Cultivation, Inc.I Use Capitalism to Fix a Dying Sect

Sun Yi dove into the forest canopy, vanishing from sight. He immediately pulled out his Spirit Plate, the digital interface flickering to life. It displayed his own position as a blue marker, surrounded by seven hostile red dots closing in fast.

Scanning hostiles. Seven Foundation Establishment units detected.

Sun Yi kept his aura completely suppressed, relying solely on the Spirit Plate’s telemetry rather than risking detection by expanding his Divine Sense.

Threat Assessment: Group engagement probability of survival is <5%. Guerrilla tactics required. Isolate and terminate. He took a deep breath, his heart pounding not with fear, but with the adrenaline of a CEO about to execute a hostile takeover. This was his first real PvP engagement without an Elder's safety net. It’s time to see if my hardware upgrades were worth the investment. Above the forest, the seven Black Wind Stockade disciples hovered, scanning the terrain below. The leader, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator named Gao, sneered at the dense foliage. "A mere Qi Refining bug thinks he can hide from us? Delusional." "Senior Brother Gao, what are your orders?" a subordinate asked. "Deploy search protocols," Gao commanded coldly. "He can't have gone far. Spread out and sweep the grid. The Elder wants him alive, but don't be afraid to break a few limbs." "Hehe, first to find the asset gets the bonus!" One disciple shouted, diving into the trees. The others followed suit, fanning out to cover more ground. Sun Yi watched the red dots scatter on his Spirit Plate. A cold smile touched his lips. Mistake number one: Splitting your forces. He locked onto the signal of the strongest hostile—Senior Brother Gao. Priority target acquired. Eliminating the command unit first will disrupt their C4I structure. Sun Yi moved silently through the underbrush, positioning himself directly in Gao’s projected path. He found a large, hollow tree and slipped inside, waiting. Gao floated through the forest, his Divine Sense sweeping the area like a searchlight. Suddenly, he picked up a faint energy signature ahead. A smirk twisted his face. "Got you." He blurred forward, landing in front of Sun Yi's hiding spot. "No need to hide, little rat. Come out and surrender." Engagement initiated. Whoosh! The Dragon Roar Sword erupted from the tree trunk, a streak of azure light aiming straight for Gao’s throat. Gao didn't even flinch. He waved a hand, and a wave of domineering True Qi swatted the sword aside like a fly. "Refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit," Gao sneered. "Get down here!" He pointed a finger, and a black spirit sword materialized, slashing the tree in half with a deafening boom. Sun Yi was thrown from the wreckage, crashing heavily onto the forest floor. He groaned, clutching his chest, his face pale. Gao walked over slowly, savoring the moment. "A Qi Refining ant dares to attack me? You overestimate your bandwidth." He reached out to grab Sun Yi by the neck. Sun Yi looked up, fear in his eyes. But deep within his pupils, a sharp, cold light flashed. Trap card activated. As Gao’s hand closed in, Sun Yi slapped a blue talisman onto the man's chest. Freeze Protocol. The talisman exploded into a cloud of absolute zero mist, encasing Gao in a block of ice before he could blink. Crack. The ice began to fracture almost immediately under Gao’s surging True Qi. But Sun Yi didn't need it to hold forever. He just needed a millisecond. System: Gold Sword Art. Output: Maximum. The Red Gold Sword materialized from the Gold Gate, turning into a beam of golden light that bypassed Gao’s shattering defenses and punched a hole clean through his chest. The ice shattered. Gao stumbled back, looking down at the gaping wound in disbelief. "You..." "Market correction complete," Sun Yi said coldly as Gao collapsed, dead before he hit the ground. "Don't worry. Your colleagues will be joining you shortly." Sun Yi looted the corpse with practiced efficiency, then checked the Spirit Plate. Target down. Six remaining. He moved to intercept the next dot—a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. Repeat protocol. Sun Yi positioned himself ahead of the target and allowed himself to be "discovered." "Hahaha! Looks like my luck is in! Come here, boy!" The disciple laughed, reaching out with a web of True Qi to bind the "helpless" Qi Refining cultivator. Sun Yi stood motionless, looking defeated. But the moment the disciple entered melee range, Sun Yi’s demeanor shifted from prey to predator. Hardware Override. Sun Yi punched. There was no technique, just raw, overwhelming physical force. His fist shattered the disciple's True Qi barrier like glass and caved in his chest. The disciple flew backward like a ragdoll, smashing through three trees before skidding to a halt, dead on impact. "Your luck metrics were miscalculated," Sun Yi muttered, looting the body. "You encountered a monopoly." Sun Yi continued his grim work. With the Spirit Plate giving him total battlefield awareness, the hunt became a massacre. He was the admin; they were the glitched NPCs. Three dead. Four dead. Five dead. Finally, he engaged the last target—an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. Sun Yi sat in a clearing, waiting. But this disciple was cautious. Instead of rushing in, he launched a black flying sword from a distance. Smart, Sun Yi thought, dodging the strike. But insufficient. He activated Wind Thunder Step, blurring toward the enemy. "Hmph! You're fast for a bug!" The disciple sneered, retreating while controlling his sword to harass Sun Yi. "Your latency is too high," Sun Yi said, his voice right next to the disciple's ear. The disciple's eyes widened in horror. How did he— Sun Yi raised his hand. The Red Gold Sword surged with metal-attribute True Qi, transforming into a golden dragon construct. "Termination protocol engaged." The dragon roared, swallowing the disciple whole in an explosion of golden light.