Ant Lord in the Star Realm-Chapter 549 - 528 Flower Spot

Between Xianglan Mountain and Molan Mountain, there’s a great river in the middle, which Ink Orchid and Dragon Cypress discovered when they were very young and named ’Blue River.’

Dragon Cypress used Water Control Ability to draw river sand from the riverbed to the riverbank, sweeping back and forth with its tentacles to sense and control the metallic gravel it found, attaching them to its tentacle.

After collecting enough, it stored them in the metal can by its side.

After spending half a day, it had panned a canful.

Dragon Cypress carefully set the metal can aside, "Ink Orchid, let’s start!"

After finishing, its Metal Ability activated, controlling the metallic gravel in the can to flow out like water, gathering midair into a black sphere of gravel.

Dragon Cypress focused its attention, Metal Primordial Energy surging into both claws and tentacles, then unleashed it all at once.

The metallic gravel liquefied.

The sphere formed by the gravel turned into a mass of black liquid, its shape shifting, transforming into the shape of a metal can.

Dragon Cypress withdrew its Primordial Energy.

The liquefied metal condensed, merging into a seamless metal can, entirely jet-black and smooth on the surface.

"..."

Ink Orchid stared in a daze for a while before reacting.

"This... This is different from Ghost Fan’s Metal Solidification..."

"Of course. A fundamental difference."

Ghost Fan uses Metal Solidification Ability, forcibly fusing metallic gravel together; the cans made this way have a matte texture with grainy traces on the surface.

The metal can made by Dragon Cypress’s ability is entirely fused into one, its surface smooth and glossy.

The cans made with Ghost Fan’s Solidification Ability have very high strength. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

This metal can made by Dragon Cypress...

Ink Orchid gathered Primordial Energy at its toe tips, poked with force, and easily pierced through.

There was no strengthening or reinforcing Primordial Energy Ability Effect.

"Dragon Cypress, you need a Divine-Grade Jinhe Fruit!"

"Yes. No rush."

"So, this Metal Ability, does it have any practical uses?"

"At the moment, none."

"There’s no such thing as a useless ability, only an insect who doesn’t know how to use it."

Ink Orchid was instantly interested, "It’s fine, I’ll help you think..."

Ink Orchid began brainstorming.

Dragon Cypress: "..."

Dragon Cypress: "We’ll think of it later when we have time."

Dragon Cypress leapt up onto the Dominating Throne and called out, "Let’s go. Back to the mountain first, rest for a bit, then head to White Lotus Lake to timely sow the Nine-Leaf Huangqian Divine-Given Seed. That’s the most important thing."

Ink Orchid: "Right!"

...

At Evolution Age Period 4 Lord, the number of Ant Eggs produced per batch has risen from 13 to 14, with the cycle still at 5 days, a slight improvement.

First, cultivate a batch of Metal System Soldier Ants and Worker Ants as a test.

However, as Ant King, Dragon Cypress only comprehended two Metal Abilities; the Metal Ants it breeds will never possess more than two abilities.

Ants without a decent ability cannot fulfill unique roles, so there’s no need for large-scale cultivation for now.

This evolution also gave a minor improvement in soul and spiritual power, but it was negligible.

No other changes.

At present, five systems have awakened: Strength, Water, Wood, Wind, Metal. Only four systems are left to complete all nine.

For Life System, there’s a confirmed Divine-Grade Fruit, guaranteed success.

Earth System failed once before, but has acquired Talent Potential; as long as a second Divine-Grade Fruit granting Earth Talent is found, it’s also a hundred percent success.

Thunder System’s Thunder Melia Fruit will arrive in nine years.

For Fire System, Divine-Grade Fruits definitely exist, but detailed information is unknown.

As long as luck isn’t too bad, it’s possible to complete all nine systems before reaching Evolution King Level.

...

White Lotus Lake.

The Dominating Throne, carrying Ink Orchid and Black Peach, landed on the largest peak of the only mountain range in the Land of Origin Force.

At the mountaintop, a pit had been dug six years earlier, mixed with Divine-Given Remains and humus, refilled to form a hemisphere tubao with a 30-meter radius.

The throne settled.

Dragon Cypress fluttered its wings and hopped lightly onto the top of the tubao, scratched a shallow pit three or four centimeters deep, lowered its head, spat out the seed, and refilled it for burial.

