Chapter 16

Zhong Qian set out from Group 3 and gathered a large crowd before arriving in Group 6's area.

Li Yang had also just finished clearing the Gradeless mutated plants in Group 7 and gone to Group 6.

Lin Zhaoqin had come from Group 5 and was wandering aimlessly around Group 6.

The simultaneous appearance of the three top-ranked examinees in one area triggered another hidden mechanism in the practical exam.

Once all three gathered in one place, their dangerous auras would awaken the two-star mutated creature.

And so, the Second Grade mutated dahlia was released into Group 6's area.

Chapter 16

Li Yang had been busy for the past two hours. Though she hadn't completely cleared out the Gradeless plants in Group 7, she had swept away every last one along the optimal route.

Two hours had earned her three years of lifespan.

That was far more efficient than her previous two days!

Li Yang was very pleased with the result and cheerfully headed for a safe point in Group 6.

Though a crowd had gathered in Group 6, directions were relative, so there were actually few people on Li Yang's side.

She had just reached a safe point and was about to begin a new round of harvesting when she heard someone shouting in the distance, "Help!"

Li Yang quickly looked up and peered in that direction.

A figure was running toward her, with a blob of "Starlight" behind him. The Starlight was already indistinct in daylight, and the mutated creature's low grade made it even blurrier.

If the man-eating flower was Grade One High Stage, then this one ought to be First Grade Low Stage.

Li Yang didn't know much about these things and was relying entirely on her limited experience to figure it out.

The person was quite fast and reached Li Yang in the blink of an eye. He wore a garish shirt and had fashionable granny-gray hair and a baby face, but his over-the-top appearance made him look very unreliable.

"Classmate! Can you give me a hand? It snatched my weapon away, and I can't kill it with my bare hands, aah!"

Li Yang also got a clear look at the mutated creature chasing him. It was a rather bizarre mutated creature, and its original form was probably... Virginia creeper?

It hugged the ground, crawling forward as swiftly as an octopus. Its long, thin vines twisted together one moment, then suddenly shot out to stab the next.

Li Yang was still watching when Granny Gray spoke again. "Classmate! My name's Zhong Kun! I'm from the Zhong Family! Help me chop it down, and I'll compensate you after we get out..."

Before he could finish, a gust of wind swept past him. The tall girl who had been standing in front of him charged at the mutated Virginia creeper with an axe in hand.

Zhong Kun turned in astonishment and saw her bring her axe down, chopping away with a series of cracks until the creeper curled up and shrank back.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Zhong Kun shouted, "Watch out for the vines-"

Before his warning had even ended, the girl sidestepped the vines behind her and swung her axe again, chopping the iron-hard vines to pieces.

Zhong Kun shut his mouth.

Li Yang had fought the man-eating flower before, so she found the creeper manageable. Its grade definitely wasn't high, probably only First Grade Low Stage, and Zhong Kun had already chopped it up badly enough to leave it severely injured. That was why she could harvest it so easily.

[Lifespan +1 year.]

Li Yang: "!"

Not bad at all. Picking up a "remnant corpse" had actually earned her a year.

Zhong Kun had finally escaped having to press his rescue device. He looked at Li Yang and said excitedly, "Thank you!"

Li Yang said solemnly, "Classmate, don't say things like that again. We're taking an exam, and I won't help you cheat."

Zhong Kun: "..."

Li Yang added in all seriousness, "I was only passing by, so you don't need to compensate me afterward, either." She stressed the last four words.

Zhong Kun blinked. "Don't worry, classmate. This isn't cheating, and it doesn't break the rules either. That's how survival mode works. As long as you survive until the third day, it doesn't matter how."

Li Yang wasn't about to let her guard down. She insisted, "The teachers decide whether it breaks the rules. What we need to do is have a clear conscience!" She put a little extra stress on the last four words again.

Zhong Kun: "..."

He prided himself on having an EQ of 180, and he really did understand this time. Put together, her two remarks translated to: you need to "have a clear conscience," so you have to "compensate me."

Zhong Kun burst out laughing.

This classmate was quite interesting. She looked perfectly serious but was actually talking nonsense; she seemed solemn and cautious but was actually bold enough to defy the heavens.

Zhong Kun thumped his chest. "Don't worry. A Zhong Family member's word carries the weight of nine tripods!"

The Zhong Family?

Li Yang didn't know much about these Star Wielder families. She only remembered that the examinee in second place was named Zhong Qian.

Zhong Qian... Zhong Kun...

Zhong Kun could also tell that Li Yang was an examinee from outside the provincial capital. He said proudly, "Zhong Qian is my cousin!"

They really were family.

Zhong Kun was clearly talkative. He went on, "I'm not as awesome as my older brother. Even popping pills, I only managed to push my Physique Points to 84... Sigh, my older brother's Physique Points are 93! Even in Central Capital, that's monster-level!"

Li Yang only knew that the highest Physique Points score in Donghua Province's practical exam this time was 93. So it belonged to Zhong Qian.

"My cousin actually got overtaken by some nobody of an examinee!" Zhong Kun's expressions were exaggerated, but his natural baby face kept them from being annoying. He said indignantly, "Who the hell is this Li Yang? She actually pushed her score to two hundred... Holy shit, she's already at 280 points, aah!"

