parentshiftbook Chapter 262: The Mechanical Heart
Chapter 262: The Mechanical Heart
The mechanical heart...
As he watched the pale blue panel slowly emerge in his field of vision, along with the brand-new beast pattern on it, a long-lost genuine excitement flashed in Zhang Ping's eyes. His fingertips unconsciously clenched, and even his breathing became slightly rapid.
His thoughts instantly drifted back to the night half a month ago, the night he helped Jiang Qingya improve her talent.
At that time, after the power of the Yin-Yang Union Divine Heavenly Capital Fate Crossing was fully circulated, Jiang Qingya clearly sensed that her cultivation talent had undergone a complete transformation. The originally obscure and difficult-to-understand cultivation method became clear at a glance; the speed of circulating qi and blood was twice as fast as before.
Overwhelmed with surprise and gratitude, Jiang Qingya hesitated for a long time before finally taking out something she had treasured for many years from her personal storage bag, something she herself didn't understand, and solemnly handing it to Zhang Ping.
It was a palm-sized black substrate with fine, interwoven silver lines on its surface, interspersed with several tiny, glistening solder points the size of rice grains.
The moment Zhang Ping saw what it was, his jaw nearly dropped in shock.
This isn't some fragment of a magical artifact from the cultivation world! It's clearly a printed circuit board from the technological age!
How did I end up here? How did I fall into Jiang Qingya's hands?
It was mid-moon, and the bright moonlight streamed into the room through the window, bathing everything in a soft, silvery glow. Jiang Qingya pulled her clothes closer and softly explained the origin of the base plate:
"I obtained this by chance when I was still a mortal, while herding sheep on the mountain."
"At that time, a sheep ran into a hidden cave in the back mountain. In order to find it, I gritted my teeth and went in. Unexpectedly, there was a strange demonic sound in the cave. It was like countless needles pricking my brain. I rolled on the ground for half an hour and almost died inside."
Recalling the dangers of those days, a trace of lingering fear still remained on Jiang Qingya's face. She composed herself and continued:
"I don't know how much time passed, but the demonic sound suddenly disappeared. After I recovered, I found a pile of scattered items in the most secluded corner of the cave. Apart from a few incomplete cultivation incantations and a bottle of pills, there was only this board made of some unknown material."
She didn't recognize the circuit board at all, assuming the patterns on it were some kind of lost formation. Later, after embarking on the path of cultivation with those few incantations and elixirs, she accidentally discovered that her sword, when placed near the board for a long time, would become increasingly sharp. Thanks to this discovery, she managed to turn the tide and kill her enemies several times, even on the verge of death.
But apart from that, she never discovered any other use for the board.
Now that she has joined the Yin-Yang Sword Sect and received such a great favor from Zhang Ping, her cultivation and talent have both skyrocketed. Naturally, this mysterious board, which is of little use to her, is no longer so precious. Being the kind of person who repays kindness, she simply gave it to Zhang Ping as a thank-you gift.
Unexpectedly, this casually given gift brought Zhang Ping such a big surprise.
……
Zhang Ping let out a long sigh of relief, suppressing his excitement. Who could have imagined that this mysterious circuit board from another world could trigger his talent panel, giving rise to the new beast pattern "Mechanical Heart"?
Judging from the description on the panel, the enhancement of this beast pattern to the art of weapon crafting is simply heaven-defying.
Before this, although he had imprinted many miscellaneous talents—some that could assist in weapon crafting, some that could increase the success rate of alchemy, and some that could amplify the power of formations—none of them were his specialty. The semi-spiritual sword he had crafted for Dongfang Shuyi was, to put it bluntly, entirely made from top-grade spiritual materials. In terms of weapon crafting skills, he couldn't even compare to ordinary weapon crafters in Penglai Immortal City, let alone craft true spiritual weapons.
But now that we have a mechanical heart, everything is different.
Especially the phrase "crack and improve all weapon-refining schemes," coupled with the origin of this circuit board, brought to Zhang Ping's mind three words that he was once extremely familiar with, yet did not want to relive in this world.
assembly line.
