137: Chapter 137: After the Tribulation, Let's Optimize the Blueprints First

The stormy waves of the outside world were no different to Jiang Ning than a thunderstorm outside her window.

From the moment she decided to build the "Peace No. 1" floating island by hand in front of the whole world, she had anticipated today's outcome.

Engaging in Infrastructure Construction, especially this kind of "divine Infrastructure Construction" that exceeded the limits of ordinary people's imagination, was the fastest way to accumulate merit and power of prayer.

The previous "base station" dike and the "Shennong No. 1" assembly line had allowed her to accumulate enough capital for a breakthrough.

Today, this "Peace No. 1" floating island rose from the ground under the eyes of billions; the impact it brought was several times that of all previous projects combined.

At that moment, the golden energy surging into her body was a mixture of shock, awe, and worship—so massive it could burst any Foundation Establishment cultivator.

But for Jiang Ning, this power was neither too much nor too little; it was just right.

Her foundation had long been firmly established through one "forging swords for the nation" project after another.

Now, this massive merit and power of prayer was the final stage of rocket fuel to ignite the launch.

"Boom!"

She clearly "heard" the invisible and intangible barrier that had stuck countless cultivators being shattered by this golden energy.

The spiritual energy in her body was no longer gas, nor water.

In a wonderful way, they desperately compressed and condensed toward the center of her Dantian.

This process was extremely painful.

Every inch of her meridians and every cell was being torn apart and then reorganized.

The world-destroying Nine-Colored Divine Lightning outside, striking her body, brought not destruction but tempering.

The purest masculine power within the lightning forced the impurities out of her body and burned them away bit by bit.

Meanwhile, the gentlest nourishing power within the merit and prayer immediately repaired her damaged body, molding it to be even stronger.

Shattering while reshaping.

Jiang Ning's consciousness was completely immersed in this transformation.

She could "see" a grain-sized, golden-glowing solid core forming in her Dantian.

It was like a seed.

As power continued to pour in, this "seed" began to rotate and grow.

With every rotation, it carried the spiritual energy throughout her body. With every bit it grew, her perception extended further outward.

She could feel the wind—not the sensation of it blowing against her skin, but... she herself had become the wind.

She could feel the sea—not the sensation of seeing it with her eyes, but... her consciousness had delved into every drop of seawater.

She could even feel the hearts thumping with tension, fear, and bewilderment inside those cold iron ships dozens of kilometers away.

Is this what it feels like to have a Golden Core?

Consciousness can leave the body and merge with heaven and earth.

It was no longer "borrowing" the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, but truly starting to "control" a part of the world's rules.

With just a thought, she could make this sea whip up waves a hundred meters high.

With just a thought, she could make this island sink to the bottom of the sea ten thousand meters deep.

This power to master the world was enough to make any ordinary person addicted and lose themselves.

But Jiang Ning's heart remained as still as stagnant water.

To her, becoming stronger was never the goal.

It was just... a tool that allowed her to complete the next project more efficiently.

"It's done."

When the last trace of the Nine-Colored Divine Lightning was swallowed by the golden pill in her Dantian.

That Golden Core was already the size of a longan, perfectly round and smooth, its brilliance restrained, with some profound patterns appearing on its surface.

The Golden Core was formed!

Jiang Ning opened her eyes.

The world in her eyes had completely changed.

It was no longer a space composed of colors, shapes, and sounds.

But a vast web woven from countless "lines"—some bright, some dark, some thick, and some thin.

Those were... the rules of the world.

The laws governing everything were on these lines.

She even could see how the massive internal formation of the floating island beneath her feet intertwined with the Earth's gravitational and spiritual fields to achieve balance.

"So that's how it is..."

For the first time, a trace of a genuine smile appeared at the corners of her mouth.

Not because she had become stronger, but because... she understood more and more complex design blueprints.

The formation structures on the "Sky City" blueprints that she couldn't understand before were now crystal clear in her mind.

Many engineering problems that had previously stumped her were suddenly resolved.

"So the energy circuit of this anti-gravity core can be modified like this; it could save at least thirty percent of energy consumption."

"The spiritual energy ratio of the ecological cycle system also has issues; no wonder the plants grow fast but lack spirituality. The conversion efficiency of wood and water spiritual energy is too low."

"And this defensive formation is too crude, it can only take hits head-on. If energy diversion and reverse charging functions were added, at least half of the energy from that S-class Awakened's attack just now could be recycled to charge the streetlights on the island..."

In an instant, hundreds of optimization plans for "Peace No. 1" popped into her head.

This was the "brain" of a Golden Core cultivator.

With consciousness like a supercomputer, multitasking was a piece of cake.

She stood up and stretched.

The physical changes brought by the breakthrough made her feel extremely comfortable.

She looked down and saw a thin layer of fishy, black oil seeping out of her white work clothes.

That was the bodily waste expelled when she was struck by lightning just now.

"A bit dirty."

She frowned.

With a thought, a stream of clear water appeared out of thin air, rinsing her from head to toe.

then，A gust of wind blew by，Instantly dries the moisture。

Only after finishing all this did she raise her head and calmly gaze at the nervous United Fleet in the distance.

She knew that the real show of this "Hongmen Banquet" was just beginning.

Meanwhile, Director Zhao Lixin's voice, cracked with excitement, rang out in her earpiece.

"Eng... Engineer Jiang! Are... are you all right? What... what was that situation just now?"

"I'm fine," Jiang Ning's tone was the same as before. "Just a small technical breakthrough."

"..."

Director Zhao Lixin remained silent on the other end for a full ten seconds.

A small... technical breakthrough?

You call that world-destroying scene that almost made the United Fleet wet themselves a "small technical breakthrough"?

He took a deep breath, suppressed the stormy waves in his heart, and returned to business.

"Cough... Engineer Jiang, are... are you finished? Then... will the summit still be held as scheduled?"

"Of course," Jiang Ning's tone left no room for doubt. "Notify them that the meeting will be held in the No. 1 Conference Hall of the 'Peace Palace' in half an hour. Tell them that we Xia people are always very punctual."

"Also, send another formal diplomatic note."

"What note?"

"Welcome all national delegations to visit the 'Peace No. 1' floating island platform for inspection and guidance."