Chapter 172 - 171: Blossoming on Multiple Fronts

Chapter 172: Chapter 171: Blossoming on Multiple Fronts

Although the shockwave had killed off some of the microorganisms in the water, plenty of impurities remained—biological waste, mucus, fallen sand and gravel, dust, decaying matter, and the like.

Professor Ye picked up the dark green Feather Fruit and tossed it into the murky pool.

The moment the fruit entered the water, the seaweed-like roots at its top stretched out slightly, and a faint suction force spread outward. Centered on the Feather Fruit, the brownish pool water seemed to be stirred by an invisible hand. The murky mud, sand, and suspended matter sank as if drawn by a magnet, rapidly adhering to those dark green seaweed-like roots.

The surface of the roots secreted a viscous gel that quickly enveloped the impurities, forming tiny, settling clusters of water. Meanwhile, stimulated by the water, the seaweed-like roots at the top of the fruit accelerated their growth.

Tiny, translucent Spores silently detached from the ends of the roots and slowly sank to the bottom of the pool. The moment these Spores touched the Energy-rich sludge at the bottom, they acted like seeds falling into fertile soil. They sprouted even finer new roots, firmly gripping the mud and beginning to absorb nutrients.

Professor Ye maintained the calm expression of a man who had everything completely under control and said, "Just like algae, it is expelling reproductive bodies.

"From the looks of it, the environment I provided wasn’t filthy enough. It turns out that the dirtier the environment is, the more it triggers its Purification Ability."

As the Feather Fruit continued to purify the water, the pool stratified at a clearly visible rate. The upper layer gradually became clear and transparent, while the sediment at the bottom was firmly wrapped and secured by the seaweed.

On the dark green skin of the Feather Fruit itself, the thin gelatinous layer began to thicken, emitting a soft halo. Traces of extremely faint Water Attribute Energy began to dissipate from the tips of the roots and the surface of the gel layer, slowly drifting through the clear water.

"It is repelling impurities and purifying the water," Professor Ye said, watching the Feather Fruit slowly fan out its seaweed-like roots underwater like a fishing net. "Now we just need to see if it can reproduce in the water. I expect that will take some time. Boss, try your Accelerated Growth and see if it has any effect on it."

Previously, Professor Ye had asked Han Ning to cast Accelerated Growth a few times. But perhaps due to the lack of a suitable environment, the effects of the skill had been rather poor.

Hearing Professor Ye’s suggestion, Han Ning didn’t hesitate. Hovering his palms over the water’s surface, a rich emerald-green brilliance surged out, enveloping the Feather Fruit and its spreading algae body in the pool.

He applied the dual effects of Accelerated Growth and Natural Blessing.

HUMMMM.

The pool water was stirred by an invisible force. The dark green seaweed, which had only been slowly stretching before, now acted as if it were injected with stimulants, wildly twisting and multiplying. The deep green algae rapidly spread out underwater like a massive fishing net.

In the blink of an eye, a dense blanket of algae covered half the bottom of the pool, and it was still expanding. The water churned and tumbled as dense clusters of bubbles GURGLED up from the depths of the algae blanket. The speed at which it was purifying impurities visibly increased several times over.

"Look at the roots," Professor Ye’s voice rang out.

Deep within the dark green algae blanket, near the branching Nodes of the main roots, tiny thumb-sized bulges were rapidly expanding. They displayed a jade-like color with smooth skin, actively absorbing nutrients from the water.

Professor Ye leaned over the edge of the pool, scooped up a handful of water, and brought it to his mouth for a taste.

He SMACKED his lips together and said, "It tastes a bit like grass. It’s not salty, and I don’t sense any aura of the Black Tide. Boss, I think we can use this purified water to irrigate the planting area. This way, we won’t be short on our freshwater supply."

As the planting area had expanded, it actually consumed quite a lot of fresh water. Currently, diverting water relied entirely on Water Awakened channeling it from the mountain col, or from the small reservoir Lin Qianqian and the others had dug out, which could only barely sustain the planting area.

The survivors’ daily supply of fresh water was extremely scarce. If the Feather Fruit could reproduce and purify more wastewater, the gathering area wouldn’t lack fresh water at all, saving them a massive headache.

Three days later.

"Hah!" A short, powerful shout rang out in the training ground established within the gathering area.

Jiang Yuan executed a standard lateral step forward. His right fist, carrying the sound of rushing wind, smashed fiercely into the hanging Black Snake skin sandbag. The sandbag shook violently with muffled THUDs before bursting apart in midair.

"Beautiful! There’s a lot of depth to the technique behind that punch. As expected of a martial arts master."

Vice President Zhao, who was standing by to offer guidance, lit up and couldn’t help cheering aloud. He stepped forward and squeezed Jiang Yuan’s noticeably firmer arm muscles. "How does it feel?"

Jiang Yuan pulled his fist back and stood firm, but his face carried an irrepressible excitement. "Brother Zhao, I can feel that ’qi’ flowing much more smoothly inside my body now."

Thanks to the steady supply of Jade Potatoes and the recently implemented ’veterans lead rookies’ hunting system, the physical fitness of the more than thirty ordinary people in the gathering area had undergone earth-shaking changes in just a few days.

Initially, when they were glared at by the Demon Eye Frog, their bodies would stiffen up like boards, requiring the Awakened to rescue them in time. Now, facing the interference of Low Tier Monsters, most of them could barely resist by relying on their own willpower and enhanced Mental Power.

Although they still couldn’t completely eliminate the effects, they at least retained the ability to move. In particular, the improvements in their strength, speed, and neural reaction times were remarkably significant.

"Fifteen meters ahead to the left, two Spineback Water Lizards! Old Zeng, suppress the eyes on the left one. Wang, follow me up—use the Fish Spear to pin down its tail!"