Kun-12 Mobile Shooting Infantry Fighting Vehicle
Body Refinement Realm cultivators mostly used close-combat weapons such as sabers, swords, and spears, because from the Fifth Level of Body Refinement onward, the Qi-Blood Field could be projected outward, though not very far.
Only close-combat weapons could benefit from the Qi-Blood Field's enhancement, becoming harder and sharper.
The Qi-Blood Field could also cling to a weapon, concentrating at a single point without any training and making the greatest possible use of it.
Mortal Artifacts were divided into five grades: ordinary, low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade, and supreme-grade. The standard was determined by their capacity to bear qi and blood.
An object that could not bear qi and blood was still a Mortal Artifact, even if it could slice through iron as though it were mud. But since it had been forged by superhumans, its quality was exceptional; in the mortal world, it would be enough to pass down as a family heirloom.
Low-grade Mortal Artifacts could bear the qi and blood of the Fifth to Sixth Levels of Body Refinement.
Mid-grade Mortal Artifacts could bear the qi and blood of the Seventh to Eighth Levels of Body Refinement.
High-grade Mortal Artifacts could bear the qi and blood of the Ninth to Tenth Levels of Body Refinement.
Supreme-grade Mortal Artifacts could not only bear the qi and blood of every level, but also amplify it. Exert one part of strength, and strike with one and a half!
According to Yang Ning's research, qi and blood were actually a kind of field, which could be called a Qi and Blood Field. That made the concept of Mortal Artifacts simple: metal components capable of withstanding the impact of field energy.
Because different metallic materials possessed different atomic structures, their ability to bear fields also differed.
As for supreme-grade Mortal Artifacts, their atomic structures resonated with the field, thereby strengthening it.
Yang Ning did not need to start testing from scratch. The vast records of metal ores, their properties, and their affinities in the library were like big data, already telling him the answer. All he needed to do was use scientific methods to make the vague data recorded by the ancients precise and quantifiable.
The first things he tried were Thousand-Year Cold Iron and Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Iron, materials often used in forging supreme-grade Mortal Artifacts.
After looking at the pictures, Yang Ning recognized them at once. These two kinds of iron were actually the same thing: iron-nickel alloy meteorites. Their molecular structures had changed under the low temperatures of space, producing crystal-prism-like patterns across their surfaces.
Meteorites fell from the heavens. Those that landed at the North and South Poles and became deeply buried beneath glaciers were called Cold Iron; those that fell in temperate, subtropical, or tropical regions and were not covered by glaciers were called Profound Iron.
The lattice patterns on the surface of this metal could not naturally form in a planetary environment. They needed to be placed in the low-temperature environment of the cosmos, growing only a tiny bit every million years and taking tens of millions of years to take shape.
It really did sound like a cultivation material.
Cultivators believed those lattices were manifestations of the laws, bearing special significance. And they indeed possessed the ability to amplify the Qi and Blood Field.
But since Yang Ning knew that Profound Iron was merely iron-nickel alloy, he naturally would not go out of his way to search for meteorites. He could simply prepare iron-nickel alloy directly, with even greater purity and quality than meteoric iron.
After some experiments in the Spirit Realm, he discovered that an iron-nickel alloy composed of nickel (14.2%), chromium (7.21%), and iron (78.59%) produced the best results.
Everyone was familiar with this stuff. In the modern era, it was called stainless steel. But what Yang Ning prepared in the Spirit Realm contained no impurities whatsoever, so naturally it was far stronger than an ordinary household stainless-steel spoon.
But was this the best possible Mortal Artifact?
No.
Yang Ning directly brought over metal formulas from his previous life. He discovered that 440C Stainless Steel, which possessed the highest hardness, wear resistance, and strength among the stainless steel family of his previous life and was commonly used for razor blades, high-strength bearings, scalpels, and scissors, also displayed exceptional performance here.
Meteoric iron amplified qi and blood by 4–8%. The finest iron-nickel alloy amplified it by only 12%. The iron-nickel-chromium alloy he had just made could reach 15%, yet 440C Stainless Steel could actually reach 21%!
More importantly, weapons made from 440C Stainless Steel were already outstanding in their own right. Combined with such an outrageous amplification, he could practically add another grade above supreme-grade Mortal Artifacts!
Yet 440C Stainless Steel was not even the best alloy on Earth. Wouldn't the metals used for aerospace materials and aircraft-engine blades be even more absurd?
"What a wonderful thing. Pity I can't bring it out yet!" Experiments could progress from difficult to easy, but business could not be done that way.
You had to squeeze the toothpaste out bit by bit—that was the proper path!
Yang Ning opened the formulas for other Mortal Artifacts.
The mainstream materials for low-grade, mid-grade, and high-grade Mortal Artifacts were still steel and iron, but they placed special emphasis on a pattern-infusion technique. By using special materials and forging methods, snowflake-like patterns could be formed on blades and swords.
Different infused patterns resulted in different capacities for bearing the Qi and Blood Field. But Yang Ning could not understand what materials these patterns used, because their names were unfamiliar to his previous life. Even the ones with pictures were merely black, muddy-looking clumps.