Water System Primordial Energy gathered at its tentacles, condensing two large water spheres half a meter in diameter, which turned into fine rain to irrigate the soil.

Black Peach landed and ran along the ridge to the branch nest, mobilizing the ant colony to come and help, spreading out to guard all around the tubao.

A day later,

The Nine-Leaf Huangqian Divine-Given Seed took root and sprouted.

Spring was in full bloom, the best time of year for plants to grow; in just one day, the seedling had grown to seven or eight centimeters tall.

Five days later,

The seedling grew to half a meter tall, with lateral shoots budding.

Another five days later,

The seedling rapidly grew into a small tree just over a meter tall, marking its passage out of the most vulnerable stage.

Black Peach stayed behind to tend to it.

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid returned to Xianglan Mountain, tidied up briefly, and set off south, traveling between the various Origin Force Points, searching for Divine-Given Seed.

On the way from Southern Sour Jujube Mountain to Cold Orchid Mountain, they took a detour, passing by Kiwifruit Mountain...

It was the season when the kiwifruit trees were in full bloom.

The main vine of the male Green-Red Kiwifruit Divine-Given Seed had grown over 500 meters long, winding along the ridge like a giant serpent, with countless sub-vines and offshoots, yet each year it bore only a limited number of blossoms.

The limited pollen only provided for a fixed number of Life Seed kiwifruit trees.

At Mountain Lord Level, Blue Catalpa comprehended an ability: Flower Spot

It manipulates pollen, attaches it to target carapace, and swiftly draws out the target’s Origin Force to form a ’flower spot.’

A combat-type ability that consumes an enemy’s Origin Force.

Blue Catalpa thought of a clever use: using only the pollen manipulation part, activating the ability to efficiently collect pollen from the male Green-Red Kiwifruit Divine-Given Seed, then using it to precisely pollinate its own and Snakebark Maple’s Life Seed Green-Red Kiwifruit Trees, thus maximizing utilization.

Under normal circumstances, a single male Divine-Given Seed could pollinate only three or four dozen corresponding Life Seeds.

Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple together nurtured 55 Green-Red Kiwifruit Life Seeds.

Vine plants cover large territory; even with Xianglan’s southern and northern slopes fully planted, only 30 could fit, so the remaining 25 were planted on another distant mountain range.

Each springtime, when the blossoms open, Blue Catalpa is busiest.

Gathering pollen, it has to go around pollinating the 30 Green-Red Kiwifruit Life Seed trees scattered in the mountains with precision, and then make the effort to pollinate the other 25 on the distant mountain range.

The yields are maximized to the extreme.

Lord-Level Green-Red Kiwifruit Fruits can fetch 20 Source Stones each.

A single Life Seed Kiwifruit Tree, upon entering its abundant fruit-bearing period, can produce 1,000 fruits annually.

The Source Stone expenditure is high.

After deducting the costs, there’s a net profit of around 16,000 Source Stones.

With 55 Green-Red Kiwifruit Life Seeds, Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple thus gain 880,000 Source Stones in ultra-high annual profit.

They also have 16 other varieties of common Life Seeds, all excellent top-level plant seeds, enhanced with Divine-Given Remains, also with decent yields.

Add it all up, Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple earn nearly a million a year, which is considered very high—normally, reaching Evolution King Level poses no problem. But, if they were to imitate Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid, eating only Ant King Honey, they’re still a long way off.

After those two reached Evolution Lord Level, Blue Catalpa managed to evolve once with difficulty, while Snakebark Maple was completely stalled.

With Lord-Level longevity, Dragon Cypress doesn’t bother with them anymore.

...

The Dominating Throne entered the Land of Origin Force, Soul-Setting Ability scanning over all.

As expected, Blue Catalpa was running busily around the Green-Red Kiwifruit Divine-Given Seed, collecting pollen.

Snakebark Maple was following, presumably helping out.

"I’ll go help too!"

Ink Orchid tossed out a line, lifted off, and sped away.

Suddenly, it slowed down, descended rapidly, circled at low altitude, and landed in an orchard.

On the Dominating Throne, Dragon Cypress’s gaze sharpened, activating Soul-Setting Ability.

At the same time, Ink Orchid activated Soul-Setting Ability as well.

"Great King, come here!"

"Divine-Given Seed?"

"Yes!"

"What kind of tree?"

"No idea. Unrecognizable. Come see for yourself."