“Master, I wish to go into seclusion.”

Su Ming’s voice was calm, yet it carried an undeniable decisiveness. “That ‘True Meaning of Basic Rune Deconstruction’ is as vast as the sea. If I cannot settle my mind to delve into it deeply, I fear even a year or two will yield no progress. Moreover, the ‘Like Water Art’ has just taken initial form. I need time to adapt to this new power.”

“Granted.” Lin Yu agreed crisply and cleanly. “Sharpening the axe won’t delay the woodcutting. However, what about all your affairs? The Repair Hall is a hot commodity now. If you, the ‘Hall Master,’ suddenly disappear, someone is bound to stir up trouble.”

Su Ming straightened his somewhat oversized menial disciple’s robe and re-hung the Mystic Iron token representing authority at his waist, a slight chill flashing in his eyes.

“Therefore, before entering seclusion, I must first secure my home.”

He pushed open the door, strode out into the crisp, biting mountain wind of early morning, and walked away with large steps.

“The Repair Hall must be my stable and secure rear base.”

…

Bing Character Seven Courtyard.

Though the sky was just beginning to brighten, the courtyard was already a scene of bustling activity.

There was none of the usual chaotic, disorderly noise. Instead, it was replaced by a pleasing sense of rhythm.

“Station One, Spirit Gathering Array Disk cleaning complete! Wear rate three percent! Transferring to Station Two for verification!”

“Received! Station Two ready to receive!”

“Warehouse Three! Three hundred catties of Hyacinth Crystal received today! Old Zhang, take some men to check the quality! Execute according to Article Three of the ‘Su Standard’! Any with cracks are to be returned without exception!”

Su Ming stood at the courtyard gate, watching the scene before him that meshed and operated like precise gears, a slight curve lifting the corner of his mouth.

This was his masterpiece.

This was not merely a repair workshop. In this world of cultivation, this was the first nascent “assembly line.”

“Hall Master!”

A cry of pleasant surprise broke Su Ming’s observation.

He saw a man with half-gray hair, wearing a thick leather apron around his waist, quickly running over. His hands were still stained with spiritual ink, yet his face wore a relieved smile.

It was precisely Old Wang from the Accounting Office, whom Su Ming had promoted to be the Repair Hall’s “chief steward.”

“You finally show yourself!” Old Wang ran up close, not even bothering to wipe his sweat, and quickly reported. “These three days you were gone, we followed the ‘Emergency Response Plan’ Chapter Three you left behind. Everything was stable. The Vessel Hall sent another hundred formation plates yesterday, wanting to jump the queue. Old Li used your schedule chart to push them back. Although that steward’s face looked sour, he didn’t say anything.”

Su Ming nodded, his gaze sweeping over the menial disciples in the courtyard who had stopped their work and were looking over.

Five core members, twenty auxiliary menial disciples.

In their eyes, there was awe, dependence, and also a bit of scrutiny.

Su Ming keenly caught several concealed gazes currently resting upon him.

The aura of the peak of the second stage of Qi Refining was simply too weak within the Cloud Hidden Sect, a place teeming with cultivators.

It was even weaker than most of the menial disciples doing heavy labor here.

If it were three days ago, he was at the third stage of Qi Refining. Though not high, at least among the menial disciples, he was considered quite capable.

But now, this cliff-like drop could not be hidden at all.

“Old Wang, gather everyone. I have something to say,” Su Ming instructed plainly.

“Yes, sir!” Old Wang didn’t hesitate in the slightest. He turned and bellowed, “Everyone, stop work! The Hall Master addresses us! Assemble!”

In less than ten breaths.

The twenty-five people were already standing neatly in the center of the courtyard. This level of discipline was something Su Ming had hammered into them through countless deductions of contribution points and rewards of spirit stones.

Su Ming walked up the steps, his gaze calmly sweeping over the entire group. He did not release any aura pressure—currently, he couldn’t release much anyway. He simply stood there casually, hands tucked into his sleeves, like a mortal world schoolteacher.

“I know some of you are wondering why my cultivation has dropped.”

Su Ming’s first sentence caused a slight stir among the originally quiet crowd.

Old Wang and Old Li exchanged a glance, a trace of worry flashing in their eyes.

Su Ming smiled, admitting frankly, “There’s nothing to guess about. A few days ago, I was fortunate to receive guidance from a senior of the sect. Only then did I realize the cultivation path I was following before was wrong. For the long term, I abolished my own cultivation, switched to a water-attribute cultivation method, and reforged my Dao foundation.”

A low chorus of sharp inhales came from the crowd.

Abolishing one’s own cultivation!

For these low-level menial disciples who viewed cultivation as their very life, this was an almost unimaginable act of ruthless determination. To just disperse the spiritual energy they had worked so hard to cultivate?

“What a ruthless person…”

“No wonder he can be the Hall Master. To be able to deal such a ruthless hand even to himself…”

The previously dismissive thoughts born from Su Ming’s cultivation drop miraculously transformed at this moment into an even deeper awe.

A person who could be so ruthless to himself would only be more ruthless to others.

“For the next month, I will enter seclusion to stabilize my realm and also delve into some new formation techniques.”

Su Ming took out a jade slip he had prepared long ago from his sleeve and handed it to Old Wang.

“During this period, all major and minor affairs of the hall will be jointly decided by Wang Ming and Li Hou. This jade slip contains the ‘Phase Two Process Optimization Outline’ and the ‘Performance Assessment Supplementary Terms’ I drafted. Follow them.”

Old Wang received the jade slip with both hands, his back ramrod straight. “Hall Master, rest assured! Before you emerge from seclusion, if even a single formation flag in this courtyard is out of place, I, Old Wang, will offer my head!”

“It’s not that serious.” Su Ming patted Old Wang’s shoulder, his tone softening a bit. “The Repair Hall is the rice bowl for all of us. If the bowl isn’t held level, the rice spills. Guarding the rules is guarding our very lives.”

He then looked towards Zhang Asheng, standing silently in the corner, and the sharp-eyed Zhao Tiezhu, among others.

“When I’m not here, if you encounter technical problems you cannot solve, first seal and store them, record them in the log, and wait for me to handle them upon my return. Remember, don’t force repairs on things you don’t understand. The reputation of our Repair Hall is ‘stability,’ not ‘speed.'”

“Yes, sir!” everyone responded in unison, the sound wave causing the ivy on the courtyard wall to tremble.

Su Ming nodded with satisfaction.

He didn’t say anything more, nor did he deliberately try to intimidate those whose thoughts were wavering.

Some authority isn’t maintained by words, but by a long-established, machine-like, precise operating order.

Having given all instructions, Su Ming didn’t linger any longer. He turned and left Bing Character Seven Courtyard.

Watching his slightly thin back disappear into the morning mist, a few newly arrived auxiliary menial disciples couldn’t help but gather close to Old Wang.

“Steward Wang, the Hall Master is only at the second stage of Qi Refining now… are we…?”

“Are we what?” Old Wang abruptly turned around. His usually amiable round face was now full of murderous aura, his narrowed eyes gleaming with shrewd light. “Tired of living? Do you think the Hall Master’s lower cultivation means he can’t wield a blade anymore? Or do you think Elder Ma’s Mystic Iron token is scrap metal?”

He raised the jade slip in his hand and sneered, “All of you, stay on your toes! The Hall Master is lying low! When he emerges from seclusion… hmph, the low-level formation circles of the Cloud Hidden Sect are probably going to see another upheaval.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep