Chapter 22

Yu Hongyuan said irritably, "What the hell would I be afraid of? I just haven't become a Star Wielder yet. Once I become one and get a Star Skill, I... I..." He couldn't go on. To be honest, life in the province had been too comfortable. Even though cultists lurked there too, they didn't dare do much under the city garrison's protection.

Only in the wilderness did they come face-to-face with cruelty.

The cultists were terrifying, but Captain Lin, who had killed three of them in a row, was even more terrifying!

The battle outside seemed all but decided.

The cultists had come in force, but Lin Yuesuo alone had tied down more than half of them, while the rest of the city guard could hold off half of those remaining. Once a few more cultists died, the others would surely see the odds were against them and retreat.

Fang Chuyun visibly relaxed and said, "Captain Lin is strong."

Compared with Li Yang and Yu Hongyuan, Fang Chuyun had a broader perspective, so her assessment carried considerable weight.

Not only did she have a Fifth Grade father, she also had a genius elder sister who was Third Grade.

Yu Hongyuan relaxed even more. "We've got this, we've got this. A close call, but no harm done."

Li Yang, however, didn't let her guard down. The battle wasn't over, and anything could still happen. Her nerves were taut as she kept a constant eye on the fighting outside.

These cultists were far too crazy.

Would they keep fighting even though they knew they couldn't win?

Could they have reinforcements, intending to overwhelm Lin Yuesuo with sheer numbers?

Fang Chuyun was puzzled too. "Two more died... and they still aren't retreating..."

Li Yang's heart lurched. "Who's there?!"

Yu Hongyuan jumped in fright. "Who? There's nobody there! Li Yang, don't scare me like that!"

Li Yang's Spirit Points had reached 200, and her ability to sense Starlight far surpassed everyone else's. She kept feeling that something was wrong, but when she looked closely, she couldn't see anything.

Yu Hongyuan had been startled, and so had the Shadow Man who had slipped in using Hidden Shadow.

Fortunately, no matter how high Li Yang's Spirit Points were, they couldn't surpass those of a Fourth-Grade Star Wielder. She couldn't see the shadowy figure clearly and could only vaguely sense something.

The Shadow Man didn't dare move recklessly. He pressed himself against the edge of the tent and waited for a while.

Li Yang looked around, then concentrated and scanned the entire tent again.

Fang Chuyun looked over warily as well. She knew Li Yang's Spirit Points were high and her senses were much sharper than theirs, so she asked, "What is it? Is something wrong?"

Li Yang was no longer sure herself. "It's nothing..."

Yu Hongyuan let out a long breath. "Let's not scare ourselves! There's no way anyone could have slipped in. Captain Lin is a Third-Grade Star Wielder, and her Spirit Points are frighteningly high."

Fang Chuyun also said, "Third-Grade Star Wielders have to cultivate their consciousness. Even while fighting, Captain Lin can spare some of it to scan her surroundings. No one should be able to slip over here in the chaos."

Li Yang nodded. "Then I must have been too nervous." Despite saying that, she didn't let her guard down completely. She kept her fists clenched, ready to use her Star Skill at any moment.

The shadowy figure stood motionless for ten seconds, then approached the three from the opposite direction. They were standing too close together, and he didn't dare release any pills that would knock them unconscious. That would give off Starlight and interrupt Hidden Shadow. Once he was exposed, the Third-Grade Star Wielder would charge in and kill him in an instant.

He had to take control of one of them first.

As long as he had a hostage, he could retreat without trouble.

The best target was undoubtedly Li Yang, but the Shadow Man's heart kept pounding. He had a feeling there was more to this student than met the eye. Had she already managed to draw a star into her body? He found he couldn't quite see through her.

He would take control of Yu Hongyuan first.

If he could capture him alive, that would earn him 500 contribution points. Then he could use the boy to threaten Li Yang...

No! The Shadow Man saw Li Yang's clenched fist, where Starlight was faintly gathering...

She had a Star Skill!

She was already a Star Wielder!

The Shadow Man went pale with shock. He had managed to snatch up a powerful Star Skill like Hidden Shadow precisely because of his sharp senses and caution.

Retreat?

The thought of withdrawing sprang to the Shadow Man's mind.

But then he heard a piercing scream from outside.

No, he couldn't retreat.

Several people had already died in this operation. If he failed to earn any contribution points, the hall master wouldn't let him off.

If capturing them alive was risky, he would kill them!

The Shadow Man tightened his grip on the short blade in his hand. He couldn't use the power of his Star Aperture, but he could use Hidden Shadow to get close to them. Then all he had to do was raise his hand and bring down the blade, and all three would die.

Ordinary attacks were useless against Star Wielders. Even if he got close, an opponent with a defensive Star Skill could easily block him.

But dealing with students was all too easy.

Li Yang had only just drawn a star into her body at most. It would be impressive enough if she had mastered one Star Skill; there was no way she had a defensive one.

The Shadow Man made up his mind. He didn't dare waste time. If those outside couldn't hold out, he wouldn't be able to retreat safely.

Kill Li Yang first!

