Old Wang’s cloudy eyes instantly flashed with a light of disbelief. He asked nothing, merely nodded, quickly and silently gathered his few personal belongings, and followed behind Su Ming.

When Su Ming found Old Li with the token, this honest man who had long suffered suppression was holding a pile of scrapped formation plate debris, preparing to go to the waste area. Upon hearing the transfer order, his hands holding that pile of “junk” trembled, and his eyes instantly reddened.

Meanwhile, in the Spiritual Plant Garden, Zhang Asheng was carefully watering a spiritual plant. Hearing Su Ming’s words, he set down the ladle, silently bowed to Su Ming with a gaze that was clear and resolute.

Finally, the menial disciples’ quarters.

When Zhao Tiezhu and Qian Xiaofan, two youths who had always lived at the very bottom of the sect with almost no hope, heard their names spoken by Su Ming and were told they would enter a newly established “department” specially approved by Elder Ma, the expressions on their faces shifted from confusion, to shock, then to ecstatic joy, almost to the point of tears.

At dusk.

Outside Back Mountain Courtyard Bing-Seven, Old Wang, Old Li, Zhang Asheng, Zhao Tiezhu, and Qian Xiaofan stood silently in a row.

They came from different places, their ages and experiences varied, but at this moment, their faces all bore a similar glow—a mix of excitement, nervousness, and a glimmer of rebirth.

They looked at the young figure who had gathered them here, at the token representing supreme authority in his hand. Their hearts were filled with the unknown, yet also burned with unprecedented hope.

Su Ming’s gaze slowly swept over these five faces. He knew this was the foundation of his future in the Cloud Hidden Sect.

“The place is humble, the work is complex,” he began, his voice exceptionally clear in the twilight. “But from today onward, all of you will be here with me, Su Ming.”

He said no more, pushing open the courtyard gate.

“Come in.”

“Tomorrow at mao hour, we officially begin work.”

…

The fourth day, the morning sun rose.

A long-deserted, secluded courtyard in the back mountains was now completely renewed.

The ground in the courtyard had been swept clean, revealing the original color of the bluestone slabs. Though the side rooms appeared simple, their window lattices had been wiped bright. A set of basic repair tools and the first batch of “illumination formation plates” awaiting repair were neatly arranged on newly built wooden shelves, sorted by category.

Old Wang, Old Li, Zhang Asheng, and the two slightly nervous youths, Zhao Tiezhu and Qian Xiaofan, stood straight in the courtyard.

They had changed into matching blue cloth garments. Their expressions held both the excitement of being entrusted with important tasks and the apprehension of facing the unknown, very much like new recruits awaiting inspection.

Su Ming walked out from the main room. He held no tea, offered no pleasantries.

He directly distributed several booklets recorded on thin wooden boards to the five of them.

“This place values not cultivation level, nor background, only procedures and records.”

His voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable certainty that clearly reached everyone’s ears.

“Safety first! Violators will be expelled immediately!”

The five men’s hearts tightened. They hurriedly lowered their heads to look at the booklets in their hands.

On the cover, a line of clearly carved characters came into view: “Safety Regulations” and “Standard Repair Procedures for ‘Illumination Formation Plates’ (First Edition).”

No empty words, no motivational speeches, only rules.

Su Ming walked to the nearby wooden shelf and casually picked up a dim, lifeless illumination formation plate.

“Today, I will only demonstrate once.”

He placed the formation plate on the stone table, picked up the procedure manual, and turned to the first page.

“Step one: Visual inspection.”

As he spoke, he picked up a clean, soft cloth and carefully wiped the dust from the formation plate’s surface, his gaze sweeping over every corner.

“Record: Plate body has no cracks, runes show no obvious breaks, spirit stone slot is intact.”

He picked up a charcoal pen and swiftly jotted down a few symbols on a nearby bamboo slip.

“Step two: Faint Light Technique to probe for residual energy.”

He pointed his fingers like a sword. A wisp of spiritual energy so faint it was almost invisible seeped from his fingertips, like quicksilver pouring onto the ground, slowly permeating the formation plate’s interior.

