Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World
Chapter 373 - 210: Zhuge Repeating Crossbow_2

Chapter 373: Chapter 210: Zhuge Repeating Crossbow_2

Old Huang’s eyes widened in shock. After collecting his thoughts, he rushed over to pick up the arrow: "Quick! Let me try it too!"

Old Huang placed the arrow into the quiver and began imitating Gu Sheng’s operation. After firing all the arrows in the quiver, he exclaimed, "Gu Sheng, my young friend, you are truly a genius! This lever component you mentioned is simply incredible! Not only does it allow for rapid reloading, but it actually saves half the effort—it’s sheer brilliance! I’m genuinely curious about how your mind works, to design such an ingenious thing!"

Hearing Old Huang’s compliments, Gu Sheng’s face flushed. This wasn’t due to his own brilliance—credit belonged to Zhuge Liang and Archimedes, neither of whom had any connection to him. At best, he was just a "delivery man."

"Ahem, Old Huang, actually, the application of the lever principle can be quite broad. If you’re interested in the future, you can research it yourself; try lengthening the lever and see what happens."

The lever principle was no joke. Archimedes had once boldly declared that given a fulcrum, he could lift the entire Earth!

This principle, if utilized in the design of large machinery, could save considerable effort, to say the least.

Old Huang and Gu Sheng hit it off well, and Gu Sheng didn’t mind sharing a few forward-thinking scientific tidbits with him.

"Old Huang, where’s that item I left with you last time?"

As soon as he heard this, Old Huang immediately walked to the side, pressed a hidden mechanism, and a pillar rose from the ground. Sitting atop it was a box Gu Sheng had left with him previously.

"Here, check it out."

Gu Sheng opened the box and removed a piece of "Three-Grain Iron Thunder Wood." "Old Huang, could you help me forge this Iron Thunder Wood into a treasure? Feel free to source the other required materials from the merchant hall; I’ll reimburse you for the costs later."

Seeing the Three-Grain Iron Thunder Wood in Gu Sheng’s hand, Old Huang smiled knowingly. "Three-Grain Iron Thunder Wood, eh, you rascal! Alright, come back for it in three days!"

"Then I won’t take up any more of your time, Old Huang. I’ll browse the merchant hall meanwhile."

After leaving Old Huang’s forging workshop, Gu Sheng had Qingqing take him to the Mu Clan Merchant Hall to meet one of their alchemists. Gu Sheng paid them to help him refine the Thunder Dan.

Although having someone from Spirit Pill Peak refine it would cost less, those items belonged to Spirit Pill Peak elders, and being discovered could prove troublesome. He didn’t lack money right now, and spending some to avoid needless trouble was well worth it.

After taking care of these tasks, Gu Sheng ate and drank his fill in Holy Pill City before returning to War God Peak.

Three days later, he returned to Old Huang’s forging workshop.

Old Huang handed him a longsword: "A Yellow-Level Low-Grade treasure, Thunder Sword. Try it and see if it suits you."

Gu Sheng unsheathed the longsword, and immediately the sound of crackling thunder echoed around him. When he infused it with power, visible electric arcs began to surround the blade.

Old Huang’s forging craftsmanship was impeccable. Although the Thunder Sword was technically a Yellow-Level Low-Grade treasure, Gu Sheng could tell with a simple test that its strength was almost on par with mid-grade treasures—evidence that Old Huang had poured considerable effort into its creation.

"Thank you, Old Huang!"

Old Huang grinned. "Glad you’re happy with it! Come over here. Based on your cultivation level, you’ll likely be heading to the Red Cloud Secret Domain when it opens, right? This crossbow is my gift to you—I wouldn’t want you dying in a place like that!"

Gu Sheng followed Old Huang to the forging table, where a finely-crafted and impressive-looking Zhuge Repeating Crossbow was displayed.

Old Huang had made modifications to the crossbow, adding a ruler for precise measurements beside the quiver, and improving the sliding rod for easier tension adjustment. Gu Sheng also noticed Huang Lai had fine-tuned the quiver’s workings.

Old Huang looked proud as he picked up the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow, his face beaming with satisfaction. "I’ve made some tweaks to the quiver based on your original design, making it easier to replace!"

He pressed a small wooden peg protruding from the side of the crossbow’s body, and a smaller quiver immediately popped out.

Old Huang quickly picked up the ejected quiver, slid another back into place, and gave it a firm tap—it locked back in instantly.

