Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The sound of sonic booms tore through the tranquility of the Qingyun Sect. Streaks of light launched from the mountain peaks, converging in the sky like guardians responding to a central command.

Sun Yi stood atop the Scripture Library, gazing toward the horizon. He couldn’t see the flagship yet, but the atmospheric pressure was shifting. The Chairman was back.

Five streaks of light landed beside him—the Golden Core Board of Directors.

“Congratulations, Sect Leader,” Elder Jin Jue said, his eyes scanning Sun Yi’s aura. “Your cultivation has surged. You are merely one step away from Foundation Establishment.”

Sun Yi waved a hand dismissively. “I know my own metrics. The bottleneck is still a bottleneck.”

“I believe the Sect Leader will break through ahead of schedule,” Elder Ye Luo added smoothly. “Do not worry.”

“I’ll take your word for it. Honestly, I’d like to upgrade my hardware as soon as possible.”

The five Elders exchanged glances. Their polite smiles hid a deep, pitying skepticism.

They knew the specs. Sun Yi possessed a low-grade Metal-Wood-Fire Spirit Root—the cultivation equivalent of a broken shovel. Reaching the peak of Qi Refining was likely his absolute ceiling. No amount of resources could fix a fundamental aptitude issue. They respected him as a visionary leader, but as a cultivator? He was limited.

On the horizon, a black dot expanded, rapidly resolving into the silhouette of the massive spirit cruiser. Patriarch Qingxuan’s aura washed over the sect, heavy and triumphant.

“They’ve returned!”

“The fleet is back!”

Below, the ordinary disciples gathered in the plaza, their voices thick with anxiety.

“I hope the casualty report isn’t too high…”

“It shouldn’t be. We sent our best elites, and they had the best artifacts.”

“Still, it’s the Myriad Demon Forest. That place is a forbidden zone for a reason. High risk, high mortality.”

The tension was palpable. The sect had only just stabilized its resources; a disastrous expedition could shatter their morale.

The massive vessel roared overhead, its arrays humming with power, before hovering majestically above the main square. A figure flashed, and Patriarch Qingxuan stepped out onto the empty air.

He looked younger. His face glowed with the rosy vitality of a man who had just closed the deal of the century.

Sun Yi and the five Elders ascended to meet him.

“Welcome back, Ancestor!”

“Hm?” Qingxuan’s gaze sharpened as he looked at Jin Jue and Ye Luo. “What happened to you two?”

He remembered clearly: a month ago, these two were firmly stuck in the mid-Golden Core stage. Now, their auras were dense and stable at the late stage. A breakthrough like that usually took decades of grinding.

“Master,” Jin Jue bowed, “we were fortunate. With the Sect Leader’s assistance, we broke through.”

“The Sect Leader?” Qingxuan blinked, looking at Sun Yi. The kid who can’t even reach Foundation Establishment helped two Elders level up?

“I can’t take credit for the Elders’ talent,” Sun Yi deflected instantly. He didn’t need that kind of pressure.

“Explain,” Qingxuan demanded.

“Master, scan the wall next to the Battle Tower with your Divine Sense,” Jin Jue said, smiling. “The Sect Leader carved the new Sect Ideology there. We read it, felt an epiphany, and the bottleneck simply… shattered.”

Qingxuan frowned, extending his Divine Sense. It swept across the sect, locking onto the bold, aggressive calligraphy carved into the stone.

Heaven is vast, Earth is vast, I am the greatest! My fate is determined by me, not the Heavens! If Heaven wants to destroy me, I will destroy Heaven!

The words hit him like a physical blow.

Qingxuan froze. His eyes glazed over, his lips moving silently. “My fate is determined by me… not the Heavens…”

Sun Yi watched the old man stare into space. Oh no, he thought. Is the corporate slogan going to trigger him too? If the Chairman levels up because of a motivational poster, this sect is officially insane.

As if on cue, Qingxuan’s eyes snapped open.

BOOM!

Nine pillars of sword light erupted from his back, shooting thirty meters into the sky. A terrifying Sword Intent swept through the sect, hanging over every disciple like the decree of a god.

“Hahaha! ‘My fate is determined by me!’ What magnificent arrogance! What a Dao!”

Qingxuan laughed, the sound shaking the clouds. He retracted the aura, his eyes shining as he looked at Sun Yi.

“I am truly fortunate you are guiding this sect, Sun Yi.”

Sun Yi grinned. “And I am fortunate to have your strength backing me.”

“Good! Under your management, Qingyun Sect will return to its ancient glory!” Qingxuan shouted.

“I will not let the sect down,” Sun Yi replied.

“Now,” Qingxuan turned to the sea of expectant faces below. “I imagine you all want to know the result.”

The sect went silent. Thousands of eyes looked up, hungry for news.

Qingxuan took a deep breath, projecting his voice to every corner of the mountain range.

“This operation was flawless. Zero fatalities. Minor injuries only. And in one single month… we have obtained a total harvest equivalent to 500 million Points!”

Silence.

Then, an audible gasp sucked the air out of the plaza.

500 million.

The number didn’t compute. It was an abstraction, a figure so large it felt fake. Even Sun Yi, who expected a good return, felt his eyebrows jump. He knew the market was untapped, but half a billion? That was aggressive scaling.

The five Elders stood with their mouths slightly open, their composure shattered.

“Did… did the Ancestor say five hundred million?”

“I think I’m dreaming.”

Qingxuan saw the disbelief. He grinned, channeling his inner showman.

“Steward Long!” he barked at the hovering ship. “Pour out the resources. Let them see what success looks like!”

“Yes, Ancestor!”

The Appraisal Team flew out, hovering over the massive stone plaza. They raised their hands, activating dozens of storage rings simultaneously.

Rumble…

It started as a trickle, then became a waterfall. Spirit herbs, ores, demon beast parts, and rare fruits poured from the sky. The pile grew higher and higher, a literal mountain of wealth crashing down until it buried the center of the square.

The scent of spirit herbs flooded the air, thick enough to chew.

“Behold,” Qingxuan roared over the noise of falling treasure. “This is our Foundation!”