The Science of Cultivation-Chapter 282: Artificial Island
Artificial island construction was a skill most colonists mastered prior to settling on a planet. They could haul appropriate-sized asteroids and send them crashing onto the planet to form an island. That was the most efficient way, but there were numerous other methods to go about it.
Even before mankind made it off their planet, they had mastered several primitive ways to accomplish the same task. At its core, the process simply involved filling the ocean with a sufficient amount of materials. It was something even societies with primitive technology could accomplish, but the crux lay in efficiency. The logistics of acquiring enough materials was no small challenge, but that was something Li Lang, or to be precise, the Crucible, happened to excel at.
“So you’re saying we’re going to use the Crucible as a giant space ring?” Long Yi muttered after having the plan explained to him. “That’s—a lot simpler than I thought it would be.”
“Yes, it’s an advantage only we have. Unless the higher grade space rings have much higher capacity than I thought?” Li Lang directed his question at the three guests.
Jun Ziyan quickly shook her head. “I’ve used Master’s Spirit-grade space ring before. It’ll probably be able to build one of those small islands able to fit an estate or two after some time, but nothing at the scale you’re thinking of.”
“Well, experts like your master don’t have to worry about these little things anyway. They can just claim what they need from the Qi beasts or other cultivators.”
“My master would never do such a thing! We pride ourselves on never harming the innocent,” Jun Ziyan cried out, sounding like she had been the one who had been wronged.
“I’m just saying hypothetically. Don’t mind me. I apologize if I offended you.”
Da Xing and Da Feng shook their heads at their companion, and she snorted. Taking a deep breath, she realized she had overreacted and bowed in Li Lang’s direction.
Li Lang didn’t take them to mind as he directed his attention back to the mainland of Violet Isle coming into view. It didn’t take long for them to reach shore after it had come into view, and Li Lang instantly got to work. He summoned the Crucible and placed it down deep in the middle of the woodland.
Placing a hand on the Spirit-grade artifact, he called out to the spirits in control.
“Blue, when you said I can control who comes and goes to the pocket realm, I hope it means objects around you too, right?”
“Yes,” her voice rang out in his mind. “They must be in between the four pillars, though. I’ll then be able to control where to send it within the pocket realm.”
“Okay, cool. Be prepared to receive a lot of dirt—and some trees and the surrounding shrubbery.”
“Umm, where do you want me to place it, Master? Do you want to create a garden in the inner core, or maybe on the outskirts?”
“I just need to store a lot of sand, soil, and everything I need to make an island. You can put it on the outskirts; just make sure I can deploy them quickly later.”
“Understood, Master.”
“Perfect. One last thing, I need your main body to become as big as possible.”
Having come to an understanding with his artifact, the Crucible began to enlarge at a rapid rate. Within the blink of an eye, it reached its original size before anyone had claimed ownership of it and continued to grow beyond that.
If anyone was nearby, they would be shocked to suddenly find a skyscraper-sized monument towering over its surroundings.
“Okay, okay. You can stop now,” Li Lang quickly cried out. “Actually, I don’t think we can move you like this. Shrink back down for now and let me lay you upside-down first.”
Blue carried out her directives dutifully, and soon, the towering artifact was erected once more but inverted. Then, it began sinking deep into the soil due to its weight, and everything that entered between its four pillars disappeared. It constantly engulfed everything it came into contact with, accelerating how fast it sank into the ground. When it began to slow down, it grew even larger, adding to the pressure.
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Once it reached the bedrock where the Crucible could push no further, it quickly shrunk to fit Li Lang’s hand, and he would move it to the next location.
Like that, Li Lang rapidly stole away an enormous amount of earth, trees, sand, and everything below it.
However, the operation didn’t go without any hiccups.
The earth trembled just as Li Lang was preparing to set down his artifact again, and then it suddenly erupted nearby, sending debris flying everywhere. A slimy pink figure wiggled freely once it surfaced, alarming the group of cultivators.
