“Bull. There’s no such ticket system…”
Lu Shunshun didn’t get mad. Still smiling, she said, “No worries, you guys have been here for a while.
Someone must be close to hitting the 10-minute mark…”
Right then, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted:
“I came early and it’s been over ten minutes—it really deducted 1 merit point from me!”
Everyone: “???”
Like a rock thrown into still water, it stirred up quite a reaction.
Some people were genuinely spooked—merit points actually got deducted?
Even if they still found it hard to believe, no one wanted to take the risk. Some started muttering and walking away:
“Who wants to admire some dumb wheat field anyway?”
“This is such a scam. Charging for tickets?”
“If this plantation really belongs to the Central Cafeteria…”
“Then that shady institution would pull something like this!”
“I’m out—1 merit point could let me train for a whole day in a first-class dorm!”
Li Yang instantly figured out what was going on.
Lu Shunshun was bluffing—there were no tickets.
If there were, wouldn’t she have been drained of merit points before even choosing her department?
As for the one who screamed about the deduction—that was Xia Putao.
The two of them acted out a perfect routine and managed to scare off all the nosy senior students.
When Lu Shunshun saw Li Yang, she beamed with joy, walked over and took her luggage, saying,
“Senior Brother has already prepared your dorm—it’s in our Master’s little courtyard. Don’t worry, the conditions are just as good as a first-class dorm.”
Li Yang: “!”
She was thrilled at first, but then a little nervous. She asked,
“Senior Sister, I haven’t met the Dean yet. What is she like…?”
“I won’t say too much. Our teacher hears everything. Senior Brother will take you to meet her in a bit.”
Li Yang’s heart jumped.
That little courtyard was still far away—at least a kilometer.
And the Dean could already hear them from there?
What kind of cultivation level was that?
Li Yang was starting to freak out a little.
But she quickly calmed herself down.
Should be fine.
No matter how powerful the Dean of the Agriculture Department was, she couldn’t be above the deans of the three major departments, right?
Probably around level six at most.
If she was level six…
Then maybe she couldn’t see right through her instantly.
Li Yang exhaled slowly and followed Lu Shunshun toward the Agriculture Institute.
Feng Yiqiao was already waiting there.
Because of Li Yang’s arrival, he looked ten years younger, full of energy.
“Come, I’ll take you to meet our teacher.”
“Okay.”
Before they even took a step, a cool, quiet voice rang out in their spiritual sea:
“Let her come alone.”
Li Yang’s heart skipped a beat, and her palms broke out in sweat.
Feng Yiqiao wasn’t surprised.
He looked up toward the little courtyard halfway up the mountain and said, “Alright, Teacher.”
Then he turned back to Li Yang and said, “You go on your own. Teacher has thoughtfully arranged for you to stay in the east wing. The starlight there is rich, it’ll nourish your star meridians and help with cultivation.”
Li Yang swallowed hard and cautiously asked, “Senior Brother, what level is our teacher?”
Feng Yiqiao proudly puffed out his chest and said, “Don’t worry, our teacher is on par with the deans of the Seven Great Departments. She’s an eighth-rank peak cultivator—a half-step Supreme!”
Li Yang: 😵
Feng Yiqiao meant to reassure her—to let her know she had made the right choice, that the Agriculture Department wouldn’t let her down.
But instead of feeling reassured, Li Yang felt like she’d been struck by lightning.
Eighth rank peak?!
This was insane!
The Agriculture Department was way beyond what she had imagined!
Just then, a gentle breeze swept through.
Li Yang suddenly felt her body lift uncontrollably into the air.
The scenery around her blurred and zipped past, like the mountain trees were being fast-reversed in time.
When she came back to her senses, she was already standing outside the little courtyard halfway up the mountain
With a soft “plop”, her luggage landed steadily beside her.
Li Yang stood on the stone-paved path, trying hard to calm herself down.
Being afraid was useless now.
She had long since been exposed right under the other party’s nose.
If Si Kui had discovered the “Immortality System” and wanted to “study” her, she would have been long gone by now.