There were also some other formulas for low-grade Mortal Artifacts, but they had been eliminated due to their high costs, difficult forging processes, and poor suitability for mass production.
Yang Ning stretched out his hand and summoned a gray-silver longsword covered in black-and-white patterns along its blade. "What material is this sword made from?"
"97.4% iron, 1.8% carbon, 0.6% silicon, and 0.2% vanadium, chromium, manganese, cobalt, nickel, and other rare-earth elements!" Deep Blue answered.
This sword was a Magic Sword issued by the school. By rank, it should have been a mid-grade Mortal Artifact.
"Then let's try it!" Yang Ning fused those materials together according to the Magic Sword's proportions and made a sword, then brought it down heavily against his own Magic Sword.
The sword in his hand snapped at once, while the Magic Sword only gained a tiny nick!!
"Hm?" Yang Ning scratched his head. Clearly, it was not a simple fusion.
"This should be an alloy produced through a combination of forging techniques and powder metallurgy," Deep Blue said.
"But what is the iron-based material, and what powder should be used?" Yang Ning asked.
Deep Blue replied, "Sorry, there is no corresponding information!"
Yang Ning scratched his head as well. Methodology was powerful, but there were times when it could do nothing—such as in materials science.
Perhaps Earth's research into materials had not yet reached that level and was still far from touching the edge of truth. Thus, material research remained half theory, half mysticism.
"Maybe I should learn a divination spell!" Then he could simply flip a coin to decide which materials to use.
Yang Ning gave up on the idea of researching an alloy in a single night. It was not that the notion was unrealistic, but many of the terms in the books he had read in the library did not match the knowledge he had learned in his previous life. At the very least, he had to visit the market and inspect the actual materials.
But he could get started on the tank first.
This thing was simple: a four-wheeled vehicle powered by pedals. Its wheels could retract in battle, turning it into a turtle shell lying flat on the ground.
It definitely would not work against people, but it was perfectly suited for dealing with brainless Fierce Beasts.
With a thought, Yang Ning made one, then climbed inside and drove it around. There were no problems.
It was a little strenuous for one person to operate, but four people were just right.
Still, it looked a little too bare. It seemed to be missing something.
"Hmm, this armor doesn't need to stop cannon shells, so I can absolutely add some spikes."
"It can be divided into upper and lower sections. The upper half can rotate, and I can install two blades on it. Once those blades spin, it'll become a moving spiral shuriken. To make passage easier, the blades also need to be retractable."
"Fierce Beasts may not necessarily be huge. They could also be small and numerous. Firearms can't be made yet, so we'll use repeating crossbows—Gatling repeating crossbows. Four people, four crossbows, and the four firing ports will perfectly cover every direction."
"Add poison sprayers and fire-breathing tubes too, for dealing with insects."
"Since it's pedal-powered, the wheels can abandon the usual four-wheel arrangement. Put two wheels each at the front, back, left, and right, and make their direction adjustable. That way, it can not only move forward and backward, but also turn in place."
"Hmm, what if our luck is terrible and we run into a Fierce Beast with rough hide, thick flesh, boundless strength, and enough power to flip a tank? Then we'll add another layer and put in a large ballista! The lower section needs more weight too. They say someone at the Fourth Level of Body Refinement can wrestle an elephant. An elephant weighs eight tons—oh, then it's fine. My tank weighs forty tons!"
Time was not counted in the Spirit Realm, and fortunately, the design was not complicated.
Very soon, a savage behemoth measuring 6.5 meters in diameter and 4.5 meters in height took shape completely. It had three levels—upper, middle, and lower—was covered in vicious spikes, and had an enormous cannon barrel extending from its roof.
For close combat, it had poison water, poison mist, and flames. At mid-range, it had Gatling repeating crossbows and spiral shurikens. At long range, it had a ballista. Its defenses consisted of armor fifty millimeters thick.
Yang Ning truly could not imagine how a Fierce Beast at the Fourth or Fifth Level of Body Refinement could break this thing.
The most outrageous part was that it was still a cold weapon.
It could display Yang Ning's exceptional artifact-forging talent without being too far ahead of the era.
"Come, Deep Blue. Give this tank a name. It needs to be savage and domineering without losing elegance, inspiring both respect and fear while also making people feel safe!"
"Heaven moves with vigor; thus the gentleman strives unceasingly for self-improvement. The earth's nature is Kun; thus the gentleman carries all things with great virtue. It can be named Kun Style. It is weighty without lacking aggression, and it gives a full sense of security!"
"Not bad!" Yang Ning nodded. He also thought Kun was fitting. If he built a flying device in the future, he would name it Qian Style.
He had been transmigrated for twelve years now, so he named it the Kun-12 Battle Vehicle, its full name being the Kun-12 Mobile Shooting Tactical Platform.
"Hm?" Yang Ning suddenly thought of something and sharply raised his head.
In the sky, a Dragon Pearl shone over the Spirit Realm like a bright moon.
With a movement of Yang Ning's mind, threads of moonlight spilled down, shining upon the Kun Style battle vehicle.
The next moment, without any operation from Yang Ning, the battle vehicle before him actually began moving on its own!
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