Li Yang stood still, her mind filled with these two system notifications.
Why did her lifespan limit suddenly increase by 400 years?
Why did her lifespan increase by 400 years as well?
She still only had four star apertures; she hadn’t broken through to the second level yet…
The words of Si Kui echoed in her ears—As compensation, I have refined your basic star apertures.
Li Yang: “!”
She had four star apertures in total. Does each refined star aperture increase the lifespan limit by 100 years?
But what about the extra lifespan that appeared out of nowhere?
The dean of the Department of Agronomy, Ms. Si Kui, couldn’t possibly be a mutated plant, right!
No, even if Si Kui were a mutated plant, she hadn’t “harvested” her, so how would her lifespan increase?
Li Yang couldn’t make sense of it, and no matter how many times she asked the system, the system remained silent.
Si Kui saw her dazed and silent, but instead of becoming impatient, she explained a little more:
“You are different from Feng Luxia and the others. Your talent is good, and you’re also suitable for the Department of Agronomy. Perhaps you can become my ‘direct disciple.’ Direct disciples are different from regular disciples. I will have higher expectations of you, but you will also carry my karma.”
Li Yang instantly calmed down.
She wasn’t confused by the [Lifespan Limit +400] and [Lifespan +400 Years]…
Si Kui almost took her life earlier, and she, a pure and honest good student, was not some scheming villain.
Although she hadn’t been injured physically, the mental distress was still significant.
This world places great importance on “spirit.”
Moreover, Si Kui was far from as simple as the seniors and juniors down the mountain.
After all, she was a half-step Supreme, and to reach such a position, she must have made many enemies along the way.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have tested her so abruptly.
Becoming Si Kui’s disciple had clear benefits:
Her strength was unquestionable, and she might even be one of the top beings at Zhongdu Military Academy; her resources would surely be rich.
Even the smallest favor from such a powerful person would be enough to support Li Yang.
But the drawbacks were not to be ignored:
Being a “direct disciple” meant being tied to Si Kui.
Si Kui’s enemies would become hers as well, and having an enemy who was a half-step Supreme… that was no small matter.
Could she bear such karma?
Li Yang had no parents in her previous life and was also an orphan in this life.
She had long gotten used to being alone and had adapted to a life where one person’s satisfaction was enough for the whole family.
Si Kui could give her a lot, but she would also have to give up a lot.
Was it worth it?
With a splash, a small red flower suddenly emerged from the clear pool next to her.
Let’s call it a flower for now, though it was rather terrifying.
The blood-red petals were covered with countless bumps, which, when shrunk to the size of a fist, looked like numerous bulging eyes.
That was a five-grade mutated plant!
Li Yang tensed up and couldn’t help but take a few steps back.
Si Kui said lightly, “With me here, what are you afraid of?”
The five-grade mutated plant acted like a little puppy, making a gurgling noise and rolling in the water, almost wagging its tail at Si Kui.
Li Yang couldn’t calm down, as terrifying memories flooded her mind—the helpless feeling of waiting for death without any way to resist, the sense of being powerless and at the mercy of others…
These feelings hit her heart like heavy blows.
This world was dangerous.
And she had already become a Star Executor.
If she didn’t grow stronger, she would face that same helplessness and despair again one day.
Si Kui had already shown her with action that a higher-up could force a defenseless student into a corner without any evidence.
Li Yang knew very clearly that even if Si Kui accidentally killed her, no one would care.
No one would question Si Kui, and soon, no one would even remember a student named Li Yang.
Fang Chuyun and Zhong Kun had both warned her.
Choosing a department was important, and choosing a mentor was even more crucial.
Yet she had made her attitude clear: she had no ambition and didn’t want to get involved in those things; she just wanted to live a peaceful life.
But in reality, from the moment she entered Zhongdu Military Academy, she was already caught in the vortex.
This seemingly peaceful Department of Agronomy was also full of hidden dangers.
In the world of Star Executors, there was no pure land, and she had already fallen deep into it.
There were only two choices in front of her: either grow stronger or become a lamb for the slaughter.
The answer was already clear.
Si Kui might not be a good person, but at least she would take responsibility for her actions.
She had a bottom line.
Li Yang performed a formal bow and said, “Student Li Yang, paying respects to the teacher.”
Si Kui’s cold face softened slightly as she looked at her and said, “Have you thought it through? I have many enemies.”
Li Yang raised her eyes and asked in return, “Teacher, don’t other half-step Supremes have enemies?”
Si Kui didn’t answer that question but waved her hand, saying, “Go harvest the wheat and come back to find me in half a month.”
When Li Yang heard her mention the wheat, she suddenly shivered but didn’t say anything more.
She lowered her head respectfully, saying, “Understood, teacher.”
Down the mountain, Yu Hongyuan rushed to the Department of Agronomy, panting.
His face was flushed, and he was muttering as he ran, holding a phone and constantly tapping on it.
Li Yang collided with him just as she was heading down the mountain.
