Starting from iron smelting

Liu Meng exclaimed, "What a great suit of armor." His eyes fell on Lu Xiuyuan, full of admiration and respect. The perfect design and solid texture of this suit of armor gave him a strong sense of security, as if it could withstand all shocks and threats in the world.

Lu Xiuyuan also came back to his senses. He gave Liu Meng a thumbs up and said approvingly: "I didn't expect your skills to be so superb and to be able to create such a perfect armor." He sincerely admired Liu Meng's ability. As a strong man in the late stage of Qi training, Liu Meng possessed extraordinary strength and attainments. His name had long been spread throughout the sect and he became the object of everyone's admiration.

You know, the level of the late Qi training period is already the best in the entire sect, not to mention the average level of those who enter Beiya Cave to participate in the trial. The fact that he was able to block Liu Meng's full-strength attack means that his strength has reached a new height. In such a dangerous and mysterious place as Beiya Cave, being able to have a solid armor will greatly increase his hope of survival.

Lu Xiuyuan was full of confidence in the challenge of Beiya Cave. Although he might face some difficulties in finding the legendary "God-Slaying Art", he believed that with this set of armor, he should have no problem protecting himself. This sturdy armor seemed to have become his solid fortress, making him feel invincible and fearless.

He knew the dangers of Beiya Cave, but he was not afraid. Instead, he was full of curiosity and determination to explore the unknown. He knew that only by experiencing these challenges personally could he better understand the way of cultivation and continuously improve his strength.

Lu Xiuyuan turned to Liu Meng and expressed his gratitude: "Brother Liu Meng, thank you so much. This set of armor means a lot to me. It is not just a piece of equipment, but also a symbol of your support and help to me. I will cherish it, use it to protect myself, and explore more secrets in Beiya Cave."

Liu Meng smiled with satisfaction after hearing what Lu Xiuyuan said. He knew that his efforts were recognized and rewarded, which made him feel very satisfied and happy. He patted Lu Xiuyuan on the shoulder and said, "Lu Xiuyuan, you have worked hard. With this set of armor, I believe you will be able to achieve something in Beiya Cave. I will wait for your good news."

Lu Xiuyuan nodded, his heart filled with gratitude. He knew that with Liu Meng's support and encouragement, he would not feel lonely and helpless. He was determined to turn Liu Meng's expectations into his motivation to move forward and bravely face all the challenges of Beiya Cave.

Closing his eyes, Lu Xiuyuan immersed himself in memories and thoughts. During this period of time, he had experienced many challenges and difficulties, but he had also gained a lot of growth and gains. He recalled the scene of working with Liu Meng to build the armor, and the sincere help and support from Liu Meng, and couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude in his heart.

However, facing the upcoming trip to Beiya Cave, Lu Xiuyuan was full of anticipation and anxiety. He knew that this would be a test full of challenges and dangers, but it was also an opportunity to show his strength and courage. While closing his eyes and thinking, he began to calculate his trump cards and coping strategies.

First of all, there was the red gold armor in his hand, which was one of his most powerful trump cards. This armor was not only strong and durable, but also had a power comparable to that of a late Qi training period, and could provide strong defense and protection. With this armor, he believed that he could face various challenges and tests in Beiya Cave with greater ease.

In addition to the armor, Lu Xiuyuan also has a talisman given by his master, which is his life-saving skill. Although he does not know the specific function of this talisman, he believes that the things given by his master must have extraordinary abilities. Perhaps at a critical moment, this talisman can save him and save his life.

Thinking about this, Lu Xiuyuan gradually calmed down, but the North Cliff Cave was full of dangers, and Lu Xiuyuan was still worried, especially Xuan Huanzi, who would definitely collude with people from other sects to kill me, and the people from the Spiritual Medicine Garden would definitely cause me big trouble. Especially Wang Heng from the Spiritual Medicine Garden, he knew that I had entered the North Cliff Cave, and he would definitely follow me. This time he would not be restrained like last time, and he would do his best to hunt me down, which was a bit difficult to deal with.