Just this gust of wind made Li Yang acutely aware of the vast difference in strength between them.
An eighth-grade Star Wielder…
To ordinary people, that’s practically a god-like existence.
For Si Kui to crush her would be easier than a regular person stepping on an ant.
Don’t panic, don’t be afraid…
After giving herself enough mental pep talk, Li Yang slowly pushed open the wooden gate of the small courtyard.
“Hello, teacher. I’m Li Yang,” she said nervously as the creaking door opened.
Suddenly, a strong stench of blood hit her.
Li Yang felt as if she had stepped right into hell — all around her was terrifying crimson, black-purple blood gushed across the ground, a bone-chilling cold seeped into her very marrow, and the dreadful pressure nearly made her blood vessels burst.
She was going to die.
Those four words branded themselves into her mind. Li Yang couldn’t move a muscle.
Her eyes widened in horror as she stared at the monstrous plant in front of her, its gaping maw of bloodstained teeth wide open.
[Detected: Grade-5 Mutant Plant. Far exceeds host’s current level. Evasion recommended.]
The system popped up with this message out of nowhere, leaving Li Yang speechless.
She wanted to dodge — but could she even manage that?!
That gaping mouth was inches away.
She could smell the sickening scent of rot. In this hellish blood pool, she was about to become its next meal.
What to do… what to do…
Li Yang had no way out. All she could do was wait for death.
A wave of despair hit her like never before.
She realized deeply: this world was full of danger, and she was nothing more than meat on a chopping block.
“Who sent you?”
“Why did you deliberately approach the Agriculture Department?”
“I… I don’t know… what you’re talking about…” Li Yang said through clenched teeth, enduring the pain.
Her powerful will to survive helped her force out the words.
“Four star orifices, peak first-grade, mental strength isn’t bad…”
The woman’s voice was cold as ice, completely emotionless — as if she might crush her the next second.
A wave of chilling energy cut through her mind, and Li Yang trembled violently before passing out completely.
The Bloodthirsty Lotus wanted to move forward and swallow her whole.
Si Kui flicked her fingers, and the plant shrunk into a palm-sized red flower, whimpering as it slinked back into the pool.
The courtyard returned to its serene and elegant quiet. Dense starlight began to gather.
Si Kui reached out to hold the unconscious girl’s waist, pulling her into her arms.
She looked down at her with a flash of confusion in her cold eyes.
Her spiritual sea was clean — no traces of imprint.
Was she not sent by someone?
Could it be… she really just wanted to cultivate in the Agriculture Department?
The girl’s physique was indeed unique — a pure Nature-type cultivator.
A perfect match for the Agriculture Department.
Si Kui reclined slightly in her rattan chair.
Her fingers gently touched Li Yang’s forehead, then slowly moved to the center of her chest.
Four star orifices suddenly lit up. Si Kui, with infinite patience, carved and stabilized them — clearly outlining what had once been blurry.
They took the shape of leaves.
Four together resembled a four-leaf clover — a symbol of good luck.
Si Kui raised an eyebrow and said,“A Nature-type ‘Child of Fortune’… If she’s not planted by someone else, then I’ve stumbled upon a treasure.”
Li Yang felt like she had died once again.
When her consciousness returned, the first thing she noticed was a faint fragrance — like bamboo after the rain, refreshing and pleasant.
“That test earlier must’ve scared you,” A cool, detached female voice spoke.
Li Yang felt a chill down her spine.
Her eyes shot open, only to realize she was still leaning in the woman’s arms.
“!”
She immediately sprang up and stood to the side with her hands to her sides.
Si Kui remained reclining in the rattan chair, lifting her eyelids to glance at her.
“As compensation, I helped you refine your basic star orifices. But…”
She looked at her deeply, locking eyes.
“Are you sure you want to be my disciple?”
Li Yang hadn’t even recovered from the shock of that grade-five mutant plant.
Though she understood Si Kui’s words, her mind struggled to keep up.
At that moment, the system popped up again:
[Max lifespan +400 years]
And another line:
[Lifespan +400 years]