Chapter 23

Forget it, forget it. It was 150,000!

She didn't want to suffer that "heart-wrenching agony" again!

With her third Star Aperture, Li Yang could continue raising her physique and mental stats, but she only had two years left to live. She really couldn't afford to spend any more, so she could only leave them as they were for now.

Not only that, there was also

room

to further purify the Aperture Stabilizing Pill, while Hidden Shadow, the Star Skill she had just learned, was even more of a money-guzzling (life-guzzling) beast. Who knew how much life she would have to spend to fill its experience bar?

Four years had only been enough to learn it. If she wanted to raise its experience, she would have to keep burning through her life.

More importantly, Li Yang stared at the words in parentheses and murmured to herself, What does first tier mean? Can it rise in tier?

Fist Burst was only an ordinary basic Star Skill, with no grades or tiers.

Hidden Shadow was definitely a rare Star Skill. She wondered what would happen after it rose in tier.

Li Yang was growing more eager than ever to enroll. It wasn't just the golden wheat calling to her; she also wanted to learn more about the Star Wielders.

After daybreak, they continued on their way to Central Capital.

The other students had also heard about what had happened the previous night. In particular, when they learned that Li Yang had punched an ambusher to death, every one of them was astonished, and they all turned to look at her.

She was incredible!

As expected of Donghua Province's top scorer!

They encountered no further danger along the way and arrived safely in Central Capital at dusk. When they saw the city's high walls in the distance, the students, who had been subdued throughout the journey, began to grow excited again.

"Aaah, I've only ever seen Central Capital on TV!"

"It's so tall! These walls put Huangcheng's to shame... No, even the walls of Donghua Province's capital are no match for them!"

"Boo-hoo, my grandpa's dying wish was for me to get into Central Capital. Grandpa, I'm here!"

Li Yang looked out the window and felt only a powerful sense of unfamiliarity.

Back in Huangcheng, everyday life hadn't been all that different, so she hadn't really felt as though she had changed worlds.

Only after leaving Huangcheng, spending two days and a night traveling through the wilderness, and seeing Central Capital's towering walls did she truly realize...

This was a world utterly different from the one she had lived in before.

The vehicle didn't stop, driving straight through the city gate.

At the gate were lanes like those at a highway toll station. Each vehicle entering the city passed through an inspection by certain special instruments, and only when the traffic light turned green had it passed inspection and was allowed to enter safely.

Once inside, the surrounding view opened up before them.

Unlike the desolation outside the city, it was bustling within. Towering buildings met the eye, all kinds of cars drove along the asphalt roads, and people of every description hurried along the sidewalks. Unlike Huangcheng, that small place, many people here were Star Wielders.

The students couldn't see clearly, but as long as Li Yang concentrated, she could see the Star Apertures inside them.

Most had one or two Star Apertures, putting them at First Grade Low Stage.

Of course, Li Yang couldn't see the Star Apertures of Star Wielders whose cultivation was too high. When she looked at Lin Yuesuo, who was Third Grade, for example, she could only see the same dense fog she saw in ordinary people.

The city guard team arrived first at Zhongdu Military Academy.

Even in this bustling modern metropolis, Zhongdu Military Academy remained an exceptionally striking sight.

A massive gate tower stood tall and imposing, bearing the words "Central Capital First Military Academy" in large, bold characters that danced like dragons and phoenixes.

The students in the vehicle all saw the characters. Every one of them held their breath, their eyes full of longing.

Lin Yuesuo looked lazily at Li Yang and the other two. "Off you go, kids."

Li Yang said goodbye to Lin Yuesuo.

Lin Yuesuo smiled at her. "Oh, right, my niece is in the same year as you."

Li Yang immediately thought of someone. "Lin Zhaoqin?"

Lin Yuesuo nodded. "Mm. Ever since her practical exam ended, she's been going on every day about how strong you are, saying she'll beat you after enrollment..."

Li Yang was speechless. There's really no need!

"You really are strong." Lin Yuesuo winked at her and lowered her voice. "Lin Zhaoqin has been arrogant since she was little. I'm waiting for you to beat her into submission."

Li Yang hurriedly said, "No, that won't happen. After enrollment, I'll get along peacefully with Lin. There won't be any fighting between us."

Lin Yuesuo patted her shoulder. "This is a military academy. Students in the combat departments have always had a small fight every two days and a big one every three. Even if you don't want to fight, it'll be hard to avoid."

Li Yang fell silent. The combat departments really were dangerous. Luckily, she was going to the agronomy department.

Lin Yuesuo waved a hand again. "Go on. Whether you choose Star Magic, Star Combat, or the Mental department, you'd be well suited to any of them."

Lin Yuesuo meant well, and Li Yang didn't want to dampen her enthusiasm. She gave a vague reply and got out of the vehicle with Fang Chuyun and Yu Hongyuan.

In Lin Yuesuo's eyes, Li Yang was unquestionably a Heavenly Chosen of the combat departments. Of the four combat departments, Li Yang was clearly unsuited to Star Support. As for the remaining three... it would depend on who could snatch up this Heavenly Chosen among the new students.

