Chapter 44
Li Yang collapsed in the training room, panting heavily. Her Starlight was depleted, and she didn't have much time left in the training room.
She had also roughly figured out the pattern.
This lifespan harvesting was indeed not so simple. As her cultivation level increased, all plants below her level were reduced to one month, and only those at the same level as her could receive a reasonable lifespan reward.
Of course, if she has the strength to kill a creature of a higher level, she will still receive double the lifespan reward. For example, when she was at the First Grade Realm, she received a 20-year lifespan reward for killing a low-level alien plant at the Second Grade Realm.
As the saying goes, misfortunes never come singly. Li Yang spent even more money on his life savings, but the income streams for his lifespan plummeted.
No!
Relying on a combat training room is too uneconomical.
At 10 merit points per hour, I've only accumulated less than 100 years' worth of merit!
We still need to study mutant wheat...
Li Yang ran back to the Agronomy Department and shouted in his mind, "Teacher, teacher, does our Agronomy Department only study First Grade Realm mutant wheat? Are there Second Grade Realm? Are there any other crops?"
Si Kui replied after a while, "Yes."
"Where!"
"They're all at the research institute."
"Huh?" Li Yang exclaimed in surprise, "We even have a research institute? Where is it!"
"I didn't have the money to maintain it, so the school took it back. Now... it's probably with the Pill Department."
"..."
Li Yang couldn't help but ask again, "Teacher, do we have any other treasures that are still living outside our home?"
"... have."
"For example..."
You don't need it right now, we'll talk about it later.
What could Li Yang say? She was "petty" and ended up with a teacher with a "big heart," which was... complementary.
The Pill Department...
Li Yang searched for relevant information on the forum for a while.
This research institute is not exclusive to the Agronomy Department, but is allocated by the university to various departments, especially the Pill Department, the Weapon Forging Department, and the Beast Taming Department, which each have several research institutes researching different topics. The university allocates funds based on the research results of each department, investing a large amount of money every year.
The Agronomy Department is now deserted, so naturally it can't produce any research results.
Two years after the school took over the research institute, it was bought by the Pill Department.
Li Yang wasn't sure if any of the research findings left behind by the Agronomy Department's predecessors were still in the research institute...
There probably will be.
After all, the Pill Department also needs to study various materials, and among these materials... Star Plant make up the majority.
However, the Agronomy Department studies how to cultivate and improve plants, while the Pill Department studies how to decompose and purify them; their directions are completely different.
Li Yang found out the price the Pill Department paid to acquire this research institute back then.
500,000 meritorious service awards.
She stared at the screen intently, checking it again and again, afraid she might have misread the unit.
Is it a meritorious service?
Is it the merit point with an exchange rate of 1:10000?
500,000 is 5 billion!
She immediately abandoned the idea of buying the research institute back.
There's always a solution to every problem. Li Yang, quick-witted, suggested, "A minor in it!"
She's now at the Second Grade, so she can choose to pursue a minor in something new.
Li Yang had been hesitating between the Pill Department and Weapon Forging Department, but now she had no hesitation whatsoever.
Pill Department!
She first sneaked in as a minor student to see if she could smuggle out the cultivation data for various crops from the research institute!
Moreover, once she has the status of a minor student in the Pill Department Refining Department, she can make money by reselling pills.
Oh... she has too few "lives" right now, she can't afford to spend any more money.
Let's secure this minor program status first!
Chapter 44
Li Yang searched on the forum for a long time.
The topic of minors is basically irrelevant to freshmen; it's mostly discussed by upperclassmen.
Among the new students, those who can quickly advance to the Second Grade are all scions of wealthy families who don't lack money, and they wouldn't waste time choosing any minor courses.
As for the other freshmen, it would be quite good if they could attract stars into their bodies within a month of enrollment; how could they dare to even think about reaching the Second Grade Realm?
After studying for a while, Li Yang discovered that the Department of the Pill Department was actually a popular minor.
Wealthy students are a tiny minority; most students have to support themselves. Fang Chuyun is considered wealthy, but her Fang Suyun, started minoring in the Pill Department as soon as she reached the Second Grade.
In the expensive world of Star Wielders Cultivation, modest wealth and status are utterly insignificant.
Even the most powerful families selectively cultivate their offspring, often requiring the entire clan to pool its resources to have any hope of producing a Ninth-Grade Supreme.
Both the Pill Department and Weapon Forging Department are profitable, but they differ greatly, with very obvious advantages and disadvantages.
The Pill Department is relatively easier to learn and allows you to earn money faster. Basically, as long as you have some talent, you can earn some hard-earned money after learning how to refine the Star-Attracting Pill.
Making money by forging weapons is not easy. Even First Grade Star Weapon requires one or two years of training before it can be forged.
Of course, once the weapon is fully forged, it becomes a highly sought-after source of wealth, with the starting bid for a single top-tier Star Weapon being millions of merit points.
