Among the five seeds currently nurtured by Banbu, in addition to the Divine Gifted Seed, Sunfruit, White Jade Mulberry, and Side Cypress, the fifth seed did not adhere to Mayu's intentions to choose the Iron Knife Tree but rather opted for the Lizhu Seed.

Compared to the Iron Knife Tree, Lizhu had another advantage—rapid growth.

Banbu's choice of Xuncao as the first seed could be considered a waste of a precious opportunity, so it decided not to use raspberry as a seed. Raspberry seeds were mainly for getting through the intermediate warrior stage, and Iron Knife Mountain's chief promised to provide ample Force Fruit to help Banbu become an advanced warrior as soon as possible, thus establishing a solid foothold in the Jinping Mountains.

The cave opened by Golden Bamboo Mountain's chief was located on the south side of the peak, with moderate lighting—neither too dim nor too bright—making it a prudent choice.

Currently, Banbu's strength was weak, so to facilitate management, all five seeds were planted at the entrance of the cave. Banbu planned to move them to their most suitable growing positions next spring.

Flame Cluster Bambusoideae carefully inspected Lizhu Peak again to confirm the absence of any threats to Banbu. However, it still couldn't shake off its worries.

After planting the seeds, Banbu dragged in a large amount of thorny vines and arranged them into a simple protective barrier.

Life under the protection of elders was comfortable, but it also came with limitations. Now, living independently meant freedom, albeit with dangers.

The contemplation of refining martial arts techniques had been shelved for too long, and Banbu could no longer contain its impatience.

"What are you doing, Banbu?" Flame Cluster Bambusoideae asked, returning from its patrol and seeing Banbu digging into the mountain rocks at the top of the cave.

"I'm digging a hole, a small nest. If I encounter large beasts, I can hide inside, and they won't be able to harm me," Banbu replied.

Flame Cluster Bambusoideae paused for two seconds, then exclaimed, "Wow! Banbu, you're so clever! Why didn't I think of that? Now, I won't have to worry about your safety."

The cave opened by Golden Bamboo Mountain's chief was too spacious, allowing any large-sized animal to enter easily.

The location and direction of Banbu's excavation were cunning—from the top of the cave, it dug vertically downward, creating a vertical passage 200 units deep before turning sideways to create the nest.

In the event of encountering overpowering large animals, Banbu could simply retreat into the nest, cleverly avoiding danger.

The primary reason Banbu did this was to sketch the structure of its body in the secret nest, saving mental energy and assisting in refining martial arts techniques.

Impressed by Banbu's ingenuity, Flame Cluster Bambusoideae left with peace of mind. It couldn't stay away from its own territory for too long; it had its own seeds to care for, and there were plenty of newly revived common ants in need of protection.

Banbu continued to be busy.

Its body structure was too complex, having undergone several molting evolutions, becoming even more intricate. Banbu had to start from scratch, redrawing the diagrams. Of course, the second attempt was smoother, coupled with Banbu's current status as an L7 junior warrior with powerful mental strength, progress was quite smooth.

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Food was not a problem; upon learning that Banbu had moved to Lizhu Peak, planted seeds, and started living independently, as promised, Iron Knife Mountain's chief dispatched four senior warriors—Iron Knife Cliff, Yun Tao, Hu Bao, and Lizhu—to take turns coming to check on Banbu.

They would arrive every day, either just before noon or just before midday, first checking Banbu's safety at the cave entrance, greeting it, then patrolling Lizhu Peak or the surrounding peaks to see if any large beasts had migrated. During the patrol, they would hunt one or two animals and bring them to Banbu as food for the day.

In the relatively safe Iron Knife Mountains, members of the Red Cockroach tribe only began to live independently after advancing to intermediate warriors. Banbu was currently only an L7 junior warrior, and in the perilous Jinping Mountains, they were particularly careful, avoiding Banbu going out on long journeys for food.

...

The gentle rain fell all night long.

In the morning, soft sunlight bathed the peaks.

The snow on the summit melted, and mountain streams gurgled.

Birds that had migrated south quietly returned, perching on branches and singing.

The branches of plants swayed with fresh greenery, dormant insects revived, enjoying delicious food.

The vast forest, dormant for a whole winter, seemed to awaken overnight.

Spring had arrived!

Banbu emerged from the cave to check on its seeds.

The Xuncao seed suddenly burst forth with a strong vitality, sprouting three lush green shoots, breaking through the soil and emerging.

The Sunfruit, White Jade Mulberry, Side Cypress, and Lizhu Seed all germinated and broke through the soil.

Even the Divine Gifted Seed released a slender, pale golden shoot, reflecting a metallic luster under the sunlight. Unlike the others, it greedily absorbed the surrounding Force, containing abundant Force and vigorous vitality from the moment of birth.

The connection between Banbu and the Divine Gifted Seed was much clearer than with ordinary seeds; Banbu could sense its independent emotions—pride, dominance, and even anger.

But why was it angry?

Banbu attempted to soothe its emotions with telepathy.

In response, the anger from the Divine Gifted Seed grew even stronger.

Banbu carefully inspected its care of the seedlings—everything seemed well attended to, without any omissions.

Information about the Divine Gifted Seed was scarce in the inherited memories and Mayu's knowledge. Unable to understand what was happening, Banbu could only ignore its angry emotions and occasionally approach to check its condition.

After observing for a day, Banbu felt the anger transmitted by the Divine Gifted Seed gradually subsiding. While greedily absorbing Force, the surface shoots showed no changes, but the underground roots were growing wildly.

It was a bizarre growth pattern and speed.

In just one short day, the roots had developed more than those of the Xuncao seed planted last year.

With a relieved heart, Banbu returned to the cave to continue pondering the refinement of martial arts techniques.

The remaining Force Fruit given by the elders was not much, and due to the long time, the Force began to dissipate. There probably wouldn't be any Force Fruit for the entire spring, and the absorption rate of natural Force by exoskeletons was too slow. The seeds had just started to develop, and for a short time, they couldn't provide the Force needed for growth.

The growth and evolution of insectoid Force-based creatures required two factors: first, the regular absorption of Force to refine cells, a process necessary for the growth of any Force-based creature; second, the strengthening of genes by Force Fruit to improve overall physique. Insects had inherently weak constitutions, so this process could be considered as compensating for congenital defects.

Banbu had consumed a large number of Force Fruits, coupled with its own training, its overall physique had long exceeded the requirements for evolution. Now, what it lacked was the absorption of Force to refine cells.

Refining martial arts techniques could greatly enhance the efficiency of Force utilization.

Banbu estimated that as long as it created the techniques, it could maintain a rate of one molt evolution every month during the spring.

Most importantly, the techniques could ensure rapid growth even after advancing to an intermediate warrior.

Busy until late at night, exhausted, Banbu prepared to rest. Just before sleeping, it emerged from the cave to check on the Divine Gifted Seed.

"What the hell!"

At a glance, Banbu was shocked.

In just half a night of neglect, the previously motionless Divine Gifted Seed suddenly grew wildly, its tender shoots creeping along the ground like vines, spanning a distance of 200 units, and then entwining around the nearest Side Cypress shoot, attempting to strangle it.

The Divine Gifted Seed was trying to kill the nearby Side Cypress Seed!