Chapter 11

Across the entire exam grounds, the 180 people still in the running were either keeping their heads down or getting beaten senseless after foolishly provoking mutated creatures.

Li Yang was the sole exception... If you said she hadn't kept her head down, she had stayed in the "safe zones"; if you said she had, she had gone around bullying Gradeless mutated plants!

The assistant examiner cleared his throat. "Professor Chen, the rules say candidates get bonus points for killing mutated creatures. All the ones she killed were Gradeless. Do they count?"

The bonus points were a hidden mechanic the candidates knew nothing about, and they affected the final rankings for the practical exam.

A First Grade Low Stage creature was worth 5 points.

A First Grade Middle Stage creature was worth 10 points.

A Grade One High Stage creature was worth 20 points.

The sole rank-two creature was worth 100 points. Of course, it was far too difficult for candidates who hadn't drawn Starlight into their bodies, a high score that was nearly impossible to claim.

As for how many points a Gradeless mutated creature was worth, they really had overlooked it.

The teachers who prepared the exam grounds were all high-rank Star Wielders. In their eyes, Gradeless mutated creatures were no different from ordinary creatures; the concept had long since slipped their minds.

But just because they had forgotten them didn't mean they didn't exist.

Li Yang had used 30 Gradeless mutated plants to jog their memories.

The assistant examiner continued, "If she'd only killed one or two by chance, it wouldn't matter if we didn't award points, but Li Yang has killed so many. If we don't count them..." It would make the practical exam seem less than rigorous.

The format of the practical exam was brand-new every year, so occasional oversights were normal. All they had to do was remedy them in time.

The chief examiner considered it for a moment. "Count them... as 2 points each."

To high-rank Star Wielders, Gradeless mutated creatures were no different from ordinary creatures, but for candidates who had yet to draw Starlight into their bodies, they were still a considerable challenge, especially in such large numbers...

The assistant examiner immediately replied, "All right!"

There was a list of candidates on the far right of the screen. Twenty names had grayed out because those candidates had withdrawn from the exam. Of the remaining 180, Zhong Qian from Group 3 had held first place with 30 points, but now...

Li Yang from Group 8 had suddenly shot up the rankings, leaving everyone in the dust with a full 60 points.

Looking at the rankings, the chief examiner felt a little regret.

Two points was too much. She should have said one!

But on second thought, she felt there was nothing wrong with the ranking.

Li Yang had cleared out 30 Gradeless mutated plants with steady, precise, ruthless strikes, all without disturbing the other mutated creatures... Wasn't that a kind of ability in itself?

It was just a little bizarre!

Chapter 11

Li Yang had no idea she had accidentally poked a hole in the practical exam. She was preparing to grind her Spirit Points.

She had too little "life" on hand, so she couldn't help agonizing over how to spend it.

She had only three years in total. Should she invest them one year at a time, or throw them all in at once?

The latter might yield greater benefits, but if her Spirit Points soared and her body had some abnormal reaction, that wouldn't be good.

After all, she was still in the special isolation zone, curled up in a large tree.

One year at a time, then!

Li Yang decided to advance steadily. A smaller gain was fine; the isolation zone was so large that there had to be all kinds of flowers, grasses, and little shrubs left.

"Consume 1 year of lifespan to increase my Spirit Points."

[You read continuously for one year. Because the books were dull and tedious, you kept wanting to go out and exercise. Your Spirit Points increased to 45.]

It had only risen by 5 points, but Li Yang wasn't discouraged. She continued investing her lifespan.

[You read continuously for one year. Your aversion to studying grew, and the words before your eyes seemed like a heavenly book. Your Spirit Points increased to 46.]

Li Yang: "..."

Two years of lifespan had raised her Spirit Points by only 6 points. It was even less than the increase she'd gained along the way when improving her Physique Points earlier.

Was there a pattern to it?

Li Yang pondered it carefully for a while, but felt the pattern was hard to figure out.

Whether the Longevity System raised her Physique Points or her Spirit Points, it relied on "simulated events."

A year was no short span of time. Any random event that occurred could affect the final result.

"Hmm, everything is hard at the start..." Li Yang remembered that when she had first tried to raise her Physique Points, her talent had been so poor that it had taken a long time to produce any results.

Her initial Spirit Points weren't high either. Once she got them up, things should get a little better.

Throw it in. She couldn't use that year to improve her Physique Points anyway.

There was no need to save it, either. What if she had another big haul tomorrow? Her lifespan cap was only ten years, and once she exceeded it, she couldn't store any more. Wouldn't that be wasting "life"?

Li Yang consumed another year of lifespan.

[You read continuously for one year. Though you were very dull-witted, after doggedly persisting with a single book, you finally mastered it and grasped it thoroughly. Your Spirit Points increased to 60.]

Li Yang: "!"

She ignored the words "very dull-witted" and rejoiced at the whopping 14-point increase this time.

Nice, that was a big breakthrough!

Li Yang summoned her system panel and happily admired her stats.

