The morning mist had yet to completely disperse in Clear Stream Valley, and a few fallen leaves clung to the damp stone steps.

Su Ming sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion deep within his cave dwelling. Before him lay three cyan jade pill bottles, their stoppers still sealed, yet a faint, crisp medicinal fragrance was already seeping through.

These were top-grade Qi Gathering Pills he had obtained through an “internal channel” at Pill Cauldron Peak, using the two hundred spirit stones he had just acquired plus the savings he had accumulated over the past few months.

To charge into the seventh layer of Qi Refining, he had truly invested heavily this time.

“A cracked Dao foundation is like a leaking bucket. To fill it with water, you have to pour it in relentlessly,” Su Ming thought, looking at the pill bottles, his fingers gently stroking the cool, textured patterns on their surfaces. “If these three bottles of pills still can’t break through that membrane…”

“Then you’ll try again next time,” Lin Yu’s voice drifted lazily within his Consciousness Sea. “Cultivation is a matter of patient, grinding work. Now that you’re somewhat wealthy, your mindset has actually become impatient. That’s not good, you need to change it.”

Su Ming gave a bitter smile and was about to speak when a series of urgent fluctuations suddenly rippled through the protective formation outside his cave dwelling.

Immediately after, that signature booming voice pierced through the multiple layers of formations, causing dust to sift down from the ceiling of the stone chamber.

“Brother Su! Brother Su! Your big brother is here to deliver a money-making opportunity to you!”

Su Ming’s eye twitched. He helplessly put away the pill bottles.

That voice—there wasn’t a second person besides that brute Lei Hu from Spirit Beast Peak who could produce it.

He deactivated the formation and opened the stone door. Lei Hu’s iron-tower-like frame almost completely blocked the entire doorway.

Today, he wasn’t wearing the sect’s standard long robe. Instead, he had changed into a form-fitting, short-sleeved martial attire that revealed his two arms, knotted like tree roots. He also carried a heavy sword as wide as a door plank on his back.

“Senior Brother Lei, what money-making opportunity is there so early in the morning?” Su Ming stepped aside to let him into the cave dwelling and casually poured a cup of cool tea.

Lei Hu didn’t stand on ceremony either. He grabbed the teacup and gulped it down like an ox, wiped the water from the corner of his mouth, his eyes gleaming. “A big deal! The sect discovered a small accompanying spirit stone vein in Crimson Glow Ridge. Turns out the place is occupied by a swarm of ‘Earth Fire Scorpions’. Those beasts are only first-tier demonic beasts, but their shells are tough, their poisonous fire is troublesome, and they move in swarms. The mining team can’t even get their shovels in the ground.”

“So?” Su Ming’s expression remained calm.

“So the sect’s Administration Hall is in a panic! They’ve issued a ‘Suppression Order’!” Lei Hu slapped the stone table with a bang. “Clear out an area, reward of two hundred spirit stones! Plus, the bodies of the Earth Fire Scorpions you hunt belong to you. Those scorpion shells are excellent material for crafting fire-attribute armor. The poison sacs in their tails are hot commodities that Pill Cauldron Peak buys all year round.”

Two hundred spirit stones.

Su Ming’s finger twitched slightly within his sleeve.

That amount of money—if it were before, he would have accepted without a second thought.

But he had just made a quick buck and was planning to go into seclusion…

“Brother Su, I know what you’re thinking,” Lei Hu said, seeing Su Ming hadn’t responded. He chuckled and leaned in closer. “If we go at this job head-on, it’s definitely not worth it. But those Earth Fire Scorpions are afraid of water, afraid of cold. You’re the Hall Master of the Repair Hall, an expert at playing with formations, and you cultivate a water-attribute method. We don’t need to clash head-on with those bugs. You just set up a trap, your big brother here will provide the muscle, and the spirit stones will be like picking them up for free!”

Su Ming’s mind stirred.

Earth Fire Scorpions, fire attribute, aggressive temperament, prefer to live in groups, low intelligence.

The *Like Water Art* might not have formidable offensive power, but it excelled at “using softness to overcome hardness.” If combined with a specific environment…

“Master?” Su Ming asked in his mind.

“Go,” Lin Yu yawned. “The poison sacs of Earth Fire Scorpions contain a kind of ‘Fire Poison Crystal’. If extracted, it’s perfect for upgrading your ‘Bumper Harvest No. 1’. Relying on that worthless, useless waste soil is only good for blasting rocks. To really blast people, you need to add some stronger stuff.”

