The Next Day
A large crowd had gathered outside the Agronomy Department.
This time, Lü Shunshun and Xia Putao’s “ticket-selling” scheme wasn’t working—everyone saw through their scam and shouted, “Even if we really lose a bit of merit points, it’s still worth it!”
Lü Shunshun regretted, “It’s a pity we don’t have an automatic deduction system!”
Feng Yiqiao glared at her, “Even if we did, the school wouldn’t allow such malicious fee deductions.”
Everyone had come to witness the grand event of the Tree Tower’s Return, but before they even saw the Tree Tower, they spotted Li Yang walking out of her house early in the morning, grabbing a sickle, and rushing towards the wheat field.
“Is that Li Yang?”
“It’s her!”
“What is she doing?”
“She seems to be… harvesting wheat?”
“Damn, is our Li Shen (God Li) really this down-to-earth?!”
“Why is only Li Shen rolling up her sleeves and working so hard? What about the four people from the Agronomy Department? Why are they just squatting there watching?”
Feng, Lü, and Xia rolled their eyes.
It’s not that they didn’t want to help—it’s that their junior (or senior) wouldn’t let them.
A whole day passed. The spectators came and went, still no sign of the Tree Tower, but they did watch Li Yang toil away in the field all day.
“Li Yang’s mental resilience is truly remarkable. She just pulled off such a big event, and now she’s back to harvesting wheat.”
“Is this the Agronomy Department’s training method?”
“No way, right? Look at those three upperclassmen, especially the oldest one—he’s been growing and harvesting mutated wheat for twenty years and is still only at the Second Rank.”
That statement instantly shattered any unrealistic expectations people had.
***
Another Day Passed.
Li Yang was still getting up early to harvest wheat, but this time, the onlookers were the ones losing patience.
“Why hasn’t the Tree Tower been returned yet?”
“Can’t the Star Law Department work a little faster? Their dean already agreed to return it!”
“They’re not going back on their word again, are they?”
“No way. The Ying Family has already sent Feng Ling Soil and Haoyue Water over. If Dean Shen dares to back out now… hahaha, will the Star Law Department implode?”
“The Ying Family really made a God-tier move this time. Looks like the Shen Family has been using the Tree Tower to oppress others for the past twenty years.”
But even by nightfall, the Tree Tower had yet to be delivered.
The crowd was restless, but Li Yang wasn’t the least bit anxious.
Even if they returned the Tree Tower, it wasn’t time to activate it yet.
Besides, Li Yang had already pre-sold tickets to the Ying Family.
With that, the Ying Family would naturally pressure Shen Binghua.
Li Yang didn’t even need to lift a finger.
Feng Ling Soil and Haoyue Water were priceless treasures—each portion was worth at least 5,000 merit points.
But the Ying Family was filthy rich and had sent over two portions, securing their tickets for the Tree Tower’s events for the next year.
Si Kui didn’t want to bother dealing with it, so he let Li Yang handle everything.
Li Yang agreed without hesitation.
The Ying Family was straightforward—they directly paid 20,000 merit points.
That was far more reliable than Madam Shen’s empty promises.
Still, Li Yang was a bit bitter—Feng Ling Soil and Haoyue Water couldn’t be sold, so she was still broke.
She could earn merit points, but those two materials were priceless and had to be stored away for future use.
These elite families were really willing to spend—dropping 200 million just so their younger generation could gain insights into star techniques…
Poverty truly limited Li Yang’s imagination.
Back in the day, the Agronomy Department was truly dominant—just how extravagant did they have to be to create a legendary treasure like the Tree Tower?
In nearly thirty years, no other department had managed to make something similar.
Of course, the Star Battle and Mental Power Departments didn’t have the same demand for it.
Meanwhile, the Star Law Department, having the Tree Tower, wasn’t in a hurry to develop their own.
But now, they were panicking.
Even if they started making one now, it would take years.
Li Yang could milk them for quite a few years before that happened.
****
Time to Rank Up!
Li Yang was stuck at First Rank, and it was seriously holding her back.
So, after finishing the wheat harvest, she headed straight to the mission center at night, looking for a suitable task.
After two days of waiting, the spectators were getting bored.
Li Yang was too calm—she had no intention of storming the Star Law Department again.
Yawning, the crowd finally gave up and went back to their dorms.
Some students even tried to transfer into the Agronomy Department, but they were all rejected.
At that moment, Yu Hongyuan stood proudly with his chest puffed out.
Someone asked him, “Bro, how did you know to choose the Agronomy Department?”
Yu Hongyuan smirked mysteriously and replied, “Trust your mom, and you’ll live forever!”
