"Hehe, Luo is so smart, he knew my new firearm was almost finished."
Inside the stone cell sat an old man sitting cross-legged, his hands radiating heat, and the essence of the Deep cold iron was manipulated by him like putty.
It is evident that his "Divine Fire Technique" has reached its pinnacle.
Seeing that the four did not answer, he continued, "You are the newly initiated disciples, right? I am your former hall master! Your current hall master is my adopted son. Hehe, this position was given to him by me!"
"You, Lei Xiaotian? Weren't you missing?" Xue Jian reacted instantly.
She was not a pampered young lady in the Tang Sect who never left the gate and never lifted a finger. She had incredibly rich experience in the martial arts world and knew almost everything about it.
"Hehe, let me tell you a secret," Lei Xiaotian peeked outside, "Don't go spreading this around. This was Xiao Luo's idea, so I could study firearms in peace. Just say I've disappeared, so I won't have to deal with the mundane affairs of the hall. Xiao Luo will take care of everything for me!"
"Unfortunately, my poisonous caltrop is not yet finished."
"But," he pulled another weapon from the shelf behind him, "This is called Fire-Propelled Spear. The ratio of the ingredients inside is 7.5 parts saltpeter, 1 part sulfur, and 1.5 parts sulfide. This ratio is the most powerful. You see, if you shoot it out from this bamboo tube, it can reach a hundred paces. If it can be shot out from an iron pipe in the future, even a three-year-old child can defeat a peerless master."
"We're about to go out, do you want to come with us?" Long Kui couldn't help but ask.
"No, no, no," Lei Xiaotian quickly shook his head. "What would I do if I went out? I still need to study firearms! In the future, when the two countries go to war, firearms will definitely be the key to victory. Using them for martial arts disputes would be a waste of their potential."
Xue Jian believed that Lei Xiaotian couldn't walk, driven by her pride.
"My leg is fine," Lei Xiaotian waved his hand dismissively. "It's just that I can't stand up after sitting for a long time. Anyway, Xiao Luo will give me whatever I want, so it doesn't matter if I can walk or not. Okay, here you go, hurry up and go! Don't bother me!"
As he spoke, he shoved the Fire-Propelled Spear into Xue Jian's hand, as if to say, "Here's a treasure for you, so don't bother me anymore."
"You're absolutely right," Jing Tian, who had been silently observing from behind the weapon rack, spoke up. "Firearms will indeed be the key to victory in the future, but how can you conduct research on your own, in this environment, and with your limited mobility? And after you pass away, will any of your disciples be able to replicate the firearms you've researched?"
"This" was Lei Xiaotian's moment.
Jing Tian took the Fire-Propelled Spear, grabbed a few pieces of ore, and his hands became blurry as fire elemental power burst forth in his palms. Three breaths later, an unknown firearm made entirely of metal, consisting of a silver-white roller and a long tube handle, appeared in his hand.
If a gun enthusiast saw this, they would surely exclaim, "Smith & Wesson M500!"
Lei Xiaotian eagerly took it and, after a few moments of practice, mastered how to use it.
Bang!
See the stone wall that has been pierced through.
Lei Xiaotian remained silent for a long time, then asked, "You're not from the Thunderclap Hall?"
"No, old man, you're only realizing this now?" Xue Jian was speechless.
"This firearm was designed by pooling the wisdom of many people?" Lei Xiaotian ignored Xue Jian and stared straight at Jing Tian.
Jing Tian nodded, "In the far west, there is a sect named after its Founders, Smith Wesson, that is famous for producing high-quality firearms called pistols and revolvers."
"Smith Wesson." Lei Xiaotian stroked the cylinder of the pistol. "This is probably a revolver. Left hand? Is it for use with other weapons? Is it for shields or hand-held? If it were a miniaturized cannon, it might be more appropriate to call it Revolver Cannon."
"It's decided, I'm going to forge a Revolver Cannon like this too, and I'll name it Lei Xiaotian M500!"
"I'm sorry, Xiao Luo." He suddenly looked up at Jing Tian. "Please let me join your team! That's why you came here, isn't it!"
"Old man, you're too narcissistic—"
"OK."
Jing Tian's answer stunned Xue Jian.
Long Kui and Zi Xuan unconditionally supported Jing Tian's opinion.
"Where is our team?" Lei Xiaotian's eyes lit up.
"Here," Jing Tian said.
"You may not know, but the Xiao Luo you mentioned has abandoned firearms and turned to the pursuit of demonic power, and is using the disciples of the Thunderclap Hall for experiments."
In Jing Tian's opinion, this guy in the cultivation world who can make ordinary people use firearms is indeed a talent.
He wouldn't mind wasting some time rebuilding his own Thunderclap Hall.
"No, it won't happen." Lei Xiaotian shook his head.
"You guys, come out here." Jing Tian looked behind him, and several heads popped out.
They were the members of the Thunderclap Hall who had been saved by Jing Tian earlier.
