Leaving the central plaza, Sun Yi engaged his travel technique, streaking across the sky toward the sect’s treasury. He had been plateaued at the Seventh Stage of Qi Refining for too long. It was time for a hardware upgrade.

Despite burning through top-grade Spirit Stones like a startup burning venture capital, his progress felt sluggish. Efficiency was key, and his current cultivation velocity was unacceptable. He needed to check the inventory for better accelerators.

Outside the heavy stone gates of the Treasure Vault, three Foundation Establishment cultivators stood guard. They were staff from the Internal Affairs Hall.

Seeing the CEO descend, the trio snapped to attention, bowing respectfully.

“Greetings, Sect Master.”

Sun Yi nodded, flashing a practiced executive smile. “At ease. Guard duty is vital, but don’t let it impact your personal development metrics. Keep your cultivation on track.”

“Rest assured, Sect Master,” one guard replied earnestly. “We are optimizing our downtime for cultivation. No slack here.”

“Good. I need to inspect the vault. Carry on,” Sun Yi said, moving toward the entrance.

“Sect Master,” the cultivator in the middle—a Foundation Establishment expert at the Great Perfection stage—stepped forward. “Permission to accompany you? I am the new Inventory Manager. My knowledge of the stock might streamline your search.”

Sun Yi paused, assessing the volunteer. The man looked young, with ordinary features but sharp, intelligent eyes. He had the vibe of a competent middle manager.

Sun Yi had only visited the vault once during the initial takeover. Having a native guide would save time.

“Name?”

“Disciple Lin Yi,” the man replied crisply. “Newly appointed Manager of the Treasure Vault, Internal Affairs Hall.”

“Approved. You’re with me, Lin Yi.”

They approached the massive doors. Sun Yi produced his jade command token—essentially the CEO’s master keycard—and tossed it forward. The token dissolved into a beam of white light, merging with the wards. With a quick hand seal, the heavy mechanisms groaned, and the doors slowly swung open.

“Walk and talk,” Sun Yi commanded, stepping into the cool, spiritual air of the vault. “Give me the quarterly report. What’s our asset status?”

Lin Yi followed a step behind, his tone professional. “We have completed the inventory reorganization and implemented the new Points valuation system. Current liquid assets total approximately 5.2 million Points. However, due to daily operational costs, this figure fluctuates constantly.”

“What’s the P&L looking like? Burn rate versus revenue?” Sun Yi asked sharply.

Lin Yi grimaced. “It’s not good, sir. Our burn rate is roughly thirty times our income. If not for the seed capital brought back by the Old Ancestor, the vault would be insolvent.”

Sun Yi stopped walking. “Thirty times? That’s unsustainable. What are our revenue streams?”

“Three main verticals,” Lin Yi listed, counting on his fingers. “One: Spirit Mines, though yield is low. Two: Retail storefronts in external markets. Three: Internal agriculture—spirit herb cultivation.”

He hesitated. “Total annual revenue is… roughly five hundred thousand points.”

“Half a million?” Sun Yi frowned. “That’s catastrophic. No wonder the Board was so resistant to salary hikes. We’re practically bankrupt.”

“We have no choice,” Lin Yi explained with a bitter smile. “Qingyun Sect has only been in the Chaos Demon Commandery for twenty years. The prime real estate—resources and market share—is monopolized by the Black Wind Stockade and Evil Spirit Valley. They suppress our retail channels aggressively. Most of our revenue comes from internal farming.”

Sun Yi absorbed this. The sect was a small fish in a shark tank, strangled by hostile monopolies.

“Understood,” Sun Yi said, his voice calm. “Don’t worry about the deficit. I’m restructuring the business model. Revenue will follow. In the meantime, employee benefits are non-negotiable.”

Lin Yi looked at him, eyes wide. “Sect Master… since you took over, our compensation packages have increased tenfold. You’ve already done so much.”

“The benefits I promised are dividends for your efficiency,” Sun Yi corrected him. “As the company grows, your stock options increase. That’s how it works.”

Lin Yi stared at Sun Yi’s back, his eyes shining with hero worship.

Six months ago, Lin Yi was a mid-stage nobody with no backing, constantly bullied by the corrupt Deputy Hall Master of Law Enforcement. Then Sun Yi took the chair. Lin Yi was there when the corrupt deputy was forced to apologize and pay damages.

That settlement money funded Lin Yi’s breakthrough to the late stage. Then, through the new merit-based recruitment drive, he won the position of Vault Manager. Using his new salary and the efficient point system, he had powered through to the Great Perfection stage in record time.

To Lin Yi, Sun Yi wasn’t just a boss. He was a savior.

Oblivious to the intense loyalty generating behind him, Sun Yi scanned the reorganized shelves.

The warehouse was much cleaner than his last visit. Logistics had clearly improved. Spirit Stones, pills, herbs, and artifacts were categorized by SKU and tier.

Sun Yi bypassed the crates of Low-grade Spirit Stones without a glance. He went straight to the premium reserve. He grabbed a bag of one hundred Mid-grade stones, then raided the high-value shelf for another ten Top-grade stones.

“Where is the Calming Tea and the Grade-2 Spirit Water?” Sun Yi asked. He remembered the excellent office perks from his last visit. He planned to liquidate the entire stock this time.

“This way, Sect Master.”

Lin Yi led him swiftly to the consumables section, saving Sun Yi valuable searching time.

“Give me a rundown on the cultivation aids,” Sun Yi requested as he swept the tea into his storage bag. “Specifically for the Qi Refining bracket.”

“Yes, sir. Our primary inventory consists of Qi Gathering Pills and Foundation Consolidating Pills. The Qi Gathering Pills are optimized for junior staff below the sixth level. The Foundation Consolidating Pills are designed for senior staff—level six and above.”

Sun Yi froze. “Foundation Consolidating Pills?”

His eyes lit up. He didn’t recall seeing those on the manifest last time.

“Why wasn’t I briefed on this SKU earlier?” Sun Yi asked.

“They are a recent import, acquired through trade in the last two quarters,” Lin Yi explained quickly. “They arrived after your last audit.”

Sun Yi nodded, a grin spreading across his face. “Perfect timing. Show me the product.”