Ch 8: Interplanetary Planting Master

Sensing

The next morning, Su He got up early and went outside the ruins to gather a layer of soil. The “soil” was more like gravel—dry and barren. The environment of Broken Star was severely damaged, and the entire surface of the planet was covered in similar gravel deserts. This situation wasn’t unique to Broken Star; most planets occupied by humans were like this. The metallic sheen pervaded daily life, with green becoming a rare decoration.

Su He recalled how people on Earth used to advocate for environmental protection. Even in his small town, there were signs everywhere promoting energy conservation and banning deforestation. Entering the cosmos seemed to have taken things to the other extreme. Although the destructive exploitation of planets under the shadow of war was understandable, Su He still found it regrettable. He had seen photos of Broken Star before its development on SkyNet, and the planet was covered with unique purple plants. From the sky, the rich purple was spectacular, like a painter’s vivid oil painting. Unfortunately, such a sight was no longer visible.

Thinking about this made Su He feel a bit melancholic. Due to his sect’s planting techniques, he had a natural fondness for all plants and couldn’t fully accept such destructive exploitation. He believed that while war was one aspect, it wasn’t impossible that humanity felt they had an inexhaustible supply of the galaxy’s resources. After all, he had seen experts claim that the Milky Way had 400 billion stars, with each star having 5-8 planets, resulting in trillions of planets. Beyond the Milky Way, there were countless extragalactic systems, with enough resources for humanity to develop for generations.

Lost in various thoughts, Su He spread the collected soil evenly on the metal floor. Around the perimeter of the floor, he placed a few energy stones in different positions. With one hand, he formed a seal, and his internal planting technique activated. A gentle energy began from his fingertips, enveloping the energy stones in a peculiar pattern. Pure energy overflowed from the stones, rotating and converging in the air before scattering into the soil. The initially barren gravel soil began to transform from red to black, gradually becoming fertile and brimming with vibrant energy.

Su He placed his fingers in the soil, and his mental tendrils extended, sensing a resonance between the soil’s energy and his mental world. His sprout-like spirit animal shook its leaves excitedly, expressing its joy.

“Done.”

Su He retracted his hand, satisfied. He had just set up a basic array from his sect, perfect for accelerating crop growth. Although the array’s growth rate couldn’t match his manual acceleration, it was different from his one-time manual technique. The array created an energy cycle that could be used indefinitely within its energy state.

His master had once explained that the array’s sustained energy stones were merely auxiliary. The array would automatically absorb ambient spiritual energy, continuously replenishing itself. Meanwhile, the plants, nourished by the array’s energy, would emit vitality as they grew, which in turn would feed back into the array, creating a perpetual cycle. In short, it was a long-term, convenient setup.

After setting up the array, Su He took out a dozen radish seeds from his bag and planted them in the soil. The rich energy stimulated the seeds, and tender green sprouts began to grow, rising visibly. Su He calculated that they would have radish stew by noon. For convenience during his escape on Earth, he had brought seeds of crops that could be eaten raw. Now that they were settling in the 36th Ruins, he planned to visit the black market to buy more seeds and expand his food variety.

As the radishes grew, Su He happily thought that one apple equaled 100 credits, so a radish wouldn’t be much cheaper. As long as he kept farming, his credits would increase. First, he’d buy interference devices, then more energy stones to boost production. Once he saved enough, he’d buy that black mech and eventually a spaceship to leave Broken Star. Outside, he could continue farming on a planet, and when the farm was stable, he and Han Rui could travel and explore, hiring a mercenary group for protection.

The future seemed so promising that Su He felt the need to share it with someone. Han Rui had gone to the underground world early in the morning, so Su He’s only confidant was his sprout. With a thought, the small green seedling appeared before him.

The seedling energetically shook its leaves, then hopped over to observe the radish sprouts. Curious about the radish sprouts, it tried to bury itself in the soil to blend in as one of them.

Su He: “…”

Han Rui had once said that spirit animals usually resembled their owners, reflecting their spirit. He wondered if he was this silly…

Decisively, Su He pulled the seedling out by its two leaves. The seedling seemed to find this fun and clung to Su He for another pull. Before Su He could refuse, the seedling transformed into green light dots, burrowed into the ground, and emerged slowly with soil on its leaves, cheerfully greeting Su He.

“…” Su He reluctantly pulled it out again, shaking off the dirt. The seedling happily stretched its leaves, transforming into countless light dots. The light dots swirled in the air, gently wrapping around Su He’s hand, urging him to follow.

Su He and the seedling were mentally connected. The seedling tried to convey that it sensed a warm energy nearby.

“Warm energy?” Su He pondered. “The only warm energy I’ve encountered is from energy stones. Could it be energy stones?” He proceeded cautiously, following the direction indicated by the seedling. After several turns and passing through numerous rooms, they arrived at a room that had been destroyed by external force, with steel bars, stones, and debris collapsed together.

