252: Your trash, my baby

Su Ming took out a scroll he had prepared earlier from his sleeve and spread it on the table. “Relying solely on basic repairs, we will forever be Menial Workers trampled underfoot by the Artifact Hall. We must become ‘Problem Solvers.’ The case at Beast Peak proves that the value of diagnosis and customized solutions far exceeds simple maintenance.”

Old Wang leaned over for a look. The document was densely covered in writing, with four large characters at the very top: “Repair Hall Technical Grading and Custom Service Standards.”

“Hall Master, isn’t this... aren’t we moving too fast?” Old Wang worried. “We don’t have enough manpower. Besides you, only A Sheng can barely assist in understanding these ‘customized solutions.’”

“Therefore, I will teach you.”

Su Ming’s eyes were bright. “I will break down the most crucial Materials purification techniques into steps that all of you can understand. You don’t need to know why you are doing it, only how much water to add in the first step, how many times to turn in the second step, and how long to let it settle in the third step.”

Inside the Sea of Consciousness, Lin Yu whistled, “Tsk tsk, assembly line work.”

Su Ming replied in his mind, “Master, it’s better for them to Master a useful skill than to be Menial Workers for life.”

...Over the next two hours, the backyard of Bing Zi Qi Hao Courtyard transformed into a temporary “Lecture Hall.”

Su Ming did not hold back, but he also did not directly teach a fundamental method like the Ruoshui Art. What he taught was a simplified version of the Water Refining Method based on physical properties.

“Watch closely.”

Su Ming stood in front of a huge water vat. The vat was filled with muddy water, simulating slag solution.

“Purifying Materials doesn’t necessarily require fire.” Su Ming rolled up his sleeves, holding a wooden stick covered in runes. “Fire is fierce and easily damages the spiritual essence of the Materials. Water is soft and benefits all things.”

He dipped the wooden stick into the water, his wrist vibrating with a strange rhythm.

“Three turns clockwise. This is ‘Gathering’.”

The water flow in the vat began to rotate, forming a tiny vortex.

“Half a turn counter-clockwise. This is ‘Dispersion’.”

The vortex suddenly stopped, and centrifugal force flung the heavier sediment in the water toward the vat walls.

“Rest, three breaths. This is ‘Settling’.”

Su Ming withdrew the wooden stick.

In the formerly muddy water vat, a miraculous stratification appeared. The bottom layer was black heavy sand, the middle was clear liquid, and the top floated a layer of extremely fine, faintly glowing powder.

“Zhang Asheng, you try.” Su Ming handed the wooden stick to Zhang Asheng.

Zhang Asheng clumsily took it and stirred, mimicking Su Ming. Although his movements were stiff and his Spiritual Power control was inadequate, after five or six attempts, a vague stratification actually appeared in the water vat.

“It worked!” Zhang Asheng looked at the bottom of the vat in surprise. “Although it’s not as clear as the Hall Master’s separation, this has at least thrown out eighty percent of the sediment!”

Su Ming nodded: “That’s enough. I will handle the remaining twenty percent for the final processing. This way, I can free myself from repetitive rough work and focus on the fine work.”

Old Wang watched from the side, his eyes shining.

He was the accountant, and he instantly recognized the value in this.

If Utility Disciples could all Master this “Rough Refining” technique, the Repair Hall’s efficiency in processing waste Materials would increase by more than tenfold! This meant a significant drop in costs!

...Late at night, in the Repair Hall’s backyard.

The pile of slag, which was considered “highly toxic,” was currently stacked in the center of the courtyard.

Su Ming dismissed everyone and stood alone in front of the slag pile.

“Master, this spirit-corroding sand is quite interesting.” Su Ming pinched a little black sand grain and rubbed it gently between his fingers.

“Of course it’s interesting.” Lin Yu’s phantom floated out and circled the slag pile. “In chemistry... cough, in the Dao of Artifact Refining, poison is often also the antidote. The reason spirit-corroding sand can corrode spiritual essence is that it possesses an extremely strong ‘acidic’ Spiritual Power structure. If this material is used to refine certain specific metals, it is practically a natural catalyst.”

Su Ming raised his hands, and the Ruoshui Art within his body operated at full capacity.

“Rise!”

From the well in the courtyard, a water Dragon shot up into the sky, transforming into countless fine water threads that enveloped the pile of slag.

This time, Su Ming was not using the simple Water Refining Method, but an advanced technique combining Lin Yu’s guidance on the principle of “Centrifugal Separation.”

Ethereal blue Water Spiritual Energy traversed through the slag.

“The spirit-corroding sand is heavy and sticky, while crimson essence copper is light and smooth.” Su Ming’s Divine Sense acted like a precision scalpel, peeling the two apart little by little.

He manipulated the water flow to form two counter-rotating vortices.

The heavy, slow vortex on the left firmly sucked up the black sand grains with their acidic, corrosive aura, sinking them into a specially made ceramic jar at the bottom.

The light, cheerful vortex on the right rolled up countless reddish metal particles, washing away all the Impurities on their surface like gold panning.

Sizzle sizzle sizzle—

A grating, teeth-aching friction sound echoed in the courtyard.

A full two hours passed.

Fine beads of sweat seeped from Su Ming’s forehead, and his face was somewhat pale, but his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

When the last ray of morning light pierced the night sky, the mountain of slag in the courtyard vanished.

In its place were a dozen tightly sealed black ceramic jars on the left, and a pile of Scarlet Essence Copper Ingots shimmering with alluring red light on the right.

“Hoo...”

Su Ming let out a long breath, looked at the pile of copper ingots, and smiled. “About three hundred catties of crimson essence copper, ninety percent purity. At market price, this batch of ‘trash’ is worth at least five hundred Spirit Stones.”

“Huge profit.” Lin Yu chuckled. “If Steward Sun knew he gifted you five hundred Spirit Stones, he’d probably be so angry he’d vomit blood.”

Su Ming walked up to the dozen black ceramic jars and personally pasted on seals he had prepared earlier.

A line of text was written on the seal, the handwriting proper and carrying a hint of dry humor:

[Special Grade Etching Material: spirit-corroding sand (High Purity)]

[Source: Gifted by Steward Sun of the Artifact Hall]

[Use: Specifically for breaking Spiritual Shields. Dangerous. Use with caution!]

“Place these jars in the most conspicuous spot in the warehouse.” Su Ming dusted his hands. “Since it’s a gift, we must display it and let everyone see the Artifact Hall’s ‘generosity’.”