After trading with the Flame Spider Roving Merchant in the spring.

The Areca evolved into a 9th Age Period intermediate warrior. The Flame Spider's body was thick and heavy, so next year, it would no longer be able to pass through the Starship Rift to trade for Dragon Cypress.

Red Moonseed evolved into a 1st Age Period High-Level warrior. The Beautiful Ji Bee was slender, and for many years to come, it would solely manage the trade between Dragon Cypress and the Flame Spider Roving Merchant.

The work arrangement for the new year was as follows:

Round Cypress headed to Red Cypress Mountain to reclaim land.

Black Cory still took charge of the land reclamation in Hulan Mountain.

Black Leaf went to the Areca Rainforest, where the final cleanup work remained.

Silver Cypress went to Southern Sour Jujube Mountain to guard the two Divine-Given Seeds, Red Cypress and Chestnut Beans.

Spiked Cypress, Giant Cypress, Fragrant Cypress, and Cypress remained to guard Xianglan Mountain.

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid followed the planned route to patrol all the Lands of Origin Force but found no Divine-Given Seeds.

Ink Orchid stayed behind to guard Xianglan Mountain.

Dragon Cypress continued to transport Source Stones to Huagi Mountain.

This year, aside from a few days' delay in harvesting Divine-Given Scarletlight Fruit in early summer, there were no other major events. They worked from late spring until deep autumn.

「Xianglan Mountain.」

Ink Orchid, using the Dominating Throne, completed a Molting Evolution.

It was now a 3rd Age Period Mountain Lord.

"Dragon Cypress?" Ink Orchid called from inside the cave, brimming with energy and in excellent condition.

"Oh—"

Dragon Cypress slowly got up, removed the door panel blocking the cave entrance, and lightly waved his tentacles, signaling for two Blue Ants to follow.

Ink Orchid had just evolved and had slept for only six days. After eating the Ant Honey stored in the abdomen of a Mountain Lord Level Large Blue Ant, it shook its tentacles, signaling, "I'm full!"

Dragon Cypress took the huge Metal Case, opened it, and passed it over.

Ink Orchid leaned in, spat out the nurtured Snow Orchid Divine-Given Seed, and carefully picked up the Sea Blue Tree Divine-Given Seed, placing it into its Life Pouch for nurturing in the next Age Period as its Life Seed.

"Ink Orchid, what about your abilities?" Dragon Cypress asked.

"It seems... I've succeeded!" Ink Orchid replied.

"Want to try it out?"

"Let me think," Ink Orchid murmured.

Ink Orchid tilted its head to think, and its form disappeared on the spot.

The disappearance lasted only for an instant before it reappeared.

Dragon Cypress was momentarily speechless.

Ink Orchid explained, "I just got the hang of it, so I'm still not proficient. The strength of this ability lies in the duration of the Youlian Form. Since this is an Exotic System Ability, there is no Origin Force Food in the natural world that can strengthen this ability. I can only improve it bit by bit through relentless training."

"Oh—" Dragon Cypress responded.

"What exactly is Youlian Form?" Dragon Cypress asked. "Did you just disappear on the spot?"

"Definitely not," Ink Orchid replied.

"So, you transformed into 'nothingness'?" Dragon Cypress mused. "You were still there, but I couldn't see you."

"It seems so," Ink Orchid confirmed.

"Can it really avoid attacks?" Dragon Cypress questioned.

"I feel... that it can," Ink Orchid said hesitantly.

"Want to try it?" Dragon Cypress proposed.

Ink Orchid moved its tentacle slightly in agreement.

Dragon Cypress turned slightly, his gaze locking on the stone pot filled with clear water in the corner of the cave. An ice ball sprang up, rotated mid-air, and sped toward Ink Orchid.

His Soul-Setting Ability and spiritual power were unleashed simultaneously, firmly locking onto Ink Orchid.

Just as the ice ball was about to hit, Ink Orchid vanished from sight, and even his spiritual power could not perceive its presence. However, the Soul-Setting Ability could still lock onto its soul.

Ink Orchid had indeed stayed in place without moving.

It had turned into nothingness in an instant.

