The Birth of a Storage Magic Treasure [Please Vote]

What was up with the little songstress?

She had suddenly been acting so strangely today.

Daoist Wang watched Gao Huating lower her head and hurry toward the restroom, but did not think much of it. He calmly walked over to the single sofa in his personal corner.

She had probably remembered that he had seen those memories.

They were nothing more than a young person's strange fantasies.

The Daoist responded with a smile.

Daoist Wang slumped into the sofa, raised a hand to draw over the two stones sitting nearby, and continued incubating them.

The Storage Magic Treasure was not far off.

Zheng Shiduo wandered over from the first floor, glanced around, and asked in confusion, "Brother Wang, where's that big wingman of yours with the nice voice?"

"Sent back to the factory."

Wang Jixuan had wanted to crack a joke, but then thought it was inappropriate to badmouth Peony behind her back. He smiled and said:

"She went off for upgrades. Old Fu and I discussed it briefly. If we're going to take out Xing Tian next, we need to be fully prepared for battle. Peony will undergo a comprehensive personality test and Stress Test. If she passes both, she'll be designated the legion commander of all Loyal Wingmen. Then Old Fu will equip her with a high-level Annihilation Cannon as soon as possible and upgrade her core energy source, bringing her close to the average combat strength of a Second Generation Half-Human Mech. It'll make it easier for us to launch a sneak attack."

Zheng Shiduo froze for a moment. "So we really aren't afraid of Autonomous Mechs going out of control now?"

"There's definitely a risk of losing control."

Wang Jixuan explained simply:

"But if we want to rapidly increase the war zone's strength, we can only rely on Mechs. The modification experiments for Half-Human Mechs themselves have plenty of limitations."

"I know, I know!"

Wan Xiaoqi raised her hand to speak:

"I heard several Senior Engineers discussing similar matters with Mom!"

Wang Jixuan cooperatively asked, "What did they say?"

"Well," Wan Xiaoqi carefully considered her wording, "the gradual activation of Mechs is everyone's consensus. Even if Mechs awaken self-awareness and there's a risk of them going out of control, as long as we guide them into hating Blade Beasts and attacking Blade Beasts, then even if they betray humanity, they can still restrain the Blade Beasts to a certain extent."

Zheng Shiduo chuckled. "Our scientists have really been scared out of their minds by the Pillar-Class Blade Beasts and the Main Force Blade Beast Swarm. If they assume things will go out of control, why are they still doing it?"

Wan Xiaoqi replied with a giggle, "Prepare for the worst!"

Daoist Wang yawned, crossed his legs in meditation on the sofa, and let the two precious materials circle around him.

Several array foundations placed nearby activated on their own.

He said, "I'm tending my injuries and nurturing these materials. Call me if anything comes up."

"Go right ahead!"

Zheng Shiduo patted his chest and said:

"I'll keep watch around here for you. I guarantee there won't be any problems!"

Wu Man, who was diligently engraving array foundations, could not help raising a hand to his forehead.

Old Zheng had been the most idle one these past few days!

Zheng Shiduo walked over to inspect Wu Man's work, nodded in satisfaction, and patted Wu Man on the shoulder.

"Work hard, kid. If you get into trouble later, just don't give them my name."

Then he resumed wandering about, muttering, "Big Peony isn't home. It really does feel a little empty. No one's yelling at me anymore."

Just then.

Gao Huating emerged from the restroom with her head lowered.

Zheng Shiduo was startled by Gao Huating's dripping wet hair and hurriedly asked with concern:

"What happened? Did you fall into the toilet?"

Gao Huating had merely washed her face too many times, wetting her hair and short-sleeved shirt in the process. She forced an ugly smile at Zheng Shiduo.

She looked up at Daoist Wang, who was meditating amid the array's light and shadows with two stones floating around him, and sighed repeatedly to herself.

Gao Huating said softly, "The water pipe broke... It's nothing... I'm going back to work."

"Little Hua Ting, come play games with me!"

Wan Xiaoqi happily called out, "I'm almost at the end!"

Gao Huating trudged over dejectedly, her entire body radiating gloom.

Zheng Shiduo tilted his head slightly, wandered into the restroom for a look around, then scratched his head and wandered back out.

Girls' thoughts are so complicated.

That's why someone like me is better—kind-hearted, simple-minded, and fully able to understand men's emotional needs. Heh heh heh.

Meanwhile.

Inside an underground facility at the D5 Comprehensive War Zone General Headquarters.

Peony sat primly before a row of men and women in white lab coats. Her body was covered in cables, and a somewhat cluttered equipment room stood beside her.

"Strange."

An elderly woman with a full head of white hair muttered with a frown. She stared at Peony's lovely face, which she had personally sculpted to resemble a work of art, with an incomparably complicated gaze.

This was practically her daughter.

"Send an application to the Commander-in-Chief... I recommend directly destroying this unit's core processor."

The woman spoke in a low voice.

