Everyone turned back in shock, only to see that Foundation Establishment late-stage cultivator from Formation Peak — who had appeared at the gate without anyone noticing. He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze deep as he looked at the courtyard’s already sizable “finished pile,” and his face betrayed no hint of pleasure or anger.

The Formation Peak disciple stood like a cold statue with his hands clasped behind him, his deep eyes inspecting the courtyard’s bustling scene and that now sizable “finished pile.” His expression gave away nothing, but the invisible pressure in the air made the whole courtyard seem several degrees colder.

Old Wang and the others subconsciously stopped their work, nervously watching the unexpected guest.

Su Ming’s thoughts raced, but his expression remained calm. He stepped forward and bowed slightly, “Senior Brother, coming at this hour, may I ask what guidance you bring?”

“Guidance is too grand a word.” The disciple’s voice was cold and hard. “I’m just here to see if you’re wasting your time.”

His gaze swept over the mountain of finished formation plates. A flash of disbelief passed through his eyes before being replaced by a deeper scrutiny. He said nothing further;
he turned and melted into the night as if he had never been there.

“Master, what is he…?”

“Knocking the mountain to frighten the tiger, also testing for substance.” Lin Yu’s soul-echo hummed inside the Xuantian ring. “Behind him is Elder Luo. He probably can’t sit still. Disciple, ignore him, follow our plan. Now, immediately, contact your big backer!”

Su Ming inhaled deeply and nodded.

He knew the design defect within that batch of Kun Yuan Shield Formations was no longer a mere technical issue. It was a political trap capable of dragging the entire Repair Hall into a ruin beyond all redemption. This level of power play was far beyond what a single menial disciple could handle.

He walked to a corner of the courtyard and took out the Mystic Iron token Elder Ma had bestowed on him.

The token, besides representing authority, also functioned as a simple communication talisman.

He sank a thread of divine sense into it, adding no embellishment and making no subjective assumptions — he simply condensed the discovered design flaw of the Kun Yuan Shield Formation and the possible chain collapse that could be triggered under high-intensity spiritual energy, into the most objective, precise wording, then transmitted the information.

After finishing, he returned to his workstation as if nothing had happened and continued optimizing and coordinating the process.

About the time an incense stick burned, the token trembled slightly. An aged yet calm consciousness echoed directly into his consciousness sea, brief but weighty as a mountain.

“Proceed with the repairs. I will handle the aftermath,” it said.

A great stone fell from Su Ming’s heart. He bowed silently toward the main peak.

“See that, disciple,” Lin Yu’s soul-echo manifested as a little apparition wearing a safety helmet and waving a small flag. “That’s professionalism! Shift the blame professionally! Kick the ball to those who can fix it, and we just do our job perfectly so there’s nothing to complain about!”

With Elder Ma’s reassurance, Su Ming had no more hesitation.

He immediately added a special “structural reinforcement” step to the Kun Yuan Shield Formation repair process. He did not alter the original core circuitry — that would be tantamount to scrapping and rebuilding, time did not allow it and it would leave them vulnerable.

Instead, under Lin Yu’s guidance, he cleverly added a miniature “spiritual energy diversion” rune cluster beside the distorted node.

This rune cluster functioned like a floodgate: normally inconspicuous, but if the formation plate encountered an overload of spiritual energy, it would instantly activate and channel the surplus energy to the plate’s peripheral reinforcing ribs to dissipate.

This stroke of genius not only perfectly avoided the original design flaw, it even slightly increased the plate’s maximum load capacity!

Over the next three days, Bing Character Seven Courtyard was transformed into a war machine born for efficiency.

The air mixed with the scent of spiritual ink, the singed metallic smell, the herbal aroma of Dust-Clearing Liquid, and the sweat of dozens of people, producing an almost manic atmosphere. Everyone’s eyes were bloodshot, yet their movements grew increasingly mechanical and precise. Fatigue had long been replaced by something called conviction.

They wanted to prove to those who looked down on them that even menial disciples could create miracles!

On the fifth day, at dusk.

As the last sliver of sunset sank behind the western hills and reddened the clouds, all the noise in Bing Character Seven Courtyard fell silent.

In the open courtyard, five hundred formation plates were sorted and arranged into ten neat square formations. Each plate had undergone final cleaning and calibration;
their bodies reflected a warm, full spiritual light in the sunset glow. They stood there quietly like an army awaiting inspection, silently testifying to five days and nights of madness and miracles.

Not a single one missing, not a single flaw.

Outside the gate, disciples and stewards from various peaks had already gathered, among them Manager Liu’s sullen face.

“The time has come, deliver them.”

A cold voice rose. The Formation Peak disciple from the previous day stepped into the courtyard again, flanked by a group of cultivators in the same attire. This time walking ahead of him was a gaunt-faced, middle-aged cultivator in a dark formation robe, his eyes fierce.

When he appeared the surrounding air tightened. The barely perceptible Golden Core realm pressure made every onlooker take an involuntary half-step back.

He was one of the Formation Peak’s steward elders, Elder Luo.

Elder Luo did not look at Su Ming, nor at the five hundred finished plates. His eyes, hawk-like, were fixed on the courtyard wall’s huge “data wall.” When he saw the daily-updated, shockingly large repair numbers, his knife-like lips pressed into an extremely dangerous line.

“Inspect.” He forced the single word out through his teeth.

The Formation Peak disciples behind him immediately stepped forward and produced their precise instruments. Some devices could emit bright light to probe the internal structure of the plates;
others could simulate spiritual energy shocks of varying intensity to test stability.

“Clink…”

The crisp sounds of instruments and the hum of spiritual energy flow became the courtyard’s only noises.

Everyone’s hearts rose into their throats.

One — passed.

Ten — passed.

Fifty — still flawless!

The inspecting Formation Peak disciples began to sweat fine beads on their foreheads. The more detailed their checks, the greater their astonishment. The repair craftsmanship of these plates did not seem human! Every rune was stamped as if printed, and the spiritual circuits flowed with unbelievable smoothness!

Seconds ticked by and Elder Luo’s face turned steadily darker. He clenched the fist hidden in his sleeve until his knuckles turned slightly white.

“Senior Brother Luo, why make such a fuss?”

Just as the atmosphere tightened to a breaking point, an aged, peaceful voice drifted from the back of the crowd.

Everyone turned to see Elder Ma, who had somehow arrived silently. He still wore that faded gray Daoist robe, his figure thin and his breath restrained, appearing like a neighborly old man come to watch.

He walked slowly to the mountain of plates and, without even using divine sense, casually picked up the top one and rubbed the warm spiritual light on its surface with his fingertip. A hint of satisfaction showed in his cloudy eyes.

Elder Luo stared at him and said coldly, “Senior Brother Ma, martial affairs concern the sect’s reputation, and cannot tolerate the tiniest mistake!”

“Of course.” Elder Ma nodded and gently placed the plate back.

He turned and did not look at Elder Luo’s iron-faced expression. Instead, he directed his gaze to the silent Su Ming standing to the side, and to the exhausted yet resolute Repair Hall members behind him.

He spoke slowly, his voice small but clear enough to reach everyone present.

“This hall can be called the pillar of the sect.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep