“Heavens! Is this bounty real? I must switch my path to the Refining Hall immediately!”

“The Sect Leader isn’t joking. These perks are unheard of. The Refining Hall is about to become the sect’s most prosperous peak!”

“Look at the contribution rules! The assessment structure is just like the Battle Tower. If you prove your worth, you get paid. The Refining Hall is finally fair.”

“I don’t care what the entrance exam is; I’m getting in. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”

The crowd gathering around the glowing announcement board was buzzing with fervor. Disciples who had previously looked down on the soot-stained refiners were now staring at the posting with eyes red from envy. The news had swept through the Qingyun Sect like a tribulation storm.

Standing on the balcony overlooking the plaza, Elder Ye Luo read the terms again, sweat beading on his forehead. He turned to Sun Yi, his expression pained.

“Sect Leader,” Ye Luo whispered, lowering his voice. “This consumption rate is unsustainable. With these incentives, we’ll empty the treasury in a month.”

Sun Yi glanced at his CFO, amused. “You’re thinking like a mortal shopkeeper, Elder. You see cost; I see investment.”

He pointed toward the distant Myriad Demon Forest. “Once the Spirit Seeking Plates go live, we will have a massive influx of raw materials. Do you expect Elder Yan and his skeleton crew to process that volume alone? Or do you suggest we sell the raw materials to other sects for a pittance?”

Ye Luo hesitated. “Well, trading materials is standard practice…”

“It’s a losing game,” Sun Yi cut him off. “We are moving up the Dao. We don’t sell crude ore; we sell refined artifacts. We need a workforce capable of turning cheap monster parts into high-value spiritual treasures. That is where the prosperity lives.”

Sun Yi smoothed his robes. “To get that workforce, we need to offer competitive rewards. Talent flows to where the spirit stones are. Now, notify Elder Han Yun. I want a complete scripture migration. Move every refining manual from the main library to the Refining Hall’s pavilion. I’ll address the other halls later—tell them I’m working on a sect-wide bounty rollout so they don’t rebel.”

“Understood,” Ye Luo sighed, realizing the scale of the change.

Sun Yi rubbed his temples. I need that long-range transmission talisman yesterday. Managing this organization via carrier pigeon and word-of-mouth is a logistical nightmare.

“I’m returning to my cave abode,” Sun Yi said, launching himself into the air. “Send a transmission when the library migration is complete.”

Back in his private cultivation chamber, Sun Yi found his personal attendant, Er Gouzi, waiting respectfully.

“Welcome back, Sect Leader.”

Sun Yi nodded. He had pulled Er Gouzi from the Internal Affairs labor pool to serve as his executive assistant. The kid’s cultivation was abysmal—he couldn’t even fly—which made him an inefficient courier. Sun Yi had been forced to invest resources into leveling him up.

Under Sun Yi’s optimized training regimen, Er Gouzi had hit the peak of Qi Refining Level 4. The rapid promotion had terrified the kid into absolute subservience.

“Keep cultivating,” Sun Yi waved him off. “Let me know if you hit a bottleneck.”

“Thank you, Sect Leader!”

Sun Yi turned his attention to the corner of the room where Luo An sat in meditation. The former guard had benefited from the ‘trickle-down economics’ of being Sun Yi’s shadow, stabilizing his Foundation Establishment cultivation.

“Luo An,” Sun Yi said, cutting to the chase. “I need the scroll for the ‘Split Spirit Technique’.”

Luo An opened his eyes, a frown creasing his brow. “That is a Forbidden Art. It fractures the user’s consciousness. Why would you risk Qi deviation on your own soul?”

“I need to divide my mind,” Sun Yi said flatly. “I have a sect to run, a treasure to forge, and a cultivation base to fix. I need a multi-core processor. Go get the manual.”

“But—”

“I am the Sect Leader,” Sun Yi interrupted, holding out his hand. “Do I look like I need permission to access the sect archives? I’m just going to review the Dao. I won’t cultivate it unless it’s safe.”

Luo An hesitated, but the hierarchy was clear. He stood up and left to retrieve the scroll.

Sun Yi sat down, his mind already drifting back to the HR policy he had just unleashed. The decree was currently sending shockwaves through the disciples. It wasn’t just a raise; it was a complete paradigm shift.

DECREE: REFINING HALL CONTRIBUTION STRUCTURE

To: All Disciples

From: Office of the Sect Leader

Subject: Revised Merit & Spirit Mark Policy

1. Ascension Bonuses (One-Time Payouts)

The following spirit rewards apply immediately upon passing the relevant certification trials.

Novice (Rank 1 Refiner): 10 Points (Note: Easy merit. We have nearly 1,000 qualified staff who can claim this instantly.)

Adept (Rank 2 Refiner): 100 Points

Master (Rank 3 Refiner): 1,000 Points

Grandmaster (Rank 4 Refiner): 10,000 Points

2. Base Stipend (Annual Retainer)

Guaranteed income regardless of project output.

Rank 2: 10 Points/year

Rank 3: 100 Points/year

Rank 4: 1,000 Points/year

3. The Innovation Fund (Dao Creation Awards)

We are introducing the “Sect Contribution Award” for unique creations. If you develop a unique technique or device, you will be graded and rewarded.

Award Tier -> Spirit Bonus (Points)

Tier 5 -> 10

Tier 4 -> 100

Grand Prize -> 500,000

4. Spirit Marks & Royalties (The “Patent System”)

This is the game-changer. Any unique technique developed by a refiner is classified as Shared Dao.

Ownership: Jointly held by the Creator and the Sect.

Tribute: Any other disciple wishing to use your technique must pay a tribute fee (Points).

Legacy: You collect tributes for life. The technique only reverts to full Sect ownership upon the creator’s passing.

Sun Yi knew the patent system was primitive compared to Earth’s legal frameworks, but in the cultivation world—where masters took their secrets to the grave—it was a revolution. He was incentivizing Open Dao development with a profit motive.

If you want innovation, Sun Yi thought, checking his ledger, you have to let the cultivators own their Dao.