Chapter 37

Si Kui immediately flew into a rage, saying, "Shen Binghua, stop spouting your hypocritical words! If it weren't for Cheng Rui's sake, do you think I would have tolerated you until today!"

Shen Binghua sighed deeply and said sadly, "Senior Si, I am more heartbroken than you are by the loss of Cheng Rui."

"Shen Binghua!"

Although Li Yang didn't understand what they were talking about, she could still tell what the situation was like.

Shen Binghua's level of skill is far superior to her own fiery teacher's. If the teacher were to continue arguing with her, they might...

Master and Apprentice

The two were packing up to go to the Astral Realm, so the Tree Tower would truly become Star Magic property.

Li Yang immediately spoke up, saying, "Dean Shen, why don't we chat in the small courtyard at the foot of the mountain in the Agronomy Department?"

She won't go to the Star Magic Department. If Shen Binghua wants to talk to her, then let's talk about the Agronomy Department.

Si Kui glared at her and said, "There's nothing to say about her..."

Before she could finish speaking, Li Yang quickly grabbed her arm, Risking Life frantically, and mouthed, "She's deliberately trying to provoke you. Our goal right now is to take back the Tree Tower."

Si Kui knew exactly what Shen Binghua was thinking, but she had endured it for far too long and didn't want to endure it any longer. However... looking at her own little weakling who had only opened four Star Aperture...

Fine, I'll just have to bear with it a little longer.

Si Kui's voice echoed in Li Yang's Spirit Sea: "Cheng Rui was one of the builders of the Tree Tower, and Shen Binghua was once his partner."

Li Yang: "..."

Okay, she had already guessed it from the previous conversation, but after Si Kui confirmed it, she still felt a toothache.

No wonder Shen Binghua dared to openly take the Tree Tower; it turns out there's this connection between them.

Li Yang quickly asked in his Spirit Sea, "Teacher, Senior Cheng..."

He is your martial uncle.

"Ahem..." Li Yang changed her words, "Martial Uncle Cheng is one of the creators, then how many creators are there in total?"

Three people.

"Once the Tree Tower is built, it will belong to the Agronomy Department, right?"

"Certainly!"

"Okay..." Li Yang still needed to confirm one more thing, "How long did Martial Uncle Cheng and Dean Shen's relationship last?"

"Until three months before Cheng Rui's death."

Li Yang's eyes lit up, and she said, "So, Martial Uncle Cheng has already ended his relationship with Shen Binghua?"

"Um."

Li Yang breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Alright, I understand. From now on, you, teacher, will sit halfway up the mountain and watch me get the Tree Tower back clearly!"

Si Kui looked at her suspiciously and said, "Don't underestimate Shen Binghua. She's the most cunning and treacherous person I've ever met."

Li Yang said, "Even a clever housewife can't cook without rice. She's in the wrong here. As long as we're determined to get back the Tree Tower, she can't do anything about it."

Si Kui waved her hand and said, "Then you go ahead. I don't want to see her; just looking at her annoys me."

Their communication via Spirit Sea is very rapid; what appears to be a great deal of dialogue actually takes only a few seconds.

On the other end of the phone, Shen Binghua replied gently, "No problem, I'm already outside the Agronomy Department. Please, Senior Si, lift the restriction."

Li Yang then said to Si Kui in their Spirit Sea, "Teacher, could you please move the senior brothers and sisters out of the courtyard first?"

Si Kui: "Mmm."

She snapped her fingers, and the group of four who were browsing forums on their phones at the foot of the mountain appeared halfway up the mountain.

"Holy crap, what's going on?"

Feng Yiqiao quickly covered Yu Hongyuan's mouth.

Lü Shunshun and Xia Putao also put away their usual carefree attitude and sat down to meditate and resist the overwhelming Power of Starlight.

On the contrary, Yu Hongyuan didn't feel much because he didn't draw stars into his body. He only felt that this place was like a dream, as if he had stepped into the Kong Yi and was empty and ethereal.

Si Kui tapped her finger again, and Li Yang returned from the mountainside to the small courtyard at the foot of the mountain. At the same time, the restriction on the Department of the Agronomy Department was opened, and Shen Binghua appeared in front of her in the blink of an eye.

Clad in white robes, with an air of otherworldly grace.

Shen Binghua wasn't the type to have a stunning appearance, but she possessed an elegant and refined demeanor, walking with the grace of an immortal descending to earth, each step radiant.

She did not have a effeminate or weak air about her; instead, she exuded the uprightness and elegance of a gentleman, with a demeanor that transcended the world, as if all the dust of the world could not taint her.

At the same time, Li Yang felt an immense pressure.

The oppressive aura of the Seventh Grade Star Wielders was so palpable that it even made Li Yang want to submit to him.

However, Li Yang stood firmly with a composed smile on her face and said, "Dean Shen, have you come here in person to return the Tree Tower to its rightful owner?"

Chapter 37

Li Yang showed absolutely no fear when facing Shen Binghua.

Shen Binghua could indeed slap her to death, but would she dare?

When it comes to being ruthless...

Looking across the entire Zhongdu Military Academy, who could be more ruthless than her teacher?

Shen Binghua could kill her alone, Si Kui could kill her entire Star Magic Department.

So Li Yang skipped the pleasantries and immediately asked her to return the Tree Tower.

