The mutation rate really was rather low. Not a single one of the dozen or so seeds had mutated.
Looks like mutating a suitable fruit tree will take some time.
Tang Zhixue had actually prepared himself for this. After all, the countless weeds around the shelter had only produced five special plants through mutation, but he still felt rather helpless.
Tang Zhixue lowered his head to look at the now-withered Purple Cloud Grass.
When its fruit burst open and its seeds flew out, the Purple Cloud Grass had already begun to die.
"Looks like producing seeds takes all of the Purple Cloud Grass's vitality. Even plant vitality can't save it."
This made Tang Zhixue realize that Purple Cloud Grass only had healing effects before it flowered. Once it flowered, all its energy went into producing fruit.
[Item: Purple Cloud Grass] [Tier: 1] [Description: A plant that is purple all over, with cloud-shaped leaves. It can treat some common ailments when mature.]
Shaking his head, Tang Zhixue buried all dozen or so seeds in the soil and used plant vitality to make them sprout.
Only then did he walk toward the other plants.
First came the Bigmouth Flower.
[Item: Bigmouth Flower] [Tier: 1] [Description: Named for its flowers, which resemble a large mouth. It can emit an odor that most insects and ants dislike.]
Tang Zhixue did not have particularly high hopes for it. After all, there was only one, far too few.
He would be perfectly satisfied if he could cultivate more seeds.
But things were always full of unexpected surprises.
Amid the emerald-green plant vitality, a peculiar plant grew rapidly, reaching a height of around two meters in the blink of an eye.
The flower resembling a large mouth quickly closed up, becoming like a small bucket.
"Did it mutate?"
Tang Zhixue was overjoyed. He couldn't help it-the Bigmouth Flower he had held no hopes for had actually mutated.
He eagerly reached out to touch the mutated Bigmouth Flower.
[Item: Water-Gathering Grass] [Tier: 1] [Description: A peculiar plant mutated from a Bigmouth Flower. It can absorb moisture from the air through special structures on its leaves and store the water. It can collect approximately five hundred milliliters of fresh water per day.]
!!!
Tang Zhixue looked excitedly at the peculiar plant before him.
With it, he would have a steady supply of fresh water!
He would no longer need to spend time going out to search for fresh water.
But one Water-Gathering Grass is nowhere near enough.
Tang Zhixue soon calmed himself. It was not time to celebrate yet.
Unlike Purple Cloud Grass seeds, the Water-Gathering Grass's seeds were actually that peculiar "wooden bucket."
Once mature, the "wooden bucket" would split into six long, narrow, flat seeds, just like the staves of a bucket.
After growing the six seeds into six Water-Gathering Grass plants, Tang Zhixue straightened up and began muttering a chant.
As he finished reciting the Pure Heaven and Earth Divine Mantra, a golden light spread outward from Tang Zhixue, exactly as it had inside the shelter last night.
This time, however, the Pure Heaven and Earth Divine Mantra acted on the outside world.
"Sizzle!"
Under the stimulation of the golden light, wisps of grayish-black gas continually rose from the ground, while some ugly, bizarre insects and ants burrowed out of the soil and fled into the distance.
"Hiss..."
At the sight before him, Tang Zhixue sucked in a sharp breath.
The environment was far worse than he had imagined. If the plants he had planted remained in this environment for long, who knew what they would ultimately become?
"Looks like I'll need to spend more time raising this divine mantra's proficiency level. I don't want to live in an environment like this."
He then shared his discovery in the chat channel.
There were already few people left in the entire region. Even if some of them were scumbags, Tang Zhixue no longer particularly cared.
If more people could survive, then let them survive.
With fewer people, there would be no one to buy his goods.
After chatting with the others for a bit, Tang Zhixue continued drawing in plant vitality.
"Let's see if there'll be a surprise..."
As a small purple flower bloomed, the hope on Tang Zhixue's face gradually faded.
[Item: Tranquility Flower] [Tier: 1] [Description: A small purple flower that blooms at night and has a light fragrance. It can aid sleep, soothe the mind, and alleviate nightmares.]
Unfortunately, the Tranquility Flower had not mutated.
Shaking his head, Tang Zhixue turned and used the plant vitality in his hand on the Jade Flower.
Nourished by the plant vitality, the Jade Flower's blossom gradually turned to jade, while a marble-sized piece of emerald-green jade appeared at its center.
"It certainly lives up to the name Jade Flower. It really is beautiful," Tang Zhixue couldn't help remarking.
But after forming that piece of green jade, the entire Jade Flower withered, ultimately leaving behind only twelve jade-white petals and one piece of emerald-green jade.
After examining them carefully, Tang Zhixue discovered that the jade petals were actually the Jade Flower's seeds, while the piece of green jade was a special energy crystal formed by the Jade Flower.
[Item: Wood Spiritual Energy Crystal] [Tier: 1] [Description: A peculiar crystal containing a large quantity of wood-aspect spiritual energy.]
"Why wood spiritual energy?"
Tang Zhixue was no stranger to the term spiritual energy and quickly accepted it.
His only surprise was that this spiritual energy crystal was wood-aspected.
After pondering for a while, the only answer he could think of was the plant vitality he had used to accelerate the Jade Flower's growth.
Perhaps that was why the Jade Flower had ultimately formed an energy crystal rich in wood-aspect spiritual energy.
After planting all twelve Jade Flower seeds and reciting the Pure Heaven and Earth Divine Mantra once more, Tang Zhixue returned to the shelter.
As soon as he entered, a line of text appeared before his eyes.
[Energy crystal detected: Would you like to provide it to the shelter?]
Without the slightest hesitation, he said, "Yes."
It was only one energy crystal. If he wanted another, he could obtain more through the Jade Flowers.
When Tang Zhixue confirmed his choice, the emerald-green spiritual energy crystal instantly turned to ash and vanished.
[Shelter: Blazing Sun] [Level: 1 (53/100)] [Function: Regional trading] [Structure: Martial Arts Space] [Effects: Door God Protection · Tier 1, Purification · Temporary]
"Fifty energy for one spiritual energy crystal?"
Seeing the information on the shelter panel, Tang Zhixue immediately turned and walked out of the shelter, once again using plant vitality to make a Jade Flower form a Wood Spiritual Energy Crystal.
When he used the crystal to charge the shelter again, a great deal more information immediately appeared on its panel.
[Shelter: Blazing Sun] [Level: 1 (100/100) [Energy full. Upgrade available.]] [Upgrade requirements: Supply materials yourself. The shelter will upgrade automatically based on the materials provided. (Note: The current amount of energy only allows the use of ordinary materials.)] [Function: Regional trading] [Structure: Martial Arts Space] [Effects: Door God Protection · Tier 1, Purification · Temporary]
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