Chapter 26 Upgrade: Seventh Stage of Qi Refining (Part 1)

Only after they arrived did Chen Yi find out what the change was.

Inside the empty Sect Main Hall, a low table had just appeared out of nowhere. It was about two meters long, antique in style, made from some unknown black wood, and came with a meditation cushion. A sharp-eyed member of the special training team had spotted it.

The low table had been placed extremely casually, as if it had simply been tossed there. It neither faced the main seat nor had its back to it, but instead faced the southeast.

Chen Yi was trying to move the low table.

With his sixth-stage Qi Refining cultivation, his strength had increased by several dozen times, yet he actually could not budge this table that was only about two meters long.

It seemed as if it had been welded to the ground, but a closer look showed that it had not. That could only mean the low table was heavy. Extremely heavy. Small as it was, it weighed at least more than a ton. The material used was something they had never seen before, seemingly some kind of precious material.

“It’s very heavy. Get a few more people over here,” Tang Qirui called out, asking people to help.

“Wait,” Lou Ting stopped him.

After looking at it for another two seconds, Lou Ting said with certainty, “This table belongs here.”

“Like this?”

Lou Ting raised his hand and sketched in the air. “This is a circular meeting hall. Barring any surprises, this should be the third seat on the left.”

Everyone suddenly understood.

Once he said that, it made sense.

Tang Qirui said, “This is my table?”

Chen Yi nodded. “It should be.”

Someone asked curiously, “What? Where did this table come from?”

Chen Yi thought for a moment. “We’ll know once I appoint another one.”

Tang Qirui nodded. “I’ll trouble Sect Master Chen, then.” His gaze swept over the people who had come, finally landing on Captain Ye. “Captain Ye could serve as a steward.”

The moment Captain Ye heard that, he shook his head like a rattle drum and said stubbornly, “I want to be a direct disciple.”

Lou Ting chuckled. “I can do it. Give me one.”

Tang Qirui said, “I’ll trouble Sect Master Chen to give Lou Ting a steward position.”

Chen Yi did not waste words and gave Lou Ting the position of inner sect steward.

At the same time as the personnel appointment was made, behind the table and seat they were gathered around, a new table and seat truly appeared out of nothing.

The heavy black wood landed on the ground with a dull thud, and the floor trembled slightly.

The newly appeared steward’s table and chair were to the left rear of the previous set. Both seats faced the same direction. If Captain Ye had not reacted quickly enough, he might have been hit.

Everyone looked at the newly appeared steward’s seat and finally understood where the previous one had come from.

Tang Qirui looked at Chen Yi with a hint of puzzlement, mainly because this seating arrangement confused him.

Chen Yi glanced at the water mirror and explained, “You are the chief inner sect steward. He is a steward.”

That cleared it up.

The new seat had appeared behind the first one, and it was also clearly a little smaller.

Lou Ting could not wait to sit at the steward’s table.

He had already figured it out. This was his office desk.

The moment he sat down, he drew everyone’s attention. Chen Yi and Captain Ye also turned to look.

At first, Lou Ting had only sat down as if he were playing around, but as soon as he settled in, his expression turned strange and solemn. His eyes stared blankly ahead. It took a full three minutes before he came back to himself.

During that time, some people wanted to push him awake, but in the end, they all chose to wait a little longer.

Three minutes later, Lou Ting blinked his dry eyes and looked at Chen Yi with a complicated expression.

Tang Qirui asked, “What happened?”

Lou Ting thought for a moment, then shook his head. “It’s hard to explain. Isn’t this your table and chair? Sit down and you’ll know.”

And so, under everyone’s expectant gazes, Tang Qirui sat down in his own place as well.

He had the exact same expression as Lou Ting. Something seemed to have appeared before his eyes. He stared straight ahead, yet his gaze had no obvious focus.

This time, it lasted even longer. After about five minutes, Tang Qirui came back to himself. He looked at Chen Yi with the same complicated expression and said, “If I have to describe it, it’s similar to the subsystem we wanted.”

As he spoke, he had already begun rapidly summarizing. “The Lurker Sect. Sect Master Chen Yi. Sect doctrine: hide—cough! Keep your head down, don’t make waves, develop sneakily for the late game…”

“…”

Hearing the things he usually muttered being read aloud, Chen Yi’s face froze.

“Pfft!” Captain Ye could not hold back his laughter, his mouth twisting to the side.

Lou Ting nodded with an indescribable expression, agreeing with Tang Qirui’s explanation.

Tang Qirui’s ears had turned red from saying such a wretched doctrine out loud.

Chen Yi held his face expressionless and used his toes to dig an entire palace museum out of the ground.

Heaven watched everything people did. In this world nowadays, even thinking about it was not allowed. Alas!

To avoid too much embarrassment, Tang Qirui immediately continued, “Aside from those introductions, I also received my own job duties.

“My superior is the steward elder. My subordinates are second-level inner sect stewards. I have the authority to directly appoint the entire position tree, including second-level inner sect stewards.

