The weapon refiner is not doing her job properly

Chapter 205 Change
Zhao Piku and Xuan Min immediately set to work, carefully flipping over layers of twisted, heavy metal plates to examine whether there were any dangerous creature remains hidden beneath that had not been destroyed by the lightning tribulation.

After a thorough search, all that could be found was cold metal and rubble; not a single living creature was to be seen.

"Ninglong..." Lei Qingya lowered his voice and called out softly with concern, while gently moving a rusty iron plate aside.

The moment the iron plate was moved aside, the fresh scent of grass and trees, like that of a forest after the rain, wafted over without warning.

Lei Qingya immediately peered into the gap under the iron plate, only to find that what lay below was not the ruins he had expected, but... a pool of crystal-clear water.

"Why is there a pool of water down there?" Lei Qingya asked in surprise, then immediately made a connection. "Could it be the sewage treatment pool in the underground laboratory that Teacher Tong mentioned before?"

Zhao Piku, who was closest, immediately stepped forward and turned on his powerful searchlight, scanning the dark pool of water with its beam.

A few seconds later, he frowned, somewhat puzzled: "The water is clear and there is no turbidity. This doesn't seem like a sewage treatment pond. Something's not right."

Even Xin Yi couldn't suppress her curiosity and stretched her neck to get a closer look at the mysterious pool.

Unexpectedly, the muddy ground under his feet was extremely slippery due to the rain. He lost his balance and cried out, "Ouch!" He fell backward without warning, landing hard on his butt.

When he fell, he instinctively reached out and grabbed at things, which accidentally knocked over a petrified slab covering the edge of the pool.

The heavy stone slab collapsed with a crash, and after losing its support, most of it slid irresistibly down the steep pit wall to the bottom of the pit.

For a moment, an eerie silence fell over the platform, with only the scraping sound of the stone slabs sliding down and the muffled echo of the falling stones.

Fortunately, the stone slab eventually stopped slipping halfway. Lian Xinyi grimaced and slowly got up, subconsciously patting the mud off his bottom, only to end up with his hands covered in sticky mud.

"Tsk!" Lei Qingya leaped lightly from the platform, landing on solid ground each time, and arrived next to Lian Xinyi. Seeing his disheveled appearance, he immediately switched to his "bad friend" mode.

She took two steps to the side in disgust, as if afraid of getting covered in bad luck. "You look like a wild boar that just rolled in the mud and forgot to wipe its butt."

Lian Xinyi, enraged and embarrassed, shook the mud off her hands and said angrily, "I advise you to watch your mouth!"

As he spoke, he instinctively tried to rub the mud onto a twisted metal component next to him.

This seemingly casual brush became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

The metal component was already deeply embedded in the loose soil and gravel. With his leverage, the already precarious slope instantly lost its delicate balance.

First, fine soil and rocks began to slide down in a rustling sound. Then, as if the gates of hell had been opened, a large amount of mud, gravel, and broken metal debris mixed together to form a surging mudslide, emitting a muffled roar as it rushed toward the bottom of the pit below.

"Watch out!" Lei Qingya was still a bit far from Lian Xinyi, so he quickly grabbed Song Hu who came to his side, and the two of them leaped towards a relatively stable boulder not far away.

Zhao Piku and Xuan Min reacted quickly, each using their movement techniques to narrowly avoid the impact of the mudslide.

Lian Xinyi, who was closest to the landslide site, became the primary target.

Before he could even cry for help, he was swept away by the violent, powerful mudslide and tumbled into the dark abyss!
"Lian Xinyi!" Lei Qingya and the others' exclamations were drowned out by the roar of the mudslide, making rescue efforts impossible.

"Ah, help! I'm going to die!" In the deep pit, only Lian Xinyi's desperate howl echoed, and he was about to be completely buried by the merciless mud and rocks.

At the critical moment, a giant hand, formed instantly from pure soil and rock, burst forth from the churning mud without warning.

It moved with lightning speed, scooping up the dying Lian Xinyi and steadily lifting him above the mudslide.

Lian Xinyi, who had suddenly escaped danger, was still in a daze, like a dried-up salted fish trying to turn over in the giant's palm.

Only when he felt the pressure of the mud binding him disappear did he belatedly realize that he had been rescued.

He hastily wiped the mud off his eyes, and after realizing his predicament, he let out a strange cry of relief: "Wuhu!"

