The Farming Plan Begins

After leaving the ship, Qi Fei flew upward toward the surface.

Once outside, he casually sent out a burst of spiritual force. The surrounding soil and rocks fell, burying the hole he had climbed out of.

Earth's technology was nowhere near advanced enough to affect the ship, but it was one of the Black Ink Star's signature relics, so he'd better hide it for now.

Then Qi Fei drew on the magnetic field generated by the Planet Level within him and rose into the air.

"Why are you flying this way? You're much better at flying with spiritual force, aren't you?"

Babata asked, puzzled.

The innate flight ability of a Planet Level warrior was rather awkward in the early stages. It was slower than running, and even slower than a ninth-level Apprentice Spirit Reader.

So, aside from combat, few Planet Level warriors used their flight ability for long.

"I've never flown this way before. Ha! This is much more fun than flying like a Spirit Reader."

Qi Fei replied excitedly.

This was his first time using his Planet Level ability to fly.

Earlier, to avoid any mishaps, he'd flown over using spiritual force and had even concealed the fluctuations of his own power with the techniques of the Profundity of Explosion.

Now, he had what he came for and no longer needed to keep a low profile.

"..."

Babata didn't know what to say, so he could only respond with silence.

Ignoring Babata's silence, Qi Fei flew around aimlessly for a while, knocking several bird Monsters out of the sky, before finally switching back to flying with spiritual force.

But he hadn't flown for long before he landed in Australia, near the coast.

He'd spent quite some time searching after coming ashore before finding this place. He was here for the four willows.

Calling them willows was a bit of a stretch. They were really ferocious beasts wearing willow bark.

Their branches swayed in the wind and looked just like those of ordinary willows. But as soon as they touched a living creature, they turned into agile pythons and coiled tightly around their prey until they strangled it to death.

They looked a lot like the Whomping Willow at Hogwarts.

Of course, to Qi Fei, these willows were barely a threat.

Genetic Origin Energy, flowing like water, appeared in Qi Fei's hand and formed a disc of ice. Under the influence of his spiritual force, it spun at high speed.

Qi Fei tossed it casually. A streak of blue flashed like lightning, and all four willows were severed at the roots.

"Your combat skills are absolutely appalling."

Babata smacked his lips.

In truth, for a wild Planet Level warrior, Qi Fei's combat ability was already quite decent.

But compared with his insights into the Laws and his Innate Secret Technique, Babata couldn't find any word for it besides "appalling."

"I only just broke through. Once I've had some of your training, Babata, I'm sure I'll be different."

As Qi Fei spoke, he used his spiritual force to search the willow trunks.

The thick trunks shattered on the spot, revealing four green crystals about the size of goose eggs, floating in midair.

"Of course. Forget Planet Level—even Universe Level warriors would beg me, Lord Babata, to teach them."

Babata said smugly.

"But what are you doing?"

"Running some experiments. It'll make it easier to produce something I can trade for money."

Qi Fei put away a few willow branches and cracked open one of the Willow Hearts.

A faint, life-filled fragrance spread from within.

Qi Fei used his spiritual force to bring a drop to his lips and drank it.

It was non-toxic and contained a tiny amount of pure life energy.

After finishing his examination, Qi Fei tossed the entire Willow Heart into his mouth, crunched through the shell twice, and swallowed it.

A faint power flowed through him, but Qi Fei barely changed at all.

Although the energy in a Willow Heart was far inferior to that of a Wood Bud Crystal, it was still enough to serve as a cultivation resource for an Apprentice.

It seemed the production plan for Spirits of Vegetation could begin.

On Earth in the world of Swallowed Star, there was a cultivation resource known as Spirits of Vegetation.

These four Willow Hearts were one kind of them.

By the standards of the universe, Spirits of Vegetation were fairly ordinary Apprentice-level resources.

But on resource-poor Earth, they were priceless treasures.

In the original story, Babata had attracted Earth's powerhouses by using Wood Bud Crystals to produce a One-Jewel Cloud-Touching Vine and a large number of Spirits of Vegetation.

That meant life energy could be used to produce Spirits of Vegetation.

But life energy wasn't the only thing that could do so.

Before Babata ever got involved, humans had already collected various Spirits of Vegetation and figured out how to use them.

Babata hadn't fed Wood Bud Crystal powder to those plants.

