Chapter 38: The More, The Better
Alicia had been feeling rather satisfied lately.
Which, in her experience, usually meant the universe was preparing something inconvenient.
Still, for the moment, things were going well.
Her World Seed had finally evolved to Level 2.
The green Life Energy spreading through her planet had begun quietly nurturing all regions of the world.
Her forests were richer.
Her plains were more stable.
Her oceans were developing more actively.
Even the highlands had become subtly more alive.
And for the first time in a long time—
Alicia felt like her planet was no longer simply surviving.
It was beginning to function.
That alone made her feel oddly proud.
"…Not bad," Alicia muttered while observing her world from above. "…I'm basically running a giant spiritual ecosystem now."
Then she paused.
"…That sounds much cooler than it probably should."
She continued scanning the planet carefully.
Her new system rewards had made observation much easier, and now she could monitor regions with much greater precision than before.
At first, she had only intended to review the effects of the World Seed's Level 2 evolution.
But while checking the Deep Forest Spiritual Vein, Alicia suddenly noticed something strange.
A system panel popped up.
Ding!
[Regional Notice]
Deep Forest Minor Spiritual Vein
Status: Evolving
Reason:
prolonged Life Energy exposure
stable environmental support
high regional biological activity
Alicia froze.
Then stared at the panel again.
"…Excuse me?"
She read it one more time just to make sure she had not mentally misread something.
No.
It was real.
The Deep Forest Spiritual Vein… was evolving on its own.
Alicia immediately focused all her awareness on the forest.
And what she saw made her go completely silent.
The Deep Forest had changed.
Not dramatically at first glance.
But the longer she observed, the clearer it became.
The roots beneath the trees had become denser and more spiritually active.
The underground energy channels had widened slightly.
Soul Power flowed through the region with greater smoothness than before.
The surrounding plant life looked healthier.
The beasts within the region had become more naturally attuned to its rhythm.
And most importantly—
the green Life Energy from the World Seed was gathering there more efficiently than in many other places.
Alicia narrowed her awareness.
"…Wait."
Then it hit her.
The Deep Forest Spiritual Vein had not evolved randomly.
It had evolved because it had been receiving:
constant nourishment
stable environmental balance
rich biological activity
and repeated Life Energy accumulation
Alicia went still.
Then very slowly said:
"…Oh."
Then:
"…Ohhh."
That was when the realization hit her properly.
A very important one.
A very useful one.
And honestly—
a very dangerous one.
The more Life Energy a region received…
the more that region could grow, stabilize, improve, and evolve.
Not just lifeforms.
Not just ecosystems.
Not just the World Seed.
Even Spiritual Veins themselves.
Alicia remained completely still for several seconds.
Because that changed a lot.
No—
that changed everything.
Her previous understanding of Life Energy had been too simple.
Before, she had mostly seen it as:
energy for growth
energy for nurturing life
energy for creating or improving biological development
But now?
Now she realized it was much bigger than that.
Life Energy was not just "life fuel."
It was planetary development fuel.
The more Life Energy her world had—
the more everything within it could potentially improve.
That included:
ecosystems
regions
life density
species growth
environmental stability
and now apparently…
Spiritual infrastructure.
Alicia was genuinely stunned.
Then immediately impressed.
Then slightly annoyed she had not realized it sooner.
"…So basically," she muttered, "the answer to most of my world-building problems is…"
She paused.
Then deadpanned:
"…More Life Energy."
That was, admittedly, both very simple and very powerful.
Alicia stared at the Deep Forest again.
Then suddenly understood why it had advanced first.
The forest had all the ideal conditions:
the first Spiritual Vein
the longest stable development period
dense life activity
rich biological cycles
and now a steady influx of green Life Energy from the World Seed
Compared to the plains or the highlands, it had simply been nourished the longest and most effectively.
Which meant one thing:
This was probably only the beginning.
Alicia immediately opened the regional status screen.
Ding!
[Deep Forest Spiritual Vein]
Level Up Complete
Previous Rank:
Minor Spiritual Vein — Low Grade
Current Rank:
Minor Spiritual Vein — Mid Grade
Effects Increased:
Soul Power circulation improved
regional Life Energy retention improved
vegetation growth speed increased
beast adaptation rate slightly increased
hidden natural resource formation chance increased
Alicia stared at the final line.
