Chapter 349: with translation of chapter title

355. Chapter 355 Construct Warrior

There is no wall that doesn't let wind through.

The day after the surviving Return-to-Unity martial artists were released, rumors began to stir in the martial world.

It was said that something unknown had happened in the Valley of the Dead, and it was suspected that the Longevity Peach had already been plucked.

At first, everyone merely took this rumor as gossip and didn't pay much attention.

But when the Inner Guard Superintendent suddenly appeared in the capital, this rumor was no longer just a rumor.

The Longevity Peach has truly appeared in the world!

This news is nothing short of astonishing.

The already somewhat turbulent state of the world instantly became even more tangled and complex.

The imperial family, the imperial court, the localities, and the martial world were all thoroughly stirred up.

However, these have little to do with Lin Ke.

After leaving the Valley of the Dead, Lin Ke bid farewell to his master, mistress, and everyone of the Eight Extremes Martial Hall and the Bright Mind Sword School, and dove straight into the laboratory.

Of the three remaining karma lines entwined around his body, the one related to the development of the Eight Extremes Martial Hall already showed faint signs that it could be severed.

Lin Ke believed that once he established and perfected the Construct system of the Human Immortal Martial Dao, he could at least sever that karma line tied to the Eight Extremes Martial Hall's development.

The karma lines related to the Human Immortal Martial Dao might also be severed together.

If so, why should Lin Ke distract himself with petty, hustling worldly affairs and instead focus wholeheartedly on designing and experimenting with the Construct? Isn't that fragrant?

As for experimental material, the Return-to-Unity martial artists who survived the Valley of the Dead and are utterly wicked are a dime a dozen.

If Hu Songqi is unwilling to act, Lin Ke will do it himself.

Master Li Shuwen already knew of this and tacitly approved it before leaving the provincial capital.

With this connection in place, Lin Ke felt free to act.

Time passed as Lin Ke calmly perfected the Construct system of the Human Immortal Martial Dao.

The imperial court and the martial world were both far away, and he paid them no heed.

One month later.

Lin Ke, who had been buried in his experiments and ignored worldly affairs, emerged from seclusion.

This time, he thoroughly perfected the Construct system of the Human Immortal Martial Dao.

Even, under a burst of inspiration, Lin Ke conceived the idea of implanting the Construct into mechanical martial dao practitioners and worldly artificers, and put it into practice.

Unfortunately, the results were not very good.

The Construct is not omnipotent, nor universally adaptable.

To truly promote the Construct system, relying solely on Lin Ke alone is insufficient.

Lin Ke must cultivate as many Construct masters as possible.

Even if they cannot design, merely copying existing individual pieces and sets for implantation, they can still be artisans.

In this regard, Lin Ke might make use of Hu Suqi.

Because whether implanting the Construct in others or in oneself, the demand for mental strength is not low.

Worldly artificers, however, specialize in cultivating mental strength.

In fact, mechanical martial dao practitioners are also quite suitable to become Construct masters, as their training also leans toward mental strength.

"Let's talk about it later."

Suppressing these thoughts, Lin Ke gave this base a thorough cleaning, then set off back to Floating Dawn County.

On the road from the outskirts of the provincial capital to Floating Dawn County, Lin Ke, intentionally or not, inquired about the current situation.

The facts show that neither the imperial family internally, nor the imperial court, localities, nor the martial world wish to be ruled by an emperor who can live for several hundred years.

More than a month ago, the Inner Guard Superintendent brought the Longevity Peach back to the capital.

Emperor Kangxi Qianlong rewarded the Inner Guard Superintendent, ennobling him as a marquis with the status of a eunuch, granting him a fief of eight hundred households, and also agreeing to several of his requests.

This included issuing an edict to dissolve the father-daughter relationship between Hu Shengqing and Hu Songqi.

This move, combined with his ennoblement as a eunuch marquis, placed the Inner Guard Superintendent squarely in opposition to the entire civil and military establishment.

He became a political enemy of all civil and military officials, and a lone minister of Emperor Kangxi Qianlong.

However, regarding the Longevity Peach, Emperor Kangxi Qianlong could not possibly just eat it outright.

The Director of the Imperial Astronomy Bureau, who had not descended from the Watching Stars Platform for years, entered the palace overnight to verify the authenticity of the Longevity Peach.

The appraisal result was genuine.

However, because the Longevity Peach's medicinal potency is too strong, and Emperor Kangxi Qianlong is not a Void-Realm martial artist capable of subduing it, he cannot consume it as one would eat a peach.

The Director of the Imperial Astronomy Bureau suggested to Emperor Kangxi Qianlong that the Longevity Peach be used to make elixirs, perhaps yielding three to five Longevity Pills.

Each pill's efficacy would not be inferior to eating the Longevity Peach alone.

Based on various considerations, Emperor Kangxi Qianlong agreed to the Director's suggestion and promised that, once the elixirs were completed, the Director would receive one.

Subsequently, the Director, under the heavy protection of the Feathered Forest Guard, opened the furnace to begin alchemy.

