139: Chapter 139 Cultivation alone is not enough; true strength cannot rely solely on brute force.

The night wind blew across the tattered armor, carrying the scent of rust and soil.

Chen Wuwang was still standing on the edge of the high platform. The moonlight cast his long shadow.

He did not move, nor did he speak. His fingers rested lightly on the stone railing, tapping three times. The rhythm was the same as when he had tapped the dagger guard earlier.

The people below were still making a commotion. Some were laughing, some crying. Some knelt on the ground kowtowing, while others hugged each other, jumping and shouting.

The golden mist flowed slowly, seeping into everyone's body like water.

The clansmen who had just achieved a Breakthrough had glowing faces, steady breathing, and their Dantian had already formed. This was far stronger than the Spiritual Qi of the Qi Refinement Stage.

Chen Wuwang watched them, the wound on his right arm still bleeding. The bandage had turned black, but he seemed not to feel the pain.

The last clansman opened his eyes, a light in them. The whole place went quiet for a moment, then the cheers grew even louder.

Chen Wuwang took a gentle breath and whispered, "Good, all good."

He turned and left, his steps steady as he walked toward the Artifact Refining Workshop.

Behind him was the rebirth of his clansmen; ahead, there were still things waiting for him to do.

Foundation Establishment was just the beginning. Having cultivation is not enough; true strength cannot rely solely on brute force.

No matter how great one's strength, if one encounters a mecha attack or a lethal Formation, one will still die.

He had come all this way by relying on plans, not by brute force.

When he reached the entrance of the Artifact Refining Workshop, he paused.

The Spirit Array of the Spiritual Vein in the distance was still running, blue light flashing, golden mist swirling.

He knew how long this power could last, depending on how it was used.

Now that the clansmen had a foundation, the next step was to provide them with weapons.

He pushed the door open and entered; heat rushed to meet him.

The furnace fire had not gone out, and a half-finished shoulder armor lay on the anvil. Tools were scattered on the floor, and a few small maintenance mechas crouched in the corner, their lights flickering.

This place used to be a dilapidated shed, but over the past three years, it had transformed into what it was now. It was driven by spiritual energy, capable of engraving runes and assembling machinery.

"Clan Head?" a voice came from inside.

Chen Tiezhu stood up from a pile of parts, his face covered in dust, sweat on his forehead.

His left arm was a mechanical prosthesis, its joints gleaming with metallic light, currently a bit hot—indicating he had just finished working.

"You're here." Chen Wuwang stood still, his gaze falling on the alloy table in the center.

Several blueprints were spread out on the table, depicting the structure of the currently used Qi Refinement Stage mechas. Beside them was a material consumption table.

"Just finished looking at the data." Chen Tiezhu wiped his face. "After the battle today, three 'Tilling-Class' mechas were broken. Two had their power supply modules explode, and one had its cockpit bitten through by the swarm. The protection still needs modification."

"It's not just about modification." Chen Wuwang walked a few steps closer. "It's about redoing it entirely."

Chen Tiezhu looked up at him.

"We have clansmen at the Foundation Establishment Stage now." Chen Wuwang said. "We cannot let them wear broken Qi Refinement Stage mechas to risk their lives anymore. Those mechas cannot withstand high-intensity combat; the spiritual power conduction is slow, and the reaction delay exceeds 0.3 seconds—it's just suicide on the battlefield."

Chen Tiezhu did not speak.

He knew this was a fact.

The current mechas were made according to Qi Refinement Stage standards; the power, spiritual pathways, and armor were all too weak.

After the clansmen achieved a Breakthrough, their bodies were stronger and their perception faster; the old equipment could not keep up.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"A mecha specifically designed for the Foundation Establishment Stage." Chen Wuwang said. "It needs to be able to take hits, fight, and survive. Not an upgraded version, but something entirely new."

"It must be able to withstand three direct impacts, maintain stable power supply in high-pressure environments, have a cockpit that prevents mental interference, and have armor that can self-repair minor damage."

Chen Tiezhu frowned. "What about Materials? The best ones are plates made from Gold-Eating Insect shells; they are hard but brittle, and prone to cracking when used in joints. There is also nanospiritual silk, but the production is low, and it was prioritized for your armor."

