Chapter 3

It wasn't just because she had made money from the task, but also because the assistant teacher was a good person. If He Song hadn't mentioned the bounty, no one would have known about it, and by mentioning it, he had essentially handed Li Yang ten thousand yuan for nothing.

That money might not have meant much to He Song, but for Li Yang right now, it was a lifesaver.

The original owner had only a thousand yuan to her name at most. With ten thousand, she could just about keep herself fed for a few months and return to school to take the college entrance exam.

In her previous life, Li Yang had defied the heavens and changed her fate through studying, and she planned to take up her old trade in this life. But the world was different now. Here, studying the "civil" arts alone wouldn't do; she also had to train in the "martial."

Li Yang took a quick shower and changed into clean clothes, then sat down at the table to study the Longevity System.

Before, she had only looked at the system panel and hadn't had a chance to operate it. Now that it was late and quiet, she didn't have to worry about anyone seeing her.

Li Yang raised a hand and tapped the air, aiming at the "Physique" field.

She pointed at empty air, and nothing happened.

I can only look at it, not operate it? Li Yang wondered. How exactly am I supposed to improve my physical strength?

The note was clear enough: as long as she improved her physical strength, she could break through the upper limit on her lifespan.

But how was she supposed to improve it?

Was she supposed to run ten kilometers every day and lift weights on top of that?

The moment the thought flashed through Li Yang's mind, the system panel changed. A line of text appeared: [Consume lifespan to improve physique?]

Li Yang understood. "So that's how it works!"

Afraid that too much of her lifespan would be consumed, she said cautiously, "Consume one day of lifespan to improve my physique."

A line of text appeared on the system panel: [You trained for one day. Because your talent was too poor and your training time too short, your physique showed no significant change.]

Li Yang: "..." So she really did have to train, but she didn't need to do it herself. Instead, the system consumed lifespan to simulate the training.

One day really was too little to improve her physique through training. Li Yang ventured, "Consume ten days."

[You trained for another ten days. Because your talent was too poor and your training time too short, your physique showed no significant change.]

It was the same message. It seemed she had to put in more time.

This time, Li Yang increased it a little. "One month."

The system gave her the same message again.

Li Yang didn't want to waste her limited lifespan, so she could only add it one month at a time. Only when the total consumed reached one year did the system's message finally change.

[You trained consistently for one year and developed a fitness habit of running ten kilometers every morning. But because your talent was too poor, your physique increased to 40 points.]

Finally, a change!

Li Yang breathed a sigh of relief. She had roughly figured out how the Longevity System worked.

First, she could gain lifespan by harvesting mutated plants;

Second, her current lifespan limit was only ten years, and she couldn't store any beyond that;

Finally, she could consume lifespan to improve her physique, and the smallest unit was a year.

Though Li Yang hated to part with her pitiful ten years of lifespan, she still had to keep using them to improve her physique value.

She needed to raise her physique to at least 80 points. At ten points a year, she would need another four years.

Li Yang steeled herself and said directly, "Consume four years of lifespan to improve my physique."

[In your first year of continued training, you began trying weightlifting. Your physique increased to 50 points.]

[In your second year of continued training, you took many wrong turns in your deliberate pursuit of big muscles. Your physique increased to 58 points.]

[In your third year of continued training, no longer satisfied with indoor exercise, you began trying extreme sports. You broke a leg while rock climbing. After your injury healed, your physique dropped to 56 points.]

[In your fourth year of continued training, after careful preparation and specialized training, you once again took on free solo climbing. Your physique increased to 70 points.]

Li Yang was quite pleased when she saw the first year's message. A steady gain of ten points—not bad.

At the second year, her heart skipped a beat. Why had she gone chasing big muscles? Don't go astray!

By the time the third year's message appeared, Li Yang couldn't keep her composure. Not only had her physique failed to rise that year, it had fallen!

Fortunately, it had recovered in the fourth year, gaining 14 points.

Four years consumed for a 30-point increase in physique was far below Li Yang's expectations, but it was still acceptable. Next, she would continue...

A wave of dizziness struck, and Li Yang felt intense soreness sweep through her body.

The sensation was hard to describe. It was as if someone had pressed the fast-forward button on her body, and years had passed in the blink of an eye. She had truly trained hard for a long time, endured every hardship, and faced countless setbacks and trials before finally raising her physical condition from a feeble 30 points to its current 70.

By the time Li Yang recovered, she was drenched in sweat.

She couldn't help feeling a little shaken. It seemed she couldn't rush too much. Raising her physique too far in one go was more than she could bear mentally.

Li Yang had only just changed, but her clothes were soaked through again. She had no choice but to take another shower.

Warm water poured over her head, leaving her refreshed. The pain throughout her body faded, and so did the fatigue and injuries from chopping the clover that evening. She felt full of strength, with energy to spare.

