In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

The Heavenly Demon Twin Blades were originally among the rare divine weapons, forged from extraterrestrial iron.

The enhanced Heavenly Demon Twin Blades not only gain a foot of blade light, but their sharpness is also comparable to that of peerless divine weapons.

In addition, when the two swords are combined, their power can reach the level of a peerless divine weapon, and it is an enhanced peerless divine weapon.

"Son!"

As soon as Fang emerged from the pass, Wanwan rushed towards him, her beautiful face filled with excitement.

If one can reach the peerless realm in half a month, how far away is the Grandmaster realm in three years?

Moreover, after fusing with the demonic seed, Wanwan felt that the world around her was completely different.

With a heightened awareness of her five senses, her vision improved to at least a hundred feet away, and no sound could escape her ears. Her nerve responses also surged... This transformative change made her extremely grateful to Zhang Xiaoshan, and she even developed feelings of admiration for him.

"Alright, Wanwan, now that you have initially fused with the demonic seed and your strength has reached the level of a peerless grandmaster."

"It's time for you to leave. These are the Heavenly Demon Twin Blades. I enhanced them with the power of the Dragon Balls, increasing their power considerably. They're more than enough for self-defense."

"leave?"

Wanwan, who was clinging to Zhang Xiaoshan, couldn't help but show a pitiful expression when she heard Zhang Xiaoshan's heartless rejection.

First, it was a genuine expression of her feelings; she really didn't want to leave, and being by Zhang Xiaoshan's side was like having a cheat code for cultivation.

Secondly, her witch-like nature, coupled with her tearful appearance, makes her even more pitiful and endearing.

However, Zhang Xiaoshan was not moved by this. He put his arm around Wanwan's slender waist, looked at her beautiful eyes trembling and her cheeks flushed with shyness, and couldn't help but chuckle:

"Alright, the martial world is your true world."

Those around me are like caged canaries. Although their cultivation progresses incredibly fast, the demonic seed actually becomes more and more dependent on me.

While you're still young, venture out into the world and make your mark. At least you won't have any regrets later.

"But young master, he has only just entered the peerless realm. Is he safe in the martial world?"

"Given the current power of the Demonic Sect, if we don't go to extremes, who would bother us for no reason?"

"Alright, Lingyue sent you here to cultivate the Dao Heart Demon Seed Technique so that you could assist her after you've achieved some mastery of this skill, not so that you would never return."

Zhang Xiaoshan's determination left Wanwan utterly disappointed.

She used to be surrounded by men, but now she's the one being driven away.

They took advantage of you and then left you alone; men are all heartless, as expected!

"They want these three days, young master, please stay with me the whole time."

"can!"

Zhang Xiaoshan did not refuse Wanwan's request, and he was leaving three days later.

We'll go to Blackwood Cliff first, then return to the East Sea. We won't set foot in the Central Plains for a while, or rather, setting foot in the Central Plains isn't something that happens in the martial arts world.

The Zhang family's current focus is on building bridges and roads.

According to Zhang Xiaoshan's plan, the greatest benefit for the Zhang family would be for them to gain control of the Chidao for the next ten years.

At that time, not to mention the travel expenses of one coin per person and ten coins for the carriage.

If a bridge across the river were built, not to mention one coin per person, even five or ten coins per person would be enough to attract a steady stream of people.

Moreover, horse-drawn carriages and some freight cars would certainly start at one coin.

Moreover, this is a toll fee to recover costs.

Controlling the strategic passes and passes, even if shared with the empire, would be of great benefit to the Zhang family.

This is why the Zhang family was able to raise so much money.

If you don't get involved, don't blame the Zhang family if you're ever suppressed in the currency market.

After all, once the roads are open, the speed of transporting goods can be increased several times, making it much more convenient and faster.

What does this mean for businessmen? Everyone knows it all too well!

From the moment they learned that Zhang Xiaoshan planned to raise funds to build a cement road, they realized that this was a huge opportunity.

Moreover, the amount of funds raised was not arbitrary. Each family had a fixed source of goods and trade routes. The funds were allocated according to the trade routes, and the approximate amount of gold needed was divided up. The Zhang family was responsible for building the main road connecting the nine provinces.

