Li Yang had been searching the forum for a long time.
The topic of minors was mostly discussed by the senior students.
As for freshmen, those who could quickly advance to the second rank were typically wealthy heirs from prominent families, and they wouldn’t waste time on supplementary majors.
The rest of the freshmen were doing well if they could harness the Stars within a month of entering; the idea of reaching the second rank was far beyond their reach.
After some time spent researching, Li Yang discovered that the Pillcraft system was a particularly popular supplementary major.
Wealthy students were rare, and most had to be self-sufficient.
Fang Chuyun was relatively wealthy, but her sister, Fang Suyun, had chosen to pursue Pillcraft as a supplementary major immediately after reaching the second rank.
In this world of star-bound cultivation, even the rich could be lacking.
Even those from large families selectively cultivated their heirs.
It often took the combined efforts of an entire family to produce a ninth-grade supreme talent.
The Pillcraft and Weapon Forging systems were both profitable, but the differences were stark, with their advantages and disadvantages clear to see.
The Pillcraft system, comparatively, was easier to enter and allowed students to earn money faster.
Once they mastered the method of refining Star-Calling Pills, they could earn a decent living with their skills.
Weapon Forging, on the other hand, was much harder.
Even crafting a first-grade star weapon could take one to two years of training.
However, once a weapon was forged to perfection, it was highly sought after, and the price of a top-tier star weapon could start at several million meritorious points.
But the downside of the Pillcraft system was clear—it became increasingly hard to earn money in the later stages, especially when one reached the Master stage.
Instead of refining pills, they had to focus on expelling the impurities accumulated from years of pill consumption.
A post on the forum described it accurately:
“For students with average talent, it’s recommended to pick the Pillcraft system. Don’t think about the later stages. Once you reach the third rank, you’ll realize how high the sky is and how thick the earth is. Don’t even dream of becoming a Grandmaster. Many talents get stuck at the peak of the third rank and live their whole lives as ‘small thirds.'”
Weapon Forging?
Leave it to the professionals.
After all, the purpose of a supplementary major is to make money.
Just work in the Pillcraft system and earn a little.
Don’t try to take on two supplementary majors; you can’t have it all.
That’s a waste of time. If you do that, you’ll end up empty-handed and neglect your main major.
Li Yang agreed wholeheartedly, giving the post a like.
However, when she had the time, she would still consider pursuing the Weapon Forging system as a supplementary major.
After all, she was never afraid of “wasting time.”
As long as she could control the path of harvesting life, all these time-consuming supplementary majors could be handled.
The Pillcraft system was so popular that the number of students applying was huge, so the application process was complicated.
First, there was the application, followed by an assessment, and finally, approval.
Li Yang glanced at the date—Today is the deadline!
The current batch of applications was about to close, and she hurried to submit her application just in time.
The advantage was that once the application deadline passed, the assessment would take place the day after tomorrow.
If she passed the assessment, she would officially be a supplementary student of the Pillcraft system.
Li Yang checked the assessment process for the Pillcraft system—it was quite simple.
It only involved refining the Star-Calling Pills, something she was very familiar with.
A year’s worth of effort would be enough.
The next day, Li Yang received a message from the Pillcraft system, notifying her to come for the supplementary major assessment the next day.
The message included a list detailing the equipment students were recommended to prepare for themselves.
Miniature Pill Furnace *1
Starshine Charcoal (appropriate amount)
Miniature Vacuum Cleaner *1
Miniature Smoke Processor *1
Miniature Fire Extinguisher *1
Miniature Purifier *1
“Just to refine some pills, do we really need to prepare an entire cleaning set for our homes?”
Li Yang couldn’t help but smile bitterly, a bad feeling creeping over her.
She scrolled down, and as expected…
A line of bold letters stood out:
“To ensure the safety of the assessment, please purchase the above equipment through the specified channels.”
A link was provided, and when Li Yang clicked on it, she was taken to the official store of the Pillcraft system, where at the top of the page was a “Supplementary Major Equipment Pack” priced at 10 merit points.
Ten merit points for this tiny bit of stuff?
“Really? The Pillcraft system can directly rob students and still offer an equipment pack?” Li Yang scoffed, her thoughts filled with skepticism.
She was left with no choice but to accept it as a “testing fee.”
