165: Chapter 165 Organizational Research, The Path to Integration

The lights in the Council Hall were still on, the candlelight steady under the reinforcement of the Formation, casting a faint green glow on the stone walls.

Three figures sat around a long central table, a black iron plate slowly rising to project a dense stream of data, flowing silently like an inverted galaxy.

Chen Wuwang stood at the very front. A blue light flashed in his left Mechanical Prosthetic Eye as he tapped the air, pulling up basic data from the Crystal Core and projecting it onto three light screens in front of them.

"We got the stuff. It's not a gift; it's an exam paper," he said, his voice not loud but commanding enough to hold the room. "They gave us a key. As for how to open the door, we have to smash out a path ourselves."

Chen Tiezhu sat on the left, his thick fingers pinching a Rune Chip he had just brought from the Artifact Refining Workshop, his brow furrowed into a knot.

He stared at the flickering Western structural diagrams, muttering, "This thing... the skeleton is sturdy enough, but the Spiritual Qi wiring is all backward. It's like the Meridians are connected to the wrong places. Won't it blow the furnace if it starts running?"

"They don't use Spiritual Veins for power; they use energy matrices." Chen Wuwang swiped the light screen, pulling up a set of comparison charts. "Look here. It doesn't rely on a Cultivator infusing Qi, but on 'field' resonance to trigger the power core."

"Compared to our mechas, it's like the difference between a torch and a thundercloud—one is lit by a person, the other is struck by heaven."

Chen Xiaodao stood on the right, arms crossed, his gaze locked onto the response delay analysis of the combat module.

He suddenly spoke: "The response is slow by 0.3 breaths."

"Hmm?" Chen Wuwang turned his head.

"Their main control System takes 0.3 breaths from command input to execution."

Chen Xiaodao sneered, "For us, that's enough time to cut off a head."

"But they can mass-produce, while we spend three years raising one mecha," Chen Tiezhu immediately countered. "You might be fast, but what if eight or ten enemies come at once? Can you cut them all down?"

"So we can't just copy it." Chen Wuwang slapped the edge of the table. A Titanium Alloy Dagger popped out automatically and stabbed into the stone surface, its blade humming. "What we want aren't parts, but ideas. Who says cultivation can't have assembly lines? Who says Sword Intent can't be written into a program?"

He pulled out the dagger and quickly carved three lines on the stone table: the left labeled 'Artifact Refining,' the right 'Combat,' and a question mark in the middle.

"Uncle Tiezhu, you handle the framework reconstruction. Focus on solving the load-bearing issue—the Western energy matrices are efficient, but the Materials are too brittle. We need to integrate our Black Iron Forging Method so the frame can withstand high-pressure spiritual currents."

Chen Tiezhu stroked his chin, his eyes gradually brightening. "If we add a layer of 'Spiral Melting Patterns' and then use Nano-scale Rune nesting... perhaps we can make the outer shell adaptively regulate the spirit conduction rate."

"On the right track." Chen Wuwang nodded, his pen tip turning to the right. "Xiao Dao, you're in charge of the control end. Forget their slow command chain. What I want is 'pre-loading'—record your Sword Intent into it so the mecha executes a Meteor Sword Style the moment it raises its hand, without waiting for a thought to finish."

Xiao Dao's eyes flashed. "Digitizing Sword Intent waveforms... theoretically feasible. But it requires high-precision capture and protection against backlash."

"I'll have the Formation team work with you to build an isolation chamber," Chen Wuwang said with certainty. "Just try it. If it blows up, someone will cover for you."

"And what about this line in the middle?" Chen Tiezhu pointed at the question mark.

"The interface." Chen Wuwang chuckled softly. "The things you two come up with must eventually fit together. I don't care if it's spiritual energy or electricity, runes or code; the final result is only one—the mecha obeys orders and shreds the enemy like paper."

Before he finished, Chen Tiezhu suddenly stood up: "Wait! You mentioned Fusion, but if two forces collide, too light and there's no power, too heavy and it explodes! There must be a 'buffer layer,' like a temperature control Formation in a furnace, absorbing heat while diverting the flow."

"Just like a swordsman gathering momentum before a strike," Chen Xiaodao suddenly chimed in. "Even the fastest strike has a millisecond-level muscle-tensing process. Can we make a 'Spiritual Energy Buffer Pool'? Store a little normally and burst it at the critical moment."

