After days of “crunch time” optimizing the Golden Sword Art, Sun Yi needed a stress test. Sparring with Luo An was like debugging in a sandbox environment; it didn’t reflect real-world usage. He needed live combat data.

“I’ll accompany you,” Luo An offered, eager to see the results of Sun Yi’s expensive training regimen.

Sun Yi nodded. “Let’s go. Time to benchmark this build.”

The plaza surrounding the Battle Tower was a hive of activity. It was the sect’s primary performance review center. Qi Refining disciples streamed in and out, their expressions ranging from triumphant to crushed.

The Foundation Establishment tower saw less traffic, and the Golden Core tower was practically dormant.

When Sun Yi descended from the sky with Luo An, the activity on the ground ground to a halt. Disciples snapped to attention, bowing in unison.

“Greetings, Sect Leader!”

Sun Yi smiled, projecting his best PR persona. He waved to the crowd. “At ease. Seeing this level of engagement is promising. You are the future foundation of the Qingyun Sect. Your growth is the sect’s growth.”

His words acted like a morale booster. The disciples straightened up, eyes burning with loyalty. To them, the Sect Leader wasn’t just management; he was a visionary.

“We owe this opportunity to you, Sect Leader!” a Foundation Establishment cultivator shouted. “Without your restructuring, we’d still be stagnant. You changed our destiny!”

“We follow the Sect Leader!”

The chanting began. It was a little cult-like, but efficient.

Sun Yi raised a hand, silencing the crowd instantly. He decided to leverage the moment for some brand solidification.

“You all know my specs,” Sun Yi announced, his voice carrying over the plaza. “I possess a Low-Grade Metal-Wood-Fire Spirit Root. In the eyes of the cultivation world, I would be written off as a bad investment. Fate decided I was obsolete.”

He paused, letting the silence hang heavy.

“But I don’t accept legacy protocols. Today, I’m giving you my personal mission statement.”

Sun Yi pointed a finger. The Dragon Roar Sword shot from his body, a streak of golden lightning. He didn’t use a brush; he used lethal sword Qi to carve directly into the stone wall of the plaza.

The strokes were aggressive, sharp, and domineering.

“The sky is vast, the earth is vast, I am the greatest! My fate is determined by me, not the Heavens! If the Heavens wish to destroy me, I shall destroy the Heavens!”

The crowd stared at the twenty-one characters. The intent behind the calligraphy was overwhelming—a declaration of absolute defiance against the natural order.

Suddenly, a laugh broke the silence.

“Hahahaha! The sky is vast, but I am the greatest!”

A disciple at the peak of Qi Refining stood up, his eyes wild with epiphany. The mental block that had stalled his cultivation for years shattered under the weight of Sun Yi’s words.

BOOM!

A shockwave of spiritual pressure exploded from him. The bottleneck broke. In the middle of the crowded plaza, he ascended to Foundation Establishment.

Sun Yi blinked. I just plagiarized a movie quote and he’s treating it like a divine revelation?

Before the dust settled, the disciple flashed forward and knelt. “Disciple Zhou Yun. Thank you, Sect Leader, for the enlightenment!”

“Rise,” Sun Yi said, maintaining his mysterious air. “You did the work. I just provided the roadmap.”

“No,” Zhou Yun shook his head, tears in his eyes. “You shattered the confusion in my heart.”

BOOM!

Another explosion of Qi. Another disciple at the edge of the crowd broke through.

“I get it! I finally get it!” the second disciple shouted, his aura surging into the Foundation Establishment stage. He rushed over and knelt beside Zhou Yun. “Disciple Wan Yu. Thank you for the guidance, Sect Leader!”

The crowd went into a frenzy. One sentence. Two breakthroughs. This wasn’t just leadership; it was a miracle.

“Is the placebo effect really this strong in this world?” Sun Yi muttered to himself. He cleared his throat. “Foundation Establishment is just the entry-level management tier. Remember this mindset. Your path is yours to define.”

“We will remember!” the duo shouted.

“Good. Carry on.” Sun Yi waved them off and walked toward the Battle Tower entrance. The crowd parted like the Red Sea, their eyes filled with fanatical worship.

Luo An followed, looking back at the wall. He whispered the words, feeling his own blood heat up. “My fate is determined by me…”

As Sun Yi disappeared into the tower, the plaza exploded into chaos.

“Did you see that? It’s a miracle!”

“That quote… the ambition is terrifying! ‘Heaven-devouring’ ambition!”

“I’m carving that into my headboard. I’m going to recite it a hundred times a day!”

The news spread through the sect like wildfire. Within minutes, work stopped across all departments.

The Board of Directors arrived shortly after. The five Golden Core Elders stood before the wall, reading the jagged, golden script.

Elder Jin Jue, the most aggressive of the group, read it aloud. His eyes began to glow.

“If the Heavens wish to destroy me, I shall destroy the Heavens!” Jin Jue roared, his aura flaring uncontrollably. “Yes! This is the Dao! I, Jin Jue, am convinced!”

He laughed maniacally and shot into the sky, his stagnation loosened by the sheer audacity of the statement.

“The Sect Leader…” Elder Qin Chu shook his head. “We aren’t even playing the same game.”

Elder Ye Luo stared at the wall, a strange smile forming on his face. “Well, the Sect Leader just gave me a reason to take a sabbatical. I need to enter closed-door cultivation immediately. I feel… inspired.”

He turned into a beam of light and vanished.

The remaining Elders looked at each other with a mix of envy and awe. The Sect Leader hadn’t just upgraded the hardware; he was rewriting the sect’s entire Dao.