Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life

Chapter 422: Outsmarting

Su Ming did not leave. He remained seated cross-legged in the same spot, but his mind was racing at an almost unimaginable speed.

In his head, three completely different tactical simulations unfolded like three simultaneous chess games.

First option: Draw the snake out of its hole. Directly attack the external guarding formation to force the black-robed man out. But the risk was immense. If the opponent didn’t emerge and Su Ming exhausted his spiritual energy, death would be certain. If he did come out, a frontal clash against a Foundation Establishment peak would be highly unfavorable... ninety percent likely to fail.

Second option: Lure the tiger away from its mountain. Create a larger disturbance elsewhere to pull the black-robed man away, then sneak into the cave to sabotage from within. But this was Black Wind Mountain, deserted and isolated; where could he manufacture a bigger commotion? Fabricating the illusion of a high-grade spirit medicine appearing would take too long and might attract unrelated cultivators, introducing too many variables.

Third option: Encircle and defeat reinforcements. But right now he was alone — where would reinforcements come from?

Su Ming’s gaze flickered in the darkness. After a moment, he discarded all three conventional tactics.

A fourth plan surfaced in his mind — more complex, but truer to the essence of the Way of Survival.

First set the formations, then lure the enemy in!

If he could win, kill him. If not, trap him and retreat at leisure. Always keep the initiative of the battlefield firmly in his hands!

Decision made, Su Ming showed no more hesitation.He rose silently, his figure ghostlike as he slipped through the rugged terrain around the cave’s entrance.

From his storage ring he produced one prepared formation flag after another, and formation plates.

On the first layer, he set up at the outermost perimeter within a radius of three hundred zhang a “Hidden-Traces Concealment Formation.” This array had no lethality; its sole function was to isolate inside from outside. Once activated, even if the black-robed man possessed tremendous skill, he would not be able to find the correct exit in a short time, effectively preventing him from fleeing if he could not win the fight.

On the second layer, along the only path a hundred zhang from the cave mouth, he buried twelve black formation flags and established a “Thousand-Silk Binding Formation.” Once triggered, this array would instantly release countless invisible threads formed from spiritual energy, layer upon layer, like a spiderweb that restricted the enemy’s movements.

Ming reached the “main battlefield” he had chosen for the black-robed man — a

seven specially made formation

the true manifestation of his formation path cultivation — a simplified corner of the Minor

could not summon the force of the stars, but it could draw the purest starlight from the

following the positions of the Big Dipper, and used a drop of his Foundation Establishment natal true essence as the formation core to fully activate the weak resonance between this area and

linked to the next — a custom-made cage for the black-robed man was

energy fluctuations from those three formations,

cave entrance still shrouded in darkness, a cold curve forming at the

time to invite you into the

from his bosom a lowest-grade Light Burst Talisman. Such talismans sold in sect markets for a spirit stone per dozen and were usually used by Qi Refining disciples for illumination or signaling.

into the talisman a trace of spiritual energy at his Qi Refining standard

arced through the air in a crooked parabola like discarded refuse and landed precisely at the entrance to the black-robed

Boom!

A dull explosion.

by a spiritual energy ripple so faint it was

single act was the most naked provocation and announcement to

“Hey! Someone’s here!”

a reckless, lowly Qi Refining

Sure enough.

Burst Talisman detonated, a violent, bloodthirsty pressure of rage — the terrifying anger of a

“You ignorant ant!”

a hoarse, savage roar, a black silhouette shot out of the cave with speed barely

black-robed man had

midair, a rolling black mist swirling around him. Two eyes hidden beneath the hood glowed like blood-red lanterns, fixed unblinkingly on the rough-clothed, apparently terrified Qi Refining