CHAPTER 35: CHAPTER 035: MID-LEVEL ANT KING, WATER SYSTEM AWAKENING (EXTRA RELEASE FOR FOLLOW-UP READS)

After another heavy rain, more than twenty continuous days of scorching sun followed. However, the mountains had already stored a massive amount of water, so the mountain brooks and the streams at their base never ran dry.

Dragon Cypress led the worker ants, digging every morning and evening. The third large pond to the south of the small pond was now over one meter deep and nearing completion.

Intermittently, Dragon Cypress had consumed half of his Origin Force Food, valued at 2,000 Source Stones, and faint signs of evolution were appearing.

Four months had passed since he reached the ninth Age Period, and the time for his next evolution was about right.

Dragon Cypress consumed three Green Torreya Seeds in one gulp. Feeling increasingly drowsy, he informed Ink Orchid and Azure, then retreated to the Ant Nest on the mountain to rest and wait.

As usual, he fell into a deep sleep at nightfall.

...

The sound of rain echoed outside the cave.

Dragon Cypress slowly woke up, unsure how much time had passed.

With a slight effort, he shook his body, shedding his old carapace. His body gradually expanded as he carefully unfurled his membranous wings, waiting for the new carapace to harden.

He focused, sorting through the newly awakened Inherited Memory, quickly locating the long-anticipated core knowledge: Intelligent Worker Ants—not the ’Gigantification Worker Ant’ corresponding to the ’Gigantification Soldier Ant’.

Similar to other specialized ants, they required nurturing with Origin Force Food. They would have a life span as long as an Ant King’s and could grow and evolve alongside the Ant King—provided they were fed Origin Force Food.

The introduction in the Inherited Memory was still brief. It didn’t mention their size but stated that their heads would be very large, with significant brain capacity. This endowed them with high intelligence, making them capable of independent judgment and adaptability. They could command worker ants to complete various complex territory management tasks on behalf of the Ant King.

I urgently need an Intelligent Worker Ant!

I wonder if the Origin Force Food I’ve prepared, worth about 1,000 Source Stones, will be enough...

Dragon Cypress had long planned to cultivate an Intelligent Worker Ant. From the vague introduction in the Inherited Memory, he could roughly confirm that the Intelligent Worker Ant was what he had been hoping for.

Often, when Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid went on distant explorations, he needed an Intelligent Worker Ant to stay behind and manage the Ant Nest and the territory.

The safety of the territory and the food for the ant colony are also problems I have to consider. As the Ant Kingdom expands, I will eventually need a Gigantification Soldier Ant to assist with management...

Dragon Cypress calculated in his mind.

His evolved body settled into its final form, and the hardening of his carapace was nearly complete.

Dragon Cypress habitually scanned his body with his spiritual power, checking his size and length. Suddenly, he stiffened. His Tentacles flicked; he felt puzzled, then shocked, then overjoyed.

His abdomen now bore two additional blue rings, marked with patterns consistent with the Azure Vein of the Deep Blue God-Given Seed.

Clearly, it was a sign of a Water System Ability!

It wasn’t difficult to understand. Both the Dominating Throne and the Deep Blue God-Given Seed originated from the Creator Civilization and were purely of the Water System. Most likely, the Dominating Throne had shared the Water System Talent with him while helping to ’Contract’ the Deep Blue God-Given Seed.

With his evolution from a Primary-Level Ant King to a Mid-Level Ant King, a major Realm breakthrough, his Elemental Talent had manifested.

So, what kind of ability is it?

Dragon Cypress focused, searching his memory.

This Awakening brought a myriad of inherited information. This included knowledge of flora and fauna, climate knowledge, tactics for commanding various combat ants in battle formations, knowledge on commanding worker ants to assist in combat, and how to quickly plunder and empty an enemy’s territory.

Giant-Headed Ants were inherently a ferocious combat lineage of the Ant Clan. As he evolved into a Mid-Level Ant King, his Inherited Memories related to combat began to awaken.

After a search, he found no records related to ’Water Element Ability.’

But it seems I’ve already awakened an Elemental Ability!

When Dragon Cypress focused all his spiritual consciousness on the blue rings on his abdomen, a strange sensation arose.

He was quite certain he could wield some form of Water System Ability, but the ability seemed weak...

Normally, an Insect Clan Warrior would awaken an Elemental Ability upon ascending to the Mountain Lord Level. If nurtured with a large amount of corresponding Origin Force Food, they could also awaken it prematurely at the High-Level Warrior stage. Under normal circumstances, it was almost impossible to possess an Elemental Ability at the Mid-Level Warrior stage.

But the Dominating Throne and the Deep Blue God-Given Seed were not part of the Natural God System, so it wasn’t strange for him to awaken an Elemental Ability ahead of time.

Dragon Cypress was curious about what specific form the ability would take...

Lost in thought, he came back to his senses and noticed a storm raging outside.

With a sweep of his spiritual power, he leaped up.

Ink Orchid was at the entrance of the Ant Nest, braving the wind and rain.

Dragon Cypress rolled and jumped off the Dominating Throne, shrunk it, and took flight to follow her out of the nest.

...

"Ink Orchid?!"

"Dragon Cypress! You’ve finally woken up!"