Name: Li Yang

Lifespan: 1 year/10 years

Physique: 90

Spirit: 60

Note: Only 1 year of lifespan remains. Please harvest plants as soon as possible to obtain lifespan.

Li Yang was quite pleased with her 60 spirit points. She didn't know if it was just in her head, but her ears and eyes seemed sharper, and she felt as though she wouldn't be tired even if she stayed awake all night.

Of course, she would still sleep for a while if she could. She had to continue the exam tomorrow.

Before going to sleep, Li Yang checked her surroundings again. Only after making sure there was no danger nearby did she cover herself with her coat and close her eyes to rest.

The June weather wasn't cold, but the isolation zone always felt damp and chilling, especially after nightfall. The inexplicable howls from the distance made it even more eerie and frightening.

Li Yang spent the whole night half asleep and half awake, yet when she woke the next morning, she was full of energy and didn't feel sleepy at all.

Was it because her Spirit Points had increased?

Sixty spirit points really did make a difference.

The minimum requirement for a military academy student was 65 points, and a Physique Points score of 65 already meant someone was among the physically fittest of ordinary people.

So with 60 spirit points, she should be among those with abundant energy as well.

Li Yang jumped down from the tree and began her "life"-harvesting operation for the day.

This practical exam was wonderful. Li Yang only wished it weren't limited to three days; she would have loved thirty!

Li Yang drew herself a rough map to keep from retracing her steps.

The isolation zone was large, but the area assigned to each group should be limited. She wasn't greedy; as long as she could sweep Group 8's safe spots clean in these three days, that would be enough.

Li Yang took a twenty-minute detour and arrived at the safe spot she had named Number 7.

There was a small lake in this area, but as long as she stayed away from it, the place was relatively safe.

Li Yang was just about to conduct a carpet search-another lesson from yesterday, since the little shrubs would only spring into action when disturbed.

Huh!

Li Yang blinked and realized she could see the "faint glimmer" more clearly.

It was an awkward description, because the starlight was so weak that "faint glimmer" was the only way to describe it, yet to Li Yang, it really had become clearer.

Yesterday, she had been able to make it out faintly too, but only after the mutated plants sprang into action. Now, though, the little shrub was three meters away and exceptionally well disguised, with nothing unusual about it. Yet a faint glimmer covered the entire shrub, as clear as if it had been marked.

Li Yang: "...Could it be because my Spirit Points increased?"

She walked over without betraying her intentions, her eyes fixed elsewhere. Then she suddenly raised her axe and swung it at the little shrub.

The shrub reacted quickly too, springing up and revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth.

Practice had long since made perfect for Li Yang. Her axe struck its gaping mouth dead-on, and with a series of cracks, the ugly shrub was split in two.

System: [Lifespan +1 month.]

Li Yang had dealt with a mutated plant with ease, leaving her feeling refreshed.

Wonderful.

If only she'd known Spirit Points had this benefit... Oh, it wouldn't have mattered if she had. She hadn't had any lifespan to spare for grinding her stats.

On the second day, Li Yang was even more efficient.

On the first day, she'd had to conduct carpet searches, accidentally killing a bunch of "3 minutes" every so often. But on the second day, it was as though Li Yang had switched on a radar scanner. As long as she found a safe zone, she could easily sweep out the mutated plants.

Yesterday, Li Yang had harvested only 30 mutated plants in the entire day. Today, she had taken down 30 in a single morning.

Double the efficiency!

Li Yang's lifespan rose back to 4 years.

The isolation zone's central control room.

It was hard for the examiners not to pay attention to Li Yang. She stood out far too much on the points leaderboard.

Sixty points had already put her far ahead of everyone else, and by the morning of the second day, she had actually shot up to 120!

Zhong Qian in second place had also climbed to 60 points, but how had he earned them? After thoroughly studying the "Entry Instructions," Zhong Qian had selectively set ambushes for rank-one mutated creatures that might appear, earning his points by killing 10 low-stage rank-one mutated animals and 1 mid-stage rank-one mutated animal.

Zhong Qian came from a prominent family, and his Physique Points were as high as 93. He had received thorough combat training since childhood, which was how he had achieved such fighting strength.

Yet even so, he had only 60 points, exactly half as many as Li Yang!

The enormous gap in points bothered one of the examiners. "Li Yang got such a high score just by picking off Gradeless plants. Isn't that a little unfair?"

By comparison, Zhong Qian had put in so much effort, while Li Yang seemed to have merely taken a shortcut...

The chief examiner looked at him and asked, "Do you think she doesn't deserve those 120 points?"

The examiner who had spoken gave an awkward laugh. "It just feels a little inflated."

The chief examiner selected Group 8's screen, locked it onto Li Yang, and replayed her entire morning's activities at high speed. Then she said:

"First, she thoroughly studied the 'Entry Instructions' too. That's how she was able to identify safe zones with such precision, which demonstrates her caution and analytical ability;

"Second, her mental strength far exceeds that of an ordinary person, and she has a strong sensitivity to Starlight. That's how she can find Gradeless plants so quickly;