PLOP. The ice ball hit the soft cushion of the Throne's backrest.

"This is the second time I've used it, and it feels much better," Ink Orchid commented.

"Not bad! You're progressing quickly!" Dragon Cypress praised.

Dragon Cypress packed up the extra-large Metal Case and said, "Ink Orchid, you rest here. I'm going to plant the Xuelan Seed."

The Snow Orchid Divine-Given Seed was sown on a gentle slope below the Shandong Reservoir, north of the mountain range.

Herbaceous plants develop through division and grow in patches, so their cultivation method is quite different from that of trees.

Base soil was prepared using Divine-Given Remains wood chips mixed with Humus. This mixture was spread over a large area, forming a half-meter-thick layer.

A small pit, three meters in diameter and one meter deep, was dug only where the mother plant would take root. Base soil was then used to refill it.

The Seed was sown.

After one day, it rooted and sprouted.

Three days later, it grew two slender orchid leaves.

After confirming everything was in order, Ink Orchid stayed to care for it, and Dragon Cypress set off alone.

「Southern Sour Jujube Mountain.」

The Chestnut Bean Divine-Given Seed had grown over twenty meters tall. With flowering expected next spring, retaining fruit could be considered.

The Red Cypress Divine-Given Seed had surpassed fifty meters in height, and this year, the first batch of Cypress Fruits matured.

Silver Cypress mobilized all the Soldier Ants, Blue Soldiers, and Worker Ants from the sub-nest, spreading them out to surround the area and forming a battle-ready formation.

"Red Cypress! Silver Cypress!" Dragon Cypress called out, waving his tentacles in greeting as the Dominating Throne sped near and stopped under the tree.

"Dragon Cypress," Red Cypress responded.

"Great King!" Silver Cypress exclaimed, trotting over to greet him.

"Silver Cypress, you did very well!" Dragon Cypress praised, then looked up to ask, "Red Cypress, how many days until the fruits mature?"

"I don't know... It seems... nearly ripe..." Red Cypress replied hesitantly.

Alright then, Dragon Cypress thought.

Dragon Cypress surveyed the fruits with his spiritual power.

The oval Cypress Fruits were scale-shield shaped with grooves, about five centimeters long and three centimeters in diameter. They had turned from green to blue-black.

The thick shell encased about seven flat, round Cypress Seeds, reddish-brown with narrow wings.

The first batch yielded 200 fruits, meaning 1,400 Divine-Given Red Cypress Seeds.

Dragon Cypress withdrew his gaze.

"Almost there, they'll mature in the next two or three days. Red Cypress, there's no need to rush."

"I'm not in a hurry," Red Cypress stated.

Dragon Cypress then said to Silver Cypress, "You've worked hard, Silver Cypress. Go back to the Ant Nest and rest for a while. I'll keep watch here."

"Alright, Great King," Silver Cypress replied.

Silver Cypress left with an escort of Soldier Ants.

Dragon Cypress stayed under the tree, chatting idly with Red Cypress.

Red Cypress was distinctly different from Divine-Given Seeds like Southern Gorgon and Black Yellow. Its temperament and personality were closer to Azure, Quandong, and Night Fragrance, making it a 'Wisdom Tree' worthy of careful cultivation.

Dragon Cypress told it all sorts of things, not caring whether it understood. Origin Force Life forms had strong memories, so he focused on enriching its information store first.

For plants and animals it didn't recognize, samples could be gathered for its inspection later. Things it didn't understand would become clear through repeated exposure.

Two days later, at twilight, the Red Cypress Divine-Given Seed began to absorb Origin Force at an accelerated pace.

Dragon Cypress ordered the Worker Ants to carry over Source Stones. They scraped them to sprinkle the powder and replenish the Origin Force.

Merely 200 small Cypress Fruits required approximately 500 Source Stones.

After waiting another day, the fruit husks naturally split open.

Fully ripened, they were ready to be harvested.

Silver Cypress eagerly took charge, commanding the Mid-Level Soldier Ants to climb the tree and sever the fruiting branches with their Mandible Teeth, allowing each fruit to fall to the ground.

