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

Chapter 155: One Thunderbolt After Another

Boom!

The collision between the jade ruler and the flying wheel sent a shockwave tearing through the hall. Patriarch Qingxuan’s barrier shimmered but held firm, containing the blast that would have otherwise leveled the building.

Inside the barrier, the result was instantaneous.

Ouyang Zhong’s flying wheel was smashed aside like a toy. The backlash hit him hard, draining the color from his face. He staggered backward, his boots skidding on the stone floor, crashing into and overturning his chair before he could regain his balance.

He looked up, gasping for air.

The jade ruler hovered inches above his forehead, humming with a terrifying, suppressed power. The sheer weight of its aura made his knees buckle.

“Return,” Elder Han Yun commanded softly.

The jade ruler dissolved into a streak of white light and vanished into his sleeve.

“Fellow Daoist Ouyang,” Han Yun cupped his hands, his expression serene. “Forgive the offense.”

Ouyang Zhong stood frozen, his eyes wide and vacant. His worldview had just been shattered.

Cultivators from the Heavenly Saint Commandery were supposed to be superior. They viewed the Chaos Demon Commandery as a savage wasteland filled with weaklings. The recent battles against the Black Wind Stockade and Evil Spirit Valley had only confirmed this bias—those enemies had been pathetic.

But this Elder? A single strike had crushed not just his defense, but his pride.

“We lost,” Ouyang Can sighed, his voice heavy. He looked at Patriarch Qingxuan with new eyes. “But, Fellow Daoist… how? This power is abnormal.”

Xia Mu and Xia Xing leaned forward, their arrogance replaced by intense curiosity.

“Sun Yi,” Qingxuan gestured to the young Headmaster. “Explain it to them.”

Sun Yi smiled, facing the two Nascent Soul powerhouses. He spoke calmly, as if discussing the weather rather than overturning the laws of cultivation.

“The Qingyun Sect has mastered a technique to open five additional Dantians within the body. This multiplies a cultivator’s reserves and explosive power several times over.”

He gestured to Han Yun. “Our Elders have all undergone this procedure. That is why they can crush peers of the same realm.”

“Five Dantians?!” Ouyang Can shot to his feet, knocking over his tea. “Are you mad? That’s physically impossible!”

“I would not dare joke about such things before Seniors,” Sun Yi replied smoothly. “If you join us, we can provide quotas for your talented descendants to undergo this transformation.”

“Can Nascent Soul cultivators do it?” Ouyang Can asked immediately, his eyes burning with greed.

Sun Yi shook his head. “Not yet. The technique is currently limited to those below the Golden Core stage. The cost is… astronomical.”

He paused, letting the disappointment settle before delivering the second blow.

“However, we have also mastered a method that guarantees a 100% success rate for Foundation Establishment, even for those with Low-Grade Spirit Roots. And it requires no Foundation Establishment Pills.”

The hall went dead silent.

“What did you say?” Xia Mu whispered, his voice trembling. “No pills? For Low-Grade roots?”

It was like a second thunderbolt striking before the echo of the first had faded.

“Correct,” Sun Yi said. “Join us, and every member of your clans with a Spirit Root will reach Foundation Establishment. Safely. Guaranteed.”

“You’re lying,” Xia Mu blurted out. “That defies the Heavenly Dao!”

Sun Yi spread his hands. “Why would I lie? I possess Low-Grade Three Spirit Roots. I used no pill. And yet, here I am.”

He gestured to the door. “We have over a thousand disciples who have successfully ascended this way. You are welcome to inspect them.”

The two Nascent Soul ancestors sat back, dazed.

Five Dantians. Pill-less Foundation Establishment.

Either of these secrets would be enough to start a war in the Heavenly Saint Commandery. The Qingyun Sect held both.

If they joined… their families wouldn’t just survive. They would thrive beyond their wildest dreams.

But then, reality set in.

“Techniques are one thing,” Ouyang Can said slowly, his brow furrowing. “But cultivation requires resources. The Chaos Demon Commandery is a desert. Even with these methods, without Spirit Qi and materials, growth is impossible. Have you considered moving the sect to the Heavenly Saint Commandery? With our protection and your secrets…”

Sun Yi laughed. It was a genuine, amused sound.

“You want to recruit us?”

“It is logical,” Xia Mu insisted. “Here, you will starve.”

“Seniors are worried about resources?” Sun Yi exchanged a look with Patriarch Qingxuan.

Qingxuan chuckled, stroking his beard. “Fellow Daoists, your concern is touching, but misplaced. In truth, the resources of the Chaos Demon Commandery rival—perhaps even exceed—those of the Heavenly Saint Commandery.”

“Impossible!” Xia Mu scoffed. “This land is barren!”

“It is barren only because it is untapped,” Sun Yi cut in. “The Myriad Demon Forest is an endless treasury.”

Ouyang Can frowned. “The Forest is a death trap. Even Nascent Soul cultivators die there. Resources you cannot reach are worthless.”

“That was the past,” Qingxuan said, his voice turning mysterious. “We have solved the problem of the Demon Beasts.”

The guests stared at him.

“We can detect them before they detect us,” Qingxuan explained. “We avoid the kings and harvest the rest. Last month, I led a single expedition.”

He held up five fingers.

“In thirty days, we extracted resources worth five hundred million Spirit Stones.”

BOOM.

The third thunderbolt struck.

“Five… hundred… million?” Ouyang Can’s voice was a squeak. His brain stopped working.

“What? You got five billion Spirit Stones worth of resources from the Myriad Demon Forest in a month?” Another thunderbolt exploded in Ouyang Can and the others’ minds, leaving their heads buzzing.