***
Mission Centre.
The place was still buzzing with activity.
While the Tree Tower incident had caught a lot of attention, truly dedicated students didn’t waste time gossiping on forums.
Li Yang entered without causing any commotion—not many recognized her, and those who did were too busy to care.
Every school had slackers, and at the start of the semester, the forums were always lively.
But after the first monthly exam, most students would quiet down.
This was the top-ranked military academy in Zhongdu, with a 60% dropout rate.
Freshmen could only enjoy one month of leisure—after that, many would be expelled.
Li Yang carefully browsed the missions.
To break through to Second Rank, she needed to kill a cultist.
Based on her physical foundation, the best target would be a high-level Second Rank cultist.
That would allow her Star Aperture Integrity to reach 95%.
The missions were well-categorized—after Si Kui granted her authorization, she could accept Second Rank missions.
There were plenty of cultist-related missions—from intel gathering to tracking to bounty hunting.
Li Yang clicked on the bounty list—and was shocked.
“So many…?” She murmured while scrolling through the names.
Most bounty targets were Second Rank, with detailed information like aliases, photos, and even GIFs of their recent activities.
These cultists looked absolutely ruthless—with real blood on their hands.
One in particular had, just two months ago, murdered people in broad daylight, killing three, seriously injuring seven, and even killing two city guards before escaping.
These victims were just ordinary people—they didn’t even have 60 points of physical strength.
Looking at these missions, Li Yang felt her heart race.
Ordinary people… had no way to survive in this world.
The government wasn’t ignoring the problem—it just didn’t have enough manpower.
The Star Guardians were busy defending against cosmic creatures.
The Provincial Guard was focused on clearing quarantine zones.
And the City Defense Army… had limited forces, mostly below Third Rank.
So, the military academies partnered with the City Defense Army to publish bounty missions, allowing capable students to take them on.
Even teaching assistants sometimes accepted these missions—not for breakthroughs, but for the high bounties.
Normal missions rewarded 5-10 merit points, but bounty missions started at 50, with harder ones reaching hundreds.
While scrolling, Li Yang saw a familiar name—He Song.
Li Yang: “So tragic?”
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She never thought that one day, she would also become someone who “does not know the hardships of the world.”
Being constantly criticized by the system and her teachers, it was hard for her to realize that she was already quite formidable.
He Song continued, “I only have one blue-grade star technique, while the remaining three are green-grade.”
Li Yang paused for a moment and then asked, “Mr. He, what are the levels of your star techniques?”
He Song replied, “I only upgraded my blue-grade star technique to the second tier. The green ones aren’t worth improving too much, mainly because forgetting them later would take too much time.”
Li Yang looked at her own two third-tier blue star techniques and two second-tier green star techniques and fell into silence.
He Song said, “Even a first-tier blue star technique is very powerful. You might just lack combat experience, so using them might feel a bit unfamiliar.”
Li Yang gave a dry laugh and said, “I’ll do my best.”
He Song nodded and looked at her seriously again.
“This mission is not easy. Are you sure you want to participate?”
He acknowledged Li Yang’s abilities, but any mission carried risks.
That’s why he needed to confirm again and let her decide for herself.
Li Yang said, “Yes, I want to join.”
He Song added, “Let me make this clear upfront—our team’s goal is to complete the mission safely. I won’t deliberately create opportunities for you to break through.”
Li Yang nodded. “I understand.”
She smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Mr. He. I’m quite timid. I won’t take reckless risks just for a breakthrough. If I can’t advance this time, there’s always next time. But if I lose my life… then that’s the end of everything.”
He Song visibly relaxed.
He extended his hand to her and said, “Then, welcome to the team!”
Li Yang shook his hand and said, “I’ve never been on a mission before. If there’s anything I don’t understand, please guide me, Mr. He!”
He Song replied, “No need to call me ‘teacher.’ I’m just an assistant instructor in name. Just call me ‘senior.’”
Li Yang immediately changed her address.
“Alright, Senior He!”
He Song smiled again.
He had a great impression of Li Yang—not in a romantic way, but as an appreciation for an outstanding junior.
Especially since he was the one who discovered this talented young girl.
Looking at it this way, that four-leaf clover was truly “lucky”!
After Li Yang confirmed her participation, He Song called the other three members of the team to the teahouse.
They were all senior students from the military academy.
One of them was a senior from the Star Battle Department.
She was dressed in a black combat suit, had short hair barely reaching her ears, and wore a pair of boxing gloves.
She looked cool and valiant, reminding Li Yang of Captain Lin, who had taught her the “Fist Explosion” technique.
