I started by submitting to the Douluo Continent, and the nation helped me become a god.

Chapter 71 My Destiny Mushroom

The first to step forward was a burly young soldier with a name tag that read "Niu Jiahao" on his chest, indicating his rank as a captain. His calloused hands and the fine scars on his face revealed him to be a seasoned veteran.

"Report! Niu Jiahao, captain of the third squadron of the Special Operations Brigade, requests to be integrated!"

His voice was loud and clear, he stood ramrod straight, and there was not a trace of hesitation in his eyes.

Li Fulan handed him the transparent mushroom that emitted a faint blue light.

"Eat it."

Without the slightest hesitation, Niu Jiahao took the mushroom, tilted his head back, and stuffed it into his mouth. The mushroom was soft and smooth to the touch, melting in his mouth, and carrying a strange, sweet taste as it slid down his esophagus into his stomach.

"Glug."

The swallowing sound was clearly audible.

"Attention everyone! Monitoring initiation!" Professor Yuan immediately got to work, his fingers flying across the control panel, bringing up a series of physiological monitoring interfaces. "Heart rate, blood pressure, brain waves, nerve conduction velocity... record all indicators!"

Niu Jiahao was placed on a specially designed testing bed, his body covered with various sensors. These sensors, like silver spiders, were firmly attached to his skin, transmitting every subtle change in his body to the central control console.

"Heart rate 78, normal. Blood pressure 120/80, normal. Body temperature 36.5, normal," a researcher quickly reported the data.

Five seconds passed, ten seconds passed, thirty seconds passed...

Niu Jiahao lay on the examination bed, his face showing no abnormal expression, only a slight frown, as if he was sensing the changes within his body.

"Report! Abnormal energy fluctuations detected!" another researcher suddenly exclaimed. "The source is... the stomach!"

Mr. Yuan suddenly leaned close to the screen, his cloudy old eyes becoming incredibly sharp the moment he saw the data.

"Look at this!" he pointed to a wildly fluctuating curve on the screen. "The mushroom isn't being broken down by stomach acid! It's...it's taking root in the stomach lining!"

On the large screen, the X-ray images were updated in real time. It was clear that the mushroom's roots, like countless tiny tentacles, were penetrating Niu Jiahao's stomach wall and extending into the surrounding tissues.

"This...this won't be dangerous, will it?" Lin An couldn't help but ask, his voice filled with worry.

"Currently, all vital signs are within the normal range." Zhou Zhibai stared at another set of data, his tone calm. "And look at this—his immune system has not produced any rejection response. The white blood cell count has not increased, and inflammatory factors have not increased... This indicates that his body is actively accepting this foreign organism."

"Symbiosis," Yuan murmured, his eyes gleaming with fervent light. "This is symbiosis in its truest sense!"

About two minutes later, the roots stopped extending. They had perfectly connected with the vascular network around Niu Jiahao's stomach, forming an independent circulatory system.

"Report! The mushroom has successfully colonized!" the researcher exclaimed excitedly. "It...it's receiving blood from its heart!"

On the screen, bright red blood can be clearly seen flowing into the mushroom's body along its tiny roots. The mushroom is also slowly changing its shape, gradually transforming from its original fungal structure into a shape more closely resembling human organs.

"It's adapting," Zhou Zhibai said softly. "It's adjusting its form according to the host's body structure. This is simply... incredible."

Mr. Yuan was so excited that his hands trembled: "This is the true meaning of the 'Life-Bound Mushroom'! It's not simply parasitism, but rather it merges with the host, becoming part of the host's body! Just like the heart, liver, and kidneys, it will become the sixth organ of the human body!"

"The sixth filth..." Li Fulan chewed on the word, a slight smile playing on her lips.

Just then, Niu Jiahao, who was lying on the testing bed, suddenly opened his eyes.

A strange light flickered in his eyes, as if something was flowing within them. He slowly sat up, looked down at his hands, and his expression was complex and unreadable.

"How are you feeling?" Li Fulan asked.

Niu Jiahao remained silent for a moment, seemingly organizing his thoughts.

