I just became the Pirate King, and you're telling me I also time-traveled at the same time.

Chapter 212 Mutual Appreciation! The Qi Family Army's R&D Team!

Zhuge Zheng thought he could eat as many pills as he wanted, but Chu Yang didn't have that many pills. Including the one he originally intended to give to Guo Bujing, he only had two pills left.

He had only intended to try refining the Demon King Pill, but he was surprised that it succeeded by sheer luck. In fact, given his alchemy skills, it was already a pleasant surprise that the furnace did not explode.

In retrospect, it's also thanks to Magic Chu Yang for providing many ideas on potion-making.

Chu Yang handed the two Demon King Pills to Zhuge Zhengwo and instructed him, "The Divine Marquis is old and doesn't have the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill as a foundation like Gu Santong. It's best to take them separately, otherwise your qi and blood will rush to your head and your body won't be able to handle it, which may backfire."

"This old minister understands." Zhuge Zhengwo stared intently at the pill in his hand. In the eyes of others, he was like an immortal being, but at this moment, he could hardly maintain his usual otherworldly demeanor.

Ever since the division of realms was established, there have always been martial artists who want to know what the scenery above the Grandmaster is like. Even just a glimpse is enough for some to be willing to pay any price for it.

Zhuge Zhengwo wasn't too worried about the Qi and Blood Breakthrough mentioned by Chu Yang. The Zizai Sect had countless miraculous techniques, and even if they weren't as profound as the [Indestructible Vajra Divine Art], there were other methods that could serve as alternatives.

He has a technique called "Half-Broken Brocade" that can be used to heal his own injuries, both internal and external. The more severe the injury, the faster it heals. It is also very effective in combat.

The Divine Marquis's Mansion has been dealing with demons and monsters for so many years, and those who have survived have relied on this healing technique, not on meticulously forged weapons.

Therefore, Zhuge Zheng was not afraid of the backlash from the Demon King's Pill, but he still took Chu Yang's well-intentioned reminder to heart. After all, Chu Yang's cultivation level was far higher than his, and he wouldn't speak without reason.

While the two were chatting, Cao Zhengchun and Yu Huatian stared enviously at the pill in Zhuge Zhengwo's hand. Connecting it with Gu Santong's easy breakthrough to the Grandmaster level, they almost lost their minds and had the idea of ​​snatching the pill.

If Chu Yang hadn't been there, even if Zhuge Zhengwo were a Grandmaster, the two of them would have fought to the death.

It's understandable that people die for wealth and birds die for food.

In contrast, Lu Xiaofeng remained unusually calm. He showed little greed for the pills that could help him break through his cultivation level, his eyes were clear, and he remained unmoved.

He never pursued the highest level of martial arts; he only practiced martial arts to deal with troubles that came his way when he was traveling the martial world. Later, he discovered that making friends was more convenient than practicing martial arts.

Having many friends makes the road easier; as long as he doesn't die, his friends will always come to his rescue.

It was precisely because of this mindset that Lu Xiaofeng, who was not diligent enough in practicing martial arts, made such slow progress. His friend Ximen Chuixue had been a grandmaster for many years and was about to take another step forward, while he was not even a grandmaster yet.

With his martial arts talent, he shouldn't be like this.

Of course, everyone has their own ambitions, and Lu Xiaofeng has his own way of living. As his friend, Chu Yang has no right to interfere. He can only give him a powerful demon pill and let him be.

Lu Xiaofeng scratched his head and chuckled as he took the pill from Chu Yang's hand, saying somewhat awkwardly, "This isn't right. The pill is so precious, how can you just give it to me like that?"

Chu Yang laughed and said, "You've been running around for me, so one pill is nothing. If it weren't for that Umbrella of Ten Thousand People, I would have had to deal with a lot more trouble."

"We're all friends, no need to be so polite!" Lu Xiaofeng coughed lightly and said in a low voice, "Since that's the case, why not give me a couple more?"

Gee tut.

This is Lu Xiaofeng; he doesn't stand on ceremony for long, but he's quick to climb the social ladder!

Chu Yang, used to his shamelessness, said irritably, "Your martial arts cultivation has been stuck for so many years. This pill is just the final push. Any more would be a waste. Reaching the Grandmaster realm still depends on your own accumulation. Relying solely on pills will eventually lead to qi deviation!"

"Ah?" Lu Xiaofeng said with regret after hearing this, "I thought I could just lie at home and my martial arts would improve naturally. I didn't expect I would still have to practice hard. In that case, this pill won't be of much use."

Chu Yang glared at him and said, "Give it back if you're not going to eat it!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Zhengchun scrambled to Chu Yang's side and cried out, "Your Majesty, considering my utmost loyalty, since Master Lu doesn't want it, why not bestow this elixir upon me?"