When this news spread, the world was shaken.

Within the imperial family, the imperial court, the army, local clans, and the martial world, each experienced turmoil.

Countless motivated individuals were networking.

More and more people, either openly or covertly, entered the capital.

Everyone's eyes across the world were focused on the furnace of the Director of the Imperial Astronomy Bureau, where it was said the Longevity Pills would be refined for a full forty-nine days.

Meanwhile, Emperor Kangxi Qianlong, during this period, suffered successive assassination attempts.

There was even an occasion when he almost dissolved in water.

Upon hearing this news, Lin Ke found it increasingly strange.

The Longevity Peach, wasn't it gnawed by Emperor Kang Qian on the first night after entering the capital city?

Where did the second Longevity Peach come from, to have the Director of the Imperial Observatory refine Longevity Elixir?

All that can be said is, those who play with power tactics have dirty hearts.

Immediately, Lin Ke no longer cared about those messy affairs, focused on rushing, and returned to Floating Black County.

"Master, I'm back."

Eight Extremes Martial Hall, Inner Courtyard.

Lin Ke sent a mental transmission to Li Shuwen, who was sitting in the study writing a paper intended to be published under the name 'Shou Zheng Shan Ren'.

"Hmm."

Li Shuwen kept writing without pause, casually responding.

Lin Ke didn't even walk through the door, but instantly teleported in, silently.

"Wait a moment, I'll finish the article."

Li Shuwen continued writing, without raising his head, he said.

"Master is busy first."

Lin Ke, while speaking, walked over to the desk and pulled a chair to sit down by himself.

Catch a glimpse of the article on the desk from the corner of his eye, Lin Ke's mood became even stranger than hearing that Emperor Kang Qian was refining Longevity Elixir.

The article's title was shockingly: 'Blood and Flesh, Mechanical Ascension! On the Pros and Cons of Contemporary Mechanical Martial Dao and Feasible New Directions.'

This……

Lin Ke's gaze toward Li Shuwen inevitably became somewhat complex.

You are a martial artist at the peak of the Cave Void Realm in Human Immortal Martial Dao, the person most likely to ascend to the Fifth Realm, 'See God,' in the present age.

And yet you are giving the already deviant Mechanical Martial Dao the correct direction of development?

Is this behavior considered aiding the enemy?

It's really hard to evaluate.

A moment later, Li Shuwen set down the pen in his hand, blew a breath, dried the ink, neatly folded the manuscript, and put it into the drawer.

Why are you staring at me?

Sensing Lin Ke's gaze, Li Shuwen wondered and asked.

Huh... Master, do you want to become a saint instantly? Lin Ke retorted.

No. Why do you ask that?

Li Shuwen, accustomed to the peaceful life of a wife, children, and a warm kang bed, even if he occasionally dreamed at night, would recall the heroic abandon of his youth roaming the southern jianghu, yet he had not the slightest thought of returning to a life of licking blood from the blade.

Becoming a saint instantly would inevitably make oneself a target, inviting criticism.

Thereafter, the tranquil life would be utterly shattered and could never be regained.

If so, Master, why do you give guidance to the Mechanical Martial Arts?

Lin Ke continued to retort.

Li Shuwen fell silent for a moment, did not answer directly, but asked: "You also think the current path of Mechanical Martial Arts is wrong, right?"

Of course.

Lin Ke nodded without hesitation.

If the voyage log of the 'Tian Suo' is true, then the origin of this world's Mechanical Martial Arts and Mechanical Technology is absolutely those wizard apprentices who accidentally fell into this world.

Although the Rui Wo Si Su Biological and Medical Institute is located on the west coast where the Elemental Holy Ones reside, it embraces all, cultivating elemental wizards, artificer wizards, body-refining wizards, and true spirit wizards.

Even at the wizard apprentice stage, the vast majority of educational content is the elemental wizard system.

But in daily life, the artificer devices that wizard apprentices come into contact with are not few.

Those wizard apprentices who accidentally fell into this world also carried with them a considerable number of artificer devices salvaged from escape pods and wreckage.

Based on those artificer devices and the knowledge of artificer wizards that the apprentices could understand, this world's mechanical technology and mechanical martial arts have more than enough room to develop.

However, in Lin Ke's view, this world's mechanical martial arts has indeed gone astray.

The rules differ; the meditation method of the wizard world is less effective here.

Therefore, no matter how much a mechanical martial arts practitioner focuses on cultivating mental power, the quality and quantity of their mental power cannot reach the level of the wizard world's artificer wizards.

Thus, mechanical martial arts practitioners who take the route of controlling large numbers of robots find it increasingly unworkable as they go on.

Only in the early stage can they surpass human immortal martial arts practitioners by relying on a robot sea tactic.

Take Li Shuwen as an example.

He alone can battle ten four-core mechanical martial arts practitioners and definitely retreat unharmed.

In Li Shuwen's essay entitled 'Flesh Is Weak, Mechanical Ascension! On the Pros and Cons of Contemporary Mechanical Martial Arts and Viable New Directions,' he points out that for mechanical martial arts to develop better, it must emphasize 'quality.'

