Becoming a master started with manually rubbing the control panel.

Chapter 021 Mental Micro-carving

【wait for me】

Lin Bei replied almost instantly.

After sending it out, he was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and chuckled.

"Women only slow down my coding speed..."

He gave himself a way out, "But rich women are an exception. Five thousand yuan is a month's salary for an average person, so why not take it?"

Lin Bei picked out a coat, put it on, and quickly walked out of the room.

"Mom, I'm going out for a bit. A classmate needs to talk to me about something."

"Don't stay out too late, remember to come back early."

"understood."

As Lin Bei walked out of the residential area, he glanced at the location on his phone.

The address Shangguan Ling sent was for a milk tea shop opposite the No. 17 Primary School.

Haicheng No. 17 Primary School was his and Shangguan Miao's alma mater, not far from his home, only a ten-minute walk away.

He simply jogged over and arrived in less than ten minutes.

The milk tea shop is small.

A sleek, silver-gray flying car was parked at the entrance, bearing the bird logo of the Yuanfeng Group.

These high-end models equipped with anti-gravity devices cost at least 700,000 to 800,000 yuan.

At this moment, a large number of people were watching.

Lin Bei glanced at it, then pushed open the door and walked into the milk tea shop.

There weren't many customers in the store. He glanced around and his gaze fell on a girl in the corner by the window.

It was Shangguan Mio.

I hadn't seen her for several years, and she had grown even more beautiful than when she was in elementary school.

With delicate features, fair skin, a high ponytail, and a loose white sweatshirt, she looked fresh and neat.

"Lin Bei, over here!"

As soon as Shangguan Ling saw him, she immediately stood up and waved to him with a smile.

Lin Bei walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat down opposite her.

"Long time no see, Shangguan."

"Yeah, it's been... four years since I graduated from elementary school."

Shangguan Ling sighed softly, looking him up and down. "You've changed a lot. You're much more handsome than when you were a kid."

Lin Bei ignored her question and went straight to the point: "So, what did you want to see me about?"

"Oh dear, you're still the same as always..."

Shangguan Ling feigned displeasure and pouted, "Actually, it's not a big deal. Next month is my grandfather's 80th birthday, and I want to carve a spiritual amulet from star-patterned stone to give to him."

But as you know, star-patterned stone is both hard and brittle; it can be ruined if you're not careful. It must be micro-carved using mental power.

As she spoke, she took out a stone the size of a pigeon egg, with silver patterns on its surface, from her pocket and gently placed it on the table.

Star-patterned stone.

This is a special gem that appeared three hundred years ago along with a mythical beast, and it is more precious than gold.

Lin Bei stared at the star-patterned stone on the table.

Its surface is shimmering with faint silver starlight, sparkling under the light, like a fine work of art.

Beauty is only one aspect of it.

The true value of star-patterned stones lies in their ability to perfectly contain a martial artist's substantial spiritual power.

Therefore, star-patterned stones are often used to create various spiritual items.

The most common type is a spiritual amulet.

After looking at her for a few seconds, Lin Bei looked away and turned to Shangguan Ling.

"So, you came to me?"

"There's nothing I can do."

Shangguan Ling frowned slightly, her tone troubled, "I tried a few times and found that my control over my mental energy wasn't precise enough. After thinking about it, among the people I know, only you could possibly do it..."

Lin Bei remained silent.

His exceptional mental abilities were known throughout the school during elementary school.

Shangguan Ling had been his deskmate for six years, so she knew his background better than anyone else.

"Lin Bei, your mind control was ridiculously strong even when you were in elementary school."

Shangguan Ling rested her chin on her hands and looked at him with a hint of admiration in her eyes. "You must be even more amazing now."

Lin Bei felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze and turned to look out the window.

My elementary school is still the same as before, and even the gatekeeper, Uncle Qin, is still the same...

"That's all in the past."

He turned around, his tone flat, "In the final exam a few days ago, my mental strength was measured at less than 5."

"I know."

Shangguan Ling blinked and said playfully, "I also know that your deep meditation has reached the perfect level, and your mental power control is flawless."

"How...how did you know?"

"Haha, it's all over your school's forum, otherwise I wouldn't have contacted you."

"I see."

Lin Bei nodded.

Everything makes sense now.

Shangguan Ling wanted to make a spiritual amulet for her grandfather, but she was struggling to control her spiritual power and needed to find someone to help her.

For some reason, she saw that post on the Haicheng No. 2 Middle School forum.

So, I contacted him.

Lin Bei carefully went through the whole matter in his mind.

No obvious logical flaws were found.

The only suspicious thing is—why would Shangguan Ling, a student from another school, pay attention to the forum of Haicheng No. 2 Middle School?

"It's probably just a coincidence..."

After a moment's thought, Lin Bei said, "I have never been exposed to star-patterned stones, nor have I studied mental micro-carving."

"It's okay."

Shangguan Ling smiled and said, "Mental micro-carving isn't too difficult; I can teach you. As for this star-patterned stone, well, it's okay if you break it; just consider it practice."

"..."

Lin Bei was speechless for a moment.

The star-patterned stone, worth tens of thousands, was just used as a practice piece.

The Shangguan family is probably no ordinary wealthy family.

"Think it over carefully."

Seeing that Lin Bei didn't speak, Shangguan Ling had no choice but to use the same trick again, "I won't let you work for nothing. In addition to the five thousand yuan I just mentioned, if you can complete the task smoothly, I will add another five thousand."

Lin Bei was immediately tempted.

That's ten thousand yuan! My dad used to work hard selling fish for a whole month to earn that much money.

What's more, my dad is now unemployed. Although he found a temporary job, he works himself to the bone every day and doesn't earn much money.

In addition, my mother is frail and often ill, so she also needs to take medicine...

With that thought in mind, he no longer hesitated. "Okay, I agree. But let me make it clear first, I'm just giving it a try, and I can't guarantee 100% success. If I mess it up, I can't afford to pay for it."

"That's natural."

Shangguan Ling smiled and pushed the star-patterned stone on the table in front of him.

"Take this star-patterned stone back and familiarize yourself with it. Let's meet tomorrow morning, and I'll teach you spiritual micro-carving."

"OK."

Lin Bei did not refuse. He put away the star-patterned stone, stood up, and said, "It's getting late. I'll head back first. You should go home early too."

"Ah...so fast?"

Shangguan Miao stood up and said, "You haven't ordered any drinks yet, it's on me."

"No need, I have things to do at home."

"Oh well."

Shangguan Ling escorted Lin Bei to the outside of the milk tea shop, then pointed to the silver-gray flying car, "Want me to give you a ride?"

"No."

Lin Bei quickly refused.

If I really take this bus back, all those middle-aged women in the neighborhood will gossip about it.

"I'm gone."

He waved and walked away without looking back.

Just got home.

His phone then received a transfer notification.

WeChat payment received: 5000 yuan.