Chapter 39

Now that Li Yang caused such a commotion, the Ying Family has actually benefited from it.

They didn't care which faction the Tree Tower belonged to; these Master- level figures wouldn't go to such lengths for a Seventh Grade secret treasure.

Moreover, this truly belongs to the Nature Department.

Now that they have inherited the treasure, it's only natural that they want to reclaim their secret artifact.

The Nature Department may have declined, but we mustn't let people's spirits be dampened.

Old Madam Ying knew perfectly well that Si Kui was not a good-tempered person. She was guarding a Ninth-Grade Lianxin, and once she absorbed it, she could instantly advance to the Ninth-Grade Supreme.

At that time...

A reckoning is inevitable.

Upon Ying Qi's post, Shen Binghua slammed his fist on his desk, shattering it. However, his rage could not change the established facts.

She lost.

They lost to an eighteen-year-old child.

At that moment, an aged voice resounded in Shen Binghua's Spirit Sea: "Binghua, it's time to return this Tree Tower to the Agronomy Department."

The vice principal spoke.

Knowing that the situation was hopeless, Shen Binghua lowered her eyelashes and said respectfully, "This student understands."

-

The forum is still Chaochao Naonao arguments. The Star Magic Department has made such a huge fool of themselves, everyone should take a look.

Li Yang didn't go to see it again.

The return of the Tree Tower is a done deal, but she still has a lot of things to do!

Has the Star Core been identified?

Has the Star Skill been upgraded?

If we don't spend some money to extend our lifespan, where will we put our 600 years tomorrow?

However, what Li Yang was most anxious about was advancing to the Second Grade!

Li Yang returned to the small courtyard halfway up the mountain and began studying the blue Star Core in her east wing room.

What kind of Star Skill could it be?

Her mind is now completely occupied with the Invincible Sun Shield.

Willow God’s Binding is also good; given Li Yang's personality, she will definitely prioritize survival before dealing damage.

Whether you can kill the opponent or not is not important; what's important is that you don't get killed.

"Defense, defense..." Li Yang prayed silently, "Even if it's not Invincible Sun Shield, please give me a small Invincible Shield!"

Li Yang searched for a lot of information about Star Core on the school's internal app and learned that the Star Skill of Star Core are not limited by the main body.

For example, the Star Plant that dropped this Star Core may only have three Star Skills, but the Star Skill identified by the Star Core it dropped may not necessarily be those three.

Of course, there are certain patterns. For example, Star Plant generally lean towards wood, earth, and light elements, while Star Beast tend to lean towards fire, water, and metal elements.

This is just a rough classification; Star Skill also have multiple systems mixed together, and some cannot be classified at all.

Li Yang took a deep breath and began the identification.

"It will consume one year of your lifespan."

[You have absolutely no talent for identification. After a year of continuous identification of blue Star Core, you have made no progress. The identification result is: failure.]

Li Yang was used to it; now that she had a longer lifespan, she simply said, "Ten years."

The system still uses the same excuse.

Li Yang realized something was wrong.

Should we start with lower-level Star Core?

Just like when she was refining pills, she first needed to have some experience in alchemy so that she could improve later.

Li Yang still had three green Star Core in her hand. She murmured, "I should have kept one white one."

With her current abilities, starting with white is the best option.

But Li Yang was too lazy to go to the trading post to buy white Star Core, so she just decided to spend money on in-game purchases.

She has 600 years left to live, and that's her maximum lifespan; it would be a waste not to use it.

"Ten years will be spent."

[You spent ten years meticulously appraising a worthless Star Core that no one would even pick up if you threw it on the roadside, triggering the 'foolish luck' effect. Appraisal result: Success.]

Li Yang: "..." Okay, okay, once she reaches a higher level, she'll definitely beat this Tongzi to a pulp!

The Star Core has changed slightly. Although it is still green, it is no longer fixed, but rather ripples like water.

This is a properly identified Star Core; you can see its properties simply by using your mental energy to sense it.

Star Skill Name: Earth Spike.

Star Skill Description: Consumes Power of Starlight to release Earth Spike.

This description is rather rudimentary.

Li Yang wasn't interested in the Star Skill - Earth Spike. She had seen it when fighting that Star Plant. The release speed of the Earth Spike was very slow, and anyone with a high enough Physique Points could easily avoid it.

Li Yang spent another twenty years identifying the other two green Star Core.

One of the "Light Blade" Li Yang was worth learning, while the other was almost useless, like the Earth Spike.

Li Yang currently only has four Star Aperture, and each Star Skill occupies one Star Aperture, so she can only learn a maximum of four.

The advantage is that she can forget it at any time, and once she gets a better Star Skill, she can replace the weaker one.

After identifying all the green Star Core, Li Yang set his sights on the blue Star Core.

The system remained unresponsive. After 50 years of relentless effort, it finally changed its approach. "You've gained some experience in appraisal, but the Star Core before you is still beyond your pitifully weak capabilities. Appraisal result: Failure."

