244: Immortal Sect Daily Life

"How are things in the Repair Hall lately?" Su Ming asked.

Wang Defa's smile faded slightly. He pulled an account book from his sleeve, his expression somewhat grave.

"Hall Master, our 'standard component' training method is indeed effective; the newcomers have doubled their speed in getting started. However..."

He flipped to a page in the account book and pointed to a line of red text. "Recently, the market prices for Materials have risen sharply. Especially for 'mercury sand' and 'crimson essence copper', their prices have increased by thirty percent compared to last month.

Word is that because the war on the front lines is tight, the Sect has diverted a large amount of resources there. Although our Repair Hall has higher income, our costs have risen along with it, so our profits have actually become thinner."

Su Ming frowned slightly.

Mercury sand is the most commonly used spirit-conducting Material for repairing Formation circuits, and 'crimson essence copper' is essential for refining Formation Plates. The price hike for these two items is a direct blow to the Repair Hall.

"Can we find substitutes?" Su Ming asked.

"Difficult." Wang Defa shook his large head. "Among low-grade Materials, these two have the best cost-performance ratio. Others are either too expensive or their spirit-conducting properties are too poor. Unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless we can utilize that pile of accumulated waste mineral slag in the warehouse." Wang Defa pointed to a black, mountain-like pile of rocks in the corner of the backyard. "That's waste material thrown over by the Artifact Refining Hall ages ago. They said the copper content was too low and the refining cost was higher than buying new ones, so it's just been sitting there collecting dust."

Su Ming looked in the direction of his finger.

It was a pile of uneven mineral slag, its surface mottled and irregular; indeed, it didn't look like it had any value.

But at this moment, under Su Ming's Qi Refining Sixth Layer 'microscopic perspective,' what he saw was not just rocks.

He saw dark red metal particles distributed like stars inside those mineral slags; although scattered, the total amount was not small.

"Old Wang, go get a piece of waste mineral slag and prepare a bucket of 'gold-etching water' for me." A glint flashed in Su Ming's eyes.

Although Wang Defa didn't understand why, his execution was top-notch, and he immediately scurried off.

A moment later, Su Ming stood before that pile of waste mineral slag.

He held a fist-sized black rock in one hand, while his other hand hovered above it.

"Gather."

The water vapor in the air rapidly gathered, mixing with a small amount of 'gold-etching water,' and transformed into a pale green mist in Su Ming's palm.

Under the control of Su Ming's Divine Sense, this mist did not splash directly onto it; instead, as if it had a life of its own, it silently drilled into the fine cracks on the surface of the mineral slag.

The powerful Divine Sense of the Qi Refining Sixth Layer allowed Su Ming to precisely control the path of every wisp of mist.

They avoided the hard rock structures and specifically sought out the loose metal joints.

"Dissolve."

Su Ming whispered in his heart.

The mist that had seeped inside began to take effect, wrapping around and stripping away those tiny crimson essence copper particles.

About ten breaths later.

Su Ming flipped his palm and whispered, "Out!"

Countless fine red droplets suddenly seeped out from the surface of the black rock. These droplets rapidly gathered, eventually forming a thumb-sized, highly pure crimson liquid that hovered in mid-air.

As for the black rock, it instantly became porous, and with a gentle squeeze from Su Ming, it turned into a pile of powder.

"This..."

Wang Defa's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets watching this.

He was an old hand who had dealt with Materials for decades, so he naturally knew quality.

That small ball of red liquid was clearly crimson essence copper liquid with a purity reaching ninety percent! Even for an Artifact Refiner in the inner Sect using true fire, refining to this purity would take a great deal of effort.

Yet the Hall Master had only used ten breaths? And he used cold water?

"Th-this... what Spell is this?" Wang Defa asked, stuttering.

Su Ming collected the ball of copper liquid into a jade bottle, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

The control of the Qi Refining Sixth Layer Divine Sense was truly extraordinary. If he had tried that trick before, he would never have been able to achieve such precise separation; at most, he would have just smashed the rock.

"This is called 'Water Extraction'."

Su Ming casually made up a name and tossed the jade bottle to Wang Defa. "Old Wang, what's the market price for crimson essence copper of this purity?"

Wang Defa scrambled to catch the jade bottle, his face flushed with excitement. "Th-this is at least three times the price of ordinary crimson essence copper! And it's priceless! If used to repair high-grade Formation Plates, the spirit conduction is simply perfect!"

"That's good."

Su Ming brushed the rock powder off his hands, his tone indifferent. "From today on, select a few apprentices with meticulous Divine Sense; I will teach them this craft. From now on, our Repair Hall won't need to buy crimson essence copper; we'll just consume this pile of waste material."

Wang Defa watched Su Ming's retreating figure, the look of awe in his eyes deepening.

This young Hall Master seemed to always have endless methods, able to turn a dead end into a living one and transform waste into treasure.

...

In the evening, Su Ming returned to Qingxi Valley.

He didn't rush to Cultivate; instead, he sat on the stone bench in the courtyard, watching the Formation fields under the setting sun.

Those eighteen nodes set up using the 'Guidance Method' were still operating stably, nourishing that patch of low-grade Spiritual Plants that looked messy.

"How does it feel?" Lin Yu's voice echoed in his mind.

"Very solid."

Su Ming looked at his own palms. "I used to think cultivation base was just a number, but now I understand that every increase in Realm brings not just power, but a way of seeing the world."

He saw the dust in the Formation Plate and the copper particles in the mineral slag.

This ability to gain deep insights made him even more determined about the path of 'Scientific Cultivation.'

"Not bad, the Foundation is very stable."

Lin Yu's phantom floated out and sat opposite him, speaking with rare seriousness. "That 'Water Extraction' trick you showed today is very clever. Using the permeability of water to replace the violence of fire fits perfectly with our 'The Way of Cautious Survival' aesthetic—taking the benefits silently and without making a sound."

Su Ming smiled and was just about to speak, but saw Lin Yu's expression suddenly turn serious.

"However, Disciple, don't forget what I told you this morning."

Lin Yu pointed to Su Ming's lower abdomen. "Although the Qi Refining Sixth Layer has given you stronger micro-control capabilities, it also means your Dantian is bearing a greater load. You used the 'microscopic perspective' three times today, and each time, your spiritual energy vortex accelerated. I observed that extremely faint spiritual energy has already begun to leak from the cracks in your dao foundation."

Su Ming's heart tightened, and the smile on his face gradually disappeared.

"It's like a pot with cracks." Lin Yu made an explosive gesture. "The greater the pressure, the higher the risk of leaking. Until you find a way to repair your dao foundation, such high-precision operations must not exceed three times a day."

Su Ming was silent for a long time, then took a deep breath and nodded solemnly at Lin Yu.

"Disciple understands. I will control it."