I'll help you copy—you dictate, I'll write!"

Pan Yun winked at him: "I love people like you who help without asking why. Remember—never ask in the future."

Xue Shao chuckled: "So you're saying it's memories from a past life?"

Pan Yun nodded: "Exactly."

She kicked Pan Xiaohei at her feet: "Hurry up—get to work!"

Pan Xiaohei muttered under his breath, resignedly closed his eyes, returned to his body, and began searching for inventions related to steam and electricity.

Fortunately, the research institute had once stuffed the entire electronic library into him to test the spiritual realm's storage capacity—there was plenty of data, but it was a pain to find.

Of course, that was Pan Yun's problem—Pan Xiaohei himself had no trouble; it could rapidly scan the data and locate relevant information.

【Say, since you're this powerful, why not just create your own search array?】

Pan Yun: 【Are you trying to get your spirit erased?】【Don't be a jinx.】

【Then why not use the AI spirit I became instead of building a search array?】 Pan Yun pondered, mentally asking it: 【Are you deliberately hiding information from me—or giving me misleading data?】

Pan Xiaohei felt it had asked one question too many.

It shut its mouth and withdrew into self-retrieval, ignoring her.

Pan Yun, meanwhile, sank into her thoughts, revising and rewriting on white paper. Xue Shao glanced once—and immediately felt spiritual energy surging, his mind jolted violently, nearly vomiting.

He quickly turned his head away: "I saw Zhang Liuzhen's new method at my great-uncle's—I understood it at a glance. What exactly have you changed it into?"

Pan Yun didn't even look up: "Don't rush, don't rush—I'll add the lock and fuse first, then open the gate for them. This isn't the final version yet…"

Pan Yun became absorbed in modifying the method. Xue Shao shook his head, took the talismans and half-drawn diagrams she'd made.

He ran a few calculations, completed the diagrams, and the next day took them to burn with Seeing Miao Zhen and the others.

That year, Seeing Miao Zhen's array skills advanced rapidly—even Xue Shao had learned some. But for small arrays, they could carve them; for such large arrays, their spiritual energy couldn't sustain a single continuous carving—they could only prepare everything and wait for Pan Yun.

Fortunately, Pan Yun didn't forget her duty—during breaks, she came to carve arrays. In just a few days, all the arrays were completed.

To make the power more enduring, Pan Yun spent heavily to have Yi Tian Xintai buy jade, carved talismans onto the jade, and installed them on the machines.

The new smelting line was finished—they immediately decided to test it.

Wang Cong immediately sent over silver ore.

Cart after cart of silver ore was dumped into the crushing pit—this was the first step of the smelting line.

Large chunks of ore needed to be broken into smaller pieces.

Two giant iron hammers and an iron pestle hung above the crushing pit. The miners bringing the ore and the smelters gathered around to watch.

Song Dalin leaned against a tree, arms crossed, sneering: "After nearly a month, Pan Daochang came up with this?"

Wang Xiaojing's eyes sparkled: "Seeing Miao Zhen said if this line works, we'll save fifteen hundred people."

"Have you lost your mind?" Song Dalin said. "Our mine doesn't even have a thousand people."

Wang Xiaojing: "You don't understand. Seeing Miao Zhen said this production line equals ten old lines."

Song Dalin snorted: "Blowing smoke."

Then, they saw Seeing Miao Zhen attach a device to the wooden frame connecting the hammers and pestle. The suspended iron hammers slammed down violently, then rose and slammed again—rock fragments flew everywhere. The huge ore chunks, as big as woks, shattered into pieces the size of bowls and small basins.

When a hammer didn't crack a stone, the pestle plunged down hard—the rock split, then the hammer struck again, shattering it into pieces.

Song Dalin's mouth hung open. The surrounding miners' mouths hung open too.

The hammers clanged for a long time. Seeing Miao Zhen stepped forward, pushed the device upward—the hammers and pestle stopped and moved aside.

Wang Cong waved his hand: "Transport team—move in now!" (End of chapter)