In the shadows, hidden in a dark corner, the Red Scorpion waited patiently.
He had been lying in ambush here for a long time, preparing to strike when Li Yang and her team would inevitably charge in.
He planned to take them all down in one swift blow.
To a fifth-grade Star Seeker like him, killing a few second or third-grade opponents was child’s play.
But his superiors had given strict orders that he must leave no traces behind.
He had to frame both the heretics and the Star Law System for this.
It wasn’t just about killing them—it was about orchestrating the perfect crime.
Thus, he needed to wait, patiently observing as Li Yang’s team fought.
He would let them wear each other down, and when they were at their weakest, he would strike and add the final blow.
However, what he hadn’t expected was Li Yang’s incredibly strange Star Skill.
A mere first-grade, yet she possessed a Star Skill so powerful that even he, a fifth-grade Star Seeker, couldn’t see through it.
When Li Yang first vanished from his sight, Red Scorpion couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath. His target had suddenly disappeared.
How was he supposed to complete this mission now?
The Red Scorpion had done his homework before accepting this mission.
He knew everything about Li Yang—her strength, her Star Skills, and he had even watched the public videos of the Tree Tower many times.
The students who entered the Tree Tower were all first-grade, so Li Yang’s ability to “disappear” shouldn’t have been a surprise.
But he never imagined the effect of her Star Skill would be so powerful that even a fifth-grade Star Seeker like him couldn’t detect it!
Had it been the Shadowman using “Shadow Cloak,” he would have been able to see through it.
However, Li Yang’s Star Skill was far superior.
This was because her spiritual power was simply too high.
The first phase of the “Shadow Cloak” allowed the user to hide from Star Seekers whose spiritual power was three times lower.
Li Yang’s spiritual power was at 400 points, which multiplied to 1200 points—far beyond Red Scorpion’s own spiritual power, which barely exceeded 1000.
Although he had reached the fifth-grade level, his physical strength was his primary focus, so his spiritual power was not as high.
Only when breaking into the sixth-grade would a Star Seeker focus on strengthening their mental abilities.
Unable to lock onto Li Yang, Red Scorpion didn’t rush into action.
He was patient, waiting for the right moment.
He needed to let the battle play out, allow them to weaken each other, and only when they lowered their guard would he make his move.
If he missed that moment, and Li Yang managed to slip away in the chaos… the mission would fail.
Killing a first-grade student with the power of a fifth-grade Star Seeker would be a waste, and failure was simply not an option.
Li Yang, however, remained completely unaware of the danger.
Even though her spiritual power was high enough to hide from Red Scorpion, she was fully focused on the battlefield ahead.
He Song had heavily injured the heretic leader, but the man was tough and had consumed a pill to stabilize his wounds.
They continued to clash fiercely, with He Song struggling to deliver the final blow.
Li Yang, concealed by the “Shadow Cloak,” watched for an opening to intervene…
Her thoughts shifted quickly, and an idea sprang to mind.
He Song could hold on for a little longer, but the third-grade heretics were too strong for her, a mere first-grade, to deal with.
However, the three upperclassmen were tangled up with second-grade heretics.
If she could free them, they could assist.
Her decision was made.
The fight needed her help.
With a burst of speed, Li Yang darted toward the second-grade heretic closest to her team.
“Sister! I’m here to assist!”
Her voice rang out purposefully, distracting the second-grade peak heretic.
He turned to sneer at her, thinking a mere first-grade student was daring to fight.
He would teach her a lesson.
As he dodged Zhan Fei’s punch, he swung his blade toward Li Yang, intending to deal with her first.
But Li Yang was ready.
As the sword collided with her wooden shield, it shattered instantly.
However, the sword—imbued with Star Power—was absorbed by her shoulder.
The third stage of her Tree Bark ability activated, dissipating the Star Power in the blade.
The heretic leader, stunned, saw his attack fail completely.
Li Yang moved swiftly, counterattacking with a surge of her spiritual power.
Her “Light Blade” shattered his defenses and struck directly at his weakness.
Zhan Fei stared, wide-eyed.
“Li Yang, you… you killed him?!”
“Of course!” Li Yang’s voice was firm, even as she turned to help He Song.
The battle raged on, but Li Yang was focused.
She had already taken down one opponent, and now she turned her attention to the next.
Her strength had surpassed everyone’s expectations for a first-grade student.
But she didn’t have time to revel in her success.
There was still much to do.
He Song looked at her with a pained expression and said, “This is too reckless. If it weren’t for…”
His voice trailed off, guilt written all over his face. If it weren’t for Li Yang’s intervention, the three of them would have been dead without a doubt.
Zhan Fei and Wahla Ge also looked shaken, both expressing, “Xiao Li, I owe you my life!”
Li Yang shook her head, about to speak, when suddenly, her nerves tensed.
A cold shiver ran down her spine as a powerful oppressive force descended upon them, freezing the five of them in place.
From the shadows emerged a strange man, his face obscured by a black mask.
His eyes were a blood-red, eerie hue, and his presence was overwhelming.
With every step he took, the ground beneath him cracked and shattered.
He Song’s face turned pale.
“Fifth-grade…” he whispered.
He could sense it — the man wasn’t just a fourth-grade practitioner, but a fifth-grade one.
How could this be…?
How could there be a fifth-grade Star Exalter here…?
The others, too, were filled with despair.
Li Yang immediately tried to summon her Hidden Shadow, but she felt as though her body had been frozen, unable to call upon her Star Qi.
The man, his voice like a hiss, spoke. “None of you will escape. You will all die.”
Li Yang could not see the man’s cultivation level clearly, nor did she hear He Song’s murmurs.
But one thing was clear: they had encountered a formidable enemy.
What was happening?
Was someone specifically out to kill her?
She screamed out, “Teacher Shen! Save me!”
No matter who it was, she had to call out first.
The mysterious man tensed at the sudden cry.
In the next instant, an even more powerful oppressive force swept down, covering the entire area.
From above the dilapidated factory, a woman in a long white robe floated in mid-air.
Her long hair was pulled up, revealing her slender neck, and her expression was cold and deadly.
He Song and the others immediately recognized her, their faces a mixture of confusion and awe.
“Dean Shen…?”
Shen Binghua glanced at them indifferently.
When her gaze fell on Li Yang, her lips moved, silently saying, “Troublesome.”
As her words faded, a brilliant beam of star light shot toward the red-scorched man.
The man’s eyes widened in shock as he quickly tried to block the attack.
However, being a mere fifth-grade beginner, he was no match for a seventh-grade master.
Just as he could easily crush Li Yang, Shen Binghua could effortlessly crush him as well.
But Shen Binghua did not act with haste.
Instead, she wanted to trap him, to interrogate him about who had sent him…
Before the net of star light could envelop him, the man self-destructed.
Boom!
The explosion was even more terrifying than the previous third-grade self-detonation.
The shockwave alone could have killed the five of them.
Shen Binghua quickly cast a defensive Star Art, a soft light enveloping the five students.
She stood alone within the explosion zone, allowing the powerful winds and thick smoke to engulf her, the fiery red flames spreading violently.
The roof of the factory was torn off, and the shockwave instantly leveled the area.
Outside, the city guards were stunned, and a few first-grade cultists were wide-eyed in disbelief.
As the smoke and mist dissipated, Shen Binghua floated in mid-air, still pristine in her white robes, her black hair swept back, not a single strand out of place.
At this moment, Li Yang could not help but look up at her.
So this is a seventh-grade master?
This is the true strength!
Li Yang stared at Shen Binghua, but in her mind, she imagined what He Song had briefly described—how the dean had once used the invincible Solar Shield to protect an entire Star Realm city.
Such terrifying power!
Not even hundreds of abandoned factories could compare to the scale of a city!
Shen Binghua also looked at Li Yang, expecting to see gratitude and awe in her eyes.
However, what she saw instead made her pause.
Li Yang’s eyes burned with the fierce, fiery desire for power, like the blazing sun itself.
Shen Binghua: “…”
While she hated this troublesome child, she had to admit that Si Kui had found a treasure.
When the five-man squad returned to school, they were still shaken.
This mission had been far too dangerous.
First, the intelligence was wrong, and the cult leader had unexpectedly advanced to a high level.
Then, out of nowhere, a fifth-grade Star Exalter appeared.
If it weren’t for Dean Shen’s timely arrival, they would have been dead for sure.
What exactly was going on?
Who had sent that fifth-grade Star Exalter?
Why had Dean Shen arrived just in time?
Was she protecting Li Yang?
The relationship between Li Yang and Dean Shen… was it really not as complicated as everyone thought?
They had too many questions, but no one dared to ask.
They were no longer naive freshmen.
They had long understood one thing: the less you know, the longer you live.
He Song sighed and said, “We were lucky to have you this time.”
Li Yang shook her head.
“If it weren’t for me, we wouldn’t have…”
He Song cut her off.
“If you hadn’t pushed the cult leader away from the self-detonation, we would have died for sure. There wouldn’t be any later developments.”
Moreover, it was Li Yang who had called for Shen Binghua to deal with the fifth-grade Star Exalter.
There were complicated factors involved, but He Song knew that this time, they owed their lives to Li Yang.
Li Yang had truly saved them.
Zhan Fei and Wahla Ge nodded in agreement.
Sun Anmo whispered, “Thank you. She had the ability to avoid the explosion, but she couldn’t save her teammates. If He Song and the others had died…”
Li Yang smiled and said, “In the end, we completed the mission!”
She had also completed her breakthrough.
After the group split up, Li Yang dragged her exhausted body back to the Agriculture Department.
As she reached the wheat fields, a gentle breeze swept by, and Li Yang had already arrived at the small courtyard on the mountainside.
Shen Binghua had long been waiting there.
Si Kui quickly scanned her body, fuming, “How dare they…”
Li Yang let out a wail and threw herself into her embrace, crying, “Teacher, I was so scared! The outside is so dangerous, the cultists are terrifying, I almost didn’t make it back! Woo woo woo.”
Her rage was instantly extinguished by the sound of this nonsensical crying.
Li Yang’s tears may have been fake, but she had indeed been scared.
Especially when the fifth-grade Star Exalter appeared, she had truly felt despair.
This person wasn’t sent by Shen Binghua.
Then who was it?
Li Yang didn’t bring it up in front of He Song and the others, but she had already been pondering this over and over again in her mind.
It was most likely an enemy of her teacher.
That’s why she had to cry, to cry her heart out, to make sure her teacher realized how weak, how pitiful, how helpless, how much she needed her.
Only then would Si Kui calm down, and not rashly go after the enemy with reckless abandon.
Si Kui: “…”
This awful acting, it’s ruining my eyes.
Li Yang didn’t care about her teacher’s thoughts.
As for face?
Haha, who needs face?
Didn’t the tree bark say, “People without face can do anything”?
Si Kui was indeed calmed down by her. She had originally wanted to storm into the Star Realm and wreak havoc…
But no, she couldn’t die.
If she died, these people would become even more reckless.
And this confused little disciple who had joined the Nature Department wouldn’t have much chance of survival.
Si Kui didn’t know how to comfort others.
She awkwardly patted Li Yang’s back and said, “One day, I will avenge you.”
Li Yang didn’t look up, mainly because she hadn’t produced any tears.
If she looked up now, it wouldn’t seem as pitiful.
She sobbed, “Teacher, the person is already dead.”
“I meant the mastermind…”
“That has nothing to do with us!”
Li Yang quickly replied.
“This must be Dean Shen’s enemy. They tried to frame her and deliberately targeted me.”
The absurdity of this situation was all due to this little troublemaker.
Li Yang hurriedly added, “Right, Dean Shen! You have to investigate this thoroughly! This is an insult to the Star Law Department! It’s unforgivable!”
She could see through Li Yang’s intentions—she was trying to shift the blame and use her as a pawn.
Shen Binghua said, “We still need to think this through. It may not be…”
Li Yang tilted her head and blocked her retreat:
“Dean Shen, you’ve already made a move. Can you imagine how the mastermind would think now? Moreover, your relationship with the Agriculture Department is already hard to deny, after all, Senior Master is your beloved.”
Shen Binghua: “I curse you, Li Yang!”
You truly are a series of pits, each one deeper than the last!