Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 805 Fourth Generation Mycelium

The surface of the enormous golden fungal ball quietly undulated, opening a gap just large enough for Zhao Qingming and Xiao Zhenye to parasitize it.

The moment their consciousnesses entered following the guidance, even though they were mentally prepared, the sight before them stunned them so much that their mental fluctuations froze for a moment.

The outside world is a magnificent golden sphere, but inside it reveals a completely different and breathtaking spectacle.

There was none of the primordial chaos and mycelium entanglement one might imagine. Instead, it was meticulously planned, like a highly efficient biofoundry!

The first thing that catches the eye is a dazzling and dense network of information flow composed of countless pheromones.

These pheromones, like materialized light strips, crisscross and vary in color, representing different instructions and status feedback, weaving a flowing network of light that illuminates almost the entire interior space.

Its complexity is comparable to a holographic traffic map above the busiest city, or a data torrent inside a supercomputer, silent yet incredibly powerful.

The core of the cultivation pool includes the element decomposition zone, the gold solution synthesis zone, the culture medium synthesis zone, and the cultivation pool.

The four regions form a complete production chain, continuously supporting the operation of Xiao Ran's mushroom mountain.

In this respect, it must be said that the efficiency of the mushroom people is comparable to that of a naturally gifted animal.

All Wu Man needed to do was make a plan and issue instructions, and the bandits would immediately understand her intentions. Then, they would work diligently and tirelessly, even without sleep, to follow the pheromones that Wu Man had planned.

The entire interior of the fungal ball is filled with the unique fantasy and mechanical beauty of biotechnology. It is huge yet orderly, and the efficiency of information flow and material transformation is astonishing.

"Good...good heavens!" Zhao Qingming's keen perception as a spirit immortal instantly captured the extreme complexity and grandeur of this microscopic world.

Even he couldn't help but praise it.

They had seen the Winter Tomb, visited the Spring Tomb, and then traveled all the way to the Three No-Man's Land, where they also witnessed the operation of the Spirit Tomb City.

However, no matter how rigorous these places are, they cannot achieve the precision and complexity of Xiao Ran.

Of course, this design was not Xiao Ran's doing; it was all done by Wu Man, her capable wife.

This guy labeled every bandit who surrendered as a beast of burden, and meticulously designed every position, operating exactly like a mechanized factory in reality, to ensure that every drop of value was squeezed out of these guys.

It's hard to say whether it's good or bad.

In any case, these naturalized bandits are actually quite happy about it.

After all, with enough security and a daily supply of molten gold to nourish them, their lives were actually much better than when they were bandits.

"You know how to enjoy yourself, kid. If we'd known you were coming, we old folks would have just waited for you."

Zhao Qingming said with a smile that the mycelium here made him feel exceptionally relaxed, and his spiritual body could even fully unfold. Although it was not as terrifying as Xiao Ran's spiritual power, its strength was definitely not below that of a C-level professional.

In order to avoid attracting attention, Zhao Qingming had to suppress his soul, which made him very unhappy outside.

It's like an adult wearing children's clothes; you have to walk very carefully, afraid that if you take too big a step, you'll burst the clothes.

In comparison, his grandfather, as a ghost cultivator, was not perfected and therefore much weaker, only equivalent to a D-level beginner.

"We rushed here as fast as we could to catch up. Grandpa Zhao, Grandpa Yang, did you find out about him?"

"Yes, if we're not mistaken, it should be in the central tomb area. We originally wanted to sneak over there."

The middle burial area and the lower burial area are different.

That place is the backbone of the entire Tomb Kingdom, and also the military force responsible for maintaining the operation of the entire Tomb Kingdom.

Zhao Qingming and Xiao Zhenye didn't dare to do anything reckless, so they could only think of smuggling themselves in.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ran sent a pheromone to Wu Man, asking him to inquire about the information regarding the Central Tomb and how to enter from the surrendered bandit groups.

Soon, Wu Man's pheromones were transmitted.

Xiao Ran took a closer look and found that it was indeed similar to what her grandfather and the others knew.

Smuggling themselves in would undoubtedly be the easiest option, but for someone with Xiao Ran's massive physique, it doesn't seem like such a difficult task.

Just as Xiao Ran was struggling with her decision, Wu Man continued to send messages: "It's not difficult to get in. Once I synthesize the fifth generation of mycelium, it will be fine."

Wu Man quickly sent Xiao Ran a synthesis formula.

According to the formula design, the fifth-generation mycelium focuses on the dual attributes of wood and water, which can completely block all perception.

While it may not be physically invisible, it's perfectly capable of deceiving these fungal inhabitants.

After all, mycelia don't have eyes; they rely on the induction between mycelia. As long as this is blocked, Xiao Ran is essentially invisible.

As for resources, Wu Man has already begun to receive the resources treasured by these bandit groups.

These bandit gangs had far more resources than they had anticipated.

What surprised Wu Man even more was that among the many supplies, there were actually two mission items.

One is dragon tooth vegetable, which is an extremely unique mycelium.

The specific effects of this substance are unknown, but according to the bandit leaders, consuming Dragon Tooth Vegetable can elevate one's soul.

