Among insects, there is a small chance that Insect Clan Warriors of the Origin Force Life Level are born. They possess a unique organ called a 'Life Pouch,' which allows them to nurture an ordinary plant seed into a 'Life Seed' during each evolutionary Age Period.
Once sown, a Life Seed develops into an Origin Force Plant. When it blooms and bears fruit, this fruit becomes Origin Force Food, capable of promoting the growth and Evolution of Insect Clan Warriors.
Life Seeds nurtured by different Insect Clans, as well as various types of plants, each possess unique additional strengthening effects.
The cumulative effects of these enhancements grant Insect Clan Warriors formidable abilities.
For Insect Clan Warriors, Life Seeds are vital to their existence.
Normally, Junior Warriors will sow their seeds under the protection of High-Rank Warriors of their species.
The Ant Clan is slightly different from other Insect Clans.
If there is protection from a High-Rank Ant King of the same species, sending a team of Combat Soldier Ants to guard is sufficient. Worker Ants can even be dispatched to help loosen the soil and fertilize.
If it is a female Little Ant King, even without the protection of a High-Rank Ant King, she can lay eggs to develop an ant colony. She can then direct the colony to manage and guard the Life Seed, allowing her to pass through the vulnerable stage relatively safely.
Dragon Cypress was a solitary Male Ant King who had to rely solely on himself.
But Dragon Cypress was smart. Before choosing a spot to plant the Life Seed, he had his eye on a large clump of Red Thorn Vine on a nearby hillside.
He prepared in advance by slicing the thorned branches and leaving them to dry.
After the rain, the weather cleared, bringing a warm and moist mid-spring.
Dragon Cypress, learning from the Dulai Flame Spider Clan, smoothed the stone walls of his nest chamber. For every day and night that passed, he carved a mark on the wall.
Four days later, Dragon Cypress removed the small stones that were pressing on top of the soil.
On the fifth day, the Round Cypress Life Seed was the first to break through the soil, followed by the Spiked Cypress and Dragon Cypress Life Seeds sprouting tips.
The survival challenge had just begun.
Life Seed seedlings were at their most fragile in the sprouting stage. A bird landing with flapping wings or a beast running past could inadvertently deal them an irreversible, fatal blow.
By this time, the previously cut Red Thorn Vine branches were half-dried. Dragon Cypress began a second cutting, removing dead leaves and slicing the branches into strips about twenty centimeters long.
The Ant Clan's innate Talent was Strength. Dragon Cypress, after all, was a Primary-Level Ant King in his 4th Age Period and could lift objects hundreds of times his body weight. With some effort, he constructed a hexagonal thorn vine fence around the three Life Seed seedlings.
The Life Seed seedlings grew taller day by day.
Dragon Cypress tirelessly cut Red Thorn Vines, dried them, transported them, and used them for construction. He even used tough, dry grass leaves for binding and reinforcement, continuously enlarging and heightening the defensive structures.
Soon, they took shape.
Birds would not land on the thorn vines, and beasts dared not traverse this path.
The hillside was lush with vegetation, always attracting various small insects. Dragon Cypress fixed his hunting range nearby, using the thorn vines for cover to evade various predators.
A month later, the once-lush clump of Red Thorn Vine was trimmed down to only seven thick main stems and a scattering of tender new branches from the spring.
The three Life Seeds sailed through their most fragile sprout stage unscathed, growing into seedlings over 10 centimeters tall.
Not only was the Origin Force concentration thin here, but the hillside soil was also not fertile enough.
Dragon Cypress frequently hunted any small insects that intruded into his territory. He would dig pits around the Cypress seedlings, burying the insects to create compost.
Time flew by, and another month passed.
「The hot peak of summer.」
The three Life Seed seedlings had grown to around 20 centimeters in height, establishing strong roots in this place.
Melde had advised Dragon Cypress to choose Cypress for his Life Seed, a fairly standard choice. Cypress plants possess vigorous Life Force and strong environmental adaptability. They are tolerant of various soil types, drought-resistant, and easy to keep alive. As an Arbor, its future growth potential is enormous.
However, the downside is equally striking: it grows slowly. It takes 2 to 3 years of nurturing to mature enough to bloom and bear its first Origin Force Fruit. Only after 5 or more years of management will it produce a substantial yield.
