Sun Yi let the silence stretch for a moment, watching the color drain from the faces of the five Law Enforcement managers.

“However,” Sun Yi said, pivoting to a lighter tone, “since the new Corporate Policy has just been implemented, I am willing to offer a settlement.”

The five managers looked up, hope flickering in their eyes.

“We can waive the Soul Refining Penalty,” Sun Yi announced. “The condition is simple: full public restitution. You will return double what you stole to your victims, right here, right now. And you will offer a sincere, public apology.”

The managers stiffened. They were Foundation Establishment cultivators, the elite of the middle management. Apologizing to the grunts? It was professional suicide.

Jin Lun, the ringleader, shot a desperate look at his mentor, Elder Jin Jue. He silently pleaded for intervention.

Elder Jin Jue snorted, his voice cold enough to freeze the air. “Don’t look at me. You embarrassed the department. If you refuse the settlement, I’ll personally escort you to the torture chamber. Do the math.”

Jin Lun flinched. The message was clear: The Board has cut you loose.

“Elder Jin,” Sun Yi said calmly. “Please escort the defendants to the stage.”

With a wave of his hand, Elder Jin Jue swept the five managers up to the platform with a gust of Qi, dropping them unceremoniously at Sun Yi’s feet.

Sun Yi turned to the crowd, projecting his voice. “The grievance process is now open. If any of you have been extorted by these individuals, come forward. Don’t be afraid of retaliation. The Board is watching. The Chairman is watching. I am watching.”

For a moment, the plaza was silent. The fear of authority was deep-rooted.

Then, a skinny Outer Disciple, a Qi Refining Level 4 nobody, gritted his teeth and flew up to the stage. He bowed deeply to the Elders, then turned to Sun Yi.

“Sect Leader. My name is Wang Xiaolong. Three months ago, Senior Brother Jin Lun seized three Qi Gathering Pills from my allocation. He claimed it was a ‘processing fee’.”

Sun Yi turned to Jin Lun. “Is the plaintiff’s statement accurate?”

“You scum!” Elder Jin Jue exploded before Jin Lun could answer. “Stealing pills from a Level 4 junior? You’re a disgrace to the uniform!”

Jin Lun trembled, realizing his mentor was about to execute him on the spot. He quickly bowed to the skinny disciple. “Junior Brother Wang… I was wrong. I apologize.”

He fumbled with his storage bag, producing six pills. “Here. Double restitution. Please accept my apology.”

Wang Xiaolong took the pills, stunned. He bowed to Sun Yi and scrambled off the stage.

That broke the dam.

Dozens of disciples surged forward. “Senior Brother Xu took my spirit stones!” “Manager Zhang confiscated my artifact!”

For the next two hours, the stage turned into a bustling refund center. Under Sun Yi’s supervision, the corrupt managers were bled dry. When their personal funds ran out, they had to beg loans from their own masters, adding humiliation to injury.

By the time the last victim left, the five managers were spiritually and financially bankrupt.

“Stand aside,” Sun Yi ordered. He wasn’t done.

“Internal Affairs. Operations. External Affairs. Transmission. Miscellaneous Arts. All Deputy Hall Masters, report to the stage.”

Twenty more managers flew up, looking like they were marching to the gallows.

“Same deal,” Sun Yi announced to the crowd. “Double restitution. Public apology. Or thirty days of Soul Refining. Who’s next?”

The crowd roared. It was a catharsis decades in the making. The untouchable elite were finally being held accountable.

By the time the sun began to set, the refund process was complete. Twenty-five managers stood on the stage, stripped of their arrogance and most of their net worth.

Sun Yi stepped to the front of the platform, raising his hands for silence.

“Let this be a lesson to everyone,” Sun Yi declared. “Qingyun Sect is no longer a collection of warring factions. We are a single entity. An indivisible whole.”

He looked out at the thousands of faces—faces that were no longer fearful, but burning with a new emotion: loyalty.

“From today on, no one is above the Policy. Not the managers. Not the Elders. And certainly not outsiders.”

He pointed to the horizon.

“When you walk out those gates, you represent the brand. If anyone bullies you—if anyone disrespects a Qingyun employee—remember this: The Board has your back. I have your back. We protect our own.”

The silence held for a heartbeat, and then the plaza exploded.

“Long live the Sect Leader!” “Thank you, Sect Leader!” “Qingyun Sect forever!”

The cheers were deafening. Disciples were weeping. For the first time in centuries, they didn’t feel like indentured servants; they felt like valued stakeholders.

Behind Sun Yi, the Patriarch and the Elders exchanged looks of genuine surprise.

“He actually did it,” Elder Jin Jue muttered, watching the crowd. “He turned a hostile workforce into a loyal army in one afternoon.”

“PR genius,” Patriarch Qingxuan agreed, a rare smile touching his lips. “Maybe this ‘restructuring’ will work after all.”

Sun Yi watched the celebration, his expression calm. Employee satisfaction metrics are up. Retention is secured.

Now comes the hard part: making payroll.