“What’s all this commotion?!”

Kalstein strode forward with a commanding presence.

Confidence radiated from him. After all, having reached the Resolution Stage, wasn’t it only natural to carry himself with a bit of swagger?

Moreover, his next possessed body was fully prepared. While he wasn’t actively using it, it was ready to intervene at any moment.

Initially, arriving in this realm had been a coincidence, and it had been impossible for the Galactic Empire to establish a direct connection to the spiritual sects.

However, relentless experimentation with the platinum orb—the very object that caused all this—had eventually opened a path between dimensions.

“If one way doesn’t work, try two. If two doesn’t work, try three.”

Possessed bodies could be produced almost indefinitely.

Even if his current body perished, he didn’t care. Replacement bodies were on standby, each undergoing auto-cultivation macros to strengthen themselves.

“Fufufu.”

The three cultivators in front of him, of course, had no way of knowing this.

The menacing trio turned to face him.

“….”
“Were you talking to us just now?”
“And who the hell are you?!”

Two of them were young men, one calm and composed, the other hotheaded and brimming with youthful energy. The third was an older man, his face etched with disdainful wrinkles.

Something about them seemed vaguely familiar.

But Kalstein wasn’t concerned about that.

“Yuyu! Long time no see! You’ve grown into a fine young lady! Haha.”

Ignoring the cultivators entirely, Kalstein greeted the girl warmly.

Seeing Yuyu, who had been just a kid when he last saw her, now standing tall filled him with a strange sense of pride.

From what he’d heard, she had managed the trades well in his absence, ensuring everything ran smoothly.

But, of course, the hotheaded cultivator wasn’t about to let himself be ignored.

“Are you mocking us?!”
“Hah… you look like you’re with the Flaming Golden Gate. Just move along. We’re not doing this for fun either.”
“….”

Hm? From the look of them, they were in the Condensation Stage, weren’t they? Shouldn’t they address someone in the Resolution Stage with proper respect as a master?

“Hey, old man. Are they insane, or has the world changed? Why are Condensation brats talking back to me?”
[You idiot. You’re suppressing your spiritual energy right now!]

Oh, right.

Thanks to his highly efficient auto-cultivation macro, not a single wisp of energy leaked from his body. Every drop circulated within, fueling his training.

Still, he decided to enlighten the trio.

“Look, I’m giving you good advice—just leave while you can.”

“Old man” sounded too harsh, so “brother” seemed more appropriate.

Unfortunately, these three weren’t quick on the uptake.

“…!”
“Is he insane?”
“How arrogant. Where are you from?”
“…Ah! S-senior brother, I think I recognize him—”

Kalstein figured they wouldn’t listen.

He paused the macro briefly and released just a sliver of his energy.

“This should do.”

Saaaah—

A massive pressure filled the air, emanating from Kalstein’s body.

“Ghhkk!”
“Arghhh!”
“Ughhh!”

Of course, he ensured Yuyu was unaffected.

But the three cultivators? Their legs trembled, and their faces turned pale as they struggled to stand.

“Wh-what madness is this?!”
“What… what is happening?!”
“Gahh! Senior brothers, we need to retreat—”

Ah, now he remembered the bald middle-aged man.

They had joined the Flaming Golden Gate together… what was his name again?

Kalstein couldn’t recall.

“Begone!”

Since words weren’t getting through, Kalstein raised his hand and made a simple gesture.

The trio was lifted into the air and flung unceremoniously into the street.

Crash—

“Guhhh!”
“Arghhh!”
“Cough, cough.”

Even that small action left them groaning, unable to move.

“Was that too much?”

He had merely shaped his energy into a hand and thrown them out. They were unexpectedly fragile.

Still, the trio couldn’t even meet his gaze as they writhed on the ground.

“Haha. Now, Yuyu, let’s head inside. We have things to discuss—business, and a few questions I need answers to.”
“Senior Master!”

Yuyu’s face lit up as she recognized him.

“You’re amazing! You haven’t aged a day! I was so worried when you disappeared for so many years.”
“I was busy training.”
“Come in, please! I’ve been waiting for you!”
“Shall we?”

Kalstein followed Yuyu into the Maeyoung Pavilion, smiling warmly as she led him.

Before stepping inside, he turned back to the trio and gave them a sly grin.

Bring some friends.

It wasn’t the most conventional method, but wasn’t stirring up trouble the fastest way to meet the higher-ups of the Flaming Golden Gate?

“That bastard!”
“Calm yourself. He’s stronger than us! I couldn’t gauge his realm.”
“S-senior brother. That guy… he’s my fellow disciple.”

It seemed they would handle things appropriately from here.

***

Kalstein listened as Yuyu explained the situation.

Ten years ago, during the Blood Calamity, some of the continent’s strongest individuals had joined forces to seal the enemy.

The result? The sect systems had been so thoroughly reshaped that it was hard to estimate the extent of the damage.

“Wait, Maeyoung Pavilion is bankrupt?”
“N-no, it’s not bankrupt!”

Yuyu’s teary eyes and trembling voice betrayed her attempt to stay composed.

“Haha.”

The Maeyoung Pavilion had sent a significant number of its senior cultivators to the conflict, and the results were clear for all to see.

“Yep, definitely bankrupt.”

Though they had managed to keep the trade routes barely alive, compared to its former glory, the pavilion had been reduced to something akin to a neighborhood convenience store.

“Ughhh.”

The Flaming Golden Gate had originally leased this prime location to the pavilion under a century-long contract. But now that Maeyoung Pavilion was no longer profitable, it was only natural that the gate would grow resentful of such a prestigious spot being “wasted.”

Despite not being a cultivator, Yuyu had held her ground, enduring this struggle all on her own.