If there is the protection of a fellow Ant King providing Origin Force Food to aid in growth, Cypress is undoubtedly a superior choice.
But, alas...
Dragon Cypress, now a Primary-Level Ant King in his 4th Age Period, should have been evolving rapidly. However, his growth was nearly at a standstill due to the scant Origin Force in the environment and the lack of Source Stones or Origin Force Food.
The average lifespan of a Primary-Level Ant King is only about 15 years; Male Ants might have an even shorter one.
After the age of 8, they begin to enter a period of decline, and Evolution becomes increasingly difficult each year.
Dragon Cypress had been in his 4th Age Period for nearly half a year.
If I can't evolve in time, failing to gestate the fourth Life Seed and not sowing enough Life Seed Plants early, my territory won't produce enough Origin Force Food.
Without sufficient Origin Force Food, subsequent Evolution will be even more difficult.
While striving to survive independently, I must also consider growth. Otherwise, I will fall into a vicious cycle: being too impoverished to evolve in time, and becoming poorer because I couldn't evolve, ultimately leading to an early death.
The Origin Force concentration is higher near the Starship's exit. I could consider living there permanently to absorb Natural Primordial Force and advance to the 5th Age Period as soon as possible.
Dragon Cypress looked at the Red Thorn Vines, which had regrown lushly under the scorching sun. A new plan formed in his mind.
After an exceptionally heavy downpour, the sun in the sky seemed to rise a bit higher.
The autumn sky was clear, the air crisp.
There was a tall Michelia tree within his territory.
When Dragon Cypress chose where to sow the Life Seeds, he had considered using this tree's branches and leaves to shield them from the fierce summer sun.
Now that summer had passed and the three Cypress seedlings had survived their most fragile stage, this Michelia tree became a competitor for sunlight and nutrients with the Life Seed Plants.
With his mandibles, Dragon Cypress gnawed around the Michelia tree's trunk, slowly peeling off its bark. He damaged the phloem, severing the sieve tubes that transported water and nutrients.
Under the autumn sun, the Michelia tree quickly withered.
After a night of wind and rain, leaves were strewn everywhere.
「End of Autumn.」
All three Cypress saplings had grown to over 30 centimeters in height and were no longer so fragile.
Dragon Cypress tirelessly continued to cut the Red Thorn Vines, expanding the defensive works around the three Cypress plants.
Once again, he cut the Red Thorn Vine down to only seven lonely main branches.
Circles upon circles of thorn vines now surrounded the three Cypress Life Seeds, forming a continuous barrier.
There probably won't be any danger now.
And if there is, it's not something I can stop with my current strength.
Dragon Cypress, carrying a Spider Silk Bag, left his territory.
The entire Starship was constructed from a type of Primordial Energy Metal.
This metal was as light as a feather, yet its hardness and toughness were extreme. After thousands of years, only the outer gold plating had flaked off; the metal components showed no discernible corrosion.
According to Melde, even an Insect King with an awakened Metal Ability would need to expend a great deal of effort to cause even minor damage.
The Starship's exit on the Cloud Trace Continent side was a flat, torn surface. It had likely struck the ground on this side during its fall, the violent impact causing the opening's edges to deform.
Originally, it must have created a huge crater. Over long ages, however, it was buried by soil, eventually forming a raised hill.
The hill was now covered with various plants. However, because the soil layer was not deep enough, Arbors could not grow large; mostly, there were only weeds and low shrubs.
Dragon Cypress hid near the Starship's exit to rest at night. During the day, he began to gather food for the winter.
He hunted small insects like crickets and locusts near the cave entrance, cutting and drying them into jerky, then storing them in his Spider Silk Bag.
In the golden season of late autumn, various insects would die of old age or freeze to death during the cold nights. Often, he didn't even need to hunt; he could just pick them up.
In just a few days, the bag was stuffed full.
There was enough food for the winter.
Suddenly finding himself with nothing to do, Dragon Cypress, who had grown accustomed to being busy all day for the better part of a year, felt somewhat unaccustomed to the idleness.
Only when he had some spare time did he suddenly realize that he was now utterly alone.
He anxiously paced back and forth at the cave entrance. After two days of this restlessness, Dragon Cypress finally could not suppress his curiosity and set out to explore the uncharted parts of the Starship.