Su Ming’s gaze sharpened, then a gentle smile appeared on his face. “Since Senior Brother Lei has put it that way, if this junior brother declines again, it would be ungrateful. But the team…”

“Don’t worry! I’ve already found them!” Lei Hu thumped his chest so hard it echoed. “Besides the two of us, I’ve also called a junior sister from Pill Cauldron Peak, specializing in detoxification and healing. Plus, two outer sect sword experts, famous for their fast swords. The five of us, a complete setup!”

…

One hour later, at the foot of the sect mountain.

Su Ming met the “teammates” Lei Hu had mentioned.

That junior sister from Pill Cauldron Peak was named Liu Qing. She had a delicate, pretty appearance and carried a medicine basket on her back larger than herself. She would blush before speaking to anyone, seeming somewhat timid. But her skilled herb-separating technique revealed an extremely solid foundation.

The other two were a pair of twin brothers, Chen Feng and Chen Yun. Their faces were cold and stern, each holding a long sword in their arms. Standing there, they were like two wooden stakes, radiating an aura of sharpness that kept strangers at bay.

“Junior Brother Su, I’ve heard much about you,” Chen Feng glanced at the storage pouch at Su Ming’s waist, gave a slight nod, his tone indifferent. “I heard from Brother Lei that you are proficient in formations? Let’s be blunt upfront. When Earth Fire Scorpions attack in swarms, they are extremely fast. If the formation is set up too slowly, the swords in our brothers’ hands won’t wait for anyone.”

This was questioning Su Ming’s practical combat ability.

After all, while the Repair Hall had a big reputation, in the eyes of many combat-oriented cultivators, it was just a logistics department that repaired broken stuff.

Su Ming wasn’t angry either. He just gave a gentle smile, took out two palm-sized round plates from his sleeve, and lightly tossed them in his hand. “Senior Brothers, just focus on using your swords. Leave the rest to me.”

…

Crimson Glow Ridge, mine entrance.

A wave of heat mixed with the smell of sulfur rushed at them. The rocks on the ground were so hot they were slightly red.

This was a tributary of the earth fire vein. The air was so dry it felt like it could ignite hair.

“This damn place, water spiritual energy is suppressed by at least thirty percent,” Su Ming frowned, sensing the thin water vapor around him.

“But fortunately, I came prepared.”

Su Ming took out several light blue formation plates from his storage pouch and distributed them to everyone. “This is an improved version of the ‘Cooling Formation’. Stick it on your chest, and it will protect you from fire poison for half an hour.”

The Chen brothers took the formation plates, a flicker of surprise in their eyes.

The plates felt cool to the touch. Once attached, the irritating, dry heat around them instantly subsided by more than half, and even the circulation of spiritual energy within their bodies became noticeably smoother.

“Let’s go in!”

Lei Hu took the lead, heavy sword in hand, striding into the deep mine tunnel.

As they went deeper, faint rustling sounds began to appear around them. It was the sound of countless arthropods crawling on the rock walls, making one’s scalp tingle.

“They’re coming!” Chen Feng shouted in a low voice, his long sword half-drawn from its scabbard.

From the corner ahead, a tide of reddish-brown suddenly surged out.

It was hundreds of Earth Fire Scorpions, each as large as a washbasin! They waved their dark red pincers, the poisonous hooks on their tails gleaming with a blue sheen, their mouthparts emitting a teeth-grating hiss. Like a red torrent, they swept toward the group.

“So many!” Liu Qing’s face paled with fright, and she instinctively shrank back.

Lei Hu roared, his muscles bulging all over his body, about to charge forward and clash head-on.

“Senior Brother Lei, retreat!”

Su Ming’s voice suddenly rang out, so calm it felt out of place. “Retreat to the narrow spot! Don’t fight in the open area!”

Although Lei Hu was reckless, he forcibly halted his charging momentum upon hearing this, protecting Liu Qing and Su Ming as they retreated to a narrow pass only about ten feet wide behind them.

“Senior Brothers Chen, guard the two flanks,” Su Ming spoke rapidly, his hands weaving through a series of hand seals like butterflies fluttering through flowers.

Just as the scorpion swarm was about to charge into the narrow pass, Su Ming suddenly slapped the two formation plates in his hands onto the ground.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep