Mo Wen gazed down at the square, his expression shifting from critical appraisal to genuine bewilderment.

The thousands of disciples below weren’t just standing there; they were vibrating with energy. Their “Jing, Qi, and Shen”—essence, energy, and spirit—were peaked. It was a level of morale Mo Wen had never witnessed in a lower-tier sect.

More jarring was the uniformity. Every disciple wore identical robes. No distinct colors for Inner or Outer courts. No embroidered tiers. Just a sea of standardized blue and white.

And their specs… Mo Wen swept his Divine Sense across the crowd. Not a single user was below Qi Refining Level 8.

Mo Wen and his two Deacons exchanged glances of disbelief. Did the Qingyun Sect recall every elite member for a photo op?

“Sect Leader Sun,” Mo Wen asked, unable to contain his curiosity. “Are these all the Inner Sect disciples of your esteemed sect?”

Sun Yi smiled, clasping his hands behind his back. “The Qingyun Sect has deprecated the legacy ‘Inner’ and ‘Outer’ classification system. We operate on a flat hierarchy. Universal access.”

“Universal access?” Deacon Wei Dong blinked, visibly confused. “You treat everyone equally? Regardless of Spirit Root aptitude?”

To a traditional cultivator, this was heresy. Talent was the will of the Heavens. Ignoring it was like ignoring gravity.

“Hehe. In my sect, ‘Talent’ is just a hardware spec. It’s not the determining factor,” Sun Yi explained smoothly. “We prioritize user engagement and output. If you want resources, you grind for them. The platform is open to everyone who puts in the work.”

Mo Wen stared at Sun Yi deeply. “Sect Leader Sun… your administrative philosophy is certainly… unique. I have never encountered a sect with such an operating system.”

“Yi?” Deacon Wei’s eyes drifted to the edge of the square. “Is that… a code of conduct?”

A massive stone stele towered over the disciples, engraved with bold, iron-hooked characters.

Mo Wen and Deacon Wen Xian followed his gaze. They read the inscriptions—rules forbidding theft, betrayal, and the exploitation of the weak. Rules demanding justice and integrity.

Mo Wen read through them and shook his head with a bitter, patronizing smile. “Sect Leader Sun wrote these?”

Sun Yi nodded, unapologetic. “Correct. I pushed a patch to the Sect Rules immediately after my inauguration. The goal is to cultivate a user base with a strong moral alignment.”

“Hehe. Sect Leader Sun truly has… admirable ideals,” Deacon Wei chuckled.

The words were polite, but Sun Yi caught the sneer hidden in his eyes. Naive, the look said. A child playing at being a sect leader.

Sun Yi didn’t care. He knew the market reality. The cultivation world was a zero-sum game of “Kill or Be Killed.” Asset forfeiture—or “killing to seize treasures”—was the standard business model. Even the so-called “Righteous Sects” were just better at PR; their back-end operations were often just as dirty as the Demonic paths.

The Seven Star Tower was a global conglomerate. They saw blood every day. To them, Sun Yi’s “Code of Ethics” was a cute marketing gimmick that wouldn’t survive a hostile takeover.

“Tower Master Mo, Deacons,” Sun Yi gestured toward the main complex. “Let’s move this meeting to the boardroom. We have business to discuss.”

Inside the Central Hall, the group took their seats. Disciples moved silently, pouring high-grade Spirit Tea.

Mo Wen fidgeted with his teacup. He was itching to close. This deal wasn’t just a transaction; it was his ticket to a promotion at Headquarters.

“Sect Leader Sun,” Mo Wen leaned forward, unable to maintain his poker face. “Regarding the transaction timeline… are we ready to execute?”

Deacons Wen and Wei leaned in, their eyes locked on Sun Yi.

Sun Yi took a slow sip of tea, letting the silence stretch just long enough to assert dominance.

“Tower Master Mo, relax. The upload is in progress,” Sun Yi said calmly. “I’ve tasked the Elder of the Internal Affairs Hall with asset consolidation. Liquidating that much inventory takes time.”

