The next thirty years were uneventful.
Chen Xia counted on his fingers that this was his 470th year in the Realm, just shy of 500 years.
He had invested all those points into his karma, which now stood at a nice, round 800 points. Just 200 more years and he'd reach 1000.
Chen Xia expected that when he hit 1000 karma, it would bring about a qualitative change in his karma. But he still wasn't quite clear on what form that change would take - he'd just have to wait and see.
The mid-level sects in the Realm would still regularly come looking for Chen Xia. They had long since figured out his modus operandi - if you directly said you wanted to buy elixirs from him, Chen Xia would definitely refuse to sell them.
But if you said you wanted to give them as gifts, the elixirs would be delivered in no time.
Over the years, Chen Xia had virtually gifted all the elixirs he had refined. Fortunately refining elixirs wasn't much trouble for him, and the total value of the medicinal ingredients he used was still cheaper than the gifts he received in return.
Through this back and forth, Chen Xia had even earned quite a tidy sum.
Now he could even use medicinal herbs that he grew himself to produce elixirs, completely eliminating the cost of purchasing ingredients and achieving self-sufficiency.
The treasures and spirit stones that Chen Xia received as gifts were heaped up in his pill refining room to be used as firewood. Zhang DaoMing would take one out every now and then to buy wine money. No one else had any use for the excess.
The Chen Xia of today could be aptly described as vulgar and nouveau-riche - very much a country bumpkin tycoon in the Realm.
What Chen Xia now lacked was battle prowess. Currently there were three areas where he could improve - Cultivation Base, Karma Points and Mystic Arts.
He had already hit a bottleneck at the sixth layer of the Inverting the Sea Realm. He was on the cusp of breaking through to the seventh layer, and estimated it wouldn't be long before he succeeded. But there was still some way to go before reaching the Heaven Mending Realm.
There was nothing more to say about Karma Points - it was something that accumulated bit by bit over time.
The only area where he could make a breakthrough was with Mystic Arts. But ordinary mystic arts wouldn't cut it, he needed arts at the level of the Way and divine abilities.
While taking stock of his mystic arts, Chen Xia suddenly recalled one heaven-defying art he hadn't used in a long time - Soul Burning and Life Ending.
That art did have its uses, but they were limited. As heaven-defying as it was, it could only defy heaven to a small degree. If he could break through one of the restrictions, then it would truly be a phenomenal sinister art in the mortal world. But unfortunately, the restrictions couldn't be broken.
Chen Xia felt quite vexed as well. Helplessly, he could only tuck Soul Burning and Life Ending away at the bottom of his chest.
Apart from the yet-to-be-unlocked potential of Soul Burning and Life Ending, he also had the Mystic Art of Destiny obtained from the Grand Profound Capital.
But the problem was that Chen Xia couldn't understand the Mystic Art of Destiny. It was like reading Greek - how the hell was he supposed to comprehend it?
Chen Xia had tried every which way but still failed to grasp it. He felt he needed to increase his magic power first before he could fully comprehend it, but that meant he needed to raise his karma first. This was really giving Chen Xia a headache.
To hold an supreme art in his hands yet not be able to understand it - how was it any different from an eunuch touring a brothel?
It also counted among one of the few worries plaguing Chen Xia.
Zhang DaoMing also had some worries, although he hadn't voiced them. He would often drink alone while slowly sipping wine.
Without saying, Chen Xia knew what he was worrying about - it could only be about the Zhang family.
Zhang DaoMing had talked to him about it before in a worried tone,
"If after I'm dead, the Zhang family asks you to help them with anything, feel free to refuse. Don't let our friendship hold you back."
"Rest assured. I'll always see you as an orphan." Chen Xia lightly laughed in response.
"It's good that you have this intention." Zhang DaoMing nodded before suddenly asking again, "When is that big yellow dog coming back from visiting its parents? It's been decades. I quite miss it."
Chen Xia stroked his cheek and chuckled, "It'll probably be some time still. Visiting parents typically leads to marriage, then comes having babies, then raising babies. Isn't that how it goes?"
"Indeed." Zhang DaoMing nodded gently without probing further. He took another sip of wine.
At that moment, footsteps sounded from outside again.
Chen Xia was already used to this - there were often visitors outside the house to offer gifts.
