Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Lin Ming wondered what had changed when he started to notice that there were fewer and fewer insects and wild beasts nearby.
Eventually, it got to the point where he could only spot a few insects in a day. As for animals, he had not seen them for a long while.
His Evolution Points stayed the same since he couldn’t add to them. Even though he did not have much use for them now, he still felt uncomfortable with his points stagnating.
He used Razor Leaves to chop down all the large bamboo trunks within twenty meters of his range of sight, to clean the area out a bit. Finally, he managed to cleared some of the obstacles blocking the sunlight.
Even then, he could only enjoy two hours of sun every day.
The Evolution Points earned from those hours wasalways fewer than ten points.
“It seems like there’s nothing more I can do now…” Lin Ming sighed as the sun shone down on him.
He once again summoned his personal dashboard.
He had 99 Evolution Points. After a while more in the sun, the number ticked up to 100.
[You are now able to strengthen your bamboo roots. Do you want to evolve?]
The message popped up from the System, stunning Lin Ming momentarily.
[There are two choices of evolution: One, Movement Type. Two, Strength Enhancement Type.]
Movement Type? Strength Enhancement Type?
Lin Ming looked around his area.
Insects and beasts had become wary of his presence, and his attack range was still limited to twenty meters.
Even if his bamboo roots burrowed deeper and spread wider, or his body grew taller and developed thicker branches, there was only so much more he could do here.
This bamboo forest covered a vast area, but it also gave him many limitations.
If this was truly the era of the Reawakening of the Spiritual Aura, it would mean that all living beings would also be rapidly evolving with the Spiritual Aura, for the sole purpose of getting to the top of the food chain.
The law of the jungle would become a prominent rule, and the chances of prey elimination would be higher.
Lin Ming’s evolution was stunted now. With some time passing, he could easily be killed, or another bamboo might evolve to his level outside of this forest. That might eliminate him in an instant before he could grow powerful and almighty.
Looking around, he noted that the forest was still so crowded that the area was practically sealed shut by it. Even if he cleared half of the trees within his twenty-meter range, sunlight would still be scant. Not many insects were left around, and there were no wild beasts to be seen.
Strength Enhancement Type did not seem like a good choice in his situation. However, what would Movement Type be like?
Movement.
It was difficult to predict. Would he be able to move about like animals and human beings did?
A picture flashed through Lin Ming’s mind.
Within the thriving forest or perhaps a vast piece of open field, a bamboo was running under the sun, reminiscing on the lost days of its youth…
What a beautiful picture it was.
‘It can’t be… could Movement Type mean something else?’
He was looking forward to finding out.
If he could move, he would have a new lease on life and be able to escape this death trap. Mind made up, he moved his consciousness to select the “Movement Type” option.
He felt his roots, which had previously grown deep into the soil, start to retract. Most of the thin threads of his roots began to wilt.
He lost his ability to think as the pain shook him, but he was delighted to see that his roots had no intention of stopping his transformation. The phenomenon continued, intensifying!
The few roots in the soil were spinning and curling, and soon they appeared above ground revealing their white surfaces!
This was not the end.
These roots were now thirty centimeters long and they were extremely limber as they curled about the ground, which threw Lin Ming off balance as his heavy branches struggled to stabilize. They almost broke as he violently swayed for a few seconds before uprighting himself.
The pain continued for quite some time. It was only when night fell that Lin Ming gradually felt some relief.
‘Are these… legs?’
Lin Ming looked in astonishment at those curled up roots beneath himself, which had fixed themselves into eight short, radial taproots that spread out around him.
He tried moving these taproots. It was difficult at first, with lifting one proving to be extremely trying, but it wasn’t long before he familiarised himself with it and managed a first step.
It only took him walking for a few more meters to completely grasp the skill.
‘Well then, let’s test this out somewhere better.’
He checked his sight and realized that he was surrounded by the dense bamboo forest. However, his current location was at the bottom of a hillslope.
He had to move higher to get the best spot for sunlight.
After deciding on the direction he wanted to head in, Lin Ming started using Razor Leaves to cut down all the giant bamboos growing in his way.
His movement speed was not too slow, with the eight ‘legs’ easily supporting his heavy body. Even when the way up the hill was inclined for the second half of the journey, there was still no reason for panic.
It did not take Lin Ming long before arriving at the top of the hill, which was only forty to fifty meters above sea level. He finally stopped moving after clearing the entire area of other plants.
By then, it was noon and the mist had disappeared. Strong rays of sunlight shone all over the top of the hill.
[Absorbing the rays of the sunlight, you have received 1 Evolution Point.]
The System’s reward had affirmed Lin Ming’s hard work, and this was only after ten minutes.
‘Well then, let’s start afresh here. If I run out of resources, I can try searching for another place,’ Lin Ming decided.
Now that he was at the highest point of the hill, the range of his line of sight increased exponentially.
He could now see that he was situated in a long and narrow valley. The mountains on either side of him were snow-capped and were so tall that even clouds gathered around them.
Long howls of wild beasts could be heard sometimes, as well as the low humming of insects.
Not far away, a small river flowed calmly by, its clean water like a clear jade belt around the ancient forest. He looked further and saw that the river was connected to a small lake right in the center of the valley.
He didn’t see any people. It looked like not many dared tread into this primeval forest area.
[Movement Type roots can be planted anywhere, and are free to move again anytime.]
The System’s voice rang out once again to give Lin Ming the reminder.
Lin Ming noticed his leaves were wilting and were beginning to look lifeless. He hadn’t been hydrated in a while, and took the System’s advice to plant his roots back into the ground.
As the roots sank back into the moist soil, it started to grow thin threads to spread out even further to get more water.
Originally planning to take a rest after this, Lin Ming’s plan changed as a heard a small commotion coming from somewhere nearby.
He scanned the ground and finally found the source of the noise. It was a little white snake, no bigger than an earthworm, with a half-translucent body.
It was only five centimeters long and would be easy to miss if one was not looking carefully.
Its eyes were like rubies the size of rice grains, perched on its adorable little head, which itself gave off a soft glow of white light.
Beneath its barely noticeable nostrils was a bright-red forked tongue resembling thin silk. It flickered in and out of its mouth.
It cocked its little head slightly, lifting it to look at Lin Ming. Its little mouth was just open as if it was yawning, but it was quickly shut tight then.
Lin Ming had kept a pet lizard when he was a human being – he certainly had no fear or dislike of reptiles.
It looked like the little snake quite liked him. It was already climbing onto him by slithering slowly up from a branch close to the ground. However, it helplessly fell off after climbing for only a few seconds.
Luckily, he managed to swiftly catch the little guy with his branch and break its fall.
The Adorable Little Snake seemed doubtful upon being caught by the branch and began to hiss. Its little head tilted to the side once more, little ruby eyes shining.
“Is being adorable your ability?” Lin Ming laughed.