Advancement

Lu Heng's fingertip landed on the lid of the last Forest Will Chest.

The box didn't vibrate violently, nor did it emit any blinding light; it simply disintegrated very smoothly. The information from the final three ultimate rewards silently flooded into his consciousness, clear, straightforward, and firmly imprinted.

The first item is a Standard Special Teleportation Talisman.

It can force a fixed-point return, directly pulling the user back to the Cliffside Fortress Shelter.

The only limitation is that it can only be used once every seven days.

Lu Heng's gaze sharpened.

This item doesn't provide any combat power boost, but it's a truly desperate trump card.

In the post-apocalyptic wilderness, the greatest dangers are never evenly matched battles, but rather sudden ambushes, raids by high-level alien races, or being trapped in a desperate situation with no way out. Whenever faced with a certain death, this teleportation talisman is the last resort for survival.

Especially since he would soon be entering the Green Demon World, where the dangers of that Other Plane were unknown and unpredictable. Having this backup teleportation method was like having an extra, absolutely safe escape route.

The second item is a Silver Tier Storage Ring.

The Wristband's faint light swept across the area, and the authentication was completed instantly.

A purely spatial storage device, specifically designed to hold massive amounts of supplies. Lu Heng wore it on his finger, and as he probed it with his spiritual power, a slight stirring occurred to him.

The interior space is spacious and open, with a view that is comparable to a basketball court.

Compared to the cramped Storage Space he had previously had, this ring directly solved his long-standing problem. From now on, he would no longer have to choose which to discard from the remains, ores, and various rare resources he accumulated from hunting; he could keep them all.

The last item is the Silver Tier Protector Necklace.

Dual special effects, all perfectly suited for survival and staying alive.

Firstly, it completely conceals its own soul and blood essence, blurring its racial characteristics and disguising itself as the aura of an alien race. As long as it does not actively reveal its attack methods or release hostile killing intent, it will not be detected or identified even if it is in a group of alien races, and can even avoid the Forest Will.

Secondly, it comes with a solid soul defense that can withstand various soul impacts and mental erosion, and it also has a backup shield that can withstand a fatal crisis.

The three treasures have been finalized.

It contains only top-tier, scarce resources for survival, self-preservation, and safety net purposes; there isn't a single useless combat item.

Lu Heng understood completely.

Regular monster chests contain weapons, skills, and standard training materials.

The unique gift of the Forest Will is solely for survival in dire circumstances.

This indirectly confirms one thing— the Green Demon Plane, which is about to open, is far more dangerous than the Frost Forest region.

He put on the Protector Necklace, carefully put the teleportation talisman away, and tidied up all his belongings, gradually calming his mind.

Back inside the Cliffside Fortress Shelter, the Robot Butler and Furniture Puppet had already prepared a hot meal.

After several days of intense fighting, chasing down the Green Demon, enduring the Goblin Mage, and constantly scouting, his body and mind were already heavily exhausted.

Lu Heng did not continue his cultivation and review; instead, he quietly ate to fill his stomach.

After eating, he went straight into the Astrology Room and lay down to relax.

Today, I will no longer force myself into this state of exhaustion. I will completely empty my mind and body to relieve the fatigue and tension brought about by the continuous battles.

A peaceful night's rest.

The next day, the sky was bright and clear.

Lu Heng, unusually, did not get up on time.

His nerves, which had been tense for days, suddenly relaxed, and a wave of exhaustion washed over him. He lay in bed for a long time, reluctant to move, taking a break from his routine for once, and finally got up slowly at noon.

After a moment's thought, he made up his mind.

Today we will rest all day and will not go out, hunt, or explore.

He has now completely eliminated the main threats in the entire Frost Forest region. What remains are only scattered Aberrant, remnants of small monsters, and unclaimed resources.

Other survivors, if they have the ability, are free to clear out and collect opportunities on their own.

If they lack the ability to eliminate hidden dangers and seize resources, then it is only right for him to take over all the spoils and opportunities that follow.

In the apocalyptic jungle, there is no room for humility.

After resting for a while, Lu Heng left the Shelter and headed towards the entrance of Moonview Valley.

He wanted to check on the condition of the Blood-Devouring Vine planted there.

But as soon as he arrived at the valley entrance, Lu Heng noticed something clearly amiss.

The Blood-Devouring Vine, which used to spread wildly, with lush foliage and vines reaching everywhere, have now completely changed.

