23: Chapter 23: The First Public Report

Location: Qingheng Sect, Side Hall.

The framing incident might have subsided, but the ripples it caused among the high-ranking members of the Qingheng Sect were only widening.

That "tattered" little ledger from Hengchuan Peak was like a thorn stuck in the hearts of many.

At the very end of the meeting, Law Enforcement Elder Lu Guhuai did not rush to dismiss everyone; instead, he held the thick ledger between two fingers and waved it in the air.

"Shen Xingzhou."

"This Disciple is here."

Shen Xingzhou stood with his hands at his sides in the center of the main hall, alarm bells ringing in his heart.

"Since you claim your accounts are clear and your management is sound, why not… make it completely public?"

Law Enforcement Elder Lu Guhuai looked at him with a mocking smile, "The entire Qingheng Sect, with its hundreds of peaks, is quite curious about what your 'pilot program' ledger actually looks like."

"It would be a good chance for everyone to learn how you managed to lower battle casualties so significantly using those scraps of junk."

As soon as those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the hall shifted instantly.

"Publicize the ledger?"

"Good! I want to see if they are truly as clean as they claim!"

"Elder Lu's proposal is excellent. Some things need to be laid out in the sun to see if they have gone moldy."

Echoes of agreement rose one after another.

This was not learning; it was a public "parade of shame." They wanted to find even the slightest shred of "violation," "luck," or "shady dealings" in Shen Xingzhou's dense data to discredit Hengchuan Peak's achievements.

Sect Leader Ning Chenzhou remained seated at the head, twirling a pen in his hand, neither opposing nor supporting.

His eyes merely swept over Shen Xingzhou with a faint gaze.

The implication was: Can you handle this?

Shen Xingzhou took a deep breath, raised his head, and revealed a helpless yet open expression.

"Since the Elder wishes to see it, this Disciple naturally dare not hide anything."

"It is just that this Disciple's accounts are numerous and disorganized; I will need some time to arrange them into a format everyone can understand."

"You have one day."

Law Enforcement Elder Lu Guhuai tossed the small ledger back to him, "Tomorrow at noon, in the side hall's projection array, it will be made public to the entire Sect."

Returning to Hengchuan Peak, Shen Xingzhou dove straight into his Immortal Cave.

"System! Activate Advanced data filtering!"

He shouted into the Void Realm.

"What I am showing tomorrow is the 'Sect Ledger,' not your 'Heavenly Dao Monitoring'! All that messy stuff like the Resentment Pool, Heavenly Dao Monitoring levels, and that 'I am a Coward' System prompt—turn them all off for me!"

[Command received: Generating public version of the Sect Report (Excerpt)]

[Processing data stream...]

[Blocked:]

Host Personal Panel (All attributes)

Heavenly Dao Monitoring level (Top Secret)

Resentment Pool specific values (Changed to "Internal Morale Index")

Future Prediction Module (Not for public disclosure)

System Store and Exchange Records

[Retained and Visualized:]

Battle casualty rate trend chart (Line graph)

Field mission success rate (Pie chart)

Scrapyard resource utilization and discount curve (Bar chart)

Hengchuan Peak vs. Sect Average (Comparison chart)

Watching the data stream flashing rapidly across the screen, Shen Xingzhou's palms were slick with sweat.

This was like cooking the books, but he was creating the "false Face" of a "true account."

The data was real, but the way it was presented had to be understandable to this group of old cultivators, and they had to be unable to find fault with it.

"Smooth out the curve for 'resource utilization,' don't make it too startling."

"Change the explanation for the casualty rate to 'maximizing survival through tactical optimization,' don't write 'all thanks to running away.'"

After tossing and turning all night, Shen Xingzhou let out a long breath as he looked at the beautifully generated charts.

"Fine. Tomorrow, I will give you a 'PPT presentation' from the cultivation world."

The next day at noon, Qingheng Sect side hall.

More people came than yesterday. Besides the Elders, there were managing Disciples from various peaks, and even quite a few elite outer Disciples who had heard the news.

Everyone wanted to see how Shen Xingzhou, who had stirred up such a storm at Hengchuan Peak, would handle this.

The projection array activated.

Hum—

A massive curtain of light stretched across the hall.

The crowd, previously whispering, instantly fell silent.

Because they had never seen this form of presentation before.

No dry text, no complex Jade Slips.

Only light charts with fluid lines and vivid colors.

"Everyone, please look."

Shen Xingzhou stood before the light curtain, holding a pointer (which was actually a discarded spiritual branch), and pointed to the first curve.

"This is the [Battle Casualty Rate Trend Chart] for Hengchuan Peak over the past half-year."

The bright red line, like a waterfall, dropped straight down from its high point three months ago, eventually extending steadily along the horizontal axis.

The visual impact was something words could not describe.

"Three months ago, our casualty rate was 28%. In other words, for every ten people who went out, three did not return."

Shen Xingzhou's voice was calm and objective, "And this month, our casualty rate is 1.2%."

A collective gasp of shock rippled through the crowd.

"1.2%? How is that possible? Even the main peak's elite team could not be that low, right?"

"This must be cheating! Do they only take tasks like finding lost cats and dogs?"

Someone could not help but shout.

Shen Xingzhou did not get angry; he switched to the next chart.

It was a pie chart showing [Task Type Distribution].

"As everyone can see, tasks for exterminating Yao Beasts account for 40%. Escorting supplies accounts for 30%. We did not deliberately avoid danger."