“Record: Core ‘Gathering’ character rune energy node is blocked. Three auxiliary circuits show slight spiritual energy dissipation.”

His movements weren’t fast, but they flowed smoothly. Each step strictly followed the diagrams in the manual, each record was clear and unambiguous.

From inspection and testing, to disassembly and replacement of damaged micro-rune nodes, to final assembly and spiritual energy verification.

Throughout the entire process, Su Ming did not display any profound formation techniques. He was like a mortal craftsman, following a blueprint step-by-step, meticulously and conscientiously.

The five men watched, dumbfounded.

So… repairing formations could be like this?

This wasn’t some profound, mysterious immortal art at all. This was clearly… following the clues step by step!

“All understood?” Su Ming completed the final verification step. With a soft “hum,” the formation plate emitted a gentle, steady light.

The five men snapped out of their daze and hurriedly nodded.

“Good.” Su Ming, the accounting office clerk, revealed his most adept expression. “Now, preliminary division of labor.”

He looked at the meticulous Old Wang.

“Old Wang, you have ample experience and a careful mind. You will be responsible for process optimization suggestions and final quality inspection record verification.”

He then looked at the experienced Old Li.

“Old Li, you will lead Zhao Tiezhu and Qian Xiaofan, responsible for the main repair operations. Remember, strictly follow the procedures. Better to be slow than to make a mistake.”

Finally, he turned his gaze to the patient and meticulous Zhang Asheng.

“Asheng, your hands are the steadiest. You will be responsible for material pre-processing and repairing those delicate parts.”

The five men bowed in unison, loudly responding, “Yes!”

At that moment, two crisp voices approached from afar.

“Su Ming! Su Ming! We’ve come to congratulate you!”

They had expected to see chaos, but the orderly scene before their eyes and the several huge flowcharts hanging on the wall, filled with various strange arrows and boxes, shocked them, making their eyes widen.

“Wow! Su Ming, what are you doing? Is that a treasure map on the wall?” Mingyue asked curiously, pointing at the “Illumination Formation Plate Repair Flowchart.”

Su Ming smiled inwardly and naturally stepped forward to greet them.

“Senior Brother Qingfeng, Senior Sister Mingyue, this is the newly established ‘Formation Lines Repair Hall.’ We are currently in need of two esteemed advisors for guidance.”

He clasped his hands and bowed seriously to the two youngsters.

“This disciple ventures to ask if the two of you would be willing to serve as ‘Honorary Advisors’ for this hall. Would that be acceptable?”

“Honorary Advisors?” Qingfeng and Mingyue looked at each other, their eyes full of novelty.

“What do they do?”

“Usually, no effort is required.” Su Ming’s smile was very much like an old fox luring a little white rabbit. “Only occasionally, if we need to communicate some minor matters with other departments, we would need to rely on your esteemed names to make things go smoothly.”

Borrowing their status to reduce initial external resistance.

This was Su Ming’s calculation.

Qingfeng immediately puffed out his little chest, feeling this “official position” suited his status perfectly, and immediately made the decision.

“Approved! From now on, if there’s anything, just use our names!”

In the courtyard, Old Wang and the others watched this scene, and their admiration for Su Ming rose another level.

To arrange these two little ancestors so clearly and properly, this Senior Brother Su was truly unfathomable!

With the “Honorary Advisors” kindly lending their presence, the Repair Hall’s first day of work officially began.

The sun set in the west, the evening glow dyeing the horizon red.

On the stone table in the courtyard, fifteen illumination formation plates emitting a soft light were neatly arranged.

The five men were exhausted, their backs and waists aching, but their faces radiated an unprecedented sense of satisfaction and pride.

The speed was slow, but the quality… perfect!

Old Wang held the quality inspection record, his hand trembling slightly.

“Senior Brother Su… fifteen items, all qualified! Not a single error!”

Su Ming nodded, picked up the charcoal pen, and solemnly wrote the final entry in today’s work log.

[First day: Repaired fifteen illumination formation plates. Time taken: six shichen. Qualification rate: one hundred percent. No safety incidents.]

This was the Repair Hall’s first performance data.

It was also the first cornerstone Su Ming personally laid in this Cloud Hidden Sect.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep