After turning on the navigation, Li Yang rushed toward the trading center.
She had searched on the forum and found that the trading center would be open until 10 PM.
It was only a little after 7 PM now, so she still had plenty of time.
The trading center was very close to the task center, both located on the same square, which was also considered the central area of Zhongdu Military Academy.
During the day, the task center was bustling with noise, but it was unexpectedly quiet at night.
Probably because there were no new tasks, and some regular tasks didn’t need to be competed for, so fewer people were staying there.
In contrast, the trading center was still brightly lit at night.
Another difference was that while the task hall was crowded with many freshmen, the trading hall was almost entirely occupied by senior students.
As soon as Li Yang entered, she was stunned by the resplendent hall.
Compared to the simplicity of the task hall, this trading hall was dazzlingly golden.
If the task hall resembled a stock exchange, then the trading center was like a luxurious banquet hall.
Without saying much, Li Yang had already realized a simple truth:
Doing tasks—poor.
Doing transactions—rich!
The trading center was also much quieter than the task center.
Senior students were all focused on their small screens, occasionally making some operations.
Li Yang glanced for a moment and noticed that most of the people here were older, with the youngest looking around 25 or 26, and some even seemed to be 34 or 35, or even in their 40s.
Could they be teachers?
Probably.
Li Yang didn’t think much about it and found an empty small screen.
After entering her name and ID number, she registered and logged in.
In no time, the small screen entered the transaction page, which was clean and neat, just like the task center.
The permissions in the trading center weren’t as restrictive as in the task center.
Some tasks could cause trouble if freshmen took them on recklessly, but in the trading center, there was no need to worry about that.
Basically, as long as you had money, you could buy whatever you wanted.
However, there was a prompt on the screen: “Moderate spending, benefits last a lifetime.”
Li Yang couldn’t agree more, and silently added in her heart: “Moderate spending of life, only then can one survive.”
Li Yang first searched for “Breakthrough Pills” and a large amount of information quickly popped up, the interface resembling a shopping app from her previous life.
There were not only images but also brief introductions and prices.
If you clicked on an item, you could see the details.
However, the trading center didn’t provide delivery services.
For small items, once the transaction was completed on the page, the items would appear in the small box below, like an automatic vending machine.
Li Yang glanced at it and couldn’t help but gasp: “So expensive!”
The leading Breakthrough Pill actually cost 100 merit points.
Li Yang’s head buzzed.
One million Chinese yuan!
Who could afford that!
Did she have to go find another invader to break through?
TXJ…
Li Yang quickly realized her mistake; it wasn’t that she misread the price but that she had misread the quality of this particular Breakthrough Pill.
“So it’s a Breakthrough Pill for the third rank…” Li Yang sighed with relief but also felt a little regretful.
Star Controllers really burned money!
Cultivating requires Star Attraction Pills, breaking through requires Breakthrough Pills, life-saving techniques require rare star skills, and fighting probably needs various star soldiers…
No wonder high-level Star Controllers were so rare.
Talent was one thing, but having no money was the real dealbreaker!
Li Yang filtered the results and easily found a Breakthrough Pill for the first rank.
After seeing the price, she let out a sigh of relief.
“30 merit points, not bad…”
She said this while still finding it hard to believe.
30,000 yuan!
That was enough to buy a small house in a remote area of Huangcheng!
And now, she actually thought it was “not bad.”
The trading center offered currency exchange, and Li Yang’s card was immediately debited by 30,000 yuan, while her student card showed a pitiful 30 merit points.
Li Yang felt so sorry for the money, and after searching for a while on this page, she couldn’t find a Breakthrough Pill under 300,000.
When she had more spare life, she was definitely going to start flipping Star Attraction Pills for profit.
After successfully purchasing the Breakthrough Pill, Li Yang didn’t hurry back but instead took some time to learn more about the trading center.
Some commonly used pills had controlled prices.
Except for those who were in a rush to get money, most items were listed at regular prices for others to buy.
For example, the price of a first-rank Star Attraction Pill ranged from 10 to 25 merit points.
Solid Aperture Pills were priced at around 10 merit points.
The Breakthrough Pill was the most expensive among first-rank pills, with the lowest price being 25 merit points, but it was difficult to get a hold of, and Li Yang suspected that even staying here all night might not guarantee she could buy it.
Then there were the star skills.
Li Yang found the Fist Fury skill and raised an eyebrow: “It actually costs 1 merit point…”
As for other star skills, they were all over the place, and the prices became more and more outrageous.
There was also a section similar to a gemstone gambling interface.
It sold unidentifiable star cores.
After buying them, you could identify them yourself.
Whether you got a 1 merit point basic star skill or a 500 merit point rare one, it all depended on luck.
And these unidentifiable star cores cost 30 merit points each.
Li Yang could only give a cold, mocking laugh: “Haha, I’m crazy if I buy this thing!”
This trading center wasn’t a place she could stay any longer.
Li Yang didn’t want to look at these heart-wrenching numbers anymore and was ready to take the Breakthrough Pill and go back to focus on her breakthrough.
As she bent down to take the pill, she heard a familiar voice.
Zhong Kun and his companion were walking in.
At first, it was his companion who was flattering him:
“Brother Kun, your physique must be at least 150 by now!”
Zhong Kun chuckled lightly and said indifferently, “About that.”
“Awesome! You can definitely beat that provincial champion now.”
“Don’t say that.” Zhong Kun coughed lightly and said, “Li Yang has high talent and works hard. She’s a strong opponent that both my brother and I recognize. But she’s from an ordinary background, and she doesn’t know enough about Star Control. It’ll still be difficult for her to attract stars into her body in a short time. But don’t underestimate her; after she enrolls, I bet she’ll catch up in one or two months.”
Zhong Kun’s companion was unconvinced:
“Who cares about how she is in the future? Anyway, Brother Kun, you’re stronger in the freshman ceremony!”
Zhong Kun smiled and said modestly, “There’s nothing to be proud of. I’m just a bit stronger than her for now.”
While they were talking, they had already walked far away, completely unaware of Li Yang, who was bent down.
Li Yang took the Breakthrough Pill and silently watched their retreating figures.
It was indeed Zhong Kun.
It seemed that everyone had been working hard this summer.
Body: 300
Spirit: 300
Star Apertures: 4 (1%)
Cultivation Method: Beginner Star Mastery Method (100%)
Elixirs: Star Attraction Elixir (can be upgraded), Star Seal Elixir (can be upgraded)
Star Techniques: Punch Fury (100%), Shadow Concealment (2nd stage 1%)
Notes 1: Lifespan is only one year left. Please harvest the crops as soon as possible to gain more lifespan.
Notes 2: The Star Attraction Elixir and Star Seal Elixir contain too many impurities. It is advised to consume lifespan to purify them.
Notes 3: The proficiency of the Star Technique – Shadow Concealment (2nd stage) is very low. Please consume lifespan to improve proficiency.
This time, it really feels like going back to square one.
In the blink of an eye, 100 years of life has turned into just one year.
But Li Yang felt at ease in her heart.
She had opened four star apertures, which meant she was at least a high-level Grade 1 Star Master.
There was a post on the forum talking about the realms.
A Grade 1 Star Master is someone who is just starting, and the classification is relatively simple.
After drawing the star into the body and opening the first star aperture, one enters the threshold of being a Star Master.
For a normal student with a physique of only around 70 to 80, the next step would be to try and fill the first star aperture and then attempt to open the second one.
Opening two star apertures means being a low-level Grade 1.
Opening three star apertures is considered mid-level Grade 1.
Opening the fourth one means reaching high-level Grade 1.
The rest of the post required a fee to continue reading, so Li Yang didn’t go further.
Although she had advanced to high-level Grade 1 in the blink of an eye, reaching Grade 2 would not be so easy.
Just the Boundary-Breaking Elixir alone, she couldn’t afford it.
Grade 2 could wait.
Li Yang just wanted to harvest her life, save some lifespan, and then figure out a safe way to make money and accumulate some merit before feeling at ease.
After Li Yang activated “Shadow Concealment” and hid the fourth star aperture, she got up to take a bath.
It felt quite strange.
It was a bit like adding a burden to her ankles.
Running was a bit more tiring, but if she removed the burden, she would undoubtedly run more easily and quickly.
It was like a form of weighted training, which was still good.
After taking a bath, Li Yang collapsed into bed and fell into a dreamless sleep.
The next day, at the Agricultural Science Department.
Feng Yiqiao woke up before 6 AM.
Around 7 AM, Xia Putao woke up as well.
Even Lv Shunshun, who usually slept until after 10 AM, woke up at 7:50.
The trio gathered together and gazed into the distance.
“Do you think she will really come?” Xia Putao asked, squinting.
Lv Shunshun yawned and said, “She has to come today. After all, she accepted the task.”
Feng Yiqiao, having calmed down after a nap, pessimistically replied, “Not necessarily. Even if she gives up the task, she just won’t be able to take on tasks today. She’ll be able to take tasks again tomorrow… She worked all afternoon yesterday, so she must know how tough harvesting wheat is. I bet she couldn’t even sleep last night.”
They all knew the hardship of harvesting wheat.
This wheat wasn’t normal; the stalks were as hard as steel bars.
If one wasn’t a Star Master, they couldn’t even cut it.
Even for Star Masters, they had to empty all their star apertures to swing their tools.
After hours of work, they would be exhausted with aching muscles and a painful chest.
They wouldn’t even be able to sleep that night.
If it wasn’t for the hardship, the Agricultural Science Department, with its poverty, would never spend money on task assignments.
But even so, they could only fool new students into taking the tasks, because the older students never showed up.
Xia Putao sighed, “She’s really strong. If she could work a couple more days, the wheat would be almost harvested…”
Lv Shunshun also rested her chin in her hand and said, “Yeah, once we finish this batch, the next batch won’t ripen for at least a week…
Then it will be the senior brothers’ turn to harvest…”
Feng Yiqiao irritably said, “Dream on! This time I used my merit to hire someone. The next batch will still be you two harvesting!”
Lv Shunshun and Xia Putao pretended not to hear and kept looking into the distance, hoping to see the new student with great strength.
Feng Yiqiao couldn’t be bothered to argue with them.
He sighed and sat down, and the trio continued to wait, hoping to see their strong new student.
Li Yang was woken up by a knock on the door.
She quickly sat up, realizing it was already 7:30!
She had slept too comfortably and almost overslept.
Fortunately, she had an appointment with Dean Si at 8:00; otherwise, she would have been late on her first day, which would be very bad for her reputation.
“Li Yang, are you awake?” It was Fang Chuyun’s voice outside.
Li Yang quickly got out of bed and dressed, saying, “I’m awake.”
She opened the door to find Fang Chuyun, and with surprise, she said, “You’ve drawn the star into your body!”
Fang Chuyun smiled subtly and replied, “Yes, I just opened the first star aperture this morning.”
Li Yang knew how hard Fang Chuyun had been working and sincerely congratulated her, “Congratulations!”
Fang Chuyun quickly stopped smiling and said, “I’m still far from it. I need to keep working harder.”
Li Yang didn’t know what to say to her, as Fang Chuyun was always so diligent.
Suddenly, her phone rang.
She answered it and heard the voice of Yu Hongyuan, “I’m downstairs. Can you give me permission to come up?”
Although there were separate dorms for males and females at the military academy, the dorms were all single apartments.
Visitors could come upstairs as long as the resident gave permission, regardless of gender.
Li Yang gave permission, and Yu Hongyuan soon arrived in front of her.
Yu Hongyuan was still not a Star Master, but he was energetic and full of spirit.
“Tomorrow is the school opening ceremony, and the day after that is the department selection. Have you decided which department to join?”
Fang Chuyun didn’t want to speak, and Li Yang hadn’t had a chance to reply before Yu Hongyuan quickly added, “I spent 50,000 yuan, and I’ve almost read all the posts on the forum about department selection. I’ve summarized the application strategy! But… ahem, Li Yang, you don’t need to worry about the strategy. You’re the top scorer of the province, so you have priority in department selection… Wow, you’re amazing!”
He turned to Fang Chuyun with a smug look, “You want to go to the Star Magic department, right? You need to fill out the application carefully. With your ranking, you might be transferred!”
Fang Chuyun replied, “Don’t worry about me.”
Li Yang was curious, “Priority in department selection?”
Yu Hongyuan nodded.
“Yes, all top students in the province have priority, but if too many people apply for the same department, the lower-ranked ones might be transferred. But you, as the top scorer, can definitely go wherever you want!”
He continued, “And not only that, top scorers can even choose their mentors! You don’t know what this means, do you? In the most popular departments, there are six-star peak-level experts who only take one or two students each year… And you might become their disciple!”
He sighed, almost envious.
“My goal is to join Professor Chen from the Star Assistance department. She’s a five-star beginner, already very powerful… but I might not get in. I’ll probably be transferred to a four-star mentor…”
Fang Chuyun didn’t want to listen to Yu Hongyuan’s rambling.
She turned to Li Yang and asked, “Have you decided which department you want to join? My sister said that some of the six-star experts in Star Combat and Star Magic might already have their designated disciples, but the Spirit department might…”
Before she could finish, Li Yang shook her head and said, “I’m not going to the top three departments.”
The two of them were stunned.
Yu Hongyuan was shocked.
“You want to go to the Star Assistance department?!”
You’re so strong, yet you want to join our peaceful and friendly Star Assistance department?
Fang Chuyun was also surprised and asked, “You want to go to the Star Assistance department?”
Li Yang shook her head again, “Not the Star Assistance department either.”
Now, both of them were even more confused.
Yu Hongyuan blinked and said, “No way, you really want to study elixirs? Don’t listen to Fang Chuyun, her sister only minors in elixirs. Once we’re promoted to Grade 2, we can choose a second minor, so there’s no rush…”
Fang Chuyun quickly reassured her, “Don’t rush to make money. Once you select a mentor, they usually provide basic cultivation resources…”
Li Yang thought for a moment and said, “Not the Elixir department.”
Yu Hongyuan and Fang Chuyun were utterly confused and couldn’t think of any other departments.
Maybe there’s a Weapon Forging or Beast Mastery department?
Li Yang glanced at the time and said, “I have a task to do. It’s almost time, so I need to go now.”
“Wait!” Yu Hongyuan was anxious. “Which department are you going to?!”
Li Yang was already walking away and casually tossed back, “The Agricultural Science department.”
“Agricultural? What? Department?”
In the hallway, Yu Hongyuan and Fang Chuyun exchanged looks in confusion.