416: Chapter 416 The alliance is stable, and cooperation is even closer.

A night breeze swept across the central plaza of the Qiming Plain, yet the residual heat from the day had not yet fully dissipated.

Chen Wuwang stood on the stone steps outside the round-table conference hall, gazing at the three brightly lit workshop districts in the distance, in no hurry to leave.

The meeting just now had proceeded smoothly.

"My clan can share our spirit mine maps for three months."

"The Artifact Refining Workshop's slots from noon to late afternoon daily can be opened for use by other clans."

"Level two access to the deduction database is now open; dual-person authentication is required for retrieval."

As promises fell from the mouths of the various clan representatives, even Chen Wuwang himself was stunned for a half-second—this was no longer the Eastern Wasteland Alliance of three years ago, where no one trusted anyone and even borrowing a hammer required a life-binding contract as collateral.

He raised his hand to touch the Zerg claw scar on his right cheek, his fingertips brushing roughly over the old wound as he laughed softly. "Heh, it actually worked."

Inside the hall, things were still being tidied up. Several young deacons walked out carrying recording Jade Slips, muttering to each other as they went.

"Is the Zhao Family really willing to give up twenty percent of their Southern Vein Spirit Sand quota?"

"You didn't hear wrong; they said it themselves. They even volunteered to help us calibrate our furnace temperature controls."

"Isn't that old man from the Liu Clan the stingiest of them all? Today, he actually took the lead in handing over their ancestral formation pattern rubbings!"

"Keep it down. If the Elder hears you, he'll just call it 'strategic collaboration,' hehe."

Chen Wuwang didn't look back; he simply let the corners of his mouth curl up and turned to descend the steps.

His first stop was the West District Spirit Array Practical Training Ground.

Before he even entered the door, he could hear a cacophony of arguments inside.

"You call this 'Focusing'? Your Spiritual Qi is running wild like a boiling pot!"

"What do you know! Our lineage emphasizes 'intent moving with the heart.' We're not like you lot, having to stare at every single light pattern to match them up!"

"Matching them is called cultivation; not matching them is just blind practice! Come, come, try again. I've turned on the Visualization System!"

Chen Wuwang leaned against the doorframe and peered inside. A group of young people wearing the attire of different tribes were gathered around a floating Formation Plate, arguing until they were red in the face.

Standing in the middle was a small Cultivator in grey robes, holding a projection talisman and demonstrating the flow of spiritual energy over and over again.

He didn't interrupt, simply watching.

A moment later, someone with sharp eyes spotted him and abruptly fell silent.

"Family Head?"

"Quick, pay your respects!"

"At ease," Chen Wuwang waved them off, strolling inside. "Arguing is good. If you don't argue something out, the cooperation is just a sham."

The small Cultivator scratched his head. "But they just won't accept this 'visualization' method... saying it's too mechanical and lacks Concept."

Chen Wuwang walked to the Formation Plate and tapped it with his finger. A silvery-blue light pattern diffused from the center, rotating slowly like ripples on water.

"Do you see that green line?" he asked a youth who looked thoroughly unconvinced. "It's currently off by three points, and the Spiritual Qi circuit in your body is blocked right here—don't believe me? Close your eyes and follow it for one cycle."

The youth hesitated for a moment before closing his eyes.

A few breaths later, he snapped his eyes open. "It... it really cleared!"

"This isn't a cold machine; it's a path you couldn't see yourself, which you can see now."

Chen Wuwang patted his shoulder. "Your various clans have different Cultivation Techniques, just like walking—some take great strides, others move with slow, careful steps.

But the destination is always the mountain peak, right? So why not take a look at each other's footprints?"

The crowd grew quiet.

Some lowered their heads in thought, while others began flipping through their own notes.

"I'll come back tomorrow," the stubborn youth from before suddenly said. "I want to learn how to adjust that light pattern."

"Count me in!"

"Me too!"

Chen Wuwang nodded with a smile and turned to leave.

His second stop was the Northern United Artifact Refining Zone.

From afar, he could hear the clanging of metal mixed with the harsh sound of grinding.

Pushing open the door, he saw seven or eight craftsmen gathered around a half-disassembled mecha, arguing incessantly.

"You insist on adding rune inlay slots, but the weight is over the limit by nearly four pounds! It'll fly like a lead weight!"

"But without this layer of defense arrays, we won't be able to withstand lightning storms during high-altitude raids!"

"Then change the wiring! Move the energy conduits to the inside of the arm joints; the space saved will be just enough to compensate for the array base!"