As for the agronomy department Li Yang actually wanted to join...

Luckily, she hadn't said anything. If she had, Lin Yuesuo would have been completely baffled. "What? Zhongdu Military Academy has an agronomy department?"

Yes...

The agronomy department was so inconspicuous that most people had forgotten about it.

Zhongdu Military Academy's seven major departments were all famous, but the academy actually had eight.

As soon as Li Yang and the other two got out, a female senior came over and asked, "Are you the new students from Huangcheng City, Donghua Province?"

The three of them nodded.

The senior called over a male student and said, "Take this junior to the boys' dormitory building. I'll see the two girls there."

Yu Hongyuan panicked a little when he saw they were splitting up. He looked hopefully at Li Yang and said, "Well, Li Yang... let's keep in touch."

Fang Chuyun scoffed. "Mama's boy."

Yu Hongyuan exploded. "Sister's girl!"

"You're asking for it..."

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, the senior said with a smile, "No need to rush. Once you've finished enrolling, you can go spar at the martial arts hall whenever you like."

Yu Hongyuan went to the boys' dormitory building, while Li Yang and Fang Chuyun followed the senior to the girls' dormitory building.

Central Capital Academy was enormous, far bigger than Li Yang had imagined.

The senior drove for a full fifteen minutes before bringing them to a dormitory building.

She gave each of them a package. "This is your new student enrollment kit. It contains enrollment instructions and some basic supplies."

She then gave each of them a room card. "Li Yang, you're in 301. Fang Chuyun, you're in 302. The dorms are free for the first seven days, and after that you'll be charged by the week. For this type of room... hmm, I think it's one Merit Point a week."

Li Yang had been listening carefully at first, but that last sentence left her completely stunned.

How much?

How much did she say?

It was one thing to charge by the week, but the dorm cost ten thousand a week?

The senior added, "Oh, right. If you don't have any Merit Points for now, you can exchange money for them at the campus trading office. The official rate is ten thousand Huaxia Currency per Merit Point... Of course, if you don't have money, you can also apply for a student loan. As long as your entrance results aren't especially poor, you can usually get a student loan of ten Merit Points."

"Oh!" The senior was checking their records. When she saw Li Yang's results, she exclaimed, "You're Donghua Province's top scorer! Then you can apply for a much bigger student loan. I'd guess you could get a hundred points!"

Li Yang nodded blankly, her head buzzing.

One point was ten thousand.

A hundred points was one million.

Oh my god, what kind of school gives a new student a million in student loans?!

The senior continued, "But take it easy. Student loans are only interest-free for a few months. If you accidentally spend too much and can't pay it back when it's due... compound interest can be pretty scary..."

Chapter 23

There was no way she was taking out a loan.

Li Yang still had several hundred thousand in scholarship money, after all. Apart from buying Teacher Xu an oven, she had dutifully saved the rest and hadn't wasted a penny.

The senior continued, "You've arrived pretty early. The opening ceremony is the day after tomorrow, and department selection opens the day after that. Just wait for the announcements. Oh, right, remember to download the campus app. Most school announcements are posted there. You can register with your name and ID number."

Li Yang and Fang Chuyun both nodded.

The senior thought for a moment, then went on, "If you don't want a loan, you can also check the mission office. There should be errand missions specifically for new students over the next few days. They aren't difficult, just tiring. Hmm, they might be hard to get, but you can definitely earn Merit Points from them."

This was obviously meant for Li Yang. Fang Chuyun clearly wasn't short of money.

Li Yang hurriedly asked, "Senior, can we take missions even though we haven't officially enrolled yet?"

"Of course. You're actually among the later arrivals. The local new students from Central Capital have probably been here for over a month already. Don't worry, the missions new students can take are usually just delivering things around

campus

. They're very simple. You can get to know the campus while you do them, and maybe even make yourself familiar to the teachers."

Li Yang made a careful note of it.

After saying all that, the senior glanced at the time. "All right, all right, I'm going to pick up the next group of new students. You can go back to your rooms yourselves!"

With that, she hurried downstairs and vanished from sight in the blink of an eye.

Li Yang was in 301, with Fang Chuyun right next door. It was reassuring that the two of them could live side by side.

Li Yang said, "I'll go back to my room and unpack, then."

Fang Chuyun nodded. "Okay."

They each returned to their own rooms.

As soon as Li Yang pushed open the door, she couldn't help drawing a soft breath. No wonder it cost ten thousand a week. The accommodations really were nice.

A room card had to be inserted upon entry. Once the lights came on, the whole layout looked just like a hotel room. There was a private bathroom to one side, a 1.8-meter-wide bed made up with snow-white bedding inside, and a finely crafted desk and swivel chair by the window.

The dorm room might not have had the amenities of a five-star hotel, but it was at least four-star standard.

"It's still too expensive..." Li Yang couldn't help murmuring. "More than a thousand a day for a room. Who can afford to stay here?!"