Shen Binghua had spent a lifetime deceiving others, but a teenager had managed to fool her.
Still, she suppressed her anger and patiently warned her, “Greed will ruin you, Li Yang. Be careful, or in the end, you’ll lose everything.”
Li Yang replied, “Then I suppose, Dean Shen, you also know the saying—‘Barefooted people aren’t afraid of those in shoes.’ I already have nothing.”
Shen Binghua sneered, then turned and disappeared into the Agricultural Science Department.
Moments later, Si Kui appeared in the simple Agricultural family courtyard and looked at Li Yang, “Why didn’t you agree? Shen Binghua’s offer was sincere.”
Li Yang muttered, “Teacher, am I the kind of person who falls for money?”
Si Kui didn’t give her face and said, “Yes, you are.”
Li Yang pouted and said, “Yes, yes, I love money! I love it so much! People who don’t love money are cursed!”
Si Kui still liked her childish demeanor and her expression softened.
“You don’t need to worry about me. Shen Binghua’s…”
“Teacher!!” Li Yang interrupted Si Kui, her face full of concern.
“How did someone with such a straightforward personality get promoted to the Eighth Rank? Did she just rely on killing?”
Oh, it’s actually possible.
In the face of absolute power, any scheming is futile.
“What’s the matter?” Si Kui looked at her disciple, not understanding what she was worried about.
Li Yang sighed and explained, “What Shen Binghua said sounds better than it actually is. If I had agreed, the Agricultural Science Department would have lost the Tree Tower forever.”
Li Yang frowned, listening carefully to what Si Kui was saying.
Li Yang continued, “If we agree to rent the Tree Tower to the Star Magic Department, in the first year, we’ll receive 10,000 merit points. But by the second year, the Star Magic Department will likely come up with countless excuses to delay the payment, like budget constraints or cash flow problems…”
“I’ll go and chase them for the payment. Worst case, they’ll send someone to argue with me. What else can I do?”
“If this drags on for years, it will be the death of me! Think about it, if I keep asking for payment, I won’t be able to focus on my cultivation. If I stop asking, the matter will quietly disappear.”
“And the Star Magic Department will only have paid 10,000 merit points, but in exchange, they’ll have a legitimate claim over a Master-level secret treasure!”
Si Kui’s face darkened in anger: “Devious!”
Li Yang couldn’t help but laugh.
There was nothing she could do; the Sunflower lady was just too adorable.
Si Kui gave her a stern look and then spoke with concern:
“But what Shen Binghua said is not wrong. The Tree Tower is indeed very difficult to maintain. I can’t go to the Star Realm right now… The Star Battle Department doesn’t need the Tree Tower that much, so they probably won’t get involved. The Spiritual Department is a bunch of bad actors who will most likely scheme against us…”
Li Yang smiled and said, “Why go far when we can get help from the Star Magic Department?”
Si Kui was puzzled: “?”
Li Yang explained: “We can just change the rental arrangement to an entry fee.”
Shen Binghua’s plan may be convenient, but the trouble is bound to come later; what Li Yang wanted was to regain control.
She wanted the Tree Tower to be located in the Agricultural Department, and she wanted everyone to know that the Tree Tower was the Agricultural Department’s treasure.
Then, she would convert the maintenance costs, the Star Plants, and the so-called rental fee into an entry fee.
Li Yang wanted the initiative, not to be at the mercy of others.
If students from the Star Magic Department want to visit the Tree Tower and gain insights into Star Techniques, paying an entry fee is reasonable, right?
Shen Binghua’s approach was convenient and simple, but it would lead to problems down the line.
If Li Yang took back the Tree Tower, it might be more complicated initially, but the long-term benefits would be far greater.
Once the Agricultural Department became strong enough to maintain the Tree Tower on its own, Li Yang could easily cut ties with the Star Magic Department, instead of signing a rental contract that would drag her down.
Si Kui understood and nodded:
“That makes sense, but how do we get the Tree Tower back…”
Li Yang reassured her, “Don’t worry, I won’t let Dean Shen act like nothing is happening.
Shen Binghua thinks she can delay things because she doesn’t know I have a video of the Tower Challenge.”
The ten-person team was from the Star Magic Department, and they would easily be persuaded (or tricked) by Shen Binghua, so they wouldn’t reveal the proper way to use the Tree Tower to the public.
As for the time when they produced the doubled Star Core, that was just a stroke of luck.
However, once Li Yang released the video of the Tower Challenge, everyone would see the huge difference between paying the entry fee and not paying it.
At that point, the families behind Shen Binghua in the Star Magic Department would likely pressure her to return the Tree Tower.
Li Yang took out her phone and casually browsed the forum.
The topic was trending.
After a bit of consideration, she posted: “Please return the Tree Tower, which belongs to the Agricultural Department.”
As soon as the post went up, it exploded across the school forum.
