Chapter 928: The First Step to Conquering the World (Part 2)

In the room, illuminated by the soft glow of the moon-fire lantern, Wang Chen sat at the table, deeply engrossed in assembling the components before him.

Metal gauntlet pipes, springs, handles, flint…

A flintlock gun, an artifact foreign to this world and era, was gradually taking shape under Wang Chen’s meticulous hands!

Over the past three months, while rigorously training in the Wei Hall, he had also been pondering his future.

To Wang Chen, he was merely a transient in this realm—Cangqing.

Eventually, he would have to leave.

Yet, conquering and claiming this world was Wang Chen’s ultimate ambition!

With a small world as his foundation, not only could he aspire to achieve Yuan Ying or transform into a spirit, but even Dao merging and ascending to a higher realm were within the realm of possibility. His journey of cultivation would be boundless.

However, obtaining the essence of a world was no simple feat!

Wang Chen was certain that the master of the cave beneath the pond, the extraordinary practitioner who constructed the teleportation array to Cangqing, had failed to achieve his goal and had abandoned it for reasons unknown.

This extraordinary practitioner’s strength far surpassed Wang Chen’s own!

If such a formidable figure could not succeed, could Wang Chen?

Wang Chen had no certainty of success!

But he was determined to strive, to start from the very bottom in this world of scant spiritual energy and disordered rules, ascending step by step toward the apex of this realm.

Yet, would reaching the pinnacle grant him the essence of the world?

The answer was unequivocally no!

The essence of the world was a treasure that could drive Yuan Ying to madness and ignite fierce competition among those transforming into a spirit; its value exceeded that of any heavenly materials and treasures.

If such a supreme object could be easily obtained, then the truly powerful would no longer be rare!

The challenge was that Wang Chen had no experience in this domain.

He had perused countless texts on Dao, yet none contained the knowledge he sought.

It was clearly a closely guarded secret!

Thus, Wang Chen had no choice but to forge his own path.

Fortunately, he had the vast expanse of Cangqing as his "experimental field."

This was Wang Chen’s unique opportunity!

And crafting this flintlock gun was Wang Chen’s initial step in his quest to conquer Cangqing.

He aimed to carve a new path, diverging from the conventional route!

Wang Chen was constructing the most advanced design of a percussion flintlock, which operated on the principle of pulling the trigger to strike flint on the hammer, generating a spark that would ignite the gunpowder in the powder chamber, propelling the bullet loaded into the barrel.

The principle was straightforward, but its execution was far from simple.

First, there was the issue of gunpowder.

Cangqing did not possess gunpowder, or perhaps someone had invented something akin to it, but it did have sulfur and saltpeter, the essential ingredients for making gunpowder.

Indeed, the Haotian Realm also contained sulfur and saltpeter; however, the creation of firearms in the celestial realm was deemed meaningless.

Cangqing was distinct; this small world was one where martial prowess reigned supreme and laws were feeble. In terms of power levels, it was incomparable to the Haotian Realm and fell short of the Mountain-Sea Realm as well.

Moreover, Cangqing was a land of constant strife among various nations—Daliang, Dawu, Beiqi, Nanman, Xiqiang, and others, with no great unified dynasty ever emerging.

This context gave firearms their significance.

In his past life, Wang Chen was a science and engineering enthusiast who also dabbled in self-media. He possessed strong practical skills and had experimented with many things, including flintlock guns!

His grandfather had been a hunter in the mountains and owned two flintlock hunting rifles, though he later had to surrender them.

Wang Chen had handled these rifles in his childhood, leaving a profound impression on him. As an adult, he secretly crafted a flintlock pistol, played with it in the wild a few times, and then dismantled it.

Thus, he was well-versed in both the principles and the techniques, facing no obstacles in manufacturing.

Wang Chen first developed gunpowder, specifically granular gunpowder.

As for the production method, he adhered to ancient techniques, employing precise ratios and repeated experiments, which resulted in a high-quality final product.

Next came the various components of the flintlock.

The most challenging part was undoubtedly the seamless barrel.

While seamless barrels could be obtained through casting, which was cost-effective, cast barrels could not avoid the presence of sand holes and internal damage, making them prone to bursting.

It was best to drill them out.

Fortunately, the forging technology in this world was not weak. Although Wang Chen’s standards were high, with sufficient payment, there were still highly skilled craftsmen willing to take on his request.

In the end, they produced results that satisfied him.

As for the other parts, that was much easier; Wang Chen had them customized at different workshops.

He finally assembled and adjusted them himself.

He customized a total of ten seamless barrels—five long and five short—for five flintlock rifles and five pistols.

Since all the parts were hand-crafted, it was normal for there to be errors; Wang Chen adjusted them himself until they met his requirements.

That night, he completed the assembly of one rifle and one pistol!

The following morning, as the city gate of Linjiang City just opened, Wang Chen quietly left the city.

He followed the official road westward, arriving at a desolate wilderness.

With no one around, Wang Chen took out a flintlock rifle from his storage space.

He first poured gunpowder into the barrel, then stuffed in a Minie ball wrapped in silk and soaked in oil, compacting it tightly with a ramrod, followed by adding some gunpowder to the powder chamber.

He measured the amount of gunpowder based on his experience, planning to standardize it in the future.

After completing all preparations for firing, Wang Chen steadily raised the self-made flintlock rifle and aimed at a large tree a hundred steps away.

He suddenly pulled the trigger.

Bang!

A burst of fire accompanied by blue smoke erupted as the rifle jolted, releasing the Minie ball with force.

It hit the target accurately!

Wang Chen lowered the rifle and walked over to check the results.

He saw a hole in the tree trunk that was thicker than his thumb, with the bullet embedded deeply inside.

But it had not penetrated the trunk.

Despite that, the power of this flintlock rifle exceeded Wang Chen’s expectations!

Words like "three-stage shooting" and "firing squad" flashed through his mind in an instant.

Such a weapon in the hands of an ordinary person could not be resisted even by ordinary martial artists; even martial generals might not stand a chance if fired upon in a large group!

As for martial sect masters, they would certainly not feel threatened.

But what if he replaced the rifle with a cannon?

Wang Chen did not dwell on that thought.

He was currently making these long and short rifles merely to verify his ideas, without yet considering whether or how they would be used in the future.

Next, Wang Chen also tested the pistol.

The range and power of the pistol were weaker than the rifle, but having all five pistols loaded and stored in his storage space as backup weapons was still quite good.

Additionally, Wang Chen tested different amounts of gunpowder to determine the best ratio.

In the following days, he frequently went out to play with his firearms.

On the fifth day after Wang Chen advanced to martial sect master, he received a mission assigned by the Wei Hall.