Chapter 49: Group Restructuring, the CPO’s Ambition!

One hundred and fifty thousand!

A full one hundred and fifty thousand lower-grade spirit stones!

Wang Xuanfu’s breathing suddenly hitched. His fingers, gripping the armrest, tightened instinctively, and the hard wood let out a faint groan of protest beneath his palm.

His entire Disciplinary Hall, with several hundred people working tirelessly all year round, only received a few tens of thousands of spirit stones from the Sect’s annual allocation.

This amount of money could allow every disciple under him to replace all their talismans and artifacts!

Not only that—

Even the bottleneck that had trapped him at the late Golden Core stage for years now showed a faint sign of loosening!

Sect reputation?

Sect rules and discipline?

Before a mountain of spirit stones capable of paving the road to immortality, the weight of those things suddenly felt much lighter.

The anger on Wang Xuanfu’s face faded like receding tides, replaced by a solemn expression. His brows furrowed deeply as if he was making a painful decision.

After a long moment, he let out a heavy sigh and looked down at Chu Feng under the stage with an expression that could only be described as that of an elder who hated iron for not becoming steel—yet had no choice but to clean up the mess of his junior.

“Hmph!”

“Chu Feng, you are still young and reckless in your actions, though your mind remains sharp. This time, through an accidental blunder, you have nonetheless rendered great merit for the Sect. This seat… shall temporarily overlook your transgression!”

“However, though the death penalty may be spared, the living punishment must still be borne!”

His voice suddenly rose, carrying undeniable authority.

“Your punishment—will be to hand over all gains from this duel to the Sect’s treasury as contribution funds! Let this serve as a warning to others!”

“And also, that ‘Ascension Group’ of yours—its name is far too ostentatious. Inappropriate.”

Wang Xuanfu paused, adopting a look of deep consideration.

“From this day forth, it shall be renamed the ‘Qingyun Sect Strategic Development and Model Innovation Research Association.’”

“Elder Liu Changqing from the Finance Pavilion shall serve as the Honorary President. As for the accounts… they shall be jointly supervised by the Finance Pavilion and my Disciplinary Hall!”

His words were flawless—airtight.

He had “severely punished” Chu Feng, preserved the dignity of the Disciplinary Hall, and—most brilliantly—beautified the act of “profit division” into something open and righteous, while inserting himself neatly into the equation.

Brilliant!

Truly brilliant!

Chu Feng almost wanted to applaud Elder Wang’s cunning right then and there.

Indeed, anyone capable of sitting atop the Disciplinary Hall was far from a simple character.

“Disciple… obeys the order!”

He immediately bowed, his face a perfect blend of remorse and gratitude—his acting nearly flawless.

“Thank you, Elder, for your mercy beyond the law!”

Down below, the disciples exchanged glances. Something about this outcome felt… off. But since the Disciplinary Elder’s words were as good as law, who would dare to question it?

A storm that could have shaken the entire Sect was thus smoothed away quietly—greased by one hundred and fifty thousand spirit stones.

……

That night.

At the former headquarters of the Ascension Group—now the courtyard of the “Qingyun Sect Strategic Development and Model Innovation Research Association.”

The lights blazed brightly, and the air buzzed with lively chatter.

Elder Liu Changqing plopped himself onto the main seat, his usually stern face blooming into a radiant chrysanthemum of joy.

On the table before him stood a small mountain of spirit stones, glowing faintly and dazzling the eyes.

“We’re rich! We’re truly rich!”

Liu Changqing trembled as he scooped up a handful of spirit stones, the cold, weighty touch making tears of excitement well up in his eyes.

“President! No—President Chu! You’re truly a divine genius!”

His voice shook slightly.

“After deducting that old fox Wang Xuanfu’s one hundred and fifty thousand, we… we still have two hundred thousand spirit stones left! A full two hundred thousand!”

Wu Hao, Zhang Daniu, and Wang Teng—the core members—stared at the pile of spirit stones, their eyes nearly glued to it, breathing heavily. They had never seen so much wealth in their lives!

“Calm down, calm down.”

Chu Feng held his teacup leisurely, taking a slow sip—his calm composure standing in sharp contrast to the frenzy around him.