“The content of my duties includes distributing cultivation resources as needed to inner sect disciples as well as positions including elders and Mountain Gate pavilion masters. I also supervise the output of the Artifact Refining Pavilion, Talisman Pavilion, Alchemy Pavilion, Spirit Beast Pavilion, Array Pavilion, and medicinal garden, issue sect missions, and handle other work matters.

“Oh, right. I also have a monthly salary of ten low-grade spirit stones.”

The spirit stone problem could now be considered solved, but if there was a salary, why refuse it? The more, the better.

It was just…

Tang Qirui said, “I just don’t know whether the sect master pays it or the system does.”

Sect Master Chen Yi: “…”

Then Tang Qirui said, “From my table and chair, I can obtain a set of financial and personnel management systems. Once I leave the table, they disappear. It’s like a fixed-point local network computer. The financial system shows… Let me see.”

Tang Qirui sat back down in his place and said, “Zero. Blank. There’s nothing at all.”

By the end, everyone was looking at Chen Yi again.

Sect Master Chen Yi: “…”

So if the sect was poor, he still had to go out and work for it, huh?

He was supporting the country. Tell him, who was more awesome than him?

“When poor, cultivate yourself; when successful, help the world.” Tang Qirui was quite calm as he said, “If Xia can establish itself on this foundation, then of course it would be good to help other countries. If that cannot be done, we have at least found a way to respond to disaster. Let’s take it one step at a time.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. That was the truth.

Then a sharp gleam flashed in Tang Qirui’s eyes. This time, he looked at Chen Yi and said, “I’ll trouble Sect Master Chen to continue making personnel appointments. The more positions filled, the better.”

He was only one sentence short of saying outright that when it came to fleecing the system, they should fleece it for all it was worth.

There were dozens of positions. If all of them were assigned, then even if the lowest positions only had a monthly salary of three low-grade spirit stones, the total across all positions would still be considerable.

If, in the end, the spirit stones had to be provided by Chen Yi, the sect master, then at worst, the attempt would have failed. It was not a big deal.

But as Chen Yi went through the appointments, he discovered that at the current stage, there were not many positions he could appoint.

First of all, elder positions required cultivation to support them. When he tried to promote Tang Qirui, the system reminded him that Tang Qirui had not reached the Foundation Establishment stage and could not serve as a sect elder.

Never mind Tang Qirui reaching Foundation Establishment. Even Chen Yi, the sect master, had not reached Foundation Establishment yet.

The entire elder series of positions was left empty.

Next were the pavilion masters of the Alchemy Pavilion, Artifact Pavilion, Talisman Pavilion, Array Pavilion, and Beast Taming Pavilion, including the steward positions under them. Chen Yi could see them, but could not appoint them.

Also impossible to appoint were the thirty-two mountain lords.

But from the smallest clue, one could see the larger picture. With both mountain lords and pavilion masters, it was clear that the sect’s future development structure would at least be that of a complete, large-scale sect.

The entire steward position tree could be appointed.

The chief inner sect steward was the highest position beneath the absent steward elder. He had appointment and dismissal authority over all the stewards under his name, and could even appoint and dismiss the chief outer sect steward.

Aside from that, the only other position Chen Yi could appoint was the position of Criminal Law Hall Master.

Captain Ye stepped up without hesitation. The instant he received the appointment as Criminal Law Hall Master, a low table, meditation cushion, and office desk that likewise could not be moved appeared at the first seat on the right side of the Sect Main Hall.

The placement of this seat was evidently closer to the sect master than the steward positions.

Just like the Brocade Guards and the Eastern and Western Depots in ancient times, or the modern criminal protection special combat team members, in the cultivation system, the Criminal Law Hall was also responsible for discipline and control. It was the sharpest blade in the sect.

Captain Ye sat at his own office desk, gazed ahead for a few seconds, and said, “I control the sect’s criminal law. I have thirty-two prisons, capable of suppressing demons, aberrations, and traitors. I may execute first and report afterward. My spirit stones are twelve per month.”

After reciting the contents of his authority, Captain Ye deliberately nodded with composure. After standing up, he said, “Being the Criminal Law Hall Master does not interfere with becoming the sect master’s direct disciple.”

Chen Yi: “…”

Everyone: “…”

After pondering, Lou Ting said, “This Criminal Law Hall Master position is rather interesting. The spirit stones are higher than the chief steward’s. There’s also the authority to execute first and report afterward, and I’m a little concerned about those thirty-two prisons. Suppressing aberrations and demons—is that the kind of suppression I’m thinking of?”

Captain Ye put away the joking look on his face and nodded. “It should be. It’s just that the thirty-two prisons have not opened yet. That will depend on the sect master’s efforts.”

Great. The pressure had once again landed on Chen Yi.

Lou Ting also said, “There’s also the upcoming main mission and the disciple residences that will open. Living in tents every day is not a solution.”

Chen Yi: “…”

Finally, there was Tang Qirui.

He said nothing, yet it was as if he had said everything.

