Astral Cockroach

High summer is also the peak season for harvests, with various fresh fruits ripening one after another.

Due to the transplantation, Wind Chime's life-seed plant has a particularly low yield this year, but the 100 Origin Stones earned from working for Banbu can make up for some of the losses.

Banbu began to frequently travel in the Iron Saber Mountains, seeking out wealthy elders to exchange Torch Oil Pine and Five-Leaf Red Cedar pine cones for fruits of ordinary life-seeds to feed Big Bear and Big Head, helping them grow.

Big Head is smart and can command the ant colony to help with work. The stronger it grows, the larger the worker ants' size and the ant colony's scale will become, so it's necessary and worthwhile to invest in it.

Big Bear is too stupid. After several attempts, it's basically confirmed that this fellow can't do anything other than help with fights. It's a standard beast warrior, with meridians that are very similar to those of humans. Banbu is currently hesitating whether to teach it some simple cultivation techniques and martial skills.

… …

In the evening, Banbu had just finished his day's feeding and was cultivating his techniques on the north side of the mountain to digest.

Three black shadows of varying sizes sped over.

From a long distance away, Banbu judged that they were Lizhu, Flame Cluster Silvergrass, and Black Mulberry, through subtle differences in Origin Power fluctuations.

"Banbu!"

After landing, Black Mulberry greeted him enthusiastically.

Black Mulberry's growth is much slower than Banbu's. He has only just been promoted to a Level 5 intermediate warrior, while Banbu is not far from being promoted to a Level 7 intermediate warrior.

"Black Mulberry, why have you run over here again?" Banbu teased, ignoring Black Mulberry's anger, and turned to greet Flame Cluster Silvergrass and Lizhu: "Long time no see, what brings you here to visit me?"

This was just a polite greeting.

There are not many fresh fruit life-seeds that ripen in summer within Lizhu's territory.

Flame Cluster Silvergrass has not been around for long, and most of its life-seeds have not yet grown up.

Now that it's this season, the two of them, like Black Mulberry and Banbu, have nothing to do and have come to visit.

Lizhu placed the bag he was carrying in front of Banbu, opened it, and introduced, "Banbu, these are the Origin Power fruits promised to you by the Iron Saber Mountain Master. You're about to be promoted to a seven-year intermediate warrior, right? The Iron Saber Mountain Master said that the second batch will be sent after you are promoted."

"Lizhu, thank the Iron Saber Mountain Master on my behalf." Banbu accepted, took out some and placed them in front of him, and greeted warmly: "Come, let's eat together."

Flame Cluster Silvergrass and Lizhu did not stand on ceremony.

Black Mulberry looked around and asked, "Banbu, where's Big Head?"

Banbu said, "Big Head is sleeping. He's about to become an intermediate warrior."

"That's great!" Black Mulberry cheered, then lowered his voice, "Big Head Harvest Ants are not a divinely blessed race and cannot eat the fruits condensed from divine seeds…"

"That's right." Banbu asked, "Black Mulberry, do you want fresh fruit or your own Torch Oil Pine pine cones? Or Five-Leaf Red Cedar pine cones?"

Black Mulberry picked up a yellow peach, swallowed it in one bite, and then shouted, "So sour, it's awful! Banbu, I want to eat Torch Oil Pine pine cones."

Banbu went into the cave, took out 3 Torch Oil Pine pine cones, and gave one each to Black Mulberry, Lizhu, and Flame Cluster Silvergrass.

Lizhu and Flame Cluster Silvergrass were overjoyed.

Black Mulberry asked, "Banbu, is this pine cone you gave me?"

Banbu said, "No, Black Mulberry, you still have 14 Torch Oil Pine pine cones left, and 31 Five-Leaf Red Cedar pine cones."

Black Mulberry asked, "What about Lizhu and Flame Cluster Silvergrass?"

Banbu said, "They are elders, you and I are peers, it's different."

Flame Cluster Silvergrass chimed in, "Black Mulberry, you little guy has made a fortune, and you can't bear to give us even one pine cone."

Black Mulberry retorted, "I gave Lizhu a Torch Oil Pine pine cone! Lizhu, didn't I?"

"Yes." Lizhu waved his antennae to indicate not to argue, and said with some anticipation, "Banbu, Flame Cluster Silvergrass and I came mainly to see your Emerald Bamboo divine seed."

Flame Cluster Silvergrass immediately gave up the idea of teasing Black Mulberry and followed up, "Black Mulberry said that the bamboo is growing so fast that it has already grown 73 bamboo poles?"

Banbu said, "Yes, divine seeds are favored by the True God of Nature and are different from ordinary life-seeds."

