Astral Sand Locust

The tender white stems, topped with thick cotyledons, emerge from the sandy soil, and as the morning light shines, the cotyledons unfold and turn green.

Between the two cotyledons, a green bud grows rapidly, and a tender leaf with a slight purplish-red hue slowly unfolds. Under the sunlight, it gradually turns green and grows bigger and bigger, eventually becoming the first true leaf.

Then the second true leaf, the third true leaf...

The seedlings of the Locust tree species are growing rapidly.

The primordial energy, bioenergy, and nutrients stored in the cotyledons are rapidly consumed.

The cotyledons are wrinkled, shriveled, and fall off.

Correspondingly, in just one day, the seedlings grew to a height of nearly thirty centimeters.

The sand locust tree stayed by its side around the clock, taking meticulous care of it.

Three days later,

The seedlings have grown to over half a meter in height...

Midnight,

Mu Dou flapped its wings, glided from the cave on the mountainside, and landed in a spiral.

"Sand locust tree, do you need me to water it?"

"No need. I can manage on my own."

"Alright... Sha Huai, I have bad news for you, we've finished eating the white thorn seeds."

"Uh... I know... I'll eat it sooner or later."

"But I feel that I am still a long way from the second stage of evolution."

"How far is 'very far'? Measured in terms of raw stones, how much is still missing?"

"The difference is too great. I can't estimate it."

"Could it be that the resources required for a 1-year-old intermediate warrior to evolve into a 2-year-old intermediate warrior are more than twice that required for a 9-year-old intermediate warrior to break through?"

"It's hard to say. I don't know. I've finished a whole jar of white thorn seeds, and I still feel like I'm very, very far from reaching the second instar of evolution."

"The next rainy season, the fruit of the God-given seed of the scarab beetle will ripen and be harvested, and we will have food made with divine power."

"It's still a long way off, and the quantity isn't large either..."

The essence of Force Food is Force that has been transformed through Force Plants into Force Energy with special enhancement effects.

It's still essentially the Force, just with special effects.

The size, shape, and inherent power of natural stones are fixed.

Raw stone can be used as a unit of measurement for energy content.

A rough count was conducted by the sand locust and the herb.

A level 1 beginner warrior can evolve into a level 2 warrior with the energy equivalent to one Primal Stone.

The second-year-old evolves into the third-year-old, which doubles to two.

It evolves from the 3-year-old stage to the 4-year-old stage, and then doubles again, resulting in 4 stars.

And so on,

A level 9 beginner warrior needs the equivalent of 250 Primal Stones' worth of Primal Energy to advance to the intermediate level.

It should be noted that approximately 22 white thorn seeds contain the equivalent of one Originium Stone's Force energy.

If the resources required for a 1-year-old intermediate warrior to advance to a 2-year-old warrior double, then it should require the equivalent of 500 Primal Stones' worth of Primal Energy.

That's about 11000 white thorn seeds?

At its peak, the White Thorn seed production was approximately 3 seeds per year.

However, the white thorn seed is a high-level life plant, and the white thorn pod is a high-level primal force food.

Starting with the intermediate-level warrior, the resources required for Zerg warriors to grow and evolve become enormous.

Thanks to the gifts left by their predecessors, the sand locust and the wild bean quickly and smoothly passed through the initial stage.

Sha Huai was very confident, relying on the divine kingdom and divine power, he could still live a relatively comfortable life during the intermediate warrior stage.

The sand locust tree remained calm and composed.

Mudou seemed somewhat anxious. Seeing that the sand locust tree didn't need any help, it slowly walked towards its Mudou Destiny Seed, straightened its front legs, looked up and gazed around, then circled the tree several times. It then slowly walked towards the Golden Tortoise Tree Divine Gift Seed, looked around, circled, and then walked towards the White Thorn Destiny Seed...

"The condition of the *Sophora japonica* and *Nitraria tangutorum* seeds hasn't improved. Do you think the true god of nature has forgotten about them?"

"The true god of nature must be very busy, right? After all, it has to take care of the entire Zerg race, not just you and me."