On the day of the assessment, Li Yang arrived at the Pillcraft system early in the morning.
True to its popularity, nearly a hundred students had signed up for the assessment.
From the outside, the Pillcraft building appeared simple and unassuming, with just a few laboratory buildings.
It wasn’t as grand as the Star Law system, nor as lively as the Star Warfare system, and certainly not as dilapidated as the Agricultural Studies system…
Li Yang couldn’t help but reflect on her own Agricultural Studies system—there was nothing but a large courtyard with only four people residing there.
As for teaching buildings, practice rooms, research institutes… none of those existed.
“Step one: Enroll!”
Only after increasing the student base could they apply for proper construction!
Walking through the crowd, Li Yang didn’t stand out much.
Most of the students attending the supplementary major assessments were seniors, and they were too busy to care about the freshmen who might be making waves.
They had heard her name, of course, and knew about the Tree Tower incident, but few could actually recall her appearance.
After all, the video of the Tree Tower breakthrough was too dark, with few shots showing her face clearly.
Not long later, a refined-looking teaching assistant from the Pillcraft system stepped out, pushing up her gold-rimmed glasses.
“Please line up according to your application number for the Pillcraft talent assessment.”
Li Yang wasn’t in a rush. She patiently waited as the other students were assessed.
The process was simple, much like undergoing a CT scan, though standing instead of lying down.
The massive silver ring would scan over the body and give a report within ten seconds.
Li Yang’s curiosity piqued, she wondered, “System, can it scan you too?”
The system responded coldly, “You’re joking. Even a half-step Supreme cannot be detected by their scanner.”
Before long, most students had finished their assessments, with ratings mostly around C or B.
Occasionally, a B-grade talent would appear, and those students would walk with their heads held high, proud of their achievement.
As the queue neared its end, a tall and handsome boy with pale skin stood up.
The assistant adjusted her glasses and said, “A second-rank student from the Star Law system, Xi Yu?”
“Yes, teacher,” the boy responded.
The scanner beeped and illuminated him with a white glow.
After ten seconds, no result was announced.
Everyone grew curious and began to lean forward.
Finally, after twenty more seconds, the scanner declared, “Congratulations to Xi Yu, talent evaluation: S-rank.”
The entire room gasped.
The other students whispered among themselves, shocked by the news:
“S-rank talent? That’s a genius in Pillcraft!”
“Is there even an S-rank in this batch of freshmen?”
“He’s from the Star Law system, though…”
“Quick, change majors! The Pillcraft system has money!”
The teaching assistant’s demeanor shifted.
She smiled warmly at Xi Yu.
“You have excellent Pillcraft talent. After the supplementary major assessments, we can discuss further.”
Xi Yu was clearly surprised, not expecting to receive such a high rating.
Though he had been average in the Star Law system, he had hoped to try something else as a side venture.
Now that he had an S-rank talent for Pillcraft, his future seemed much brighter.
As the students ahead of Li Yang finished, a few were still eagerly waiting for their results, but most were disappointed. Three had earned C-rank ratings, and one had a D-rank talent.
The crowd couldn’t help but laugh.
“D-rank? That’s almost the lowest, just give up on Pillcraft!”
“No way, there’s an F-rank too!”
The D-rank student protested.
Everyone laughed, “An F-rank? That’s rarer than S-rank! Anyone who can get into our military school wouldn’t have an F-rank!”
Finally, it was Li Yang’s turn.
By now, the crowd had lost most of its enthusiasm. If not for the surprise of an S-rank talent, they’d have already gone to the exam hall.
Li Yang stepped up to the machine, her name already well-known, thanks to the Tree Tower incident. Students began whispering:
“Isn’t that the… the one who stole the Tree Tower?”
“Tree Tower Plunderer!” someone yelled.
Li Yang smiled faintly, unbothered by the attention.
She had grown used to being the center of attention back at Huangcheng No. 1 High School.
Even the Pillcraft talent test seemed like another opportunity for her to shine, or perhaps, falter…
The news of Li Yang’s remarkable talent had already spread like wildfire across the school.
Even the professors of the major departments had heard of her.
“Li Yang,” the assistant professor from the Pharmacy Department said gently, “relax and breathe. The test is about to begin.”
Li Yang smiled back, saying, “Alright, Teacher.”
As the test began, none of the students rushed to the examination area.