"Finally, I can sleep soundly now."

Su Ming turned and walked back into the cave, flicking a hand seal behind him.

The stone door at the cave entrance closed silently, and then, even the outline of the door vanished amidst a distortion of light and shadow, as if there had never been an entrance there.

Inside the cave.

Su Ming walked over to the stone bed where a meditation cushion had long been laid out and sat down cross-legged.

"Let's test the effects."

He closed his eyes and began circulating the Like Water Art.

This time, the feeling was completely different.

Previously during cultivation, he had to laboriously capture and purify the spiritual energy. Now, with the formation in operation, the spiritual energy within the cave dwelling was like tamed sheep—docile and dense.

With just a gentle inhalation, that spiritual energy, carrying the coolness of the stars and the weightiness of the earth, rushed eagerly into his meridians.

The water spiritual energy surged within his body. With each completed circulation cycle, Su Ming could feel that "resistance" was far less than when he was at his old residence.

"Efficiency has increased by at least thirty percent."

Su Ming opened his eyes, sensing the abundant spiritual energy within his dantian. "Moreover, this spiritual energy seems to have an extra trace of... resilience."

"That's the result of Star Baleful Energy tempering," Lin Yu said. "This formation is like a pressure cooker, crushing the impurities within the spiritual energy, leaving only the most essential parts. Cultivating in this environment for one year is equivalent to three years outside."

Su Ming let out a long breath of turbid air, his entire body relaxing completely.

Starlight flowed within the cave dwelling, and the earth energy was warm and moist. This small world finally had the stability of a "home."

A memory was suddenly illuminated.

That dusk after moving, everyone sat on the ground. Two jugs of cheap wine were produced. Without cups, they took turns drinking straight from the jugs.

"Down this mouthful, from now on we're following Senior Brother Su!" Zhao Tiezhu had shouted, his tongue thick.

Amidst the boisterous laughter, someone knocked over a wine jug. The amber-colored wine spread across the bluestone slab, like some clumsy mark.

……

Su Ming opened his eyes.

The cave dwelling was silent, save for the faint hum of the operating formation. Yet, the pungent, spicy scent of that cheap wine seemed to still linger in the air.

He stood up, took out that half-worn blue homespun cloth robe from his storage pouch, and changed into it—

It was time to go take a look.

To see if that old locust tree was still dropping leaves into the material pile, to see if Wang Defa's abacus beads were missing a few again, to see if Zhang Asheng was secretly testing his "Three-Part Quenching Method" in the workshop again.

……

Half an incense stick's time later.

Bing Character Seven Courtyard appeared more orderly than usual.

A newly erected "Standard Procedure Board" hung prominently on the courtyard wall, its characters neat and regulations clear. Inside the workshop, items were no longer haphazardly piled up. Scrap areas, pending repair areas, and completed areas were demarcated with lime lines, all sorted into categories. Under the old locust tree in the courtyard, Wang Defa was holding an account book, handing over materials to two stewards with unfamiliar faces.

"The grain on this batch of green oak wood isn't right. Although it's low-grade, we need it for load-bearing supports, so the toughness must meet the standard." Wang Defa pointed at two pieces of lumber, his tone neither subservient nor arrogant, even though the other party wore the uniform of the Internal Affairs Hall. "Either replace them, or I'll write 'Rejected' on the acceptance form. It's up to you two."

The two stewards exchanged a glance, then resentfully picked out the substandard lumber.

Su Ming quietly entered the courtyard.

He had suppressed his aura, his footsteps falling on the bluestone slabs without a sound. None of the busy menial disciples around noticed him. Only when Wang Defa closed the account book did the corner of his eye catch a familiar flash of blue. His body stiffened for a moment, then his eyes lit up with joy. He tucked the pen behind his ear and quickly strode forward to meet him.

"Let's talk inside." Su Ming raised a hand, stopping Wang Defa's imminent shout of greeting.

A moment later, in the meeting room deep within the workshop.

The doors and windows were shut tight, blocking out the outside noise. Only a dim, yellow oil lamp lit the room, illuminating six familiar faces.

Wang Defa, Old Wang, Old Li, Zhang Asheng, Zhao Tiezhu, Qian Xiaofan. These six were now the core backbone of the Repair Hall, also the first batch of old-timers who had followed Su Ming. At this moment, looking at Su Ming, who had now become a True Disciple, they were all a bit at a loss, unsure where to put their hands and feet. The usual crude jokes reached their lips, only to be swallowed back down.

Their status had changed.

He was a True Disciple, a "big shot" who might have a seat in the sect's main hall in the future.

