Su Ze stared at the "warehouse" before him, lost in thought.
’This is what you call a warehouse?’
’It’s clearly just a tree!’
The tree wasn’t particularly large, only about three ters tall, and its trunk wasn’t thick. A single person could easily wrap their arms around it.
Countless "pods" hung from its branches.
That’s right, pods. They looked identical in size and shape to the pea pods you’d find at a vegetable market.
’Peas don’t grow on trees...’ Su Ze shook his head, unable to imagine how this tree could possibly serve as a warehouse.
"Mother Tree, was there so mistake in making this ’pea tree’ the warehouse?" Su Ze asked, not understanding.
"This is a species the master painstakingly cultivated. He was very proud of it, calling it the most suitable Spiritual Plant for a warehouse... You’ll understand once you connect to it with your Spiritual Power," the Mother Tree’s voice echoed in Su Ze’s mind.
Skeptical, Su Ze reached out and touched the "pea tree" with his Spiritual Power.
Su Ze suddenly shuddered. He felt his Spiritual Power form a connection with each of the "pods" on the tree. Every pod was like its own storage space, each containing a considerable amount of room.
However, Su Ze couldn’t see what was actually stored inside the pods. A ssage entered his mind.
"Spiritual Power verification failed!"
The Mother Tree’s voice rang out in his mind right on cue. "Your spiritual imprint is not authorized. You cannot open the warehouse."
Su Ze knew the Mother Tree must have a solution, so he asked, "What should I do, then?"
The Mother Tree replied, "My spiritual imprint has the authority to open the warehouse. Connect one end of your Spiritual Power to the warehouse and the other end to any awakened plant on the ship. My spiritual will can then use your Spiritual Power as a bridge to enter the warehouse."
’Will there be any risks?’
Su Ze didn’t ask this aloud, but he remained cautious. He activated his Unyielding Will skill, integrating most of his Spiritual Power into his physical body. He left only a small portion to communicate with the "pea tree." Then, on the floor woven from vines, he found a particularly vibrant tendril and sent his Spiritual Power probing into it.
Su Ze felt a chill wash over him, cool like mint. It sent a jolt through his spirit, instantly refreshing him.
He could feel the "source" of that coolness traveling along his Spiritual Power, moving from the vine and into the "pea tree."
This wasn’t Spiritual Power, but a sliver of the Mother Tree’s spiritual will. It was like a mask for Su Ze’s Spiritual Power, helping him trick the "pea tree’s" spiritual verification.
"Spiritual Power verification passed!"
That sliver of the Mother Tree’s spiritual will had been consud, but it had successfully passed the pea tree’s verification.
In an instant, the internal spaces of the hundreds of pods on the tree were all open to Su Ze.
However, over ninety percent of the pods were empty. As for the few that did contain items, their contents were bizarre.
’Is this... soil? Rocks? Flowerpots? Dung... UGH!’
’What is all this stuff! Why is there dung in here?!’
"That is fertilizer," the Mother Tree’s emotionless voice explained. "The soil and rocks are also for cultivation. The master collected this soil from various planets. Each type has unique properties and is suited for different Spiritual Plants."
For now, Su Ze had no interest in these things. He turned his attention to the various farming tools.
These pods contained all sorts of farming tools: shovels, hoes, spades, sickles—everything you could imagine.
With a re thought from Su Ze, a pod on the tree opened slightly and a hoe dropped out.
Su Ze caught the hoe and imdiately infused it with a trace of evolutionary power. The hoe didn’t react at all.
’Not a wonder...’ He was a little disappointed.
He then squeezed the unknown tal of the hoe’s blade. The material felt incredibly hard and was razor-sharp. When he lightly touched it, a sharp corner cut his finger.
’It might not be a wonder, but the material itself is hard and sharp. Good enough to be a weapon!’
Su Ze inspected the other farming tools and found they were all more or less the sa.
He shalessly took all the farming tools, not forgetting to sweet-talk the Mother Tree. "Leave the job of tending to the ship’s Spiritual Plants to from now on!"
Although he hadn’t found anything especially valuable in the warehouse, he had still made so gains. Only then did Su Ze rember to ask, "Where’s the spare key for the control room?"
He looked around but didn’t see anything that resembled a key, though there was plenty of junk.
"Do you see the pod containing the fertilizer?"
"Yeah, and?" Su Ze looked into the pod’s space, which was filled with piles of dung. He suddenly had a bad feeling. ’It’s not hidden in the poop, is it?’
"Find the cube-shaped fertilizer. That is the spare key."
"What?" Su Ze was stunned. ’That one sentence from the Mother Tree is a lot to take in.’
’Cube-shaped poop exists?’
’And the key isn’t hidden *in* the poop—the key *is* the cube-shaped poop!’
Su Ze’s Spiritual Power searched through the dung-filled space, and he quickly located a large pile of cube-shaped droppings. ’This stuff really exists!’
’Is it naturally this shape, or was it processed to look like this?’
