442: The bait has been taken!

Three years later.

The time until the opening of the Heavenly Emperor Secret Realm was about a year away.

During these three years, he had been like an emotionless machine, switching back and forth between Sect missions and closed-door Cultivation.

And a plan targeting Su Qingyuan, intended to let her witness part of the truth with her own eyes, had been completely thought through regarding its implementation amidst this day-after-day of Cultivation and missions.

Inside the Mission Hall, people came and went, as bustling as ever.

As soon as Su Ming stepped into the hall, a familiar voice drifted over.

"Yo, isn't this our Sect's stubborn one?"

Elder Wang set down the teacup in his hand.

He looked up at Su Ming, a playful, old-urchin-like smile hanging at the corners of his mouth.

"Calculating the days, your bi-annual 'hitting the south wall' mission is certainly punctual."

"Still not giving up this time? Insisting on banging your head against that Medium-sized Immortal Stone Ore Vein until the end?"

Some familiar Disciples in the hall couldn't help but chuckle softly upon hearing this.

For these three years, Su Ming had been obsessed with the same type of mission: insisting on going to the Medium-sized Immortal Stone Ore Vein.

And having failed repeatedly, it had long since become a well-known oddity in the Mission Hall.

"No more, Elder Wang."

A look of bitterness and helplessness appeared on Su Ming's face, just at the right moment.

He walked to the counter and let out a heavy sigh.

He looked exactly like a gambler whose sharp edges had been worn down by reality.

"I've been hitting the south wall for three years, my head is almost broken; if I keep being this stubborn, I'd truly be a fool."

"Oh?"

Elder Wang raised an eyebrow, appearing somewhat surprised.

He looked Su Ming up and down, then nodded in satisfaction.

"You are teachable!"

"I told you long ago that the Medium-sized Immortal Stone Ore Vein is not something you can go to alone."

"Knowing when to turn back is a good thing!"

He changed the subject, his tone carrying a bit more approval.

"But having said that, you haven't been busy for nothing these three years."

Elder Wang tapped his fingers lightly on the desk.

The sound wasn't loud, but it clearly carried across half the hall.

"To get close to that mine vein, you must have slain three to five hundred Heavenly Immortal Realm creatures, right?"

"Just the points exchanged for this war record would be enough to make those Prodigies in the inner Sect green with envy for several years!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the gazes of the surrounding Disciples looking at Su Ming changed instantly.

In an instant, the mockery in everyone's eyes completely disappeared, replaced by envy and jealousy.

Su Ming, however, seemed not to hear these discussions.

He simply rubbed his chin thoughtfully, looking as if he had other plans.

A moment later, he deliberately revealed an expression as if he had made up his mind about something.

Immediately after, he took a recording crystal from his Storage Ring and carefully pushed it in front of Elder Wang.

"Elder Wang, when I failed my last mission, I took a detour on the way back and luckily discovered a new mine vein."

"The scale is not large, just a small one."

"The most important thing is, I have checked, and it is not registered on the Sect's mine vein map."

He lowered his voice, his expression carrying a bit of excitement.

"Please, take a look..."

A flash of light appeared in Elder Wang's eyes, and he became interested.

He picked up the recording crystal, and his Divine Sense sank into it.

A moment later, a look of genuine surprise finally appeared on his face.

"Hmm... the energy fluctuation is indeed that of a small immortal stone mine vein, and the location is sufficiently hidden. You're lucky, kid!"

Elder Wang quickly operated on the Sect's jade slip.

"Alright, it has been registered for you!"

"Since you are the discoverer, according to Sect rules, you have the priority mining rights and a thirty percent share of the proceeds."

"Thank you, Elder!"

Su Ming looked happy, then rubbed his hands together in a somewhat troubled manner.

"Elder Wang, the experiences of these three years have made me understand that a single tree cannot make a forest."

"So this time, I plan to post a team mission and invite Senior Brothers to go together. What do you think?"

"A team?"

Elder Wang was truly stunned this time.

He looked at Su Ming in surprise, as if seeing this kid who had been acting alone for three years for the first time.

"You? Want to form a team?"

"Ahem!"

Su Ming coughed awkwardly.

"Doing it alone is still too difficult."

Elder Wang stared at him for a long while, then finally laughed and shook his head.

"Fine! You can! You've finally figured it out!"

"Do you need me to help you post the recruitment information? This old face of mine can still help you call up a few good hands."

"No need, Elder Wang."

Su Ming cupped his hands and declined.

"For such a small matter, this Disciple can handle it himself."

After speaking, he turned around decisively.

Under the complex gazes of the crowd, he walked slowly out of the Mission Hall.

The moment he walked out of the hall, all expressions on Su Ming's face vanished instantly, replaced by a cold look.

A small mine vein, with low returns and controllable risks.

For those truly top Prodigies and factions, it is tasteless to eat but a pity to discard.

But for those whose strength is neither high nor low, and who are greedy for stable income, it is the perfect bait.

"Especially..."

"The bait has been cast, it just depends on... when the fish will take it voluntarily."

Su Ming's gaze looked into the distance, toward the direction of Su Chen's Immortal Cave.

After leaving, Su Ming went straight to the trading market.

He planned to have a chance encounter with Su Chen in the trading market to complete the follow-up plan!

Inside the trading market on Bamboo Shadow Peak!

The crowd was surging.

Noisy hawking and the hushed conversations between various Disciples intertwined.

The air was filled with the scent of Medicinal Pills.

Su Ming wove through the crowd, his goal clear.

He arrived at the Medicinal Pill Pavilion, the most conspicuous place in the trading market with the highest foot traffic.

The Medicinal Pill Pavilion was ostensibly the most famous Medicinal Pill shop in the Sect, monopolizing the supply of low and mid-grade Medicinal Pills.

But Su Ming knew that there was also an unknown dark world here.

There, it was a secret arena.

Su Chen was a frequent visitor to this arena.

Su Chen's own Cultivation talent was truly mediocre; to compensate for the deficiencies in his Cultivation, he often needed large quantities of Medicinal Pills to pile up.

For him, points were always insufficient to cover his expenses.

And those few points of his were often squandered by him in the arena.

He loved the thrill of placing bets, hoping to earn points quickly through this method.

Su Ming remembered clearly.

The first time he ran into Su Qingyuan helping Su Chen pay off his debts was right in front of the Medicinal Pill Pavilion.

Su Ming lifted his foot and walked slowly into the Medicinal Pill Pavilion.

Afterwards, he feigned browsing the jade bottles on the shelves.

At the same time, his gaze kept scanning the Medicinal Pill Pavilion.

Soon, he saw Su Chen by the innermost row of shelves.

"Su Chen?"

"What a coincidence, I didn't expect to meet you here."

His voice carried a hint of surprise.

Su Chen turned his head upon hearing the voice.

The moment he saw Su Ming, a flash of strangeness flickered in his eyes, but it was quickly hidden well by him.

"Su Ming?"

"Why are you here too?"