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

Chapter 213: The Next Enemy: Seven Star Tower

“The Seven Star Tower actually dares to scheme against us? We absolutely cannot let this slide!” Gu Qingcheng’s face was flushed with rage. The entire Qingyun Sect had been played by the commercial giant, and as a proud member of the sect, he took the insult personally.

He wasn’t alone. Around him, the other disciples and elders wore expressions of righteous indignation, the air thick with tension.

“We have to teach them a lesson!”

“Exactly! They used such despicable methods against our Qingyun Sect. We must make them pay the price!”

Sun Yi stood calmly at the front, his gaze sweeping over the agitated crowd. He waited for the noise to settle before smiling faintly. “I know you are all furious. You want revenge. But we must face reality: currently, we do not have the strength to take it.”

He paced slowly, his voice steady and analytical. “As far as I know, the Seven Star Tower’s headquarters is located in the Heavenly Saint Commandery, with branches spreading across the entire Tianyuan Continent. Public intelligence suggests they possess over a dozen Nascent Soul stage cultivators alone. With our current power, we are simply not their match. A direct conflict now would be suicide.”

“So we just let them get away with it?” a disciple cried out, unwilling to accept the humiliation.

“Right! We just wanted to do honest business. Why did they have to plot against us like this?”

Sun Yi sighed, his expression turning serious. “To do ‘honest business,’ both parties must have equal strength. The Seven Star Tower dared to scheme against us precisely because the Qingyun Sect is too weak in their eyes. Even if we discovered their plot, they didn’t care. To them, we are insignificant.”

He paused, letting the harsh truth sink in, then raised his voice, projecting the aura of a visionary leader.

“Therefore, we must become strong—fast. This is not just my responsibility; it is the duty of every single person here. It is the burden of the Qingyun Sect.”

Sun Yi’s eyes narrowed, a cold, terrifying glint flashing within them. “Rest assured. The Seven Star Tower dares to treat us as prey? I will ensure they pay a heavy price. They are our next target. If they dare reach their hands toward the Qingyun Sect again, we will chop off their filthy claws!”

A powerful wave of Killing Intent erupted from Sun Yi, chilling the air.

Let the matter rest? Impossible. The Seven Star Tower had marked themselves for destruction the moment they signed that contract.

“Headmaster, rest assured! We will work ourselves to the bone to make the Sect stronger!”

“Good. Let us channel this anger into effort,” Sun Yi commanded, instantly shifting from warlord to project manager. “The top priority is to forge the new line of Demon Refining Towers. Patriarch Qingxuan, since you are here, you might as well stay and assist.”

Sun Yi turned his gaze to Patriarch Qingxuan. The Patriarch’s Nascent Soul fire was a high-grade industrial resource; its refining efficiency far surpassed the disciples’ use of the Purple Extreme Berserk Flame.

Sun Yi was not about to let such premium labor walk away.

Patriarch Qingxuan, understanding the strategic importance of the Demon Refining Tower to the sect’s growth, agreed without hesitation.

“I will stay and assist as well,” Ouyang Zhong volunteered from the side.

However, Sun Yi shook his head. He looked at Ouyang Zhong with a grave expression. “Elder Ouyang, your priority is to transition your cultivation to the Five Elements Art. Although the Kunpeng Art has flaws, I suggest you continue cultivating it for now. I will find a solution for the defects.”

He lowered his voice slightly, emphasizing the importance of his instruction. “Only by cultivating the Kunpeng Art can you rapidly increase your physical body strength and smoothly open the five gates.”

Sun Yi had no intention of abandoning the Kunpeng Art. Despite its obvious flaws, he had conceived a grand plan long ago. If that plan succeeded, the defects would become irrelevant.

“Very well. I will not disturb your work. Patriarch, I will return to cultivate.” Ouyang Zhong cupped his hands respectfully toward Patriarch Qingxuan, then transformed into a streak of light, vanishing into the distance.

With Ouyang Zhong gone, the real work began.

The valley transformed into a high-efficiency workshop. Rare materials were stockpiled, and every disciple of the Miscellaneous Arts Hall was assigned a specific component to fabricate. Patriarch Qingxuan took his station, using his potent flames to purify the most stubborn and precious ores.

