I can't see the way, I can't see the way back.

The Azure Sky rained down a bleak drizzle, and the Spiritual Energy was gradually becoming more diluted. Although it did not decrease drastically all at once, the cultivators could all sense it.

Everyone knew what this meant, but no one said it.

Chen Xia would still occasionally stroll slowly on the Sword Pattern Path. He had walked this path that had already existed for hundreds of years, yet he was not bored of it, still walking steadily and unhurriedly.

By the roadside were some peculiar plants and vegetation, most of which had been planted by previous disciples.

Now that those disciples had left, the plants remained, decorating the surroundings decently well. It was just unknown how much longer they could continue staying.

Big Yellow Dog would pluck the flowers occasionally when he passed by, pinning one on his ear. Then when he started walking, he would begin mincing and acting coy, also not knowing what he was pretending for.

It was probably to show off.

Chen Xia sat in the pavilion he usually did, propping his cheek with one hand as he took out a thick book from his storage magic treasure to read.

This book recorded foundational Five Elemental Mystic Arts and mystic abilities, nothing too impressive, just some of the most basic mystic arts, but there were plenty of them.

Not only were there some simple single Five Element mystic abilities, there were also combinations like Water and Fire Dual Mystic Arts, and extended mystic arts like Ice Mystic Arts and Lava Mystic Arts.

However, the might of these mystic arts was not high. Chen Xia was looking through this book just to get a basic understanding, so he could create his own Five Element mystic arts in the future.

Chen Xia was also striving to become stronger. Having reached the Inverse Sea Realm, it was not possible to breakthrough the cultivation realm just by closing up in seclusion. Time accumulation and comprehension of the cultivation realm were still required.

The main reasons those in the Inverse Sea Realm went into secluded cultivation were to deduce mystic abilities or open up their divine sense sea.

Chen Xia's mystic arts were still not skilled, naturally he was not yet at the point of needing to deduce them. Opening his divine sense sea was also not feasible.

Strictly speaking, he did not even have a divine sense sea, only a Sword Sea.

Fortunately, aside from his cultivation realm, Chen Xia could also allocate stat points. Currently he was not obsessed with Fortune stat, but was instead adding points into Strength again.

The Azure Sky Sword Sea might not be able to last much longer. When the time came, he definitely could not rely solely on his Fortune stat to escape, right?

His Fortune stat was already sufficient for now. Adding little did not increase it much, and adding too much required far too much time. It was also uncontrollable and unstable.

What Chen Xia was thinking was raising his Strength stat to the Inverse Sea Realm. That way, with both his cultivation base and Strength at the Inverse Sea Realm, his overall abilities would be more reliable than just depending on Fortune, right?

Yeah, it should be, right?

Chen Xia propped his cheek, feeling a little uncertain. After all, Fortune as a stat never cared about making sense. Its only downside was being unstable.

So Chen Xia had also grown more prudent. The points he had were still unallocated, kept in reserve to see when something happened with the Azure Sky Sword Sea.

If something occurred in another two thousand years, he would certainly directly invest everything into Strength to obtain Inverse Sea Realm Strength.

If there was more time, four to five thousand years, then he would allocate it all into Fortune and build the ultimate crit-focused build!

Would high enough Fortune lead to pain when landing critical hits on people?

It probably would.

Aside from cultivation base and stat allocation, Chen Xia still had the True Dragon Qi as his trump card. It was clearly insufficient currently and needed raising again.

The Faith Power from Little Paradise could continuously cultivate the True Dragon Qi. It had currently reached forty percent. To increase it faster, Chen Xia needed to rely on the top quality mystic pill he was preparing to refine.

The True Dragon Bones he had collected were about sufficient, though they were not from a single dragon. He did not actually know how many dragons they were from, but it did not matter if they could be pieced together.

Additionally, materials like Azure Dragon Beard Grass and White Poria Root Wood that required massive amounts of spirit stones were also needed in large quantities.