The two looked at each other, the tension between them easing slightly.

Chen Wuwang looked at them, the corners of his mouth curling slightly as the rhythm of his fingers tapping the table quickened.

"Good, then let's set three principles." He used his dagger to carve words into the stone, sparks flying with every stroke.

"First, stability is priority—no matter how strong a mecha is, it's a joke if it explodes at your own doorstep."

"Second, compatibility is the foundation—use the old System where possible, and take new things to fill the gaps."

"Third, combat-oriented—all improvements must ultimately result in 'winning the fight.'"

Chen Tiezhu nodded. "I'll go back and dismantle a scrapped mecha to test the Western skeleton on the leg load-bearing structure first."

"I'll go into the Simulation Pod tonight to record three sets of Sword Intent waveforms," Chen Xiaodao's gaze was cold and sharp. "Starting from the most basic Wind-Severing Style."

"No rush." Chen Wuwang raised a hand to stop him. "First, do a model deduction. Old Lin has a set of Ancient Formation Calculation Disks; we'll borrow and modify them to run data streams. Input your respective plans and see if they can merge."

He paused and looked at the two of them. "This isn't a matter of who listens to whom. This is the Chen Family's path, and we must forge it together."

The room fell silent for a moment, only the data on the projected light screen still scrolling with a faint hum.

Chen Tiezhu looked down, fiddling with the chip, and suddenly muttered, "Actually... I secretly tried it a few days ago. By carving runes into microchips, the spirit-conduction rate can reach seventy percent."

Chen Wuwang raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You were hiding that quite well."

"I was afraid you'd say I was betraying the ancestral methods," the old man grinned sheepishly. "But looking at the world today, if we don't change, we die."

"What our ancestors left behind was a craft, not a shackle," Chen Wuwang said calmly. "If you're truly capable, then turn the 'Three Thousand Mantras of Artifact Refining' into code and let future generations start the furnace with one click."

Chen Xiaodao suddenly interjected, "And you? You're telling us what to do, but what will you do yourself?"

"Coordination." Chen Wuwang turned and sheathed the dagger at his waist, his voice deepening. "And planning. Starting tomorrow, I'll have each group report their existing resources and list what's missing. We need more high-purity crystal ores, more stable energy arrays, and—"

He paused for a second, the blue light in his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye flickering slightly.

"An independent testing network separate from the Family System. We can't let any external signals seep in, nor can we let research data leak out."

"Are you afraid someone is watching?" Chen Xiaodao narrowed his eyes.

"I'm not afraid of a thief stealing; I'm afraid of a thief constantly thinking about it," Chen Wuwang sneered. "They can send a Crystal Core today, and they can send people to 'inspect the progress' tomorrow. We have to race against time."

Chen Tiezhu slapped the table heavily. "Then let's split up! I'll head back to the Artifact Refining Workshop now to clear the equipment and vacate a clean room specifically for structural Fusion."

"I'll apply to enter the highest-authority Training Zone." Chen Xiaodao had already started walking toward the door. "Sword Intent collection cannot be completed in an ordinary pod."

"Wait." Chen Wuwang called them back and took out a piece of metal paper as thin as a cicada's wing from his robe, shaking it out and spreading it on the table.

"This is the first architectural blueprint I reverse-engineered using the Crystal Core data." He picked up the dagger, the tip slowly tracing along the lines. "Dual-track parallel, with an integration interface reserved in the middle. Follow this direction and don't stray."

Chen Tiezhu leaned in for a closer look and murmured, "This approach... it's unorthodox, but it works."

Chen Xiaodao stared at the blueprint for a long time before finally nodding. "It's worth a try."

"Then do it." Chen Wuwang took back the blueprint and tucked it away. "Remember, we don't seek speed, but steady progress. This battle isn't for outsiders to see; it's to fight for our own survival."

The two said no more, cupped their hands in a salute, and turned to leave.

The sound of footsteps faded, and the Council Hall returned to silence.

Chen Wuwang stood alone at the table, his fingers unconsciously tapping the stone surface in a rhythm steady as a heartbeat.

He looked at the unfinished 'Technology-Cultivation Fusion Architecture Map' on the wall, his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye constantly refreshing the deduction models in his mind.

In the distance, the lights of the Artifact Refining Workshop remained bright.