309: The Path to Immortality in the Ledger

Su Ming returned to the stone table, fished out his identity token from his robes, and took out a green Jade Slip used for recording private accounts.

Under the lamplight, the youth's gaze became exceptionally focused as his fingers lightly brushed over the Jade Slip, causing rows of data to emerge.

"Basic military merit: three thousand five hundred points."

This was the hard-earned money he had accumulated from his struggles at Iron Wall Pass over the past few months.

It included daily patrols, Formation maintenance, rewards from several instances of resisting beast tides, and the wolf demon Materials he had turned in.

For an ordinary Late Stage Qi Refining Cultivator, this was already a massive sum of money.

But in Su Ming's plan, this was merely a fraction of what he needed.

Next were the earnings from repairing and optimizing Magical Artifacts for his comrades in Defense Zone Bing Seven.

Because they were all his brothers, Su Ming charged extremely low rates, often even accepting Materials as payment; when converted, it totaled about eight hundred points.

"I can't raise the price for this part," Su Ming calculated in his mind. "This is a debt of gratitude; it's the glue that turns Bing Qi Camp into a monolithic unit."

Since he added the "Soft Water Force Dissipation Formation" to Zhao Tieji's shield and performed a "Gravity Balance Calibration" for Old Man Liu's battle saber, the news of Defense Zone Bing Seven's equipment innovations had spread to the surrounding defense zones as if they had grown wings.

Especially Captain Zhang Meng of Section Six-C, who was notorious for his short temper and stinginess, after he personally saw Zhao Tieji laughing and chatting while facing the claws of a wolf demon.

When dealing with outsiders, Su Ming naturally wouldn't be so polite.

"Material cost plus thirty percent, technical premium plus fifty percent, and double it for rush orders."

This was the pricing strategy Lin Yu had taught him.

A standard "Black Tortoise Shield," repaired and fitted with a "Soft Water Force Dissipation Formation," would cost eighty to one hundred military merit points.

A Magical Artifact saber, with its center of gravity adjusted and "Micro-vibration Inscriptions" engraved, would cost fifty to seventy points.

"Twelve thousand three hundred points."

He was still over thirty thousand points short of the fifty thousand needed to exchange for the "earth vein spiritual milk"!

Su Ming's fingers lightly tapped the tabletop, producing a rhythmic series of sounds. "Tomorrow I need to go to Section Six-C to lay the 'Spider Web'. Although Zhang Meng is crude, he's willing to spend money to save his life. As long as the 'Spider Web' satisfies him, the subsequent maintenance and upgrade fees will be a steady stream of wealth."

"Not only that," Lin Yu added in his Sea of Consciousness, "once both Bing Liu and Bing Ba are set up, these three defense zones will form a link. When that time comes, tell them that for a small fee, they can share real-time early warning information from the neighboring zones!"

Su Ming's eyes lit up, but then he shook his head with a self-deprecating smile. "Master, I understand the principle—it's about making them unable to leave me. Once my Formations become their life-saving necessities, the military merit will naturally flow in continuously."

"That's right," Lin Yu laughed. "Using skills to support war, and war to promote skills. In the world of cultivation, killing and looting is the lowest path—that's trading your life for money. Doing business is the middle path—that's trading goods for money. Only a monopoly on technology is the highest path—that's having people beg to give you money."

Su Ming put away the Jade Slip and token; his mind, which had been tense from refining the void meditation stone, finally relaxed completely.

Twelve thousand three hundred points.

This was his hope for repairing his dao foundation.

"Time to sleep!"

Su Ming blew out the spirit lamp and lay down on the stone bed without undressing.

The wind and snow outside continued to howl, but to Su Ming's ears, the sound no longer seemed so harsh... The next morning, the sky took on a leaden, oppressive gray.

Su Ming rose early, performed a set of fist techniques in the stone house to loosen his muscles and bones, then slung the beast-hide bag filled with Formation Flags and Formation Plates over his back and pushed the door open.

Su Ming tightened his Array Master robes. As soon as he stepped past the boundary stone of Section Six-C, a sense of pressure, like that of a primordial beast, rushed at him.

"Hahahaha! Brother Su! I've been looking forward to your arrival!"

Accompanied by a burst of thunderous laughter, a tower-like figure enveloped in a pungent wind charged before him. The newcomer was the captain of Section Six-C, Zhang Meng. He was built with a thick back and broad shoulders, his messy beard standing on end like a violent bear just awakened from hibernation.

He reached out a hand as large as a cattail leaf fan and slapped Su Ming's shoulder hard. If this palm strike landed solidly, forget a Qi Refining Stage Cultivator, even a block of granite would develop several cracks.

Su Ming's expression remained unchanged as his footsteps shifted slightly, and the Ruoshui Art within his body began to circulate quietly. The muscles on his shoulder rippled like waves; the moment the giant palm fell, a soft force radiated from the point of contact, dissipating most of the raw strength that could have shattered bones.

Even so, the frozen earth beneath Su Ming's feet let out a crisp crack, sinking half an inch.

"Captain Zhang, your enthusiasm is a bit more than my small frame can handle," Su Ming said, cupping his hands. His tone was neither humble nor arrogant, and he wore a professional smile.

This Zhang Meng lived up to his name, built with a thick back and broad shoulders, his face covered in a messy beard. He carried a wolf-tooth mace, looking like a black bear walking upright.

Usually, Zhang Meng relied on his seniority and looked down on everyone. But the moment he saw Su Ming, his dark face instantly bloomed into a smile like a chrysanthemum.

Su Ming cupped his hands. "It's all for the sake of killing demons and staying alive. Since Brother Zhao has spoken, I will naturally do my best. It's just that setting up this 'Spirit-Responding Spider Web' is quite tedious, and the Materials..."

"Materials don't mean a thing!"

Zhang Meng waved his hand grandly. "Brother Su, just say the word! Whatever's missing, I'll have someone move it from the warehouse right now! If the warehouse doesn't have it, I'll go snatch it from another camp! As long as you can set up that web for me, never mind Materials—even if you want my own flesh... uh, let's forget that part."

The surrounding soldiers burst into a fit of laughter.

Su Ming also smiled. "Captain Zhang is joking. I've brought all the Materials, but the positioning and nodes of the Formation need to be fine-tuned according to the terrain of Section Six-C. Additionally, once this Formation is activated, the monthly Spirit Stone consumption..."

"That's a given!" Zhang Meng patted his chest. "I know the rules! Old Zhao already told me. Brother Su, I'm not short on that; as long as the thing works well, the price can be discussed further!"

"Captain Zhang is straightforward."

"Heh! Old Zhao praised your 'Iron Barrel Formation' to the heavens, saying that even if a fly flew in, it would sprain its leg. Today, I want to see if it's really that miraculous!" Zhang Meng withdrew his hand, his loud voice shaking the surrounding snow so that it fell in flurries.