Flame Cluster Silvergrass gently crushed the pine cone shell with its toes, picked up the kernel, swallowed it in one bite, and said impatiently, "Banbu, hurry, take us over to see it."

"Okay."

Banbu led the three of them to the southwest side of the mountain.

A small bamboo forest, distributed regularly, with all the poles being a consistent 1500 or so, deep green bamboo poles and leaves, and crystalline emerald green veins, emitting wisps of Origin Power fluctuations.

The bamboo pole where the tree spirit resides in the center position is different and the most eye-catching. The pole is only about 200 tall, and the entire body is emerald green like jade, with a thick Origin Power that is restrained and not released.

"Beautiful! Beautiful! Simply perfect! It's so beautiful…"

Lizhu's attention was completely attracted by the bamboo pole where the tree spirit was located in the center position, and he was stunned and obsessed, praising it endlessly.

On the other hand, Flame Cluster Silvergrass's reaction was more normal. He looked around casually and praised, "Banbu, not bad, you have taken good care of the Emerald Bamboo divine seed, so I am relieved."

He was still using the tone of an elder, which sounded a bit forced and comical.

Black Mulberry had seen it before and didn't find it new, so he silently lay on the ground, absorbing the Origin Power of the Torch Oil Pine pine cone. He was only a Level 5 intermediate warrior, and a pine cone of extreme quality was not so easy to enjoy.

All tree spirits of divine seeds have the same temperament, with a super strong sense of territory and crisis, and a violent, tyrannical temper.

The Emerald Bamboo tree spirit frantically conveyed angry thoughts to Banbu, and sensing that Lizhu and the other two were not strong, urged Banbu to kill the "invaders".

"Lizhu, Flame Cluster Silvergrass, the Emerald Bamboo tree spirit is very repulsive to strange creatures other than me entering its territory. Let's go over there and take a look at the Amethyst Gold divine seed, shall we?"

"I've seen the Amethyst Gold divine seed, it's not as good as the Emerald Bamboo divine seed, it's far worse." Lizhu refused Banbu's suggestion and said, "Let's stand further away and let me take a closer look."

"What's so good about green bamboo?" Flame Cluster Silvergrass pulled Lizhu's vein wings with his forelimbs and urged, "Let's go!"

Lizhu broke free from Flame Cluster Silvergrass and said, "Let's stand further away and look! Just for a little while."

Flame Cluster Silvergrass waved his antennae and urged Black Mulberry, "Get up, let's go, I heard that newborn tree spirits are mostly timid, don't scare it."

The group walked south along the mountain road.

After walking a distance, Lizhu could no longer move his feet, and without saying anything, he just stood there blankly, silently watching, intoxicated and unable to control himself.

Flame Cluster Silvergrass shook his antennae and was about to urge Lizhu to leave quickly.

Banbu stopped him and said, "It's rare for you to come here, let him look. This distance won't affect the tree spirit."

"It's good if it doesn't affect it. I heard that the essence of tree spirits is the soul of plants, which is very fragile. Banbu, you have to be careful, don't scare it." Flame Cluster Silvergrass turned his body and looked around, finally fixing his gaze on the Emerald Bamboo divine seed and asked with emotion:

"Banbu, such a large bamboo forest, with thousands of Xun grass divisions, can provide you with a lot of Origin Power every night, right? Ordinary Origin Power, as long as there is enough, can also promote our growth."

Banbu shook his antennae and said with a wry smile, "They are very stingy. The Amethyst Gold tree spirit is unwilling to give any Origin Power, and the Emerald Bamboo tree spirit is willing to give it, but only a tiny bit each time."

"Ah?" Flame Cluster Silvergrass was surprised, puzzled, and asked, "Why?"

Banbu said, "They need too much Origin Power for their growth. Tree spirits are weak soul bodies. Plants have no brains, no ability to think. Out of the instinct of self-protection, they are used to keeping the Origin Power in their veins in a saturated state, so they are unwilling to give it."

What he said was a bit profound, and Flame Cluster Silvergrass thought for a while before understanding, nodded his antennae, and then asked, "Banbu, how are your golden silk bamboo and hybrid bamboo planted? Calculating the time, the dry season is coming soon, it should be blooming, right?"

Banbu said, "It has always been managed by Wind Chime. I haven't paid attention to it in the past few days. How about we go take a look later?"

"Okay." Flame Cluster Silvergrass complained again, "I saw that a lot of Wind Chimes were planted on the mountain, how can you allow…"

"Huh?!" Lizhu suddenly interrupted Flame Cluster Silvergrass's complaint with a low cry and asked in surprise, "Banbu, is your Emerald Bamboo divine seed about to bloom?"