This showed that life energy wasn't the only way for Spirits of Vegetation to come into being.

So, in a world like Swallowed Star, where concepts like spiritual energy and ley lines didn't exist, what energy could bring about the birth of Spirits of Vegetation?

Naturally, it was the all-purpose energy of the universe.

What a coincidence.

He had life energy, and he also had a way to absorb universal energy.

So, after arriving in Australia, Qi Fei had deliberately searched for a place with willows.

He'd infused them with Genetic Origin Energy converted into the Life Attribute by the Will Jewel, while sharing his Planet Level cultivation with them.

Only then had Qi Fei gone looking for Babata.

Some time had passed, and the Genetic Origin Energy of the Life Attribute had long since dissipated. But Qi Fei had achieved what he wanted.

These willows had indeed transformed into Spirits of Vegetation, just as he understood them.

Perhaps if he shared his cultivation with them for a while longer, the willows might even reach Planet Level.

He wondered whether Planet Level willows could still be used as cultivation resources, or whether they would transform into plant life like the Cloud-Touching Vine.

Perhaps he could try it when the time came.

"Money? You mean Earth's currency? You're already Planet Level. Why do you care about that?"

Babata looked confused.

"Not just money. I can use it to trade with other factions for useful things, like the wreckage of a spaceship you want."

Qi Fei rose into the air again and flew toward home.

Earth lacked all kinds of resources, but thanks to its ruins and crashed ships, there were still some good things to be found.

The wreckage of spaceships went without saying. Other things, like Gravity Chambers, equipment, and technological weapons, were also worth collecting.

Hong had a third-tier Telekinetic Weapon suitable for a Universe Level Spirit Reader.

Even Universe Level and Domain Lord experts couldn't copy something like that. It took a World Lord or higher.

That was a World Lord, just one major level away from becoming an Immortal Deity.

"And that's only the small stuff. The real money is in Sharing."

Spirits of Vegetation would only bring in a little spending money. They were a perk Qi Fei could offer Earth's major factions.

The real thing he intended to sell was the chance to break through to Planet Level.

After all, those major factions used Wood Bud Crystals to help ninth-level Apprentices break through to Planet Level. His method would work more reliably and save resources.

As for the secret technique that could help someone break through to Planet Level, Qi Fei wasn't planning to sell it just yet.

Earth's resources were limited at the moment, and adding too many Planet Level warriors at once could cause problems.

"I think you should still be careful about how you use your ability."

Babata spoke up.

"Don't worry. I'm a Planet Level Spirit Reader. Hypnotizing a ninth-level Apprentice is easy."

Qi Fei said confidently.

He could simply hypnotize them into thinking they'd taken some kind of drug. There was no way they'd expose him.

As for the Spirits of Vegetation, he could just use Sharing when no one was around.

"All right, then. I'll make you a disguised Nutrient Pod."

Babata offered an idea.

After being bombarded, all he cared about now was that Qi Fei trained hard. The rest was up to him.

Except for revealing the Black Ink Star's legacy to outsiders.

"Thanks."

Qi Fei was a little surprised. He hadn't expected Babata to help.

"It's nothing. No big deal."

Babata said indifferently.

After that, Qi Fei chatted with Babata about things in the universe to pass the time during the journey.

Along the way, he also ran into a King-level Monster—a Planet Level one.

Qi Fei killed it casually and dropped it off with the military at the nearest base city, leaving them to process and collect it.

This immediately caught the attention of the major factions.

Combined with Qi Fei's completely undisguised appearance and the speed at which he flew, the factions quickly confirmed his identity and concluded that he must have obtained a treasure from an alien ruin to break through.

The major factions were thrown into an uproar.

Qi Fei didn't care. Or rather, this was exactly the effect he wanted.

Yangzhou City.

"Luo Feng passed the Quasi-Martial Artist examination a week ago. He's currently training in the Wilderness Zone."

The old butler replied.

"That kid's pretty diligent."

As Qi Fei spoke, he took out a Willow Heart and used his spiritual force to bore a hole through it.

He handed the Willow Heart to the old butler, who had followed him for many years.

"Uncle Liu, drink this. Don't eat the outer shell."

Qi Fei could eat it because he was a Planet Level warrior with a tough body.

But Uncle Liu was only an Advanced Warrior. The first question wasn't whether he could digest it, but whether he could even chew it.

