591: Chapter 591 A Cannon Drawn by an Ox? No, it was just an experiment.

The barrel of the first Vehicle-Mounted Spiritual Energy Cannon only passed inspection after being smelted three times.

The first time, there were air bubbles, so it was scrapped.

The second time, the wall thickness was uneven, so it was scrapped again.

The third time, Xu Ruyu did it himself with Wang Tie assisting him; the two of them were busy for an entire night.

The furnace fire reflected red on their faces, and sweat dripped from their chins onto the ground, making a sizzling sound.

As dawn approached, the cannon barrel emerged from the furnace.

The body was perfectly straight, the inner wall as smooth as a mirror, and Array Pattern flickered on the barrel. A silver-white luster emanated from deep within the lines, looking like a sleeping silver snake.

Ignoring the heat, Wang Tie held the barrel and measured it carefully with calipers over and over, his voice trembling slightly.

“Sect Master, it’s done. It’s really done this time.”

Xu Ruyu took the barrel, checked the inner wall against the light, measured the wall thickness with the calipers, and ran his fingers over the Array Pattern before handing it to Zhao Xiaogang nearby.

“Alright, set it aside for now and start on the next part. We haven't even begun the chassis and wheels. No matter how good the barrel is, it's just an iron rod if it can't be mounted on a vehicle.”

The chassis used an alloy of Cold Iron and piglets Star-patterned steel, making it both hard and lightweight.

The wheels were solid, with shock-absorbing Array Pattern carved on the surface.

Xu Ruyu led the Disciples to set up the chassis and mount the barrel, then temporarily found a Spirit Beast from the warehouse to pull it.

That Spirit Beast was an Iron-Spined Ox. It was strong but stubborn; no matter how the Disciples pulled, it refused to move a single step.

Wang Tie pulled the reins in front while Zhao Xiaogang pushed the ox's rear, but the ox didn't budge an inch. It even snorted, spraying Wang Tie's face.

Zhao Yan couldn't take it anymore. He rolled up his sleeves, walked over, and slapped the ox's rear.

The Spirit Beast felt the pain and bolted. The chassis and wheels were dragged along, clattering forward and scraping a deep furrow into the ground.

Several Disciples were pulled off balance and had to chase it for a long distance before they could grab hold.

Zhao Yan chased it down, grabbed the ox's ear, and dragged it back. The ox was panting heavily, and Zhao Yan was panting just as hard.

Man and ox stared at each other, eye to eye, neither backing down.

“Sect Master, this ox won't do. Swap it for one with a better temper. This ox is as stubborn as Chen Ping—it won't move when pulled and goes backward when hit.” Zhao Yan didn't let go of the ox's ear.

Xu Ruyu chuckled and had someone swap it for another Spirit Beast.

This time they changed it for a Green Ox. It had a gentle temperament, moving when pulled without kicking or spitting.

Wang Tie held the reins, and the Green Ox leisurely pulled the chassis in a circle around the Martial Arts Arena. The wheels turned smoothly, and the chassis was very stable.

Zhao Yan watched the cannon being pulled slowly by the ox, his lip twitching. He turned and asked, “Sect Master, we aren't going to use oxen to pull this thing forever, are we? That’s too slow; the enemy would have run away long ago.”

Xu Ruyu shook his head.

“We won't use oxen in the future; we'll use Formation-driven power. The ox is just for testing. Once the Array Soul is stable, it will be able to run on its own.”

Zhao Yan nodded, only half-understanding.

A few days later, the Grand Elder and Xiao Nianyin returned.

The spirit boat was piled high with Materials: Profound Iron Ingots, Cold Iron ingots, Red Copper Blocks, Wind Copper pipes, as well as a fist-sized piece of Star Sand, a palm-sized piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Jade, and a small bottle of Lightning-Struck Wood powder.

These things couldn't be bought even with money; one had to rely on luck. Clearly, their luck was good.

Zhou Daniu and Li Ergou moved the Materials down from the spirit boat, stacking them box by box in the warehouse, perfectly organized.

Xu Ruyu did a tally; basically all the Materials he had listed were there, and the quality was better than he had requested.

The ordinary refined iron and Copper Ingots on the list—marked as 'quality irrelevant, the more the better'—filled several large carts and were piled outside the warehouse like a small mountain.

“Grand Elder, thank you for your hard work. Did everything go smoothly?”

Xu Ruyu put the list away, seeing the Grand Elder's white hair disheveled by the wind and his lips parched and peeling.