“Li Yang!!!”
Li Yang asked, “What’s wrong with you?”
Yu Hongyuan was almost in tears and said, “Please help me tell the teacher of the Department of Agronomy, please ask her to approve my application!”
Li Yang was puzzled, “What application?”
“My department application!”
“What?” Li Yang was stunned.
“You want to join the Department of Agronomy?”
Yu Hongyuan nodded.
“Aren’t you planning to go to the Star Support Department?”
She remembered him saying that he greatly admired the battle strategies of the Star Support Department—being protected while standing in the back.
Yu Hongyuan replied, “I changed my mind. I’m now passionate about the Department of Agronomy.”
Li Yang found it absurd and asked, “Why?”
Yu Hongyuan countered, “Why did you join the Department of Agronomy?”
Yu Hongyuan answered quickly, “Why you, that’s why I!”
This was not the same! Don’t blindly follow the trend! She had a longevity system, which allowed her to cultivate by harvesting wheat, but did he have that?
Li Yang couldn’t vent her frustration, so she sighed and said, “Yu, we’re from the same hometown.
Let me give you some advice. Since the teacher of the Department of Agronomy rejected you, it means you’re not suited for the department. How about…”
Yu Hongyuan cried, “No, Li Yang! I have no way out! Look at the time…”
Li Yang then realized it was already afternoon.
She had been on the mountain all morning, but…
Oh, she had fainted for a while, and didn’t realize that so much time had passed.
Yu Hongyuan tearfully said, “I applied early this morning for the Department of Agronomy.
I’m not like you. You have priority in choosing a department, so you automatically passed.
I kept waiting and waiting, and by the afternoon, I finally got a response.
I thought I was approved, but I was rejected!”
“I was in a panic, kept applying, and was rejected each time, then I came running here…”
Li Yang imagined the teacher’s cold face and the repeated rejections…
Yes, that was something she would do.
Yu Hongyuan expressed his frustration:
“By now, the Star Support Department, the Pill Department, and even the Weapon Forging Department are almost full. If I don’t get into the Department of Agronomy, I’ll be assigned to the Beast Control Department… Li Yang, for the sake of our hometown connection, let me be a person!”
She wasn’t particularly close to Yu Hongyuan, but she didn’t dislike him either.
His mother was a kind woman, and Principal Sun had secretly told Li Yang that the 100,000 scholarship and the small apartment came from Mrs. Yu Zhi Ying.
For that 100,000 and her new home, she couldn’t watch Yu Zhi Ying’s only son go astray.
“Well…” Li Yang said, “I’ll ask the teacher, but she may not…”
Before she could finish, Yu Hongyuan suddenly shouted, “Oh my god, it was approved! It’s finally passed!”
Li Yang: “?”
She looked up at the small courtyard halfway up the mountain.
Si Kui’s voice appeared in her mental space: “I don’t teach students, Yu Hongyuan, you teach him.”
Si Kui added, “Just teach him casually. The Department of Agronomy isn’t lacking in students.”
Li Yang silently cursed in her heart, “I’ve really boarded a pirate ship now!”
The following days were peaceful.
Si Kui never showed up, and Yu Hongyuan had never met the teacher.
Li Yang didn’t need to teach him anything because Feng Yiqiao loved being a teacher.
He took over the task and swore to help Yu Hongyuan attract stars to his body within a month.
Hmm… Li Yang was already preparing to break through to the second-grade realm, while Yu Hongyuan hadn’t even attracted stars yet.
Li Yang had been busy harvesting wheat for the past few days, and once her lifespan reached 820 years, the mature wheat was all harvested.
She quickly asked her seniors, who informed her that another batch of wheat would be ready in a week, so she was relieved.
Soon, she realized a serious problem: wheat couldn’t just be harvested; it also had to be planted properly.
The mutated wheat wasn’t as picky as regular wheat when it came to seasonal requirements, but it required some skill to plant and consumed a certain amount of star light.
Additionally, it needed to be watered and fertilized properly—this was a waste material from a failed pill refinement from the Pill Department.
Lyu Shunshun and Xia Putao stepped forward, saying, “Junior sister, don’t worry, we’ve already planted it. We’ll handle the water and fertilizer as well!”
Li Yang asked, “So I just need to harvest?”
Lyu Shunshun and Xia Putao nodded eagerly, “Yes, yes!”
Li Yang was deeply moved and muttered to herself, “Seniors and senior sister are really good people.”
Lyu Shunshun and Xia Putao also felt touched and muttered to themselves, “Our junior sister can do the work of ten people by herself, she’s taking on the hardest tasks!”
Compared to harvesting wheat, planting wheat was much easier.
The wheat seedlings were soft and vulnerable, far from being as tough as the mature wheat, which was as hard as iron.
Lyu Shunshun and Xia Putao had long been accustomed to planting wheat, their skill level impeccable.
When they worked, they were probably quicker than the seeding machine.