Another was a senior from the Mental Department.
He had gentle features and a faint smile, looking very kind.
However, when he spoke, his strong accent was unmistakable.
“Junior! Nice to meet you! That battle at the Tree Tower was truly impressive!”
The Star Battle senior frowned and said with disdain, “Wang, can you cut down on the ‘wahs’? My ears hurt.”
The last member was a quiet and reserved girl from the Star Battle Department.
She was shorter and thinner than the other senior and had a cautious personality.
She spoke in a low voice.
“Hello, Li Yang.”
Li Yang greeted them in return, feeling that Senior He had chosen good teammates.
After a brief introduction, He Song shared the details of their mission in the team’s group chat.
“The City Defense Army’s informants have confirmed the time and location of the cult’s gathering. The City Defense Army will launch an attack from the front to distract them, while we will infiltrate from the rear to eliminate the third-rank hall master and three second-rank lieutenants…”
He meticulously explained the entire operation, and everyone listened attentively.
This was no joke.
A single mistake could mean no return.
After confirming the plan, He Song said, “Alright, let’s familiarize ourselves with each other’s star techniques for better teamwork. We’ll start with Zhan Fei.”
The four of them already knew each other’s star techniques well.
This introduction was mainly for Li Yang’s benefit.
Zhan Fei, the short-haired Star Battle senior, spoke first.
“I have three star techniques. My main one is green-grade, called ‘Rock Collapse Punch.’ Basically, one punch can shatter rocks!”
As she spoke, Zhan Fei threw a punch, and Li Yang’s eyes lit up. She couldn’t help but exclaim, “So cool!”
Zhan Fei was clearly pleased with the compliment from the junior and continued, “The other two techniques… cough, they’re both white-grade. One is ‘Fist Explosion,’ which lets me throw rapid punches. Its effect… well, it helps support ‘Rock Collapse Punch.’ I’ll probably forget it later.”
Next was the Mental Department senior, Wang Zaishan, who was trying hard to correct his accent but still spoke in his usual way.
“I also have three star techniques. My main one is green-grade, called ‘Star Lock.’ It’s a control skill, but its accuracy is low since it’s only tier one. The other two are ‘Star Burst’ and ‘Star Link.’ But my ‘Star Link’ is low-grade, so it can only transmit limited information…”
Zhan Fei couldn’t take it anymore and muttered, “So noisy!”
Li Yang chuckled. She had heard of ‘Star Link’ before—it was a must-have star technique for the Mental Department.
This skill was special, with white, green, blue, and even gold-grade versions.
Its function was to connect the spiritual seas of Starbearers, allowing for fast and secure communication.
However, the difference in quality was immense.
For example, a gold-grade ‘Star Link’ could effortlessly command a thousand-person Starbearer army, while a white-grade one… well, it could transmit some limited messages within a short range.
Li Yang’s current rank was too low, and she had too few star apertures.
But in the future, when she had more, she also planned to acquire a high-quality ‘Star Link’ to study.
The quiet senior also introduced herself.
“I have two star techniques, both green-grade. One is ‘Backstab,’ which allows me to quickly dash behind enemies. The other is ‘Explosive Kill,’ which deals triple physique-based damage when hitting a vital point.”
Li Yang was surprised.
This quiet and reserved senior turned out to be an assassin-type fighter!
Her star techniques sounded lethal.
Finally, He Song spoke.
“I have four star techniques. My main one is blue-grade, called ‘Sky Splitter,’ a sword technique with considerable range and lethality. The other three are green-grade—’Flying Sword,’ ‘Water Shield,’ and ‘Self-Heal.'”
After everyone introduced their star techniques, they all turned to Li Yang.
They did not underestimate her.
She was already a rising star at the Central Capital Military Academy, especially after her performance in the Tree Tower challenge, which had left many envious.
He Song explained, “The star techniques Li Yang used in the Tree Tower were temporary and are now gone.”
Zhan Fei and Wang Zaishan looked disappointed at first, but then they suddenly thought of something.
“You acquired a blue-grade star technique in the Tree Tower, right? Have you comprehended it yet?”
Li Yang nodded.
They immediately got excited.
“Oh my god, you’re only at the first rank, and you already have a rare star technique! That’s too enviable!”
Li Yang smiled bashfully and introduced her techniques.
“I have four star techniques—”
Wang Zaishan blurted out, “I know! One blue, three green! You’re just a first-rank Starbearer and only recently enrolled—”
Zhan Fei cut him off, “Shut up and let Li Yang speak!”
Li Yang corrected them, “Actually, I have two blue-grade and two green-grade star techniques.”
Everyone: “???”
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