Li Yang said irritably, "You're just taking advantage of my good fortune to deliberately inflate prices, aren't you!"

Is a mere blue Star Core really worth risking her life for?

Tongzi, only repeating "It's deadly."

Another hundred years were wasted, and even with countless lives, Li Yang started to feel the pinch. Fortunately, the system finally showed some humanity: [Although you lack the talent for appraisal, you possess astonishing endurance. After sacrificing a hundred times more effort than the average person, you finally succeeded in appraising the item.]

Li Yang calmed her breathing and stared intently at the deep blue Star Core.

She used her mental power to perceive and saw the description of the Star Core.

Star Skill Name: People Need Face, Trees Need Bark.

Star Skill Description: Defensive Star Skill. Consumes Power of Starlight to form a protective shield similar to Bark. Its characteristics are lightness, inconspicuousness, and flexibility, making it an essential Star Skill for home, travel, murder, and robbery.

Note: Shamelessness Invincibility bounds.

Li Yang: "..." Where did this frivolous Star Skill come from!

Si Kui's voice rang out. "The results are in?"

Li Yang: "..."

Si Kui appeared in the east wing and said, "Let me see."

Li Yang explained, "Teacher, I didn't name it..."

Si Kui glanced at her and said, "Even Star Skill that haven't been named yet are at least gold-level. This blue one, it's already..."

She paused, clearly having also noticed the name of the Star Skill.

Li Yang said righteously, "This Star Skill isn't very good, and its compatibility with me is probably only so-so. I think..."

Si Kui tapped the blue Star Core, then tapped Li Yang's heart, connecting the two Starlight lines that aligned perfectly.

Si Kui said, "The compatibility is at least 80% or higher."

Li Yang: "..."

Si Kui smiled and said, "Try to comprehend it. Although the grade is low, you're only at the First Grade now, at most you can only control blue Star Skill."

Since the teacher said so, what could she do but listen to the teacher and try to understand it?

Si Kui glanced at the other two green Star Core and said, "Since you can forget things so easily... then learn these two as well."

One is Light Blade, the other Wood Shield.

Li Yang was quite surprised and asked, "Teacher, I already have... um, Bark, do I still need Wood Shield?"

Si Kui said, "The Earth Spike aren't very useful; they're just a bluff. This Wood Shield isn't very useful either, but it can help you shield yourself from... Bark." The name of this Star Skill was too embarrassing to utter, so she also called it Bark.

Li Yang suddenly realized. "I understand! When facing an enemy, I can activate the Wood Shield first, making the opponent think that I only have this one defensive Star Skill. Once the Wood Shield is broken, they will lower their guard, but actually I still have the Bark. After the opponent's attack is blocked by the Bark, I can take the opportunity to finish them off with the Light Blade!"

The destructive power of the Light Blade is related to distance—the shorter the distance, the greater the destructive power—so luring the opponent closer will unleash even greater power.

Si Kui nodded and said, "It's barely a combo, but we'll replace it all with better Star Skill later."

These Star Skill, including Hidden Shadow and Bark, were not enough to impress Si Kui.

However, Li Yang is only at the First Grade Realm now, so he can't learn stronger Star Skill and can only make do with what he has.

Li Yang spent a long time working on it on his own, and finally managed to increase his proficiency in all his Star Skill.

Light Blade and Wood Shield can only be upgraded to Tier 2 at most.

Hidden Shadow and Bark can reach level 3, but the cost of reaching level 3 is too high. Unless Li Yang is trying to limit his lifespan, he would never force it like this.

The advantage is that with these two third-tier Star Skill, Li Yang is confident that she can protect herself not only against the Second Grade Realm cultists, but also against the Third Grade Realm.

As dawn broke, Li Yang looked at his remaining 200 years of lifespan and couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Anyone who spends a thousand years struggling at the First Grade Realm would be a freak."

Deep within a cave halfway up the mountain, the heart of a certain Ninth-Grade Lianxin trembled slightly.

A thousand years... the First Grade Realm...

This touched him.

Si Kui suddenly opened her eyes and strode towards the cave. An overwhelming pressure descended, but the Ninth-Grade Lianxin that was suppressed in the ice crystal coffin remained completely still.

Is it an illusion?

Si Kui stared at it for a long time, but felt nothing more.

Chapter 39

The next day.

There were quite a few people outside the Agronomy Department.

Now, Lü Shunshun and Xia Putao's "entrance fee collection" scheme was no longer effective. Everyone saw through the fraud and exclaimed, "Even if we really lose some merit points, it's worth it!"

Lü Shunshun lamented, "It's a pity we don't have an automatic payment system!"

Feng Yiqiao glared at her. "Even if there were, the school wouldn't allow such malicious deductions."

Everyone came to witness the spectacular "Tree Tower returning to its nest" phenomenon, but before they even saw the Tree Tower, Li Yang came out of the house early in the morning, grabbed a sickle, and rushed towards the wheat field in a flurry of activity.