He set the cup down. “In the meantime, since the Seven Star Tower rarely sends a Tier 4 vessel this far out, we should optimize the logistics. I plan to place a deposit for the next procurement cycle today. Thoughts?”

“A deposit?” Mo Wen’s eyes lit up. “You plan to re-order immediately?”

“Efficiency is key,” Sun Yi replied.

Mo Wen was practically vibrating with joy, though he tried to mask it. First, let’s survive the first deal, he reminded himself.

Sun Yi kept the conversation flowing, steering the topic toward market intelligence regarding the Heavenly Saint Commandery. Mo Wen, eager to please a whale client, spilled everything that wasn’t strictly confidential.

A moment later, a figure strode into the hall.

It was Elder Qin Chu. He looked tired but satisfied.

The Seven Star Tower trio swiveled their heads like radar dishes locking onto a target.

“Apologies for the latency,” Qin Chu said, bowing to the guests. “Processing the inventory took longer than anticipated.”

“No matter, no matter!” Mo Wen waved his hand dismissively. “Volume justifies the delay.”

Sun Yi made the introductions. “This is Elder Qin Chu, our Chief Financial Officer… or rather, the Head of Internal Affairs. He manages the sect’s liquidity.”

“Greetings, Fellow Daoist,” Qin Chu said, presenting a heavy, ornate Storage Ring to Sun Yi. “Headmaster, here is the consolidated asset package.”

Sun Yi took the ring and ran a quick scan.

System Check: Inventory: Massive. Contents: Legacy Spirit Weapons (Clean), Liquid Spirit Stones (Clean), Laundered Resources from Myriad Demon Forest (Scrubbed).

It was a perfect mix. Enough junk to look like a sect clearing its warehouse, enough high-value items to hit the price target.

Sun Yi tossed the ring to Mo Wen. “Tower Master Mo, run your appraisal. What’s the valuation?”

Mo Wen caught the ring. He didn’t hesitate. His Divine Sense surged into the storage space.

His eyes widened.

So much.

It wasn’t that the items were individually god-tier, but the sheer volume was staggering. It was like Sun Yi had emptied a city.

Mo Wen passed the ring to his Deacons for verification. The three of them huddled, whispering via voice transmission, calculating spot prices and bulk discounts.

After a tense minute, Mo Wen turned back, his face glowing.

“Sect Leader Sun, after a comprehensive audit, we value this lot at approximately thirty-one million Spirit Stones.”

Sun Yi nodded. The math checked out. It was slightly above his own internal estimate.

“The Seven Star Tower’s reputation for fair pricing is well-earned. We accept the valuation.”

Mo Wen exhaled, a massive weight lifting off his shoulders. He immediately produced another Storage Ring and slid it across the table.

“Sect Leader Sun, this is the fulfillment of your special order. Body Refining resources. Please inspect the goods.”

Sun Yi caught the ring. Scan Initiated.

Item: Tyrant Flower (Grade 3). Item: Blood Spirit Fruit (Grade 3). Item: Thunder Spirit Grass. Item: Dragon Scale Beast Essence Blood. Item: Red Flame Spirit Liquid.

The list went on. Rows upon rows of stat-boosting consumables. It was a min-maxer’s dream.

Sun Yi couldn’t verify the market prices for these specific rare mats, so he passed the ring to Qin Chu. “Elder, verify the specs.”

Qin Chu scanned the ring. His eyebrows shot up.

“Headmaster,” he transmitted privately. “The value is solid. Roughly twenty million Spirit Stones. They aren’t gouging us.”

Sun Yi nodded. He looked back at Mo Wen.

“Tower Master Mo, the first transaction is successfully executed. The balance is approximately eleven million in my favor.”

Sun Yi leaned back, crossing his legs.

“Keep the change. Consider it the down payment for Q3.”

Mo Wen blinked. “A deposit of over ten million? Sect Leader Sun… just how large is your next order?”

Sun Yi smiled, the look of a CEO about to announce a hostile takeover.

“For the next batch, we are looking at a procurement volume of fifty million Spirit Stones.”

“Fifty million?!”

Mo Wen’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull. Beside him, the two Deacons gasped, their composure shattering completely.