···

Two weeks later, Zhang Xiaoshan brought his family to Yizhou Island for a vacation.

Starting from Peach Blossom Island, it took the group only ten days to arrive at Yingcheng on Yizhou Island, which was guarded by the Imperial Major General Wang Li and under the jurisdiction of the Zhang family, the Yin-Yang family, and the Gongshu family.

Among them, the Zhang family is the most powerful!

After all, the Zhang family are businessmen who control vast amounts of resources and the right to export them.

Moreover, the island is also suppressed by experts like the Xiao family father and son. Compared to the Yin Yang family, which is only guarded by Yun Zhongjun, and the Gongshu family, which is responsible for technology, even the imperial king Wang Li has to give the Zhang family some respect.

"I've met the young master!"

Yingcheng Wharf.

Major General Wang Li of the Empire, the Xiao family father and son, the Gongshu family, Yun Zhongjun of the Yin-Yang School, the young master of the Li family of the Empire, and more than a hundred people in total (bjca) respectfully looked at the young man on the giant ship.

Although it wasn't a prince's eastern tour, the Zhang family's status was absolute; they were someone who could sit opposite the Dragon Emperor Ying Zheng.

Moreover, within Yingcheng, the Zhang family is the most powerful.

The Zhang Family Chamber of Commerce, which was guarded by the Xiao family father and son, could be said to be the source of livelihood for 100,000 people in Yingcheng. Even the natives of Yizhou Island regarded the Zhang family as a god-like existence.

"Please rise, everyone. I am here mainly to check on the mass production of machinery and also to take the women of my family on a trip to Yizhou Island."

"Young master is indeed carefree."

Upon hearing this, everyone watched as Huang Rong (Little Zhang Zhong), Xuan Nu, Li Qinglu, and six sword attendants disembarked from the giant ship, making a total of more than a dozen stunning beauties.

Even Wang Li looked at Zhang Xiaoshan with envy.

Zhang Xiaoshan has only three people with official titles around him, but at least ten people without official titles.

The young master's romantic escapades were nothing compared to the Zhang family's immense fame and power in this era of strict moral codes.

As for a single female lead?

That's because they haven't seen the world's splendor and the vastness of life.

At least Zhang Xiaoshan achieved nothing in his previous life. In this life, even standing at the peak, he cannot be content with just one thing out of a vast ocean.

Moreover, Zhang Xiaoshan has never truly faced the issue of relationships; he has acted entirely according to his nature.

He feared that one day he would wake up and find it was all just a dream.

Therefore, in his dreams, he always regarded himself as a passerby, or as part of a 'game'.

After exchanging pleasantries, Zhang Xiaoshan turned to Gongshu Chou and said politely:

"Master Gongshu, what was the outcome?"

"Your plan has proceeded smoothly without any problems or obstacles. Please, sir!"

"Everyone, let's go together!"

"Sir, please!"

Besides the shipyard that the Empire and the Zhang family jointly operated, the Zhang family also owned a giant factory specifically for handling goods, such as processing local specialties, a women's spinning workshop, and a smelting workshop...

Therefore, most people here work for the Zhang family, and when they expanded their recruitment, the Zhang family even recruited many local people.

With its high welfare and generous benefits, it has become a paradise for most indigenous villages!

At this moment, Wang Li, Yun Zhongjun, and others entered the Zhang family factory. Even though it wasn't their first time there, they were still incredibly shocked.

Because this was a factory built under the supervision of the Zhang family, the ground was entirely paved with cement, clean and flat. Combined with the Zhang family's unique trolleys, trailers, and flatbed carts... it saved them a tremendous amount of effort.

The factory, with its concrete foundation and five-zhang-high (approximately 10 meters) workshops, was comparable to an imperial palace.

Furthermore, due to the different jobs, different regions are assigned, and the compensation also varies.

For example, a spinning workshop serves three vegetarian dishes and one meat dish, while a smelting workshop serves three meat dishes and one vegetarian dish, and the portions are large and plentiful.

At this moment in the technical workshop, a group of craftsmen were slightly taken aback when they saw Zhang Xiaoshan and others. Then they saw Gongsun Chou's gesture and focused on their work.

In the center, everyone's eyes lit up as they looked at the dozen or so huge, assembled mechanical vehicles.