"What is this?"

Uncle Liu asked, puzzled, as he took the Willow Heart.

"It's good stuff. You'll know once you drink it."

Qi Fei said casually.

"Oh."

Trusting Qi Fei, Uncle Liu drank the liquid inside the Willow Heart in one gulp.

A warm current flowed through him. His aging body rapidly regained its vitality and began to transform to a higher level.

"This, this..."

Uncle Liu mumbled something, barely able to speak.

But Qi Fei didn't hear him, because just then, a phone call came through.

"Hello, Qi Fei. This is Hong."

A deep male voice came through the phone. It was Hong, the strongest person on Earth.

"Hello, Pavilion Master."

Qi Fei replied.

"You don't sound surprised."

Hong asked from the other end of the line.

"I knew this moment would come as soon as I dropped that King-level Monster off."

Qi Fei smiled slightly.

If anything surprised him, it was how quickly Hong had called.

But thinking about it, Hong had only one goal in the early stages: to increase his strength. It was only natural that he'd take such an interest in Qi Fei, who might have Wood Bud Crystals.

"Fair enough."

Hong smiled, then moved on to business.

"First, I want to congratulate you on reaching Planet Level—the level above the so-called War Gods. You're now a Councilor of the War God Palace. Your virtual helmet will be delivered soon."

"Thanks."

Qi Fei replied casually.

"You're welcome."

Hong was a little surprised that Qi Fei wasn't curious about Planet Level.

But he supposed Qi Fei had learned about the cultivation levels from the alien ruin.

So he moved on to the second matter.

"Second, on behalf of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall, I invite you to become an inspector for the hall. The specific benefits and terms will be included in an email. You can look it over before making your decision."

As Hong spoke, an email arrived as well.

Qi Fei had Babata check that there weren't any unusual conditions, then accepted immediately.

He'd been with the Extreme Martial Arts Hall for many years and had grown somewhat attached to it.

"Now that the official business is done, I have a personal matter."

After Qi Fei accepted, Hong continued.

"I want to know whether you've obtained any resources useful to Planet Level warriors. If you're willing, perhaps I could trade you something for them."

He stated his request directly.

"Yes. I found some treasures called Wood Bud Crystals."

Qi Fei answered candidly.

"Besides the Wood Bud Crystals, I have other things I can trade with the Martial Arts Hall."

"Oh? What are they?"

Hong hadn't expected there to be another surprise.

"When I broke through to Planet Level, I gained an ability to cultivate Spirits of Vegetation."

Qi Fei really had gained the ability around the time he broke through to Planet Level.

It was just that the ability could be used for other things, too.

"Really?"

Hong sounded pleasantly surprised.

A treasure like a Wood Bud Crystal was so rare that he figured Qi Fei probably didn't have many—maybe just a few.

But this special ability to cultivate Spirits of Vegetation was another matter entirely.

It meant a steady, endless supply of resources.

"Pavilion Master, you can come see for yourself. I was planning to cultivate them on a large scale anyway."

Qi Fei went ahead and told Hong his plans.

"All right. I'll be there shortly."

Hong agreed without hesitation.

"Besides that, I also got a Nutrient Pod that can help Apprentices break through to Planet Level. I can sell the Martial Arts Hall a number of slots."

Since Babata was already planning to make him a fake Nutrient Pod, Qi Fei simply went with that explanation.

"What's the price?"

That was Hong's only question.

"How about half a Wood Bud Crystal?"

Qi Fei considered it before answering.

Although Wood Bud Crystals were mainly used by Planet Level fighters, their exceptional versatility meant they were still quite valuable.

In the Universe, he'd probably have to lower the price quite a bit more to sell them.

"That's too low. Two-thirds of a Wood Bud Crystal should be about right."

Instead, Hong raised the price for Qi Fei.

"That works."

Since Hong was willing to pay more, Qi Fei had no reason to refuse.

"Then it's settled. I'll put together a list for you. If there's anything else you need, you can send it to me. See you soon."

With that, Hong hung up.

Right after Hong, Thor, the Pavilion Master of the Thunder Martial Arts Hall, the Speaker of the HR Alliance, and others called.

Qi Fei gave the various factions the same explanation he'd given Hong.

Before long, countless fighter jets took off, heading for Qi Fei's residence.