Before the cheers had even subsided for two seconds, the enormous mud and rock hand, as if having completed its mission or as if disgusted by his noise, ruthlessly tossed him toward the relatively dry pit wall beside it, like casually discarding a piece of trash.

Without the mud binding her, Lian Xinyi quickly adjusted her posture in mid-air and landed lightly.

At the same time, the sudden small landslide came to an abrupt end, and the mudslide piled up at the bottom of the pit to form a new small hill.

Just as everyone was still in shock, a figure slowly emerged from behind the newly piled-up mound of mud and rocks at the bottom of the pit.

The figure's proportions were somewhat strange, especially its enormous, extremely ugly fish-lipped head.

This bizarre "fish-lipped" humanoid machine is none other than Su Ninglong's elusive "Master Su".

Master Su glanced coldly at Lian Xinyi, who had been thrown against the pit wall, then turned and disappeared into the shadows of the pit wall without a word.

No sooner had Master Su disappeared than another slender figure emerged from behind the same pile of mud and rocks.

It was Su Ninglong.

Her current state was quite suggestive; her bare feet were covered in mud, and she was only wearing an ill-fitting nightgown, the hem of which barely covered her buttocks, revealing two long, fair legs.

She glanced at Lian Xinyi, who was still in a daze beside the mud wall, and immediately became furious.

He took a few steps forward and stomped on Lian Xinyi's back without any politeness, catching him off guard and stomping him back into the mud. He angrily questioned, "You brat, what are you doing? Are you trying to kill me? If my master hadn't arrived in time, that big stone slab you just knocked down would have smashed my head with a bump the size of a watermelon."

Just as she was weakened and exhausted after surviving a life-or-death lightning tribulation, a "hidden weapon" (referring to a stone slab) suddenly fell from the sky, nearly blowing her head off.

What's even more infuriating is that the source of this "hidden weapon" was actually the "masterpiece" of an "acquaintance," how could she not be furious?
"Ouch! Ouch!" Lian Xinyi was stomped on twice more by Su Ninglong without any mercy, his face almost buried in the mud. He cried with a mournful face and his voice was trembling with sobs: "Sister, Sister Su, spare me! I was wrong, I will never dare to do it again."

He looked aggrieved, as the mud seemed determined to pour down at his feet; he was completely innocent. Su Ninglong knew he was a bit of a jinx, so she snorted and withdrew her foot.

Lian Xinyi felt as if she had been granted a pardon, and quickly struggled out of the mud, looking up at her in a disheveled state.

Upon seeing this, he was stunned.

The Su Ninglong before my eyes seemed quite different from the image I remembered.

Previously, although she was clearly a beauty with delicate features, she always had a touch of childishness in her demeanor.

At this moment, standing on the edge of the deep pit, covered in mud but still exuding elegance, Su Ninglong seemed to have shed an invisible shell.

The coldness, wildness, and aggressive beauty of her "unconventional" roles are completely absent.

How to describe it? It's a change that originates from within.

She naturally exuded a harmonious and powerful aura, as if after being tempered by thunder and fire, her body and mind had achieved a deeper level of harmonious resonance with a certain rhythm between heaven and earth, faintly revealing an indescribable Daoist charm.

Her slightly pale complexion did not diminish her radiance; instead, it added a unique vulnerability born of war, making her all the more pitiful.

The terrifying pit beneath her feet, a symbol of destruction and rebirth, now resembled a majestic throne tailor-made for her, making her appear ethereal and almost otherworldly, unlike any mortal.

Even Xin Yi's heart skipped a beat again, much to her dismay.

Damn it, I was tempted again, but reason quickly returned. I remembered that kick from earlier, and my heart was still swayed.

There should be no action whatsoever, let alone taking action against this Sister Su.
That would be a death wish, so he quickly suppressed the lustful thoughts that were ignoring him.

He coughed lightly and made conversation, saying, "Hey, Sister Su, if you ever release a figurine, you have to let me know. I promise I'll be the first to rush over and support you."

"???" Su Ninglong frowned at his nonsensical words. Looking at his expression, which seemed to be hiding something, she suddenly felt an itch in her hands (feet). She lifted her foot and left a clear muddy footprint on his face, which he had just wiped clean.

"You look like you need to be taught a lesson. You're so slutty. I'll give you free plastic surgery so you won't go out and prey on young girls."

"Ouch!" Lian Xinyi groaned, covering his face. "What did I do that deserves a beating? My face is perfectly good-looking!" He raised his chin defiantly, trying to show off his superior nose and jawline, attempting to prove his good looks.

