Chapter 14
Chen Song's brain finally kicked into gear. "You want performance points?"
He had far more experience in these matters than Li Yang did, and quickly guessed that killing mutant plants earned extra performance points, which were often tied to the practical exam rankings.
It was precisely because he knew so much that Chen Song had been too clever for his own good. He had assumed the "Entry Instructions" were a psychological assessment, and in trying to earn those "performance points," he had taken a nasty tumble instead.
Li Yang went along with it. "That's right. I want the performance points, so leave the final blow to me."
Chen Song relaxed. "All right."
The five of them had finally reached a temporary agreement. They had no other choice anyway; they had to go down and face it head-on.
Li Yang had no reason to lie to them. If they dragged things out any longer, they really would attract flying mutant creatures. If another one turned out to be high-stage, they would all be eliminated.
And before the five of them could split up, they had to deal with the man-eating flower blocking their way beneath the tree.
Chen Song jumped down first. The three people following him hesitated no longer and climbed down with him.
The moment the man-eating flower sensed people, it opened its enormous mouth, revealing densely packed teeth.
The sight was creepy enough to make Li Yang, who had grown up in the twenty-first century, shudder.
This thing is ten times more vicious than the ugly shrubs... no, more than twenty times!
And uglier, too!
An ugly shrub's mouth held just one ring of sharp teeth, but when this man-eating flower opened its mouth, it revealed ring upon ring, layer upon layer of densely packed teeth. One bite from that thing would leave a person's bones crunching like crackers.
Chen Song finally showed the strength befitting his 88 Physique Points. He was lean to begin with, and he really was fast. The instant he jumped from the tree, he dodged the man-eating flower's spray of seeds, then slashed down with his blade in a backhanded stroke, drawing its attention.
The others hurried down the tree as well. None of them had ever considered fighting a Grade One High Stage mutant plant head-on. Though they were holding weapons now, they still lacked the nerve to attack.
Li Yang had been through countless battles over the past two days. Although the ugly shrubs were weak, they could still launch sudden attacks, and she had gained plenty of experience from killing so many of them.
Her two 90-point physical attributes were no joke. She was no slower than Chen Song, and with her Starlight perception enhanced by her Spirit Points... Li Yang's axe strike was steady, precise, and ruthless.
The places where Starlight was weakest were the mutant plant's weak points!
Bang, bang, bang! Three axe strikes.
Apart from Chen Song, who was in front and couldn't see her, the others were all stunned by Li Yang.
How vicious!
Only then did they finally remember Li Yang's Physique Points...
She was a Heavenly Chosen with 90 Physique Points!
Who cares whether she got lucky or not?
Ninety Physique Points was undeniable, hard strength. Even without systematic training, she was terrifyingly vicious!
The man-eating flower was dazed by the blows. Ignoring Chen Song in front of it, it turned to bite Li Yang. Li Yang didn't back down. She hurled her iron axe straight at it and leaped into the air, dodging the seeds it sprayed at her.
A student beside her, however, failed to dodge in time and was struck by the man-eating flower's seeds.
His face darkened. "I..."
Chen Song shouted, "Help us kill it before you withdraw. I'll compensate you afterward!"
The student swallowed dryly. "O-okay."
He was certain to be eliminated. Once poisoned, three hours was the longest he could hold out.
But if he pressed his rescue device now, they would be down another fighter, so Chen Song had asked him to stay and offered him compensation afterward.
Just then, with a crack, Li Yang's axe wedged itself perfectly into the man-eating flower's enormous mouth.
The man-eating flower's main means of attack was biting. Now one end of the iron axe braced against its upper jaw and the other against its lower jaw, leaving it unable to open or close its huge, fang-filled mouth.
Everyone froze.
Li Yang pulled out another axe. "What are you standing around for? Chop it!"
The others jolted back to their senses and charged forward with their weapons.
In the central control room.
The examiners could hardly ignore Group 8. They had thought that once Li Yang cleared out all the Gradeless mutant plants, she would go quietly to sleep. Instead, she... was facing a Grade One High Stage mutant plant head-on.
The examiners hadn't noticed what led up to this. All they saw was her swinging an axe and hacking furiously at the man-eating flower.
No "Star Skills," no "cultivation techniques," and no "star weapons"...
She simply wielded an iron axe and relied on her Physique Points to chop the Grade One High Stage mutant plant until it howled.
Granted, in the chief examiner's eyes, Grade One and Grade Two mutant creatures could be crushed with a single finger, but for these examinees...
Well, other examinees could only run, but for Li Yang, it didn't seem all that difficult.
The chief examiner watched closely and said, "Check her Spirit later. This child is highly gifted."
At the chief examiner's prompting, the other teachers looked more closely and noticed more details.
Li Yang wasn't hacking at random. Every axe strike landed on a weak point of the mutant plant, and combined with her 90 Physique Points, she was dealing close to 270 points of damage.
