Chapter 70: Ascension Group’s KPI Evaluation!

When Chu Feng’s figure appeared at the entrance of the Heishan Mining Area, the clanging of pickaxes against rock came to an abrupt stop.

Hundreds of miners simultaneously put down their work. One after another, gazes gathered upon him — eyes that turned from numbness to burning fanaticism.

“Greetings, President!”

No one knew who shouted first, but the next moment, a thunderous roar of greeting swept through the entire mining area.

“Welcome, President, to guide our work!”

To them, this man was the living immortal who had transformed them from beasts in the mines into actual “people.”

He was the one who allowed them to eat meat, earn spirit stones, and even participate in those mysterious but awe-inspiring “corporate cultural activities.”

Chu Feng raised his hand and pressed downward slightly.

The uproar instantly fell silent.

He did not speak much. With just a slight nod to everyone, he walked straight toward the depths of the mining area — to the office belonging exclusively to the Chief Risk Control Officer.

The air inside the office was nearly frozen.

Murong Xue and Zhao Wuji sat across from each other in silence. Between them on the table lay a jade slip that could change the fate of the entire group’s management.

The door opened.

“President Chu!”

The chair behind Zhao Wuji screeched sharply against the floor as he shot up, his spine straight as a spear. He rose so abruptly that even with his Golden Core cultivation, he couldn’t control the slight tremor of his body.

Murong Xue also stood up, her fingers gripping another roll of beast skin so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

“Sit.”

Chu Feng waved his hand casually and took the main seat as if he were at home, picking up the “Performance Proposal.”

“Our Ascension Group values a flat management structure and open communication. No need to be so tense.”

His divine sense swept across the jade slip, and the smile on his lips deepened more and more.

“Good! Very good!”

Chu Feng slapped Zhao Wuji on the shoulder.

“Director Zhao, this proposal of yours shows great depth and foresight!”

Zhao Wuji’s body trembled violently, a surge of heat shooting from his tailbone straight to the crown of his head. He felt that in his entire life, he had never been so “acknowledged.”

When he was the Heishan Sect Master, the eyes of his subordinates only held fear.

But now, from this dem— no, this wise President, he had received “recognition!”

That feeling of being appreciated by one’s superior was intoxicatingly addictive.

“You have profoundly grasped our Group’s core value: ‘To honor the strivers, and to take pride in the contributors!’”

“Your mindset is ahead of most managers already!”

“T-this… it’s all due to the President’s excellent leadership!” Zhao Wuji’s Adam’s apple bobbed nervously, his voice turning dry. “I merely summarized and organized your great thoughts into a small proposal!”

He lowered his posture completely, even bowing slightly.

At the side, Murong Xue looked at this absurd scene and felt a wave of nausea rise within her.

This was no sect. This was clearly a cult assembly.

A Golden Core cultivator — completely tamed by a few flattering words from a Qi Refining brat.

Where was justice in this world?

“No, you’ve contributed, and credit must be given.”

Chu Feng interrupted his modesty with a tone that brooked no argument.

“I’ve decided! Using your proposal as the blueprint, we’ll immediately implement a KPI performance evaluation system across the Group’s entire management!”

His words paused as his gaze slowly swept over Zhao Wuji and Murong Xue.

“However, your proposal is only a general outline.”

Chu Feng’s fingers tapped gently on the jade slip — tok, tok — each sound landing like a hammer on Zhao Wuji and Murong Xue’s hearts.

“Some parts aren’t detailed or measurable enough.”

“For example, you mentioned ‘completion rate of corporate culture building.’ How do we quantify that?”

“By how many slogans are shouted?”

“Or by how loudly they sing ‘Song of Ascension’?”

“And this ‘employee satisfaction index,’ how will it be measured?”

“Anonymous surveys? What if someone gives malicious reviews?”

“Public voting? Then won’t people be afraid to tell the truth?”

Chu Feng’s chain of sharp questions sliced through Zhao Wuji’s freshly built confidence like a series of blades, leaving him riddled with holes.

He opened his mouth but couldn’t utter a single word.

He… he hadn’t thought about any of that!

“So,” Chu Feng’s gaze finally landed on Murong Xue, “this task cannot rely on Director Zhao alone.”

