Chapter 27: Years Passing By, Business Expansion, Affection, and Growth (Edited)

Chapter 27: Years Passing By, Business Expansion, Affection, and Growth (Edited)

(A/N: For those who may be coming over from the original. I mostly rephrased some things in regards to the market stuff. Mostly cutting down on a paragraph or two while changing a third. No other new details)

Shortly after leaving the Well, Xue Tie warns his people once more to not reveal anything about the Well. To which they nod in response as they know the value of it and their greed won't let them share. They also look at Xia Wei with annoyed looks as she was able to get an immortal herb for free but they also can't make her angry as that would likely kick them out of bible story time…ahem cultivation time with her new spirit skill as the focus.

A simple journey back to Spirit City is left uninterrupted. After all, you can't expect evil cultivators to attack your transport all the time; this isn't Soul Land 3.

Once they return, the team resumes their training. They were given a break in the carriage ride. Due to the size limitations, the carriages can carry every and thus, except for Xue Tie, who was driving the carriage. The others got a test run of the cultivation speed boost. Xia Wei rose to 21 from her absorbing the ring, and she reached 22 after the weeks-long journey. She does, after all, have 5 helpers. Which, from simple math, means that they cultivated for roughly a month to help her level up. Regardless, it is an improvement over an actual month of cultivation. With Xue ties higher cultivation, it should shorten the time for a bit. To an estimated same week, a long period for another level.

With not much else to do, they get to work, and time passes by. Months have passed, and Xia Wei has reached level 30, where they journeyed to get her, her third spirit ring, Extract. A stronger version of her first spirit skill that shares the name of her martial spirit, Siphon.

Yet, it didn't stop there. They continued and Xia Wei had her level surpass Xue Tie even and she quickly reached level 40 and obtained her 4th spirit ring, just like her 3rd, they are purple which means they are over 1 thousand years old. Xue Tie can easily handle thousand year old beasts, his limit is probably 8 thousand year old beasts that he can handle by himself. Her 4th spirit ring was called Elevate. The ability makes it so siphoned energy is strengthened when it's given. Her power has reached a point by now that she can easily steal 30% of at least 3 attributes at once with just her first spirit skill. Her third increases it to 50% but only 2 of them. Granted that her attributes steal only against those of a similar or weaker power, against those weaker, she loses 20% against each major elevation. So while she is a level 41 Spirit Ancestor, she only has 10 or 30% of her total stealing ability against a Spirit King and is ineffective against Spirit Emperors without using her 3rd spirit ring for a meager 10%. And completely ineffective after that.

She has also noticed a new type of attribute and how it randomly grows weaker and stronger. After consulting Xue Tie and making some estimates. They realize that this new attribute is life force or vitality. Xue Tie warns her about using it as it may kill someone but on the other hand is that it can be used as an emergency healing method.

Now that XIa Wei has reached level 40, she decided that the next target of their cultivation would be Xue Tie as his power is the foundation of their team. Serving as the main offense and main defense against stronger foes.

Cultivation isn't the only thing being done by the group, Xue Tie was also meticulously approached by an individual he did not think would actually show himself to him due to his clan's connections to the heaven Dou Empire. The person is named Ning Fengzhi. The hidden patriarch supposedly came as a representative of his father in hopes of expanding Xue Tie's gummy business as well as hopes to get into the markets that Xue Tie had spread his fingers into.

Xue Tie had developed into multiple other fields, primarily: milk and subsequently chocolate and cereal. Spirit hall didn't approach Xue Tie this time around as they made the simple judgment that they can ask Bibi Dong for money if the need arises due to her position as next Pope.

While chocolate already existed. It was considered a luxury but since Xue Tie has knowledge on how to properly grow cocoa, or at least its environment which is already a big boost as compared to raising cocoa in the cornfields of Ohio.

Then with the ranch he had. He had set up researchers to study on how to handle milk for long term sale and transportation. It took them 2 years to figure it out but a product that is relatively similar to 2% milk was created and with the custom mixture, it is longer lasting and collaborations were set up with food markets all over Heaven Dou Empire.

Xue Tie then took over all the wheat fields to create the cereal market a the company to represent the cereal market is Kellog

(A/N:Time skip notice is that 4 years have passed so far, the first year was mostly expanding the gummy industry which wasn't much, at most making variants of gummies that are sugar covered. After that was milk and cocoa and now cereal).