"You can change that? I wouldn't dare touch the core circuits!"

Chen Wuwang approached and glanced at the blueprints. "Use double-helix induction tubes. The outer layer carries spiritual energy, and the inner layer carries coolant. It reduces the load and prevents explosions. If the old ways don't work, then build a new path."

A bearded man in the crowd suddenly looked up. "This method... isn't this what that kid from the Little Chen Family tried last month?"

"He proposed the idea, and I had it recorded in the Technical Compendium," Chen Wuwang said. "Whoever has a good idea, add it in. It will be updated once a month and used throughout the Alliance."

"Then... can we try modifying this machine according to that method first?"

"Modify it," Chen Wuwang said decisively. "Report whatever Materials you're missing, and I'll have them pulled from the Chen Family's inventory. I want to see a prototype capable of flight within three days."

The group responded with a roar of approval and immediately began the disassembly.

He didn't stay long, pausing at the door for a couple of looks before leaving.

The final stop was the East Training Ground.

This was the liveliest place.

Sword Cultivators, gunners, and mecha operators, who had originally kept to their own camps, were now organized into mixed teams, conducting nighttime coordination drills.

"Position three, pressure the left flank! Don't drift!"

"Firepower group, provide cover! Wait for the signal before striking!"

"Formation Masters, get ready! Deploy the protective net within three breaths!"

The commands interlaced, yet they were no longer chaotic. Everyone was shouting, and everyone was listening.

Chen Wuwang stood on the high platform, watching the figures running and weaving below, when he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.

"Family Head." A deacon handed over a list. "This is the first batch of cross-clan rotation training personnel arrangements. Please take a look..."

"No need for me to look." He took the list, flipped through a couple of pages, and stuffed it back. "If they decided it themselves, let them do it themselves. I'll take responsibility if any problems arise."

The deacon was stunned for a moment, then grinned. "Yes! Then I'll go notify them. Tonight's extra practice is canceled; let them have some wine and get to know each other."

"Go on."

After the man left, he stood alone by the edge of the platform. The wind blew in from the mouth of the valley, carrying a hint of coolness.

People were coming and going on the plaza, talking and laughing.

Chen Family disciples and youths from other clans walked side-by-side, discussing the day's training data;

Medical Cultivators from the Medicine Hall made their rounds with medicine chests, delivering calming tea to the craftsmen working late;

Even the night watch patrols were mixed between the two clans, joking with each other.

He hadn't seen a scene like this in a long time.

It wasn't because of forced submission through power, nor was it because of the pressure of a crisis—it was because everyone truly began to believe that they could walk this path together.

"Roots in the Eastern Wasteland, lives tied to our comrades..." he murmured softly, his voice scattered by the wind.

Thirty years ago, when he had first transmigrated here, the Chen Family was nothing but broken walls and ruins; he couldn't even find a decent cooking pot.

And now? It wasn't just the Chen Family that had changed; the very bones of the entire Eastern Wasteland had been reforged.

He turned and slowly walked down the stone steps toward the Head of House Mansion.

The lights in the study were still on.

On the way, he passed an open space where children were playing. Several little ones were using wooden sticks to draw mecha on the ground.

"My dad said I can go to the United Academy next month!"

"Then you'll have to pass the physical test!"

"Tch, I ran ten miles in one go last night! What about you?"

"I... I can control a hoverboard to fly for half an incense stick's time!"

Chen Wuwang's footsteps paused. He didn't look back, but the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

Further ahead was a newly opened experimental field with a sign stuck in the embankment: [Cross-Clan Spiritual Plant Co-cultivation Project · Phase One].

Two old craftsmen sat nearby, smoking pipes and chatting.

"I heard that batch of Fire-Pattern Rice from the Nangu Lin Family was crossbred with our Frost Wheat, and the seedling rate increased by twenty percent."

"Heh, I never would've believed it before—that farming could actually yield such results through collaboration."

"Times have changed, old brother. In the past, every family guarded their own pot, afraid others would steal their food. Now—"

"Now, everyone is cooking at the same large stove. Whoever has the best skill takes the ladle."

The two of them burst into laughter.

Chen Wuwang continued walking.

The stone steps rose level by level, the lights gradually dimmed, and the voices of people grew distant.

He took one last look back at the entire Qiming Plain.

The lights of ten thousand homes were like stars fallen upon the earth.

There were no alarms, no vigilance, no barriers.

Only busyness, only exchange, and only—hope.

He withdrew his gaze and stepped onto the final stone step.

The gates of the Head of House Mansion were right before his eyes.