If a weapon-refining production line can be successfully established, the resource shortage faced by the Yin-Yang Sword Sect can be fundamentally resolved!
Zhang Ping suppressed his turbulent thoughts and looked up at the Penglai Immortal City before him. Compared to his last visit, the city hadn't changed much, except that the atmosphere on the streets seemed much calmer, less restless than before.
The streets, paved with large bluestone slabs, were wide and smooth, bustling with cultivators. There were sect disciples in brocade robes, exuding an air of distinction, with valuable jade pendants hanging from their waists; there were rogue cultivators, covered in blood and carrying the corpses of demonic beasts, their eyes sharp as eagles; and there were elderly cultivators with white hair and beards, lazily leaning against walls, basking in the sun, appearing detached from worldly affairs. Pill shops, weapon-refining workshops, and spirit beast shops lined the streets, their cries of vendors and haggling filling the air, creating a vibrant and prosperous scene.
Zhang Ping mingled in the crowd, walking slowly while discreetly gathering information about his surroundings and mentally organizing his goals for coming to the Immortal City.
"The materials needed for the Mechanical Heart Imprint are meteorites and divine wood hearts. I've searched through all the sect's records but haven't found either of these, so they must be extraordinary items. The Flying Pavilion has the best information network; perhaps we can go there to inquire."
Besides running a passenger ferry business, Flying Pavilion is also the largest intelligence-selling organization in the Taihu Lake region. As long as you can afford the price, there is no information they cannot obtain.
By the way, you can also check if the squid is there.
Thinking of the cuttlefish, Zhang Ping's lips curled into a slight smile. He had rescued her from the ruins back then, a debt of gratitude he owed her. It would be a good opportunity to inquire with her about any female cultivators of considerable cultivation who wished to switch sects, thus resolving the issue of guest elders within the sect.
Having made up his mind, Zhang Ping turned and headed towards the city center.
The central area of Penglai Immortal City is home to the headquarters of various top powers. The three major sects, the Sea Abyss Alliance, and those top families with a thousand-year history all occupy the best locations here. The Flying Pavilion's headquarters is situated in the very heart of this area.
It was a tall building, entirely forged from a mixture of black jade and dark iron, dozens of stories high. Under the sunlight, it gleamed with a cold, metallic luster, its imposing presence incongruous with the surrounding classical architecture, yet exuding an undeniable aura of dominance. Few people passed by, but each possessed an extraordinary air, their expressions carrying a hint of condescending arrogance, especially the younger disciples, who were particularly haughty.
As Zhang Ping stepped into the Flying Pavilion, a beautiful female cultivator immediately greeted him with a standard professional smile.
"Hello, what service do you require?"
As she spoke, the woman handed over a smooth, jade-like black wooden board. The board was engraved with intricate patterns that, like an electronic screen, clearly displayed the various services, levels, and corresponding prices of the Flying Pavilion.
A barely perceptible hint of surprise flashed in Zhang Ping's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. This method wasn't particularly sophisticated; with his current mastery of formations, he could easily create it—that's how the Yin-Yang Sword Sect's mission panel came about. He simply hadn't expected that in this world, someone would actually think of using this method to display information.
He subconsciously stretched out his finger and lightly traced a line on the wooden board, like swiping a phone screen.
The wooden board did not react at all.
The female cultivator who was greeting them was taken aback for a moment, then quickly stepped forward and explained somewhat apologetically:
"I apologize, guest. This is a new psionic display panel that we have recently introduced to our Flying Pavilion. It requires the injection of spiritual energy to control the movement of the image."
"Oh, I see." Zhang Ping nodded and did as instructed, infusing a trace of spiritual power.
The moment his fingertips touched the wooden board, the meager spiritual energy stored within was instantly drained, and the image slowly scrolled by. Zhang Ping raised an eyebrow, realizing that this thing was not only slow to react but also extremely energy-consuming. Its brightness and clarity were far inferior to the task panel he had created, making it far less practical.
He suddenly felt utterly bored.