Lu Xiuyuan was secretly alert in his heart. He realized that the situation he was facing was far more complicated and dangerous than he had initially imagined. Beiya Cave was a place full of countless tests and dangers, and people like Xuan Huanzi and Wang Heng made him feel more pressured.

Xuan Huanzi is a force that cannot be ignored in Beiya Cave. His appearance means that people from other sects may come to stop him or even assassinate him. This makes Lu Xiuyuan feel a little uneasy. He knows that he must be vigilant and be ready to face possible challenges and dangers at any time.

As for Wang Heng from the Spiritual Medicine Garden, Lu Xiuyuan was even more afraid. Wang Heng was a master from the Spiritual Medicine Garden, his strength should not be underestimated, and he did not hide his hatred for him. The last incident in Beiya Cave had made the grudge between them more acute, and this time Wang Heng would definitely hunt him down at all costs and put him to death.

Lu Xiuyuan is fully aware of the dangers he faces, but he does not despair. On the contrary, he is more determined to move forward. He knows that only by overcoming various difficulties and challenges can he achieve his goals and complete the mission given by his master.

So, Lu Xiuyuan began to plan his actions carefully. He decided to reduce contact with other people as much as possible to avoid exposing his whereabouts and becoming a target for others. At the same time, he also needed to find some methods and strategies that could help him deal with danger and improve his survival and combat effectiveness.

Lu Xiuyuan was deeply aware of the dilemma he was facing. Although he had a strong cultivation base, the lack of suitable skills and techniques became his bottleneck in battle. He realized that relying on instinct and basic skills alone was far from enough, especially when facing opponents of the same level, he would fall into a passive situation.

In a dangerous environment like Beiya Cave, it is crucial to have powerful moves and skills. This will not only improve his survivability in battle, but also allow him to face various challenges and dangers with ease. However, the combat skills he has mastered now are only instinctive and lack systematic training and practice, which has a significant impact on his strength.

In addition, Lu Xiuyuan also realized that there was a problem with his choice of weapons. He did not have a special magic weapon, which could become a fatal weakness in a fierce battle. A special magic weapon could not only improve his attack and defense power, but also bring out his potential and special skills, giving him a greater advantage in battle. However, he did not have such a magic weapon at the moment, which brought great uncertainty and risk to his battle.

Despite these difficulties and challenges, Lu Xiuyuan was also aware that they could not be resolved in a short period of time. Even if he started to practice new skills and techniques now, it would be too late to play a role in the trial of Beiya Cave. However, he did not despair because of this. On the contrary, he regarded these difficulties as a bump on the road ahead. He believed that as long as he worked hard, he would eventually find a solution to the problem.

Lu Xiuyuan thought about it carefully and realized that if he learned new skills and techniques from scratch now, it might backfire and even cause his strength to decline, which was definitely not what he wanted to see. He knew that in order to play the greatest role in Beiya Cave, he had to find another way to improve his combat effectiveness in a short period of time.

"What else can I use to improve my combat effectiveness in a short period of time?" Lu Xiuyuan kept thinking over and over again. Finally, an idea flashed in his mind - gunpowder!

The power of gunpowder is unparalleled. It is an effective weapon that can quickly improve combat effectiveness. By making some simple bombs, grenades and other explosive devices, he believes that he can fight against powerful opponents in a short period of time. Even those masters at the late stage of Qi training will hardly be spared from injury once they are hit by a bomb detonated by gunpowder.

Lu Xiuyuan jumped out of bed excitedly, and thought of a plan to use gunpowder to make bombs. He realized that gunpowder was simple and quick to make, but it could improve his combat effectiveness with half the effort. This idea made him happy, and he finally let go of his worries. He decided to take a day off and wait until the next day to discuss the plan with Liu Meng.

In Lu Xiuyuan's mind, Liu Meng had become his number one arms dealer. The next morning, Lu Xiuyuan hurried to find Liu Meng to discuss this important plan.

When Liu Meng heard the word gunpowder, he seemed a little unfamiliar. He knew that gunpowder was an explosive substance, but he didn't know its specific uses and production methods. Seeing this, Lu Xiuyuan felt more relieved. In this world, gunpowder is not a substance that is widely known by people, and it may even be quite scarce.