But this time seemed different because the footsteps had stopped for quite some time.
"Enter." Chen Xia already knew who the guest was and casually called out.
The door opened and Zhen Hu slowly walked in with a respectful smile towards Chen Xia. He softly said,
"Long time no see. Doing well?"
"It has been awhile. Quite good." Chen Xia nodded.
Bai Jie peeked out from behind Zhen Hu, lowering his head as he also respectfully said, "Brother, hello."
"Here just to say hi?" Chen Xia asked.
Zhen Hu let out an awkward laugh. "We came to see you. For the matter during the last Great Sects Conference, the fault lies with our Starry Sky Pill Sect. We truly feel apologetic to you. We hesitated for a long time before finally deciding to come apologize in person."
"Hmm, whatever. No need to apologize over it. I'll forget about it after some time anyway." Chen Xia casually replied.
Zhen Hu laughed dryly again, seeming unsurprised by the response. Lifting his head, he respectfully continued, "Propriety must still be observed. We had originally prepared compensation gifts but since you don't like those, we took them back."
Chen Xia removed his straw hat and hung it on a nearby hoe. He rolled up his trouser legs and casually rested his foot on a stool beside him, very much resembling a petty hooligan as he cocked a brow and said,
"Cut to the chase. No more beating around the bush or else there'd be no meaning left."
Zhen Hu swallowed his saliva. Putting his hands together respectfully, he bent down and said, "The Starry Sky Pill Sect...the Starry Sky Pill Sect wants to invite you to be our leader."
"Not interested." Chen Xia flat out rejected.
Zhen Hu let out another dry laugh, seemingly unsurprised by the response either. Raising his head, he respectfully said again, "Sorry for disturbing you."
"It was quite disturbing indeed." Chen Xia said matter-of-factly.
Not daring to overstay his welcome, Zhen Hu bid his farewell and turned to leave.
Bai Jie stood behind Zhen Hu, conflicted over whether to stay or leave. Looking at Zhen Hu, he started, "Sect Leader...Sect Leader..."
He wanted to follow but turned again to look at Chen Xia, hesitating as he said "Brother...you..."
"Stop dilly-dallying. Go on and follow him." Chen Xia waved them off.
Hearing that, Bai Jie hurriedly caught up to Zhen Hu and the two swiftly walked away.
Sitting to one side, Zhang DaoMing sighed feelingly, "There was history between you all."
"Not that much history, old Zhang." Chen Xia shook his head as he put his straw hat back on.
Zhang DaoMing gently nodded, "Perhaps I'm just getting old and enjoying feeling nostalgic."
"You really are getting old." Chen Xia nodded then chuckled again, "And so am I."
"Who isn't after a few thousand years?" Zhang DaoMing chimed in agreement.
By rights, Chen Xia wasn't exactly young either. He only looked youthful thanks to his face-preserving mystic arts. Zhang DaoMing chose not ask too much about it.
Carrying his hoe, Chen Xia slowly made his way along the herb patches, using the hoe to uproot any seedlings that didn't seem to be growing well.
Could he now be considered a competent apothecary?
Chen Xia stretched lazily under the sunlight.
Speckled light and shadows softened his features.
Radiance enveloped him, as though he were being immortalized as a deity -
Aloof and remote.
In this moment, he truly resembled the Grand Heavenly Venerate within his small domain.
Two hundred years later.
Shocking news spread from the mid-levels of the Realm.
The Sect Master of Triumphant Mountain brought out Heaven Mending Realm cultivators and destroyed the entire Starry Sky Pill Sect within half a month. The Starry Sky Pill Sect's leader, Zhen Hu, was strung up at the highest point of the sect's entrance, his soul force diminished to scraps and his cultivation crippled.
Triumphant Mountain took Starry Sky Pill Sect as one of its branch sects. So technically the Starry Sky Pill Sect still existed, it just wasn't under Zhen Hu's administration anymore.
That same year. Chen Xia went out for a bit, wandered round the streets outside his residence and came home with a bag of oranges. By then he was already at the seventh level of the Inverting The Sea Realm.
Such was his way of living an idle life.
Please send free gifts my friends, as it will be month's end tomorrow and little Sour is quite in need of them.