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

Chapter 205: The Communication Project Officially Approved

Sun Yi’s gaze swept deliberately across the skeptical faces of his engineering team. He offered a confident, challenging smile. “What? Have you all lost faith in your Headmaster?”

“This…”

The crowd of refiners immediately shifted awkwardly, exchanging embarrassed glances, suddenly unsure of how to voice their doubts.

“Think about our track record,” Sun Yi began, his voice projecting with the magnetic cadence of a visionary CEO. “Before we did it, the Cultivation world believed it was physically impossible to artificially open a secondary Dantian. We engineered the solution. Before us, no one knew Heavenly Soul Liquid could be synthesized. We built the Demon Refining Tower to mass-produce it.”

He paced slowly, letting his words sink in. “They said a Low Grade Spirit Root was a dead end. Our Qingyun Sect shattered that ceiling! And just moments ago, on this very floor, we successfully forged the Qingyun Battle Armor—a Spirit Weapon that will fundamentally redefine warfare.”

“We must have the audacity to imagine the impossible, and the relentless, mechanical drive to manifest that imagination into reality. Telecommunications is no different. I guarantee that if we pour our resources into this framework, we will crack the code.”

He turned sharply, locking eyes with his most flamboyant engineer. “Qingcheng. I have the project prospectus ready. Are you interested in leading the R&D division? If you successfully launch this device, your legacy will effortlessly eclipse the ancient Senior who invented the communication talisman.”

“Really?” Gu Qingcheng’s eyes widened, practically burning with a fanatic yearning. “You aren’t playing with me, Headmaster?”

“I am the Headmaster. Why would I waste breath lying to you?” Sun Yi chuckled. “I’ve already drafted the foundational architecture. Even if none of you stepped up, I would build it myself. But my bandwidth is currently maxed out. I am handing you the opportunity to pioneer a new era. Do you have the nerve to take it?”

“Hmph! It’s just a little research project!” Gu Qingcheng declared fearlessly, throwing his head back and striking a dramatic pose. “I am the man destined to become the supreme artifact refiner in history! Of course I have the nerve!”

“Excellent,” Sun Yi nodded, before addressing the floor. “Who else wants in on this project?”

“I want to participate!”

“Sign me up!”

“Headmaster, let me join the research!”

“Me too!”

The response was overwhelming. In mere seconds, over a hundred top-tier disciples aggressively volunteered, eager to be part of the next massive breakthrough.

“Perfect. Gu Qingcheng will serve as Lead Engineer. The rest of you will form his core R&D team. We officially launch this project today,” Sun Yi ordered. “For the next ten days, I will embed myself with your unit to offload my conceptual frameworks.”

Sun Yi glanced over at the older man managing the floor. “Hall Master Yan, I’m stripping a significant portion of your workforce. I leave the day-to-day operations of the Refining Hall in your hands. I trust you can handle the logistics?”

“Hehe, Headmaster, as long as you and this team can actually forge this miracle device, just leave the Refining Hall’s quotas to me,” Hall Master Yan beamed. He desperately wanted to join the R&D team himself, but his administrative duties tied him to the floor.

“Sun Yi… are you absolutely certain this is viable?” Patriarch Qingxuan asked, stepping closer, his voice dropping to a serious register.

“Rest assured, Patriarch. The theoretical math is sound,” Sun Yi replied, offering a reassuring smile.

Seeing Sun Yi’s unshakeable confidence, Patriarch Qingxuan outwardly breathed a sigh of relief, trusting the young man’s track record. Internally, however, a cold sweat broke out down his back. If they actually manufactured a device that completely bypassed traditional talismans and gave mortals the communication capabilities of a Mother-Child Mirror… the sheer market disruption would be terrifying.

I am rapidly losing the ability to control the fallout from this boy’s genius, Patriarch Qingxuan realized with mounting dread. If wind of this tech leaks, the entire world will come for us. I can’t hold the line alone. I must send an encrypted transmission to Xia Mu and Ouyang immediately. Tell them to expedite their migration. We need their Nascent Soul firepower on-site yesterday!

