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

Chapter 198: Patriarch Qingxuan’s Curiosity

“Hurry! We need to stabilize the formation! Figure out how to integrate the Spirit Stone array into the chassis, now!” Elder Yan shouted, his eyes burning with the manic fervor of a man on the brink of a breakthrough. He couldn’t wait another second to perfect the Spirit Armor.

Sun Yi watched from the side with a satisfied smile. It wasn’t just Elder Yan; every refiner in the hall wore that same look of fanatical excitement. Under Sun Yi’s guidance, these traditional craftsmen were transforming into true researchers, obsessed with innovation and discovery.

It was a good change.

The team threw themselves back into the grind. Days turned into nights, and time slipped away unnoticed. In the blink of an eye, another two months passed.

High upon the main peak of the Qingyun Sect.

Patriarch Qingxuan sat on the central throne of the Great Hall, listening to Er Gouzi’s periodic report.

The sect’s development was blistering, changing face almost daily. Qingxuan found himself unable to stay in deep secluded cultivation for long; the urge to check on the sect’s meteoric rise kept pulling him back.

“Excellent,” Patriarch Qingxuan nodded, stroking his beard after hearing the numbers. “I never expected that in less than half a year, we would recruit nearly 2,000 new disciples. Sun Yi’s ‘Qingyun Dao Palace’ strategy was a masterstroke.”

“How are the new recruits settling in?” Qingxuan asked.

“Reporting to the Patriarch,” Er Gouzi replied respectfully. “Everything is proceeding according to the Headmaster’s protocols. The vast majority are undergoing centralized training. Furthermore, the ideological education curriculum arranged by the Headmaster is proceeding smoothly. The families of these disciples have also been properly resettled and cared for.”

“Ideological education…” Qingxuan mused. He knew Sun Yi had implemented this to ensure loyalty, but he was curious about its actual efficacy. “Is it working?”

Er Gouzi’s face lit up. “It is extremely effective, Patriarch. Although they haven’t yet faced the Heart Questioning Array, the seeds of absolute loyalty have been planted in their hearts. Because we allow them to visit their families, and because we treat those families so well, the parents themselves have become our biggest advocates. They constantly admonish their children to serve the Qingyun Sect with their lives.”

“Good! That is very good.” Qingxuan chuckled. “That brat Sun Yi really has a way with people. And what of their cultivation progress?”

“They are advancing rapidly,” Er Gouzi reported. “The fastest among them is Zeng Niu. His cultivation has already reached the Qi Refining Grand Perfection. He is on the verge of attempting Foundation Establishment.”

“As expected of a Supreme Heaven Spirit Root,” Qingxuan marveled. “It has been such a short time, yet he has already hit the ceiling of Qi Refining? At this rate, he might overtake his master in cultivation base before long.”

The corners of Qingxuan’s mouth twitched up. The thought of Sun Yi—the omnipotent Headmaster—being out-leveled by his own disciple was genuinely amusing.

“Is Sun Yi strict with the boy?”

“Very. Although the Headmaster provides Zeng Niu with top-tier resources and a custom cultivation plan, he receives no special treatment regarding discipline. He trains with the general population. To graduate into the War Hall, he will have to pass the same rigorous tests as everyone else.”

“A sound approach,” Qingxuan agreed. “By the way, I hear Sun Yi has been locked in the Refining Hall for months. What exactly are they doing in there?”

Er Gouzi shook his head helplessly. “I am not entirely sure myself. Rumor has it they are researching something revolutionary. Every high-level refiner in the sect has been pulled onto the project.”

Hearing this, Qingxuan’s interest piqued instantly.

Sun Yi had a track record of inventing miracles. First came the Spirit Plate—powerful and practical. Then the Demon Refining Tower and the mass production of Heavenly Soul Liquid. Then the biological modification technique to open Five Dantians.

Now, he had monopolized the entire Refining Hall for half a year?

“Alright, return to your duties. I’m going to see for myself.”

Unable to contain his curiosity, Patriarch Qingxuan decided to investigate. His figure blurred and vanished from the throne.

Moments later, he materialized inside the Refining Hall. With his Nascent Soul cultivation, slipping past the guards and into the inner sanctum unnoticed was child’s play.

As soon as he stepped onto the workshop floor, he heard the sounds of a heated debate. He looked over to see a group of refiners crowded around a floating object, gesturing wildly.

“What is that?”

Qingxuan’s gaze locked onto the artifact suspended in front of Sun Yi.

It was a suit of Golden Spirit Armor. Unlike the previous prototypes, this one featured a pair of majestic metal wings on the back. The feathers were not decorative; they were constructed from layers of razor-sharp blades, stacked with mechanical precision. It was a fusion of art and lethality.

The energy radiating from it was unmistakable: Tier-3, Grade-5.

“Headmaster,” Elder Yan argued, pointing at the wings. “I believe we should inscribe the ‘Gale Formation’ directly onto the blade wings. This maximizes aerodynamic efficiency and movement speed.”

“I disagree,” Elder Tong countered. “The Gale Formation belongs on the back plate. The wings should be reserved purely for offensive arrays. They are weapons, not just thrusters.”

Sun Yi turned to the young man beside him. “Gu Qingcheng, your thoughts?”

Gu Qingcheng rubbed his chin, his eyes gleaming with inspiration. “Why choose? We can inscribe both the ‘Gale Formation’ and the ‘Swift Thunder Formation’ on the wings. By syncing them with the sect’s Wind Thunder Step, we can push burst mobility to the limit.”

“The back plate is the most heavily armored and least exposed section,” Gu Qingcheng continued, tapping the schematic. “That is where we house the Spirit Stone power core. It’s safer there. Plus, the wings provide active cover for the blind spot.”

“As for Elder Tong’s point about offense… that is easily solved. We simply add a secondary pair of smaller, detachable blade wings underneath the main thrusters. Those can be composed entirely of offensive Spirit Blades. Problem solved.”

Sun Yi nodded, clearly pleased. “Excellent. We proceed with the hybrid configuration. Next…”

“Ahem.”

Sun Yi paused as he sensed a presence. He turned to find Patriarch Qingxuan standing there, looking like an ordinary old man, his aura completely retracted.

“Greetings, Patriarch!” Sun Yi bowed hastily.

“Greetings, Patriarch!” The rest of the team followed suit in a panic.

“At ease,” Qingxuan waved his hand, his eyes glued to the golden armor. “What is this thing?”

“This,” Sun Yi explained with a grin, “is a recreation of the ‘Ancient Spirit Armor,’ reverse-engineered and upgraded by our team. It is still in the R&D phase.”

“Ancient Spirit Armor?” Qingxuan had never heard the term.

“A lost defensive Spirit Weapon. We don’t know exactly what the original looked like, but the functional principles should be similar to this.”

“And what does it do?” Qingxuan asked, pointing a finger at the gleaming suit.

“If this project succeeds,” Sun Yi said, the corners of his mouth curling upward, “it will redefine the combat standard of the Qingyun Sect. Speed, defense, and sustained combat capability will all skyrocket.”