Li Yang had originally had 275, but she had just killed another mutated Virginia creeper, bringing her score to exactly 280.

On the points leaderboard:

First place: Li Yang, 280 points.

Second place: Zhong Qian, 200 points.

Both had gained quite a few points over the past two hours. Li Yang had relied on Gradeless mutated plants, while Zhong Qian had slain every First Grade creature he encountered.

Even so, there was still a full 80-point gap between them.

The only way to close that gap was to take down the sole Second Grade mutated creature.

Only after Zhong Kun had prattled on at length did he suddenly remember to ask, "Classmate, what's your name?"

Li Yang: "..."

Zhong Kun said, "I need to know your name before I can 'have a clear conscience' later."

The name "Li Yang" really wasn't easy to say.

Li Yang thought about it and decided that when it was time to put on an alias, she had to put one on. Presumably, Miss Fang wouldn't pocket her compensation.

"My name is Fang Chuyun." Li Yang knew Fang Chuyun was in Group 1. No matter how fast she ran, she wouldn't make it all the way from Group 1 to Group 6.

Zhong Kun looked through the leaderboard. "Ah, you're in the top twenty. Impressive!"

Fang Chuyun was a prominent figure at Huangcheng No. 1 High School, but she wasn't anyone special in the provincial capital. Zhong Kun clearly didn't know her.

Li Yang also found Zhong Kun's name on the leaderboard.

Unlike his cousin Zhong Qian, who ranked near the top, this granny-gray-haired classmate was shoulder to shoulder with Yu Hongyuan, both with zero points.

Zhong Kun scratched his hair. "I studied the Entry Instructions thoroughly. I figured I'd just lie low in the safe zone for three days... Who knew someone would suppress my cousin..."

Li Yang couldn't see the connection. "I thought you were trying to break into the top twenty..."

"You think way too highly of me! Twentieth place already has 70 points. How many would I have to kill to get in? I just got anxious. When I heard someone had suppressed my cousin, I wanted to go check on him. You don't know him-when he goes crazy, there's no telling what he'll do. What if he really challenges the Second Grade mutated beast on his own... Holy shit, the Zhong Family can't lose him. My salted-fish life for the rest of my days depends entirely on him!"

Li Yang: "..." You've got quite a plan for being a salted fish.

After listening to Zhong Kun's rambling, Li Yang finally understood the situation.

Zhong Kun had modest ambitions and only wanted to pass the practical exam. If the leaderboard hadn't suddenly been announced, he wouldn't have left his "dog hole" at all.

Once the leaderboard was announced, Zhong Kun saw the scores and panicked. Afraid something would happen to his cousin, he wanted to hurry over and check on him.

But the journey wasn't peaceful. He provoked the mutated Virginia creeper from earlier and struggled to fight it for ages without managing to kill it. Instead, it chased him all over the place until he ran into Li Yang... Still shaken, Zhong Kun said, "It's all thanks to you, classmate Fang!"

Li Yang said calmly, "It was nothing."

Sticking together wasn't safe. Li Yang had little interest in points, rankings, or Second Grade mutated beasts. She only wanted to finish the last of her "farm work" and steadily earn a few more years.

Zhong Kun's eyes darted around. "Classmate Fang, come with me!"

Li Yang: "?"

Zhong Kun said, "I know sticking together tends to attract danger, but there should be quite a few people gathered in Group 6 right now. I bet all the mutated beasts have caught their scent and come running. I don't even have a weapon anymore. If I run into another one, I'll have no choice but to press the rescue device!"

"How about this? Escort me and take me to my cousin. I'm someone who really knows how to 'have a clear conscience.' Once we're out of the exam area, I'll definitely reward... Ahem, ahem..." It really wasn't against the rules, but classmate Fang was too cautious, so he could only go along with her.

Li Yang pondered for a moment, then asked, "Why would a lot of people gather in Group 6?"

Zhong Kun said, "My cousin's in Group 3, and Lin Zhaoqin's in Group 5... If my cousin wants to attract the Second Grade mutated beast as quickly as possible, he'll have to call on strong examinees to act with him, so they must be gathering over here. I wonder which group Li Yang is in. If she also happens to be in Group 6, then..."

It had to be said, Zhong Kun really was sharp. He had guessed most of the situation correctly.

At that moment, the chief examiner's voice rang out from every rescue device: "The three top-ranked examinees have simultaneously arrived in Group 6's area, triggering a hidden mechanism. A Second Grade mutated entity has descended on the exam area. Everyone, please stay safe."

Zhong Kun drew a sharp breath. "Li Yang really is in Group 6!"

Li Yang: "..." That's right. She's standing right in front of you.

Zhong Kun grew even more anxious, like an ant on a hot pan. "We're done for, we're done for! They really did attract the Second Grade mutated beast! I have to go keep an eye on him. Nothing can happen to him, aah..."

Zhong Kun looked at Li Yang again. "Your rank isn't low, so you definitely won't fall out of the top twenty! So, will you take the job? I'll give you a Star-Attracting Pill afterward!"