171: Chapter 171: Don't be nervous, the money delivery guy is here.

The Blood Evil Sect was gone.

This news was like a thunderclap, stunning every cultivation sect in the Black Stone Valley area and for thousands of miles around.

At first, absolutely no one believed it.

"Are you kidding? The Blood Evil Sect? The one whose Sect Master Xue Tianhe is at the Gold Core Late Stage?"

"Exactly. I heard Sect Master Xue Tianhe took everyone in the sect capable of fighting—over a hundred people—and marched aggressively to flatten the Qingyun Sect."

"The Qingyun Sect? That destitute bunch so broke they're about to sell their mountain? What could they possibly use to fight the Blood Evil Sect? Headbutting them?"

When the rumors first started, everyone treated it as a joke.

Who in the vicinity didn't know what kind of trash the Blood Evil Sect was? A pack of mad dogs.

And the Qingyun Sect? A sick, mangy rabbit.

Now someone tells you the mad dog was swallowed whole by the rabbit, without even spitting out the bones.

Who could believe that? Only someone with water in their brain would believe it.

But as the days passed, things seemed increasingly wrong.

First, a few bold rogue cultivators sneaked over to the Blood Evil Sect's mountain to take a peek.

They discovered that the Blood Evil Sect's eerie Mountain Protection Array had actually been turned off.

The entire sect grounds were deathly silent; not a single living soul could be seen.

Later, some small families that traded with the Blood Evil Sect sent people to deliver goods. They shouted at the top of their lungs outside the mountain gate for three days, but there was absolutely no response from inside.

Now, everyone began to feel uneasy.

It was strange; this whole thing was too strange.

Finally, a well-informed caravan managed to extract the truth from a lucky, terrified outer disciple of the Blood Evil Sect who had survived.

"Heavenly... Heavenly Punishment... It fell from the sky..."

"A beam of light... just that one beam of light... and then... everything was gone..."

"Sect Master Xue Tianhe was gone... the elders were gone... the senior brothers... all of them... all of them evaporated..."

That outer disciple had been standing far away and wasn't caught in it, but he was so terrified by the scene that he was delirious and couldn't even speak clearly.

Once this news spread, combined with the blinding lights and loud noises from the Qingyun Sect a few days prior, a truth that sounded absurd but seemed to be the only logical explanation emerged.

The Blood Evil Sect, including the Gold Core Late Stage Sect Master Xue Tianhe and the hundred or so elites he brought, had truly been... wiped out in one move right at the Qingyun Sect's entrance.

Once this conclusion was reached, the entire cultivation world went silent.

Everyone's gaze turned in unison toward Qingyun Peak, which no one had ever looked up to before.

In everyone's eyes, that place was no longer just a dilapidated sect.

It was a forbidden zone.

The lair of a terrifying monster capable of swallowing a Gold Core Late Stage cultivator in one gulp!

For a time, even birds rarely flew near the Qingyun Sect.

Those who used to want to take advantage of them now preferred to take a detour of several hundred miles, terrified of also being "evaporated" by that light falling from the sky.

Meanwhile, inside the Qingyun Sect, the scene was completely different.

"Team One, attention! Cable Line 3 in Area A is normal! You may connect the power!"

"Received! Power connected to Line 3! Lighting system activated!"

After a disciple shouted into the walkie-talkie, rows of brand-new "electric lights" in the newly built disciple dormitory area flickered on, illuminating the entire area like daylight.

The disciples cheered instantly.

"It's so bright! From now on, we won't have to light those choking oil lamps when practicing at night!"

"That's nothing! Haven't you been to the new cultivation rooms? You can adjust the spiritual energy concentration on the screen yourself! It can even simulate various environments! My god, I spent an hour in there yesterday, and it was more effective than the past month!"

"And the cafeteria! Have you been there? Whatever you want to eat, just tap on the machine, and it's ready in a few minutes! It's hot! A hundred times better than that old communal gruel!"

Ever since Junior Martial Aunt Jiang Ning... no, everyone calls her "Consultant Jiang" now. Ever since Consultant Jiang took over the sect to handle Infrastructure Construction, the entire Qingyun Sect has been changing every single day.

All disciples were re-registered and assigned to different "departments" based on their specialties.

Some handled Infrastructure Construction, following those mortals called "engineers" to learn how to lay lines and install equipment.

Some managed logistics, learning to use a magical artifact called a "computer" to manage the sect's supplies and archives.