There was a mirror in the bathroom, and Li Yang raised her eyes to look into it.

The woman in the mirror had shed her old body and been reborn. Her thin frame had become lean and upright, her sallow, paper-yellow skin had turned smooth and luminous, and even her once-soft lower abdomen now had beautiful, firm

ab

lines. This was undoubtedly a body full of power.

Chapter 3

Li Yang tested herself and felt that if she picked up an axe and chopped at the clover now, she could cut it down in an hour at most.

No wonder He Song had only needed one stroke. Her physique was only 70, yet she had already undergone a qualitative leap.

And 80 physique points were merely the threshold to apply to a military academy. Given He Song's position as an assistant teacher, who knew how many times higher his was?

Li Yang sat back down in her chair and called up the system panel to check her current information.

Name: Li Yang

Lifespan: 5 years / 10 years

Physique: 70

Spirit: 30

Note: Only 5 years of lifespan remain. Please harvest plants as soon as possible to gain lifespan.

With that experience behind her, Li Yang didn't dump in three years at once. Instead, she chose to try one year at a time.

Less than a year had no effect, and while more than a year was highly efficient, the sensation of her body growing explosively... she'd rather not put herself through unnecessary suffering.

Li Yang consumed one year.

[You trained for one year. Because lifting weights was too monotonous, the effectiveness of your training dropped sharply. Your physique value rose to 76 points.]

Li Yang: "..."

Fine. It made sense that the more she trained, the harder it would get.

Li Yang put in another year.

[You forced yourself to train for one year. Because it had no effect, you grew depressed. After binge eating and drinking, your physique value dropped to 75 points.]

Li Yang: "..."

Why had it fallen again?!

Li Yang winced at the loss. She glanced at her remaining lifespan: only three years. She had only two chances left.

Spending money on a game was enough to make her heart race, but here she was paying with her life.

If she had a long life, that would have been one thing, but with only two or three years to spare, her hands had begun to tremble!

Li Yang stared at the panel for a long while.

It would be best if her physique value could reach 85.

Would two years be enough?

If not... she could only find another way to look for mutated plants.

Li Yang decided to put in two years at once. "Consume two years to improve my physique."

[You trained consistently for two years. With ample time, you underwent thorough training and study, and successfully took on speed skating on a snowy mountain. Your physique increased to 90 points, and your spirit value increased to 40.]

Li Yang: "!"

Afraid her eyes were deceiving her, she hurriedly stared at the information panel.

Name: Li Yang

Lifespan: 1 year / 10 years

Physique: 90

Spirit: 40

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

She hadn't seen wrong. This time, she had not only improved her physique value but also raised her spirit value along the way.

Li Yang pondered, Is it only worth it if I put in several years at a time? But...

Sure enough, the next instant, pain swept over her as though her whole body had been beaten. She was on her bed this time, and the pain made her curl straight into a ball.

But it was much better than last time. Presumably, Li Yang's physical condition had already undergone a qualitative change, increasing her tolerance, so she recovered quickly.

Li Yang took another shower, then stopped. She had only one year of life left; if she paid any more, she'd be gone.

Over the next few days, Li Yang didn't rush back to school. Instead, she found ways to learn more about this world.

The original owner's memories were a mess. Though she knew mutated creatures existed, she didn't understand what was going on.

The original owner's home had no internet, and the grandmother and granddaughter had only a basic phone between them. Rather than waste money replacing it, Li Yang spent most of the day at an internet café.

After looking things up, everything became clear.

About three hundred years ago, something called the Astral Realm had suddenly appeared on Earth. Ordinary people didn't know much about it, and no details could be found online.

All that was known was that Starlight flowed out of the Astral Realm, and creatures exposed to it mutated. Mutated creatures possessed terrifying offensive power and dealt a tremendous blow to human society, directly causing the complete destruction of several small countries.

Later, some people gained control over the power of Starlight. They acquired formidable power, cleared out the mutated creatures, suppressed the entrances to the Astral Realm, and rebuilt human society.

These great figures were called Star Wielders by later generations.

Three hundred years had passed, and to ordinary people, it was ancient history. Everyone had grown accustomed to the occasional appearance of mutated creatures and overlooked the existence of the Astral Realm, going about their ordinary lives step by step.

Only the ranks of the Star Wielders continued to grow year by year.

By now, nearly every major figure in society was a Star Wielder, from prominent politicians to business tycoons, even professionals in every field and

entertainment

stars.

The first generation of grandmasters among the Star Wielders had established a more systematic cultivation system, giving later Star Wielders clearly defined grades.

From first grade to ninth grade, the differences in strength between Star Wielders were enormous. For example, the gap between the First-Grade Initial Stage and the Ninth-Grade Supreme was like that between a rifle and a nuclear bomb.