“If one dedicated port increases my efficiency this much, what happens when the full network is online?”

Sun Yi sat in his office, plotting the system architecture. The Gold Gate was functional, but it was just one node in a proposed five-node cluster. Once the Fire, Water, Wood, and Earth Gates were installed, his throughput would be monstrous.

“But first, I need hardware that doesn’t explode.”

The destruction of the Dragon Roar Sword was a data point he couldn’t ignore. He needed a dual-carry setup: a standard-issue flying sword for his general Dantian, and a high-spec, military-grade weapon for the Gold Gate.

“Assistant!” Sun Yi barked.

A young disciple rushed in, bowing low. “Instructions, Sect Leader?”

“Get me Vice-President Changqing. Immediately.”

Ten minutes later, ‘Er Gouzi’—now fully embracing his role as Vice-President—hurried into the room. He looked sharper, cleaner, and less like a village bumpkin.

“Status report,” Sun Yi commanded, pointing to a chair. “Give me the quarterly summary.”

Er Gouzi sat down, smoothing his robes. “Sect Leader, the metrics are green across the board. The inventory audit is complete. The ‘Loan Points’ stimulus package has been fully distributed. We’re seeing a massive spike in user engagement—disciples are burning points on resources, and the breakthrough rate is up 200%.”

“Projection?”

“At this growth rate,” Er Gouzi said, tapping an imaginary chart, “our combat power will triple within the fiscal year.”

Sun Yi nodded. “Good. And the R&D division? Specifically the Miscellaneous Arts Hall?”

“Since you authorized the unlimited budget,” Er Gouzi beamed, “productivity is through the roof. Skills certification is up. We have a backlog of applicants trying to transfer into the department.”

“Keep the budget open,” Sun Yi ordered. “And tell the Alchemy Hall to pivot. I want them focusing on ‘Growth Hacking’—pills that boost leveling speed. Tell them to iterate fast and break things. Failure is just data.”

“Understood.”

“Now,” Sun Yi handed him a jade slip. “Go to the vault. I need these assets. Don’t ask questions, just bring them.”

Er Gouzi took the list and vanished without a word. That was the beauty of a well-trained subordinate; execution over curiosity.

Thirty minutes later, Sun Yi was alone again, staring at his new toys.

First, he re-equipped a standard Dragon Roar Sword for his main Dantian—a reliable daily driver.

Then, he turned his attention to the premium asset: The Red Gold Sword.

It was a Rank 2, Grade 5 artifact. A sleek, half-foot length of golden perfection, etched with recursive fractals that hummed with latent power. It was expensive, dangerous, and exactly what the Gold Gate needed.

“Device pairing initiated,” Sun Yi muttered.

He flooded the sword with the pure Metal Qi from his lung. The process was grueling; the sword fought him, its internal logic resisting the unauthorized user. It took half a day of brute-force hacking to override the admin privileges.

Finally, the sword chimed. It floated into his chest, docking seamlessly into the Gold Gate.

“System test.”

Sun Yi snapped his fingers.

SHING!

The Red Gold Sword erupted from his chest, turning into a ten-meter beam of golden devastation. It slashed across the room, burying itself into the reinforced stone wall.

BOOM.

The entire chamber shuddered. Dust rained from the ceiling. A jagged fissure marred the wall, still smoking.

“Sect Leader! Breach detected!”

The guard outside burst in, eyes wide. He saw the destruction, the smoking debris, and the high-grade sword hovering in the air. His jaw dropped. That was Rank 2 power.

“False alarm,” Sun Yi said, waving him off. “Just calibration. Leave me.”

The guard retreated, looking terrified.

“Note to self,” Sun Yi thought. “The office isn’t a firing range. I need a dedicated testing environment.”

He glanced at the sword. “Time for a field test.”

Sun Yi switched to his ‘Incognito’ skin—standard robes, Phantom Mask, suppressed aura. He slipped out of the office and blended into the crowd near the Battle Tower.

He bypassed the queue and logged into the Foundation Establishment server. Level 2.

The environment loaded: A small island, surrounded by infinite water and heavy fog. Visibility: Near zero.

Whoosh.

Hostile detection triggered immediately. A barrage of ice spikes—each the size of a ballistic missile—tore through the fog. The velocity was lethal, easily matching a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s output.

“Evasive maneuvers.”

Sun Yi activated Wind Thunder Step. He flickered out of existence just as the spikes hammered his position, turning the ground into a frozen crater.

He reappeared ten meters away, but the AI was ready. A massive shadow whipped out of the mist—a tail covered in white scales, moving with the force of a hydraulic press.

“Hard block.”

Sun Yi didn’t dodge. He routed power to his right fist and punched the incoming limb.

BANG.

Fist met scale. The impact shockwave blew the fog back.

The tail recoiled, scales shattering under the force of the blow. Sun Yi slid back a few inches, shaking his hand.

“Rank 2 Demon Beast,” he analyzed, a confident smirk appearing under his mask. “And I just tanked it with raw physical specs. The upgrades are working.”