While it might seem like a long time has passed between each stage. It's actually the opposite, most of these products were released one after the other. This is still a medieval world and as such, certain methods such as the milk method and transforming wheat into cereal took a long time as a small stockpile was made. Xue Tie prays for his ice type spirit master to stay in good health for all eternity as it's only thanks to him that they were even able to create a stockpile without it all going bad. One of the more recent changes on the other hand was the introduction of cheese to the market. It was mostly done using the early milk creations, but no stockpile was made for it and as such, it's considered one of the more rare products of Xue Ties companies, increasing its price.

Xue Tie, having spread his fingers wide over the food industry, had originally been named Candy God from the release of gummies and chocolate. But it was later changed to Food God or Business Devil as he introduced widespread milk, cereal and cheese. Admired by many across the world

The final nail in the coffin for the business and food world was the introduction of Business Distribution patents. These patents are essentially documents that legitimize the home made products which are under Xue Tie's name. They can also be used as pathways to establish collaborations. One of these pathways was MakeShift. A prototype kitchen where many people may provide various diagrams and ideas for new products based on existing products which is how chocolate rice cereal came about along with raisin bran but both these are also listed as rare products due to the time consumption in their creation and financing the method to handle grapes as simply dehydrating grapes into raisins, while easy, makes their flavor too strong as compared to the cereal.

The winners of these selections and various competitions are provided a monetary gift as well as a 5 year free supply for cereal.

Which brings up back to why Ning Fengzhi has come, he has provided a few proposals for collaboration and expansion as his people had figured out a few methods to increase productivity without jeopardizing costs or safety. Xue Tie has a weird expression as he looks at Ning Fengzhi because when he approached, he overheard some mutterings that he wished he didn't. But long story short, Xue Tie is Ning Fengzhi's idol and he even has an altar to him at his office. Xue Tie almost contemplated just not meeting him but his desire for food and money would not be restricted by some fanaticism.

After a few brief hours of negotiations, they came to a peaceful resolution. With Xue Tie being the sponsor, the 7 GTPC was allowed to assist in the expansion of at least 3 of his total 5 markets. Xue Tie isn't worried about espionage from the pagoda clans side as they also want to make money and undermining Xue Tie is a bad step if they had any goals at all at entering the food industry.

This became even more apparent in the 5th year of his cultivation when he set up a cooking school called Totsuki between Heaven Dou City and Spirit City. With many professional chefs hired and nurtured under Xue Tie's modern cooking knowledge, new instruments and cooking styles were introduced.

Such revolutions essentially confirmed Xue Tie as Food God as he became the lord of the food industry, not just in his own custom created fields but even in meat and fish industries.

His business had decreased the number of total villages as they had transformed into half industrial cities on par with Sunset City in terms of size but not prosperity as Xue Tie had assisted Sunset city to elevate into a Major City of Heaven Dou Empire.

The final thing of note is Xue Tie's relationship with Bibi Dong has greatly advanced. While initially Xue Tie was shoved or smacked around when he was affectionate, she slowly accepted it, mostly uncaring at first but it was a step. But as the years progressed, she had become more open to receiving hugs or kisses on the cheek but they have not advanced to properly kissing just yet.

Other than their relationship, their physique has also improved. Xue Tie has grown to be 6' tall and Bibi Dong slightly outmatches him at 6' 1" but neither have stopped growing just yet. Bibi Dong has grown out her pink hair more and it reaches waist height, though she mostly keeps it braided in various ways. Her tall stature has naturally attracted many suitors but she considered none worthy of her. Though many can tell that when she says this, she thinks of Xue Tie. Xue Tie has also grown out his hair but only to chest height that he bound in the back with a bracelet that he received as a birthday present from Xia Wei.

Throughout this time, Xue Tie naturally realizes that he is the target of affection from Xia Wei but he is unsure of how to handle it as he has truly grown to care for Bibi Dong and realistically has no intention of cheating on her.

At the end of the year's long passage, Xue Tie stabilized his spirit power at level 48 when he was called upon by Qian Xunji for a special mission. He had long gone back home to get the aforementioned Blood trace ability and it's one that was at 9 thousand years after being corrupted. Meaning that his next rings are going to be 10 thousand years old. Xue Tie shakes in anticipation over this.

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Author Note: Whooo, major time skip is finally done. We can now return to the action

7 years have passed in total from the Junior Spirit Master competition, so our mc is now 18 while Bibi Dong is 19. The members of his team are also around those ages with Xia Wei being the youngest at 17.

I'll provide a pseudo status sheet in the next chapter to help inform and organize everything. So if anyone forgot how his abilities worked or anything like that.