"I will handle the Materials." Chen Wuwang said. "Fibers can be extracted from the mutated spiritual plants from Old Lin's side, and Ling Zhenzi has agreed to provide a batch of resonance chips. Whatever you need, make a list, and you can have it by tomorrow."

Chen Tiezhu did not reply, looking down at his mechanical hand.

It made a clicking sound when the knuckles moved; this was a System he had tuned himself, and it had taken three years to get it this smooth.

He suddenly looked up. "Do you know what the hardest part is?"

"It's not the technology, nor the Materials." He pointed to his chest. "It's the people. Everyone's spiritual power flows along different paths, their breathing rhythms are different, and their fighting styles are different."

"You want to make the most suitable mecha? Then it cannot be a mass-produced hunk of iron."

"It must know when its master wants to accelerate, when to hold back power, and when to rush forward even at the cost of being injured."

Chen Wuwang nodded. "So it is not a machine, but a comrade-in-arms."

Chen Tiezhu's eyes widened in shock.

The two looked at each other, neither speaking.

The furnace fire crackled, sparks flying up.

Chen Tiezhu suddenly smiled, grabbed the charcoal pencil on the table, and drew a horizontal line on the blank paper. "Alright. I'll take this job."

He didn't stop writing, quickly drawing the outline. "First, make the skeleton, a double-layer honeycomb structure with spiritual flow tubes inside; add buffers to the joints to reduce impact; the cockpit will be independently suspended to prevent vibration."

"The energy System... we need to change our approach. It can't just rely on external charging; it needs to be able to draw a little spiritual power from the user in an emergency, as natural as breathing."

Chen Wuwang listened without interrupting.

He knew that Chen Tiezhu already had ideas.

"We still need to find shell Materials." Chen Tiezhu continued drawing. "If we could mix in the sap of the Tree of Life, maybe it could self-heal. It's a pity Bai Ling is not here..."

Halfway through, he stopped, realizing he had mentioned someone he shouldn't have.

Chen Wuwang didn't react, nor did he speak, just watching the lines on the blueprint slowly take shape.

"What about the name?" Chen Tiezhu suddenly asked.

"Haven't thought of one yet." Chen Wuwang said. "When it's built, let the first person to wear it name it."

Chen Tiezhu nodded, finished the last stroke, threw down the charcoal pencil, and braced his hands on the table. "I used to think that technological Artifact Refining was just a shortcut."

"Now I know it's a way for us ordinary people to survive. We don't have powerful Bloodlines, we don't have ancient Legacies; all we can rely on is this stuff in our hands."

He raised his mechanical arm, his fingers opening and closing. "I'm not afraid of modifications, and I'm not afraid of starting over. As long as it can let the next 'Stone' come back alive, and let my son not have to beg on his knees in the future—I will do this to the end."

Chen Wuwang finally spoke. "This mecha is not just for one person."

"It is for everyone who has crawled out of the ruins."

Chen Tiezhu looked up, a light in his eyes.

Not excitement, not impulse, but a kind of determination that had sunk deep and then resurfaced.

He picked up another pen and began marking dimensions, muttering, "Power core at the front to lower the center of gravity; leave an interface on the back for mounting weapons later; add a soft membrane inside the cockpit to sense brainwave changes..."

Chen Wuwang didn't speak again, stepping back and leaning against the wall.

He watched Chen Tiezhu writing with his head down, the charcoal pencil rustling. The parts on the blueprint became clear one by one; parameters, connection points, and energy circuits were all marked.

The firelight shone on his face, light and shadow flickering.

Outside, the wind was still blowing, carrying dust across the tattered armor.

Inside the Artifact Refining Workshop, there was only the sound of writing and the occasional clank of metal.

Chen Wuwang let his right hand hang down, his fingertips tapping three times again, the rhythm unchanged.

He stood there, motionless, his eyes calm.

The task had been assigned, the craftsman had started, the fire had not gone out, and the road was not finished.

The blueprint was spread out, the charcoal pencil moving fast; the first skeletal line had already been drawn.

Chen Tiezhu looked up at him, didn't speak, put down the pen, grabbed a wrench, and walked toward the tool rack.

The next second, the sound of metal clashing rang out, the cutter sparked, illuminating half the wall.

Mecha research and development officially began.