After Chen Xia finished alchemy, he developed another elegant interest.
Drinking tea.
Mainly when he was bored, the process of brewing and drinking tea could help pass the time.
Sometimes Chen Xia didn't even drink the tea he brewed, just gave it to the dog after steeping it.
In addition, he would also play chess with Big Yellow Dog and Chi Yu to pass time like a typical old man.
They could spend a long time on one game, and Chen Xia rarely talked about the rules, without messing around.
The three brothers took turns playing. Whoever lost would be replaced by one of the other two.
So there was always another one on the sidelines directing the game.
"Eat his horse, eat it!"
"Move here, then his horse will be gone!"
"Haha, your horse is gone!"
"..."
Chen Xia always felt these were not exactly kind words, but he didn't interfere too much, because he spoke like this too.
The three brothers played chess anxiously, unable to decide a clear winner or loser, each with wins and losses.
The reason was simple.
All three of them were top-notch terrible chess players.
If any one of them was slightly better, this three-legged stalemate would not happen.
Among them, Chen Xia's killer move was classic - attacking the horse right at the start, just trying to take out a horse.
So you couldn't blame Big Yellow Dog and Chi Yu for shouting "your horse is gone" all the time.
Because Chen Xia started it in the first place.
Apart from alchemy, tea tasting, and chess, Chen Xia picked up a new hobby.
Keeping a diary.
Mainly to record some trivial things in daily life, so the content was very simple.
...
Year 70, January 13, sunny.
Big Yellow Dog took out my two horses at the start of the game. Chi Yu on the sidelines shouted "your horses are gone". Remember to fight back next time.
...
Year 70, April 21, sunny.
Got lucky today, went out for a stroll and picked up two shiny stones that seemed to be spirit stones.
Who knows, but they were just the right size to prop up the corners of a table.
...
Year 72, May 2, slightly overcast.
Today is a memorable day. The medicinal pills I refined finally had a great effect, able to heal wounds and replenish vital essence.
Just don't know how effective they are. I'll let Big Yellow Dog try them first. If the effect is good I can make more.
...
May 3, overcast.
Big Yellow Dog lost too much blood. Sent him to the doctor's for care.
Looks like the pills aren't as good as I thought. But Chi Yu really went overboard, I told him to just make a small cut, yet he nearly chopped Big Yellow Dog's arm off. Luckily I reacted fast to stop him, otherwise we almost couldn't have saved him.
Now I seriously suspect there is some unknown grudge between them. I'll ask Chi Yu about it later.
...
May 5, overcast.
Big Yellow Dog came back. He looks at Chi Yu somewhat strangely, probably wants to chop him back.
I should go advise them, otherwise it will affect the relationship between the brothers.
But mediating must be fair to both sides.
...
May 7, slightly sunny.
Decided, I'll let them give each other a chop, that way it depends on their own skill.
But Big Yellow Dog doesn't seem willing, understandable, he can't beat Chi Yu.
Sigh, mediating is so hard. Forget it, I'm tired, let them fight it out themselves.
I'll just have the doctor stand by.
To be safe, I also called in the mortician.
...
Year 78.
The junior elder said he lost his Celestial Color Spirit Stone, asked us all to help look for it, big reward for who finds it.
Hilarious, if I could find it why would I need your reward.
I'd definitely take it for myself first.
Can't find it anyway, too lazy to look. Better practice alchemy first, got a new idea to make a pill that looks very bitter and tastes very bitter too.
The effect makes everything taste bitter for 3 days after eating it.
Once it's done let Yellow Dog try it first, it loves to eat pills most.
I'm just too good at catering to dogs I guess.
...
Year 79.
Pill refining failed, the furnace blew up. But can't be helped, this was a shoddy alchemy furnace borrowed from the canteen, couldn't withstand the high heat.
I'll borrow another one from the canteen next time.
Note: Big Yellow Dog looks very happy today, can't stop smiling. Maybe something good happened, didn't say when I asked, just kept laughing.
