Gao Yiyi set up the Three-Eyed Divine Firearm. He grabbed gunpowder and stuffed it into the firearm. Xu Dafu beside him immediately shouted, “Too much! A bit less. Ah, too little now. A bit more…”

After several rounds of his “minor adjustments,” Gao Yiyi finally grasped the correct amount. He packed it into the barrel, used a small ramrod to compact and compress the gunpowder, then loaded a small bullet inside.

The bullet was made of lead.

The Ming Dynasty actually suffered from severe lead shortages, but for Li Daoxuan, it posed no problem. Buying one lead wire from an online shopping site and snipping a small section yielded enough material for blacksmiths to produce countless bullets.

After compressing the bullet, he inserted a fuse into the small hole on the Three-Eyed Divine Firearm’s tube.

Gao Yiyi still felt uneasy. Having never used it before, merely heard about it, he dared not stand too close. Once the fuse was lit, he immediately grabbed the firearm’s wooden handle, extending it as far forward as possible, aiming towards the mountain wall ahead.

The fuse burned away, followed by a thunderous “boom.”

Gao Yiyi’s hand trembled violently, nearly numbed by the recoil.

White smoke swirled. Everyone looked bewildered. “Is it over?”

The crowd surged towards the mountain wall. Searching carefully, they finally spotted a small hole in the rock face. A misshapen lead bullet was embedded within.

“Wow, a hole this big punched through stone.”

“The firearm is truly formidable!”

“We succeeded! Hahaha!”

Seeing the successful test fire, Li Daoxuan felt mildly pleased. He’d only seen the Three-Eyed Divine Firearm in online archives; witnessing it firsthand was rather entertaining.

Hold on!

This firepower is intense! The Ming army seems equipped with many firearms. What if I encounter troops armed with them later? If I reach in to protect my followers and take a few hits…

I might actually get grazed?

Looks like I need some sturdy gloves for my hand.

Thinking it, he acted. He opened an online shopping site and searched for “Thanos Gloves.” Surprisingly, they were available, not expensive either. A higher-quality version with a metal shell cost just over a hundred dollars. He swiftly placed an order.

Gao Yiyi was now preparing to test fire a second shot. He seemed to have forgotten the exact gunpowder amount again, turning to Xu Dafu with an embarrassed look. “Is my grasp now too much or too little?”

Xu Dafu replied, “Too little. Add a bit more.”

Watching this, Li Daoxuan chuckled and spoke, “Yiye, tell Xu Dafu, they can adopt the ‘pre-measured’ method for distributing the gunpowder. That way, they won’t need to worry about it being too much or too little.”

Gao Yiye hurriedly conveyed the message.

“Pre-measured?” Xu Dafu had never heard the term before. “What does pre-measured mean?”

Li Daoxuan explained, “You can use paper to pre-wrap the precise amount of gunpowder needed for a single shot. When someone like Gao Yiyi comes to you requesting powder for ten shots, you hand him ten small paper packets. Every time he fires, he just needs to tear open one packet and pour the entire contents into the firearm. No need to ask you each time about the quantity. This speeds up the loading process and enhances safety.”

Xu Dafu’s eyes lit up. “A splendid method! I’ve constantly worried this gunpowder falling into the hands of the three idiots. If they carelessly overfill the firearm, it might explode and kill them! The Deity’s pre-measured method is truly excellent!”

Li Daoxuan thought to himself: Actually, many regions have started adopting pre-measured methods already—never mind Europe’s lead. Japan’s Warring States period used bamboo tubes for pre-measured powder, speeding up loading immensely. Areas like Jiangnan and the border army in the Ming Dynasty northeast likely use pre-measured powder too.

Xu Dafu, however, is a gunpowder maker in the northwest—where advanced tech arrives slower. He probably just hasn’t heard of it yet.

But no matter!

With this Deity extending a golden hand and a solid boost, all they need to do is cling tight… Oh, wait, not possible. The tiny people are too small; they couldn’t even hug a leg—they can only hang on to the fine hairs…

Li Daoxuan explained the details of the “pre-measured” approach to Xu Dafu. He even printed a recipe for “granulated black powder,” handing it directly to Xu Dafu. He instructed him to supervise his apprentices in making the current black powder while simultaneously experimenting with crafting the more powerful granulated black powder form.

Xu Dafu received this “celestial prescription,” thrilled to hear it could produce “immortal realm gunpowder.” Overjoyed, he rolled up the giant sheet of paper. He directed several apprentices to carry it back into the firearms bureau for secure safekeeping.

Hearing that this thing was more powerful than black powder, being careful and cautious like him, he absolutely dared not let anyone touch it.

After a long time, the blacksmiths had handled all ten test shots of the Three-Eyed Divine Firearm. The result from ten consecutive shots was that the firearm remained intact and did not explode.

The blacksmiths returned to the main fortress joyfully, preparing to mass-produce the Three-Eyed Divine Firearm.

Li Daoxuan, however, opened his mouth and instructed, “Don’t make too many Three-Eyed Firearms. Just casually make a few for play, for practicing techniques and testing gunpowder. The future main weapon must still be the new type of firearm.”

The blacksmiths quickly obeyed the order.

Gao Yiye’s task of conveying messages was finished, and she returned to the main fortress with light steps.

Li Daoxuan saw her hopping around and looking very spirited, so he couldn’t help but tease her, “Yiye, in these recent days, are you still drawing?”

“Yes, oh.” Gao Yiye grinned and raised her head, “The second volume is almost finished.”

Li Daoxuan thought to himself: The second volume of “Dao Xuan Deity’s Demon Elimination Tale”? The first volume hasn’t even been printed yet, and you’ve almost finished the second volume? This little girl really is enthusiastic.

It’s like how some author writes a novel online, with the first volume not uploaded yet, but the draft for the second volume already nearly done—are you trying to defy heaven?

Tsk! What’s this all about? Why am I wanting to see it so much?

Even though this little girl is a patchwork mess, and her comic book plots are very cobbled together, they look quite amusing. Li Daoxuan really felt a bit curious and wanted to know what she had patched together again in the second and third volumes.

Tsk, tsk, couldn’t that woodcarver move faster?

Li Daoxuan deliberately teased her, “Surely you’re not drawing some parody junk?”

Gao Yiye said, “What I draw is… well… it’s definitely very good stuff.”

Li Daoxuan laughed, “Then when it’s printed, I’ll also take a look.”

Gao Yiye exclaimed, “Ah? Deity, please don’t look! Keep reading books from the heavenly realm; these shabby books from the mortal world aren’t fit for you to see.”

Li Daoxuan said, “I also need to understand the hardships of the mortal world.”

Gao Yiye stammered, “Well… the hardships of the mortal world… you could just calculate by pinching your fingers… with a snap… they appear…”

Li Daoxuan responded, “I prefer to see them with my own eyes.”

The little girl’s face flushed deeply, and she didn’t know what to say, so she lowered her head and fiddled with the corner of her garment.

Right then, someone ran toward them, precisely Dian Deng Zi Zhao Sheng, waving at Gao Yiye from afar and calling out, “Saint Lady!”

Gao Yiye rushed with pride, “Mr. Zhao, are you looking for me?”

Zhao Sheng hurried over, appearing anxious but running extremely slowly despite great effort. He was out of breath after just a few steps, and by the time he reached Gao Yiye, he panted heavily like an ox, “Saint… Saint Lady… I… cough… want… to request… Deity…”

Li Daoxuan said, “Tell him to slow down and catch his breath before speaking. I’m really afraid he might not exhale and suffocate himself dead.”