In the combat training room, Li Yang huffed and puffed as she slew the alien plants.
Her efficiency was frustratingly low.
Firstly, she lacked a suitable offensive star technique.
Secondly, the room required time to regenerate its supply of alien plants.
As a result, she couldn’t maximize her gains—at most, she earned 80 years of lifespan per hour.
It sounded like a lot at first, but she couldn’t farm continuously.
After every hour of combat, the training room forcibly interrupted her session and made her wait two hours before she could return.
It wasn’t a matter of scarcity but a protective measure for students.
For someone at her current second-tier rank, the cooldown was two hours.
If she were only at first-tier, she’d have to wait four hours instead.
To make matters worse, the training room had a daily time limit.
After just four sessions, she was promptly reminded:
[Daily limit reached. Please return tomorrow!]
Li Yang was speechless.
After an entire day’s effort, she had earned 320 years of lifespan.
If this were before, she would’ve been ecstatic.
But now… it was barely enough to refine some pills.
Farming crops was still the way to go.
This training room was like an appetizer—it was fine occasionally, but it couldn’t fill her stomach.
Adding insult to injury, the system had completely given up.
The low-quality pills had broken its bottom line.
After consuming hundreds of “piles of dog shit,” the system finally snapped.
[You have continuously refined these nauseating, sewage-like inferior pills, causing irreparable psychological and emotional trauma. To recover, you must consume 30 years of lifespan for relaxation therapy.]
Li Yang: “…”
For some reason, she felt nauseous too.
She imagined an alternate universe where she had spent hundreds of years refining these disgusting pills day and night.
Damn.
That’s literal torture.
Even though she wasn’t personally bothered by the process, seeing the system collapse made her hesitate.
If she broke it entirely, that would be a loss.
She quickly said, “Fine. Spend 30 years on recovery.”
[After enduring inhuman suffering, you are granted 30 years of peaceful life. You choose to reside in a coastal city where it’s spring all year round, watching the sunrise and listening to the waves until your body and mind are fully restored.]
With a relieved sigh, Li Yang checked her remaining lifespan.
She had spent 360 years refining 100 first-tier low-grade Star Attraction Pills, then another 30 years on recovery.
Her current balance: 17 years.
This whole experience gave her a better understanding of the Longevity System.
It was clearly biased when it came to lifespan expenditure.
If she used it to strengthen herself, no matter how much the system criticized her talent, it never “gave up.”
It just kept demanding more and more lifespan.
But when it came to external items—such as refining the same batch of inferior pills—the system displayed outright disgust.
In the end, it even flat-out refused to cooperate.
That was fine.
Li Yang never intended to refine garbage pills forever.
After throwing these 100 pills into the market, Professor Li Yao Wan would definitely reach her limit.
In her eyes, refining them should’ve only taken ten seconds.
And besides, Li Yang didn’t need to rely solely on Research Base 716’s data.
She wasn’t worried about future cooperation with Li Yao Wan either.
Her ability was far too valuable to waste on low-grade pill refining.
Even if the system had given up, it actually reassured her.
At least the system wasn’t omnipotent.
Otherwise, she would’ve feared the day when she’d have to pay an unbearable price.
Everything had a price.
But as long as she took what she needed and managed it wisely, any future price should still be within her means.
Li Yang rarely spoke softly to the system, but this time she said, “Don’t worry, I’ll try not to make you eat crap again.”
The system: “…”
***
As night fell, Li Yang reappeared at the trading post.
She made a deceptive move—first listing all 100 second-tier pills at once, then “changing her mind” and removing 50.
Moments later, she relisted those 50 pills at a significantly lower price—just 47 merit points each.
Without checking whether they sold out, she left to get some sleep.
By the next morning, her funds had skyrocketed.
Even after deducting transaction fees, she had earned 2,115 merit points.
This was a fortune.
Anyone who saw her balance would be utterly shocked.
But instead of immediately listing more pills, she tidied up and headed for the training room.
Meanwhile, the school forum had exploded.
Countless threads appeared from upper-year second-tier students, all shouting:
“Holy shit! Last night, a batch of second-tier high-grade Star Attraction Pills appeared for just 47 merit points!”
“I grabbed three! That’s enough to last me until graduation!”
“Damn it, I hesitated for a second, and they were all gone!”
“What’s going on? Is the alchemy department at war? Did some big shot decide to crash the market?”
“47 points is cheap? Haha, ignorant newbie. Once you reach mid-second-tier, these pills become essential. When desperate, people buy them for 55 points each. This is the lowest price in history. No doubt about it—this was a strategic move!”