Is this what Zhang Xiaoshan wanted?

"Uncle Zhang, make the arrangements. We're going to conduct the experiment now."

If successful, these ten vehicles will remain here to pave a large area of ​​roads in Yingcheng!

"Thank you, sir!"

Upon hearing this, Uncle Zhang, the head of the Zhang Family Chamber of Commerce, couldn't help but light up.

If the Zhang family were to oversee the construction here first, the newly built Yingcheng would undoubtedly have much more convenient transportation.

"Master Gongshu, if we were to mass-produce them, how many could we build in a year?"

"That depends on the authority granted by the young master. Currently, the workshop's production capacity is at least one hundred and at most three hundred units per year!"

Upon hearing Gongshu Chou's words, Zhang Xiaoshan nodded.

"Shut down those less important tasks at the Imperial Shipyard and dedicate the next year entirely to mass production of this."

"That's fine too. Those less important tasks can continue at any time."

According to the plan, the construction of the Mirage will take at least ten years to complete. A one-year delay in these tasks will not affect the overall progress of the Mirage!

Wang Li, who had originally wanted to object, fell silent upon hearing Gongshu Chou's words.

As long as it doesn't delay the empire's progress, it's not within his jurisdiction.

If it delays the progress, he needs to ask his superiors for instructions.

Chapter 619 The Potential of Yizhou Island: Weaving a Net of Interests

As the enormous machine began to operate, more than a dozen craftsmen were working around it.

With two filling inlets at the front and back, eight burly men turned the gears, and four or five craftsmen operated the lever switches... In less than half an hour, through mixing, laying, and vibration, a square cement block measuring 1.5 meters by 1.2 meters appeared before everyone's eyes.

Apart from Zhang Xiaoshan and the specific person in charge.

Only then did everyone realize the purpose of these instruments: to dispose of these lime slabs.

"Young master, are these machines merely for making limestone slabs?"

The Zhang family used a cement mixer when building the Empire State Building and even their previous villa.

Especially the Empire State Building and the super mall currently under construction, the mixers have a capacity three times larger than the entire machine, and there are quite a few of them. Those are the mechanical devices made by the Zhang family themselves.

In terms of materials, it is mainly made of steel, making it exceptionally heavy.

"That's right, and it was Zhang who found the Mo family to make the sample, and then mass production was carried out here."

In the capital city, the Zhang family has contracted the construction of the 100,000-mile imperial highway. To complete this task in a short period of time, thousands of mechanical devices must work simultaneously, and these are only a small part of the project.

Besides the million-strong conscription approved by the empire, with 300,000 people of all ranks preparing to build roads, the Zhang family also plans to construct hundreds of cement workshops throughout the empire. It can be said that the Zhang family's investment in the empire this time is comprehensive, with the imperial highway project being only a part of it.

Hiss...

Upon hearing that Zhang Xiaoshan planned to use cement slabs to build the empire's 100,000-mile-long highway, Wang Li and the others were as shocked as the leader of the Mohist school.

Even Gongshu Chou couldn't help but secretly admire Zhang Xiaoshan's magnanimity.

No wonder the Zhang family dared to cooperate with the Empire on the Mirage Project. Moreover, with the Zhang family's involvement, the Empire's scale this time is much larger than before.

"Does the young master mean to use these rough mud slabs to pave the road?"

"We don't understand, what's the point of the Zhang family investing so much in building a highway connecting the nine provinces?"

Xiao Feng looked at Zhang Xiaoshan with curiosity. The Zhang family's investment in building a 100,000-mile-long highway was enormous. Not to mention the manpower and resources spent, the cost of cement alone, along with thousands of huge pieces of machinery, was extremely high.

"Brother Xiao isn't a businessman; he doesn't understand the importance of transportation!"

So, once this road is built, the Zhang family's material transportation speed will be more than three times faster than by waterway.

What may seem insignificant actually represents the Zhang family's business, which can cover the entire country, and the business opportunities within it are limitless, far more than just 30 million gold.

Moreover, there's a saying among the people: "If you want to get rich, build roads first!"

The Zhang family's large investments are largely aimed at charitable causes. Therefore, once the north and south are connected, the flow of goods will be more frequent, which will greatly boost the empire's economic prosperity.