A group of quick-witted and agile disciples was selected for the newly established "Security Department," spending their days with Zhang Liancheng and his troops doing some kind of "modern military training."

They didn't just practice flying swords and spells; they also had to learn to use a magical artifact called a "gun," learning team coordination and tactics.

Most importantly, everyone had a "salary."

Every month, based on your position and contribution, you could receive spirit stones and medicinal pills. If you did well, there were bonuses.

This new model completely ignited the enthusiasm of all the disciples.

What was the point of cultivation before? Longevity? Enlightenment? Too far away. To put it bluntly, it was just muddling through the days.

But now, it was different.

Every day they could see the sect improving, learn new things, and receive tangible resources every month.

Everyone had a drive bottled up inside.

A drive that as long as they followed Consultant Jiang, they could live a good life. This drive was called "hope."

Sect Leader Lu Yun looked at everything before him, feeling a mix of indescribable emotions.

How long had it been? Less than a month. The entire Qingyun Sect felt like it had been completely transformed.

He, the nominal Sect Leader, was now the "Minister" of the Logistics Department, busy spinning around every day, yet he felt grounded.

He had completely figured it out now.

What ancestral heritage, what Sect Leader's face—compared to letting all the disciples eat their fill and having something to strive for, that stuff was nothing.

His Junior Martial Sister was right; he wasn't a good Sect Leader.

But he was willing to be a good Minister.

Just then, the security system outside the mountain gate suddenly sounded an alarm.

"Report to the Command Center! A large flying ship has been detected five kilometers outside the mountain gate! It is approaching! The identification code... my god! It's the 'Baoyun' from the Wanbao Pavilion!"

In the walkie-talkie, the voice of the disciple in charge of security changed.

Wanbao Pavilion!

When these three words came out, Lu Yun's heart jumped into his throat.

That was a real big player! A business giant with businesses all over the cultivation world, wealthy enough to rival a nation, which even top sects didn't dare to provoke easily!

What were they here for?

Could it be... that the Blood Evil Sect matter had attracted them?

He didn't dare delay and immediately used internal communication to contact Jiang Ning, who was in the core laboratory researching new materials with a group of engineers.

"Junior Martial Sister! Something happened! People from the Wanbao Pavilion are here!"

On the other end of the communicator, Jiang Ning's voice remained steady.

"How many people came? Did they bring weapons?"

"Just one flying ship. It doesn't look like... they're here to pick a fight." Lu Yun replied nervously, "But... but it's the Wanbao Pavilion! Why would they suddenly come to our backwater place?"

"It's not a backwater place. We are now the most technologically advanced and promising new force within a thousand miles." Jiang Ning corrected him, "They are businesspeople; they came sniffing the scent of money."

She paused and added, "Don't panic, Senior Brother. Have the Security Department go to Level 1 alert. I'll go meet them."

Before long, in front of the Qingyun Sect's mountain gate.

A flying ship that looked incredibly expensive slowly descended.

A middle-aged man dripping with gold and jade stepped off the ship, wearing a smile. When he saw Jiang Ning coming to greet him, his eyes lit up, and he cupped his hands and laughed:

"You must be the Qingyun Sect's Jiang Ning, Consultant Jiang, right?"

"That's me." Jiang Ning nodded. "And you are?"

"I am the manager of the Wanbao Pavilion's Black Stone Valley branch, Steward Jia Fu." The fat man introduced himself with a chuckle. "I have long admired Consultant Jiang's reputation. Seeing you today, it truly lives up to the name!"

"Get to the point." Jiang Ning didn't like beating around the bush.

The smile on Steward Jia Fu's face froze for a moment, but he immediately piled it back on. He muttered to himself that capable people all had strange tempers.

He carefully took out a gaudy invitation from his Storage Pouch.

"I have come this time under orders from headquarters to specifically deliver an invitation to Consultant Jiang."

He handed the invitation over with both hands.

"Our Wanbao Pavilion holds an 'Immortal World Expo' every hundred years, inviting powerful sects and masters from across the world to showcase their treasures."

"Headquarters heard that the Qingyun Sect recently developed a new type of medicinal pill with incredible effects and a massive output. Headquarters is very interested in this."

"Therefore, we specifically invite Consultant Jiang to bring your sect's 'products' to participate in the Immortal World Expo three months from now."

Steward Jia Fu's face wore undisguised curiosity.

"I wonder, Consultant Jiang, what do you think?"