"So you just forgot? Can God forget things too?"

"Too busy?"

"Can even God be too busy?"

"Really?"

Mu Dou hesitated for two seconds before saying, "Sha Huai, I think we can do this: I'll stay and help you take care of the Sha Huai seed. You can continue searching for the divinely bestowed seed."

"Can……"

The sand locust tree nodded its antennae, then shook them, and said:

"No rush. I'll wait until the sand locust seedlings have passed the seedling stage, are two or three meters tall, and have a certain ability to withstand risks before we talk about it. Seedlings are a big deal, and we can't be careless in the slightest."

"Two or three meters? That would take a month or two?"

"One and a half months."

"That's a long time~ I can't just sit idle! We're running out of raw stones, I'll go to Black Mountain and collect some more."

"OK……"

Sha Huai suddenly realized a problem: Mu Dou is a bit useless~

Sha Huai, having broken through to the intermediate warrior level, comprehended the racial ability "Earth Rhythm," which allows him to scan and sense the underground, quickly and accurately finding hidden stones—a hundred times faster than using mental energy to scan.

When it comes to finding raw stones, the sand locust tree is more adept.

The task of finding the divinely bestowed seeds also depends entirely on the sand locust tree.

Even in the future, when they travel south from the ocean to find other Zerg warriors and exchange Force food, they will still have to rely on the flying ability of the Sand Acacia.

Mudou is a system-based talent, a clumsy strength warrior whose only redeeming quality is her brute strength. She is large in size with a broad back armor, making her suitable for transport...

But then I thought again, I couldn't blame Mu Dou.

Most Zerg warriors are at a similar level to Mudou.

I can only blame myself for being too outstanding and possessing too many skills.

Sha Huai: "..."

Sha Huai said, "Mu Dou, there's one more thing. With my breakthrough to the intermediate warrior level, my divine soul has become much stronger and more solid. I suspect that my perception of the divinely bestowed seed will be much more acute now, allowing me to sense its presence from a greater distance."

"Yes!"

"This is the most important improvement!"

Upon hearing this, Mu Dou's eyes lit up, and she happily said, "The giant Aristolochia seed has just been conceived and is almost completely natural. It's a divinely bestowed seed that can be used for testing, and it won't have a significant impact on the results."

"That's right. That's what I meant too."

The sand acacia waved its antennae and called out, "There are many primal force plants here in the territory, and various primal force fluctuations interfere with perception. Mu Dou, let's go, let's find a quiet place to test."

"good!"

Mu Dou readily agreed and set off with them.

...

Within the realm of the divine kingdom, Sha Huai's perception, affinity, and control over the Force have all been greatly enhanced.

The divine realm can also severely interfere with test results.

Sha Huai led the way north and placed Mu Dou under a Mu Dou tree on the northern plains of the divine kingdom.

Mu Dou spat out the divinely bestowed seed of the giant Aristolochia flower, placed it on a flat stone on the ground, stood a little distance away, concealed his aura, and entered an "ambush" state to avoid interfering with the test.

Sha Huai continued northward, flying for over 4 kilometers before switching to walking. He continued to sense the divinely bestowed seeds of the giant Aristolochia while running to create distance until he lost the connection to the seeds.

Mark the location.

Measuring distance.

The results will be available soon.

The evolved intermediate warrior's perception range for the God-given Seed has reached 4500 meters.

That is, it is consistent with the radius of the divine kingdom.

Sha Huai speculated that the radius of the divine kingdom was directly determined by the perception of this divine soul.

Only when one breaks through to a higher realm and experiences a qualitative change in their life level, will their soul undergo a qualitative change, their perception increase accordingly, and the scope of their divine kingdom expand in tandem.

Sha Huai roughly understood the relationship between the divine soul, the divine kingdom, the perception of the divine soul, and the scope of the divine kingdom.

...

...

There is also a test project,

Sha Huai and Mu Dou arrived together at the rocky plain at the foot of Black Mountain.

