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

Chapter 127: Fourth-Order Heart Questioning Array

This time, the Seven Star Tower delegation brought far more than just the Myriad Spirit Body Tempering Art. They delivered the critical hardware the Qingyun Sect desperately needed—the Heart Questioning Array, a shipment of Mi Luo Beasts, and a massive stockpile of general Supplies.

The invoice was staggering. The total transaction value hit 45 million Spirit Stones. The sheer scale of the bill forced Sun Yi to liquidate some of their high-end assets just to balance the books.

As Mo Wen inspected the contents of the Storage Ring Sun Yi handed over, his eyes narrowed. Inside lay several Rank 4 materials.

These were the kind of premium resources typically monopolized by Nascent Soul cultivators. Even in the Heavenly Saint Commandery, items of this caliber were exceptionally rare. Up until this point, Sun Yi had strictly avoided trading Rank 4 materials. This was a massive red flag in terms of OpSec.

Sun Yi tracked the Deacon’s micro-expressions. Activating his best ‘desperate CEO’ persona, his face twisted into a mask of bitter helplessness.

“Deacon Mo,” Sun Yi sighed, his voice heavy with exhaustion. “To be perfectly honest, a great number of these items were secured by our Patriarch, who risked his life deep within the Myriad Demon Forest. This is the absolute foundation of our Qingyun Sect. I am afraid we have completely tapped out our budget. We won’t be able to make any large trades for the foreseeable future.”

Mo Wen locked eyes with Sun Yi, searching for a lie. “Does this mean you no longer require the body-tempering spiritual materials or the Mi Luo Beasts?”

Sun Yi shook his head, offering a wry, self-deprecating smile. “It is not a lack of demand, Deacon. It is a lack of funds. We simply cannot afford the upkeep. We need time to generate revenue. Rest assured, I will report this bottleneck to the Patriarch and have him formulate a solution. I ask that your Seven Star Tower continue to source these two categories of Supplies for us. The moment we raise sufficient capital, you will be our first call.”

“Very well. We shall continue to secure these resources for you.” Mo Wen nodded, seemingly satisfied with the explanation. He stood up, smoothing his robes. “I shall await good news from Headmaster Sun. It is getting late; this seat must return.”

Deacon Wen and Deacon Wei immediately rose to their feet behind him.

“Allow me to see you off. Gentlemen, this way please.”

With the utmost courtesy, Sun Yi escorted the trio to their flying boat, seeing them safely beyond the Qingyun Sect’s borders.

Standing in the void of the sky, Sun Yi watched the Sect’s grand protective Formation slowly seal shut. The polite, corporate smile vanished from his face, replaced by a cold, calculating gravity. The Golden Core Elders hovering nearby immediately noticed the shift in his aura.

“Headmaster? What is the matter?” Elder Jin Jue asked, stepping forward with the other four Elders. “Has something gone wrong?”

Sun Yi exhaled a long breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I was too aggressive. I scaled up too fast.”

“What do you mean, Headmaster?” Elder Li Tai asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

“Our transaction volume with the Seven Star Tower is too high, and the frequency is too rapid,” Sun Yi explained, his mind racing through the risk metrics. “Moving this much capital is a beacon. It’s too easy to attract the attention of malicious actors looking for a hostile takeover.”

Elder Qin Chu’s expression shifted. “Headmaster, are you worried the Seven Star Tower might turn on us?”

“While we harbor no malice, we must guard against the malice of others,” Sun Yi muttered. “I hope my sob story patched that security vulnerability for now. Ultimately, it all comes down to our base stats being too low.”

Trading with the Seven Star Tower was a calculated risk, but Sun Yi had no choice. They were the only viable supply chain available. He had to gamble on their corporate integrity.

Yet, thinking of the terrifying secret that he carried, the existential dread crept back in.

We need a massive power spike, and we need it yesterday, Sun Yi thought, his eyes gleaming with a ruthless light.

No matter how many resources he threw at the disciples, leveling up took time. The fastest way to boost the Sect’s aggregate power was a lateral hiring spree—recruiting high-level experts. He already had a concept for the recruitment drive, but launching it required Patriarch Qingxuan’s physical presence to act as the ultimate deterrent.

For now, he had to focus on the software at hand.