"Ink Orchid, there’s a downpour outside! Why aren’t you taking shelter in the cave?" Dragon Cypress’s tone was reproachful yet full of concern.

The Dominating Throne floated out of the cave entrance, expanded to about a meter in diameter, and hovered at a low altitude.

"I saw that you weren’t waking up, and I was worried about you..." Ink Orchid leaped onto it.

The Dominating Throne automatically released a faint, pale blue Primordial Energy Screen, blocking the rainwater.

"Have I been sleeping for a long time?" Dragon Cypress inquired.

He suddenly realized how weak this evolution had left him; he lacked even the strength to jump onto the Throne and felt utterly drained and ravenous.

He shook his Tentacles, signaling the worker ants to quickly bring him food.

"Yeah! Dragon Cypress, you’ve been asleep for five days!" Ink Orchid said, staring at Dragon Cypress, still somewhat worried and shaken. "The Dominating Throne is supposed to speed up evolution, isn’t it? Last time, I only took three days! You scared me to death..."

"I underwent three Molting Evolutions in less than a year. The frequency was too high, and it almost caused a problem," Dragon Cypress said with residual fear, along with a sense of shame and embarrassment.

Dragon Cypress had always cautioned Ink Orchid that Origin Force Food should be consumed in moderation. He also warned that Molting Evolution should not be rushed and that sufficient interval time should be allowed. However, he was the first to make the mistake.

A few worker ants came forward with strips of meat, easing the awkward moment.

"I need to recover first..." Dragon Cypress mumbled, turning to eat.

"Dragon Cypress? Is that... on your abdomen?" Ink Orchid discovered the change on Dragon Cypress’s abdomen and subconsciously fired off a series of questions, "Have you mutated?"

"Blue rings, similar in color to the Azure Vein—a Water System Talent?"

"Is it because of the Deep Blue God-Given Seed?"

"Dragon Cypress, have you mastered a Water System Ability?"

Dragon Cypress murmured, "Hmm." He then said, "I can basically confirm it’s because of the Dominating Throne and the Deep Blue God-Given Seed. Ink Orchid, let me eat first."

While eating, his spiritual power switched back and forth between the blue rings and the rain, and a spark of insight ignited in his mind.

At the cave entrance, a raindrop falling rapidly from the sky suddenly halted in mid-air. It then drifted into the Ant Nest tunnel and hovered above Dragon Cypress’s head.

"WOW!" Ink Orchid exclaimed in surprise. "Water Control!"

According to his Inherited Memory, Water Control was a relatively common ability within the Water System Talent.

But for a Giant-Headed Ant with a pure Strength System Talent to also master a Water Element Ability was impressive.

Controlling even one raindrop is a bit strenuous... Dragon Cypress muttered to himself. Then, with a sudden exertion of strength, he sent the raindrop flying out, only for it to be battered to the ground by the torrential rain outside.

Dragon Cypress quipped, "As I continue to evolve and grow stronger... watering our territory will be very easy in the future."

"That’s quite impressive!" Ink Orchid sincerely complimented, then asked expectantly, "Dragon Cypress, is there more? Just this one ability?"

"I’m still figuring it out..." Dragon Cypress bowed his head to eat and continued to perceive.

He had two blue rings; the Water Control Ability was manifested through the first, while the ability corresponding to the second ring was quite complex.

After a long time, Dragon Cypress stepped out of the cave, his body now covered by a pale blue Primordial Energy Screen, similar to the one the Dominating Throne could produce. The dense, rapidly falling raindrops were blocked, coalescing into rivulets that slid off the screen to the ground.

"OH—" Ink Orchid swept her spiritual power back and forth and hurriedly exclaimed, "It’s an ability just like the Dominating Throne’s! Dragon Cypress, your Water System Talent comes from the Dominating Throne."

Dragon Cypress said, "Yes... This seems to be a defensive ability."

"Really? Let me try!" Ink Orchid immediately jumped off the Throne, landing in front of Dragon Cypress. She raised her Catching Feet, displaying their sharp tips.

"Dragon Cypress, try to defend against me."

"Hmm—" Dragon Cypress forcefully channeled his Origin Force, and the pale blue screen’s color deepened by three shades.

Ink Orchid raised her claw and gently pricked with its tip.

Soundlessly, the screen shattered.

Ink Orchid was speechless.

Dragon Cypress was also speechless.

"I didn’t use much strength..." Ink Orchid said.

"It’s normal..." Dragon Cypress said. "Normally, one needs to be at the Mountain Lord Level to manifest Elemental Abilities. I’m currently just a first Age Period Mid-Level Ant King. It should improve in the future."

"That’s right! Exactly!"

"Dragon Cypress, you can also consume Origin Force Food that strengthens your Water System Ability!"

Dragon Cypress shook his Tentacles, saying, "I’m just a Mid-Level Ant King right now; there’s no rush for that."

"Once the Deep Blue God-Given Seed bears fruit, eat a few more of its fruits, and you’ll definitely become much stronger," Ink Orchid said, then immediately followed up, "Anything else? Any other abilities?"

"That’s all," Dragon Cypress explained. "This is an Elemental Talent I acquired; its abilities are currently very limited. The two rings on my abdomen each correspond to one ability. In the future, when I become a High-Level Ant King or a Mountain Lord Level Ant King, maybe I’ll discover new abilities."