308: Stone Chamber Millstone

Dusk descended.

The cheers in Defense Zone Bing Seven gradually subsided. The veterans gathered in twos and threes around the campfire, roasting dry, hard jerky and discussing that magical "Iron Barrel Formation."

Su Ming sat alone on a large rock at the edge of the defense zone, holding a Jade Slip that recorded data, reviewing the drill that had just taken place.

Suddenly, his fingers gripping the Jade Slip tightened slightly.

Someone was there.

It was not an enemy attack, because the "Spider Web" had not sounded an alarm.

The person approaching had not triggered any spiritual energy fluctuations; they were like a gust of wind, naturally merging into the world around them.

Su Ming slowly turned around and bowed respectfully toward an empty shadow outside the defense zone.

"Disciple Su Ming greets Elder Mo."

The shadow twisted slightly, and a thin old man wearing a gray cloth robe slowly revealed his figure.

It was precisely Elder Mo from Lingshu Hall.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his somewhat cloudy old eyes sweeping over the nodes Su Ming had laid out before finally landing on Su Ming.

"A bit interesting."

Elder Mo's voice was hoarse, revealing neither happiness nor anger. "Using points to influence the whole, Spiritual Response Resonance. You used the listening technique from the 'Spiritual Response Resonance Fragment' on a defensive Formation?"

Su Ming was startled; had there already been similar Formations?

"Elder Mo has a Wisdom Eye," Su Ming said, lowering his head. "This Disciple just felt that pure defense is too passive. If the Formation could be like a Spider Web, capable of both sensing and hunting, perhaps it would be more suitable for a squad like ours, which lacks manpower."

Elder Mo did not speak, but stepped into the defense zone.

With every step he took, the snow beneath his feet creaked softly.

However, in Su Ming's "Micro-Observation" vision, every step Elder Mo took landed precisely on the nodes where the spiritual energy flowed. He did not disrupt the Formation but walked along the "momentum" of the Formation.

It was like a drop of water merging into a river.

Elder Mo walked to the wolf bone Formation stake and extended a thin, withered finger, tapping it lightly.

Thump.

A dull echo spread throughout the entire defense zone.

All the nodes lit up simultaneously for an instant before quickly fading away.

"The idea is good, but the scope is too small."

Elder Mo turned around to look at Su Ming. "Your web only covers this small patch of Bing Seven. If the adjacent Bing Six or bing ba defense zone eight were breached, and Yao Beasts flanked you, this iron barrel of yours would just be a colander."

Su Ming's heart jumped, and he looked up sharply.

Elder Mo's words...

"This Disciple is dull; I only had limited Materials and dared not be too ambitious," Su Ming replied cautiously.

"Materials?"

Elder Mo gave a light harrumph and tossed a token, which landed right in Su Ming's arms.

"The warehouse, Grade C scrap area. I allow you to go and pick three more times this month."

Su Ming gripped the cold token, his breathing quickening slightly.

Three times!

With these Materials, he could not only reinforce Bing Seven but even expand this system to the entire front line of the Bing Battalion!

"Many thanks, Elder Mo!" Su Ming bowed deeply.

Elder Mo waved his hand, his figure becoming blurry again, as if he might dissipate into the wind and snow at any moment.

"Since you've woven a web, make it larger."

"The wind at Iron Wall Pass is getting stronger. If the web isn't sturdy, it won't be able to hold anything."

Before his voice had even faded, Elder Mo's figure had completely vanished.

Only Su Ming was left, standing in the wind and snow, clutching the token tightly.

Su Ming took a deep breath and put the token into his Storage Pouch.

Elder Mo's support was like a protective talisman.

With this connection, he could finally be a bit less restrained in his actions at Iron Wall Pass.

"Brother Zhao!"

Su Ming turned and walked toward the camp, his voice losing some caution and gaining more decisiveness.

Zhao Tieji, who was gnawing on a bone, looked up. "What's up, Brother Su?"

"Starting tomorrow, have the brothers go over to the adjacent Bing Six and bing ba defense zone eight to take a look around."

Su Ming walked to the campfire, the firelight reflecting on his young yet steady face.

"We have to share our good things with our neighbors. After all, we still rely on them to guard our backs."

Zhao Tieji was stunned for a moment, then grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

"Got it! Leave this to me! Old Zhang and his bunch have been coveting our shields for a long time; this time, I'll make sure they pay a hefty price!"

Su Ming smiled, sat down, picked up a dry twig, and poked the fire.