Wang Jixuan recovered from his injuries very quickly this time.

Gao Huating's Soul-Calming Song had helped him immensely. Wu Man and Zheng Shiduo, whose strength had greatly improved, continuously recited Buddhist scriptures and easily purified the "docile" demonic energy within him.

Still, the hidden danger remained.

As he drew closer and closer to demonic deviation, Wang Jixuan felt some concern in his heart.

He had come to undergo Worldly Heart Refining. Worldly Heart Refining was meant to help him improve himself and become qualified to step through the gates of the immortal realm.

Yet after refining and refining, due to a coincidence of fate and a critical situation, he had actually fallen into demonic deviation...

That was somewhat more loss than gain.

He cultivated in the workshop until ten at night. The two materials were already showing signs of "melting."

The precious materials had been nurtured enough!

Although Wang Jixuan was somewhat impatient, artifact refinement was ultimately something that required patience.

Seeing that it was time for a late-night snack, Wang Jixuan took the initiative to ask Uncle Tai and several research leaders to take a break, then sent Wan Xiaoqi to call Shen Qionglin over.

Later, Wang Jixuan also wanted Shen Qionglin to witness the birth of this world's first Storage Magic Tool.

There was no particular reason for it. He simply wanted to increase Shen Qionglin's "loyalty" and let her know...

The ink in his belly had only begun to spill.

At eleven thirty that night.

Around a square table with seven or eight chairs, a group of people put aside their identities and accomplishments. Smiling, they picked up synthetic meat and Blade Beast meat from a grill while discussing academic matters.

Shen Qionglin was about to slip away after eating.

Recently, she had been in constant contact with the Fourth Spiritual Practitioner, hoping to use favorability to gradually obtain the Replicated Circuit of the Core Circuit.

Wang Jixuan spoke up. "Go back later. I'll show you something eye-opening tonight."

"Okay." Shen Qionglin sat back down and picked up her chopsticks.

Since she was not allowed to leave, she might as well eat more.

Beside her, Zheng Shiduo grinned mischievously. "How are you going to open her eyes? Sister Ling Tong isn't here, so I need to keep an eye on you, Brother Wang~"

Wang Jixuan said leisurely, "You'd better behave yourself."

Zheng Shiduo immediately sat upright. "My mistake, my mistake. I'll punish myself with three drinks!"

"This guy," Uncle Tai scolded with a laugh, "all he knows is eating and drinking all day. Drink less. The quota for this fake liquor isn't large to begin with!"

Zheng Shiduo could only smile awkwardly.

Wang Jixuan ignored him. Seeing that everyone had eaten about enough, he went straight to the point.

"Uncle Tai, is the furnace I ordered ready?"

"It's ready. Two days ago, after you gave the word, we brought over the high-pressure furnace within a few hours. It's in the newly opened small room next door." Uncle Tai's eyes lit up. "Teacher Wang, are you making something new again?"

"That's right."

"Then about my credit as third author..."

"You'll handle the temperature and pressure control later. Do it well, and you'll be second author!"

Uncle Tai smiled in satisfaction, while several researchers nearby wore faces full of envy.

Wu Man asked curiously, "Sir, are you making a weapon?"

"Not a weapon." Wang Jixuan thought of the power of nuclear bombs and their natural compatibility with Storage Magic Treasures, then said gently, "It can also count as a kind of strategic weapon. Once I make it, you can try and see whether you can use it."

Zheng Shiduo complained, "Brother Wang, you're playing favorites again! I can be your guinea pig too!"

"I'm only having him test whether he can use it!"

Wang Jixuan scolded with a smile:

"Making this kind of thing now would waste a lot of materials, so we can't do it unless necessary... Little Hua Ting?"

"Ah!"

Gao Huating, who had been absentmindedly named from the corner, instantly snapped to attention. Her voice became somewhat shrill from nervousness.

"Please give me your orders."

"I'll need your ability later. I'll teach you a tune, and you can see if you can play or hum it," Wang Jixuan said. "It can amplify our souls—that is, spiritual power."

"Okay!" Gao Huating immediately nodded in agreement.

She had not realized what significance the tune Wang Jixuan gave her today carried.

As long as she could perform it and produce some effect, she would hold an irreplaceable position in fields related to psionic power from then on.

At the moment, Gao Huating's mind was full of chaotic thoughts.

Wang Zheng is Black Storm, and Black Storm is Wang Zheng, the big shot.

He saw my memories, and he already has someone.

Ah—how embarrassing!

Still, embarrassment was embarrassment. Once she sat cross-legged in a corner of the courtyard, picked up her wooden guitar, and heard the melody Wang Jixuan had hummed echoing in her mind, she quickly found her rhythm.

A soft glow appeared around Gao Huating.

Her singing accurately reached everyone's ears amid the chaotic clamor of machinery. The Psionicists present found their psionic power growing extremely active, while even ordinary people felt clear-headed and refreshed.

