Chapter 38: Nature Spirit

The War God Training Camp was originally a special training base set up by the two major martial halls; it was first called the Elite Training Camp, since anyone who entered it could at least become a War God, so it was also named the War God Training Camp.

Three years ago, the World Tree spearheaded the effort, uniting the two major martial halls to combine their resources and found today's War God Training Camp.

Unlike before, after being officially renamed the War God Training Camp by the outside world, this place is no longer the so‑called incubator for War Gods; instead, you are only considered a formal student here after you have become a War God, and you can apply for graduation only after surpassing the War God level.

Of course, what people on Earth don't know is that the true name of this place is actually 'War God Kindergarten'.

In the Mingyue Community of Jiangnan Base City, three eager youths are about to head to this War God Training assessment.

Chenzi, you three can bring glory to Jiangnan this time—there are only five or six such slots in all of China, and Jiangnan has three of them, hahaha.

Don't get eliminated; charge in together. When we used to go out for drinks, we could brag about it—we've all eaten with warriors stronger than War Gods.

Jiāng Jiāng, you are the pride of our female martial artists!

Luofeng: ……

So, is this really the Mingyue Community?

Besides, you two aren't even martial artists from the Extreme Martial Hall, okay!

What Luofeng didn't expect was that Chu Chen, using his connections, actually set up his own villa in the Extreme Martial Hall's Mingyue Community. Moreover, Luofeng had previously only enjoyed the same treatment as an official member of the World Tree thanks to Chu Chen's favor, making Luofeng increasingly unable to discern Chu Chen's true identity.

So, is it really necessary for someone like you to take part in this assessment!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for everyone's support.

Chu Chen took the lead in accepting the support of the neighboring martial artists.

Master, once you and my brother graduate and return, I will definitely earn enough money to cure my legs!

The one calling Chu Chen 'master' is my younger brother Luo Hua. Although Chu Chen had already promised ten dollars to cure his brother's legs, for some unknown reason, when Luofeng returned from the World Tree, Luo Hua vowed to earn money himself to cure his legs and refused any further financial support from me. The culprit behind all this is none other than Chu Chen, who moved in next to my house while I was away.

This brat.

Very good, I have high hopes for you.

As for why Luo Hua calls Chu Chen 'master,' the story begins when Chu Chen moved into the Mingyue Community.

The ups and downs of the HR Alliance in China naturally caused huge fluctuations in domestic corporate stocks, especially in the many related industries of the HR Alliance domestically; as the mastermind behind all these events, Chu Chen showed Luo Hua what it means to manipulate the market.

By contacting A Yun to control the winds behind the scenes, after giving Luo Hua a demonstration, it was naturally left to Luo Hua to learn the principles of being a person, especially the saying passed down from a certain rising strongman:

Thirty years east of the river...

It's just right for Luo Hua to use.

Luofeng bid farewell to his family, Chu Chen and Jiāng Jiāng also said goodbye to a group of fans they had recently met, and the three officially set out on their journey to the War God Training Camp.

————

During the chaotic Great Nirvana period, besides countries being able to organize some force to deal with monsters and stabilize the situation, many forces that grew from individuals or groups also established one apocalyptic base after another.

These bases have been destroyed one after another in the prolonged war, and only a few remain to this day; the most typical example is naturally the Hong Ning Base City established under the leadership of the world's strongest, 'Hong'.

A base city completely led by 'Hong' and independent of any nation.

Globally, such bases that nominally belong to no country are not few; at the large end, Hong Ning Base City stations nearly ten million people, with its defense forces already at the pinnacle of human capability, while at the small end, some capable martial artists have built tiny bases in certain 'ownerless lands'.

However, in recent years, such bases have been gradually decreasing, because many so-called ownerless lands have been marked by some gangster force.

The destination for Chu Chen and his three companions this time is the base city of Dragon Gate, newly constructed a few years ago by the World Tree together with the two major martial halls, specifically for cultivating martial artists.

The meaning is also simple: it refers to the Dragon Gate of the legend where a carp leaps over the Dragon Gate.