Sparks flew, tracing bright trajectories in the night sky.

In this crisis-ridden Iron Wall Pass, he had finally woven the first web of his own.

But he knew this was not enough.

Deep underground, that dark golden river was approaching. He had to weave this web denser, thicker, and tougher before the disaster erupted.

...

The night in Defense Zone Bing Seven was chewed up and swallowed by the wind and snow.

Inside Stone House No. 7, sound-insulation talismans had been applied to the door cracks and window lattices. The wind howling outside like ghostly wails was reduced to a dull, low wheezing as it entered.

Only one bean-sized spiritual lamp was lit in the room. The dim yellow circle of light huddled in the corner, casting elongated shadows onto the rough stone wall. As the lamp flickered, the shadows seemed to struggle silently.

In the center of the stone table, a coarse ceramic basin held half a basin of clear water.

At the bottom of the basin, the grayish-white raw ore, which he had spent a large price to acquire from the Ghost Market, lay quietly.

Su Ming sat cross-legged on the stone stool, his eyes slightly closed, his hands hovering three inches above the water surface.

In his Sea of Consciousness, Lin Yu's voice was uncharacteristically devoid of its usual banter, conveying a sense of rigor. "The void meditation stone is brittle. Although this raw ore has as many Impurities as a honeycomb briquette, the tiny bit of space-attribute powder at its core is extremely delicate. You have to peel away the gray rock like peeling a raw egg, without breaking the membrane inside."

Su Ming did not reply, but a layer of fine sweat had already seeped out on his forehead.

This work was even more tiring than killing wolf Yao Beasts on the battlefield.

Killing enemies relied on ruthlessness and explosive power, but this "water-grinding" refinement relied on the resilience of his Divine Sense and the ultimate control of minute spiritual energy manipulations.

In his "Micro-Observation" vision, the grayish-white raw ore was no longer a stone but a complex three-dimensional maze. The grayish-black rock Impurities were like layers of heavy armor, tightly wrapping the tiny, star-like silver light dust inside.

Su Ming controlled the water needles, not by chiseling hard, but by utilizing the permeability of water to gently "moisten" the junction between the rock and the silver powder, then using the weak expansion force when water turned into Qi to push the Impurities away bit by bit.

Hiss—

A wisp of grayish-black, flocculent material floated out from the raw ore, like dissolved ink, slowly sinking to the bottom of the basin.

"First layer stripping successful," Su Ming silently recited in his heart, but his fingers did not dare to pause for even a second.

Time slipped away amidst the popping of the lamp wick.

One hour, two hours...

Until the sound of wind and snow outside seemed exhausted, and the air inside the stone house was cold enough to freeze one's breath, did Su Ming finally exhale a long, heavy breath.

"Extract."

He jerked his hands upward.

With a soft splash.

The originally clear heavy water had now become murky, but in the center of the water surface, a clump of powder about the size of a thumb, shimmering with a silvery-gray light, was wrapped in a pure water sphere, floating up.

Su Ming carefully took out a specially made jade bottle, channeled his spiritual energy, and guided the powder into the bottle.

"Four qian."

Su Ming weighed the jade bottle in his hand, a tired smile appearing on his somewhat pale face. "Half a qian more than expected."

"The quality is good," Lin Yu's voice carried a hint of gratification. "This amount is enough to activate the 'Lesser Void Spirit Guiding Formation' three times."

Su Ming sealed the jade bottle and applied a Spirit-Sealing Talisman, but he did not immediately start setting up the Formation; instead, he solemnly placed it into the deepest part of his Storage Pouch.

"No need to rush."

Su Ming stood up and stretched his stiff joints, his bones cracking. "Although the 'Lesser Void Spirit Guiding Formation' creates little disturbance, the spatial fluctuations cannot be hidden from those who are paying attention. After all, this is a military camp, and walls have ears. Next time the moon is full, I will go to that abandoned mine cave behind the mountain; the earth veins there are chaotic, which is perfect for covering up the Formation's fluctuations."

"Hmm, prudent," Lin Yu praised. "Disciple, your proficiency in 'The Way of Cautious Survival' is becoming increasingly mature."

Su Ming smiled, walked to the corner, and washed his face with cold water to clear his chaotic mind.

It was late at night, but he had no desire to sleep.

Returning from the Ghost Market, he had not only brought back the void meditation stone but also a sense of urgency.

To survive, to reinforce the defense zone, and to repair his dao foundation, ultimately, he needed a vast amount of resources.