Work Begins, Conflicts Emerge

Xuanjizi nodded. "Young friend, you are right."

"Therefore, Yunyouzi and I will remain stationed in Luozhen Province for the time being."

"With the two of us old folks here, even if that Dao Lord Qingxu's avatar comes in person, we can hold him off."

Li Yunjing felt a sense of relief.

With two Loose Immortal overseeing things, things are much more stable.

"Then I'll have to trouble you two seniors."

"Don't mention it."

With the matter settled, everyone stopped delaying.

Li Yunjing returned to Luozhen Province that same day.

The Shipbuilding General Administration was located in Tiangong Heavenly Craft Valley, east of Luozhen City.

That place was originally the site of the main workshop of the Artifact Hall, with complete infrastructure. With some expansion, it could be used as a shipyard.

Upon returning to the sect, Li Yunjing immediately issued orders.

All the artisans of the Artifact Hall moved into the Heavenly Craft Valley. The Old God Lingmu was in charge of the growth and processing of the wood, the Craft God served as the head of the artisans, the Primordial Lord Bi Shui was in charge of the water array cooling, and the Star God was in charge of deduce and calculate the stress on the ship's hull.

The entire clan was mobilized.

Meanwhile, the Immortal Alliance's order to mobilize the forces spread throughout the land.

Materials and craftsmen from various states were continuously transported to Luozhen Province.

With the influx of resources from the entire Dao Realm, the shipbuilding craze in Heavenly Craft Valley quickly reached its peak.

Tens of thousands of craftsmen, monks, and deities worked day and night, the sound of hammers never ceasing.

However, as the scale grew larger and various forces became mixed, conflicts gradually surfaced.

Shi Jian, the eldest disciple of the Weaponry Artifact Hall of the Luozhen Sect, was shirtless and covered in sparks. He pointed at the white-robed elder opposite him, glaring and bristling. "Sect Leader Liu, the fusion method has been verified by our Artifact Hall. After the Fallen Star Iron is melted at high temperature, it is seamlessly joined, with the highest strength. Even the void gales cannot break it! Why should we change the forging method?"

Standing opposite him was Liu Chengqi, the sect leader of the Central Province Divine Craftsman Sect, who was also the chief craftsman sent by the Immortal Alliance.

He straightened his wide robe sleeves and said coldly, "Nephew Shi, what do you know? The most powerful force in the void isn't the gale, but the high-frequency vibration. The keel welded by the fusion method is hard, but it's as brittle as glass; it won't last long before it cracks."

"The forging and stacking technique passed down from our ancestors, with its layers of forging, results in high toughness and strong stress resistance, making it suitable for long-distance aerial travel."

The two held their own opinions and refused to give in.

The craftsmen behind them also joined in the commotion.

The disciples of the Artifact Hall of the Luozhen Sect were all dark-skinned, burly, and had extremely loud voices.

The craftsmen of the Divine Craftsman Sect were clean-cut and quick-witted.

The two groups of people stood around the keel, arguing heatedly, their faces flushed, and they were holding hammers and welding torches, seemingly about to come to blows.

Life, naturally, has stopped.

The dispute over the manufacturing process hadn't even subsided when trouble broke out again at the Materials Division.

Zhao Kun, a steward of the Flowing Cloud Sect in Qingyang Province, stood with several followers blocking the warehouse entrance, pointing at the Fallen Star Iron being transported out, his face ashen. "Why are the three escort ships we commissioned to build for our sect made with second-grade Fallen Star Iron? The Flying Swallow Sect's warships are all made with first-grade materials?"

"They're all fighting for the Dao Realm, so why the favoritism?"

The steward from the Materials Division patiently explained, "Steward Zhao, flagships use first-class materials, while escort ships use second-class materials. That's the rule. Yours are escort ships, while Flying Swallow Sect are flagships, so naturally they follow the standard."

"Rules? Who made the rules?" Zhao Kun sneered. "Our Flowing Cloud Sect contributed so many resources, and in the end you're just trying to fool us with inferior goods? You have to replace them today, or we can't get this job done!"

With the two sides deadlocked, representatives from various sects who were watching also discussed the matter animatedly, with many feeling that the distribution was unfair and joining in the commotion.

One wave subsides only for another to rise.