"Everyone, sit." Su Ming pulled over a long bench missing a leg, casually propped it up with a brick, and plopped down. "What, do you need me to pour tea for you all, Stewards?"

This simple act of sitting instantly dissipated most of that invisible barrier.

"Aiya, my Su... Senior Brother Su." Wang Defa grinned, rubbing his calloused hands together. "We're just afraid of embarrassing you, that's all."

"There's no 'Senior Brother Su' here." Su Ming pointed at the table. "I called everyone here to settle a few matters."

Everyone's expression turned serious, their backs straightening.

"I've now been promoted to True Disciple and will be cultivating at Formation Peak. I won't be staying at the Repair Hall much in the future."

Although they had anticipated this, hearing it spoken, the light in Old Li's and the others' eyes still dimmed. With the pillar gone, could this operation hold up?

"But I won't let go."

Su Ming's gaze swept over everyone, his voice steady. "The Repair Hall is my foundation, and it's also everyone's rice bowl. Not only will I not let go, I intend to make it even more stable."

He took out three jade slips he had prepared earlier from his storage pouch and placed them on the table.

"First matter: restructuring."

"Effective immediately, establish the 'Repair Hall Management Group.' Wang Defa will serve as Chief Steward, overseeing the entire operation. Old Li is responsible for quality control. Zhang Asheng and Qian Xiaofan are responsible for technical breakthroughs. Zhao Tiezhu manages external relations. Old Wang manages the ledgers. For major day-to-day matters, the six of you will discuss and decide. Implement a rotating responsibility system. Each person will take turns being in charge for one month. Whoever is on duty makes the final call and bears responsibility for any problems that arise."

Su Ming tapped the three jade slips with his finger.

"These are three sets of improved versions of the *Standardized Maintenance Procedures* that I've compiled. They cover fault charts for one hundred and eight common low-grade magical implements in the sect, three hundred cheap material substitution plans, and a set of emergency response manuals."

Zhang Asheng, a technical fanatic, instantly brightened up. He reached out to grab one, but stopped halfway, withdrew his hand, wiped it vigorously on his lapel, and only then carefully picked up a jade slip.

Next, Su Ming took out a heavy storage pouch and placed it on the table.

"This contains five thousand contribution points."

Hiss—

A collective intake of breath sounded in the room. For outer sect menial disciples, this was an astronomical sum, enough for them to work for ten years without eating or drinking.

"Don't rush to divide it up. This isn't a dividend." Su Ming pressed his hand on the storage pouch. "This is the 'Technical Improvement and Emergency Fund.' From now on, if any brother gets injured, suffers a family disaster, or if we need to buy some expensive new tool or test a new formation, it will come from here."

"And one final thing."

Su Ming stood up, straightening the sleeves of his purple robe. "From now on, handle everything according to the rules. If anyone from the Internal Affairs Hall, Vessel Hall, or anywhere else tries to leverage influence to pressure people or withhold materials..."

He paused, his gaze becoming sharp as a blade.

"...report my name directly. If I'm not around, go to Formation Peak and seek out True Disciple Senior Brother Luo Feng. I've already spoken with him."

Wang Defa's eyes reddened slightly.

This felt too much like giving final instructions.

"Alright, enough with those expressions." Su Ming smiled. "I'll come back for half a day each month at irregular intervals, specifically to answer technical difficulties. I'm off."

With that, he turned and pushed the door open.

"Senior Brother Su, wait!"

Zhang Asheng suddenly called out, quickly catching up, holding a simple, antique redwood box in his hands.

"This is a little token of appreciation from everyone." Zhang Asheng looked a bit awkward, scratching his head. "We don't have anything good. We know you hold a high position now and don't lack for magical implements. But we all thought, since you're out there making your way, you should always have some small items for self-defense."

In his mind, Lin Yu clicked his tongue. "No, you guys really overestimate him. He actually *does* lack them."

Ignoring his Master's outburst, Su Ming took the wooden box.

It felt slightly heavy in his hand. The surface of the box was polished extremely smooth, clearly a product of careful effort.

"This is also the signature skill of our Repair Hall now," Wang Defa added from the side. "Although our cultivation is low, when it comes to forging iron and grinding needles, those guys at Hundred Refinements Peak might not be as meticulous as us."

Su Ming felt a stir in his heart. He didn't open it on the spot, but solemnly stored it inside his robe.

"Thank you."

He patted Zhang Asheng's shoulder, took one last look at everyone, then turned and strode out of Bing Character Seven Courtyard.

Behind him, the leaves of the old locust tree rustled in the wind, as if bidding farewell to this young "Hall Master."