Forced to become a top influencer, I rely on my tu cao to ruin the cultivation world.

The devastating thunder at Nantianmen that night ultimately transformed into a grand "light show." Jia Zang not only survived, but also used his "Franklin Modified Spirit-Gathering Lightning Rod" to convert the heavenly tribulation into inexhaustible clean energy, illuminating the entire Nantianmen night market.

This incident caused a huge uproar in Heaven. The Jade Emperor was furious, but what troubled him even more was that Heaven's financial deficit was about to collapse the floor of the Lingxiao Palace.

In order to save face and to fundamentally curb the continued expansion of Jia Zang's "illegal constructions," the Heavenly Ministry of Works (equivalent to the current Ministry of Construction) finally couldn't sit still any longer.

[Event: Heavenly Court Infrastructure Bidding Conference]

On this day, the atmosphere in the side hall of the Lingxiao Palace was solemn.

An unprecedented "Heavenly Infrastructure Bidding Conference" is being held here. There is only one project: the emergency repair of the outer walls and side halls of the Lingxiao Palace.

The reason is simple: a couple of days ago, Jia Zang staged a "light show of heavenly thunder" at the South Heavenly Gate, and the aftershocks cracked a corner of the Lingxiao Palace. The Jade Emperor issued a strict order: it must be repaired! And it must be repaired sturdily, beautifully, and quickly!

Sitting in the center of the judges' panel was the Minister of Works, and an elderly man with white hair and beard, holding an inkstone—Gongshu Ban, a descendant of Lu Ban.

Gongshu Ban was the chief craftsman of the Heavenly Court, and his skills in making "Luban locks" and "mortise and tenon structures" were superb. He looked at the bidding documents in his hand, a disdainful sneer on the corner of his mouth.

"Hmph, this is utter nonsense." Gongshu Ban slammed a bid document on the table. "Someone dares to challenge me, this old man, in architecture?"

Sitting opposite him was Jia Zang.

Jia Zhuang was dressed in a sharp suit today (although his tie was crooked), but he wasn't nervous like a normal bidder. Instead, he was facing the air... making faces.

Because on his retina, the system's pale blue panel was twitching wildly.

[Ding! Key mission triggered: Secure the right to repair the Lingxiao Palace.]

[Mission Objective: Defeat Gongshu Ban and win the project.]

[Current live stream popularity: 500 million (due to Heavenly infrastructure construction, online viewership).]

[Recommended strategy: Use superior materials science to overwhelm traditional handicrafts.]

Jia Zhuang looked at Gongshu Ban with a smile: "Old sir, don't speak too confidently. Times are changing, and modern architecture emphasizes 'high turnover, low cost, and strong delivery.' Your mortise and tenon structure is ingenious, but it's too slow, and... too expensive."

"Insolence!" Gongshu-like eyes widened in anger. "The mortise and tenon joint is a fundamental principle of nature, perfectly fitting and enduring for millennia! What do you, a mere mortal, know?"

The Minister of Works tapped the table: "Silence! Today's bidding will be awarded to the lowest bidder, who must also demonstrate the strength of the materials on site. Master Gongshu, what is your proposal?"

Gongshu Ban snorted coldly and waved his hand to summon several disciples. They brought up several huge pieces of golden nanmu wood, each exuding a rich spiritual energy.

"I have used ten-thousand-year-old golden nanmu wood, combined with the 'shrinking the earth to an inch' technique, to craft this entirely by hand. This wood comes from the summit of Kunlun Mountain, nourished by the essence of the sun and moon, making it incredibly sturdy. The production period... will take approximately three years."

"Three years?!" The audience erupted in uproar.

"As for the cost..." Gongshu Ban quoted an astronomical figure, "It will require five million spirit stones."

Five million spirit stones! That's almost equivalent to half a year's infrastructure budget for the Heavenly Court.

The Minister of Works looked troubled and turned to Jia Zang: "Jia Zang, what about your proposal?"

Jia Zhuang stood up and snapped his fingers: "My plan is very simple. The construction period is three days, and the cost is... 500,000 spirit stones."

"What?!"

A deathly silence fell over the entire room; even Gongshu Ban was stunned. Five hundred thousand? That's not even a fraction of the price for golden nanmu wood!

"Five hundred thousand?" Gongshu Ban scoffed. "Are you planning to use rotten wood from the mortal realm, smear it with gold paint, and try to fool the Heavenly Court? If this is a shoddy project, I will definitely take you to the Heavenly Court!"

"Whether it's shoddy or not, we'll find out by comparing them." Jia Zang chuckled and shouted to the invisible camera in the sky, "Family members, the moment to witness a miracle has arrived! Today we're going to teach those old fogies in Heaven a lesson on what 'materials science hegemony' really means!"

The holographic projection in the sky instantly activated, and a massive barrage of comments began to scroll wildly:

Here it comes! Chairman Jia is about to start showing off!

[Gongshu Ban? Who is that? How can a craftsman be faster than an industrial assembly line?]

I bet five cents the protagonist is going to pull out some high-tech gadgets again!

[Hey, I bet a dollar, it's definitely another tractor game this time!]

Jia Zang opened the black box at his feet and took out a bag of grayish-white powder and a bucket of clear liquid.

"Please take a look, everyone. This is the latest product developed by Qingyun Heavy Industry—Psychic Concrete (Enhanced Version)."