“Elder Han Yun,” Sun Yi commanded, his tone all business. “Immediately deploy the Myriad Spirit Body Tempering Art across the entire Sect. It is now open-source. Anyone can download and practice it, completely free of charge.”

“Headmaster…” Han Yun stared at him, aghast. “We spent millions of Spirit Stones to acquire this manual! Are we truly bypassing the contribution point system and just giving it away?”

“There is no need to gatekeep this behind a paywall,” Sun Yi said, dismissing the Elder’s concern with a wave of his hand. “We don’t need to nickel-and-dime our own people to generate revenue. A high-performing user base is the ultimate capital. Strong disciples are the true foundation of this Sect.”

Han Yun’s eyes widened with understanding. “Understood. I shall arrange the distribution at once.”

“Elder Ye,” Sun Yi pivoted to the Formation Master. “We need to install the Heart Questioning Array immediately. The War Hall must be brought online.”

“At once, Headmaster,” Elder Ye Luo nodded.

“Let us assist as well,” Elder Jin Jue offered, cracking his knuckles.

“Perfect. Scalability is key,” Sun Yi agreed. “Gather every Formation Master in the Formation Hall ranked Tier 2 and above. We parallel process the installation.”

The Sect kicked into overdrive. First, Elder Han Yun and Er Gouzi broadcasted the release of the Myriad Spirit Body Tempering Art. When the disciples realized the Headmaster was gifting them a premium manual with zero microtransactions, they were brought to tears. Immensely grateful for Sun Yi’s benevolence, a sect-wide cultivation boom erupted.

Meanwhile, Sun Yi and the elites of the Formation Hall began the complex installation of the Rank 4 Heart Questioning Array.

The coding for a Rank 4 Formation was brutally complex. Even Elder Ye Luo, who was at the absolute peak of Rank 3, found the syntax overwhelming. Fortunately, they had the manpower to brute-force the workload, and the package from the Seven Star Tower included a detailed instruction manual.

Five days of non-stop work later, the system was online.

Looking at the completed Heart Questioning Array, Sun Yi’s lips curled into a satisfied smile. Troubleshooting the Rank 4 Formation had been an incredible learning experience; his own proficiency in the Dao of Formations had skyrocketed. His specs were now nearly on par with Elder Ye Luo’s.

“It is done, by the grace of the Heavens,” Elder Ye Luo wiped sweat from his brow, staring at the array in awe. “A true Rank 4 Formation. The Daoist principles within are completely beyond my comprehension. My attainments in the Dao are still far too shallow.”

“As long as it boots up, the underlying code doesn’t matter,” Sun Yi chuckled. “Let’s run a beta test.”

“Changqing, step into the server,” Sun Yi beckoned to Er Gouzi.

Er Gouzi raised an eyebrow but didn’t question the order, striding forward confidently.

The hardware consisted of nine mirrors. Eight were Rank 3 Spirit Weapons that formed a perimeter to generate the illusion environment. The ninth was the central monitor, used to view the user’s interface.

Sun Yi and the Elders initiated the boot sequence, slotting 1,000 Spirit Stones directly into the central mirror’s power drive.

A series of hand seals triggered the activation script. Instantly, all nine mirrors flared to life. A thick, hazy white mist erupted, swallowing the designated zone.

Er Gouzi took a deep breath and stepped into the fog, his silhouette vanishing.

The Formation engaged. Er Gouzi’s trial of the heart had begun.

Outside, the central mirror functioned perfectly as a livestream, displaying Er Gouzi’s first-person perspective in high definition.

The first test was a classic phishing attempt. A simulated cultivator from a rival Sect approached Er Gouzi in the illusion, offering a mountain of bribes to leak Qingyun Sect data or defect entirely.

The loot table was incredibly tempting: massive stacks of Spirit Stones, premium manuals, rare breakthrough pills, and top-tier Spirit Weapons.

But Er Gouzi didn’t even blink. He rejected the offers with disdain, effortlessly clearing the first firewall.

Sun Yi and the Elders watched the monitor, nodding in deep satisfaction. The Array tapped into the deepest layers of the subconscious; users always reacted according to their true nature. The telemetry didn’t lie—Er Gouzi was absolutely loyal to the Sect. The system was a success.