“A stupid, oversized earthworm?” Li Lang cried out in disbelief. “Did this really have to exist and just so happen to be nearby?”
“Get back or hide away in your artifact!” Jun Ziyan cried as she flew into action. She rode on a skysword, zipping through the sky to confront to oversized worm. Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t exactly a skysword she was riding on, but a sword-shaped bundle of hair that was still attached to her scalp.
The worm bared its sharp teeth that filled its mouth around in a perfect circle before spitting out a rain of projectiles toward the young woman. The projectiles were chunks of stone shaped like stalactites, and there were dozens of them.
Jun Ziyan expertly weaved through the volley of sharp pillars of stones, while several strands of her hair quickly twisted into swords to deflect the few she couldn’t dodge. She managed to get near the worm, and with her hair-sword in hand, she left a deep gash in the midsection of her foe.
Just as it tried to fire another volley at her, two figures leaped up at the worm and slashed at its mouth from both sides. It was nothing flashy, just two cultivators with metal swords in hand, but it did its job. Purple, viscous liquid spilled from the worm as it flinched back from getting its mouth cut.
The liquid sizzled as soon as it landed on the ground, revealing its acidic nature.
“Interesting. I should grab a few samples,” Li Lang commented as he watched from the back.
“I don’t think now’s the time,” Long Yi retorted.
The trio was watching from a distance, as the week or two of traveling with the Sword Saint Isle disciples had spoiled them. The threats they’d been coming across had been too strong for them to handle, so they got into the habit of leaving it to their protectors.
Li Lang shrugged as Jun Ziyan and her companions began to whittle down the worm further. Having wounded it already, the fight became more one-sided as time passed.
Unfortunately for the Sword Saint disciples, this wouldn’t be their last fight while Li Lang gathered more material. The mess he made would inevitably attract the attention of all living beings nearby.
***
Half a day later, Li Lang found himself hovering above an empty ocean. The Crucible was in his hand while his companions surrounded him in a protective circle.
“Alright, I’m starting,” he called out.
Hearing words of affirmation from his allies, he commanded Blue to begin releasing what he had gathered.
“Start with large boulders first to form a foundation, Blue. You can release things a distance away from you, right?”
“Yes, you can direct where I release it with your mind while you hold on to me.”
Pointing a miniature version of the Crucible at the blinding hot spot rich with Qi, large rocks suddenly materialized underwater. It was quickly followed by gravel and crushed rocks at a pace so fast that within a few minutes, the nascent island surfaced above the water, albeit in a small area of no more than a dozen feet. However, Li Lang simply needed to continue.
Within an hour, a large island that was triple the size of their estate in Emberglow City emerged. Then, Li Lang began layering it with soil, starting from the center. By the time the sun was setting, a brand new island emerged. One that was completely empty, with nothing but dirt.
“Okay, let’s call it a day for now,” Li Lang called out. “The surrounding area should be filled high enough that the underwater creatures will avoid coming close. You can spend the night in the Crucible with us if you want.”
“That—would be dereliction of duty,” Jun Ziyan replied. “We must stand guard outside in case we’re surrounded during the night.”
“It’s fine. A Spirit-grade artifact can at least monitor the situation outside. I’ll have the artifact spirit notify you if someone approaches.”
“But—”
“We’ll take you up on your offer,” Da Xing answered before Jun Ziyan could continue to argue.
“Good.” Li Lang nodded in satisfaction. “I’ll need you well rested so you can help us with all the constructions we’ll have to do tomorrow. Just the thought of planting enough trees to stabilize the soil is enough to make my body feel sore. No, I’ll also have to test its stability first before moving on to that.”
“What? When did we agree to—”
Li Lang didn’t bother listening to the complaints and disappeared into the pocket realm. It left Jun Ziyan fuming as she glared at her companion that had accepted the offer.
“You happy now?! I knew this was going to happen if we accepted his offer!”