Murong Xue’s heart sank sharply.

Here it comes.

That devil was dragging her into the mess again!

“Chairwoman Murong, as our Chief Risk Control Officer, you possess unmatched expertise in institutional design and risk management. This task requires you and Director Zhao to work together!”

“Me?” Murong Xue finally spoke. “I’m only in charge of safety and discipline. Personnel performance isn’t under my purview.”

“Ah, that’s not quite right.”

Chu Feng leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on the table, fingers interlaced.

“Chairwoman Murong, have you forgotten what our relationship is?”

“We’re partners.”

“Every major decision in the Group requires your wisdom. Besides, a performance system without oversight can easily breed corruption and unfairness! I’ll only feel at ease if you take charge of it.”

He stared at Murong Xue, his gaze frighteningly sincere.

“Think about it — if we can create a performance evaluation system that’s absolutely fair, just, and transparent… one that rewards every manager’s effort and leaves no room for opportunists…”

“Wouldn’t that, in itself, be a defense of a greater justice?”

A greater “justice”…

Those words struck Murong Xue’s Dao heart like a curse, hitting her most vulnerable point once again.

She found herself unable to refute him.

Because what Chu Feng said… sounded so reasonable.

“…Fine.”

She felt her teeth ache as she squeezed the word out between clenched jaws.

“Excellent!”

Chu Feng clapped his hands and stood up.

“Then it’s settled! I’ll give you one day. By tomorrow morning, I want to see a complete, detailed, and fully implementable ‘Ascension Group Management KPI Evaluation Pilot Plan’!”

“Director Zhao will handle the content; Chairwoman Murong will oversee and refine it!”

“This will be a milestone in our Group’s history of development. Don’t let me down!”

With that, Chu Feng hummed an off-key tune as he strolled out of the office, hands clasped behind his back.

The door closed, sealing off the noise outside.

Inside, the office fell into deathly silence.

Only Zhao Wuji and Murong Xue remained — a former Sect Master and a former Saintess, two once-mortal enemies — staring helplessly at each other.

Now, they were grasshoppers tied to the same rope.

“Ahem…”

Finally, it was the newly “enlightened” Zhao Wuji who broke the silence.

He cleared his throat, picked up a fresh blank jade slip, and spoke in a hesitant, negotiating tone that even felt strange to himself:

“Um… Chairwoman Murong, shall we… begin?”

Murong Xue closed her eyes. When she opened them again, they were hollow.

She felt her Dao heart crack open once more.

…

While Zhao Wuji and Murong Xue racked their brains over KPIs, Chu Feng had already returned to his cultivation chamber.

He didn’t stop for a moment and sat cross-legged immediately.

He poured a handful of dragon-eye-sized Qi Nourishing Pills into his mouth like candies and chewed them without hesitation.

Boom!

A surge of spiritual energy exploded within his body, fiercer than ever before.

The spiritual energy inside him had reached a critical point.

Then came a crisp crack from deep within — the bottleneck of Qi Refining Fifth Level that had plagued him for days shattered inch by inch under the violent medicinal force!

A stronger aura radiated from him.

The total amount of spiritual energy in his body nearly doubled!

His meridians tore with searing pain from the forced expansion, yet alongside it came the intoxicating thrill of power coursing freely through him.

Qi Refining Sixth Level!

He succeeded!

Chu Feng opened his eyes, feeling the immense power within, but his expression held no joy.

Too slow.

From Fifth Level to Sixth had taken him an entire day.

This efficiency was far too low.

His gaze fell on the half bottle of remaining pills before him, frowning.

It seemed that relying solely on Qi Nourishing Pills had become seriously inefficient.

It was time.

He picked up his communication jade slip and sent a brief, icy command to Leng Yanran in the Pill Pavilion:

【Initiate the “Foundation Establishment Pill · Youth Edition” R&D project. I want to see samples within three days.】

After that, he let out a satisfied breath, grabbed another large handful of pills, and stuffed them into his mouth again.

Qi Refining Sixth Level was only a new beginning.

His goal was Foundation Establishment! Golden Core!

Only when his own fists were strong enough could he, as the CEO, sit securely in his position!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep