“I see...”
After hearing the explanation of the alliance limit, Qimeng pressed the knuckle of her index finger against her chin and fell into deep thought.
“Yinzhi, you said that since your strength limit is locked by my level, what is your current limit?”
Yinzhi closed her eyes to sense it for a moment, then opened them blankly, her beautiful eyes filled with astonishment.
“Eh? How can this be! Everyone's limit is actually stuck at High-tier Novice without moving... Big Sister, has your tree form's base level actually remained at Low-tier magical beast?!”
“Ah, well, that's indeed an accident.”
Before condensing her humanoid form, all the mana she had scavenged from the earth veins had been stuffed into this perfect clone.
After the humanoid form emerged, she was only focused on expanding her root territory, having absolutely no mind to upgrade the tree form that sat motionless in the dirt.
This resulted in her humanoid form having unfathomable combat power, but her tree form, aside from maintaining mana reserves, was basically an empty shell. Its apparent level was indeed just a low-tier existence on par with a wild Demon Rabbit.
“Wuhu... How can this be!”
Yinzhi tugged at Qimeng's sleeve, pleading with wide, expectant eyes.
“Spirit Lord, Big Sister! Please, go upgrade the Mother Tree quickly. Everyone is about to lose even the strength to practice with tree veins.”
“Hmph, you insisted on binding yourselves to me for the sake of the future, and now you've neglected the present, haven't you?”
“Eh?! Big Sister, you're so mean! We only did that because we believed Big Sister had that kind of strength... Please, I beg of you!”
“Alright, alright, I really can't do anything with you.”
Qimeng patted her small hand away, amused.
Although bullying the little loli was quite fun, keeping this group of laborers stuck at their level limit was indeed not a long-term solution.
“If I want to break through my species rank limit to Low-tier Advanced and beyond, I will also need to rely on your strength.”
“Rely on us?” Yinzhi was clearly taken aback.
“Searching for Sacred Spirits is a trait of the Wood Elf clan, right? Those things grow in obscure nooks and crannies, and I don't have the spare time to search through the entire Great Black Magic Forest. So, use your trait to find them for me, or any other pure lifeforms. The more, the better.”
“Leave it to us!”
Yinzhi's eyes lit up, and she guaranteed with full confidence, then immediately set off to arrange the search work overnight.
The night was already deep.
The Wood Elf lolis, exhausted after a long day of work, had already gone to sleep.
As a Demon Tree girl who didn't need sleep, the bored Qimeng continued to control her roots, quietly weaving a strategic network around the outer perimeter of the northern valley.
During this time, she sensed the long wooden shed next to the training forest.
A group of Wood Elf lolis were sprawled out in star shapes from exhaustion, huddling together in a messy pile, letting out soft, rhythmic breathing sounds.
The moonlight gently cascaded over their small bodies. Looking at them like this, they were actually quite adorable...
Wait, she was absolutely not some kind of pervert. At most, a motherly protective instinct had welled up in her for a moment.
No, that wasn't right either.
Ah, so annoying. Stop thinking.
Forcibly cutting off her rambling thoughts, an unusual ripple of mana suddenly registered from another part of her roots.
It was the Nightglow Mushroom patch guarded by Xiaomi.
Petals and fluorescence flickered slightly as Qimeng's figure dissolved into the shadows. By the time she materialized again, her pure white feather shoes were already stepping onto the damp soil of the mushroom patch.
“Whoa! M-My Lord?!”
The drowsy Xiaomi was startled and instantly snapped awake. After getting a clear look at the newcomer, she was a bit dazed.
“Why are you here... and I feel like after changing into this dress, you've become outrageously beautiful.”
“Is that so? Am I not beautiful normally?”
Qimeng casually flicked the lazy bee girl's forehead.
“Ouch...”
Xiaomi rubbed her head and guiltily pointed toward the center of the mushroom patch.
A giant Nightglow Mushroom was swelling rapidly, its cap radiating a chaotic purple glow.
“Captain Xiaomi, quick, report the situation.”
“Replying to my Lord! The reason for the decreasing Nightglow Mushrooms has been found. It's because this mushroom is absorbing its own kind to evolve! Do you remember the blood you shed when you fought the giant mantis? It was once spilled into this patch.
That blood has a super strong stimulating effect on plants. Combined with being fed honey water all this time, under the stimulation of the moonlight and the territory's mana, it has begun to break through its species rank limit! But... it's about to fail!”
“Hang in there, Mushy! Hold on!”
Xiaomi nervously cheered it on, pumping her small fist in a low voice.
Qimeng could sense that the life veins of this magical plant were fracturing.
If left alone, this evolution would inevitably fail.
“Be grateful. Meeting me is the greatest stroke of luck in your life.”
She was also curious about what would happen with human intervention. She immediately sliced her finger, squeezed out a few drops of milky-white Demon Tree sap, and flicked them onto the cap.
The liquid melted into it.
Xiaomi unconsciously put her finger in her mouth, drooling with envy.
“My Lord is so biased! Why does even a mushroom get to consume your nutrients? I want to get stronger too! I care about my reputation in front of those newly arrived Wood Elves. I don't want to be a useless vassal.”
Qimeng found it amusing and ruffled her soft, pale gold hair.
“Alright, don't feel bad. I'll give you some magic stones to absorb later.”
“Wow! Thank you, my Lord!”
Boom!
An astonishing surge of mana erupted from the center of the mushroom patch.
The chaotic purple light was dyed into a deep, starry sky color.
The species rank barrier inside its body, which originally belonged to a Low-tier magical beast, began to shatter after being stained by Qimeng's blood!
If the breakthrough succeeded, it would complete a life leap.
“Looking at this, it will take a few more days to complete the transformation. As for what form it will break through into, that depends entirely on luck.”
Qimeng instructed Xiaomi with a trace of anticipation.
“Keep a close eye on it these next few days. If we're lucky and it completes its breakthrough, I can naturally take in another highly talented vassal. Magical plants capable of evolving on their own have always been extremely rare.”
“Yes! My Lord, I guarantee I will complete the mission!”
Xiaomi saluted with full energy.
Bidding farewell to Xiaomi, who was guarding the mushroom patch, Qimeng returned to her throne in the Tree Court.
The night was long, perfect for dealing with the spoils of war.
She leaned lazily against the throne, her fingers twitching slightly, instantly awakening the root network underground.
She drove her sub-roots to rumble all the way north, extending savagely, killing and devouring any blind wild magical beasts along the way.
Along with the ruthless plundering of flesh and mana by Devour All Things, by noon the next day, her roots had crossed an incredibly long distance, perfectly linking up with the Wood Elf valley located in the northern part of her territory!
With this, the defense networks of the two territories merged into one, forming a strategic layout for both areas.
“Whew... Finally done. Next is the happy time for sharing the spoils.”
Qimeng clapped her small hands and fetched the bag of treasures she had obtained from the Wood Elves.
Clatter!
She dumped everything onto the grass.
A colorful pile of magic stones stacked up like a small mountain.
She casually picked out a portion of Low-tier and Intermediate Rank magic stones and threw them to Xiaomi and Yinzhi.
“Take them. I'm not some black-hearted boss who exploits her employees. This is for your hard work.”
Under the touched gazes of the two girls, Qimeng kept that high-grade black magic stone for backup. As for the remaining low-and-intermediate-tier magic stones, since they couldn't be used as batteries...
“Then there's no other choice but to eat them directly as snacks.”
She opened her slender palm, and her pure white roots crushed and devoured the pile of magic stones, pouring a surging tide of mana into her tree form that had been slacking off all this time!
Since her species rank limit was shared by both her humanoid form and her tree form, she didn't have to worry about the breakthrough barrier before reaching Low-tier Advanced Rank.
Rate on N.U.