The drawbacks of the Pill Department are also obvious. It becomes very difficult to make money in the later stages, especially when one reaches the Master Realm. Forget about taking pills; they have to Risking Life expel the impurities accumulated from taking pills in their early years.
A post on the forum made a very apt observation.
For students with average talent, I suggest choosing the Pill Department. Don't think about reaching the late game; once you reach the Third Grade Realm, you'll realize how high the sky is and how thick the earth is. Grandmaster? So many geniuses are stuck at the Peak Third Grade Realm, spending their entire lives as "third wheel."
Let the Weapon Forging Department be left to the professionals. Minor studies are meant to make money anyway, so it's good enough to earn a little money honestly in the Pill Department!
Don't even think about minoring in two majors. Trying to do too much at once will only lead to failure and a huge waste of time. In the end, you'll have wasted your time and neglected your main studies, leaving you with no choice but to drop out.
Li Yang wholeheartedly agreed and gave the post a thumbs up.
However, she still minors in the Weapon Forging Department when she has free time.
Li Yang is least afraid of "wasting time".
As long as she can control the path of harvesting lifespan, then these time-consuming supplementary training programs can all be started.
The Pill Department is so popular that too many students choose to study it, so their application process is quite complicated.
First, you apply; then you are assessed; and finally, you are approved.
Li Yang glanced at the date. "Today is the deadline!"
The deadline for the latest batch of applications was approaching, and Li Yang submitted her application right on time.
The advantage is that after the application deadline, a unified assessment will be conducted the day after tomorrow. Once you pass the assessment, you will be considered a minor student in the Pill Department Refining Department.
Li Yang checked the assessment process for the Pill Department again, and it was quite simple, just the Star-Attracting Pill.
Li Yang is familiar with this matter; a year of hard work would suffice.
The next day, Li Yang received a message from the Pill Department, informing her to go to the Pill Department the next day to participate in the minor examination.
The message also included a list detailing the equipment that students were advised to bring themselves.
Miniature alchemy furnace *1.
Starlight charcoal (appropriate amount).
Mini vacuum cleaner *1.
Smoke processor (mini) *1.
Fire extinguisher (miniature) *1.
Air purifier (mini) *1.
It's just refining an elixir, why bother getting a whole set of household cleaning supplies?
Li Yang's lips twitched as she read, a vague sense of unease creeping in. She continued reading, and sure enough... a line of large, vibrant characters stood there.
To ensure the safety of the assessment, please purchase the above equipment from designated channels.
Here's a link. Li Yang clicked on it and wow... it's the official store for the Central Capital Pill Department. At the very top is the Auxiliary Cultivation Assessment Equipment Pack, priced at 10 merit points.
This piece of junk costs 100,000 yuan?
Haha, the Pill Department could just rob people outright, yet they still give their students an equipment package.
A small act of impatience can ruin a great plan; she wanted to see just how wicked this Pill Department region was.
Ten points of merit disappeared in a flash, and the equipment package wasn't even mailed; she had to pick it up at the assessment site. Li Yang was speechless; she just considered it an assessment fee.
On the day of the assessment, Li Yang went to the Pill Department early in the morning.
As expected of the most popular minor, nearly a hundred students applied in this batch.
From the outside, the Pill Department looks quite unassuming, with simple teaching buildings and a few laboratories. It doesn't seem as aloof as the Department of the Star Magic Department, as lively as the Star Combat Department, or as shabby as the Agronomy Department...
After some deep reflection, Li Yang realized that his department of the Agronomy Department was indeed too rudimentary. There was only a large courtyard at the foot of the mountain, where four people lived, and that was it. There were no teaching buildings, practice rooms, research institutes, or anything else.
Enrollment first!
More students mean a better chance of applying for departmental development!
Li Yang didn't stand out in the crowd.
Most of the students who came to take the minor exam were senior students. As I said before, the senior students were busy and didn't pay much attention to the popular freshmen.
They had at most heard of Li Yang's name and knew about the Tree Tower incident, but not everyone remembered what Li Yang actually looked like.
After all, the videos of people climbing the Tree Tower are mostly dark, and there are very few shots where you can see their faces clearly.
Many people are complaining:
"The Pill Department is getting more and more of a rip-off every year. This equipment package is full of junk. This air purifier... isn't it just a fan with a filter inside? Is that all it takes to purify the air?"
"Vacuum cleaners are even more toxic; you have to change the dust bag after each use, and ten dust bags equal one 'merit,' and you can only buy them in bulk."
"The smoke detectors are a complete rip-off! Ever since the Pill Department was reported for excessive pollution and had to pay back environmental taxes, they've started finding all sorts of ways to squeeze money out of students. If they're so capable, why don't they improve the Starlight Carbon?! It's so smoky and polluted, and we have to bring our own smoke detectors!"
"Alright, if you really dislike the Pill Department, then don't apply. Since you're after their money-making ability, don't blame them for making money off you!"
After hearing this, many people fell silent.