Located in Australia, which after the Great Nirvana few forces can enter, it is overseas and surrounded by sea; after humanity lost ninety-nine percent of its islands, Australia became a paradise for monsters, and before the Dragon Gate Base City appeared, it was entirely monster territory.

Yunzhong Aviation, although only recently started operating in Asia in recent years, has in the past few years occupied a large market share with its relatively superior service and frequency compared to all forces.

Moreover, according to the latest cooperation between China and the World Tree, Yunzhong Aviation will intervene in all aspects of air transport within China, and at that time Yunzhong Shipping is very likely to monopolize air transport across the entire Asian region.

And on this flight from Jiangnan directly to Dragon Gate, besides the cargo hold, there are only three passengers—Chu Chen, Luofeng, and Jiāng Jiāng—while the cabin attendants outnumber the passengers.

Placing a standing spot on other airlines' planes would cost several million, which is also why Yunzhong Aviation is so extravagant.

Of course, besides flights like this one that are 'public,' Yunzhong Aviation's flights have so far been open only to members of the World Tree.

According to Luofeng's understanding from New Elyria, inside the World Tree such a ticket costs only 99,988, less than 100,000.

It takes only half an hour to fly from Jiangnan to Australia; upon reaching the skies over Dragon Gate, one can gradually see the scenery over Dragon Gate from the window.

The surrounding clouds seem to wrap into flower-like shapes encircling Dragon Gate's sky; only after passing through the cloud layer can one see the city intertwined with forests and lakes.

At high altitude where the clouds have not yet dissipated, the plane's wings seem able to touch the lush treetops; the World Tree seems to live up to its name, with every city's greening being quite good…

This of course is not just greening; likewise belonging to the World Tree's members, the clan of 'Nature Spirits' led by the Jian Mu Divine Tree forms an eternal alliance with the humans of the World Tree.

Outside, few hear about the internal affairs of the World Tree; even if one becomes a martial artist, unless they truly join the World Tree, few know its secrets.

Luofeng also learned after a trip to New Elyria that the World Tree is not an organization composed solely of humans.

The 'Nature Spirits' clan, simply put, is like the monsters—a plant species that evolved due to the rr virus.

Of course, to form the scale of such a species, it naturally requires care from the Earth Mother Chu Chen.

Getting back to the topic, when Chu Chen had just become an Earth Spirit not long ago, he determined the race chosen for his Wool-Gathering talent.

First of all, as the origin of everything on Earth, the starting and ending point of material circulation, all life on Earth can form a 'source link' with Chu Chen.

Therefore, Chu Chen can not only feel feedback from Hong and Lei Shen and other strong ones, but more so the feedback comes from the monsters.

However, the feedback at hand is ultimately small; to better usher in the Stellar Era, only a single unified voice can remain on this small Earth.

The hatred between humans and monsters, at its minor level, traces back to the massive losses humans suffered when the Great Nirvana began; at its major level, it extends to the oppression of many species by humans over thousands of years, an almost irreconcilable contradiction.

Moreover, Chu Chen's previous incarnation also died due to a monster attack, so Chu Chen naturally could not choose to side with the monsters.

However, relying solely on humans also has a major problem: the issue of human loyalty.

Humans, throughout history, have had many who defy heaven; although I am not some heavenly doctrine, it's not impossible that one day humanity might suddenly undergo a wave of 'freedom enlightenment' that turns against me.

Once organisms break free from gravity's bonds, they easily lose their love for land; as people grow stronger, they naturally come to love the vaster cosmos, and if we ignore pressure from extraterrestrial humans, choosing humanity could even be inferior to choosing monsters.

Just as Chu Chen was wavering, a signal from near the Pacific equator caught his attention—a sensation distinct from both humans and monsters.

What Chu Chen could sense was respect, gratitude, a fervent worship, a blazing faith, and love overflowing like a cup of water.

Chén Chén followed that feeling and went over; it was a solitary small island, the whole island less than one kilometer in size, with a beach, with fresh flowers, with coconuts and dancing butterflies and bees, although their bodies seemed to have also undergone some changes due to the virus.

