Ordinary formations are naturally deployed and retracted at will, but this space elevator is different. Although it was crafted by Li Xingkong, its purpose dictates that it will not be deployed frequently. Once deployed, it may remain inactive for hundreds of years.
As for such a formation, Li Xingkong couldn't possibly act as an elevator operator, staying there year-round to control it. This formation definitely needed to be handed over to someone else to manage. Therefore, although this last piece couldn't be added to the formation, it could be used as a terminal to control the entire formation.
Its function is to act as a remote control for this formation, allowing a designated person to manage the entire formation.
The crafting of this chess piece is more complicated than that of the other pieces, since it needs to manage the entire formation as a whole, while the other pieces only need to perform their respective functions.
After the final refining was completed, the appearance of this chess piece also changed. Ordinary chess pieces are either black or white, but this one is different. It is half black and half white, making it the most unique piece even when placed in the entire chess box.
This key can be seen as a replica of Li Xingkong's control over the entire formation. With it in hand, one has absolute control over the entire space elevator. Of course, this is on the premise that Li Xingkong is not present, because no matter how much control one has, no one is as familiar with it as the founder.
After successfully crafting the entire set of array flags, Li Xingkong stayed in Longzhou for a few more days. After all, the site for laying the space elevator was still under construction, and he wouldn't be able to set up the array if he went there now. Rather than waiting there, it was better to stay at the Longzhou branch for a few more days.
After all, these people at the Longzhou branch are quite interesting. Even though they usually try to avoid Li Xingkong's office, who is Li Xingkong? He can't hide what he wants to see.
Ji Nanzhi's idea of having the Old Ox mate was explicitly forbidden by Li Xingkong, but his desire to study it did not stop. Since the Old Ox refused to find him a companion, he might as well use a more scientific method.
So Ji Nanzhi thought of artificially extracting semen from the Old Ox. Although it was a bit embarrassing to talk about, it was something that anyone who studied veterinary medicine or animal husbandry had to know. After all, modern animal husbandry was very different from primitive methods, and artificial breeding was a basic skill.
But soon, Ji Nanzhi was kicked out by Old Ox Niu and slammed against the wall, just like in an anime.
As Ji Nanzhi was kicked out, Old Ox also came running out, wagging his tail and shouting things like, "There's Nantong here! I'm going to call the police!"... The whole base was thrown into chaos once again.
This matter had already run into trouble twice, and Li Xingkong thought they might take some tough measures to ensure the experiment could proceed. However, to his surprise, although they did want to study Old Ox, they genuinely treated Old Ox as a human being in many ways, and they did not use any coercive methods on Old Ox.
After watching the spectacle for almost a week, the construction of the space elevator was basically completed, which meant that Li Xingkong could start setting up the large-scale formation at any time.
On the very last day before Li Xingkong left, Ji Nanzhi finally succeeded.
It was Ge Baoqi who came up with the idea. Seeing that Ji Nanzhi still wanted to experiment, but his methods kept hitting roadblocks, Ge Baoqi finally stepped in. His approach was simple: he, Old Ox, Ji Qiu met up for dinner and drinks around 11 PM.
After finishing their hot pot and drinking some wine, the three of them got into a drinking game. Once they were in high spirits, Ge Baoqi suggested that they play rock-paper-scissors and whoever lost had to down their drink in one gulp. The other two, also feeling the effects of the wine, readily agreed to the game.
Ge Baoqi's scheme succeeded just like that, for no other reason than that the ox only knows how to play scissors.
So in just a few minutes, Old Ox was completely drunk and passed out. Then, taking advantage of his drunkenness, Ji Nanzhi groped him all over, taking everything he could from his body.
It's true what they say, some people can get things done while others can't. The same task was handled with ease by Ge Baoqi, and when Old Ox sobered up the next morning, he even had to thank him for the hospitality. As for Ji Nanzhi, with his limited skills, it was already a miracle he wasn't blacklisted by Old Ox.
Li Xingkong saw everything that had happened clearly. He could only say that it was truly amazing that the branch could manage to bring these people together.
The next day, Li Xingkong did not disturb their peaceful sleep. Early in the morning, Li Xingkong left the Longzhou branch and headed to the site for setting up the space elevator.
As Li Xingkong got closer to the site, he clearly noticed the difference from the air. The color of this entire piece of land in front of him was out of place with the rest of the area. At a glance, it was obvious that this was man-made land.
Almost all the construction vehicles in the site had been removed, leaving only a dozen or so. When Li Xingkong landed, only the final finishing touches remained. Most of the construction work was completed, and the people who had followed Ma Buxiu earlier were gone. Only Ma Buxiu was still supervising the work, while casually reading a popular science book related to cultivation.
When Li Xingkong landed, only the last people painting the road surface white were still working. The others were barely visible. Upon seeing Li Xingkong, Ma Buxiu hurriedly came to greet him.
"Master, our project is almost complete. You are welcome to come and inspect it."
There's no need for an inspection. Li Xingkong isn't a professional in construction; he doesn't understand these things. He came here today to start setting up the large array right away.
"The inspection will be handled by professionals. You've finished your work; now it's my turn."
Li Xingkong smiled.
"Once you've finished up, have everyone evacuate the area. Otherwise, I won't be responsible for any accidents that happen."
"No problem, please wait a moment."
Although Li Xingkong, as a cultivator, put a lot of pressure on Old Ma, Ma Buxiu was clearly not the kind of person who would hastily finish his work under pressure. After all, in their line of work, every step had to be done well, and a hasty ending would only bring inconvenience to themselves.
After waiting for about half an hour, Ma Buxiu's people had completely evacuated the area. The area reserved for the space elevator was cleared out and left empty. Looking around, there was nothing on the entire area.
With everyone having evacuated, Li Xingkong began his own operation. He flew to the very center of the arena on his sword, then pointed with his hand, and all the chess pieces in the two boxes beside him floated out and began to rotate around Li Xingkong.
As all the pieces floated up, Li Xingkong made his next move. He reached out and tapped one of the pieces, and the piece seemed to be launched away, turning into a beam of light and falling to a certain spot on the field.
The chess piece was imbued with Magic Power, and when it landed on the ground, it didn't create a large crater. Instead, it was as if it had landed in water, leaving only a small hole, just the size of the piece itself, through which the entire piece disappeared into the ground.
Li Xingkong moved quickly. Before the pieces in front could even be placed, he began to play rapidly, like playing the piano. As his fingers flew, pieces shot out one after another. Ma Buxiu and the others, who were watching from outside the field, could only see it as if fireworks were going off.
The interspersed black and white light flickered intermittently, creating a unique aesthetic.