A week later, the new batch of wheat had ripened. Xia Putao sighed in relief and said, “Once we finish harvesting this batch of wheat, we can rest for four months.”
He said this hoping that Li Yang would also feel relieved. After all, who would truly want to harvest wheat every day?
It was only because his little junior was so considerate that he didn’t say anything, but as her senior, he needed to be understanding.
Li Yang, upon hearing this, was struck as if by a bolt of lightning. She repeatedly asked, “Does that mean no wheat will ripen for the next four months?”
“That’s right! We can finally take a good rest!” Xia Putao replied. “We can’t exhaust the land. This land was painstakingly cultivated by the predecessors of the Agricultural Science Department. They left behind a manual for use. As long as we follow it, we can keep eating for at least another hundred years!”
This was the first time Li Yang had heard about it. Curious, she asked, “So this land was specially cultivated?”
Xia Putao said, “The variety of this mutated wheat isn’t a secret. The reason other places can’t grow it is because our land is special!”
Li Yang was suddenly enlightened and gave up on the thought of growing more wheat.
It was just four months.
She could wait.
If they ruined the land, the loss would be huge in the long run.
Li Yang did a quick calculation in her mind. Every four months, they harvested two crops, each taking two days, and on average, they earned 600 years of lifespan per day…
With this calculation, every four months, she would earn a steady 1200 years of lifespan…
Who needs a bicycle!
The Agricultural Science Department’s land was her mother!
Li Yang’s concern now was that she had already accumulated 820 years of lifespan, but because she was stuck at her current realm, there was nowhere to use it.
She was about to earn another 600 years, but her lifespan limit was only 900 years.
What was she supposed to do with the extra lifespan?
Who would have thought that, just a few months ago, Li Yang had been troubled by the fact that she only had one day of life left, and now she was worrying about where to store the extra 500+ years?
“Senior Brother.”
Li Yang asked, “How long does it take for the wheat to mature? I want to wait a few more days before harvesting.”
Xia Putao replied, “No rush, it takes a week for it to mature!”
Lyu Shunshun, overhearing, interjected, “If you have something to do, go ahead. We’ll handle the harvest… Little Junior is a prodigy in the Agricultural Science Department, she needs to focus on her cultivation!”
Li Yang quickly replied, “No, no! Leave it to me, I really love doing farm work!”
Lyu Shunshun and Xia Putao didn’t understand but respected her decision. “Alright, alright.”
Li Yang couldn’t wait any longer; she was going to buy a breakthrough pill and try to advance to the second rank.
If she reached the second rank, not only would she break through her lifespan limit, but she would also have more “life-stealing” space.
She could even choose a second department to study and legally start selling pills or forging weapons for money!
At the moment, she had enough lifespan, but not enough money.
Li Yang roughly calculated that if she used the 500 years of lifespan to trade for first-grade Star-Breaking Pills, she would earn over 7 million in an instant!
With that in mind, Li Yang couldn’t sit still anymore.
Breakthrough! Advancement!
She had to make sure to keep that 500 years!
Li Yang glanced toward the small courtyard halfway up the mountain.
She had been staying there every day recently, but she hadn’t seen Si Kui.
Si Kui had told her to come find her in half a month.
Li Yang felt that with all four of her Star Apertures exposed, she wasn’t far from advancing to the second rank.
She had the feeling Si Kui didn’t suspect anything about her cultivation speed.
She also glanced at the courtyard because she was thinking about whether her teacher had any breakthrough pills available.
Thinking about how terrifying her teacher was, Li Yang decided not to bother her.
The breakthrough pill for advancing from first to second rank was far more expensive.
A regular first-grade breakthrough pill cost 30 points, while the one needed for advancing to a higher rank started at 50 points.
There were even “Master’s Bonuses.”
For example, a pill produced by Professor Li Yao Wan started at 60 points, and it was already sold out.
There were many discussion posts on the forum, with students who bought Li Yao Wan’s pills saying they broke through using only 1-2 pills and saved money.
Some even said, “I was planning to take a gamble and use the 30-point breakthrough pill to advance, but… ah, I used a full 10 pills!”
“300 points of merit, are you rich or poor, bro?”
“Forget it, next time I’ll honestly choose the pill produced by Professor Li [laughs].”
This thread gave Li Yang an important clue:
“So it’s possible to use a 30-point breakthrough pill? Does that mean the 60-point one is just a higher purity version?”
Simple enough!
She had so much life force; she could just buy it casually.
Li Yang had originally thought her money wouldn’t be enough, but now she could just buy a 30-point one.
She happily bought it and started purifying the breakthrough pill after returning to the east wing room.
Last time, it was 96%, but this time, Li Yang directly hit 100%.
In the dead of night, it was the perfect time for her breakthrough.
The fragrance of the breakthrough pill filled the air, and Li Yang was about to take it when suddenly, Si Kui’s voice rang out: “What nonsense!”
Li Yang was startled.
The breakthrough pill suddenly disappeared, and she found herself in the main house.
Si Kui seemed to have just come out of the inner room.
Her cold, pale face showed a rare hint of fatigue, but it disappeared in an instant, and she returned to her usual icy, indifferent appearance.
Li Yang, seeing her after a week, was still nervous.
The first impression was too crucial; she really couldn’t get close to her.
Si Kui said coldly, “Didn’t I tell you to wait for half a month?”
Li Yang lowered her head and said, “Teacher only told me to come find you in half a month, not that I couldn’t break through.”
Si Kui paused and then said, “Don’t use this thing. Since you’ve already sculpted your Star Apertures, don’t let them be tainted.”
Li Yang, not very knowledgeable about cultivation, asked, “Will the breakthrough pill taint the Star Apertures? Isn’t everyone using it to break through?”
“What everyone? Those are just lazy fools trying to take shortcuts.”
“The first-grade realm is crucial for foundation. Once you’ve taken too many pills, your Star Apertures will become narrow and blurry, making it hard to combine them later.”
Li Yang only partially understood and asked, “Combine apertures?”
“That’s a matter for the future.”
Li Yang didn’t ask further, which surprised Si Kui.
Curiosity was human nature, but in Star Cultivators’ cultivation, curiosity was the last thing one needed.
Knowing too much might not be good, not to mention the mental pollution—it would distract you and prevent you from reaching higher realms.
Si Kui’s expression softened, and she was more patient with Li Yang, saying, “The true path of advancement is through combat.”
Li Yang asked, “Killing opponents of the same rank?”
Si Kui nodded.
Li Yang was a bit frightened and said, “Teacher, my third Star Aperture was completed by killing a cultist…”
Si Kui replied, “Your third Star Aperture is the most complete, but it’s still not enough.”
“Not enough?” Li Yang was starting to feel this was becoming too dangerous and didn’t align with her survival plan.
“To make the Star Apertures complete and clear, you must kill an opponent one rank higher. For example, now, you should go kill a second-rank to break through.”
“If you kill an early-stage second rank, your Star Apertures will open up to about 70%. But to reach 90%, you need to kill a peak second rank.”
Li Yang’s vision went black, and she bitterly smiled, “Teacher, how could I possibly kill…”
Si Kui suddenly looked at her and asked, “Do you know what I used to carve your Star Apertures?”
Li Yang: “I don’t know.”
Si Kui: “Each Star Aperture I sculpt consumes a hundred years of my lifespan.”
Li Yang: “!”
It actually consumed her lifespan! No wonder she gained 400 years of life… Could it be that her teacher was some sort of plant mutant?
The look on her face was just right in Si Kui’s eyes because, for Li Yang, 400 years was certainly a monumental amount.
Si Kui said coldly, “So, I won’t sculpt any more Star Apertures for you. Since you already have 95% of your basic physical potential, don’t waste it.”
Li Yang understood the underlying message:
Si Kui no longer had the lifespan to spare, and it wasn’t worth it anymore.
In the future, she would have to sculpt her own Star Apertures.
“Teacher…”
Li Yang’s voice was sincere.
Although their first meeting hadn’t been pleasant, once she thought about how Si Kui had spent 400 years of her lifespan for her, the earlier shock didn’t seem so bad.
Forget about the earlier scare, her teacher wasn’t so bad after all!
Li Yang said, “During my practical exam, I killed a second-rank Big Magnolia, but now I think that Magnolia must have already been worn down by the invigilators. Otherwise, with our three strengths, we wouldn’t have been able to kill it.”
Li Yang was much stronger now, and her knowledge had expanded, but she also realized how difficult it would be to take down a second-rank exotic plant on her own.
The Big Magnolia was just a low-grade second rank, and Si Kui was asking her to challenge a peak second rank… This was a death sentence!
If she died, what use would a complete and clear Star Aperture be?
Si Kui stared at her for a moment and said, “Forget about that ‘Fist Fury.’ Such a garbage Star Technique, why bother learning it so seriously? As for Shadow Concealment… If you like it, keep it, but don’t put too much thought into it. Such sneaky techniques are not worthy of attention.”
Li Yang: “…”
You really have the sharpest eyes, teacher. You see right through me, and your tone is just like the general’s!
Si Kui thought for a moment and said, “Wait here, I’ll go get the ‘Tree Tower’ tomorrow. You can try it and gain some decent Star Techniques.”
Li Yang perked up and asked, “Teacher, what is the ‘Tree Tower’?”
Si Kui’s face suddenly darkened, and she sneered, “It’s one of the Agricultural Science Department’s grandmaster-level secret treasures.”
Li Yang gasped. She wasn’t a novice anymore. In the world of Star Cultivators, anything labeled “Grandmaster” was a high-level item.
The Agricultural Science Department was very deep!
There were actually grandmaster-level treasures, and not just one!
The Agricultural Science Department must have been glorious in the past; how did it fall into such a state?
Si Kui waved her hand, “Go rest. I’ll inform you tomorrow.”
Li Yang nodded obediently, and as she left, she glanced back at Si Kui.
“Um… Teacher…”
“Yes?”
Li Yang quickly said, “That breakthrough pill… I don’t need it. I really don’t need it, but I paid for it. It was very expensive…”
Si Kui: “Oh, I already crushed it.”
“How many merit points?”
Li Yang didn’t hesitate and answered, “70 points.”