This was the place the seedling referred to. After ensuring there were no dangers nearby, Su He rolled up his sleeves and began moving the piled-up debris. Half an hour later, he unearthed six long metal boxes from the collapsed room. The metal boxes were locked with passwords, but through them, Su He could sense the familiar energy waves. This energy was so pure and dense, unlike the thin energy of D-level standard energy stones; it was almost tangible.

“We’ve struck it rich.” That was Su He’s only thought. He immediately connected to Han Rui’s terminal. “Guess what I found?”

Han Rui’s eyes fell on the metal boxes and lit up instantly. “Energy stones!”

Su He nodded excitedly. “The energy is very pure. It’s definitely better than D-level. Do you think selling them would be enough to buy a spaceship?”

Han Rui, who had never seen so many energy stones in his life, replied, “I don’t know, but it should be enough.”

“Then we can leave Broken Star.”

“Yes, leave Broken Star. Where are you? I’m coming back right away.”

Su He found his current coordinates on the terminal and said, “N22 E45. Not far from our home.”

Han Rui hung up and immediately rushed back to the ruins. Su He was dizzy with excitement from this huge windfall. “Buy a spaceship and leave Broken Star.” His wish was within reach, as if some deity had heard his prayers. He paced around on the ground, unsure of what to do. The seedling gently jumped into his arms, shaking its little leaves as if asking for credit.

Su He smiled, just about to praise the seedling, when he suddenly felt a jolt of fear and quickly rolled to the left. A red beam of light flashed by, melting a football-sized hole in the spot where he had just been standing.

“Quick reflexes, kid.” A sinister voice came from outside the window. A bald man in his forties, with a mechanical arm, controlled an anti-gravity device to fly in and land. His gaze at Su He was like looking at a dead man. “Kid, you’ve discovered something that doesn’t belong to you.”

Su He watched the man warily, his left hand sneaking into his back pocket, remaining silent. The man’s eyes swept over Su He’s face and the seedling in his arms but didn’t recognize Su He as a guide. This was a small mercy. Just as Su He was about to make a move, another red beam shot towards him. He dodged narrowly as another man entered through the door, making a clean-cut gesture to kill.

In an instant, Su He raised his hand, dropping four black seeds to the ground. He quickly formed a seal, and milky white energy enveloped the seeds. In a breath, tendrils as thick as fingers sprouted, waving and grabbing at the two men.

Su He turned to run. If they were unarmed, he might have stood a chance, but with them wielding weapons, he had to prioritize safety. Unfortunately, they had no intention of letting him escape.

“Get him! He’s seen us; don’t let him warn Zhao Jingguang.” The man at the door shouted while shooting at the tendrils. Just as Su He was about to reach the door, a swift wind blew past. He tilted his head to avoid it, and a round, rolling mechanical ball stopped in front of him, its red eyes flashing. “Warning, warning, you are weapon-locked.”

“Damn it.” Why didn’t Han Rui’s intelligent machine have this function?

Su He pulled out two more seeds, which he had been saving for emergencies. Before he could form a seal, the man at the door lunged at him, knocking him to the ground. Unaware of Su He’s guide identity, the man showed no mercy, thrusting a dagger towards Su He’s chest.

Su He’s hair stood on end, and his heart seemed to stop. At this life-or-death moment, the seedling, which had been quietly attached to him, suddenly erupted. Green light exploded, forming a glowing band that tightly bound the man’s hand holding the knife. Seizing the opportunity, Su He quickly formed a seal, causing green tendrils to grow and wrap around the man’s neck.

“Ugh… ugh…”

The man on the ground struggled to break the vines. The bald man with the mechanical arm suddenly shouted at Su He, “You’re a guide.” His killing intent immediately turned to greed. A guide? A guide strong enough to materialize his spirit animal? A guide with a mutated plant spirit animal? This was worth more than the energy stones on the ground. The bald man quickly adjusted his mechanical arm’s weapon, changing from lethal to stun. As for saving the other man? Why give up a chance to monopolize a huge fortune?

The red light flashed again. Su He kicked away the man beside him, who took the hit instead. The combination of the vines and the stun effect proved fatal. Everything happened in a split second. The bald man was about to fire a second shot when the seedling screamed, forming a glowing band to shield Su He. Su He threw another seed. The gun fired, the seed sprouted, and the tendrils ensnared the bald man’s legs. He stumbled, falling heavily off the ledge, plummeting several meters below.

Su He panted heavily. The floating intelligent machine lost control and fell to the floor with a thud, startling Su He. He beckoned, and the glowing band reformed into the seedling, trembling as it burrowed back into his arms.

Meanwhile, 50 light-years away from Broken Star on the Yu Wei, Lu Li paused, looking up through the observation deck toward Broken Star. His usually gentle eyes darkened as a sinister emotion rose. His spirit animal grew restless as if something was happening far away.

Through two layers of cabins, a gentle green light emanated from the narrow metal box. The long-dormant Galactic Treeman, Reno, slowly awakened, sensing the presence of one of his kin in that fleeting moment.

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