"Brother Liu Meng, I have a plan. We can use gunpowder to make some simple bombs and grenades to deal with dangerous situations in the Beiya Cave." Lu Xiuyuan introduced to Liu Meng eagerly.

Liu Meng frowned slightly after listening to Lu Xiuyuan's plan, thinking about the feasibility of this idea. As a top arms dealer, he has a certain understanding of the production and use of various weapons, but gunpowder is indeed a little unfamiliar to him.

"Gunpowder... I don't know much about it." Liu Meng said frankly, "But if you have sufficient information and production methods, we can give it a try."

Hearing Liu Meng's answer, Lu Xiuyuan was relieved. In this world, gunpowder is not widely used, and it may even be quite scarce. If he mastered the method of making gunpowder, he would be able to get twice the result with half the effort. He realized that using gunpowder to make bombs and grenades was an effective way to deal with dangerous situations in Beiya Cave.

"I will find the relevant information and production methods, and then work with you." Lu Xiuyuan said excitedly, "We will definitely be able to make some effective explosive devices to help us survive better in Beiya Cave!"

Lu Xiuyuan continued to explain to Liu Meng: "Gunpowder is a chemical substance that can release a large amount of heat energy and gas in a short period of time, thus producing a strong explosion. It is usually made of a mixture of three raw materials: potassium nitrate, charcoal powder and sulfur. Potassium nitrate acts as an oxidizer in gunpowder, which can provide oxygen to promote combustion; charcoal powder is a reducing agent, which provides fuel to support the combustion process of gunpowder; and sulfur helps to increase the stability of gunpowder."

"When these three raw materials are mixed in a certain proportion, the gunpowder produced has extremely high explosive properties. It can release a large amount of energy and gas in an instant, forming a strong explosion shock wave, causing devastating damage to surrounding targets."

Liu Meng was a little confused, but he still listened carefully to Lu Xiuyuan's explanation. Seeing this, Lu Xiuyuan patiently continued to explain: "Black powder is usually made by mixing potassium nitrate, charcoal powder and sulfur in a certain proportion. Among them, potassium nitrate is the oxidant of gunpowder, which can undergo redox reaction with charcoal powder to release a large amount of heat energy and gas; charcoal powder is the fuel of gunpowder, which provides the carbon source required for combustion; sulfur helps to improve the stability and storability of gunpowder."

"After these raw materials are mixed, they need to be finely ground and mixed to ensure that they are fully mixed together, thereby ensuring the explosive performance and stability of the gunpowder. Finally, the mixed gunpowder is filled into a sealed container and can be used to make various types of explosive devices, such as bombs, grenades, etc."

When Lu Xiuyuan heard Liu Meng's question, he understood it. He realized that verbal explanation alone might not be intuitive enough, so he decided to explain it with real objects.

"Liu Meng, I understand your doubts. Let me show you something real, maybe it will be clearer." Lu Xiuyuan said, and walked to the corner, picking up some common materials: potassium nitrate, sulfur and charcoal. He explained as he took them: "There is a simple formula for the composition of black powder, called 'one nitrate, two sulfur and three charcoal'."

Liu Meng was puzzled and asked, "I don't quite understand what you are saying. What does one nitrate, two sulfurs and three charcoals mean?"

Lu Xiuyuan explained: "Salt is saltpeter, sulfur is sulfur, and charcoal is the charcoal we have now. Saltpeter is relatively easy to obtain. The white powder you find in various houses, corners, and bases is saltpeter. You can collect some of them. Sulfur is a pungent yellow solid. You can find a lot of yellow solids with a pungent smell in some volcanoes or hot springs. Charcoal is easier to get. We have a lot of ready-made charcoal here, and we can't use it up."

Lu Xiuyuan paused and continued, "The first two of these things are not flammable. Sulfur is not easy to ignite directly, but charcoal is flammable. When the three of them are mixed together, a strange reaction will occur and they will burn violently."