Lu Xiaofeng, who had just said that the pills were useless, suddenly revealed a malicious smile. "Oh dear, Eunuch Cao, what are you doing? I was just joking. Why are you so easily amused?"

"Such a miraculous elixir, only a fool wouldn't want it!"

"You...you..." Cao Zhengchun trembled with anger, pointing at Lu Xiaofeng for a long time without being able to speak, the veins on his temples about to burst.

Yu Huatian seemed to have anticipated this scene, looking at Cao Zhengchun with disdain and a cold smile on his lips.

"Hahaha, you're quite an interesting kid. It's a pity I didn't know you were such a figure in the martial arts world!" Gu Santong looked at Lu Xiaofeng with a hint of mutual appreciation in his eyes.

In a sense, the two are quite similar in personality, both being unrestrained and carefree in their attitude towards everything. However, Lu Xiaofeng has a stronger sense of responsibility and chivalry than Gu Santong.

"Thank you for your kind words, senior. I have heard of your name, 'Invincible Mischievous Boy,' ever since I entered the martial arts world. I must invite you for a drink sometime when I have time!" Lu Xiaofeng immediately began to flatter each other.

His mouth can be incredibly eloquent; when it's kind, it can make you feel elated, and when it's venomous, it can leave you seething with anger.

Gu Santong smiled and nodded, saying, "I'll definitely do it next time."

Chu Yang kindly reminded him, "I've been drinking with Lu Xiaofeng for many years, and I've never seen him pay. Senior Gu, you should be careful."

Gu Santong looked at Lu Xiaofeng with a surprised expression, his eyes seeming to say, "You're something else, kid."

Lu Xiaofeng was not ashamed, but rather proud, his face full of smugness.

I am the only one in the world who can shirk the emperor's drinking duties!

With the emperor unharmed and the elixir in hand, the two naturally did not linger and left the palace under the guidance of the eunuchs.

"After you return, please select a group of trustworthy array masters from the Divine Marquis's mansion. After I have organized them, I will teach them the art of alchemy."

"Your humble servant obeys."

Zhuge Zhengwo then left the palace.

Chu Yang turned to look at the pitiful Cao Zhengchun and the respectful Yu Huatian, and said indifferently, "Over the years, you know in your hearts how many enemies the East and West Factories have made and how many shady things you have done in private."

"Don't say I didn't give you a chance. If you want the elixir, you have to fight for it, risk your lives. Choose a place, either the northern border or the three Mongol tribes, and do something."

"If you can't do that, then forget about the elixir."

........................

Jinling City.

General Qi's residence.

The craftsmen and array masters always lived and ate with Qi Jiguang, firstly to protect him, and secondly to be the first to know about the research and development results of firearms.

Ever since Qi Jiguang obtained the weapon blueprints from Chu Yang, the workload of the entire firearms battalion has been increased to the maximum.

They gained tremendous inspiration from the blueprints; the intricate parts and stable mechanisms opened up a whole new world for them.

The craftsmen became engrossed in it, attempting to combine two very different styles of firearms.

Not long after, the firearms battalion produced its first new firearm with a completely new design. If Chu Yang were here, he would recognize it as a revolver.

But it wasn't the revolver he remembered.

The punk revolver produced by Qi Jiguang's army is three times larger than a normal revolver, almost as big as a shotgun, except that the barrel is shorter and it has an extra cylinder.

It has six demon cores embedded in it!

Overwhelmed with excitement, Qi Jiguang held the new revolver in his hands, always thinking of blasting something to test its power.

So he led a squad of his personal guards to the wilderness to exterminate the spirits and demons, wanting to test his skills on them. However, after circling the area several times, he couldn't find a trace of the spirits and demons.

Qi Jiguang couldn't help but regret that he had made his troops move around too frequently, causing the surrounding monsters to leave without daring to linger.

Now I can't even find a target to try my hand at.

Left with no other choice, Qi Jiguang had to expand the search area by several dozen miles, operating almost right under the noses of the other generals.

As the saying goes, perseverance pays off. They finally found the spirit demon and successfully completed the test, with a terrifying result.

Most spirit monsters die instantly when hit in a vital spot. Hitting other parts of the body will cause mutilation due to the powerful destructive force, and then the spirit monster will bleed to death. Under normal circumstances, it takes a maximum of two shots to kill a spirit monster.

This is equivalent to saying that the lethality of an ordinary civilian wielding a punk revolver is about the same as that of a martial artist who has painstakingly trained for ten years.

Not to mention that in the hands of a martial artist, the weapon's power can be further enhanced.

Qi Jiguang's face was radiant.

A revolver can bring about such a huge change; there are even more amazing things waiting to be unlocked.

However, the good times did not last long.

It took the firearms battalion a long time to discover a major problem.

The gun parts on the blueprints are too precise, especially for high-powered guns. With their current level of technology, they cannot mass-produce them. Handcrafting them is time-consuming and labor-intensive, making it difficult to equip the troops with a large number of them in a short period of time.