"It's strange." His voice was a little hoarse. "I can feel... something inside my stomach. It's beating, in sync with my heartbeat. I can feel it absorbing my blood, but at the same time... it's also supplying me with something."

"That's soul power," Li Fulan said. "Or, in their terms, it's a special kind of bio-energy. The natal mushroom absorbs your blood as nourishment, while simultaneously transferring the energy stored within its body to you. It's a kind of equivalent exchange."

"Let's try it now," Zhou Zhibai stepped forward, holding a remote control in his hand. "Activate the invisibility ability."

Niu Jiahao nodded, closed his eyes, and tried to mobilize the newborn power within his body, following the feeling Lin An had described in his previous demonstration.

At first, nothing happened.

But soon, his brows furrowed, as if he were concentrating on fighting something.

Then--

His body began to fade.

First the skin, then the clothes, and finally the hair and eyes... In just five seconds, a living person simply vanished into thin air.

"Success!" Yuan Longping was so excited he almost jumped for joy. "The first human experiment was a complete success!"

"Wait a minute." Zhou Zhibai's voice carried a hint of confusion. "Look at this data."

She pointed to a set of graphs on the screen. Those were Niu Jiahao's electroencephalogram (EEG) data, showing his neural activity when he activated his invisibility ability.

"His nerve conduction speed... has increased by 23%." Zhou Zhibai said with a frown, "This shouldn't be the case... mere invisibility shouldn't affect the nervous system."

"Let me see." Old Yuan leaned closer and carefully studied the data. His expression gradually changed from confusion to surprise, and finally to a look of almost ecstatic joy.

"I understand!" He turned abruptly, pointing in the direction of Niu Jiahao—though he couldn't see him—"You've practiced quantum meditation before, haven't you?"

Niu Jiahao's voice came from the air: "Yes, I am a deep cultivator, and I have been practicing for four years."

"That's right!" Elder Yuan spun around excitedly. "The essence of quantum meditation is to cultivate one's mental strength and make the nervous system more acute. And during the fusion process between the natal mushroom and the host, a connection needs to be established with the host's nervous system..."

He stopped, his eyes gleaming with wisdom.

"The nervous system of a practitioner of quantum meditation is like fertile soil, allowing the roots of the 'natal mushroom' to grow deeper and connect more tightly! This deep integration not only makes the stealth ability more stable, but also strengthens the host's nervous system!"

"So..." Lin An's voice came from somewhere, "that is to say..."

"It's not just about synergy." Zhou Zhibai continued, quickly tapping on the control panel to bring up more data. "Look, Niu Jiahao's reaction speed has increased by 18%, his perception range has expanded by 15%, and his mental strength has increased by 27%... These improvements far exceed my expectations."

She looked up and gazed in Li Fulan's direction.

"This means that practitioners of quantum meditation, after undergoing fusion with their natal mushroom, will not only gain invisibility but will also become stronger. Their mental strength will be greatly enhanced, and their reaction speed, perception, and willpower will all be comprehensively improved."

"This is the effect I wanted." Li Fulan nodded. "Now that the first case has been successful, let's continue."

He walked to the still-beating heart of the Soul King, pressed his palm down, and another dark blue mushroom sprouted from the ground.

"Next."

The second person to step forward was a slender female soldier with a name tag that read "Zhao Xue" and the rank of lieutenant. She looked to be no more than twenty years old, but her eyes revealed a composure beyond her years.

"Report! Zhao Xue, deputy leader of the Special Operations Brigade's sniper team, requests to be integrated!"

She took the mushroom and swallowed it without hesitation.

The fusion process was almost identical to that of Niu Jiahao. The mushroom took root in the stomach, connected with the vascular network, and gradually transformed into a new organ. However, Zhao Xue's data showed some differences.

"Her fusion speed is faster." Yuan stared at the screen. "It only took one minute and forty seconds to complete the implantation, which is almost twenty seconds faster than Niu Jiahao."

