The plaza fell silent for a heartbeat, and then exploded.

“Did I hear that right?” a disciple grabbed his neighbor’s shoulder, eyes wide. “A ninety percent discount? One-tenth of the sticker price?” “That’s what the CEO said. One-tenth.” “That’s impossible. We must be hearing things.” “But if it’s true… I’m at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, but I’m still using a Tier 1 Grade 4 sword. If I can upgrade to a Grade 9 blade for peanuts… my combat power goes up by fifty percent, instantly!” “Forget swords, I need defensive talismans! I’ve been saving up for three years, and now I can buy the whole set for a month’s salary!”

The noise level was deafening. It was the sound of a market crash and a shopping spree happening simultaneously. The sheer scale of the discount made them skeptical; in the cultivation world, nothing was this cheap unless it was a trap.

Sun Yi, flanked by Patriarch Qingxuan and Elder Jin Jue, let the chaos simmer for a moment before raising his hand.

“Correct,” Sun Yi announced, his voice cutting through the noise. “The discount is real. However, this is a subsidized company benefit, and it comes with strict compliance policies.”

The crowd hushed, leaning in. The ‘catch’ made the offer feel more real.

“One,” Sun Yi listed, ticking off fingers. “Usage restrictions. You can only lease gear you are personally qualified to use. No hoarding.” “Two: Non-transferable. The gear is tied to your ID. No reselling, no gifting, no black market trading.” “Three: Quantity Caps. Max two artifacts, five pills, five talismans, and one formation set per employee.” “Four: The Buy-Back Clause. When you are done with the gear, or if you upgrade, you must return it to the Vault. You will be refunded the exact amount you paid.”

Sun Yi’s expression hardened. “The company is absorbing a massive cost to ensure your survival. Do not exploit this generosity. Any employee caught reselling subsidized assets will be terminated immediately. And by terminated, I mean we cripple your cultivation and throw you off the mountain. Am I clear?”

The threat was the final piece of the puzzle. The disciples relaxed. This wasn’t a scam; it was a strictly regulated corporate perk.

“Sect Leader, rest assured!” a disciple shouted, cupping his fists. “I will not betray the Sect!” “I swear on my Dao Heart! I will follow the Policy!” “Long live the Sect Leader!”

Hundreds of disciples began swearing Dao Oaths spontaneously. The fervor was palpable. Patriarch Qingxuan watched the scene, his eyes gleaming. In hundreds of years, he had never seen the sect this unified. Loyalty wasn’t built on speeches; it was built on benefits.

He looked at Sun Yi’s back. This young man treated the sect like a machine, stripping away tradition for efficiency, but the results were undeniable. He was breathing life into a dying giant.

“Very good,” Sun Yi nodded. “You have two weeks. Equip yourselves. Train. The Myriad Demon Forest awaits.”

As the crowd dispersed into cheering mobs rushing toward the Vault, the disciples who weren’t selected for the mission stood on the sidelines, their faces green with envy. They had heard the announcement: the discount was exclusive to the expedition team.

Sun Yi turned to Elder Jin Jue. “The next two weeks are critical. Monitor the Vault. I don’t want inventory discrepancies.”

“Understood,” Jin Jue said. “But the disciples left behind are already grumbling. This two-tier system is creating friction.”

“Good,” Sun Yi said coldly. “Friction generates heat. Use it. Draft a memo for general circulation: The discount program is permanent, but it is gated behind performance metrics. Any disciple who clears Level 50 of the Qi Refining Battle Tower qualifies for the subsidy.”

“Level 50?” Jin Jue frowned. “That requires at least Qi Refining Level 7 combat power. That’s a high bar for the average outer disciple.”

“It’s a necessary filter,” Sun Yi explained. “There is no point in arming weaklings to die in the wilderness. If they want the cheap gear, they need to prove they can use it. We keep them safe by keeping them inside until they are ready. Level 50 is the new minimum requirement for any external field work.”

“It reduces liability,” Sun Yi added. “If they stay on campus, they consume fewer resources and don’t get killed. If they want to be adventurers, they have to earn the license.”

Patriarch Qingxuan nodded approval. “It’s a sound policy. Jin Jue, publish the memo immediately.”

“Yes, Patriarch.”

With the logistics handled, Sun Yi handed off a stack of jade slips to Elder Ye Luo—instructions for the upcoming assessments of the other Miscellaneous Halls—and retreated to his quarters. He had done his job; now he needed to cultivate.

For the next two weeks, the Qingyun Sect transformed. The Vault was emptied of dusty inventory, replaced by a surge of heavily armed disciples. The Battle Towers were packed day and night as the unselected disciples ground their way toward Level 50, desperate to unlock the new benefits tier.

The sect was booming. The economy was stimulating growth, the workforce was motivated, and productivity was at an all-time high.

Everyone was happy. Everyone, that is, except for the spies embedded within the sect, who realized with dread that the sleeping giant had finally woken up.