“I bet some noble family is behind this. Someone snatched up 10 in a second—had to be a rich kid!”
While the forum was in chaos, the alchemy department was in full-blown crisis mode.
Professor Li Yao Wan was having a terrible time.
Logically, 100 second-tier pills weren’t a big deal.
For the entire alchemy department’s production, they were a mere drop in the ocean.
She had countless ways to restore balance—like simply having someone buy them all and relist them at 50 points each.
But that wouldn’t solve the real problem.
Li Yang’s move was far too calculated.
She hadn’t just crashed the price.
She had sent a silent message.
And Li Yao Wan had received it—loud and clear.
If Li Yang could casually list 100 pills in a day, that meant…
She could produce 100 second-tier high-grade pills per day.
That was an insane output.
It was equivalent to an entire alchemy factory with hundreds of second-tier refiners.
And yet, Li Yang had achieved it effortlessly—just by running through the combat training room for a few hours.
What was even more terrifying was the 50-pill switch.
It wasn’t a mistake.
She had held back.
She was showing mercy.
And that was the scariest part.
Was 100 pills really her limit?
Absolutely not.
Li Yao Wan knew the restrictions of the combat training room.
This wasn’t Li Yang’s cap.
It was the training room’s cap.
If Li Yang found a stable supply of alien plants, her daily production would become unstoppable.
100 pills?
That was manageable.
1,000? 5,000?
And even if Li Yao Wan bought them all and relisted them at a higher price… that wouldn’t work forever.
More importantly—what if Li Yang joined another faction?
What if she defected to another noble family?
That thought made Li Yao Wan break out in a cold sweat.
At that moment, her assistant rushed in, panting.
“Professor! A student spotted Li Yang talking to a member of the Zhong family outside the training room… and they mentioned alchemy.”
Li Yao Wan: “!!!”
Already making connections?!
The Zhong family was powerful.
If they backed Li Yang, they could easily help her establish an independent alchemy business.
She had to act.
Now.
“This is my goldmine,” she muttered.
“No one else is taking her away.”
Without hesitation, Li Yao Wan stormed off to find Li Yang.
Mentioning both the Natural System and the research institute naturally formed a logical chain in Zhong Kun’s mind—Natural System cultivators refine pills, and they do it so well that even Li Yaowan, a genius associate professor in the pill-making department, had to curry favor.
Zhong Kun’s imagination instantly ran wild.
What exactly is the Natural System?
Why has he never heard of it before?!
Zhong Kun was already itching to run home and ask his elders.
But Li Yaowan paid no attention to his internal turmoil.
She was only worried about Zhong Kun stealing her talent.
Keeping him at bay, she lowered her voice and whispered to Li Yang, “Good child, why go through so much trouble? Just come with me, and I’ll not only show you the Agricultural Department’s research materials but also help you study them!”
Li Yang smiled at her.
Li Yaowan hesitated, then mouthed a number: “73.”
But Li Yang calmly replied: “64.”
Li Yaowan: “…!”
Li Yang continued, “In the future, I’ll have to trouble Professor Li to help me study the Agricultural Department’s cultivation data.”
As a seasoned businesswoman, Li Yaowan knew this was part of Li Yang’s negotiation strategy—winning people over.
But she still couldn’t help feeling moved!
She had already accepted 73% as her cut—after all, keeping this pill-making prodigy from being snatched away was more important than anything else.
Yet…
At this moment, Li Yang voluntarily offered 64%!
Who could refuse extra money?
The offer struck Li Yaowan right in the heart.
She was so overwhelmed with emotion that her heart pounded wildly.
She even had the fleeting thought of handing over the entire 716 Research Institute to Li Yang…
No, no, that was impossible!
The research institute was worth 90 million per share, not a single cent less!
Hand in hand, the two of them walked toward the 716 Research Institute, leaving Zhong Kun standing there, utterly dumbfounded.
What just happened?
What the hell is the Natural System?!
Without delay, Zhong Kun dialed his great-grandfather.
The response came quickly:
“My dear grandson, in the Star Realm, the Agricultural Department is known as the Natural System.”
***
The Agricultural Department sounds plain and unremarkable.
But the Natural System—now that sounds incredibly powerful!
Zhong Kun’s interest was piqued.
He immediately started acting cute and affectionate.
“Great-grandpa! I miss you so much! But I can’t go back to Donghua Province right now. Can you talk to me for a while? Tell me more about the Natural System…”
The so-called “retired” ancestor of the Zhong family had been bored out of his mind anyway.
Now, his great-grandson’s sweet words filled his heart with joy.