This 'quality' divides into three aspects: the quality of the resonant mecha, the quality of mental power, and the quality of the body's load-bearing capacity.

The first two, as long as present-day mechanical martial arts are slightly optimized, can meet the requirement.

Most important is the last aspect.

Li Shuwen pointed out that since mechanical martial arts practitioners cannot temper their bodies to be as hard as diamond like human immortal martial arts practitioners, they should replace their bodies with diamond.

This is a brand-new prosthetic transplantation, cyber martial arts!

The master and disciple briefly discussed this, exchanging their views.

Li Shuwen exclaimed that he had a new inspiration, corrected some errors, filled in some omissions, and intended to rewrite an article.

He wanted to continue developing the pseudonym 'Shou Zheng Shan Ren' to become a grand synthesizer of mechanical martial arts and the founder of cyber martial arts.

After saying that, Li Shuwen gathered his thoughts and asked Lin Ke what important matter he had come back for.

Master, the 'framework' is completed.

Lin Ke casually grabbed and produced two large stacks of Human Immortal Martial Arts 'framework' system materials, placing them on the desk.

Hmm, wait a moment, I'll take a look first, we'll talk after I finish.

Having just finished a brainstorming session on cyber martial arts, Li Shuwen, upon seeing these two large piles of materials, his curiosity about the Construct and his love for Human Immortal Martial Arts made his research enthusiasm surge even higher.

Having said that, without waiting for Lin Ke's reply, he dove straight into the pile of documents.

Just like that, two hours passed.

When do we start?

After putting down the last summary of a general nature, Li Shuwen did not comment on the specific content but instead asked in this way.

This proves that Lin Ke's established and perfected Human Immortal Martial Arts Construct system has already gained Li Shuwen's approval.

Approval from a martial artist expected to break through the Seeing God Realm is the most authoritative endorsement.

Anytime is fine.

Lin Ke gave his answer.

Then tomorrow it is.

Li Shuwen was already somewhat impatient, wanting to see how a Human Immortal Martial Arts practitioner would perform after having the Construct implanted.

The next day.

The highly proactive Li Shuwen sent an old disciple who had entered the sect early, trained diligently but was limited by talent, with slow cultivation progress and weak combat ability, to the laboratory that Lin Ke had hastily prepared overnight.

This laboratory is located in the mountains.

It was converted from a refuge that Lin Ke had prepared since his childhood in this life.

Senior Brother, I must say beforehand, there is a certain risk.

Since he is an old disciple, he is Lin Ke's senior brother, so a risk warning must be given.

Junior Brother, go ahead and proceed; the master and I have already made everything clear.

This old disciple had little contact with Lin Ke, merely understanding Lin Ke's importance in Li Shuwen's heart and his status within the Eight Extremes Martial Hall.

Therefore, both his tone and attitude were very polite.

Seeing this, Lin Ke didn't waste words and immediately struck, numbing the old disciple.

The observing Li Shuwen watched Lin Ke skillfully move the old disciple onto the operating table, his eyes twitching slightly.

He must have done this many times to have such practiced movements.

The greatest feature of the Human Immortal Martial Arts Construct system lies in its growth potential and adaptability.

To balance immediate combat power increase, potential increase, and cultivation assistance, Lin Ke, based on extensive experimental data, modified the Human Immortal Martial Arts Construct into a superposition of a semi-finished product and a seed.

That is, the initial implantation is a first-level Construct set equivalent to the Qi Power Realm; as the martial artist continually washes it with their own qi, blood, true qi, and true essence, it will upgrade along a set growth path to second-, third-, and even fourth-level Construct sets.

During this upgrade process, the set will gradually adapt to the martial artist's qi, blood, true qi, and true essence, becoming more suited to their cultivation and combat habits.

This is the manifestation of growth potential and adaptability.

Lin Ke's proud masterpiece.

Soon, the old disciple's Construct implantation was completed, the drug effects wore off, and he woke up.

Over the next few days.

Under Li Shuwen's watchful eye and Lin Ke's guidance, this old disciple employed and familiarized himself with the first-level set 'Peerless Valor' implanted in his body.

The more familiar he became, the more excited the old disciple grew.

After twenty years of martial training and being in his early forties, he was still only at the mid-stage of the Condensed Truth Realm, which was truly embarrassing.

The cause of all this was his cultivation speed, as slow as a turtle.

As a result, in striving to improve his cultivation, he even hindered his practice of killing techniques, leaving his combat power lower than most mid-stage Condensed Truth Realm martial artists in the Eight Extremes Martial Hall.

But over these few days, as he became more familiar with the 'Peerless Valor' set, the old disciple could clearly feel his cultivation speed increasing.

Previously as slow as an old turtle, now he dare not say it's as fast as a fleeing rabbit, at least……

At least he has reached the speed of a young turtle.

This is still just a not-so-proficient first-level set; what will happen when he becomes more proficient and even upgrades to the second level?

Thinking of this, the old disciple not only burst into tears:

Junior Brother, thank you!