Unaware of the Patriarch’s rising blood pressure, Sun Yi officially greenlit the telecommunications division. It comprised one hundred and seven hand-picked operatives—just one short of the legendary 108 heroes—with Gu Qingcheng at the helm and Sun Yi acting as chief consultant.

For the next ten days, the R&D lab became a pressure cooker. Sun Yi seamlessly integrated Earth’s fundamental telecom principles with the arcane mechanics of the Cultivation world, laying down a highly detailed technological roadmap.

Guided by Sun Yi’s framework, Gu Qingcheng and his team entered a state of absolute, hyper-focused flow. By day ten, they no longer needed Sun Yi holding their hands.

Because these researchers had mastered the Split Spirit Technique, their cognitive processing speeds were explosive, allowing them to parallel-process magical equations and material stress tests simultaneously. And since high-level Cultivators didn’t strictly require sleep, the lab ran at maximum capacity, twenty-four hours a day.

With the telecom project securely in Gu Qingcheng’s manicured hands, Sun Yi finally stepped away from the forge. He had been sequestered in the Refining Hall for too long. A good CEO couldn’t afford to show blatant favoritism; it was time to conduct a gemba walk through the other Miscellaneous Arts Halls.

His first stop was the Alchemy Hall, located just a short distance away.

Even before he reached the perimeter, the rich, intoxicating aroma of refined medicinal herbs washed over him. Two Foundation Establishment guards stationed at the heavy bronze doors immediately snapped to attention upon seeing him.

“We pay our respects to the Headmaster!” they barked, bowing crisply.

“At ease. You’ve been working hard,” Sun Yi nodded with a warm, approachable smile.

Within moments, a flurry of robes rushed out from the main courtyard. Leading the welcoming committee was Xu Fang, the Hall Master of the Alchemy Hall, flanked by his senior executive staff.

“We pay our respects to the Headmaster!” the group chorused, bowing deeply.

“Fellow Daoists, please, dispense with the formalities,” Sun Yi said, stepping forward to personally gesture them up. “I know I have scarcely visited since the Alchemy Hall’s restructuring. I apologize for the neglect. But please, do not mistake my physical absence for a lack of priority. The Alchemy Hall is a critical pillar of our infrastructure.”

Xu Fang quickly cupped his hands, his face flushed with genuine emotion. “Headmaster, you have no need to explain yourself! We are acutely aware of the massive investments you’ve funneled into our division.”

“If it weren’t for your sweeping subsidies, our Alchemy Hall would never have achieved this scale!” a senior alchemist chimed in.

“Your equitable treatment across all the Miscellaneous Arts Halls does not go unnoticed. We see the resources you secure for us, and we are deeply grateful,” another added.

“You are the grand benefactor of our Alchemy Hall, Headmaster!”

The loyalty radiating from Xu Fang and his staff was palpable. They viewed Sun Yi not just as an administrator, but as the savior of their craft.

Sun Yi smiled benevolently, raising a hand to quiet them. “As your Headmaster, ensuring you have the tools to succeed is simply my job description. I came today to inspect the facilities, check on your morale, and identify your operational bottlenecks. Tell me your difficulties. I am here to clear them.”

“Thank you, Headmaster,” Xu Fang said respectfully. “Operationally, the Alchemy Hall is running at peak efficiency. Our only critical pain point is… a severe lack of manpower.”

Sun Yi threw his head back and laughed loudly. “Hahaha! Hall Master Xu, you’re just subtly lobbying me for a larger headcount allocation, aren’t you?”

Xu Fang smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I apologize for being so blunt, Headmaster, but our cauldrons are truly understaffed. I promise I’m not trying to make your administrative duties difficult.”

“There is no need to apologize,” Sun Yi waved it off, his tone shifting back to pragmatic realism. “The labor shortage isn’t an isolated issue in your department. It’s a macroeconomic reality for the entire Qingyun Sect right now.”