Then slowly smiled.
"…Natural resource formation?"
Now that was interesting.
Very interesting.
Because if stronger Spiritual Veins could begin naturally producing better resources—
then her world had just unlocked another major layer of cultivation-world potential.
This was not just "growth."
This was the beginning of real value generation.
A stronger world would not just have stronger life.
It would also create:
better environments
rarer materials
more specialized zones
and future cultivation resources
That was huge.
Actually huge.
Alicia could already feel the direction this would lead in.
And honestly?
She liked it a lot.
Her world was finally beginning to act like an actual cultivation planet, not just a life-support experiment with occasional system notifications.
That was progress.
Good progress.
Then Alicia checked the Central River Plains Spiritual Vein and the Highlands Spiritual Vein.
Neither had leveled up yet.
But both had shown small increases in Life Energy absorption.
Which confirmed her theory even more.
The Deep Forest had simply advanced first because it had received more nourishment over a longer period.
That meant if she increased total planetary Life Energy further—
then over time, other regions could also evolve.
Alicia floated in silence for a while after that.
Thinking.
Calculating.
Reconsidering everything she had done so far.
Then she quietly said:
"…I've been underestimating Life Energy."
And she had.
Massively.
Because now it was obvious.
The more Life Energy her planet had—
the better everything would become.
Not instantly.
Not magically.
But steadily.
Naturally.
Systematically.
And that kind of growth was far more valuable than flashy short-term boosts.
Alicia's thoughts became much more serious after that.
If Life Energy was this important…
then from now on, one of her biggest priorities should be:
increasing total Life Energy generation and circulation
Not just using it.
Not just spending it.
But growing it.
Sustaining it.
Expanding it.
That would likely become one of the biggest long-term foundations of her strength as a planet core.
And if she did it well—
then the future growth of her entire world might accelerate naturally.
That realization alone made Alicia feel like she had just unlocked an entirely new way of thinking.
She was no longer just "developing regions."
She was managing a world-wide system of nourishment and evolution.
That was much bigger.
Much smarter.
And honestly—
much cooler.
Then the system chimed again.
Ding!
A new panel appeared.
[Planetary Insight Unlocked]
Core Understanding Gained
Insight:
Life Energy is the primary nourishment force of planetary development.
Additional Note:
The greater the abundance and circulation of Life Energy, the greater the growth potential of:
ecosystems
species
Spiritual Veins
planetary resources
regional stability
Recommendation:
Increase Life Energy production and retention for accelerated planetary evolution.
Alicia stared at the screen.
Then folded her arms.
"…You know, I really would have appreciated this information earlier."
The system, naturally, did not apologize.
As expected.
Still, Alicia could not deny it.
This was important enough to change her priorities moving forward.
Before, she had been focused on:
building
reacting
observing
stabilizing
But now she had a clearer long-term objective.
She needed more Life Energy.
Not recklessly.
Not wastefully.
But strategically.
Because Life Energy was not just a resource.
It was the thing that made her world better.
And if she wanted to become the strongest planet core—
then "better" was no longer enough.
She needed more.
Far more.
Alicia slowly looked over her world again.
The green glow of the World Seed spread gently beneath everything.
The forest had become richer.
The plains had become steadier.
The ocean was developing.
The highlands were maturing.
And now—
the first Spiritual Vein had already leveled up by itself.
That was not a small event.
That was proof.
Proof that her planet had entered a new stage.
A stage where enough nourishment could cause self-growth.
That was powerful.
Very powerful.
And Alicia smiled.
A real one this time.
"…Alright," she whispered.
"Then let's make more."
Far below, the Deep Forest pulsed with stronger life.
And hidden deep beneath its soil—
the mysterious underground pulse stirred once more.
Slightly stronger than before.
As if even it had noticed the planet's continued growth.
Alicia immediately narrowed her awareness.
Then sighed.
"…You again."
For one brief moment, the pulse beneath the forest seemed to throb in response.
And for the first time—
Alicia got the faint feeling that whatever was hidden down there…
might be growing too.
Author Note
If you enjoyed the chapter, please leave a comment and support the story with Power Stones 🌍💚✨