Chen Xia had Zhang DaoMing help keep an eye out. If they appeared, buy them no matter the price. If really necessary, they could open a line of credit with the auction house.

With Chen Xia's current standing at the auction house, opening a credit line of a few ten thousand spirit stones was no issue at all.

Zhang DaoMing also nodded, but asked another sentence, "Will you pay it back?"

"Of course not," Chen Xia shook his head. "I'll help them refine pills to make up for it."

Zhang DaoMing nodded. "That works too. A few ten thousand spirit stones is about the same as your appearance fees for refining pills a couple times."

"Alas, so difficult," Chen Xia let out a rare sigh, seeming a bit vexed.

"Short on money?" Zhang DaoMing asked knowingly.

Chen Xia listlessly nodded, then looked at him pleadingly. "How about you generously provide some more funds?"

"You're asking for my life. The coffin expenses have been settled, I can't generously provide any funds." Zhang DaoMing continuously shook his head, raising his brows as he curiously asked another thing.

"Did Pan Dadao give you any money?"

"He did, but I didn't take it. He's keeping it to buy a coffin. It would be impolite to accept it." Chen Xia lightly laughed.

"I see." Zhang DaoMing nodded. "Pan Dadao is also getting on in years. He can truly be considered an ill-fated person. Mountain Moving Realm cultivation, but initially taken as an alchemist slave by a formal elder."

"Later when that formal elder died, Pan Dadao got lucky, and also worked hard himself, so other elders put in some good words for him. Thus with Mountain Moving Realm abilities he became a junior elder."

"After becoming a junior elder, Pan Dadao perhaps developed some habits of arrogance towards the meek and fear of the aggressive. But he didn't actually oppress the meek much, just had other disciples greet him. Maybe this was his way of finding the dignity he had lost."

"Those who struggled their way up from the bottom probably understand this." Zhang DaoMing sighed, then shook his head.

"Anyway, enough of this. I'm just getting old and sentimental, babbling on about nothing. Too naggy."

"You're definitely old now," Chen Xia nodded. He saw the white hair on Zhang DaoMing's head.

"Hehe," Zhang DaoMing lightly laughed. "Everyone has this day. You'll experience it too."

"Yeah, maybe," Chen Xia's reply was not absolute, a bit drifting.

"Aging, sickness, and death are the norms of time. Even great emperors cannot avoid it. I don't want to go against the natural order either. But really, why do people live so long?"

Zhang DaoMing narrowed his clouded eyes, mind wandering as he reminisced nostalgically.

"Only now do I feel that life's sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and spiciness can all be experienced within a few hundred years. If continuing to live after that, most would just be repetition. Yet I cannot bear to die, so I can only keep living on till now."

"I'm over five thousand three hundred years old now. Looking forward I cannot see the road, looking back I cannot see my destination."

"I'm always thinking I've lived enough, yet I'm unwilling to go die. I guess this is how it is when one grows old, not knowing whether it's disillusionment with this world, or disillusionment with oneself."

Zhang DaoMing let out a self-mocking laugh, wrinkles on his face pulling taut.

"Maybe both."

"A good death is not as good as stubbornly living on. Don't think too much about this. You still have to keep living if you can," Chen Xia shook his head and advised.

But Zhang DaoMing was a bit puzzled, brows furrowing as he softly asked, "Is it really not as good?"

"Then let me give you another perspective," Chen Xia started explaining rationally.

"Think about it this way. If you die, who knows if your inheritance might not end up in my hands. What if I suddenly get the idea to cremate you? Then you wouldn't even have a grave left behind, right?"

"Hehe," Zhang DaoMing lightly laughed. "The inheritance going to you is fine too. Having no grave is also no issue. In another thousand years, probably no one will come pay respects anyway."

Chen Xia was briefly stunned, then slowly shook his head after a while. "You really don't care anymore."

"It's still alright," Zhang DaoMing nodded, the setting sun behind him emanating dim rays of light.

His voice was very soft, his figure very short.

Like he might disappear at any time.