“This is nothing. It’s merely our first round of ‘angel investment.’ The market outside… is vast.”

He cleared his throat, and the courtyard instantly fell silent. Every gaze turned toward him.

“We have funds now, and recognition as well. Next, it’s time for our first official ‘organizational restructuring’ and ‘strategic planning!’”

Chu Feng stood up and unfurled a massive beast hide he had prepared long ago.

On it, drawn in charcoal, was a diagram unlike anything anyone present had ever seen.

【Qingyun Sect Strategic Development and Model Innovation Research Association】

【Board of Directors (Honorary President): Liu Changqing】

【Chief Executive Officer (CEO): Chu Feng】

Below were several branches:

【Chief Operating Officer (COO): Wu Hao】 — responsible for personnel, logistics, and the daily operations of the “Mission Outsourcing Platform.”

【Chief Security Officer (CSO): Zhang Daniu】 — responsible for discipline, security, and, incidentally, “corporate culture construction.”

【Marketing Division I Director: Wang Teng】 — focused on the Inner Sect disciple market.

【Chief Financial Officer (CFO): Liu Changqing (concurrent role)】

Liu Changqing stared at the chart, pointing at his name with a puzzled expression. “President Chu, these CEO, CFO titles—what do they mean? They sound… even grander than the title of Core Disciple!”

“More or less the same thing.”

Chu Feng smiled and pointed to Zhang Daniu. “Daniu, as CSO, if anyone dares to cause trouble on our association’s turf, you’ll be responsible for throwing them out. As for corporate culture—it’s simple. Just lead everyone in chanting a few slogans every morning.”

“What slogans?”

Zhang Daniu asked honestly.

“Just shout: ‘Innovation in the Research Association, spirit stones beyond imagination!’”

The courtyard burst into laughter, the atmosphere turning even more boisterous.

“Everyone.”

Chu Feng tapped the beast hide, his expression turning serious.

“Jokes aside—this is how we’ll make our living from now on. Every mountain, every department, must be clearly defined! From today onward, we operate by process! KPI evaluations start immediately!”

Most of them looked utterly confused, but seeing Chu Feng’s confident expression, they only felt awe and nodded vigorously.

“Lastly—”

Chu Feng’s gaze turned toward a silent, cold figure standing in the corner—the one who had not spoken a single word from beginning to end.

“The most crucial department of our Research Association, the very lifeblood of our future—Product R&D Department!”

“Let us welcome our Chief Product Officer (CPO), Miss Leng Yanran, to present her latest research results!”

Under everyone’s gaze, Leng Yanran slowly stood up.

Her face remained frosty and distant, yet in her cold eyes flickered a burning, passionate flame.

She spoke no unnecessary words. Instead, she took something out of her storage pouch.

A pill.

A pill the size of a grain of rice—dull gray in color, utterly unremarkable.

“This is…”

As a master of the Dao of Alchemy, Liu Changqing immediately leaned in to inspect it. He sniffed lightly, and his brows instantly knotted.

“Qi Nourishing Pill? No… the spiritual essence is so thin, the texture crude beyond words… girl, are you mocking my Dao of Alchemy? Isn’t this just a batch of failed pill residue?”

“Elder Liu is not wrong.”

Leng Yanran’s voice was as cold as ever.

“By the standards of traditional alchemy, yes—it is a waste pill.”

“But—”

Her tone shifted as her gaze locked onto Chu Feng, eyes burning with near-mad devotion.

“But if viewed through President Chu’s theories of ‘cost control’ and ‘marginal benefit maximization,’ it becomes a product capable of overturning the entire low-tier pill market—no, of shaking the very grassroots ecosystem of the entire Cultivation World!”

She raised that gray pill, her voice not loud, but clear enough to reach every ear present.

“I call it—the ‘Qi Nourishing Pill: Beggar’s Edition!’”

In Leng Yanran’s eyes blazed an uncontainable ambition and brilliance.

“Its cost… is only one percent of an ordinary Qi Nourishing Pill!”

The entire courtyard gasped!

She paused, basking in their stunned expressions, before delivering an even greater shock.

“Its refining efficiency—is one hundred times that of a standard Qi Nourishing Pill!”