Purifying Water Lotus
The cave was still chilled by the night's heat, and the gentle warmth of the Geothermal couldn't dispel the heavy, aching feeling in his limbs. Lu Heng slowly opened his eyes, lay quietly on the bed for a moment, numbly turning his neck, his shoulder bones making a soft, sluggish sound.
Yesterday, I spent the entire day squatting on the riverbed, shoveling and moving hard stones. Although my limbs were a bit tired, I wouldn't say I was completely exhausted. It's just that I've been working hard every day for the past few days, quarrying, repairing, and practicing, without a moment's rest. After being on edge for so many days, the pent-up feeling of lethargy finally surged up today. The laziness in my bones completely surfaced, making me not want to get up and move at all.
He wasn't exactly a hard worker; he was being pushed forward by the survival pressures of the apocalypse. If it weren't for the looming threat of snowmelt seepage weighing on his mind, and the urgent need to reinforce the Shelter and repair the drainage system, he wouldn't have forced himself to maintain such intense work day after day. Usually, after working non-stop for several days, he would spend a long time in bed, slowly recovering from his exhaustion, but today was an exception.
The special seed I picked up from the crack in the riverbed yesterday kept swirling in my mind, and the longing in my heart forcefully suppressed the laziness accumulated from days of work.
Humans are inherently lazy. If you keep your nerves on edge and your body working themselves to the bone all day, you'll eventually burn out. Only by relaxing and resting properly can you survive in this forest for a long time. But right now, he's preoccupied with that strangely shaped seed, so he can't relax in bed.
Lu Heng propped himself up on the edge of the bed, walked to the washroom area in the cubicle, scooped up a handful of stored cold water, and splashed it directly on his face. The icy chill seeped into his mind through his skin, instantly dispelling the lingering drowsiness. His muddled thoughts gradually cleared, and he became completely awake.
After quickly wiping his face clean, he didn't think about dealing with the Coldrock Bear's corpse in the Storage Space first, nor did he activate the Tiger Breathing Technique as usual. His concern for the unknown seed grew stronger, and after a night, he couldn't hold back any longer. He walked straight through the passage and headed towards the Planting Room, which was made up of several building modules.
With a gentle push of the stone gate, the subtle sound of circulating water reaching the ears first.
Lu Heng looked up at the water storage and cultivation area, his steps suddenly halting, a surge of emotion rising uncontrollably in his heart, and he subconsciously let out a low sigh.
Beneath the surface, the seed that was just planted yesterday has completely changed.
In just one night, the dark seed broke through its outer skin and sprouted a slender yet upright green branch. Two tiny tender leaves unfurled at the tip of the branch, standing steadily in the flowing clear water. Ordinary aquatic seeds take at least three to five days to hatch and germinate, but this one completed an unimaginable growth in just one night, revealing something extraordinary in every aspect.
He tiptoed quickly to the edge of the water tank, his gaze fixed on the newly sprouted plant in the water, filled with doubt. He raised his wrist and activated the survival Wristband on his wrist, projecting a pale blue light that scanned and identified the underwater sprout.
The expected unknown seed entry did not appear; only a line of gray text appeared on the screen: [Unknown Thing].
Yesterday, the Wristband could still identify the seeds, but after they sprouted today, it is completely unable to determine the species.
Lu Heng frowned, slightly raised his fingertips, intending to approach the water's surface and gently touch the delicate branches to see what kind of material this unusual seedling was.
With his fingertips still half an inch from the water's surface, the tender green branches that had been quietly drooping underwater suddenly stirred, their sharp thorns springing up and piercing the tip of his outstretched index finger.
A sharp, subtle pain exploded instantly, and tiny beads of blood seeped out from the punctured wound. Before they could even slide down my fingertip, the underwater branches moved closer, and a weak suction force came, absorbing all the seeping blood.
The moment the blood was absorbed, a complex yet clear stream of information rushed into Lu Heng's mind without warning, spreading uncontrollably throughout his consciousness.
Fragmented images, species records, and past growth all flooded in. He stood by the water circulation tank, stunned for a long time, slowly digesting the sudden information in his mind.
This plant is called the Purifying Water Lotus.
It is a rare aquatic plant that can grow to the Gold Tier.
Its original mother plant took root in a calm, shallow area upstream of the river, where it grew steadily for a long time. Later, a large group of extremely threatening mutated beasts set their sights on that area. The fighting among the groups affected the entire shallow area, and the mature lotus seeds were scattered by the turbulent river and drifted downstream with the current.
This seed was one of the few that managed to survive among the many lotus seeds. It encountered a sudden flood during the rainy season and was carried by the current to the middle layer of the riverbed, where it was buried by layers of gravel and silt. The smooth, round stone on the outside acted as a shell, sealing the seed and isolating it from cold, heat, dryness, and moisture, thus preserving it intact until it pried open the boulder and saw the light of day again.
Another crucial piece of information came to mind: plants of Gold Tier or higher will develop their own independent consciousness.
