Ant Lord in the Star Realm-Chapter 616 - 562: Pan_3

Snow Velvet Spider King: "Then let me list a few powerful divine-grade fruits for the Aconite Spider King—there's bound to be something it needs. First, the Divine-Grade Silver Leaf Fruit..."

...

Red Peach and Column Spotted rushed back and forth, carrying out trades with Dragon Cypress as usual.

Heliotrope kept darting around, relaying messages between Aconite Spider King and Snow Velvet Spider King. Sometimes, it had to run a trip just for a single sentence. After two days and countless runs, negotiations were finally settled.

Snow Velvet Spider King bid farewell and departed on its own.

With the trade of Divine-Given Origin Force Food done on Dragon Cypress's end, he headed straight for Molan Mountain, taking Ink Orchid with him to begin this year's spring search for Divine-Given Seeds in each Land of Origin Force across the Cloud Trace Continent.

Ink Orchid stayed behind at White Lotus Lake.

Dragon Cypress transported source stones to Huagi Mountain.

By the time everything was done, spring was nearly over.

Black Sophora, relying on the Dominating Throne, completed its sixth leap of evolution, body length shrinking to just over 1.4 meters, now a 1st Age High-Level Assistant King.

"Black Sophora!"

Dragon Cypress called with spiritual power.

"Dragon Cypress Ant King."

Black Sophora tried to reply with spiritual power.

"Black Sophora!" Spiked Cypress chimed in, cheerfully coaching, "Mind your honorifics—call him Great King."

Black Sophora: "Great King."

Spiked Cypress: "Do you know the Second King?"

Black Sophora: "Mantis Warrior Ink Orchid, I know!"

"Watch how you address him! Second King!"

Spiked Cypress waved his antennae, tapping and calling out, "Come on, I'll show you around the mountain..."

Suddenly, Spiked Cypress shivered, turned his head, and met Dragon Cypress's killer stare. He retreated awkwardly. "If you have any instructions, Great King, please say so."

Dragon Cypress: "Black Sophora, eat, rest, recuperate, then test your abilities."

Black Sophora: "Understood, Great King!"

Fragrant Cypress and Black Persimmon sensed movement deep inside the Ant Nest and arrived one after another.

They first arranged for Black Sophora to eat her fill and rest for a while. Then, together, they climbed up to the Shandong Reservoir.

"Water system powers—the first, Water Control; the second, Hydrology Shield; the third, Boiling Water; the fourth, Freezing; the fifth, Water Making..."

Dragon Cypress manipulated a mass of clear water, demonstrating each in turn, then asked, "Black Sophora, how many did you comprehend?"

After a brief thought, Black Sophora replied, "Great King, it seems I've comprehended them all."

Dragon Cypress waved his claw, signaling Black Sophora to give it a try.

Black Sophora thought for a moment, curved her antennae, activated water system primordial energy, and formed a water droplet at the tip, like morning dew. Controlling it to float up, she let the power burst—instantly, it became a sparkling ice bead. With another surge of energy, the bead sublimated into water vapor and vanished. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

With another thought, a pale blue water system primordial energy shield enveloped Black Sophora's form.

Spiked Cypress, ever mischievous, poked at it with his claw; the shield shattered.

Which was quickly met by Dragon Cypress's furious antennae thrashing.

Black Sophora: "..."

Fragrant Cypress: "Black Sophora, only five abilities? You're a Specialized Blue Ant leaping to Assistant King—what about the refinement ability of a Specialized Blue Ant?"

"Still there, but… it seems to have changed..."

Black Sophora pondered for a moment, stepped out onto the water surface, scanned the lakeside grass with spiritual power, activated water control, then wrapped a tiny fish, three or four centimeters long, in a water sphere and scooped it up.

Water system ability activated.

The clear freshwater surrounding the little fish turned a deep azure blue, rapidly swirling and condensing...

After a long while,

The four-to-five-centimeter water sphere shrank down to the size of a grain of rice—a single sticky, azure drop of liquid.

Black Sophora controlled it, letting it gently float down in front of Fragrant Cypress.

"Fragrant Cypress, this is food refined from the little fish—give it a try."

"Oh—"

Fragrant Cypress looked to Dragon Cypress, "Please, Great King, you first."

Dragon Cypress sent a mental command, dropping the azure liquid in front of a nearby Spectating Specialized Green Soldier: "Eat it."

The Green Soldier waved his antennae, sniffed—it smelled like meat—then bent his head to lap it up.

The Green Soldier released a wave of joyful pheromones: Delicious!

Everyone understood.

This is the true form of the Creator Civilization's refinement ability.

Directly condensing food into a viscous liquid using water.

What about the discarded impurities from the refinement process? Not a trace left!

This ability is incredibly powerful!

Black Persimmon suggested, "Black Sophora, what about Origin Force Food? You can refine that too, right?"

Fragrant Cypress immediately turned and dashed down the mountain, "I'll get some from the treasury!"

Fragrant Cypress darted back to the treasury and fetched a small pouch of Divine-Given Jiuye Huangqian Seeds up the mountain.

Black Sophora picked up a seed, peeled off the hard outer shell, gently waved her antennae, drew a bit of clear water from the reservoir, and wrapped the seed in it, activating her ability.

The transparent water turned azure, swirling violently inside and out, condensing...

After a while, it became a drop even smaller than a rice grain—thick, sticky, bright azure tinged with milky white, primordial energy highly concentrated, holding together firmly.

Black Sophora: "Great King, it's done—"

The refinement ability was now clear: transform ordinary food and Origin Force Food into a state that's easier to store and transport—high-purity food that can be absorbed quickly and efficiently.

If refining Origin Force Food, there's an extra benefit: the primordial energy gets contained, greatly reducing its dissipation rate, making it much easier to seal and preserve.

Black Sophora is only at 1st Age High-Level Evolution right now. What about when she evolves to Evolution Mountain Lord Level, Lord-Level, King-Level?

The ability will surely improve by leaps and bounds, with the first upgrade being the refinement speed...

Ordinary Origin Force Food isn't worth wasting effort. But Divine-Given Origin Force Food is…

Ant King Honey is about to get a transformative upgrade!

Dragon Cypress praised: "Black Sophora, you've done excellently!"

Dragon Cypress: "Black Sophora, for now, stay at Xianglan Mountain and study roving merchant trade with Fragrant Cypress. After you advance to 2nd Age High-Level Assistant King, I'll send you to Purple Tung Insect Nation to learn combat skills and war command under Linnan Divine Tree."

Dragon Cypress: "In a few years, it might be Spiked Cypress, Black Sophora, and Fragrant Cypress stationed at Xianglan Mountain, with Black Persimmon heading to Purple Tung Insect Nation to help out."