“I thought if I kept trading with you, Senior Master, I could keep it afloat!”
“Hmm, is that so?”

Kalstein’s regular trade had undoubtedly contributed to keeping Maeyoung Pavilion alive. But for Yuyu, it was also about repaying the kindness she had received.

“Still, I thought I’d come find you because I couldn’t hold on any longer….”
“What? Were you going to ask for help?”
“N-no! That’s not it! No matter how amazing you are, you’re just one person. I would never impose such a request.”

She had only wanted to apologize for being unable to continue their dealings and to end things properly.

“Well, that won’t do.”
“Huh? Really?”

In the world of cultivation, resources were everything.

From spiritual herbs to spirit beasts, ores, fruits, and wood, one had to gather all sorts of natural treasures to advance.

But why would someone as grand as a Galactic Emperor go running around like a desperate scavenger? That was beneath him.

“Yeah, that’s a problem.”

Why do the tedious work yourself when you can delegate it?

Kalstein couldn’t understand this peculiar aspect of the cultivation world—this obsession with self-sufficiency in everything.

Delegate. Command. Manage. That’s the way it should be.

For Kalstein, this was common sense.

Why waste time when eternity itself could be within reach?

“Hmm. Buying out Maeyoung Pavilion might not be a bad idea.”
“…Excuse me?”

For Yuyu, this was completely out of the blue.

To suddenly announce he was going to purchase Maeyoung Pavilion—not just the pavilion’s branch under the Flaming Golden Gate, but the entire operation—was beyond comprehension.

“W-what do you mean?”
“Well, if I’m going to get into business, I might as well do it properly.”
“…?”

Pill factories, talisman factories, even spiritual cultivator factories—why not?

As an SF tactician, he had no interest in romanticizing “handmade” craftsmanship. Efficiency and scalability were what mattered.

“Yes, that’s the way to go.”

Expand his influence, investigate and study this world, and in the process, track down Prohydan’s trail.

While he was at it, he’d exploit every opportunity available.

Ultimately, his goal was to take control of this entire spiritual sect realm.

That was the plan.

“Fufufu.”

Kalstein’s confidence in this plan only solidified after witnessing the three cultivators from earlier hastily retreating on their skyboards.

“Technology is supreme.”

This strategy would work. It had to.

“Yes, the Maeyoung Pavilion’s distribution network should suffice.”
“Huh? D-distribution network?”
“Perfect. It seems we’ve got some guests.”

Kalstein smirked as his senses picked up the growing number of cultivators converging on the pavilion.

“Let’s welcome our guests!”
[You’re insane, but I knew that already.]

Yuyu looked utterly bewildered, while Jang Ilhong, standing nearby, simply shook his head in disbelief.

***

"Failure?"

“...Failure?”

“W-we apologize!”
“It’s just... he seemed to be a far more skilled cultivator than us….”
“….”

The three cultivators stood with their heads bowed, as though guilty of a grave sin, before the stern-faced middle-aged woman.

“Cheoldu, why are you silent?”
“Well, that’s…”

The bald middle-aged man, called Cheoldu, scratched his head awkwardly.

“The person who caused the commotion… he seems to have been my fellow disciple from when we first joined.”
“A fellow disciple…?”

The woman propped her chin on her hand, frowning in thought.

“Hmm… Celestial Root, was it?”
“Yes, I’ve only heard rumors, but….”
“I heard there was some friction with Fellow Disciple Bang, who recently ascended to the Condensation Stage, but even so, this doesn’t make sense.”
“….”
“It’s been ten years since that disciple joined. No matter how talented, he should only be in the Condensation Stage. And yet, for you to return like whipped dogs… what nonsense. Is this how I taught you?”
“….”
“This matter was crucial for securing Dohong Valley’s collaboration, wasn’t it?”
“T-that’s true, but….”

Their master was none other than Elder Jaejeong of the Condensation Stage, a staunch supporter of the Dohong Valley alliance.

In the field of artifact crafting, Dohong Valley, once a rival of the Flaming Golden Gate, had grown so dominant that Elder Jaejeong believed competing with them was futile. Instead, she advocated acknowledging their superiority and aligning with them.

“Have I not told you that crossing Dohong Valley would spell the end of the Flaming Golden Gate’s future? Their condition was clear: transfer the Maeyoung Pavilion branch here. I explicitly instructed you to ensure this was resolved!”

Her sharp, commanding voice made the three cultivators flinch.

Meanwhile, Cheoldu was quietly filled with regret.

“I knew this would happen, which is why I didn’t want to mention it….”

From what he had sensed, his fellow disciple was at least in the Condensation Stage, possibly beyond.

But his two senior brothers, dimwitted as they were, had completely failed to grasp that fact. Especially after hearing the word “fellow disciple,” their underestimation only deepened.

“What to do?”

What else?

Follow orders and face the music.

Still, as he watched his master gather several elders and over a dozen disciples to head to the Maeyoung Pavilion, Cheoldu couldn’t shake his unease.

“Hmph. Naturally, the main branch of Maeyoung Pavilion might have cultivators at the Resolution Stage, but they wouldn’t bother coming to this backwater. They’ve got enough on their plate just managing the headquarters.”
“Besides, I heard the branch here is run by a mortal woman?”
“This time, we’ll settle this thoroughly and suppress the opposition to the Dohong Valley alliance.”
“Hmph… old fools stuck in the past, unable to adapt to the times.”

Despite their confidence, Cheoldu’s unease only grew.

“This isn’t going to be as simple as they think….”

His anxiety peaked as he glanced at Bang Ryunil, the senior disciple accompanying them. His presence only deepened Cheoldu’s sense of foreboding.