Chapter 48

As expected of an "Agronomy Department," the predecessors have studied a large number of mutated crops!

At the same time, Li Yang also saw the maintenance guide for "Divine Soil".

It turns out that the farmland was called "Divine Soil," a name that sounds very valuable, truly deserving of its reputation as a treasure on par with the Tree Tower.

The farmland usage guidelines mentioned by Feng Yiqiao are not comprehensive. If Star Ash Soil is used for maintenance, crops can be grown continuously on Divine Soil.

Li Yang didn't elaborate on what she had seen, but only asked, "Teacher Li, do you know where I can get Star Ash Soil?"

"This..." Li Yaowan, "You can retrieve it from the Star Ash Mystic Realm."

"Star Ash Mystic Realm?"

"This is one of the seven secret realms of our Zhongdu Military Academy. Let me take a look..." Li Yaowan checked for a while and said, "Sure enough... if I remember correctly, the top student in the monthly exam each year will be rewarded with an opportunity to enter the Star Ash Mystic Realm for cultivation."

Chapter 48

With Li Yaowan around, Li Yang saved herself the trouble of spending money to check the forum.

Li Yaowan, an associate professor at the Zhongdu Military Academy, knew far more than anyone on the forum. She explained, "The Star Ash Mystic Realm opens once a year, right after the freshmen's monthly exams, which is why they give each freshman a spot... It's also a way to encourage them."

Li Yang asked, "Is this Star Ash Mystic Realm located within the school?"

She dared not leave the school gates right now; there were people lurking there, waiting to ambush her.

Li Yaowan laughed and said, "It's somewhat similar to your Nature Department Tree Tower."

Li Yang suddenly realized, "So it's a secret treasure!"

Li Yaowan said, "It is indeed a treasure, but its specifications are much higher than the Tree Tower. It has been passed down for tens of thousands of years by our Zhongdu Military Academy, and has been filled in and modified by generations of Master. It is already a small world in itself."

Hearing this, Li Yang became worried again and asked, "Is this Star Ash Mystic Realm... dangerous?"

"Don't worry! It's much safer than your Tree Tower!" Li Yaowan said. "I went in there when I was in school, and it was... incredibly comfortable! Anyone who entered would experience a significant improvement in their cultivation!"

Li Yang had thought it was a dangerous place like a quarantine zone, but after Li Yaowan said that, it sounded like a safe and secure super training room.

Li Yang then asked, "After I go in, will I be able to bring out the Star Ash Soil?"

Li Yaowan said, "Of course, the Star Ash Mystic Realm itself is made up of a large number of rare and precious materials, which is why it has such a natural cultivation environment. However, most students go there for cultivation purposes and rarely collect those rare and precious materials."

Li Yang understood.

The qualification to enter the Star Ash Mystic Realm is extremely difficult to obtain; there is only one spot available for each new student.

It should be noted that among the new students, there are dozens of scions of aristocratic families, with nearly ten from top-tier families.

Even they have to compete for a spot, which shows just how difficult it is to enter the Star Ash Mystic Realm.

Li Yaowan added, "But Xiao Li, this freshman monthly exam is no easy feat. I see that the Lin Family and Zhong Family in the Star Combat Department, and the Shen Family and Ying Family in the Star Magic Department all have promising talents this year... It won't be easy for you to secure this spot."

Li Yang then asked, "Teacher Li, is the content of this month's exam the same every year?"

Li Yaowan said, "Yes, it's always the same routine: first, the top ten are determined by their cultivation level, and then the top ten compete in a tournament."

Li Yaowan's explanation was simple, but in reality, the freshman monthly exam was extremely brutal.

The monthly exam only has two stages, but most freshmen don't need to worry about the second stage at all; they only worry about the first one.

With only a week left until the monthly exam, the forum is already filled with sighs and lamentations.

"It gets tougher every year. Back then, my brother only needed to 'introduce the star' into his body before the monthly exam to pass."

"Your brother is quite old; this standard wasn't in place twenty years ago."

"Just wondering, if I fail to attract the star into my body before the monthly exam... will I be expelled?"

"No, it's just that tuition fees have skyrocketed."

"Huh?"

"You don't actually think our Zhongdu Military Academy is a non-profit institution, do you?!"

"The first month is free. After the monthly exam, the top ten will continue to have their tuition waived. Those ranked 11-100 will pay 10 merit points per year, those ranked 100-200 will pay 20 merit points, those ranked 200-500 will pay 50 merit points, those ranked 500-1000 will pay 100 merit points, those ranked 1000-1500 will pay 200 merit points... Hehe, those ranked below 1500 are in trouble, their tuition will be as high as 1000 merit points."

"Holy crap! Who can afford to pay that much?!"

"It's only ten million. Don't look down on rich people."

"But the problem is... what's the point of doing this?"

"Of course you think it's meaningless because you're poor, but rich people think it's very meaningful."

"..."

Even Li Yang was speechless, and she couldn't help but think of the holdouts and long-standing problems in her own department.

If the tuition for freshmen is this bad, then the tuition for returning students...

Oh My God!

No wonder the Agronomy Department students are still dirt poor despite having such a "Divine Soil".