This Purifying Water Lotus has only just sprouted and has shallow roots. It hasn't even reached the lowest Bronze grade yet. But its growth potential is there. As long as the environment is suitable and the nutrients are sufficient, it will eventually grow to the Gold Tier and develop its own unique spiritual consciousness.
After processing all the information, Lu Heng's heart trembled slightly, and an overwhelming joy spread from his chest to his limbs.
In the desolate Frost Forest, meat and ordinary wild vegetables are barely enough to sustain survival. To encounter a plant with the highest Gold Tier is an incredibly lucky stroke of luck.
Ordinary plants are at most of the Black Iron or Bronze grade, and their effects are limited to sustenance and simple conditioning of the body. Gold Tier plants are extremely rare. Just thinking about the benefits they can bring after they mature is enough to stir one's emotions.
When he first discovered the round stone seeds in the riverbed, he only felt that they were unusual and strange. He just wanted to try cultivating them and see how they went, and never expected to obtain a species with such a top-tier quality.
The pricking wound on my fingertip still lingered with a faint tingling sensation, the feeling of blood being sucked by the branch still vivid in my mind. It turned out that it wasn't the Wristband's recognition that had malfunctioned; rather, this Purifying Water Lotus possessed its own spirituality and required blood ties as a medium to unlock its complete species information.
Lu Heng lowered his eyes to look at the tender green branches standing quietly underwater. The initial surprise in his eyes faded, replaced by an overwhelming sense of appreciation.
The threat of flooding from melting snow still looms overhead, and the Shelter reinforcement project is still waiting for the Stone laid. Every day, the fighting, gathering, and cultivation exhaust their energy, but looking at this Purifying Water Lotus that has grown overnight in the water, much of the fatigue accumulated from the days of work has faded away.
He raised his hand and gently approached the water's surface. This time, the branches did not suddenly attack; they merely swayed their tender leaves slightly, as if responding to his approach.
Lu Heng understood. By absorbing his blood, he had completed a minor bloodline bond. From now on, as long as the water circulation and the water body are kept stable and clean water is supplied, this Purifying Water Lotus can grow steadily.
With Gold Tier potential right in front of them, their survival now has an extra crucial advantage.
He stood by the water in the Planting Room, quietly observing the tender shoots for a moment, slowly suppressing the surging joy in his heart, and returning to his usual calm and pragmatic mindset. Joy aside, there were still a bunch of trivial matters waiting to be dealt with. He also needed to find time to dismantle and store the corpse of the Coldrock Bear in his Storage Space to replenish his long-term meat reserves.
Having secretly planned his day's itinerary, Lu Heng took one last look at the tender stems of the Purifying Water Lotus stretching out underwater, then turned and walked out of the planting compartment, preparing to process the carcasses of the ferocious beasts he had hunted the previous day.
Suddenly, there was no sound, only the pure thought of the tender shoots of the Purifying Water Lotus, which crashed straight into his thoughts, leaving only an empty, unfillable hunger.
Lu Heng stopped in his tracks, focusing intently on receiving the message, and quickly understood the seedling's needs. The nutrients from ordinary water circulation were insufficient to support its rapid growth; it needed a more substantial energy supply, either fresh beast flesh and blood or Crystal containing pure energy—either would be sufficient to nourish it.
Now that he had enough supplies, he had no worries about feeding even a single seedling. With a thought, Lu Heng raised his hand, lit up his Wristband, and took out the complete corpse of the Coldrock Bear. He casually placed it on the ground in the Planting Room, a few steps away from the water circulation tank.
The heavy bear carcass lay silently on the ground, its flesh and bones plump and full of vital energy, enough for the Purifying Water Lotus to digest for a long time. But as soon as the carcass hit the ground, the hunger in her heart instantly weakened, followed by a faint sense of denial, conveying a straightforward message: too far away, unable to absorb nutrients.
Lu Heng was slightly taken aback, not expecting that the newly sprouted Purifying Water Lotus would have a limited absorption range. He stepped forward, grabbed the thick fur of the bear carcass, and laboriously dragged the heavy body to the edge of the water circulation pool, laying it flat against the outer wall of the tank.
The moment the body touched the water's surface, more fragmented streams of consciousness flooded into the mind.
Back then, the mother plant upstream was attacked by ferocious beasts, and the mature lotus seeds were scattered by the raging torrents. A total of six seeds drifted and scattered along the river. Including the one in front of us, all six lotus seeds of the same origin were buried and sealed by the flood. However, due to the limitations of the environment and nutrient loss along the way, no matter which one successfully took root, it could never replicate the original mother plant's full-fledged state. None of them could grow back to their peak level of that year.
Lu Heng lowered his eyes and gazed at the tender leaves swaying gently in the water, understanding dawning on him.
Even with the growth ceiling of the Gold Tier, the innate loss of foundation cannot be made up for in the end. It is already rare to be able to cultivate it to the ordinary Gold Tier. He stood quietly by the pool, waiting for the Purifying Water Lotus to absorb the essence of flesh and blood from the body of the Coldrock Bear beside him.