The seven senior warriors took turns guarding, day and night without rest, allowing Banbu to fall into a deep sleep with peace of mind.
Thunder roared, and the wind howled.
Outside the cave, the rain poured down in torrents.
Awakening in a daze, Banbu felt extremely weak after the long-awaited breakthrough.
After eating some stored jerky and resting for a while, he eagerly moved his limbs, checking the changes in his blood vessels and heart structure.
Fortunately, the number of hearts still followed the previous pattern of incremental growth, indicating that the foundational cultivation technique he was about to complete would be usable.
As an intermediate warrior, Banbu was about 75 units in length.
This advancement was a qualitative transformation. While his size didn't increase much, the strength, speed, and soul intensity of his body had all seen a significant leap, as if breaking free from some kind of restraint. Compared to when he was a junior warrior, his overall combat power had nearly doubled.
"Banbu, are you awake?"
Banbu was sleeping in seclusion to advance, with the nest below being a cave initially excavated by the former mountain master of Jinzhu Peak. It was late at night, and a torrential rainstorm was raging. Flame Cluster Mottgrass rested in the cave below, sensing movement above and cautiously calling out with spiritual consciousness.
Banbu emerged from his seclusion chamber and answered, "Yes, I'm awake."
Flame Cluster Mottgrass scrutinized Banbu and couldn't help but mutter, "Banbu, why do you seem to be getting darker?"
Banbu turned to examine himself and noticed that the color of his newly molted shell was gradually changing from jet black to ebony. Moreover, the shell had a matte texture, no longer reflecting light like it did when he was a junior warrior.
Indeed, he appeared darker now, blending perfectly with the night. Even the lightning flashes outside the cave couldn't illuminate him.
Banbu spread his wing veins, which were covered with dense spikes.
He then checked his leg armor, finding many curved hooks growing from the back of his forelegs and hind legs.
His two long antennae on top of his head became more flexible, capable of bending, and his sensory perception became sharper.
With an increase in the number of compound eyes, his visual acuity and perception of details improved significantly.
A perfect evolution, revealing a menacing appearance!
"Banbu, you should ask the master of Iron Knife Mountain for some Iron Knife Tree fruits to eat, preferably fruits from the Scarlet Firmament Tree and Fire Oil Tongue Tree. The flames talent might help change your shell color a bit, so it's not so dark."
Flame Cluster Mottgrass stared at Banbu for a while, once again troubled by the color of Banbu's shell.
"Black is fine." Banbu extended his antennae, pointing southward outside the cave. "The Black and White Cockroach tribe likes black, which will make it easier for me to interact with them in the future."
Flame Cluster Mottgrass asked, "What do you mean by interacting with the Black and White Cockroach tribe? Banbu, don't get into disputes with them."
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"No, I mean trade." Banbu continued, "Look, across the Jinping River is a big mountain. With a river and a mountain separating us, it blocks the exchange of cold and heat, resulting in different climates between north and south. Different climates also create differences in plant and insect species."
"The fruits produced by northern plants can be sold for a good price in the south. Conversely, fruits from southern plants can fetch high prices in the north."
"Banbu, only lowly merchants engage in trade. Noble warriors of the Scarlet Roach tribe should focus on developing and prospering their own territories."
Disparaging trade while prioritizing agriculture was typical of a low-end agricultural society.
Banbu was silent for two seconds before saying, "My territory will prosper in the future, with an abundance of original force food. At that time, I will engage in some trade to obtain more valuable items, just like the master of Iron Knife Mountain and Princess Scarlet Firmament County do."
Flame Cluster Mottgrass bluntly said, "Banbu, you're thinking too much. That's something far, far in the future."
Ignorance.
Banbu lost interest in discussing the future with Flame Cluster Mottgrass and changed the subject, asking, "Are my command breeds all right?"
"Of course." Flame Cluster Mottgrass mysteriously said, "Banbu, guess how long you've been sleeping since you advanced to an intermediate warrior."
Banbu thought for a moment and asked, "Fifteen days?"
Flame Cluster Mottgrass flicked its antennae.
Banbu asked, "Twelve days?"
Flame Cluster Mottgrass exclaimed in surprise, "Banbu, how did you guess it right in two tries?"
Banbu shook his antennae, choosing not to answer.
Before he fell asleep, Flame Cluster Mottgrass was responsible for guarding him. Flame Cluster Mottgrass, Pudao, and Wind Chime took turns guarding him every night, and when he woke up, it was Flame Cluster Mottgrass who was on duty. So, it must have been a multiple of 3.
Typically, the duration of advancing to an intermediate warrior ranged from half a month to a month, and anything longer would likely result in evolution failure. Banbu felt that he was in excellent condition, so he estimated that he hadn't slept for long, which made it easy to guess.
Of course, it would be challenging to explain such a complex logical problem to Flame Cluster Mottgrass.
Banbu continued to change the subject, asking, "How many days has the dry season lasted? Are the ordinary bamboo on Li Zhu Peak doing well?"
"You encountered heavy rain on the fifth day after you fell asleep. The dry season this year wasn't severe, with only a few bamboo groves dying due to lack of water."
"Banbu, unfortunately, the bamboo you planted on the northern side of the mountain probably won't make it. Wind Chime said that was the new bamboo variety it gave you?"
"Yes." Banbu sighed, "It's such a beautiful bamboo variety, a pity."
Flame Cluster Mottgrass said, "It's not as bad as you think. Wind Chime waters it every day, but it still flowered. Its vitality is declining day by day, and it will surely die, but if you're lucky, you might get two or three seeds."
Banbu was pleasantly surprised, "Oh? That's great, at least it won't go extinct."
In an educational tone, Flame Cluster Mottgrass solemnly said, "Banbu, you're too young and inexperienced in planting. Look, bamboo is obviously more suitable for growing on flat ground at the foot of the mountain, or at worst, on the lower levels of the mountain."
"The situation with the new bamboo variety Wind Chime gave you shouldn't be related to the dry season. The main reason is that it couldn't adapt to the climate of the mid to upper levels of the mountain."
For once, Flame Cluster Mottgrass's typically scattered wisdom was surprisingly clear.
Banbu had a moment of enlightenment, realizing that it made sense.
Looking at the ordinary bamboo planted by the former mountain master on Jinzhu Peak, they were mostly planted in the middle and lower levels of the
Li Zhu Peak, even on the plains below the mountain range.
Banbu analyzed deeply: Why wouldn't the mountain soil be suitable for bamboo growth when it was fertile enough? He quickly figured it out: The main reason should be the wind. With the high mountain and strong winds, bamboo poles were hollow and prone to breakage, making the plants feel threatened and leading them to flower and bear fruit. The secondary reason was temperature. Although there was ample sunlight on the mountain, the temperature was relatively low. Most bamboo species were cold-resistant but preferred higher temperatures. There might also be another reason: the insufficient carbon dioxide on the mountain.
The combination of these three reasons hurried the transplanting of the bamboo on the mountain, resulting in it flowering and fruiting hastily.
After the ordinary bamboo species gave birth to command breeds and became original force plants, their genes were strengthened, making them more resilient. Moreover, during their growth, they would absorb original force, undergo continuous evolution, and become more adapted to the current environment. Therefore, command breeds of bamboo species could be planted on high mountains, but ordinary bamboo species couldn't.