As Jia Zhuang demonstrated, he passionately explained like a pyramid scheme lecturer: "This is no ordinary cement. It's mixed with top-grade monster bone powder (calcium carbonate) collected from the Southern Heavenly Gate, slag from the Supreme Lord Laozi's alchemy furnace (highly active silicates), and... a little bit of lightning energy stolen from the Thunder Department... oh no, collected from it."

"Mix this powder with this 'spiritual living water,' and it will solidify into a building material harder than diamond in just three hours!"

"Absurd! Utterly absurd!" Gongshu Ban was so angry his beard trembled. "Construction is a project that will last for centuries, how can it be treated so childishly? How can such filthy earthly things be used to repair the Lingxiao Palace?"

"Whether it's filthy or not, we'll know by testing." Jia Zhuang looked at the Minister of Works. "Minister, we can't prove it with just words. Why don't we conduct a test on the spot?"

The Minister of Works hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Granted."

Soon, the two materials were ready.

One piece is a piece of Phoebe zhennan wood carefully selected by Gongshu Ban, with gorgeous grain and an enchanting aura.

One of them was a gray concrete block that Jia Zhuang had just poured and that had already solidified. It looked dull and unremarkable.

"How will you test it?" Gongshu Ban asked arrogantly. "Between hardness? My golden nanmu wood is impervious to water and fire, and invulnerable to swords and spears!"

"No, no, no, that's too mild." Jia Zhuang chuckled, pulling a remote control from his pocket. "System, bring in the 'Mobile Stress Tester'!"

Rumbling--

The door to the side hall was pushed open, and the ground trembled.

A "Xuan Tie Excavator" that had been modified by the system rumbled in.

The excavator's bucket had been removed and replaced with a huge, gleaming hydraulic shears. Its tracks were covered in mud from Nantianmen, and its exhaust pipe spewed blue arcs of electricity, making it look like a steel monster.

[Livestream chat]

Holy crap! Who's the best at excavator technology? Look no further than Jia Zhuang in Shandong, China!

Is this excavator for real? Is it going to demolish the Heavenly Palace?!

Is this the romance of the industrialist party? I love it!

"What...what is this?" Gongshu Ban was startled by the steel monster.

"This is my '10,000-ton pressure testing machine'." Jia Zhuang patted the excavator's tracks. "Come on, put the Phoebe zhennan wood inside."

The excavator's robotic arm deftly grabbed the Phoebe zhennan wood and placed it into the jaws of the hydraulic shears.

"Snap!"

The hydraulic shears applied force, leaving a deep indentation on the wood. Although it didn't break, it was clearly deformed.

"Not bad, not bad, it can withstand ten tons of pressure," Jia Zang commented.

It's time for the concrete blocks.

Jia Zhuang put the dusty brick in and started the hydraulic shears.

The gears turned, and the pressure gauge needle soared wildly.

Twenty tons... fifty tons... one hundred tons...

"Crunch... crunch..."

The excavator's engine roared under the strain, and the electric arcs spewing from the exhaust pipe turned red, but the concrete didn't even have a crack!

The entire venue fell silent once again.

Gongshu Ban's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets: "This...this is impossible! How can mortal soil be so hard?"

"This is the power of industry." Jia Zhuang patted the concrete block proudly. "Moreover, my material has another advantage—it can be prefabricated."

He snapped his fingers, and the "fully automated bribery robot" behind him (which now also works as a mover) instantly moved an entire wall.

This wall was prefabricated by Jia Zang in his factory in the mortal world; it even had windows and electrical outlets pre-installed.

"See that? This is called 'prefabricated construction.' It's manufactured in a factory on Earth, transported to Heaven, and assembled directly. Three days to complete, no exaggeration!"

Gongshu Ban looked at the smooth, flat wall with its cold, industrial aesthetic, and then at the piece of wood in his hand that would take three years to carve. He completely lost his composure.

This isn't building a house; it's like building with blocks!

"Furthermore..." Jia Zhuang leaned close to the Minister of Works' ear and whispered, "Minister, think about it, the 4.5 million spirit stones saved by using my materials... could we set up a 'Heavenly Court Infrastructure Special Fund'? Specifically for... cough cough, to improve the working environment for all of you officials?"

The Minister of Works' eyes lit up instantly.

"Jia Zang won the bid!"

[Upgrade: This is Jia Zang's first time entering the core area of ​​Heaven through "official channels"]

When the Minister of Works made the final decision, Gongshu Ban sat down heavily on the ground, and the inkstone in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud".

He lost. He lost miserably.

But what he lost was not just a project, but the first complete defeat of traditional handicrafts in the face of industrial assembly lines.

Jia Zang won. He not only secured the renovation project for the Lingxiao Palace, but more importantly, he finally obtained the "pass" to enter the core area of ​​the Heavenly Court.

"Gentlemen, it's been a pleasure doing business with you." Jia Zhuang smiled as he put away the contract. "My construction team will be on site first thing tomorrow morning. I hope you'll all take good care of me then."

He turned and walked out of the side hall, looking at the majestic Lingxiao Palace, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"The Heavenly Palace of Lingxiao... Hmph, once my construction team gets in, is there any part of this vast Heavenly Court that I can't infiltrate?"

This was Jia Zang's true purpose.

The renovation was just a pretext; the real purpose was infiltration.

As long as his "psychic concrete" is used in the Lingxiao Palace, he will have planted an "industrial seed" belonging to the mortal world in the heart of the Heavenly Court.

And this seed will eventually grow into a towering tree, breaking through this decaying heavenly court!