They don't spend all the money they earn from growing wheat throughout the year on tuition fees, do they?

Li Yang gasped and quickly sent a message to Feng Yiqiao: "Senior, how much is your tuition per year?"

Feng Yiqiao: "... Ahem, why are you suddenly asking this?"

"Take the young master!"

"Our Agronomy Department has a small number of students, um... the school gave us a 70% discount..."

300?

"1000."

"???"

"Freshmen need 1000 merit points in their first year, while returning students need 3000, but our Agronomy Department only needs 30% of that..."

Li Yang felt a sudden darkness before her eyes, and she silently vowed, "Senior Brother, Second Senior Sister, Third Senior Brother, don't worry, I will definitely help you graduate!"

Are you kidding me?

With tuition fees of 30 million yuan a year, she's determined to help them graduate!

After graduation, the senior students can stay at the university as teaching assistants.

Not only will you not have to pay tuition fees, but you can also make a fortune by growing mutant wheat!

Why would she bother refining pills? She can make a fortune just from this kind of land!

Oh, no, we need to cultivate the land, refine the pills, and even try to forge Star Weapon... The more ways to make money, the better!

Li Yang said to Li Yaowan, "Professor Li, I need to prepare for the monthly exam this week. I will come to you to ask for your advice on alchemy after the exam."

"No rush, no rush, you go ahead with your work." Li Yaowan wasn't worried about waiting another week or two; she would be relieved once she signed Li Yang.

Besides, Li Yang is currently preparing for alchemy.

The energy of those exotic plants is probably not as good as that of crops. Once the crops are planted, Li Yang will likely be more at ease, and his efficiency in alchemy will also improve.

After saying goodbye to Li Yang Li Yaowan, Zhong Kun was about to return to the Agronomy Department when she bumped into Zhong Kun.

Zhong Kun, with a knowing look that said, "I knew you were so smart," leaned closer and said, "You're quite well-informed; I had no idea the Nature Department was once so glorious!"

Li Yang understood a principle very well: the more you forbid someone from doing something, the more they want to do it.

Therefore, the first element of her grand scheme was: the Agronomy Department doesn't accept students.

"So what?" Li Yang said, "They've fallen on hard times now."

"Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse! I heard that Dean Si is actually a Half-Step Supreme!"

Li Yang's expression remained unchanged.

Zhong Kun's teeth ached with envy. "You actually became the personal disciple of a Half-Step Supreme!"

Li Yang deliberately changed the subject, saying, "Is there anything else? If not, I'm leaving."

Zhong Kun, always thick-skinned, shamelessly followed up, saying, "What does the Nature Department specialize in? Don't mention agronomy to me. I've heard that back in the day, the Nature Department was notorious for its ability to kill opponents of higher ranks. While others were just Third Grade- Third Grade, a third-rank Nature Department Third Grade could easily defeat Fourth Grade student!"

"I have no idea."

"How could you not know!" Zhong Kun exclaimed. "You've only been a disciple for a short time, and you're already at the Second Grade! Don't pretend, I've found out. You advanced by killing a Second Grade cultist outside the school with a small team!"

"..."

Li Yang was quite impressed; it had only been half an hour, and Zhong Kun already knew so much.

Zhong Kun continued, "I know you're talented, but before you entered the Agronomy Department, you had only opened three Star Aperture at most..."

Li Yang never expected that his attempt to keep a low profile by concealing his Star Aperture with Hidden Shadow would inadvertently create the illusion that he would make rapid progress after joining the Agronomy Department.

Zhong Kun continued rambling, "Of course, having two or three Star Aperture is impressive, but there are quite a few freshmen with that. My brother has opened three Star Aperture too! But look at you now, you've directly advanced to the Second Grade, and your fifth Star Aperture is already 70% complete!"

"How long has it been?!" Zhong Kun became more and more convinced as he spoke, saying, "If you hadn't received guidance from Half-Step Supreme, could you have improved so quickly? If you say the Nature Department didn't pass on any mysterious cultivation techniques to you, I'll eat shit upside down!"

Li Yang coughed lightly and mumbled, "It's not that exaggerated."

Zhong Kun continued, "Not only has your cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, but your alchemy skills are also unorthodox! My great-grandfather said that the Nature Department is profound and extensive, and he certainly knew how to refine pills back then... Professor Li is a renowned genius in the Pill Department, and even she treats you so politely. If you say you can't refine pills, I'll do a backflip while eating shit!"

Li Yang: "..."

If it weren't for the fact that she was trying to trick him into joining the department, she would have loved to see Zhong Kun eat shit in all sorts of ways!

"You're overthinking it..." Li Yang said evasively, "Our Agronomy Department is pretty ordinary. Didn't everyone on the forum say it? One holdout, three major problems..."

"How can that be the same!" Zhong Kun said, "Feng Yiqiao and the other two are just not talented enough. If they had even a little bit of talent, they would have soared to great heights long ago!"

Li Yang was displeased and looked at him, saying, "You're not qualified enough, so you're not allowed to speak ill of my senior brothers and sisters."

Zhong Kun cleared his throat and said, "Well, I'm not saying anything bad about them, it's just... just stating the objective facts."

Li Yang ignored him.