"That's enough." Lei Qingya, who arrived right behind him, couldn't stand it any longer. He slapped the head that was trying to "spread its tail feathers" back down and reminded him irritably, "Stop thinking nonsense and make sure you see clearly that this is your Sister Su! She's not someone you can just fawn over."

Even Xin Yi grumbled, "Is it wrong for him to admire beautiful women? Men and women alike love to look at beautiful women."

Lei Qingya ignored him and silently took off a spare hair tie from her wrist, handing it to Su Ninglong, who was disheveled and slightly embarrassed.

At the same time, she stretched out her palm and gestured at the height of Su Ninglong's head and eye level, her tone filled with surprise and certainty: "Ninglong, have you... grown taller? It feels like you've grown several centimeters."

Su Ninglong took the hair tie from Lei Qingya, but instead of using it immediately, she habitually bit it between her lips and teeth, freeing her hands to deftly gather and tie up her long hair that was draped over her shoulders.

Thanks to the pure energy released after the underground spirits dissipated, she not only fully recovered the vital energy she lost during the tribulation, but even surpassed it in the past, and her silver hair became as black as a waterfall.

Regarding Lei Qingya's mention of his height change, Su Ninglong casually replied while fixing her hair, "The Core Formation stage naturally has the effect of reshaping the physical body and optimizing one's constitution. When you reach Core Formation in the future, you will naturally grow taller."

She glanced at Lian Xinyi, who was still rubbing her face beside her, and said, "Being taller than him isn't that difficult."

Upon hearing this, Lian Xinyi subconsciously glanced at Lei Qingya's nearly 1.8-meter-tall figure and imagined the scene where she might have to look up at the two "older sisters." She immediately shivered and quickly waved her hand, saying, "No, no, no, Sister Qingya, your height is already intimidating enough. Any taller and it will be... a little scary."

At this moment, Song Hu also carefully maneuvered the hoverboard and landed on the platform.

He looked at Su Ninglong, whose temperament had changed drastically, and for a moment he could hardly recognize her, standing there stunned.

He carefully examined her features. Her eyebrows and eyes were still delicate, and her overall appearance had not changed, but the aura she exuded from within was completely different.

She seemed to have completely broken free from some invisible constraint, and the aura surrounding her had completely transcended the realm of "ordinary people".

It is not a deliberate release of pressure, but a kind of ineffable "domain" that is naturally formed after the essence of life completes a leap.

The mundane worldliness and worldly concerns had vanished from her, replaced by an indifference that looked down upon all living beings.

Song Hu couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration. He looked at Lian Xinyi, who was still oblivious to the situation: This kid is really thick-skinned. Facing Su Ninglong, whose aura was so "inhuman" at the moment, he could still laugh and joke as usual, and even "offend" her by "touching his hands and feet" (referring to being stepped on). His courage (or rather, his obliviousness) is unmatched.

Perhaps sensing Song Hu's hesitant gaze, which held both unfamiliarity and inquiry, Su Ninglong herself became aware of the significant change in her demeanor.

She moved her wrists and neck slightly, as if to adapt to her new body, while consciously suppressing the overly "transcendent" aura emanating from her.

Gradually, the chilling, otherworldly feeling faded away. Although the coldness remained, there was finally a touch of humanity belonging to "Su Ninglong".

At this moment, Zhao Piku and Xuan Min also came over.

The two of them were clearly more focused on the task itself, and their gazes did not linger on Su Ninglong for long. They went straight to the point and asked, "Student Su, are there any more mysterious spirits that need to be dealt with deep in the pit?"

“They’re all dead.” Su Ninglong’s answer was concise and resolute, without the slightest hesitation. “Under the lightning tribulation, they were reduced to ashes.”

Upon hearing this affirmative answer, Zhao Piku and Xuan Min visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Understood. Then we'll immediately notify the logistics personnel to come down and clean up the scene." Zhao Piku nodded, then his gaze swept over the surrounding mess, especially the shockingly huge crater. "As for whether this crater needs to be filled in?"

This pause is significant. Allowing such a deep pit, a symbol of destructive power, to exist here is tantamount to a huge warning sign, constantly reminding everyone that a dangerous entity once existed here.

Upon hearing this, Su Ninglong blinked her clear eyes and asked dryly, "Does filling in the gaps cost money?"