170: Opening

In Old Wang's cloudy eyes, a flash of unbelievable brilliance instantly erupted. He didn't ask anything; he just nodded, quickly and silently packed his few personal belongings, and followed behind Su Ming.

When Su Ming found Old Li with the token, the honest man, who had long suffered suppression, was holding a pile of scrapped Formation Plate remnants, preparing to head to the Waste Area. Hearing the transfer order, the hands holding the pile of “trash” trembled, and his eyes instantly turned red.

Meanwhile, in the Spiritual Plant Garden, Zhang Asheng was carefully watering a spiritual plant. Hearing Su Ming's words, he put down the water ladle, silently bowed to Su Ming, his eyes clear and resolute.

Finally, it was the Servants' Courtyard.

When Zhao Tiezhu and Qian Xiaofan, two youths who had always lived at the very bottom of the Sect and saw almost no hope, heard their names spoken by Su Ming and were informed they would be entering a “Hall” specially approved by Elder Ma, the expressions on their faces went from confusion to shock, and then to ecstasy, nearly bringing them to tears.

At dusk.

Outside the Bing Zi Qi Hao Courtyard on the Back Mountain, Old Wang, Old Li, Zhang Asheng, Zhao Tiezhu, and Qian Xiaofan stood silently in a line.

They came from different places, with varying ages and experiences, but at this moment, their faces all bore a similar radiance, mixed with excitement, apprehension, and a hint of new life.

They looked at the young figure who had gathered them here, at the token representing supreme authority in his hand, their hearts filled with uncertainty, yet burning with unprecedented hope.

Su Ming's gaze slowly swept over the five faces. He knew that these were the foundation stones for his future in the Cloud Hidden Sect.

"The place is simple, and the tasks are complicated," he began, his voice exceptionally clear in the twilight. "But starting today, all of you shall be here with me, Su Ming."

He said no more and pushed open the courtyard gate.

"Come in."

"Work officially begins tomorrow at Mao Shi."

...On the fourth day, the rising sun appeared.

A secluded courtyard on the Back Mountain, long uninhabited, was now completely refurbished.

The courtyard ground had been swept clean, revealing the original color of the bluestone slabs. Although the side rooms were simple, the window lattices had been polished bright. All basic repair tools and the first batch of "Illumination Formation Plates" awaiting repair were neatly categorized and stacked on the newly built wooden shelves.

Old Wang, Old Li, Zhang Asheng, and the two slightly reserved youths, Zhao Tiezhu and Qian Xiaofan, stood straight in the courtyard.

They had changed into uniform blue cloth robes, their expressions a mix of excitement at being entrusted with an important task and apprehension facing the unknown, much like new recruits awaiting inspection.

Su Ming walked out of the Main House, holding no tea, and without any pleasantries.

He directly distributed several booklets carved onto thin wooden boards into the hands of the five people.

"Here, we do not look at cultivation level or background; we only recognize procedures and records."

His voice was calm but carried an undeniable certainty, clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"Safety first! Violators will be immediately expelled!"

The five men felt a chill in their hearts and quickly lowered their heads to look at the booklets in their hands.

On the cover, a line of clear carved characters met their eyes—*Safety Rules* and *Standard Repair Procedure for 'Illumination Formation Plates' (Initial Edition)*.

There were no empty words, no motivational speeches, only rules.

Su Ming walked to the wooden shelf nearby and casually picked up a dim, lightless Illumination Formation Plate.

"Today, I will only demonstrate it once."

He placed the Formation Plate on the stone table, picked up the Procedure Manual, and turned to the first page.

"Step one: external inspection."

As he spoke, he picked up a clean, soft cloth and carefully wiped the dust from the Formation Plate's surface, his gaze sweeping over every corner and edge.

"Record: The plate body has no cracks, the runes have no obvious breaks, and the Spirit Stone slot is intact."

He picked up a Charcoal Pen and quickly jotted down a few symbols on the Bamboo Slip nearby.

"Step two: use the Minor Light Technique to detect residual energy."

He joined his fingers like a sword. A wisp of Spiritual Power, so faint it was almost invisible, flowed from his fingertip, slowly seeping into the Formation Plate like spilled mercury.

"Record: The core 'Gathering' Character Rune energy node is blocked, and Spiritual Power is leaking from three auxiliary circuits, but the degree is minor."

His movements were not fast, yet they were smooth and fluid. Every step strictly followed the diagrams in the manual, and every record was clear and unambiguous.

From inspection and testing, to disassembly and replacement of damaged minor rune nodes, and finally to assembly and Spiritual Power calibration.

Throughout the entire process, Su Ming did not display any profound Formation techniques. He was like a mortal craftsman, holding a blueprint, proceeding step by step, meticulous in every detail.

The five men watched, dumbfounded.

So... repairing a Formation could be done like this?

How could this be profound, mysterious immortal techniques? This was clearly... following a map to find a horse!

"Do you all understand?" Su Ming completed the final calibration step, and the Formation Plate hummed, emitting a soft, stable light.

The five men nodded quickly, as if waking from a dream.

"Good." Su Ming displayed the expression he was best at. "Now, for the preliminary division of labor."

He looked at the meticulous Old Wang.

"Old Wang, you are experienced and careful. You will be responsible for suggestions on procedure optimization and the final quality inspection record verification."

He then looked at the experienced Old Li.

"Old Li, you will lead Zhao Tiezhu and Qian Xiaofan, and be responsible for the main repair operations. Remember, strictly follow the procedures. Better to be slow than wrong."

Finally, he cast his gaze upon the patient and meticulous Zhang Asheng.

"Asheng, your hands are the steadiest. You will be responsible for Material pre-processing and the repair of the delicate components."

The five men bowed together and responded loudly, "Yes!"

Just then, two clear voices approached from afar.

"Su Ming! Su Ming! We've come to congratulate you!"

They had expected to see a mess, but they were stunned by the orderly scene before them and the several huge flowcharts hanging on the wall, drawn with strange arrows and boxes, causing them to widen their eyes.

"Wow! Su Ming, what are you guys doing? Are those treasure maps drawn on the wall?" Mingyue pointed curiously at the "Illumination Formation Plate Repair Flowchart."

Su Ming smiled inwardly and went to greet them.

"Senior Brother Qingfeng, Senior Sister Mingyue, this is the newly established Formation Inscription Repair Hall. We happen to be missing two highly respected consultants for guidance."

He formally cupped his hands and bowed to the two youngsters.

"This Disciple dares to ask if the two of you would be willing to serve as 'Honorary Consultants' for this Hall?"

"Honorary Consultant?" Qingfeng and Mingyue exchanged glances, their eyes filled with novelty.

"What does that entail?"

"You don't need to worry about it normally." Su Ming's smile was exactly like an old fox trying to lure a little white rabbit. "It's just that occasionally, if we need to communicate minor matters with other departments, we will need to leverage your esteemed names to proceed smoothly."

Leveraging their status to reduce initial external resistance.

This was Su Ming's plan.

Qingfeng immediately puffed out his little chest, feeling that this "post" was very fitting for his identity, and immediately decided.

"Approved! If anything comes up in the future, just mention our names!"

In the courtyard, Old Wang and the others watched this scene, and their respect for Su Ming rose another level.

To be able to handle these two little ancestors so perfectly, this Senior Brother Su is truly unfathomable!

With the friendly presence of the "Honorary Consultants" securing the site, the Repair Hall's first day of work officially began.

The sun set in the west, and the evening glow dyed the horizon red.

On the stone table in the courtyard, fifteen Illumination Formation Plates, emitting a soft glow, were neatly arranged.

The five men were exhausted and sore, yet their faces were filled with unprecedented satisfaction and pride.

Although the speed was slow, the quality... was perfect!

Old Wang held the Quality Inspection Record, his hands trembling slightly.

"Senior Brother Su... fifteen items, all qualified! Not a single mistake!"

Su Ming nodded, picked up the Charcoal Pen, and solemnly wrote the final stroke on the day's Work Log.

[Day one: Repaired fifteen Illumination Formation Plates, taking six hours. Qualification rate one hundred percent, zero safety incidents.]

This was the Repair Hall's first Performance Data.

It was also the first foundation stone that Su Ming personally laid in the Cloud Hidden Sect.