On the battlefield where two armies clash, firearms are mainly used for suppression; if they cannot be mass-produced, they are completely useless.

The limited number of firearms would easily be overwhelmed by the hordes of demons during battle.

Qi Jiguang was very upset when he learned of this. He felt like a eunuch going to a brothel. He had already taken his pants off, but then they said it wouldn't work. Who could stand that?

The firearms battalion racked their brains, trying to overcome the obstacles of precision components, but limited by their knowledge, they couldn't think of any suitable methods and could only worry helplessly.

"It seems we have no choice but to turn to His Majesty for help. The blueprints were provided by His Majesty, so he should be able to come up with a solution."

After discussing with the craftsmen, Qi Jiguang decided to secretly go to the capital again. This trip was extremely risky, as all forces were watching Nanjing.

Not only is he prone to ambushes on the way, but Jinling City could also become a target of public criticism if he is not careful.

Mass production of the new firearms was imperative, leaving Qi Jiguang little room to consider gains and losses. However, before leaving, he still needed to make some necessary arrangements.

The South is very important and cannot be lost.

Upon his return to Beijing, to avoid the embarrassment of not being able to understand the blueprints as before, Qi Jiguang prepared to bring along some craftsmen and formation masters.

at the same time.

Zhuge Zhengwo carefully selected a group of trustworthy array masters and secretly brought them into the palace.

Cao Zhengchun dared not be negligent, fearing that leaking information would ruin His Majesty's important plans, so he thoroughly searched the palace inside and out.

Yu Huatian was responsible for protecting the safety of this group of array masters.

After this incident, neither of them would stay in the capital. Instead, they would each travel to distant places to seek an opportunity to reach the pinnacle of martial arts.

The array masters were also encountering alchemy for the first time, and were being taught by His Majesty the Emperor himself, so they were inevitably somewhat apprehensive, and the initial results were very poor.

In Chu Yang's newly opened alchemy room, the sound of exploding furnaces was incessant, forcing him to go into the Soul Palace every night to prepare a new batch of furnaces.

Fortunately, Chu Yang, as the head of the Shu Mountain sect in the fantasy world, has a large and powerful family that can withstand such mismanagement; otherwise, such a wasteful way of squandering the family fortune would be unbearable for ordinary people.

Fortunately, as the explosions continued, the array masters became familiar with the key points to pay attention to when refining pills, and the chance of the furnace exploding dropped sharply. The eunuchs and palace maids in the palace were finally able to get a good night's sleep.

Over time, some array masters gradually showed talent in alchemy, not only rapidly increasing the success rate of pill formation but also improving the quality of the pills.

Meanwhile, other array masters with mediocre talent in alchemy also played a role. After pooling their wisdom, they further improved the array formations of the alchemy furnace and the alchemy room.

Chu Yang was very pleased with this.

Time flew by, and more than half a month passed, with both the north and south remaining peaceful.

A memorial arrived from Li Chengliang's side, stating that the defenses of Wanli Xuanbing City were complete, with 500,000 troops plus the firearms of Qi Family Army, arming the entire ice city to the teeth.

He confidently stated in his memorial, "If the demon race attacks, this humble general will surely annihilate them all beyond the border!"

It's unclear how much confidence Qi Jiguang's new firearms gave him, but in Chu Yang's opinion, the young man had become ridiculously arrogant, so he didn't hesitate to write a long string of insults on the folded paper.

It's all modern vocabulary, and the insults don't use any vulgar words. I bet Li Chengliang will have to think about it for a while after reading it.

Not many memorials were handed to Chu Yang's desk. Besides Li Chengliang's, there was another one from Qi Jiguang, who was already on his way to the capital.

Apart from that, all other people's memorials were handled by the cabinet, including Zhang Juzheng, because Chu Yang had previously said that all future government affairs would be handled by the cabinet.

It wasn't entirely because he was lazy, but because he needed to delegate some power to the civil service, since they were the key to the dynasty's operation. If you want the horse to run, you have to feed it some grass.

This is why Chu Yang had time to train many alchemists.

Most of them can use the flesh and blood of demonic beasts that possess demonic power but have not yet developed intelligence to refine pills. A small number of them can use the flesh and blood of spirit demons to refine pills. Only one array master with the most outstanding talent in alchemy can refine great demon pills.

There's no one who can refine Demon King Pills, so for now, Chu Yang has to refine them himself, since there aren't many people who need Demon King Pills anyway.

These newly recruited "alchemists" will travel to various prefectural cities under the protection of the Divine Marquis's Mansion and the Six Doors to refine pills for martial artists, with the raw materials provided by the martial artists themselves.

It is believed that before long, those martial artists hidden in the sects will spring up like mushrooms after rain, appearing one after another in every corner of the Ming Dynasty to hunt down the demon race.

(End of this chapter)