Return and Hide

In the small "canteen" Yu An had created, Old Man Yu was squatting, crushing a Spirit Stone and sprinkling it evenly over the fine root systems at his feet.

He watched the crushed Spirit Stone dim at a speed visible to the naked eye, feeling both relieved and anxious.

His second son had left him fifty Spirit Stones, which he had initially thought would be enough to get through the entire disaster season. But if the little tree didn't go dormant, he wouldn't even last a month, let alone the whole disaster season.

What should he do for the remaining two long months?

No one had ever mentioned that Rare Species ate so many Spirit Stones.

Although he had dug up a lot of soil from the Spirit Fields, it was nothing compared to these fifty Spirit Stones.

Unless he could dig up all the soil from his ten mu of Spirit Fields, but that was impossible in itself.

So, where should he get Spirit Stones?

Old Man Yu scratched his salt-and-pepper hair, the wrinkles on his face deepening.

Meanwhile, Yu An, as usual, was absorbing Spirit Stones, making his root systems thicker, while also quietly beginning to extend them further out, beyond the wall.

Old Man Yu's house was right next to the Spirit Fields, about twenty to thirty meters away. With a bit of effort, he could reach it.

If he could root his systems in the Spirit Fields, it would be like gaining another source of nourishment.

He had already tasted the benefits of the Spirit Field soil Old Man Yu had prepared. While it might not compare to Spirit Stones, it was gentle and continuous.

As long as he was careful and didn't absorb too much, he wouldn't have to worry about being discovered by outsiders.

As for the growth of the spirit rice in the Spirit Fields next year?

If he couldn't even survive this year's Black Annihilation Wind Disaster, what would be the point of next year?

Just as he was absorbing Spirit Stones and growing rapidly, he suddenly felt a sense of loss of control over his tree body, unable to control the growth of his roots.

Even the strengthening of his tree body had stalled.

This discovery truly startled Yu An.

Logically, his soul had long since merged with the little tree. Although he still had to follow some of the tree's instincts, he shouldn't have felt a loss of control.

Could it be that absorbing too many Spirit Stones recently had caused this loss of control?

But he had been very careful. Most of his time each day was spent sensing that subtle rhythm, deepening his connection with heaven and earth, and accelerating the growth of his soul.

And his soul was the key to controlling the tree body.

The rapid progress in Flying Flower Plucking Leaf recently was thanks to this.

Why had he suddenly lost control?

For a moment, Yu An was at a loss.

However, he forced himself to calm down and carefully sensed the source of the loss of control. Slowly, he finally discovered something.

It turned out that at the very end of his main root system, which extended more than ten meters underground, a lump had formed.

It was this lump that was seizing all the Spirit Stones he absorbed, as well as the nourishment absorbed by his other roots.

Moreover, the lump was growing rapidly.

Am I about to... give birth?

A ridiculous thought crossed Yu An's mind.

But an inexplicable intuition told him that this change originated from the tree's instincts.

[Return and Hide]

The trees in this world, under the onslaught of the Black Annihilation Wind Disaster, had evolved special abilities to survive.

For example, Return and Hide.

Previously, Yu An had heard Old Man Yu mention this in passing. But at the time, he thought Return and Hide simply meant dormancy. He never expected that Return and Hide actually meant this.

Condensing most of its life force into a tumor-like existence, or perhaps a seed would be a more appropriate term.

It was just that this seed was somewhat different from what he had imagined.

After all, when people thought of seeds, they usually thought of flowering and fruiting. Who would have thought that the seed condensed by Return and Hide would grow from the roots instead of the branches?

But thinking about it carefully, it actually made more sense.

The Black Annihilation Wind Disaster was terrifying, but the threat of insectoids was equally not to be underestimated.

If the seed grew on the branches, even if it fell, it might be blown away by the Black Annihilation Wind Disaster or eaten by insectoids. It was far safer to grow from the deeply buried roots.

Besides, Return and Hide was, after all, just Return and Hide.

If they survived the Black Annihilation Wind Disaster, the life force hidden in the seed would surge out again the following year. Even if the tree body on the surface was destroyed, as long as some roots remained, it could still grow.

No wonder the trees in this world grew so fast, reaching dozens of meters in height in just one spring.

On Earth, it would take at least decades or even a century to grow to such a scale.

But in this world, with the ability of Return and Hide, it was equivalent to releasing the accumulated life force again, so naturally, it grew quickly.

Understanding this, Yu An finally felt at ease.

But the subsequent problems followed.

He was, after all, different from ordinary trees, and even from those Rare Species. Other Rare Species had, at most, a trace of vague consciousness, leaning more towards instinct.

But he possessed a true human soul, and had even sensed the pulse of the world, stepping into the Fetal Movement realm.

Did he still need to enter a Return and Hide state like other Rare Species?

Especially since he could feel that once he entered Return and Hide, not only his vitality but also his consciousness would fall into a dormant state, losing all perception of the outside world.

This was something he could not accept.

Even though this state was more conducive to avoiding the Black Annihilation Wind Disaster.

But the feeling of being unable to control himself while dormant made him instinctively resist.

This wasn't like simply taking a nap.

During dormancy, he wouldn't know what was happening outside. What if he encountered insectoids?

Would he be eaten while dormant?

His consciousness might be dormant in a seed dozens of meters underground, but who said insects couldn't burrow?

This would be leaving his life and death entirely to fate.

Could he do it?

Besides, entering Return and Hide would also cause him to lose a lot of growth time and opportunities.

The Black Annihilation Wind Disaster was dangerous, but also an opportunity.

He believed that tempering himself through hardship would greatly accelerate his growth, allowing him to reach the third stage of the juvenile phase sooner.

Especially after stepping into Fetal Movement, he no longer feared the Black Annihilation Wind Disaster as much. Although he was unwilling to admit it, deep down, he was already eager to try.

Exploration was in human nature.

This was something that hadn't changed even after transforming into a Rare Species elm tree.

No matter how many times others said it was dangerous, a hundred or a thousand times, it wouldn't be as impactful as experiencing it himself.

As his thoughts raced, Yu An quickly came up with an idea.

He couldn't miss this opportunity.

But at the same time, he had to play it safe.

As a transformed Rare Species, he now had three hundred years of lifespan, which would only become longer in the future. While he could take a gamble now, steady development was more crucial.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

With this in mind, Yu An immediately focused all his attention, controlling the roots that were absorbing Spirit Stones with all his might, and extending some of them towards Old Man Yu.

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