Xiao Nianyin was as calm as still water. Without saying a word about her hardships, she walked straight into the Weaponry Workshop.

The Grand Elder shook his head.

“It wasn't hard. Sect Master, this old man heard on the road that the external Sects are all discussing what we are building.”

“Some say it's a weapon of mass destruction, some say it's a defensive Formation, and others say they have no idea, but it's definitely something formidable.”

“Those small Sects have already started buying up Materials at high prices in the markets near the Hehuan Sect.”

“They don't know what we're making, but they know that following the Sect Master's lead can't be wrong.”

Xu Ruyu laughed.

“Let them buy. The more they buy, the more expensive the Materials become. The more expensive they are, the more they can't afford them. In the end, all the Spirit Stones will flow to us.”

The Grand Elder was stunned for a moment, then he laughed as well.

The Sect Master was quite adept at this kind of thing that benefited themselves at the expense of others.

Xiao Nianyin walked into the Weaponry Workshop, her gaze sweeping over the strangely shaped metal parts before landing on Xu Ruyu's face.

“This thing you're building... can it really run?”

She pointed at the cannon on the chassis. The barrel wasn't fixed yet, tied to the carriage with ropes, and the Array Soul on the body hadn't been fully activated.

Xu Ruyu pointed at the Green Ox nearby that was temporarily serving as the 'traction power'.

“It doesn't run fast, but it can move. We'll verify the basic structure first, then switch to Formation Power. You can't get fat in one bite; we have to take it slow.”

“What's the use of just moving? I want something that can hit people.”

“It can hit. Its power is several times greater than the Thunder Roar Cannon. It's still being tuned; the Array Soul is unstable, and there's interference in the energy circuit, so sometimes it won't fire.”

Xu Ruyu didn't dare to make promises he couldn't keep.

Xiao Nianyin glanced at him.

“You said the same thing when you were making the qi-breaking gun. It exploded several times before succeeding. How many times will it explode this time?”

Xu Ruyu scratched his head.

“It shouldn't explode this time. Theoretically, it's sound. As for practice... we'll see.”

“How will we know where the problem is if it doesn't explode a few times? Only through explosions can we get data, and only with data can we improve. This isn't failure; it's progress.”

Xiao Nianyin didn't ask further.

She walked to the side, found a clean spot to sit, pulled out that old book from her sleeve, and flipped to the page with the bookmark.

Today, she flipped the page very quickly and didn't really absorb many words; her gaze frequently drifted from the page to glance at Xu Ruyu's back.

A few days later, the first Vehicle-Mounted Spiritual Energy Cannon was tested on the Martial Arts Arena.

The cannon body was mounted on the chassis, set on wheels, and pulled by the Green Ox.

The barrel was very long, several feet in length, with a uniform thickness. The Array Soul on the surface shimmered with a faint silver light in the sun, as if coated in silver powder.

Zhao Yan led the Green Ox to the designated position, released the reins, and stepped aside.

Wang Tie was responsible for aiming and firing. This was the first time in his life operating such a complex device; his hands were shaking, not from fear, but from excitement.

His fingers pressed several times on the Array Pattern, activating the energy circuit. The silver light on the barrel began to flow, following the Array Pattern from the breech to the muzzle, moving faster and brighter as it went.

Standing on the high platform, Xu Ruyu nodded.

Wang Tie triggered the firing incantation.

“Boom!”

A golden pillar of light, twice as thick as that of a Thunder Roar Cannon, erupted from the muzzle. With a sharp whistling sound, it slammed into the stone wall at the edge of the Martial Arts Arena.

The stone wall shattered on impact, rocks flying and dust filling the air.

The pillar of light, its momentum unspent, pierced through the stone wall and struck the mountain behind it.

The entire mountain vibrated slightly, and dust cascaded down from the mountain face.

The sound was so deafening that even Zhao Yan instinctively covered his ears.

The power was more than three times that of a Thunder Roar Cannon. The golden pillar of light left a scorching trail in the air that only slowly dissipated after a long moment.

The recoil was also significant; the entire gun carriage slid back several feet, dragging the Green Ox back a few steps as its four hooves dug shallow furrows into the ground.

Two Disciples quickly ran over to grab the reins and steady the ox.

But the barrel was fine, the chassis was fine, and the wheels were fine.

The Array Soul flickered once on the cannon body and stabilized, as if nothing had happened.