116: Chapter 116 Can't Cut It!

The next second, a sudden change occurred.

Under the catalysis of the rich Spiritual Qi from the Sweet Dew Array, a mound of earth suddenly bulged up from the ground.

Accompanied by a teeth-gritting sound of wood tearing, a vibrant green sprout broke through the soil, then shot upward at an incredibly insane speed.

Two meters, five meters, ten meters...

Under the stunned gaze of the surrounding people, the tree trunk rapidly expanded until it required three people to embrace it, its dense canopy blotting out the sky.

It was not until it reached about twelve meters that its growth speed gradually slowed down.

"My heavens..." The old farmer sat down on the ground with a thud, the hoe in his hand clattering to the floor.

He had seen things grow fast, but never had he seen a tree ripen instantly like a weed.

Tie Shan in the distance heard the news and sprinted over.

As the chief engineer of the future satellite settlement, he immediately locked his eyes on the Materials of this tree.

The old man threw himself onto the trunk, touching and tapping it, even pressing his ear against the bark to listen for a long time, before suddenly turning his head, his rough face flushed purple-red.

"A treasure! This is an absolute treasure!" Tie Shan slapped his thigh in excitement, "The hardness and toughness of this wood are even three points stronger than the obsidian I've hammered! Except for perhaps being afraid of fire, it is simply the perfect Materials for building a city!"

He immediately turned to look at Zhou Yun, rubbing his hands as he requested: "City Lord, I would like to cut a section off to test the specific utility of this Materials!"

Zhou Yun nodded gently: "Do as you wish."

Having received permission, Tie Shan immediately called over a few strong city guards, swung their mountain-cleaving axes and black gold mountain-shattering picks, and smashed them hard against the trunk.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Sparks flew everywhere, and the deafening sound of metal clashing echoed across the field.

The city guards' hands were split from the shock, and they retreated several steps.

Everyone took a closer look and saw that there wasn't even a white mark left on the trunk, while those previously invincible Bronze Rank axes and black gold picks had several nicks in their blades.

Tie Shan was stunned, and the surrounding citizens looked at each other in dismay.

It was good wood, but if it couldn't even be cut, how was it supposed to be used?

"Move aside! Let me do it!"

A loud shout rang out, and Lei Lie, with an imposing Aura, pushed through the crowd and strode over.

His right hand rested on the hilt of the Platinum Rank [ascending moon shadow] sword at his waist, Silver Rank battle Qi surging around him, his eyes extremely sharp.

With his Silver Rank strength combined with a Platinum Rank weapon, he did not believe he couldn't even cut down a tree.

However, the moment Lei Lie drew his sword, preparing to strike with full force, a thin figure suddenly rushed out from the crowd, blocking firmly in front of the trunk.

"Don't! Please don't do anything to it!"

It was a young refugee, his eyes bloodshot, tears streaming down uncontrollably.

He spread his arms to protect the trunk, shouting hoarsely at Lei Lie: "This tree, it is crying! It is screaming in pain! Can't you hear it?!"

Lei Lie forcefully pulled back his sword strike, nearly suffering internal injuries, and looked at the crazy young man with a bewildered expression: "What's wrong with you, kid? How can a piece of wood cry?"

"He is not lying!"

"I heard it too... It is really in pain, very scared!"

"Me too..."

...

More than a dozen people walked out from the crowd one after another.

They were men and women, and without exception, their faces bore a look of shared sorrow.

Wan'er glanced at them and quickly walked to Zhou Yun's side to report in a low voice: "City Lord, these people... are all citizens who have undergone Awakening into the Summoner profession."

Tie Shan shook his head, "Nonsense, it doesn't even have a mouth, how can it scream in pain?"

The other citizens around them nodded in agreement.

They had the same thought.

But the young Summoner who had rushed out first wiped away his tears and stubbornly blocked the front of the tree, "If you don't believe me, I can try to prove it!"

This piqued the interest of Tie Shan and Lei Lie, who said in unison: "How will you prove it?"

The young Summoner did not respond immediately, but instead threw back a question,

"If this tree is cut down, what are you going to use it for?"

"The main purpose, of course, is to build houses!" Tie Shan replied as if it were obvious.

Upon hearing this, the young Summoner nodded, noncommittal.

Then he took a deep breath, turned around, and gently placed his hands on the rough bark.

He closed his eyes, a faint Spiritual power fluctuation belonging to a Summoner rippling from his body, his forehead pressed against the trunk, and he spoke in an extremely soft yet firm voice:

"We need a house... Please, grow into the shape of a house, and respond to my request!"

The non-Summoner citizens watching were looking at each other. Talking to a tree?

How is this any different from talking to a wall?

Then they saw the tree move.

It wasn't the swaying caused by the wind, but an active, purposeful movement. The lowest branches slowly bent to both sides, like a person spreading their arms.

The texture on the lower part of the trunk began to change, and chambers appeared inch by inch under everyone's gaze—then the irregular hollows gradually became square, with smooth, rounded edges, as if someone had carefully polished them from the inside.

The shape of a doorway appeared.

Then came the windows.

The wooden layer in the middle section of the trunk split open on its own to form several arc-shaped openings, with neat edges and uniform sizes. Looking through them, one could see that the chamber inside was divided into two levels.

The upper space was larger, the inner walls smooth and warm, and a thick branch bent in mid-air, forming a natural beam.

The lower level was slightly shorter but equally spacious, with a few thin branches protruding from the walls, their ends flat like shelves.

The giant tree was still growing, but its speed had slowed down.

The young Summoner opened his eyes, a layer of fine sweat seeping out on his forehead: "Is there a mage here? A Water-type mage? It is extremely dehydrated right now."

As soon as he finished speaking, several Water-type mages rushed up.

Water Ball spells were cast, and clear spiritual water poured onto the giant tree's roots, greedily absorbed by the root system.

With the dual supply of water and the Spiritual Qi from the Sweet Dew Array, the giant tree's growth accelerated again.

A raised threshold grew out of the door frame.

The edges of the windows curled slightly outward, forming natural rain eaves.

Between the internal floors, a spiral wooden staircase grew out from the wall of the trunk, spiraling upward.

The whole process lasted about half an incense stick's time.

When everything stopped, everyone stood frozen in place.

That was no longer a tree.

Or rather, it was a tree, and at the same time, it was a house.

The two-story treehouse was embedded in the sturdy trunk, complete with doors and windows, connected by stairs, its inner walls as smooth as polished wooden boards, emitting a faint, fresh woody scent.

It was more exquisite than any wooden house handcrafted by an artisan—because it was not built, it was grown alive.

The Summoners clapped their hands in unison.

Tie Shan stood on the side, his mouth opening and closing, taking a long time to regain his voice.

He looked at the giant tree, then looked down at the mountain-cleaving axe and black gold mountain-shattering pick in his hands, then looked up at the giant tree again.

"If it can grow into a house by itself," Tie Shan slammed his axe onto the ground, his expression extremely complicated, "then why would I still cut it down?"

A burst of laughter erupted from the surroundings.