This production run was different. The third-rank artisans had all assimilated the Purple Extreme Berserk Flame, drastically raising the baseline quality of the components. Sun Yi did not rush the process. He demanded perfection, treating the construction of the new towers not as simple crafting, but as precision engineering.

It took a full month and a half of grueling labor to complete the project.

In the valley, the group stood before three looming, brand-new Demon Refining Towers, their faces glowing with excitement and exhaustion.

“Headmaster, let’s test the efficiency immediately,” Gu Qingcheng said, rubbing his hands together eagerly. This third generation had undergone a radical internal redesign.

“Agreed. Patriarch, Masters, please enter with me.” Sun Yi stepped forward, leading the way into the first tower.

The others followed closely. The physical dimensions of the three floors hadn’t changed, but the internal Formations had undergone a complete revolution.

Previously, the core of the operation was a Soul Refining Flag. Now, the center of the chamber was dominated by a massive, pitch-black cauldron.

The Soul Refining Cauldron.

Standing thirty feet tall, resting on three heavy legs and flanked by two handles, the cauldron was a masterpiece of intimidation. Its surface was etched with complex, bizarre patterns that seemed to twist and writhe if one stared too long, inducing a sense of vertigo.

The aura radiating from the massive vessel surpassed most third-rank Spirit Weapons, bordering dangerously close to the power of a fourth-rank artifact.

Surrounding the cauldron, positioned in the four cardinal directions of the Four Symbols, crouched four giant metal toads, each ten feet tall. In the open mouth of each toad burned a sphere of purple fire—the Purple Extreme Berserk Flame—pulsing with violent thermal energy.

“We spent a fortune and immense effort to engineer this Soul Refining Cauldron, even integrating the Purple Extreme Berserk Flame as the fuel source. I hope the results justify the cost,” one of the elders muttered nervously.

“Commence the test,” Patriarch Qingxuan commanded, waving his hand.

A pile of Spirit Stones materialized and flew precisely into the mouths of the four metal toads.

*Whirrrr—*

The Formations inside the toads activated instantly. The Purple Extreme Berserk Flames in their mouths roared to life, expanding violently before shooting concentrated streams of fire directly into the central Soul Refining Cauldron.

The bizarre runes on the cauldron’s surface ignited with blinding light. The interior of the vessel transformed into a terrifying, contained world of incineration.

Patriarch Qingxuan retrieved a Sealing Soul Talisman and crushed it. A massive, translucent third-rank demon soul screeched into existence in the air. But before the beast could even register its surroundings, a majestic suction force erupted from the cauldron, dragging it helplessly into the vortex.

*Hiss!*

The moment the demon soul touched the internal flames, it didn’t just burn; it melted. The violent, chaotic will of the beast was stripped away in a split second, leaving behind nothing but pure, distilled soul power.

“So fast!” The artisans gasped, their eyes widening in shock.

“Again.”

They continued the stress test, feeding demon soul after demon soul into the machine. After half an hour of continuous operation, Sun Yi and his team reached a definitive conclusion: the efficiency of this new system was ten times that of the previous version.

A cheer erupted in the tower.

“This is incredible! With these three towers running, we can finally meet the demand for Qingyun Dew!”

“Yes! I’ve been hearing constant complaints about the shortages. Now we can finally relax.”

Sun Yi looked at their jubilant faces and shook his head with a wry smile. “Relax? We are far from that. Do you not realize that the Golden Core Elders haven’t even begun to consume the Qingyun Dew in earnest? And the Patriarchs—they will also require vast quantities to enhance their divine souls.”

He adopted the tone of a stern CEO addressing a complacent department. “We cannot be satisfied with this. Demand will always outstrip supply. We must continue to build more Demon Refining Towers and relentlessly improve their quality.”

“Headmaster, rest assured! We will not become arrogant,” Elder Yan hurriedly bowed, his expression serious. “We will continue our research with full focus.”

The others quickly echoed his sentiment, the celebration replaced by renewed determination.

Sun Yi nodded with satisfaction. The Miscellaneous Arts Hall of the Qingyun Sect had truly risen. Aside from their relatively low cultivation bases, their technical prowess and industrial output likely rivaled—or even exceeded—the production divisions of the great ancient Sects.