"We are able to achieve low casualties not by avoiding battle, but by—"

He switched to the third chart: [Scrapyard Resource Utilization and Equipment Renewal Rate].

"By this."

The bar chart on the screen climbed steadily.

"We take the Yao Beast bones and broken Magical Artifacts that were previously thrown away as trash, and through repair and reorganization, turn them into equipment for our Disciples."

"With better equipment and stronger defense, naturally, fewer people die."

"This is—turning waste into treasure."

Shen Xingzhou turned around, facing those Elders with their varied expressions, his gaze firm.

"Some might say we are cowards. That we disregard our Face to survive."

"But, Elders, how many Spirit Stones does it cost to cultivate a single Disciple? How many Medicinal Pills are consumed?"

"If a battle tactic can double the number of survivors and halve the resource loss..."

"Even if it does not look very 'heroic,' or very 'passionate,' is it not worth... giving it a try?"

The hall was dead silent.

The voices that had been prepared to mock were now stuck in their throats.

Because that chart was too intuitive.

That "1.2%" figure was like a slap in the Face to everyone who was still filling the trenches with the lives of their Disciples.

"Hmph."

After a long while, an Elder broke the silence, his tone unconvinced, "With your way of doing things, what about the Karma output? Is everyone just slacking off, seeking only to not die?"

Shen Xingzhou smiled slightly and brought up the final chart.

[Hengchuan Peak vs. Sect Average · Karma Efficiency Ratio]

"Although our total output is not as high as the main peak, our 'Karma output per person per unit of time' is slightly higher than the Sect average."

"Because we saved time on healing injuries, saved on pension expenses, and spent every ounce of energy where it mattered most."

"This is Hengchuan Peak's answer."

Shen Xingzhou put away the pointer and bowed slightly, "Although it looks ugly, calculating, and even... vulgar."

"But this is the way we survive."

The hall was in an uproar.

Vulgar? This was not vulgar; this was... shrewdness calculated to the extreme.

Which of the Elders present was not a master of calculation? They could see that Shen Xingzhou was not keeping a simple ledger; he was using the logic of mathematics to snatch people back from the hands of King Yama.

Sect Leader Ning Chenzhou sat in the high seat, looking at that chart.

That waterfall-like falling red line was deeply imprinted in his eyes.

He spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but suppressing all the noise.

"Whether it is cowardly or not, that is Face."

"Whether people die or not, that is the substance."

Sect Leader Ning Chenzhou closed the written report Shen Xingzhou had submitted, his fingers tapping lightly on the cover.

"For the same amount of Karma, half as many people die. That is enough."

He raised his head, his gaze passing through the crowd and landing on Shen Xingzhou.

It was the first time this young Sect Head looked at him with a truly equal gaze, even carrying a hint of appreciation.

"Shen Xingzhou, this report of yours is not ugly."

"Although it is full of the stench of copper, it... is more pleasant to look at than those reports that only reek of blood."

This sentence was the final verdict.

The surrounding voices of opposition vanished instantly.

If even the Sect Head said it was good, who would dare say it was bad?

Shen Xingzhou only felt the cold sweat on his back finally go cold.

He bowed respectfully: "Thank you for the praise, Sect Head."

"This Disciple was only... trying to make sure the brothers could eat meat."

After the meeting ended, the crowd dispersed.

Shen Xingzhou cleaned up the remnants of the projection array, feeling his legs go weak.

That half-hour just now was more tiring than killing ten Yao Beasts in the field.

Just as he was preparing to finish up, the System interface suddenly popped up a golden prompt box.

This was not a routine upgrade notification, but a hidden achievement triggered by "Data Disclosure."

[Achievement Unlocked: Transparent Executive]

[Reward: Unlock Special Vision — Sect Asset Overview · Simplified View (Read-only)]

[Description:]

Given that the Host successfully conquered the Qingheng Sect high-level management with data logic, the System has made an exception to grant higher-level information access.

Now, you can see the true texture of this behemoth.

Shen Xingzhou was stunned.

He subconsciously looked toward the corner of the hall, or rather, toward the Void Realm of the entire Qingheng Sect.

Suddenly, his vision changed.

In the previously empty air, a massive, three-dimensional holographic chart appeared.

It was a model of every peak.

Under the name of each peak hung a massive bar chart.

Most of the peaks, such as Zhijian Peak and Dan-Yao Peak, had deep red bar charts.

That kind of red was not a festive red; it was the red of loss, the red of debt.

Although they looked glorious on the surface, the foundation was already hollow, entirely propped up by overdrawing future resources.

Only Hengchuan Peak.

In that ocean of shocking deep red, the location of Hengchuan Peak lit up with a faint shade of pink.

Although it was not high, although it was faint, in the midst of the blood red, this touch of pink appeared so out of place, and yet so... dazzling.

"Only we... are in the positive?"

Shen Xingzhou was shocked.

He thought Hengchuan Peak was barely holding on; he did not expect that in this rotten Sect, only this "pauper" that could go bankrupt at any moment was actually making a profit (or rather, generating blood).

All those other high and mighty peaks were actually blood-sucking zombies.

[System Note:]

When only one person is awake, he is a madman.

But when everyone is pretending to sleep, that one awake person is the most dangerous variable.

Shen Xingzhou looked at that touch of light pink, feeling a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to his scalp.

So, the "cowardly survival" he was so proud of was, in the Face of this behemoth, a kind of... anomaly.

One could even say it was a provocation.

"It seems..."

He shook his head with a bitter smile and withdrew his vision.

"After opening this financial report, there really is no turning back for me."