Grade One Star Wielders generally had 100 to 500 Physique Points and dealt an average of only 300 points of damage.
But Li Yang only dealt that much damage because she hit its weak points, tripling her output.
Her ability to pinpoint weak points so precisely could only mean that her Spirit was very high.
Ninety Physique Points was impressive enough. If she also had 90 Spirit Points... then she was a shoo-in for first place in Donghua Province.
Even looking across this year's national examinations, there were probably only a few who could surpass her!
Chen Song and the others were even more shaken. Li Yang had to have some luck on her side. How else could she have wedged her iron axe so precisely into the man-eating flower's mouth?!
The troublesome Grade One High Stage mutant plant had been stripped of more than half its combat strength.
Although its spray of seeds was still troublesome, it followed a certain pattern. As long as they grasped it, they could still dodge carefully.
Chen Song was right beside Li Yang. He now understood deeply that he had been a complete dumbass to look down on her before.
Ninety Physique Points...
Only two points higher than mine...
Why is her destructive power more than three times greater?
Seeing that the man-eating flower was on the verge of collapse, Li Yang shouted, "Get back!"
The others had long since been awed by her presence. Now they obediently retreated to the rear.
Li Yang gripped her axe with both hands, excitement shining in her dark eyes, and smashed it into the man-eating flower, bang, bang, bang, until she finally hammered its big head apart.
[Lifespan +10 years]
Chapter 14
Li Yang's smile grew even brighter.
The mutant plants in the danger zone really were different. Chopping down one was worth the two days she had spent working before.
In that case, was the Four-Leaf Clover at Heqing Residential Complex also Grade One High Stage?
When Li Yang smiled, the examinees present were all startled. One thought filled their minds: She. Was. Laughing. Maniacally!
She was holding an axe and laughing maniacally at the man-eating flower's remains... without stopping!
The examiners in the central control room: "..." What's she laughing at? Surely she hasn't gotten addicted to fighting and decided to claim every Grade One mutant plant in the quarantine zone for herself!
Li Yang quickly stopped smiling and promptly reviewed what had happened.
It was still very dangerous.
The man-eating flower was vicious. The seeds it sprayed were poisonous, and its gaping mouth was full of steel teeth. If Chen Song hadn't been drawing its attention in front, she wouldn't have been able to harvest it so easily.
And this was only a Grade One mutant plant!
The lowest grade of mutant plant!
Still shaken, Li Yang said, "Mutant plants really are vicious." The agriculture department was the way to go, with things like Four-Leaf Clover and golden wheat, which were extremely safe.
She harvested mutant plants to extend her life. She couldn't put the cart before the horse!
Li Yang reaffirmed her goal.
The examinees were still dazed, and only slowly came back to their senses after hearing her words.
What did she say?
Who was vicious?
She had hammered the "vicious" mutant plant's head apart while laughing maniacally!
Who was the vicious one here?!
Li Yang looked up at them. "I'm leaving. Take care, everyone."
They had ruined her overnight spot, but they had also helped her harvest ten years of life. That made them even.
Before anyone else could speak, Li Yang had already dashed toward the nearest safe zone without looking back.
Chen Song: "..."
He opened his mouth, but never got the chance to say, "I was wrong before. I'm sorry."
The others panicked and called out, "Brother Chen."
Chen Song didn't stay either. "I'm leaving too." Since they couldn't gather together, there was no point in forming a team.
The poisoned student reluctantly pressed his rescue device.
A proctor soon appeared. As the proctor led him away, the proctor couldn't help looking again and again in the direction Li Yang had disappeared. Finally, the proctor glanced at the poisoned student with disdain, eyes plainly saying, "Couldn't you have pressed it sooner? Then I could have gotten a close-up look at the red-hot favorite."
Yes, without Li Yang knowing a thing about it, she had already become an immensely popular examinee in Donghua Province's practical exam zone.
It couldn't be helped. The students couldn't see it, but the proctors were following the points leaderboard in real time. Li Yang had gained another 20 points, putting her far ahead in first place with a high score of 200.
Li Yang soon found a new place to spend the night. After settling herself in again, she brought up the system panel.
Name: Li Yang Lifespan: 14 years / 50 years Physique: 90 Spirit: 90 Note: Only 14 years of lifespan remaining. Please harvest plants as soon as possible to gain lifespan.
Li Yang felt thoroughly reassured.
Now there was no need to panic. Even if she missed her chance to enter Zhongdu Military Academy's agriculture department this year, she would still have a chance next year, the year after, and the year after that!
Li Yang was no longer in a hurry to grind her Physique Points and Spirit Points. Both were at 90, which would surely be enough until she became a Star Wielder.
Besides, what were 14 years of life?
The average lifespan in this world was at least seventy or eighty years, and she hadn't even earned the average lifespan yet!