The Shadow Man walked over without a sound. This time, he focused his mental power completely and pushed Hidden Shadow to its limit. Li Yang was only a First-Grade Star Bearer; even if Lin Yuesuo came back, she would never see him.

Li Yang remained uneasy, but she really couldn't see anything.

The battle outside was growing increasingly heated. Lin Yuesuo had already killed five cultists, and those madmen seemed to be thinking of retreating too...

Was it about to end?

Li Yang's nerves suddenly went taut. She saw a short blade appear out of nowhere.

It was too slow!

Li Yang's 200 Spirit Points had sharpened her five senses, giving her dynamic vision and reflexes far beyond those of a First-Grade Star Bearer.

The moment the short blade appeared without any Starlight power, she spotted it and easily dodged.

Bang!

Li Yang unleashed Fist Burst at the spot where the short blade had appeared!

It was her first time using a Star Skill, but because her proficiency was maxed out, she used it with perfect precision and unleashed its full power.

The Shadow Man had never expected Li Yang to evade his sneak attack, much less use a Star Skill so quickly.

He couldn't dodge!

Her punch had the destructive power of at least 200 physique points. One blow would blast him apart!

The Shadow Man had no choice but to drop Hidden Shadow and use another Star Skill, a defensive one.

Without Hidden Shadow concealing him, Li Yang saw him at once. Fang Chuyun and Yu Hongyuan saw him too.

Not only that, Lin Yuesuo sensed him instantly from outside. Her brows jumped, and she shouted, "Go protect Li Yang!"

No wonder they had kept clinging to the fight. Someone had slipped inside.

What kind of Star Skill was that, to evade her consciousness scan?

The city guards couldn't sense the Shadow Man, but when they heard Lin Yuesuo's order, they hurried toward Li Yang's tent.

The members of the Descending Star Cult realized the Shadow Man had been exposed. The middle-aged man gritted his teeth. "Retreat!"

Either the Shadow Man had already killed them, or the mission had failed.

If they kept fighting, they would only suffer more casualties!

As for the Shadow Man...

Now that he had been exposed, he deserved to die. The middle-aged man never even considered saving him.

Inside the tent, Li Yang had already rushed up close to the attacker. She used Fist Burst several times in succession, expending all the power in her Star Aperture. Like a barrage of cannon fire, the blows smashed the Shadow Man's defensive Star Skill apart.

The Shadow Man cried out in terror, "No... don't kill me..."

Bang!

Fist Burst struck him in the chest, knocking him back several steps into an iron pillar supporting the tent. His head split open, and blood streamed down.

Yu Hongyuan and Fang Chuyun were both stunned.

The smell of blood spread. The attacker was thoroughly dead.

Li Yang stopped using her Star Skill, her face pale as she murmured, "That... that was terrifying."

Yu Hongyuan: "..."

Fang Chuyun: "..."

Lin Yuesuo was the first to rush in. She froze for a moment at the sight.

Just then, a beep sounded in Li Yang's ear, and the system displayed a line of text before her: [Learnable Star Skill detected: Hidden Shadow. Would you like to expend lifespan to learn it?]

Li Yang froze. Fortunately, given what had just happened to her, it was perfectly reasonable for her to be as stunned as she liked.

"How much lifespan will it cost?"

The system played dead.

Li Yang gritted her teeth and silently said, Expend one year of lifespan to learn the Star Skill Hidden Shadow.

Only when she needed her "life" did she lament how little she had.

She only had six years left. If she couldn't "learn" it, there was nothing she could do.

Chapter 22

The system, unsurprisingly, couldn't be bothered: [You attempted to learn the Star Skill Hidden Shadow for one year, but because you were too stupid, your comprehension was too poor, and your fundamentals were not solid enough, you failed to learn it.]

Li Yang couldn't be bothered to read it closely and dumped three years straight in.

She had to keep at least two years of lifespan. For one thing, they were still on the road, and there was no telling what else might happen. For another, once she entered the military academy, she would need time to harvest mutated plants.

Keeping only one year would make her anxious. Two years would at least let her sleep soundly.

[You persisted in studying the Star Skill Hidden Shadow for three years, triggering the "with enough effort, an iron pillar can be ground into a needle" effect. You finally learned the Star Skill Hidden Shadow.]

Li Yang: "!"

Not bad. She had finally learned it.

She had no time to examine the system panel closely. First, she pulled herself together to face the situation before her.

Although she had spent quite a while going back and forth with the system, only a minute or two had actually passed. After what she had been through, it was perfectly normal for her to be stunned for a minute or two.

Li Yang really had been frightened.

She had blasted the attacker to death entirely on instinct. Afterward, the system had disrupted her thoughts, easing her fear slightly.

Lin Yuesuo quickly stepped forward and checked the Shadow Man's condition before ordering, "Carry him out!"

The city guards immediately stepped forward, scooped up the thoroughly dead cultist, and carried him out of the tent.

The body had been removed, but the smell of blood in the tent wouldn't dissipate anytime soon.

Lin Yuesuo said, "There are no spare tents. Make do with this one for now."