Elder Liu Yunsong of the Alchemy Hall hurriedly found Mo Xuan, who was in charge of the overall situation, his beard bristling. "Elder, this can't go on any longer!"

"The shipbuilding craftsmen each take three Qi Gathering Pill a day, which is more than the quota for elite disciples at the front! In just one month, the Alchemy Hall's stock of Qi Gathering Pill has already been used up by 30%. If this continues, the border garrison won't even have enough pills to supply them!"

"Is shipbuilding important, but border defense is unimportant?"

Upon hearing this, Mo Xuan rubbed his temples, feeling utterly overwhelmed.

Technology, resources, elixirs... all sorts of forces are intertwined, each with its own interests and its own reasons.

Suppressing one issue doesn't control the other; after several days of coordination, things only get more chaotic.

"Go, invite the sect leader over." Mo Xuan sighed, "I can't suppress it any longer."

Half an hour later, Li Yunjing arrived at Heavenly Craft Valley.

As the news spread, the arguing, the blocking of doors, and the complaining all quieted down a bit.

Li Yunjing did not go to the council hall first, but went straight to Dock No. 1.

Beside the keel, two groups of people were still facing off.

"Are you done arguing?" Li Yunjing stood outside the crowd, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears.

Everyone was startled and quickly made way for them.

Shi Jian rushed forward. "Sect Leader, it's him..."

Li Yunjing waved his hand to interrupt him, "Further discussion is pointless. Let's compare the craftsmanship. Take a sample of each of the two techniques and test them on the spot."

Li Yunjing knew that he couldn't convince anyone with words, so he decided to let his skills speak for themselves.

The two men used their respective skills to forge a piece of Fallen Star Iron, to see whose Fallen Star Iron was stronger.

Soon, two half-foot-long pieces of Fallen Star Iron were delivered.

One piece is welded using the fusion method, and the other is forged using the forging method; they look almost identical.

"Shi Jian, use the maximum spiritual power you can muster to smash those two pieces of Fallen Star Iron three times."

"Yes!"

Shi Jian picked up the heavy hammer, poured all his strength into it, and slammed it down three times on the Fallen Star Iron he had forged.

Then he smashed another piece of Fallen Star Iron three more times.

After three hammer blows, the iron strip from the fusion method remained perfectly still, while the iron strip from the forging method deformed slightly.

"See? The fusion welding method still has higher strength!" Shi Jian said proudly.

Just as Liu Chengqi was about to retort, Li Yunjing added, "Place it on the vibration platform to simulate the vibration of the void's gale for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

The two placed their respective meteorite cores on the vibration platform.

The vibration table was turned on, and high-frequency vibrations were emitted.

At first, the difference was not noticeable, but after about half an incense stick's time, cracks began to appear at the weld seam of the fusion-welded iron bar.

As soon as the incense stick burned out, it snapped in two with a crack.

The forged iron bar was only slightly more bent, but it remained intact.

Shi Jian's smile froze.

Liu Chengqi's smug expression vanished.

Li Yunjing looked at the two iron bars and slowly said, "The welding method has enough hardness but lacks toughness, while the forging method has good toughness but slightly insufficient strength."

"Void travel requires withstanding both strong winds and high-frequency vibrations; neither can be neglected."

He turned to look at the Craft God standing to the side. "Old master craftsman, what do you think?"

The Craft God stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "We can forge first and then melt. The inner layer is forged to relieve stress, and the outer layer is melted to reinforce it. Both processes have their advantages."

"Can you do that?"

"Yes, I can," the Craft God nodded, "But it will take a little effort."

Li Yunjing's gaze swept over everyone. "Let's proceed according to this standard. The overall craftsmanship standard will be uniformly set by the Craft God, and all craftsmen must adhere to this unified standard. Anyone with objections, please raise them now."

Shi Jian and Liu Chengqi exchanged a glance and then lowered their heads.

The facts are clear, and combining them is indeed better.

"Your disciple obeys." Shi Jian bowed respectfully.

Liu Chengqi nodded quickly.

The dispute over the technology was thus settled.

Having resolved the process issue, Li Yunjing then went to the Materials Division.

Zhao Kun was still there with his men, but when he saw Li Yunjing arrive, his tone hardened. "Sect Leader Li, you've come at the right time. Today you must give us justice."

Li Yunjing said calmly, "Fairness? Then I'll settle the matter with you."