73: Chapter 73 Alliance Building in Full Swing

As the morning light just crept over the edge of the Eastern Wasteland Alliance construction site, Chen Wuwang was already standing on the central platform.

He wore neither battle armor nor his Family Head robes, just a simple black training outfit with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, clutching a communication talisman that was still flickering with data.

Below, the air was filled with a cacophony of voices.

Disciples from the Seven Clans were mixed together, moving Materials, adjusting Formation bases, and connecting Spiritual Qi conduits. The scene was bustling with activity, but also as chaotic as a pot of freshly boiled porridge.

The Zhao Clan's people piled mysterious iron ore in the ecological power supply area reserved for the Lin Family, while several young Cultivators from the Sun Family were using Earth-type Spells to tamp down the foundation, causing the metal frame that the Li Family members had just assembled to shake violently.

Worse still, a section of the Spiritual Qi flow channel on the north side had clearly been carved with patterns, but every time the Spiritual Qi was connected, it exploded, collapsing three times in a row.

"The frequencies don't match!" a deacon shouted at the top of his lungs. "Your Xu Family's Spiritual patterns lean towards the cold, while our Zhao Clan's are Yang-intense pulses; putting them together is like pouring oil on fire!"

No one argued, but their expressions were all grim.

Chen Wuwang did not get angry, nor did he issue orders.

He raised his right hand, his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye flashing with blue light, and the entire layout of the site was instantly projected as a translucent light screen, hovering above the construction site.

Progress bars, resource distribution, and personnel allocation were all clearly displayed.

"The Zhao Clan excels at Artifact Refining, so the metal structures are yours."

His voice was not loud, yet it suppressed all the noise. "The Lin Family specializes in planting spirit vines, so you lead the ecological modules. The Sun Clan understands Earth vein tremors, so you are responsible for foundation stabilization. Three members of the Li Family have passed the first round of training and will lead the calibration of the Spiritual Qi conduits. Elder Xu—"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over: "Your clan's Spiritual patterns follow a steady route, which is perfect for harmonizing the fluctuations of each section. You will be the coordination team."

As his voice fell, the representatives of the Seven Clans were all stunned.

This was not an order, but a division of labor. It wasn't about who listened to whom, but about everyone displaying their strengths.

Someone wanted to say something, but Chen Wuwang raised his hand and tapped the light screen: "Now, for every basic structural section completed, the bell will ring once."

Before his voice had even faded, the first bell rang out.

In the west, Zhao Clan Disciples embedded the final titanium alloy beam into the support, activated the spiritual energy, and the entire structure hummed in resonance. The clear sound of the bell spread across the entire site.

Immediately after, another bell rang from the Lin Family's side.

Then, the Spiritual Qi conduit in the south zone was connected, marking the third ring.

The bell tolls became more frequent, the rhythm urging them on. The teams, which had originally been working independently, began to spontaneously coordinate. Someone took the initiative to ask:

"What is the Spiritual Qi conduction frequency for your section? Let me adjust mine."

"The ecological power supply needs Yin-attribute Spiritual Qi; should we draw in another stream?"

"Should the foundation have an extra buffer layer? Our Sun Family brought tremor-stone powder."

Chen Wuwang stood on the high platform, his fingers lightly swiping across the communication talisman, updating the data in real-time.

He knew this hurdle had been cleared—from doubting technology to accepting training, and now to actually working together to build, their hearts had been moved.

By noon, the sun was scorching.

A slight tremor suddenly came from the Earth vein on the north side, lasting less than three breaths, but it was enough to put everyone on alert.

Aftershocks of Insect Clan activity? Or some other trouble?

The defensive works must be accelerated.

"Accelerate the burial of the early warning Formation arrays," Chen Wuwang ordered, "but pause the direct connection where the Spiritual pattern stone attributes conflict."

"Then how should we proceed?" Elder Xu frowned. "We can't just each build our own, right?"

"No, that is exactly what you must do."

Chen Wuwang walked to the center of the base and led the survey team himself. "Modular nesting—each of your clans will independently complete your own style of defensive unit, but reserve standard interfaces. The appearance can be different, and the Formation logic can be different, but the core resonance frequency must be unified."