Watching this, Gu Sheng couldn’t help but give Old Huang a thumbs-up. He hadn’t expected that despite Old Huang’s advanced age, his mind was still sharp enough to come up with something akin to a spring mechanism, turning the quiver semi-automatic.

This level of craftsmanship was impressive!

"Let’s name this crossbow after you. This one is custom-made to suit you, crafted entirely from Yellow-Level Top-Grade materials. The arrows made for it are exceptional too, forged from Yellow-Level Top-Grade Mogu Iron! As long as you aim accurately, a full volley could force even someone in the second tier of the Bone Refining Realm to retreat!"

The entry restrictions for the Red Cloud Secret Domain limited participants’ cultivation levels. Anyone above the Bone Refining Realm would be forcibly ejected upon entering—the Yellow-Level Top-Grade Zhuge Repeating Crossbow was more than suitable for the occasion!

Treasure-grade weapons like bows and crossbows wouldn’t weaken in power based on the wielder’s cultivation level. As long as someone could draw the bowstring and reload, even a Blood Refining Realm cultivator could unleash its full power.

Old Huang handed over three quivers. "I’ve crafted two hundred arrows for you in total, which should be sufficient. Carrying too many would just burden you."

Gu Sheng accepted the quivers and sincerely thanked Old Huang. "Thank you so much, Old Huang! These materials are expensive—please calculate the costs, and I’ll pay you back."

Old Huang burst into laughter. "Why worry about money? Thanks to that silencer you helped me with last time, I’ve been earning money hand over fist. While I haven’t started mass-producing the Zhuge Repeating Crossbows yet, I’m confident their sales will far exceed those of the silencer! Honestly, it’s me who owes you a debt."

Gu Sheng shook his head. "I only provided the idea; the creation was all your doing. Whatever profit you make of it is rightfully yours."

"Haha! You rascal, you’re truly in sync with me! Very good, excellent—you always come up with fresh, intriguing ideas. If you think of anything novel in the future, come and find me! Forget about the silencer; starting with this Zhuge Repeating Crossbow, every treasure we collaborate on moving forward will have half its earnings go to you! Don’t decline—it’s no small sum. Cultivating Martial Arts is expensive, and with your talent, your future expenses will only multiply!"

Gu Sheng couldn’t refuse after hearing that—Old Huang was right. As his cultivation level advanced, the costs of training would inevitably skyrocket!

After exchanging a few more words, Gu Sheng collected the Thunder Dan from the Mu Clan merchant hall’s alchemist and returned to the Holy Pill Sect.

Gu Sheng arrived at the Inner Sect disciples’ residences on War God Peak and found Lin Miaomiao.

Lin Miaomiao seemed pleasantly surprised to see him. "Junior Brother Gu!"

"Senior Sister Lin, long time no see. How have you been?"

Lin Miaomiao blushed slightly at the question. "I’ve been fine. How about you?"

Gu Sheng gestured toward the wooden cabin behind her. "Can we go inside to talk?"

He wanted to gift her the Thunder Sword and Thunder Dan, so naturally, he needed a private place.

Hearing this, Lin Miaomiao’s face turned even redder, and she quickly opened the door. "Come in!"

The cabin was tidy and faintly fragrant with flowers. While simple in its furnishings, it was cozy and inviting—a stark contrast to the stark barrenness of Gu Sheng’s own room.

After closing the door, Gu Sheng spoke. "Senior Sister, activate your protective barrier."

"Huh? Why activate the barrier?"

Lin Miaomiao was slightly puzzled. Inner Sect members’ cabins had basic protective barriers designed for isolating external disturbances during cultivation.

Gu Sheng didn’t explain. "Just activate it—I’ve got something to tell you."

"Oh!"

Lin Miaomiao obeyed and activated the barrier, then took a seat on a chair, visibly nervous.

Gu Sheng, being someone who had lived two lives, could easily tell that Lin Miaomiao was overthinking the situation. He didn’t point it out but instead directly revealed the Thunder Sword.

"Senior Sister, the Red Cloud Secret Domain is about to open. This is for you."

The defining features of Three-Grain Iron Thunder Wood were unmistakable, even when crafted into a treasure-grade item. Lin Miaomiao immediately recognized that the sword was forged from Three-Grain Iron Thunder Wood.

She appeared incredibly surprised and blurted out, "What?! Junior Brother, where did you get this sword?"