Mu Dou carried the sand locust tree and ran swiftly.

Shahuai stood on Mudou's carapace and activated its ability "Earth Rhythm," sensing the underground along the way to search for the raw stones hidden underground.

After searching for a long time,

Unfortunately,

They are scattered and fragmented.

The expected mining site with a large concentration of raw stones was not found.

...

Mu Dou goes out early and returns late to collect raw stones.

The sand locust tree remained in its territory, guarding the base of the life-giving tree around the clock.

Two days later,

The divine kingdom produces 1 point of divine power.

Without much thought, Sha Huai directly assigned the seed to the Golden Tortoise God.

As the ruler of the divine kingdom, Sha Huai clearly felt that the speed at which the divine kingdom produced divine power had greatly increased.

It is currently the dry season, which has lasted for more than half a year. In just 13 days, another 1 point of divine power will be produced.

During the dry season, it only takes 13 days to produce 1 point of divine power.

The biggest improvement is that the area of ​​the divine kingdom has increased to 2.25 times its original size, and the rate of divine power production has also doubled.

Secondly, there are newly sown locust trees.

The Primal Power Plants, once rooted within the Divine Kingdom, can significantly accelerate the rate of Divine Power production.

……

Sha Huai accurately recorded the interval between each time 1 point of divine power was produced, and through the mathematical knowledge passed down in his memory, he deduced some approximate data in reverse.

For example, the common life-type plants, the Bean and the Locust, have basically the same rate of increasing the rate at which the divine power is generated in the divine realm.

If we calculate the effect of the Destiny Seed alone, it is approximately 1 point of Divine Power every 150 days.

Within the realm of the divine kingdom, there also grows a Rain Tree Flower Crown Pillar, a divinely bestowed seed, which enhances the rate at which divine power is produced in the divine kingdom three times more effectively than the Seed of the Bean and the Sand Locust seed.

Calculated individually, it's approximately 1 point of divine power every 50 days.

Of course, the most basic and largest part is the vast number of ordinary plants, large and small, and various animals within the divine kingdom.

The current diameter of the divine kingdom is 4500 meters. Calculated individually, it takes approximately 23 to 24 days to produce 1 point.

Ordinary plants and animals, life-giving plants, and wild divinely bestowed seeds work together to enable the divine power output rate of the divine kingdom to reach 1 point every 13 days.

The Golden Tortoise Divine Seed consumes 1 point every 20 days.

This means that the divine power produced by the divine country is currently slightly surplus!

The sand locust tree kicked its legs, flapped its wings, and took off at a leisurely pace, flying to the tree that the golden tortoise had bestowed upon it. It then scanned and observed the tree up close, sensing and assessing its condition.

The immense primal force and vitality stored within the thick branches can sustain a healthy lifespan of nearly 50 days.

"However, when the reserves of Force and vitality fall below a certain threshold, the fruit on the tree will wither and fall due to the instinct for self-preservation..."

After a slight hesitation, Sha Huai still allocated this 1 point of divine power to the Golden Tortoise's Divine Gift Seed.

……

Thirteen days later,

Another point of divine power,

It should still be given to the golden tortoise, a seed bestowed by the god.

Thirteen days later,

One more point of divine power.

At this time, the trunk of the Golden Tortoise God-given Seed had accumulated enough primal force and vitality to sustain healthy survival for more than 60 days.

At the same time, the height of the locust tree has exceeded 2 meters, and it has initially grown into a small tree with roots extending more than five meters into the ground and roots that are nearly five meters wide.

The sand locust tree, unhurried and deliberate, controlled the earthenware pot with its mind to draw water and irrigate the area. It worked from late at night until dawn, thoroughly watering the entire area within a five-meter radius of the sand locust tree seedling.

Preparations are complete.

The sand locust tree manipulated the faint, pervasive divine power, gathering and infusing it into the sand locust tree's life seed.

Completed instantly.

Divine power formed an extraordinary and extremely concentrated primal force and life force within the branches and trunk of the sand locust tree.

Under the morning light,

This mysterious power came into play.