All the vines had shrunk inwards, huddled together, tightly clustered, showing no sign of growing outwards. The overall state was deathly still and eerie, looking withered and lifeless.

A deep sense of doubt instantly welled up in Lu Heng's mind.

He raised his Wristband quickly focused and scanned.

The next second, a message popped up on the screen:

[Blood-Devouring Vine - Advancing]

Upon seeing this line of text, Lu Heng was utterly puzzled and bewildered.

No one understood the limitations of the Blood-Devouring Vine's Talent better than him.

This plant is inherently locked in its level, with a fixed upper limit of Bronze Tier, and it has no ability to advance or break through realms on its own.

How could something that had been sitting peacefully at the Moonview Valley, without anyone nurturing it or providing it with advancement resources, suddenly enter an advancement state?

Completely puzzled, Lu Heng bent down and slowly looked at the roots of the coiled vines.

His gaze fell to the ground, and he finally found the source.

In the area where the Blood-Devouring Vine was rooted, a sizable pile of bones had accumulated on the ground.

The ground was covered with white bones, completely clean. Flesh, fascia, and soft tissue had vanished completely, leaving only the skeletal remains that had been thoroughly drained.

Lu Heng stared at the pile of bones and immediately recognized its origin.

His Storage Space was often filled with a large number of alien corpses obtained from hunting. There were too many supplies piled up and redundant, and some of the corpses had been stored for too long and had lost their value for food and refining.

Having cleared out his inventory several times before, he was too lazy to keep any more, so he discarded all these high-level corpses at the Moonview Valley and fed them to the Blood-Devouring Vine.

The Blood-Devouring Vine, by nature bloodthirsty and flesh-devouring, completely devoured all the intact corpses he had discarded, absorbing all the essence of flesh and blood, energy and nutrients from their bodies, leaving only a pile of withered bones in the end.

Among the pile of bones, several skeletons had very familiar outlines; they were the remains of Silver Tier alien races that had been hunted before.

In an instant, all doubts were resolved.

The Blood-Devouring Vine itself was bound by an unbreakable constraint, remaining stuck at the Bronze Limit for a long time without any movement.

However, during this period, it continuously devoured a large number of high-level corpses, including several complete Silver Tier alien bodies.

A massive amount of high-level flesh and blood energy accumulated layer upon layer and was continuously infused, forcefully breaking through its innate hierarchical shackles.

The accumulation of countless essences and nutrients allowed this plant, which was originally stuck at the Bronze, to undergo a rare and transformative advancement.

Lu Heng looked at the Blood-Devouring Vine, which was curled up and lying dormant, silently gathering its strength to advance. He was filled with surprise.

It was an unexpected stroke of luck that led to this fortunate encounter.

The advancement process is lengthy and stable, requiring no supervision or intervention. Lu Heng didn't linger and turned back to the Shelter.

Back inside the Fortress, he entered the sealed, temperature-controlled Planting Room.

This place is constantly bathed in the soft starlight that flows through the Astrology Room, creating a peaceful and spiritually rich environment.

Unlike the Blood-Devouring Vine, which is rapidly advancing and causing a great stir in the outside world, the Purifying Water Lotus in the Planting Room stands quietly, growing silently without any wind or waves.

But upon closer inspection, Lu Heng discovered another pleasant surprise.

Unbeknownst to many, this Purifying Water Lotus had already quietly completed its iterative advancement, steadily reaching the Silver Tier.

Nourished by starlight for a long time, perfectly matching its growth characteristics, it undergoes a silent transformation without any abnormalities.

Lu Heng clicked to view the details.

Silver Tier Purifying Water Lotus exhibits stable growth and produces one Purifying Water Lotus every three days.

Lotus Seed possess powerful restorative properties, capable of rapidly replenishing bodily losses, repairing physical strain, and quickly restoring depleted Mental Energy.

Lu Heng was overjoyed.

As we prepare to venture into the perilous Green Demon World, physical and mental endurance are the most crucial assets for survival.

For him at this stage, the stable production of Lotus Seed is like a magic elixir that he always carries with him.

As expected, the special plant whose foundation once reached the Gold Tier was far superior to that of ordinary Mutated Plant.

He casually picked some fresh, ripe vegetables from the Planting Room and ate a simple meal to replenish his energy.

After finishing all the trivial matters, Lu Heng returned to the Astrology Room and sat cross-legged in front of the Astrology Altar.

My mind has completely settled down.

Wait patiently for the Blood-Devouring Vine to complete its breakthrough, and also wait for your own condition to become completely stable.