148: Elder Ma's inquiry

Su Ming's heart stirred.

He immediately closed his eyes and immersed his entire mind in that faint trace of perception.

It was not a "force."

It had no flow, no impact, no convergence, and no defense.

It was simply... dissipating.

Like a wisp of smoke, it slowly, gently, drifted out from the rune lines on the surface of the flag.

And yet, it did not vanish.

Instead, it merged into the surrounding air, into the pervasive, thin Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi inside the Accounting Room.

It lost its "form" and its "essence."

It became part of the background.

Su Ming held his breath. He could "see" how that trace of residual Spiritual Qi followed the specific trajectory of the incomplete rune, gradually "dissolving" itself.

This process was not a collapse, nor a breakdown.

Rather, it was a... systematic, active, return.

A flash of lightning seemed to streak across Su Ming's mind!

Master's words exploded in his ears like thunder!

"Let yourself become like the wind, like dust..."

"Existing, yet having no sense of existence!"

He suddenly opened his eyes, staring intently at the incomplete rune on the flag's surface.

The structure of that rune was extremely complex.

But the trajectory of a small part of its core circuit was actually two parts similar to the "Hidden" character rune he had diligently practiced for seven days!

So that was it!

Su Ming's heart pounded fiercely!

The true meaning of "Hidden" was not construction, not defense, not attack!

It was "Integration"!

It was using a specific structure to guide one's own Spiritual Qi to actively, systematically, and perfectly integrate into the surrounding environment, thereby erasing one's own sense of existence!

All his previous efforts were akin to using brute force to try and open a precise combination lock!

The direction had been wrong from the start!

Theory must be combined with practice!

And these scrapped items, which the Formation Peak Disciples treated as worthless, were, to him, the most precious and intuitive textbooks!

At this moment, Su Ming looked at the mountains of "trash" before him, his eyes shining.

How could those be scrap?

They were clearly an undiscovered treasure mountain!

...That night.

Su Ming sat cross-legged on the bed, his expression more focused and calm than ever before.

He did not take out stones, nor did he engrave on the ground.

He merely slowly extended his index finger and began tracing in the air before him.

Spiritual Qi flowed at his fingertip.

His mind was no longer focused on "constructing" a rune.

Instead, he was simulating—simulating the trajectory and rhythm of the Spiritual Qi dissipating from the worn Formation Flag.

His intent was no longer a command, but guidance, a release.

One stroke, two strokes... When the final stroke fell.

He did not forcefully maintain the output of Spiritual Qi as he usually did.

Instead, with a thought, he actively severed the connection with that rune.

Buzz.

The "Hidden" character rune composed of cyan Spiritual Qi in the air trembled slightly.

It neither glowed nor collapsed.

Instead, it was like a drop of ink falling into clear water.

It quickly faded and blurred, as if the surrounding air itself experienced a slight distortion.

After a few breaths, the rune completely vanished.

Su Ming slowly opened his eyes.

He stretched out his hand and reached toward the seemingly empty air in front of him.

A wonderful sensation arrived.

His hand felt as if it had passed through a thin, cool curtain of water.

He could clearly feel that when his Divine Sense swept over that area, it was naturally... ignored.

That spot seemed to have become a sensory "blind spot."

It wasn't a void, nor a barrier; it was just a patch of... "normal" air where nothing existed.

Success!

Su Ming suppressed the ecstasy in his heart and slowly exhaled a mouthful of stale Qi.

The Bottleneck that had troubled him for many days vanished at this moment.

He finally understood.

Master's guidance was the Dao.

The theory in the Jade Slip was the method (Fa).

And these dust-covered old papers, these abandoned scraps, were the unique bridge connecting the "Dao" and the method!

"Master, Disciple... understands."

He spoke respectfully in his heart.

"Mm."

Lin Yu's voice carried a hint of satisfied laughter.

"The youth is teachable."

Excellent! This kid has learned how to find materials in the trash heap himself! My retirement plan is solid as Mount Tai!

External Affairs Hall, quiet room.

Su Ming respectfully placed the final compiled ledger in his hand onto the desk before Elder Ma.

"Elder, this is the summary of material consumption for all peaks last month, along with a set of optimization suggestions."

His voice was calm, devoid of emotion.

Sandalwood incense curled gently in the quiet room.

Elder Ma did not immediately look at the ledger; his cloudy eyes simply gazed quietly at the youth before him.

Over this month, Su Ming had submitted four similar reports.

Every single one accurately pointed out some inconspicuous "crux" in the circulation of Sect resources.

He never directly stated who was at fault, nor did he draw any conclusions.

He merely listed data, drew charts, and then, in the most objective tone, proposed a suggestion that "might save more money."

"Tell me about it." Elder Ma picked up his teacup and blew on the hot surface.

"Yes."

Su Ming bowed and said, "Disciple found that the frequency and quantity of 'Heart-Clearing Grass' claimed by Danding Peak have shown a steady upward trend over the past three months, but the production of 'Heart-Clearing Pills' has not increased correspondingly."

"In Disciple's humble opinion, perhaps subtle deviations in the heat control or purification techniques during Alchemy have led to an increased rate of loss."

Elder Ma took a sip of tea, noncommittal.

"What else?"

"The 'Sharp Gold Stone' supplied by the Artifact Hall to Heavenly Sword Peak has a fixed monthly consumption of three hundred catties, without the slightest deviation. Disciple believes this does not conform to the random loss patterns expected during practical combat exercises."

"Furthermore, for the 'Hundred Beast Pellet' used by the Beast Taming Valley, if the 'Trilobite' in its formula were replaced by the more common 'Wireworm' found on the back mountain, the medicinal effect would only decrease by half a percent, yet the cost could be reduced by nearly forty percent."

Su Ming elaborated item by item, point by point.

Everything he spoke about was accounting.

But behind every account entry lay a pointer toward human intentions.

Lin Yu's soul consciousness nodded repeatedly inside the xuantian ring.

Not bad, not bad. That Tai Chi move was beautifully executed.

He both demonstrated his value and kicked the ball entirely away.

Letting the superior worry about the problem themselves—that is the self-cultivation of an excellent subordinate.

Elder Ma finished listening and put down his teacup.

He still did not look at the ledgers.

"You have been in the Sect for three months now."

He suddenly spoke, asking an irrelevant question.

Su Ming's heart tightened, but his expression remained unchanged.

"Reporting to Elder, Disciple has been in the Sect for ninety-seven days."

"Mm." Elder Ma nodded, asking casually, "How is your reading of the outline of formation basics progressing?"

Here it comes.

Su Ming's heart skipped a beat.

Inside the xuantian ring, Lin Yu's thought instantly rang out.

"Say what we rehearsed! Remember, you are slow-witted, you are struggling in despair, you are an idiot who has just touched the threshold!"

Su Ming took a deep breath, displaying a perfect hint of shame and embarrassment on his face.

"Reporting to Elder, Disciple is slow-witted."

"Over the past month, Disciple has studied day and night, yet has only managed to initially grasp the 'Gathering' character rune."

"Currently, I can barely set up the most basic Dust-Warding Formation."

After speaking, he lowered his head deeply, as if mortified by his own "slowness."