...
Year 89.
Haven't written in the diary for a long time, almost lost the book until I flipped through and found it today.
Something happened today that I feel is worth recording.
Big Yellow Dog turns out isn't just a dog. It said it has heavenly wolf bloodline, so when it sees the full moon or something happy it likes to howl.
Turns out it's a wolf-dog hybrid.
Didn't expect to see such a familiar crossbreed in the Blue Sky Sword Sea too.
Very touching.
Also Chi Yu said he's not an ordinary bird but a Three Thousand Blazing Crow.
Though everyone already knew that. I still hope he can reveal some more surprising facts, best with a touch of fantasy.
...
Year 96.
Big Yellow Dog almost got into a fight with Chi Yu over chess today. Kept eating each other's horses, if you're gonna eat just eat, why shout it out loud.
I need to correct this too, can't gloat at the sidelines anymore. Gotta stop this behavior and create a friendly communication environment.
Civil, polite, kind, helpful.
That's what new era cultivators should do.
Not eating others horses then shouting about it all the time.
Simply low class.
...
Year 98.
Ate Yellow Dog's horses 3 games in a row today and shouted it out loudly each time. Awesome!
This is chess!
...
Year 110.
This won't do. I feel we can't fight amongst ourselves like this, it seriously affects the relationship between brothers.
So after discussing we decided to promote chess to the other apprentices, let them play too.
Spread the new ideals and qualities of new era cultivators, and the competitive spirit of chess.
It is our duty!
...
Year 110, Dec 30.
Boring. Picked up the two horses again. More passionate to play this way.
Not only can play chess, but even fight after.
Truly awesome to vent emotions like this.
Seems more and more apprentices are taking horses at the start now.
Feels a bit dull.
...
Year 115.
The junior elder overseeing apprentices suddenly asked me today, saying cases of apprentices fighting and brawling increased extremely fast this year, even more than the last 100 years combined.
He asked if I had any clues.
What clues could I have, they want to fight then fight, none of my business, not like I made them fight.
But based on physiological possibilities, I still explained to the elder.
Maybe they're in heat, competing for mates. Very common in nature.
The junior elder didn't quite believe it. Said they're high level beings, how could they fight over mates when there's none to compete for.
Oh well, believe it or not. I can't think of other reasons.
Can't be because of taking horses at the start, right...
...
Year 121.
Played chess with Yellow Dog and Chi Yu all day today. Lost a lot, don't know why.
Looked over the chess records carefully, couldn't sleep anyway. Read till midnight before I saw the clue hidden in the words.
"Taking horses at the start."
tions: attribute allocation, analysis, proficiency, and simulation. Specializing in mechanical alchemy, from crafting sorcerous battle armor to handcrafting mechanical maidens, his mechanical legion conquers endless realms... Relying on his wits, he begins with a student-teacher romance, wins over a female director, enslaves a female assassin and a underworld queen, becoming the husband of a Grand Duchess... He enslaves the Goddess of Magic from the divine realm, developing his power simultaneously in both the Wizard World and the Realm of Gods...
pression Bureau] Transported to a fantasy world overrun by demons and monsters, Gu Qingfeng becomes a jailer in the Demon Suppression Prison of the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau. From this point on, bizarre cases frequently occur in the Demon Suppression Prison, once known as hell on earth and infamous for its gloomy, terrifying atmosphere! Why do the demons and monsters in the prison wail miserably every night? Why has the corpse demon, capable of transforming into various beauties, donned black stockings and switched careers to become a foot massage therapist? Why has the eye demon, expert in soul-snatching and illusions, turned into a VR headset? Why is the fox spirit performing otaku dances? Are all these occurrences a twisted expression of demonic nature, or a descent into moral depravity? After peeling away layer upon layer of mystery, all clues ultimately point to a jailer named Gu Qingfeng. Gu Qingfeng: "Hehehe... My dear demons and monsters, whose card shall we flip today?"
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