After learning that their leader was not at headquarters, they decided to choose a safer way to escape: follow their powerful savior to a safe town before leaving.
"Master!"
"What my benefactors said is true!"
"I'm Rock Lee!"
"I haven't touched gunpowder for a month!"
The group started crying as soon as they appeared.
"This... this is actually true!" Lei Xiaotian seemed to have aged ten years in an instant. "I... I'm so sorry to the ancestors of the Thunderclap Hall!"
"You still have a chance to set things right," Jing Tian said.
He pointed his finger at Lei Xiaotian's forehead as if it were a sword, and the methods to heal his legs, as well as the blueprints for pistols, cannons, cars, and airplanes, all entered Lei Xiaotian's mind.
"Your legs are weakened because the [Divine Fire Technique] mainly affects the Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian, causing the Foot Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian and Foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian to become rebellious, and the Taichong acupoint is also affected."
"Therefore, simply circulating Qi through the three Yang meridians of the foot and directing it to the legs will restore the ability to walk."
"It really works." Lei Xiaotian stood up, and with a light leap, he almost bumped into the roof. "It's an extremely skillful method of lightness."
"The art of lightness and agility is nothing special," Jing Tian shook his head. "The most urgent task is to arm you with firearms. The blueprints I gave you are sufficient to protect you."
"Before Luo Rulie and the Evil Sword Immortal behind him have grown strong enough to resist the entire human world, they dare not cause any trouble."
"Evil Sword Immortal wouldn't make a move for Luo Rulie."
"Of course, their power also had no chance to grow."
Penglai and Shushan are both too far removed from the human world.
In the original timeline, even in Snow Ridge Town outside Icewind Valley, where the Evil Sword Immortal resided, people lived in peace and prosperity.
"Yes, Master."
Lei Xiaotian and the other members of the Thunderclap Hall spoke in unison.
"May I ask how you should address the Hall Master? How can I, Old Lei, contact you?" Lei Xiaotian asked.
"Jing Tian, the Jing of vision, the Tian of the sky," Jing Tian said. "As for the connection, look at the back of your hand."
"This is..." Lei Xiaotian noticed a barely perceptible Flame Mark on the back of his hand.
"As long as you input spiritual energy, which is commonly known as internal energy in the martial arts world, you will be able to contact me," Jing Tian said.
"Brother, I want one too." Long Kui stretched out her hand. At this moment, her hair was black and blue, and there were two versions of herself at the same time.
"Then I want one too," Xue Jian chimed in, joining in the fun.
"Ah Tian, me too," Zi Xuan said, Yingying as she looked at Jing Tian.
"Yes, yes, we have them all." Jing Tian nodded helplessly.
In the end, all three of them had marks on their bodies.
Xuejian chose the palm of his hand, which was the word "".
Long Kui chose the forehead, which is a plum blossom.
Zixuan was the boldest, leaving a word "scape" on her collarbone.
Of course, when the mark was planted, the three of them had already left the Thunderclap Hall, which had transformed into the shape of Jing Tian, and returned to the inn.
"Ah Tian, Ah Tian." Xue Jian's palms glowed, but she didn't speak; her voice rang directly in Tianxin.
The four were heading to Mount Shu, and along the way, Xue Jian contacted Jing Tian in this way many times.
Even though the journey wasn't far, I was already panting and my clothes were soaked with sweat.
The Hua Ying felt a little lonely and angrily landed on the Long Kui's head.
"Stop doing this." Jing Tian grasped Xue Jian's hand. "If you keep doing this, I'll take back the mark." He looked at Zi Xuan. "The sun is already setting. Why don't we stay in this village for the night before continuing?"
"Wait, such powerful spiritual energy! It's no less than your current level."
"As expected of the foot of Mount Shu, even a random woman here—"
He pretended not to know the details and cooperated by being interrupted by Zi Xuan, "It must be the [Earth Spirit Pearl]."
The woman, who was just passing by, was struck dumb, pleading, "Please, everyone, you must save my husband."
"I do know medicine, and I'm quite good at it, but your spiritual power is almost as strong as Sister Zi Xuan's. I'm not sure if I can save you." Xue Jian shook her head.
"You silly girl," Long Kui with black hair appeared just in time to tease.
When Xue Jian was about to retort, her hair turned back to black.
"You're doing this again, cheating like this!"
Tianxin.
It wasn't just because Xue Jian and Long Kui were playing around.
And also because of this woman.
She is Wan Yuzhi. In the game, she is not a fox spirit, but a human with the body of an earth immortal who coincidentally found the [Earth Spirit Pearl] and a [Immortal Arts Book].
This means that the [Primordial Innate Earth Spirit] is also about to be achieved.
Jing Tian is now very curious about which set the [Earth Spirit Pearl] came from. Was it Cage of Nüba forged from the bones of a celestial being, or was it formed from Five-Colored Stone?
"What happened?" Zi Xuan asked.
The four followed the woman home, and she talked as they walked.