Inside the workshop courtyard walls at midnight.

Wang Jixuan, Uncle Tai, and Zheng Shiduo took off their shirts, activated the huge furnace, and began gradually adjusting the pressure and temperature within it.

Wang Jixuan solemnly placed the prepared precious materials inside one after another.

The high temperature and pressure were merely auxiliary measures. They could take advantage of the materials' differing melting points to remove the impurities within them first.

Wang Jixuan continuously infused his own mana into the precious materials, nurturing them until they gradually fused together. He also used his spiritual sense to begin carving simple restraints within them to assist the materials' fusion.

When mana was insufficient, skill had to make up for it.

They busied themselves like this for over two hours.

Wang Jixuan's eyes grew increasingly fiery. Inside the furnace appeared five pools of "liquid metal"—three large and two small—with similar compositions but different emphases.

The Storage Magic Treasure was the most important!

Wang Jixuan called out, "Old Zheng! The bracer mold!"

"Coming!"

Zheng Shiduo hurried forward and directly entered his mutated state, covering himself in scales as he held up a simple heat-resistant mold with both hands.

Wang Jixuan drew out the smallest clump of precious material, injected it into the mold, and swiftly traded places with Wu Man.

Wu Man raised both hands, forming Sword Fingers against his temples. He meticulously controlled the several pools of molten metal inside the furnace, keeping them steadily suspended.

Wang Jixuan moved quickly. Holding the mold level with one hand, he crouched down without caring about appearances and rapidly struck the outside of the mold with his right hand.

Streams of mana condensed into hammer shapes!

Wang Jixuan had originally intended to refine a storage thumb ring.

But first, thumb rings generally required higher-grade precious materials. His gains from "breaking through the gate" this time were limited, and using those materials now would be pure waste.

Second, carving six layers of restraints into a thumb ring was difficult and placed extremely high demands on mana and spiritual sense.

Wang Jixuan was, after all, merely a minor cultivator in the Void Return Realm.

Only after entering the Golden Core Realm would he be confident in handling such delicate work without wasting materials.

For now...

Making a defensive bracer and carving two layers of restraints inside it would also create storage space. That was enough.

Wang Jixuan hammered it with mana seven times seven, forty-nine strikes in total. He had Zheng Shiduo open the mold, then directly reached in and grabbed the glowing red bracer. Golden light flashed in his eyes as the bracer's fine internal structure filled his vision.

A handful of silver needles appeared in his hand. Like a man taking up a writing brush, Wang Jixuan gripped them and rapidly carved.

Artifact Refiners all had specialized ultra-fine engraving knives, but those often required extraordinarily precious materials.

Wang Jixuan had once possessed such tools as well.

Tempering spirit, immersing divinity, carving restraints, connecting spiritual energy!

Under everyone's watchful gaze, a bracer covered inside and out in complex patterns quickly took shape in Wang Jixuan's palm.

Wang Jixuan sharply inhaled, then exhaled a mouthful of qi-sea true essence. The bracer blossomed with golden light.

It was done!

Wang Jixuan probed within it with his spiritual sense and saw strands of Seven-Colored Rosy Light, interwoven like woven bamboo strips, opening up a five-foot cubic space.

Five feet!

Daoist Wang was overjoyed.

He had expected only three feet!

It could be considered a low-grade magic treasure!

The main body of the storage bracer had been completed. Later, its defensive properties would need to be enhanced so it could serve as protective equipment.

That made things simple. The restrictions on defensive artifacts were nowhere near as complex as those on storage-type artifacts.

And besides...

Wang Jixuan looked into the furnace.

Since the first one had gone so smoothly, Daoist Wang had gotten some ideas. The materials he had prepared for the second Storage Magic Treasure could easily be made into two.

If he made the bracers a little thinner and reduced their coverage, they would still work.

"Wu Man!"

"Got it!"

Wang Jixuan and Wu Man switched positions and began making fine adjustments inside the furnace.

The onlookers had now raised their expectations to the highest level, though all they could imagine was that Wang Jixuan might be forging a full suit of armor.

See? He had started with a bracer.

After all, things like spatial storage and directly making use of subspace were simply far too advanced for them.

Two hours later, outside the workshop.

Zhou Zhengde, who had arrived late at night, frowned as he stepped down from the sightseeing car with his hands behind his back.

He had been busy lately, pushing forward a whole series of plans, including relocating the Lower City of Fortress No. 76 to Fortress No. 82 and transforming Fortress No. 82 into an Agricultural Fortress.

This was his first political achievement, so Zhou Zhengde naturally wanted to make it as impressive as possible.

He had suddenly come over because of an urgent matter.

What a headache. Why did they have to make me say this? Wang Zheng and I may be close, but... Peony is Wang Jixuan's attendant and nanny, after all.

Director Zhou scratched his head as he walked through the Holographic Camouflage wall. Hearing someone inside the courtyard shout, "Holy shit!", he curiously moved closer.