Patriarch Qingxuan descended upon the Refining Hall’s forging grounds with the speed of a dropping guillotine, arriving in a matter of seconds. He landed amidst a chaotic scene of celebration. Sun Yi stood in the center of the crowd, hoisting a palm-sized device into the air like a championship trophy, his face flushed with the adrenaline of a successful product launch.

The two-week ‘crunch’ was over. The engineering team, two hundred strong, had delivered.

The Patriarch’s sudden, crushing aura silenced the cheers instantly. The engineers froze, realizing the Chairman of the Board had arrived unannounced.

Sun Yi immediately switched gears, wiping the grin off his face to assume a professional posture. He bowed. “Welcome back, Patriarch.”

The surrounding disciples followed suit, bowing with deep reverence.

“Report,” Qingxuan said, his expression unreadable. “What is the commotion?”

“Perfect timing, Patriarch,” Sun Yi said, his voice smooth and confident. “The R&D sprint is complete. We have a working prototype of the Mark II detector. Preliminary stress tests show 100% stability. The team was just celebrating the milestone.”

“It’s finished?” Qingxuan’s stoic mask cracked. The memory of the Myriad Demon Forest was still fresh; he knew exactly what kind of market advantage this tech provided. “Let me see it.”

Sun Yi handed over the device and began his pitch, treating the Patriarch like a venture capitalist at a tech demo.

“We’ve maintained the ten-kilometer detection radius, but the software has been completely overhauled. First, the ‘IFF’ system—Identification Friend or Foe. Any Qingyun disciple holding a registered token will appear as a Blue Dot. We’ve effectively eliminated friendly fire incidents.”

Sun Yi tapped the screen, bringing up a simulation. “Second, the Asset Database. We’ve hard-coded the spiritual signatures of 1,200 known herbs and ores. If it’s within range, it pings as a Green Dot. Tap the dot, and it pulls up the data: name, maturity, and market value.”

“Threat Assessment is also live,” Sun Yi continued, pointing to a red cluster on the screen. “We uploaded morphology parameters for 1,600 demon beast species. It doesn’t just see them; it estimates their combat power based on energy density. And finally, the ‘Bug Fix’—literally. Over two hundred venomous insect signatures are flagged as Black Dots to prevent ambush poisoning.”

“With this device,” Sun Yi concluded, “the Myriad Demon Forest is no longer a death trap. It’s a grocery store.”

Sun Yi was confident. The upgrades weren’t flashy, but they were massive Quality of Life improvements. It turned a survival horror game into a resource farming simulator.

“That’s it?” Qingxuan stared at him.

“Excuse me?” Sun Yi blinked, caught off guard.

“Where is the hundred-kilometer range? The thousand-kilometer scan? What about the long-distance voice communication network you pitched?” Qingxuan asked, looking like a customer who didn’t read the fine print.

Sun Yi suppressed a sigh. Classic upper management. They want 6G features on 3G infrastructure.

“Patriarch, those are on the roadmap for Q3 and Q4,” Sun Yi explained patiently. “With our current hardware limitations and the skill level of our engineers, ten kilometers is the physical limit. The communication protocol requires a complete overhaul of the runic architecture. We need more R&D time.”

Qingxuan looked disappointed but quickly recovered. The device in his hand was still lightyears ahead of anything the competitors had.

“Also,” Qingxuan muttered, turning the device over in his hand. “‘Microwave Detector’ is a terrible name. It sounds… clunky. Let’s rebrand it. Call it the Spirit Plate (Lingpan).”

“Done,” Sun Yi agreed immediately. You’re the boss. You can call it the iPlate for all I care. “The Spirit Plate it is.”

“What is the deployment strategy?” Qingxuan asked.

“Mass production begins immediately,” Sun Yi said. “We’re adopting a squad-based operational model. We won’t issue them to individuals. Disciples must form six-man teams to check out a unit.”

“Why the team requirement?”

“Risk management,” Sun Yi replied. “The Myriad Demon Forest is still a hostile environment. Statistically, a mixed squad—one Foundation Establishment ‘Team Lead’ and five Qi Refining ‘Associates’—has a 95% higher survival rate against isolated targets. Plus, it fosters cross-departmental synergy. The seniors protect the juniors; the juniors learn the ropes. It’s an on-the-job training program.”

“We’re not just sending them to loot resources,” Sun Yi added seriously. “We are acclimating the workforce to combat conditions. I want veteran units, not cannon fodder.”

Qingxuan nodded slowly. “Sensible. I’ve brought back enough liquidity to keep the lights on for a while. Proceed with your plan.”

“Excellent. One administrative detail,” Sun Yi pressed. “The 300,000 Point bonus for the engineering team. It needs to be processed today.”

Qingxuan raised an eyebrow. “300,000?”

Sun Yi quickly broke down the cost-benefit analysis, explaining the overtime, the crunch culture, and the necessity of high wages to prevent brain drain. Grumbling about ‘burn rates,’ Qingxuan waved his hand, authorizing Elder Ye Luo to process the payroll.

When the notification hit, the Refining Hall erupted again. Morale skyrocketed. Motivated by the payout—and Sun Yi’s constant reminders that “knowledge equals earning potential”—the engineers didn’t go home to sleep. They rushed the Scripture Library to buy better manuals.

Sun Yi didn’t rest. He and Qingxuan moved immediately to the Battle Towers.

The three towers loomed over the main plaza, monuments to the sect’s new focus on combat efficiency. While the Golden Core tower sat empty, the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment towers were hives of activity.

Elder Jin Jue, effectively the Head of Security, met them at the entrance.

“Elder Jin,” Sun Yi commanded, skipping pleasantries. “Pull the leaderboard. I want the Top 1,000 from the Qi Refining bracket and every available Foundation Establishment disciple assembled in the plaza. Ten minutes.”

“Understood.”

The efficiency of the new system was terrifying. Within moments, the plaza was filled with the sect’s best.

One thousand Qi Refining disciples, all Stage 6 or higher, stood in formation. At the front were two hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators. These weren’t the soft, pill-popping cultivators of the past. The Battle Tower grind had sharpened them. Their auras were stable, their eyes focused. They looked like soldiers.

Qingxuan observed them with satisfaction. The investment in the towers was paying dividends.

But as the disciples looked up, their eyes didn’t linger on the Patriarch. They locked onto Sun Yi. To them, Qingxuan was a distant god; Sun Yi was the man who gave them fair wages, clear career paths, and a future.

Sun Yi stepped forward, projecting his voice like a CEO at a global all-hands meeting.

“I have summoned the top performers here for a reason,” Sun Yi announced. “I have a high-risk, high-reward project that will define the future of this corporation. It requires discipline, teamwork, and courage. Are you in?”