Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life-Chapter 252: Your Trash, My Darling

Su Ming took out a scroll of documents he had prepared earlier from his sleeve and spread it open on the table. "Relying solely on basic repairs, we'll forever be the menial laborers crushed under the heel of the Vessel Hall. We need to become 'problem solvers.' The case with the Beast Peak proves that the value of diagnosis and customized solutions far exceeds that of simple repairs."

Old Wang leaned over to take a look. The document was densely packed with words, and at the very top were four large characters: "Repair Hall Technical Grading and Customized Service Standards."

"Hall Master, this... isn't this step a bit too big?" Old Wang was somewhat worried. "We don't have enough manpower. Besides you, the only one who can barely understand these 'customized solutions' and act as an assistant is Zhang Asheng."

"That's precisely why I'm going to teach you all."

Su Ming's eyes burned with intensity. "I will break down the most core material purification techniques into steps that all of you can understand. You don't need to know why it's done this way; you just need to know how much water to add in the first step, how many circles to stir in the second step, and how long to let it settle in the third step."

In his Consciousness Sea, Lin Yu whistled. "Tsk tsk, assembly line operation."

Su Ming replied in his mind, "Master, it's better for them to master a practical skill than to be menial laborers for a lifetime."

...

For the next two hours, the backyard of Bing Character Seven Courtyard transformed into a temporary "lecture hall."

Su Ming did not hold back, but he also did not directly teach a fundamental method like the "Like Water Art." What he taught was a simplified version of a "Water Refining Method" based on physical properties.

"Watch closely."

Su Ming stood before a massive water vat. The vat was filled with murky, muddy water, simulating a slag solution.

"To purify materials, you don't necessarily have to use fire." Su Ming rolled up his sleeves, holding a wooden stick carved with runes. "Fire is fierce and violent, easily damaging the spiritual nature of materials. Water is gentle and yielding, benefiting all things."

He inserted the wooden stick into the water, his wrist trembling with a strange rhythm.

"Three circles clockwise. This is 'Gathering.'"

The water in the vat began to rotate, forming a tiny vortex.

"Half a circle counterclockwise. This is 'Disperse.'"

The vortex suddenly halted, centrifugal force flinging the heavier sediment in the water towards the walls of the vat.

"Let it stand for three breaths. This is 'Settle.'"

Su Ming withdrew the wooden stick.

A miraculous layering appeared in the originally murky vat. At the very bottom was black, heavy sand. In the middle was clear water. Floating on top was a layer of extremely fine powder that shimmered with a faint light.

"Zhang Asheng, you try." Su Ming handed the wooden stick to Zhang Asheng.

Zhang Asheng took it clumsily and, imitating Su Ming's movements, began to stir. Although his movements were awkward and his control of spiritual energy was lacking, after five or six attempts, a blurry layering actually appeared in the vat.

"I did it!" Zhang Asheng looked at the bottom of the vat in pleasant surprise. "Although it's not as clear as the Hall Master's separation, at least eighty percent of the sediment has been flung out!"

Su Ming nodded. "That's enough. The remaining twenty percent, I'll handle the final processing. This way, I can free myself from repetitive, rough work and focus on the delicate tasks."

Old Wang watched from the side, his eyes gleaming.

He was the one who handled the accounts, and he immediately saw the value in this.

If the menial disciples could all master this "rough refining" technique, the Repair Hall's efficiency in processing waste materials would increase at least tenfold! This meant a significant reduction in costs!

...

Late at night, deep and quiet, in the backyard of the Repair Hall.

The pile of slag regarded as "highly toxic" was now piled in the center of the courtyard.

Su Ming had dismissed everyone and stood alone before the slag pile.

"Master, this Spirit-Eroding Sand is quite interesting." Su Ming pinched a few black grains of sand, rubbing them gently between his fingers.

"Of course it's interesting." Lin Yu's phantom drifted out, circling the slag pile once. "In chemistry... ahem, in the Dao of artifact forging, poison is often also the antidote. The reason Spirit-Eroding Sand can corrode spiritual nature is because it possesses an extremely strong 'acidic' spiritual energy structure. This kind of thing, if used to refine certain specific metals, is practically a natural catalyst."

Su Ming raised both hands, the "Like Water Art" within his body operating at full capacity.

"Rise!"

From the well in the courtyard, a water dragon surged skyward, transforming into countless fine threads of water in the air, enveloping the entire slag pile.

This time, Su Ming wasn't using the simple "Water Refining Method." Instead, he employed an advanced technique combining the "centrifugal separation" principle Lin Yu had pointed out.

Dark blue water spiritual energy weaved through the slag.

"Spirit-Eroding Sand is heavy and sticky. Red Essence Copper is light and slippery." Su Ming's divine sense was like a precise scalpel, gradually separating the two. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

He manipulated the water flow to form two vortices rotating in opposite directions.

The vortex on the left was heavy and slow, firmly sucking in those black sand grains with their acidic, corrosive aura, sinking them into a specially made ceramic jar at the bottom.

The vortex on the right was light and lively, rolling up countless crimson-red metal particles, washing away the impurities on their surface like panning for gold.

*Zzzz—*

A grating, teeth-aching friction sound rang out in the courtyard.

A full two hours passed.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Su Ming's forehead, and his complexion grew somewhat pale, but the light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

When the last strand of morning light broke through the night sky, the mountain of slag in the courtyard had disappeared.

In its place were over a dozen tightly sealed black ceramic jars on the left, and a pile of Red Essence Copper ingots shimmering with an enticing red glow on the right.

"Hah..."

Su Ming let out a long breath, looking at the pile of copper ingots, the corners of his mouth lifting. "About three hundred catties of Red Essence Copper, ninety percent purity. Based on market prices, this batch of 'garbage' is worth at least five hundred spirit stones."

"Hit the jackpot." Lin Yu chuckled. "If that Steward Sun knew he'd just given you five hundred spirit stones, he'd probably cough up blood in rage."

Su Ming walked over to the dozen or so black ceramic jars, taking out pre-written sealing strips and personally pasting them on.

Written on the sealing strips was a line of characters. The handwriting was neat and proper, yet it carried a distinct sense of dark humor:

[Special Grade Etching Material: Spirit-Eroding Sand (High Purity)]

[Source: Gift from Vessel Hall Steward Sun]

[Use: Specially breaks spiritual energy shields. Dangerous. Use with caution!]

"Place these jars in the most prominent spot in the warehouse." Su Ming patted the dust off his hands. "Since it's a gift, we should enshrine it, let everyone see the Vessel Hall's 'generosity.'"