172: Master of Gentle Breeze and Bright Moon

The night was as dark as ink. Ding Qi Courtyard.

Su Ming didn't return to his East Wing, but walked to the door of the south room and gently knocked.

The door creaked open, revealing Li Kai's silent Face.

His room was still piled with various discarded Formation Plate parts, and the air was filled with a peculiar scent of metal mixed with Spirit Stone powder.

"Senior Brother Li," Su Ming said straightforwardly.

Li Kai didn't speak, just looked at him, a hint of inquiry in his eyes.

Su Ming met his gaze calmly, his tone sincere.

"Senior Brother Li, to be honest, when the Repair Hall was first established, I wanted to invite you to join us."

"It's just... as you can see, there are too many rules and regulations in the hall, and all we do are trivial repair jobs. I've thought about it repeatedly and feel that such an environment is too small; it might restrict Senior Brother and hinder your future."

"When the Repair Hall is on the right track and needs to delve into more profound Formations, I will formally invite Senior Brother again. What do you think?"

These words were half-truths, half-lies.

It was both an excuse and a test.

Lin Yu and Su Ming both judged that Li Kai was like a Dragon hidden in the abyss, with an unfathomable Heart-Nature. The small Repair Hall truly couldn't accommodate him. Forcibly recruiting him might bring unpredictable fortune or disaster; it was better to treat him with courtesy and observe the situation.

Li Kai silently looked at Su Ming, his deep eyes seeming to see through people's hearts.

The oil lamp in the room cast a dim, yellow light, making the shallow scar on his Face flicker between bright and dark.

After a long while, he tugged at the corner of his mouth, as if he wanted to smile, but in the end, it only turned into a slight nod.

"I understand."

He only said these three words, his voice a little hoarse.

"Thank you."

With that, he took a step back and slowly closed the door.

Su Ming stood outside the door, listening to the

"Master, he seems to... truly understand."

"Understand my ass!" Lin Yu's soul-thought grumbled in the ring. "What he understands is that you know he's not simple! Your words are telling him, 'I know you're a big shot, our small temple can't accommodate you, let's keep to our own business and be well.' His 'thank you' is for your 'tactfulness.'"

Su Ming gave a wry smile and turned to walk to his room.

Regardless, a potential problem was temporarily stabilized... the operation of the Repair Hall was smoother than expected.

Driven by the powerful force of

Su Ming finally had large stretches of free time.

Late at night, the composite Formation completely isolated the East Wing from the outside world.

Su Ming sat cross-legged, eight basic runes, each glowing differently, suspended before him.

In addition to the nine runes he initially mastered, in this past month, under Lin Yu's guidance, he had thoroughly grasped six new basic runes.

He didn't get greedy but followed Lin Yu's teaching to

He activated his Divine Sense, slowly bringing the rune representing

As soon as the two distinctly different spiritual energy attributes touched, a violent repulsion occurred, and their light flickered, seemingly on the verge of collapsing at any moment.

"Idiot! Don't just force them together!" Lin Yu's soul-thought promptly sounded. "'Flow' is movement, 'Solid' is stillness. Movement and stillness need to combine, requiring a 'converter'! Use the principle of the 'Fusion' character to guide them! Let 'Solid' become the riverbed for 'Flow,' not a dam!"

Su Ming's heart stirred, and he immediately split a wisp of his mind, contemplating the

Indeed, under his guidance, the two runes that had originally repelled each other gradually stabilized, finally merging into a brand new, structurally complex composite rune, emitting a peculiar charm of

Lin Yu's teaching method never made him memorize things by rote. Each rune was explained from its most fundamental

This method might not be the fastest in terms of efficiency, but it laid an astonishingly solid Foundation for him, far surpassing ordinary people, and even those Geniuses of Formation Peak.

A few days later, the two little ones, Qingfeng and Mingyue, again carried their food boxes and strolled to the Repair Hall.

Only this time, their Faces lacked their usual cheerfulness; instead, they both pouted, looking unhappy.

"Su Ming, Su Ming!" Bright Moon couldn't help but complain as soon as she saw him. "My Revered Master hasn't been back for a long time!"

Clear Wind also straightened his Face and echoed, "That's right! Who knows what he's busy with, like a Divine Dragon showing its head but not its tail! We sent a message, and he just replied, 'Do Not Disturb!'"

Bright Moon opened the food box; although the pastries inside were still exquisite, she had no interest in them.

Listening to the two little ones' complaints, Su Ming's heart stirred, and he asked, seemingly casually, "Your Revered Master is so busy; could it be... for the upcoming 'Minor Cycle Martial Arts Competition'?"

Clear Wind's small Face hardened, and he snorted, "The martial arts competition is for those reckless fellows from Heavenly Sword Peak to worry about; Revered Master is too lazy to bother. He is deducing a more important great matter, but what it is, we do not know."

Before he finished speaking, a series of urgent and arrogant footsteps came from outside the courtyard, accompanied by a sharp voice.

"Is that new 'Repair Hall' established by the External Affairs Hall here? So slow, it took this old man a while to find it!"

As the voice fell, a young Cultivator dressed in an Artifact Hall steward's uniform, with his chin raised high and arrogant eyes, had already stepped into the Bing Zi Qi Hao Courtyard. His robes were embroidered with intricate gears and hammer patterns in silver thread, exuding an aura of metal and sparks. His gaze swept over the simple furnishings in the courtyard and the few craftsmen of miscellaneous origins, openly displaying his disdain.

"Are you Su Ming? Elder Ma said this place can repair Formation Plates." He pointed at Su Ming with his chin, flicking out a Jade Slip inscribed with Formation patterns. "The Artifact Hall urgently dispatched twenty 'Sharp Metal Formation Plates,' which were excessively damaged in trials last night and are needed for tomorrow's martial arts competition! You are limited to repairing all of them before Hai Shi tonight!"

Seeing Qingfeng and Mingyue present, his attitude softened slightly, but the condescending air remained undiminished: "Elder Ma's Face, our Artifact Hall has given. But don't be ungrateful; a bunch of accountants and farmers, don't mess up our Artifact Hall's treasures!"

Old Li and Zhang Asheng's Faces instantly flushed red, and they were about to retort, but Su Ming stopped them with a calm look.

Inside the xuantian ring, Lin Yu's soul-thought had already materialized into a phantom, pointing at the steward: "Oh ho, look at that demeanor, disciple, don't stoop to his level. Use your strength to shut him up and, by the way, give him a good beating."

Su Ming was neither humble nor arrogant, stepping forward to take the Jade Slip. His Divine Sense swept over it, taking in the damage to the twenty Formation Plates. He bowed slightly, his tone as steady as if he were reciting an account: "Please rest assured, Steward. The Repair Hall only recognizes procedures; nothing else matters. We will deliver before Hai Shi."