Shen Binghua was indeed very shrewd. Her face showed no abnormality, and she said gently, "Twenty-five years ago, when I went to pay my respects to my deceased husband, I sensed the call of the Tree Tower. These Master- level treasures have a spirit. It had been abandoned for a long time and was showing signs of withering. I remembered that these were treasures that my deceased husband cherished greatly, so I..."

Li Yang had no interest in listening to this nonsense and went straight to the point. "Dean Shen, my teacher said that you and Martial Uncle Cheng have already separated."

Shen Binghua: "..."

Li Yang said, "There is no marriage system among Star Wielders like ordinary people, nor are there corresponding laws binding them. Besides, you have already separated, so Martial Uncle Cheng's belongings have nothing to do with you anymore."

Shen Binghua said, "Indeed, it has nothing to do with me. I never intended to take over the Tree Tower; I just couldn't bear to see it left there unattended."

Li Yang then said, "Now that someone is looking after it, please return the Tree Tower to Dean Shen!"

Shen Binghua looked down at Li Yang and realized that this child was not simple. She had a clear purpose and stable emotions, and was not the type to be easily swayed by words.

Shen Binghua took out a document and handed it to Li Yang: "This is the maintenance cost of the Tree Tower over the past ten years."

Li Yang asked jokingly, "Dean Shen, you don't mean to expect the Agronomy Department to pay for it, do you?"

Shen Binghua said, "That's impossible. I only took care of the Tree Tower to commemorate the deceased. Besides, over the past twenty years, students of the Star Magic Department have also comprehended many Star Skill through the Tree Tower."

Li Yang smiled and said, "Now that Dean Shen has said that, it's not really appropriate for the Agronomy Department to bring up any rental fees, is it?"

Shen Binghua didn't respond to that. After all, she was the head of the hospital, and she wouldn't speak so recklessly like this young girl.

As Li Yang flipped through the documents in her hands, Shen Binghua softly summarized for her. "The Star Plant on the first level of the Tree Tower are the easiest to capture. Generally, you only need to issue a quest that grants 20 merit points. The second level of the Tree Tower is relatively more difficult, requiring about 100 merit points. As for the third level of the Tree Tower, it's..."

There was no need for Shen Binghua's summary; Li Yang read ten lines at a glance, his wallet aching from the effort.

Even though she was mentally prepared, she was still taken aback by the maintenance costs.

However, capturing Star Plant is the cheapest method, while Tree Tower require a material called "Phoenix Ling Soil" and "Bright Moon Water" for maintenance.

Both Phoenix Ling Soil and Bright Moon Water are products of the Astral Realm, and of extremely high quality, making them ridiculously expensive...

Li Yang suspected that the document Shen Binghua gave her was inflated, but even if the inflated information was removed, the expenses for maintaining the Tree Tower were still astonishingly high.

Shen Binghua said, "Within the Star Magic Department, there are often disputes over the number of places to enter the Tree Tower. But in reality, our Star Magic Department teachers don't have much say. Often, a Master from the Star Magic Department will bring back some maintenance materials and request that their descendants enter the Tree Tower to comprehend Star Skill..."

Is that so? Then it shouldn't be difficult for my teacher, this Half-Step Supreme, to get some Phoenix Ling Soil and Bright Moon Water.

Shen Binghua had already stated, "The Agronomy Department currently only has Senior Si left. She cannot leave the Agronomy Department for the time being, and it is even more inappropriate for her to travel to the Astral Realm."

The implication is that you can only afford to buy maintenance materials at exorbitant prices, but your Agronomy Department is dirt poor and has no money for that.

Li Yang wouldn't listen to her; she directly called out to Si Kui in her Spirit Sea. Si Kui had been watching, and the two easily established a connection.

Li Yang asked, "Teacher, is this maintenance material genuine?"

Si Kui: "Mmm."

Li Yang gasped and asked, "Are you not advised to travel to the Astral Realm recently?"

Si Kui: "..."

Her silence was an admission.

Although her teacher always said she would take her to escape to the Astral Realm, it sounded unreliable. However, she didn't expect that Si Kui herself couldn't go to the Astral Realm either.

This is problematic. Star Plant can work hard to earn money and post tasks to obtain it, but these maintenance materials... let alone that Li Yang can't afford that much money, even if she could, there's no guarantee that anyone would sell them to her.

This kind of thing is available but priceless.

Those powerful figures who can acquire it might not necessarily give it up for money.

They are more interested in nurturing their offspring, ensuring they have a solid foundation from the First Grade Realm... somewhat like the parents in Li Yang's previous life who bought school district housing, pouring millions into it just to give their children a good start.

Si Kui said, "The Agronomy Department has suppressed something. I will be in danger if I leave you. But if I take it to the Astral Realm, well, I will be in danger."

Her explanation was vague, but Li Yang still understood it.

The Department of the Agronomy Department actually has something like this being suppressed?

The fact that a teacher at the Half-Step Supreme would say "I'm in danger" speaks volumes about their status.

Could it be Ninth Grade?

The Department of the Agronomy Department has so many amazing talents!

Shen Binghua didn't rush to speak; she waited for Li Yang to ask Si Kui.

Everything she said was true, without any exaggeration.

The maintenance of Tree Tower is indeed expensive.

The Nature Department was at its peak at the time, with several Masters in charge, so it had no shortage of these materials.