"My husband is a well-known hunter in the surrounding area. We have been married for several years and are very much in love... That year, he went hunting in the mountains and accidentally contracted a strange poison. His whole body was covered in blisters, and he was in unbearable pain and itching. We consulted many doctors, but none of them could cure him. I could only go up the mountain every day to collect herbs to help him relieve some of his pain. Once, I found a bead that could burrow underground and a book on the mountain."
"That must be the [Earth Spirit Pearl] that Miss Zi Xuan just mentioned."
"Although I can't read the words on the scroll, I've cultivated according to the pictures, and my body has become much stronger. With the help of the beads, I can also go to faraway places to gather herbs, which is enough to barely support my family. But his health is deteriorating day by day, and he's clearly on his way out."
Wan Yuzhi wiped away her tears.
"During those days, I didn't go up the mountain. I stayed by his bedside, and his spirits improved a lot. If I went out, his health would deteriorate. Later I realized that the bead was good for his health, so I put it on him. I was overjoyed to see him getting better day by day. But the good times didn't last long. The bead disappeared without me knowing."
"If I'm not mistaken, it must be water poison," Zi Xuan said. "You must have been practicing according to the instructions in the picture, trying to use your own power to help him get rid of the poison?"
"Young lady, you are truly a genius!" Wan Yuzhi exclaimed excitedly. "I suspected that the immortal book and the [Earth Spirit Pearl] were together, and perhaps they could also cure the poison. However, he is getting weaker and weaker every day, and his health is deteriorating. I cast spells on him every midnight to prolong his life, but it only keeps him on the brink of death. This method requires circulating energy for an hour at midnight to replace all the blood in his body, and he cannot be disturbed during the process. But this is only treating the symptoms, not the root cause."
The four of them had arrived at the Wan family mansion, Wan Yuzhi took out the book from the cabinet.
"This is [Earth Concealment], an Immortal Arts Book." Xue Jian recognized it and pulled it out of her bundle. "I have one too."
Zi Xuan walked out of the bedroom. "It really is water poison. If the Earth Spirit Pearl were here, I could completely detoxify it by activating its spiritual power with magic."
"But..." Wan Yuzhi was too anxious to speak.
"I can cure it." A crimson flame ignited on Jing Tian's outstretched palm.
"But," Zi Xuan frowned, "In the Five Elements theory, water overcomes fire, and fire overcomes thunder."
She chose Liao Ri in the Demon Locking Tower because of his fire poison, which was exactly what she could counter. She then rescued Xu Changqing, cured him of his poison, and even faked Liao Ri's death to clear herself of suspicion as a demon.
Because demons are different from humans, they will not kill each other unless necessary.
"This is just a common principle of mutual generation and restraint. As long as the fire is strong enough, it can also restrain the water." Jing Tian said, striding into the bedroom, and the four of them followed him in.
After a cup of tea.
"Alright." Jing Tian extinguished the flames in his hand.
The man on the bed had slowly woken up, and Wan Yuzhi pounced on him.
Jing Tian and his three companions left the room to them and went to the front yard.
"Ah Tian, you actually did it!" Zi Xuan exclaimed in admiration.
"Of course my brother can do it, he's the older brother." Long Kui looked up with pride.
"What a pity about the Earth Spirit Pearl." Xue Jian sighed.
"The whereabouts of the Earth Spirit Pearl are quite obvious." Zi Xuan looked at the forest behind the village. "This Ancient Vine Forest is filled with Demonic Aura, so it must be a place where demons dwell. And the Earth Spirit Pearl is a treasure for demons who cultivate with Turbid Qi."
"The Earth Spirit Pearl is in the Ancient Vine Forest," Long Kui concluded.
"There are demons at the foot of Mount Shu?" Xue Jian asked in surprise, Hua Ying also chirped twice.
They had a deep memory of Xu Changqing's motto of "eliminating all demons he encountered".
Hua Ying, in particular, almost burrowed directly into the depths of Xue Jian's clothes.
"Birds, beasts, plants, and trees can all cultivate to become demons, and they can live in the human realm, the Ghost Realm, the demon realm, and even the immortal Immortal Realm. Not to mention that the place where Mount Shu is located is the Heart of Pangu, and the demons here cannot be completely eradicated." Zi Xuan said, "As long as they do not enter the land inhabited by humans, even the people of Mount Shu will turn a blind eye."
"Shall we go in now?" Xue Jian hesitated.
The night was as dark as ink, so thick it seemed impossible to see through. The moonlight was obscured by heavy clouds, with only a few pale rays occasionally shining through onto the dark Ancient Vine Forest. Accompanied by the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves, it sounded like a giant beast lurking in the shadows, uttering a mournful cry.
"Everyone, please come in and eat. My husband has something to thank you all for." The aroma of the meal that Wan Yuzhi had prepared at some point, wafting from the living room, completely dispelled Xue Jian's last thought.
"Then tomorrow," Jing Tian said.