It is said that after consuming it, some people's souls were elevated and they even became tomb owners in the central cemetery area.

But nothing is absolute; some people who ate dragon tooth vegetable simply vanished on the spot.

This product carries both risks and rewards; the vast majority of people who consume it do not achieve good results, much like buying a lottery ticket.

No one would attempt this unless absolutely necessary. That's why, even after obtaining the treasure, the bandits never dared to try it.

Besides dragon tooth vegetables, there's another thing: broken heart noodles.

This is an item needed for another side quest; it's a notoriously poisonous substance from the Tomb Kingdom.

A powdery fungus is carefully sealed inside spores. Once this substance comes into contact with the fungus, it will fix the consciousness within the hyphae, making it unable to move or leave. The hyphae will also quickly wither and die. For these fungal inhabitants, this is an incurable poison.

Wu Man carefully stored this item separately, and even specially separated a wisp of her consciousness to hide around it just in case.

According to the mission requirements, this stuff is meant to be consumed by oneself. Wu Man plans to wait until the sixth generation of mycelium is synthesized and has extremely high resistance before trying it.

A large amount of resources were continuously delivered into Xiao Ran's body.

This forced Xiao Ran to expand again, causing his body to swell once more.

Fortunately, this was not a burden on his mental strength.

As for these bandit gangs, Wu Man also took them all under her command. The gang leaders all had good mental strength and could serve as leaders under the second-in-command, which greatly improved Xiao Ran's ability to divide and fight.

By the time Xiao Ran left Lingmu City, this huge trading area had been almost completely emptied out by him.

Apart from some scattered mycelial remnants, not a single fungus resident was left behind.

It is no exaggeration to say that Xiao Ran's current size far exceeds the sum of the four major tomb kingdoms of the Lower Tomb Area, Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.

Its scale rivals that of the four major tomb kingdoms in the east, west, south, and north of the central cemetery area.

The massive expansion also led to a rapid increase in the efficiency of the internal factories.
Soon, Wu Man synthesized the culture medium for the fourth generation of mycelium.

The fourth-generation mycelium differs from other mycelium. As a soil-based mycelium, it cannot be used as a standalone entity and needs to parasitize other mycelium.

The parasitized hyphae become lighter and easier to control.

If previously 5 points of mental energy could only control 800 mycelia, then after four generations of mycelial parasitism, one can easily control 1000 mycelial units.

This is undoubtedly a huge boost for Xiao Ran, and even for other mushroom growers.

Especially among the bandit gangs recruited by the number two leader, there were inevitably a few old, weak, sick, and disabled members.

In order to take care of them, Wu Man could only preserve some ordinary mycelium.

In Wu Man's eyes, this was a huge waste.

Now, thanks to the characteristics of the fourth-generation mycelium, even these old, weak, and sick mycelia can easily control those mutated mycelia.

More importantly, the fourth generation of mycelium was derived from a single mother bead.

Once a mark is left on the mother plant, the parasitized mycelium will be unable to be occupied by other consciousnesses.

This undoubtedly further enhances the security within Xiao Ran.

Once the fourth generation of mycelium was cultivated, the first priority was to comprehensively enhance Xiao Ran's body. Therefore, Xiao Ran slowed down his pace towards the central tomb area and waited for the cultivation of the fifth generation of mycelium.

Meanwhile, outside the Tomb Kingdom.

Jin Chanzi and the others were sitting on the terrace, waiting silently.

Li Qing slowly lit his pipe, took a puff, and glanced at Jin Chanzi from time to time.

They had been waiting here for almost half an hour, but there was still no movement from below. If Lu Cheng hadn't shown such certainty about the Golden Toad, Li Qing probably wouldn't have wanted to wait a moment longer.

Just then, Jin Chanzi suddenly opened his eyes and looked down at the lake: "There's movement."

Upon hearing Jin Chanzi's words, everyone widened their eyes and crowded around.

Where??

Li Qing looked down at the water's surface, but the dark underground lake was eerily quiet, and he couldn't see anything at all.

"You little brat, are you kidding me?! Where are you?! What's that noise?!"

After watching for a while, Li Qing suddenly became annoyed; despite his age, his temper was rising rapidly.

At this moment, Jin Chanzi grinned and said, "Sorry, I forgot, you can't see it."

As he spoke, he picked up a stone and swung it forcefully forward.

The stone in his hand flew through the air in an arc before landing on the water with a "plop".

As ripples spread across the water, the dimly lit cave in front of them was gradually illuminated.

Countless fluorescent lights flickered beneath the water's surface, illuminating it, while countless mycelia intertwined beneath the surface, creating a dazzling halo.

Everyone stared at the colorful water in front of them, their eyes momentarily dazzled.

At this moment, Jin Chanzi pointed and said, "Look over there, Gu Xuan's tomb is right below."

Following the direction pointed out by the golden toad, the group saw that beneath the abyss illuminated by countless mycelium at the bottom of the lake, there seemed to be a tomb appearing and disappearing intermittently.

At this moment, Jin Chanzi looked to the other side, his eyes flashing with silver light as he quickly spotted a clump of pale golden mycelium at the corner of his eye. A smile appeared on his face: "Not bad, it seems they are quite fast."

(End of this chapter)