Of course, the most eye-catching thing is naturally the towering tree standing in the middle of the small island; the trunk at the top spreads outward for almost a hundred meters, green foliage covers most of the island's center, the trunk is at least three to four hundred meters tall from top to bottom, and the roots are faintly visible, hidden in the corners of the small island.

Only Chén Chén can easily see that the giant tree's root system is actually tens to hundreds of times larger than its trunk; the entire small island is almost entirely controlled by the tree's roots, not connected to the seabed, like a drifting giant ship, freely wandering near the equator.

However, this giant tree is not as friendly as it appears on the surface; although it has been 'cleaned up' very well, a faint bloody smell still lingers around its roots.

Beneath the island, wherever the tree's roots pass, what humans see as ferocious monsters are, in the tree's eyes, merely small fish and shrimp; even a lord‑level monster, if it lacks discernment, can only become nourishment for the giant tree.

This great tree possesses a faint consciousness; although it already has considerable strength, its wisdom alone is like that of an embryo not yet fully mature, having the instinct to seek food and also some curiosity about the world.

Most importantly, this giant tree seems to hold an emotion toward itself akin to that of a fanatic believer, like a child's closeness to its mother.

If the average affinity of humans and monsters toward Earth is sixty out of a hundred, then this giant tree scores a hundred and twenty.

If other beings with full favor can sacrifice their lives for Earth, then for the giant tree, dying for this land is simply a matter of course.

"Since that's the case, I'll help you."

The appearance of the giant tree opened Chén Chén's train of thought; on Earth there is still another option available to him.

Plants, an indispensable link in Earth's biological chain, rooted in the soil, rely on the land and also deeply love the lives of the land.

Chén Chén is not yet certain about the plants' intelligence and thought, but from the perspective of life forms, the plants seem to have a more perfect 'symbiosis' with him.

Then let's first try using our racial talent; with the authority of the Source of Life, let us establish a tighter connection with the giant tree and become his true 'child' in the genuine sense.

Just as each special race in the Universe possesses its unique talent, two of Chén Chén's racial talents are related to life: like a capitalist who can 'shear wool' from Earth's living beings with a 'Life Link', and also the ability to directly transcend countless levels, akin to a venerable one, something only a Lord of the Universe can master—the creation and alteration of life.

Although Chén Chén, who has just become a Star Spirit, possesses a myriad of abilities and his physical resistance and vitality are quite strong, his mental power is merely at the ordinary planetary level, which indeed corresponds to his planetary identity.

Considering mental power alone, Chén Chén is not much stronger than the giant tree, so forcibly using his authority on the tree is not easy; fortunately, this child is very obedient, feeling Chén Chén's close power, there is no resistance, allowing Chén Chén to exert his power as he wishes.

Within the giant tree's life, Chén Chén gains a deeper understanding of the essence of plant life, and a deeper understanding of what it means to live as a plant.

Unlike animals that can run across the land, a plant rooted in the land can only stay in one spot for its whole life, yet it is not as boring as humans imagine.

In a perception and emotion completely different from that of animals, there is the splendor of changing light, the faint fragrance mingled in the breeze, the sweetness tasted in a downpour, and the frenzied turmoil in lightning.

Just a few insights, Chén Chén only feels that his life has moved forward a tiny step, as if he sees a dark road whose end and distant path cannot be seen even when perception is exhausted.

Returning to reality, Chén Chén's modification of the giant tree has already succeeded; nevertheless, the tree is still like a newborn infant, needing Chén Chén to properly teach it how to perceive this world.

The cognition of plants, the life of plants, differs from that of animals; if properly trained, they will become Chén Chén's most loyal retinue, the most faithful guardians on Earth, and the best partners of humanity.

And this will also become the leader of all wise plant species on Earth in the future; distinguished from ordinary plants, those truly possessing wisdom will thereafter be called 'Nature Spirits'.

The giant tree still does not know how to communicate with other life, merely like a newborn baby babbling thanks to Chén Chén.

In the mental world, Chén Chén caressed this child as a parent would.

"From now on, you shall be called Jian Mu."