“Oh no! The rightful owner has appeared!”
“Li Yang, I respect you as a warrior!”
“Wow, this East China Province top scorer really knows how to stir up trouble. How long has it been since school started, and she’s already involved in all the big events.”
“Star Magic Department, stop making excuses, hurry up and return the Tree Tower.” This post was from the Spiritual Department.
“Tch, I knew it! The Star Magic Department has suddenly become so strong in the past 20 years because they stole someone else’s secret treasure.”
This post was from the Star Battle Department.
Even some from the Star Magic Department joined in, saying: “Why is the Tree Tower the Agricultural Department’s? Where’s the proof!”
“I could say that the Sword Tomb of the Star Battle Department belongs to our Star Magic Department, should the Star Battle Department give it back to us?”
“Shut up, the Sword Tomb of the Star Battle Department was created by our predecessors at the cost of their lives, don’t joke about it!”
“Stop stirring up trouble. This is the Agricultural Department’s debt collection post, and if you Star Battle folks want to fight, go fight elsewhere.”
The Spiritual Department quickly took control, seeing through the Star Magic Department’s attempt to provoke the Star Battle Department.
Li Yang wasn’t in a hurry. She waited for the post to gain more traction.
In the Star Magic Department’s office, Shen Binghua naturally saw the post and understood Li Yang’s intention.
This was clearly a direct confrontation.
Shen Binghua sneered and communicated with the vice-dean through a mental connection:
“Don’t worry about it, just drag it out.”
Li Yang claims that the Tree Tower belongs to the Agricultural Department?
Where’s the evidence?
Let’s not even talk about how the Natural Department’s situation was suppressed; even if some evidence could be brought up, it wouldn’t mean much.
Who created the treasure doesn’t necessarily mean it belongs to them.
Many treasures are passed from hand to hand and are subject to multiple changes of ownership, with all sorts of complications that can’t be easily untangled.
As long as the Star Magic Department doesn’t respond, it’s fine.
Just drag it out for a year or so, and no one will care about it anymore.
Many students from the Star Magic Department commented, saying: “If you’re so confident, show us the evidence!”
“Li Yang seems like a clown, always focusing on these tricks instead of proper cultivation.”
“She must be bitter because her choice of department backfired, right?”
As the voices from the Star Magic Department grew louder, even the sarcastic remarks from the Spiritual Department couldn’t suppress them.
Li Yang smiled and said, “It’s almost time.”
She had already prepared the Tower Challenge video and wrote a clear “little essay,” then replied to a student from the Star Magic Department who had commented.
— “If you have evidence, show it!”
— “Evidence coming up.”
Soon, the Tower Challenge video was posted.
At first, the people in the thread were confused, but when the video loaded, everyone was stunned.
“Wow! This is the first time I’ve seen the first floor of the Tree Tower!”
“Star Magic Department, come and look! If you’re not guilty, why are you so nervous? What kind of formation is this? How much do you fear Li Yang entering the Tree Tower?”
The Tower Challenge video was very comprehensive, recording everything from the moment they entered the tower, including the ridiculous formation of the six people surrounding Li Yang.
“Hey, where’s Li Yang?”
“Why is she standing next to the Star Plant? Is this a Star Technique or some special mechanism in the Tree Tower?”
Don’t underestimate the imagination of the public—before they saw the key point, they were already trying to come up with explanations for Li Yang’s actions.
“Li Yang is so reckless, stabbing the Star Plant like that!”
“Is that all?”
“Wow, another one!”
“Another one!”
“How strong is this little Sunflower’s Star Technique!”
“Li Yang, what is she doing? Why is she attracting so many Star Techniques?”
People from the Spiritual Department, with their high mental energy, watched the video at ten times speed and finished it in an hour.
The most clicked part was the “walking the dog” scene. There was another very telling screenshot.
Li Yang stood on top of the Star Plant’s corpse, with several Star Cores scattered around her, staring at the shocked ten-person team, with two lines of subtitles:
— This is the correct way to use the Tree Tower.
— Because this is the Agricultural Department’s Tree Tower.
Finally, Li Yang posted a detailed “user manual” explaining the history of the Tree Tower.
She didn’t hide anything, explaining the special mechanism that only Agricultural Department students could trigger.
The key setup was that all Star Plants had to be gathered and then killed together to have a high chance of producing rare Star Cores.
The blue Star Core this time wasn’t a coincidence, but rather a high-probability event.
Even the number of Star Cores produced wasn’t the usual four or five, but eight or nine.
At the end of her “little essay,” Li Yang posted another bold message: “Please return the Tree Tower to its rightful owner.”
She didn’t just mention the Star Magic Department but pointed directly to Dean Shen Binghua.
This also set the stage for future developments.
After all, she still needed the masters of the Star Magic Department to pay, contribute, and provide assistance.