"Her quantum meditation technique is more advanced," Lin An explained. "Zhao Xue has the strongest mental strength among our group, and her meditation technique is close to breaking through to the third level."

As expected, when Zhao Xue activated her invisibility ability, her stats improved more significantly than Niu Jiahao's. Her nerve conduction speed increased by 31%, her reaction speed by 25%, and her perception range expanded by 22%...

"This confirms my conjecture." Zhou Zhibai quickly made notes in his electronic notebook. "The level of mastery of the Quantum Meditation Technique is positively correlated with the fusion effect of the Natal Mushroom. The deeper the mastery, the better the fusion effect, and the greater the increase in ability."

"What about ordinary people?" Li Fulan asked, "Ordinary people who haven't practiced quantum meditation?"

"Theoretically, they can be fused," Zhou Zhibai said, "but the effect will be much worse. They might only gain basic stealth abilities without any additional mental enhancement. Moreover, the fusion process will take longer and be less stable."

Over the next few hours, the remaining three candidates took turns undergoing fusion with their natal mushroom.

Each time the fusion was performed, Yuan's team meticulously recorded all the data, building an increasingly comprehensive database. They discovered that the fusion effect was indeed closely related to the level of practice in quantum meditation, but it was also influenced by individual differences.

Some people integrate quickly, some slowly; some people's abilities improve significantly, some only slightly; some people's invisibility lasts a long time, some only a short time.

Without exception, all five candidates successfully fused without any rejection or side effects.

"A 100% success rate." Looking at the final statistics, Elder Yuan nodded in satisfaction. "This proves that our criteria for selecting candidates were correct. Practitioners of quantum meditation are indeed the most suitable group to undergo the fusion of their natal mushroom."

"However, I've noticed a problem," Zhou Zhibai said, pulling up comparative data from five people. "After fusion, the natal mushroom continuously consumes the host's blood as nutrients. Although the consumption is very small, only about 50 milliliters per day, it may put a burden on the host's body in the long run."

"50 milliliters isn't much," Yuan waved his hand. "A normal person can naturally recover far more blood than that every day. As long as you pay attention to nutrition, there won't be any problems."

"But this also means that the number of 'natal mushrooms' cannot be increased indefinitely," Zhou Zhibai pointed out. "If too many 'natal mushrooms' are implanted in a person's body, the blood consumption will accumulate and eventually exceed the body's tolerance limit."

"That's why it's called the 'Life-Bound Mushroom'," Li Fulan said. "One person, one mushroom, a lifelong companion. It grows and strengthens along with its host, but there will only ever be one."

"Well said." Elder Yuan nodded approvingly. "This is the true essence of symbiosis. The 'life-bound mushroom' is not a tool, but a partner. Its relationship with the host is equal and mutually beneficial. The host provides it with nutrients and shelter, and it provides the host with abilities and protection."

Just as everyone was discussing these findings, the laboratory door was pushed open again.

A young officer in military uniform strode in, his face beaming with barely suppressed excitement.

"Report! The orders from above have been issued!" He stood at attention, saluted, and said in a loud voice, "The organization has approved the first phase of the 'Shadow Guard' plan! The first batch of thirty candidates will all be present within a week!"

Lin An took the documents from his hand, quickly glanced through them, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"Very good." He turned to Lefranco. "Looks like we're going to be very busy from now on."

Li Fulan nodded, her gaze falling on the still stubbornly beating heart of the Soul King.

"Thirty mushrooms, thirty shadow guards," he said softly. "This is just the beginning."

He turned and headed toward the laboratory exit, stopping as he passed Zhou Zhibai.

"Is the data on the Baku ready?"

"It's already been sent to your terminal." Zhou Zhibai adjusted his glasses. "All known habitat distributions, activity patterns, and combat characteristics are included. I've also marked a few areas where you're most likely to find the Millennium Dream Eater."

Thank you.

After Li Fulan finished speaking, she continued walking outside.

He needs to return to Douluo Continent to hunt down a thousand-year-old Dream Eater.

It's not just about solving the problem of sleeping pill resistance, but also about making myself stronger.