The Worker Ants were quick-witted, rushing forward to collect the fruits without being told.

Some particularly clever Worker Ants even carried the fruit to Dragon Cypress.

And some rather silly Worker Ants brought the fruit to Silver Cypress...

Dragon Cypress took a fruit, peeled off a seed, briefly examined it between his toes, and then chewed and swallowed it.

The Divine-Given Red Cypress Seeds provided Strength System enhancement.

The Ant Clan's Talent was also Strength System enhancement.

The Red Cypress Life Seed that Dragon Cypress had nurtured produced Divine-Given Red Cypress Seeds that were of the purest Strength System.

"Great King, how is it?" Silver Cypress asked.

"The quality is extremely high, nearly Superior Grade!" Dragon Cypress declared.

"Oh! That's amazing! Great King, how many Source Stones can one seed sell for?"

Red Cypress, also deeply understanding the various benefits of Source Stones, eagerly asked, "Dragon Cypress, what about it? How many Source Stones can my Divine-Given Red Cypress Seeds sell for?"

Dragon Cypress thought briefly and quoted, "The seeds are small. Offered to a Caravan, let's say 10 Source Stones per seed. The Caravan can then sell them for a high price of 13 to 15 Source Stones per seed."

"Oh—" Silver Cypress breathed.

"Oh—" Red Cypress echoed.

Dragon Cypress elaborated, "Red Cypress is a Top-Level Great Tall Tree. At the Mountain Lord Level, it can reach a height of one hundred meters. It can produce about 1,500 to 2,000 fruits annually, which is roughly 10,000 to 14,000 Cypress Seeds."

Dragon Cypress wiggled his tentacles, using a communication method unique to the Ant Clan, and explained to Silver Cypress privately,

"Give Red Cypress another ten or twenty years to grow, and each year it could bring us an extremely high income of 100,000 to 140,000 Source Stones."

"Wow! Oh!" Silver Cypress exclaimed. "Great King, isn't that equivalent to... ten times the Orchid Grass Divine-Given Seed?"

Isn't that why it's called a Top-Level Divine-Given Seed?

Why didn't he bring Ink Orchid along? He really couldn't bear to strike at its fragile spirit.

Dragon Cypress lightly tapped his tentacles, not without a touch of pride.

Then Silver Cypress asked, "So, can I take a share of 10,000 to 14,000 Source Stones every year?"

Dream on, Dragon Cypress thought. Do you even have a share in the Red Cypress Divine-Given Seed?

Dragon Cypress was in high spirits, so he decided not to scold him. He simply kicked Silver Cypress aside and said to Red Cypress,

"Red Cypress, you rest here. There are 3,000 Source Stones left; I'll arrange for Silver Cypress to use them for you. When I have time, I'll bring over more to accelerate your growth."

"Great!" Red Cypress replied.

"I have many things to take care of, so I'll be leaving now," Dragon Cypress said. "I'll come to see you again after a while."

"Okay," Red Cypress agreed.

Dragon Cypress left instructions for Silver Cypress and then departed that night, heading straight for White Rice Mountain.

Taking advantage of the fine autumn season, Black Rice utilized the Dominating Throne and successfully broke through, evolving to the Mountain Lord Level.

Black Rice awakened a Wood Element Talent and mastered two combat-oriented Wood Element abilities. The first allowed it to manipulate surrounding foliage into blades for projectile attacks; the second enabled it to induce rapid growth of surrounding plants for defense or entanglement.

While helping Black Rice with its evolution, Dragon Cypress also completed the purchase of Divine-Given White Rice Fruits. He then traveled to Scarletlight Mountain to assist Areca in evolving into a High-Level warrior.

Next, he went to Ghost Fan Mountain to complete the autumn Roving Merchant trade.

Then, he journeyed to Black Lotus Lake.

There, he used the Dominating Throne to assist White Willow's breakthrough evolution to the Mountain Lord Level.

White Willow awakened a Water System Talent. It mastered the basic Water Control ability and the Blackwing Damselfly warrior's Talent Ability, 'Black Stacked Shadow', but did not comprehend any other abilities.

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