"Those are the droppings of the Starry Sky Koala, an extrely precious fertilizer," the Mother Tree said. "The control room is built inside the Demon Brain Flower. Besides the master, no one can command the Demon Brain Flower to open its brain. The only way is to fertilize it with the Starry Sky Koala’s droppings... Absorbing too many nutrients in a short period will cause the Demon Brain Flower to enter a stupor, and its brain will open uncontrollably."
"I see," Su Ze said, nodding as if he understood. Inwardly, however, he was slowly processing it. ’So that’s the principle behind the "spare key." You sure like to take the long way around.’
’Get the Demon Brain Flower "drunk" and then enter its body... So that’s the kind of Mother Tree you are!’
But there was no other way. Under Su Ze’s control, the pod opened slightly and spat out a pile of cube-shaped droppings onto the floor.
After Su Ze explained the thod for entering the control room, Mr. Ya was also stunned. "It’s a sha Shi Qiang isn’t here," he said regretfully. "She’s an expert at rolling dung balls."
"Good thing I have an empty Storage Ring." Su Ze took one out and, controlling it with his Spiritual Power, collected all the cube-shaped droppings from the floor.
"Let’s go," Su Ze said to Mr. Ya, and they started walking back.
The haul from this trip had been so-so. The main gain was strengthening the Desperate Flower; there wasn’t much else. He’d have to see if the trip to the control room yielded better results.
...
「anwhile」
Amida and Ye Muni erged from the leftmost fork, their faces dark.
The path they had taken led directly to the ship’s living quarters. Along the way, they had found nothing but bedrooms and so recreational facilities. Many of the devices weren’t activated and couldn’t be used, and they couldn’t even figure out what most of them were for.
The only place of any value was a bathhouse; soaking in its waters enhanced one’s physique. But they hadn’t co here to take a bath. Who had ti for that!
After quickly reaching the end of the path and realizing they had chosen the wrong one, the two imdiately turned back, racing against ti to explore the other areas.
Back at the fork, they faced another choice.
Amida carefully observed the middle path. "Judging by the dust, they haven’t co back yet. They’re still exploring that way. If we go in now, we’ll have lost the initiative. It’s better to avoid them and explore the path on the right."
Ye Muni naturally had no objection, and the two entered the path Su Ze’s group had chosen.
Soon, the two arrived at the entrance to the cultivation room.
"Is this a door?" Amida said warily. "But it also looks like a living Spiritual Plant."
He suspected there had to be sothing good behind this door, but he had no idea how to open it. He would never in a million years have guessed that the password interface was on one of its teeth.
Even if he had known, he wouldn’t have dared to try. After all, the Big-Mouth Flower looked like serious trouble.
What they didn’t know was that a few hundred ters ahead, Su Ze had already spotted them.
The corridor was filled with a mist that obstructed both sight and Spiritual Power. Even for a psychic hegemon like Amida, the area he could scan was limited. Su Ze’s Eye of Truth, on the other hand, was perfect for this environnt, allowing him to detect the enemy’s presence early.
Su Ze made a hushing gesture, signaling for Mr. Ya to be quiet as he mulled over a strategy.
’If this keeps up,’ he thought, ’Amida and Ye Muni will continue forward and we’re bound to run into them. There’s no avoiding it.’
But Su Ze had no intention of hiding.
He’d been looking for a Saint-level expert to test his skills against, and these two were the perfect candidates.
First of all, he had a grudge against both of them, so he could attack lethally without any reservations. Second, while he was up against two Saint-level hegemons, one of them—Amida—was a psychic.
And Su Ze was least afraid of psychic evolvers!
As for Ye Muni, he wasn’t so long-established old-tir. He’d only just completed his fourth evolution last year, making him one of the weaker hegemons. He wasn’t much stronger than Mrs. Yun, which made him perfect practice.
After a mont’s thought, Su Ze used Spiritual Transmission to tell Mr. Ya to stay put. He would go on ahead alone and take on both of them. If things got critical, Mr. Ya could step in and help.
’Although,’ Su Ze thought, ’if Amida and Ye Muni see things going south and try to run, I can have Mr. Ya help hunt them down.’
Su Ze didn’t think he would lose.
He strode forward alone, deliberately making soft footfalls.
Amida and Ye Muni, who were still studying the entrance to the cultivation room, simultaneously looked in Su Ze’s direction.
Amida’s Spiritual Power was formidable, allowing him to perceive much farther than an ordinary Saint-level expert. His power pierced through the mist, and he could just barely make out objects a hundred ters away.
When Su Ze entered his perceptive range, Amida’s spirits lifted. A gleam flashed in his eyes, and a smile spread across his face.
He glanced at Ye Muni and sent a telepathic ssage. "It’s Su Ze! Our luck is holding out!"
Ye Muni’s eyes lit up, but he still asked, "Is anyone with him?"
"I don’t see anyone else for now."
"I’ll go get him!" Ye Muni shot toward Su Ze.
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