He took out a three-foot-long metal stake, its surface covered in intricate runes, with a spiral shape at the bottom:

"This is a 'Resonance Anchor Stake,' developed by the Chen Family and calibrated to a universal frequency band. Bury one under each joint defense tower to serve as a signal relay and frequency harmonization hub."

The representatives of the Seven Clans gathered around to inspect it.

"Our Zhao Clan's tower will have fire patterns to detonate the spiritual power of intruders."

"Our Lin Family will use a vine-entwined style; it has strong concealment."

"Our Sun Family will use a three-layer underground linkage to prevent sneak attacks."

Chen Wuwang agreed to them one by one: "All of that is fine. As long as the interfaces match, the style is up to you."

Two incense sticks later, the first cross-clan joint defense tower rose.

The Zhao Clan's metal tower body, the Lin Family's spirit vines wrapped around it, and the Sun Family's Earth vein chains emerged from the ground; the three forces converged at the Resonance Anchor Stake, and seven beams of light of different colors shot into the sky, weaving into a net high above and slowly rotating.

The entire site was silent for a moment, then erupted into cheers.

This was not the Chen Family's defense, but a defensive line shared by the Seven Clans.

For the first time, the true meaning of the word "Alliance" had been realized.

In the evening, the twilight gradually stained the sky.

The lights on the construction site lit up one by one. The illumination spirit lamps were powered by a temporary energy hub, the light soft yet not glaring, illuminating the entire area as if it were day.

Someone started playing music—not the Chen Family's mechanical concertos, nor any single clan's solo, but a piece mixed from the folk songs of the Seven Clans, sometimes passionate, sometimes soothing, drifting on the wind.

But some people were tired.

A few young Disciples sat by the pile of Materials, wiping away sweat, complaining in low voices:

"Working this hard, who gets the credit in the end? Let's not end up as manual laborers building city walls for others."

The voice was not loud, but it reached the ears of many.

Chen Wuwang heard it, but he didn't rebuke them, nor did he preach any grand principles.

He walked onto the platform, holding a newly generated list in his hand.

"Today's contribution statistics are synchronized in real-time," he said, raising his hand. "The 'Joint Construction Honor Roll' will openly display the number of people from each clan on the list daily, task completion rates, and resource investment amounts. The data has already been connected to the ancestral jade steles of each clan; the Elders in your clans can see it, and it will also appear before the ancestral tablets."

He paused, his voice lowering slightly:

"Every brick you moved today, every pattern you carved, is not for someone else's benefit. It is to tell everyone—the Seven Clans of the Eastern Wasteland are from now on no longer anyone's vassal, and no longer lambs under anyone's knife."

The crowd quieted down.

"What is built today is not a wall, but a gate," he said. "Leading to a tomorrow where we no longer have to fight alone, and no longer have to beg for a way to survive on our knees."

No one spoke.

Then, a Li Family youth suddenly stood up, patted the dust off his pants, and walked towards the unfinished Spiritual Qi conduit: "Let's go, connect the last section. Don't let the neighboring clan laugh at us for finishing early."

Laughter slowly returned.

Some people began to look for their clan's name on the Honor Roll, and upon seeing it ranked in the top three, smiles immediately appeared on their faces.

An old man from the Xu Family took out a pen, recorded today's work points on a Jade Slip, and muttered: "I must have the clan send two more young people when I get back."

Chen Wuwang stepped off the platform, not returning to the inner hall, nor summoning anyone.

He stood at the edge of the high platform, his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye continuously scanning the entire site: progress bars jumping, energy loads stable, and the collaboration nodes of each clan running smoothly.

The communication talisman flickered constantly, receiving new report data—three more carts of cold iron ore had arrived, the second batch of Zhao Clan trainees would arrive tomorrow, and the Lin Family proposed wanting to learn the layout of the irrigation System in advance.

He read through them one by one, his gaze steady.

In the distance, the first joint boundary monument was being cast. The emblems of the Seven Clans surrounded it, with four large characters carved in the center: "Eastern Wasteland Alliance."

The wind blew across the construction site, carrying the mixed scent of metal and Spiritual Qi.

The humming of the body-forging chambers, the operation of mechanical arms, and the conversations among the clansmen wove together into a vibrant clamor.

Chen Wuwang stood where he was, holding the communication talisman, his gaze sweeping over this land that was rising from the ground.

The night had completely fallen.