Chen Yi: “…”

Heh. Hehehe. Hehehehe…

…

Over the next few days, Chen Yi stayed in seclusion inside the space and did not go out, so he had no idea how many times his ex-wife had called his phone. In the end, she even called the police, bringing the urban defense team over to investigate and conduct visits.

By the time this news reached Chen Yi’s ears, five days had already passed.

[Main Mission: Disciple Cultivation]

[Reward: Outer Sect Disciple Residences, Storehouse, Low-Grade Spirit Stones X10]

Seventh Stage of Qi Refining (0/1 Incomplete)

Slay Demons and Eliminate Devils (1/1 Incomplete)

Disciple Cultivation to First Stage of Qi Refining (5/5 Incomplete)

With the double experience from both his own hard work and Cultivation Technique Idling, his cultivation had already reached 96%. Even if Chen Yi did not cultivate, he could still upgrade before nightfall.

At that time, the disciple residences and storehouse would open. The residence, in particular, was something very worth looking forward to.

There were also ten low-grade spirit stones, which were very important to the current Chen Yi. He had appointed direct disciples by now, but because of the spirit stone issue, he had still been unable to use the Technique Transmission function.

He was only a tiny bit away from leveling up. It was not that Chen Yi was not anxious, but he had quite a lot to do nowadays.

After learning that different positions under Disciple Personnel Appointment could obtain different amounts of spirit stones, Tang Qirui had made a plan to fleece the system. These past few days, he had been searching for safe and reliable people to bring into the sect, striving to fill every position currently open in the sect.

When the time came, the monthly salaries would all be issued by the system. This batch of spirit stones could then be concentrated in the hands of the country, whether for research, storage, or anything else. In any case, they would no longer have to scrape Chen Yi’s limited spirit stones out of the hands of the “poor sect master.” And once gathered together, the amount would be even greater than Chen Yi’s.

So after he had some free time, Chen Yi followed Tang Qirui’s list, accepting people into the sect and then carrying out personnel appointments. During this period, another wave of special training team members arrived, bringing their own rations and marching packs. There were also thirty of them, and they entered the sect.

Among them was Captain Sun, whom he had met in Modu. Again came greetings and socializing, leaving him with no free time at all.

When Little Song came looking for him, Chen Yi had just finished breakfast and was playing with the children while also thinking about how to find a preschool teacher for his son and daughter. Actually, it would be best for them to go to kindergarten.

Then he heard Little Song say, “Sect Master Chen, Ms. Du Yuan has just reported to the police. In it, she mentioned that you and the children had disappeared and could not be contacted. How do you think I should help you handle this?”

Little Song was Tang Qirui’s secretary-general, a second-level inner sect steward appointed personally by Tang Qirui. Under him were two third-level inner sect stewards. His main job was handling the sect’s internal affairs.

Under their management, the sect now had 103 members, and everything appeared so orderly. Everyone could fulfill their own responsibilities. With all kinds of modern office equipment supplied and job duties assigned, Chen Yi instantly felt the ease of his old life working within the official establishment before he transmigrated.

Right now, Chen Yi was basically a hands-off sect master. All he needed to do was carry out the highest-level personnel appointments and accept disciples. Usually, he ate and slept on schedule, clocked in for work, and only needed to focus on cultivation. He did not have to worry about the sect’s development at all.

Moreover, Little Song and the others would help him handle some miscellaneous matters in advance.

Given Chen Yi’s sensitive identity now, he had already been classified as a highly confidential person. The moment Du Yuan’s call reached the police station, it was reported to a special department.

Because of the sect’s special nature, being in a separate space and unable to connect to satellite signals, a dedicated information office had been set up to handle the transmission of messages between the inside and outside.

And so, after Du Yuan failed to contact Chen Yi one last time at 7:28 in the morning, she decisively chose to call the police.

At 7:30, the information office received the notification and brought the matter before Chen Yi.

After listening, Chen Yi first found Tang Qirui and asked him, “Aren’t you going to forge me some kind of identity or something? I can’t just let myself socially die like this.”

Tang Qirui nodded. “I was just about to talk to you about this. The establishment exam for the first half of the year has just ended, and it happens to be the interview stage now. I wanted to ask whether you want to return to your hometown for development and engage in grassroots management work in our Lishui Village.”

Chen Yi smiled in understanding. “I’d be very happy to.”

With a single sentence, Chen Yi fished himself up a village official position.

Compared to what he was truly doing now, this position naturally did not amount to much, but externally, it was also an official establishment post. He had proper work to do now, and when people asked, it would be easy to answer.

Especially when it came to Du Yuan, his ex-wife. After Chen Yi had a stable income, his chances of regaining custody of the children would be even greater.

It was not that he was so cruel that he insisted on separating mother and children. It was just that Du Yuan would later marry into a wealthy family. Not only did she bully the protagonist after he lost his mother, she also raised her own children with crooked values, and that was what led to the ending of Chen Yi’s villain family.

Chen Yi fought to keep the children by his side not only for himself and for the children’s future, but also as an indirect way of saving the protagonist. After all, mothers would make plans for their own children, but if they were not raised by her side, their feelings would only amount to that much.

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