Chuckling, he began to explain:
“The Natural System, in the Star Realm, is actually the dominant power of humanity—”
Inside the 716 Research Institute
Li Yaowan and Li Yang returned to the director’s office.
Li Yaowan quickly pulled out a contract and said, “Let’s sign the auxiliary student agreement first.”
Li Yang took the contract, carefully examined it, then looked up and said, “Professor, let’s modify this clause.”
Her finger landed precisely on the profit-sharing section for pill sales.
Li Yaowan’s heart clenched.
She forced a smile.
“If you’re having second thoughts, we can change it back to 73—”
Before she could finish, Li Yang shook her head.
“The profit-sharing is fine. But just refining pills is too simple. Why not change it to pill crafting?”
Li Yaowan: “!”
What’s going on?
Has this little brat turned over a new leaf?
Why is she giving her extra benefits so freely?
She’s being so generous that Li Yaowan is starting to suspect a hidden trap!
Li Yang said coolly, “Those low-quality pills are just failed products. Even after being refined, they have limitations. Besides, I don’t like cleaning up other people’s messes. Rather than just purifying pills, I’d rather take on something more challenging—like crafting pills myself.”
Li Yaowan fell silent.
Li Yang was right.
Low-quality pills did have severe limitations.
And for someone as talented as Li Yang, purification was indeed too easy.
Making this prodigy spend all her time fixing the failures of second-rate pill refiners was indeed a waste of her abilities.
Li Yaowan took a deep breath.
“Alright! We’ll do it your way!”
Li Yang didn’t hesitate any further and signed the contract with a flourish.
A reasonable compromise ensures mutual benefit.
Now wasn’t the time for her to work alone.
The pill industry was a gigantic gold mine, watched by countless eyes.
If she entered it recklessly, she’d only make enemies and slow down her true “main quest” of advancing her cultivation.
At this stage, finding a reliable partner was the most cost-effective choice.
Moreover, this auxiliary student contract was only valid during her time at the academy.
Once she graduated, it would no longer be binding.
When the time came, she would reassess the situation—if the partnership was still beneficial, they would continue working together.
If problems arose, she could cut ties immediately.
After the contract was signed, Li Yaowan was beaming with satisfaction.
“Come, I’ll take you to see the Agricultural Department’s research materials!”
Li Yang stood up.
“Alright.”
They walked deeper into the research institute until they reached an archive room with heavy security measures.
Li Yaowan closed her eyes for a moment, seemingly verifying something with her spiritual energy.
Soon after, the archive room’s door swung open.
She didn’t enter immediately.
Instead, she turned to Li Yang with a serious expression.
“I assume Dean Si can hear me as well. Li Yang, you should ask your mentor—I’m not saying this to make things difficult for you, but for your own good.”
Before Li Yaowan could explain further, Si Kui’s voice echoed in Li Yang’s spiritual sea:
“Don’t read too much. Your spiritual energy won’t be able to handle it.”
Li Yaowan nodded.
“Exactly. Compared to others in the Second Rank, your spiritual power is strong, but it’s still far from enough for these materials. I will only grant you access to a limited portion. If you start feeling dizzy or overwhelmed, stop immediately.”
Li Yang nodded.
“Understood.”
Li Yaowan added, “Dean Si, I must also ask you to temporarily sever your connection with Li Yang.”
She had agreed to let Li Yang access the archives, not Si Kui.
If Si Kui saw everything, then her 90-million-credit investment would go straight down the drain!
Si Kui remained silent.
Inside her spiritual sea, Li Yang reassured her mentor, “Don’t worry, Professor Li wouldn’t harm me. Like you said, she values the Pill Department. She wouldn’t dare do anything under your watch.”
And besides, Li Yaowan treasured pill-making prodigies—if Li Yang was harmed, she’d probably be more anxious than anyone else.
Si Kui: “…Alright.”
Her voice, neither heavy nor light, echoed into the physical world.
Li Yaowan shivered.
Her hair stood on end, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead.
When the Supreme Half-Step aura finally faded, she wiped her sweat and muttered, “Dean Si really dotes on you.”
Li Yang smugly replied, “Of course!”
Li Yaowan chuckled.
At that moment, the deep-minded girl finally showed a bit of youthful innocence.
“Come now.”
Li Yaowan said seriously, “Don’t overdo it. If your spiritual sea is damaged, it will hinder your cultivation.”
With that, she guided Li Yang’s hand to a black, heavy tablet.
At that moment—
It felt as if Li Yang had fallen into an endless ocean of knowledge…