The locust tree species grows branches and leaves rapidly.

Sha Huai moved the raw stone from his cave and slowly scraped it with the tip of his toe, releasing it gradually to replenish its primal energy.

In just one day,

The locust tree has grown nearly half a meter taller.

As darkness fell,

When Mu Dou returned, he stood on the ridge and immediately noticed something amiss from afar. He ran down the mountain and charged to the locust tree he had planted.

"Sand locust? What happened? How big was the sand locust seedling when I left this morning? Did I remember wrong? It suddenly grew so much today!"

The sand locust tree shook its antennae innocently, looking somewhat bewildered.

"Mu Dou, you're not mistaken. It's very strange. I don't understand what happened either; it suddenly surged today."

"Weren't you guarding under the tree?"

"Yes. I watched it grow rapidly. I even used Primal Stones to replenish its Primal Force."

"So, you didn't notice anything unusual?"

No.

"..."

The locusts are so stupid~ Mu Dou was speechless, staring at the locust tree in a daze.

Sha Huai didn't take the initiative to say anything.

Midnight,

The ground temperature dropped.

Using his mind to control the pottery jar, he drew water from a deep well underground to irrigate it, thoroughly soaking the surrounding soil.

Mu Dou helped out and finished the work around midnight.

Mu Dou stopped collecting raw stones and stayed with Sha Huai under the Sha Huai Life-Growing Tree, watching it grow taller and stronger at an extraordinary speed.

In just one day,

The tree's height soared to 4 meters.

Another day has passed.

The tree is nearly 5 meters tall.

Growth has slowed slightly.

One day later,

The tree is nearly 6 meters tall.

At this point, the primal force and vitality contained within the tree trunk reach a certain balance with the size of the tree, and normal growth resumes.

The locust tree, with its keen senses, greedily absorbs sunlight and primal energy as its rapidly growing branches and leaves transform and store primal energy substances, nutrients, and bioenergy.

After confirming that the seed's status was correct, Sha Huai approached Mu Dou to discuss the next steps.

A tree nearly 6 meters tall, in this wilderness, almost no animal can harm it, so there's no need to guard it from its base.

In the past two years, the growth and evolution of the sand locust and the herd bean, as well as the planting and cultivation of life seeds, have consumed a large amount of raw stones.

The warehouse has less than 3,000 raw stones in storage.

Mudou continued collecting raw stones to replenish her inventory.

Sha Huai then set off for the mountains and hills on the southern side of the giant northern mountain range to search for the divinely bestowed seeds.

...

After being promoted to intermediate warrior, the radius of the soul perception increased dramatically from 3000 meters to 4500 meters, an increase of 50%.

When searching for divinely bestowed seeds, the area of ​​perception coverage doubles.

Flight speed has also increased significantly, halving the time required to fly from one mountain to another. The speed is doubled when searching for divinely bestowed seeds.

In total, the rate of searching for divinely bestowed seeds increased by 2 times.

One day now is equivalent to three days before.

...

However, a fast search speed doesn't seem to have any effect.

Thirty days have passed, and nothing has been gained.

Shahuai returned to the Green Tree Mountain Range territory to rest for two days, let Mudou know he was safe, and then set off to continue.

Another 20 days have passed in a flash.

The sand locust tree once again arrived at the cliffs on the eastern side of the continent, beyond which lay the deep blue sea.

At this point, the entire mountainous and hilly terrain on the south side of the giant mountain range had been searched, but nothing was found.

The rainy season is approaching.

Sha Huai returned to the Green Tree Mountain Range territory and, together with Mu Dou, dug cutting holes in advance on the planned plots.

Suddenly one day,

at night,

A fierce wind blew, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and torrential rain poured down.

The first rain of this year's rainy season came exceptionally fast.

It came quickly and went quickly; as darkness fell, the night ended. The dark clouds dispersed, and the moon still hung obliquely in the east.

After discussing it, Mu Dou and Sha Huai set off overnight to collect tree branches and begin the cutting and planting work for this year's rainy season.