Chapter 36 (continued)

Li Yang asked in surprise, "Isn't green very common...?"

Li Yang quickly realized what was happening and asked, "Teacher, are you aware of the existence of the white Star Core?"

Si Kui: "..."

Li Yang was speechless; her teacher truly had no idea what it meant to suffer.

Green represents the excellent level; most students in the First Grade Realm only buy white Star Core.

Curious, Li Yang asked, "Teacher, what color is the Star Core of the Invincible Sun Shield?"

"Gold."

"What about the Willow God’s Binding?"

"Gold."

Is the golden Star Core above the blue one?

"Below gold, there's silver, red, purple... right?" Si Kui wasn't sure either; these things felt a bit distant to her.

Li Yang felt a wave of dizziness and asked again, "Is gold the highest quality?"

Si Kui shook her head.

"Stop!" Li Yang didn't want to ask anymore and said, "That world is too far away from me. Don't tell me, lest it disturb my Dao heart. I think... blue is beautiful!"

One shouldn't be overly ambitious, thinking about purple, red, silver, gold, or Invincibility, dazzling colors. She just wanted to cherish this little blue Star Core.

"Teacher," Li Yang looked at her expectantly, "How do we identify this Star Core?"

She can risk her life for identification, but she still needs to know the standard methods, otherwise it will be difficult to explain.

Si Kui said, "I can authenticate it..."

Li Yang beamed with joy.

Si Kui finished speaking, "... the lowest quality is silver."

Li Yang: "???"

Si Kui said, "This blue Star Core cannot withstand my mental probing."

As it turns out, it's not good for teachers to be too idealistic. One of them was too detached from reality, while the other was too down-to-earth. The gap between them was comparable to the Mariana Trench.

"Can I authenticate it myself?"

Your Spirit Points is too low.

"..."

Si Kui coughed lightly and explained to her, "Identifying Star Core is a discipline within the Spirit Department sciences. If you want to learn it, you can take it as a minor after you advance to the Second Grade."

I see...

The Spirit Department also has this skill.

That makes sense. Identifying Star Core requires mental probing, and among the seven systems, the Spirit Department has the highest Spirit Points, so it's natural that they would study this subject.

Li Yang said, "Then I'll go to the trading post and have it appraised!"

Si Kui hesitated for a moment, then said, "You'd better do the appraisal yourself."

Li Yang smiled wryly, "Teacher, as you said yourself, my Spirit Points aren't enough..."

Si Kui watched her quietly.

Li Yang's heart skipped a beat, and he gave a dry laugh, saying, "Teacher, I'm afraid my 'fortuitous encounter' won't have that effect... right?"

Si Kui didn't point it out, only saying, "Forget about the Sun Shield and the Willow God’s Binding for now."

"..."

"Don't be greedy. These two Star Skills are of too high a grade. Once they are out of my sight, they will devour your Spirit Sea."

Li Yang: "!"

Without hesitation, she obediently replied, "I'll just forget about them."

Si Kui took the opportunity to teach her a lesson. "High-grade Star Skill need to be subdued. If you don't have the absolute strength to suppress them, they will definitely devour your Spirit Sea. After they devour you to a certain extent, you will lose control."

"Out of control?"

"Like the low-level Star Plant in the Tree Tower, they lack consciousness, possessing only fragmented instincts."

Li Yang dared not be careless; the golden Star Skill was valuable, but her life was even more precious.

"Teacher..." Li Yang remembered something else and asked, "I did kill a Second Grade Realm, right? Why is there no sign of me advancing to the Second Grade?"

Li Yang had been pondering this ever since she left the Tree Tower.

The last Star Plant was of a high rank; she estimated it to be at least a Second Grade High Stage, or even at its peak.

She not only participated in the kill but also delivered the final blow, yet showed no intention of breaking through to the next level.

Li Yang initially thought she would have to kill it herself, as relying on her teammates wouldn't work, but after hearing Si Kui mention spiritual consciousness, she realized it might be related to it.

"It has no sentience," Si Kui explained to her. "You must kill Second Grade Realm who possesses sentience."

Li Yang's heart sank, and he said, "Therefore, breaking through to a higher realm requires killing someone."

Si Kui said calmly, "With your current level, killing Star Wielders of the same level is the easiest thing for you. After all, any Astral Realm creature with sentience is at least at the Third Grade rank."

Li Yang understood what Si Kui meant.

She is not qualified to enter the Astral Realm yet. Only after reaching the Third Grade can she go to the Astral Realm to break through to the next realm. At that time, she will be able to kill non-human Astral Realm creatures.

However, sentient beings from the Astral Realm...

She couldn't imagine what it would look like.

However, as someone who grew up in the 21st century, Li Yang instinctively resisted "killing," even though she had already killed a "cult member."

Si Kui could easily see through her thoughts. She directly shattered her illusions and told her the cruel reality in advance, "The realm of Star Wielders is built up through slaughter. Even if you advance using Realm-Breaking Pill, you'll still be a lamb to the slaughter."

That's why Si Kui doesn't allow Li Yang to use the Realm-Breaking Pill to advance in rank.

Because using Realm-Breaking Pill to advance will result in insufficient purity of the Star Aperture, making it much weaker than others of the same level.

Those below the Third Grade are alright, since they have the protection of the school. But once they reach the Third Grade or above, they become walking "Realm-Breaking Pill" after being sent to the Astral Realm Battlefield.

The Star Wielders seek to kill Astral Realm beings to advance their ranks, but don't the Astral Realm beings also yearn to kill the Star Wielders to advance? Furthermore, is there absolute safety among the Star Wielders?

Even in Huaxia, there exists a sect like the Descending Star Cult... In the Astral Realm Battlefield, there are probably even more madmen who kill their own kind.

Li Yang was horrified and said, "But so many students at school have used Realm-Breaking Pill..."

Si Kui said something that really stung, "How many of them do you think can actually reach the Third Grade?"

Li Yang: "..."

Si Kui didn't say anything more, only stating, "I don't care how other departments cultivate, but the Agronomy Department has always been like this: none of you are allowed to advance using pills."

No wonder the senior student has been unable to graduate.

If it were just a simple Realm-Breaking Pill, Feng Yiqiao would have saved up that amount of money long ago. After all, the harvest of mutated wheat was decent, and after saving for so many years, she could have afforded it.

Asking him to kill a cultist at the Third Grade Realm... that's really too difficult.

I'd rather stay in the Agronomy Department and retire.

Li Yang originally only wanted to harvest wheat and accumulate lifespan, but now...

She doesn't regret it.

From the moment he chose to become an apprentice, Li Yang had already made his choice.

--Either become stronger, or become a lamb to the slaughter.

She chose to become stronger.

Seeing her resolute gaze, Si Kui didn't say anything more, only saying, "Try to assess it yourself; the compatibility will be higher. If it really doesn't work, then ask someone else for help. This kind of low-grade Star Skill will eventually be forgotten anyway, so a lower compatibility is fine."

Li Yang nodded in agreement.

Si Kui stared at her again and said, "Forget."

Li Yang: "Okay, okay."

She silently said to the system, "Consume one year, forget the Invincible Sun Shield."

[Foolish you, attempting to forget such a wonderful Star Skill over a year; your forgetting progress is zero.]

Li Yang: "..."

It was just a test, why the harsh words?

Although Li Yang has a lifespan of 894 years, who would complain about having too much life (or money)? It's only less than 900 years; he can squander it all in no time.

"Ten years will be spent."

[Foolish you...]

"Thirty years of consumption!"

[Your comprehension is too poor, and your compatibility with the Star Skill - Invincible Sun Shield is extremely low. After not using it for thirty years, you have finally forgotten it.]

Li Yang rolled her eyes and continued to forget about the Willow God’s Binding.

It took a total of 81 years to completely forget about the two legendary Star Skill.

Li Yang felt utterly ripped off. If she could exchange her life for money, how many blue Star Core could she buy!

Oh no... the purchased Star Core isn't compatible enough. If it doesn't work, her life will be in danger.

Si Kui stared intently at Li Yang and said, "You've forgotten everything."

Li Yang breathed a sigh of relief.

Si Kui said, "It seems your 'Heavenly Fortune' is related to Star Skill."

Li Yang gave a dry laugh.

Si Kui added, "That's good. Star Skill like 'Heavenly Fortune' are generally very powerful."

Li Yang: "..." She felt that the teacher had misunderstood something, but she didn't know how to explain.

Just as Li Yang was about to go back to her room to assess her Star Skill, her phone suddenly rang.

Li Yang was startled and said, "I muted it."

Si Kui sneered and said, "It's Shen Binghua."

Li Yang was filled with questions.

Si Kui said calmly, "Dean of the Star Magic Department, you can answer the call here."

Li Yang: "!"

She only knew that the dean of the Star Magic Department was surnamed Shen and was an elegant lady who loved to wear white, but she did not know her given name.

Why would the dean of the Star Magic Department call her?

These people are amazing! Even though she turned her phone to silent mode, it still made the sound play.

"Hello, Dean Shen." Li Yang spoke directly through the speakerphone, her tone polite and courteous.

Shen Binghua's voice was gentle, conveying a sense of tranquility and serenity even through the phone. "Can we meet and talk?"

Li Yang immediately looked up at Si Kui.

Si Kui asked directly, "What do you want with my students?"

Shen Binghua showed no surprise, his voice remaining calm and serene. "Senior Si, I meant no harm. It's just that there might be some misunderstanding regarding the Tree Tower, and I'd like to explain it to Li Yang personally."

Si Kui: "What's there to explain? This is Agronomy Department stuff, and I'm taking it back now, it's that simple."

Shen Binghua smiled helplessly and said, "Of course this belongs to the Agronomy Department. The Star Magic Department never intended to take it over. It's just that I personally couldn't bear to see the treasure that Cheng Rui had painstakingly created wither away, so I took it over and carefully maintained and nurtured it."