Chapter 10

Li Yang was not running around aimlessly.

In the half-hour before the assessment began, she had not only memorized the "Entry Guidelines" but had also achieved a level of mastery where the meaning became clear through repeated reading. She had extracted every scrap of information, both explicit and hidden, from those two pages.

She had also deduced several possibilities herself. For instance, if the "Entry Guidelines" were filled with warnings about dangers, did that imply that the things not mentioned were relatively safe? After all, this was an examination. Despite the stern faces of the proctors and the "life-or-death" contracts they were forced to sign, a moment of objective thought revealed that the authorities would never truly place a group of teenagers in an unknown, lethal trap. The quarantine zone had certainly been thoroughly scouted by the officials; otherwise, they wouldn't have gone to such lengths to compile those "Entry Guidelines."

Since the officials had mapped the area out, the items they omitted from the guidelines must be relatively safe. Therefore, Li Yang had spent the entire time sticking to paths that were not mentioned in the document.

Only after putting enough distance between herself and the other team members did Li Yang slow her pace to carefully examine her surroundings. Beneath her feet was relatively dry soil, with a few fallen dead branches nearby. Unnamed, towering trees grew aggressively, while smaller shrubs struggled to emerge from the gaps between the trees to soak up the sunlight. The weather was fine today, yet the air was heavy with a thick, putrid dampness, far from the fresh, oxygen-rich environment of a normal forest.

Li Yang studied the massive tree in front of her, unable to resist reaching out to touch its rough bark and thick trunk. She sighed softly, "What a big tree." Not all plants could mutate; these things were similar to the demons in folk tales, heavily dependent on spiritual essence and serendipity. The tree before her was not a mutated plant; it was simply so tall and large that it gave Li Yang the urge to chop it down.

However, she suppressed the impulse. For one, the lifespan provided by ordinary plants was limited, and it was likely she would spend more energy than she would gain. Secondly, the commotion caused by a large tree falling would be too great; if it attracted a powerful mutated creature, the loss would outweigh the gain.

Reluctantly, Li Yang pulled her hand back and said to the tree, "Keep it up! When you finally mutate, I’ll come back to chop you down." A gust of wind blew, and the leaves rustled, looking for all the world like the tree was trembling in fear.

She couldn't chop the big ones, but the small bushes were fair game. Being plants within the quarantine zone, even the ordinary ones were likely quite different from the weeds back in Heqing Residential District. Li Yang unbuckled the iron axe from her waist, rolled up her sleeves, and swung at a small shrub.

Before entering the quarantine zone, all candidates had been allowed to choose weapons suited to them. Most others chose swords, blades, or guns. Only Li Yang had gone straight for the iron axe, and she had even asked one extra question: "Teacher, can I only take one?"

The teacher had replied, "...You can take more, but be mindful of your load. Taking too much may not be a good thing."

Li Yang had beamed with joy. She wasn't greedy and said, "I'll just take two." Two iron axes were enough to keep her chopping for three days!

*Thwack.*

It took Li Yang only one swing to fell the small shrub, and the long-awaited "ding" sounded in her ears. Then, the system prompt followed: [Lifespan +3 minutes.]

As expected, it was an ordinary plant, and the lifespan bonus was minimal. Of course, it was still far more than the weeds in Heqing Residential District, which only added one second—that was truly a net loss. A single swing took 10 seconds, and she gained 3 minutes of lifespan; given that she had tasted the sweetness of the clover, she no longer cared for such meager amounts!

She had to find mutated plants!

Just as Li Yang was thinking this, she heard a faint "rustling" sound nearby. Her sharp eyes noticed that one of the bushes seemed off—it wasn't big, but it appeared to be moving. The "Entry Guidelines" only introduced dangerous, mutated plants, but in such a vast quarantine zone, there had to be less dangerous ones. This might be one!

Li Yang tightened her grip on the iron axe. Theoretically, this was her first time dealing with a mutated plant—the clover didn't count, as it couldn't move.

*Whoosh.* The little bush, realizing it had been exposed, shot several green leaves toward Li Yang. The leaves were as thin as razor blades and moved with great speed, but Li Yang dodged them easily with a sidestep. Her 90-point physique was no joke; her current physical fitness was truly beyond reproach.

Li Yang rushed to the bush in an instant and swung her axe down. The little shrub suddenly exploded into action; the previously cute, round bush opened a large, barb-filled mouth, instantly losing its charm. Li Yang aimed for its maw and swung down with all her might.

"Aoo!" The ugly bush let out a shrill scream. It tried to leap up and bite Li Yang, but she delivered another blow, splitting it clean in two. The ugly shrub still had tricks up its sleeve; as it died, it unleashed its remaining leaves, which flew toward Li Yang like projectiles. Li Yang, with her astonishing speed, quickly dodged to the side, hiding behind the wide, sturdy trunk of a giant tree.

*Thud, thud, thud.*

The leaves hit empty air, and the ugly bush breathed its last.

After a soft "ding," the system displayed a line of text: [Lifespan +1 month.]

Li Yang: "..."

She grumbled with dissatisfaction, "Only one month!"

The system played dead.

Li Yang thought for a moment and comforted herself, "Fine, this ugly bush was easy to chop." Although it could move and attack, it wasn't difficult for her to handle—just a few swings. If there were enough of them... it was still a small fortune!

Li Yang was full of motivation. She was going to sweep through the shrubbery and ferret out all these little things. Cleaning up mutated plants was everyone's duty, and Li Yang was not one to shirk it!

With the "Entry Guidelines" survival guide in her head and a week of cramming, she had gained a deeper understanding of mutated creatures. For example, they were generally highly aggressive—which made the clover in Heqing Residential District truly special. Another sign was that the concentration of "starlight" around them was stronger—Li Yang wasn't certain if it was really starlight, but she felt a faint, shimmering glimmer.

Li Yang avoided areas where mutated animals might appear and focused solely on the plants, especially these small shrubs. She caught and chopped every one she found. Sometimes she would make a mistake and only get 3 minutes, but that was unavoidable.

Li Yang spent her first day in this busy manner. As soon as it turned dark, she followed the hints in the "Entry Guidelines" to find a key overnight spot, prepared to hunker down and get through the night. The quarantine zone was even more dangerous at night, with all sorts of mutated animals on the prowl. Li Yang had no interest in "animals"; she just wanted to survive until tomorrow to continue harvesting small mutated plants.

She had a bountiful harvest that day, having chopped down 10 of the "ugly bushes"—they were likely different varieties, as the lifespan bonuses varied; some gave a month, others two. Since they all had big mouths, Li Yang collectively called them "ugly bushes." She had also cut down over 20 mutated flowers and grasses. These varieties were even more numerous and the easiest to find because they were generally larger. For instance, there was a morning glory the size of a soccer ball, just standing there, teeth bared and claws out. If she didn't chop that, who would?

Li Yang was currently hiding in a large tree, a safe spot hinted at in the "Entry Guidelines." The hint had been quite obscure; if it weren't for the fact that Li Yang had memorized the entire text, she probably wouldn't have been able to decipher it.

She summoned the system panel, happily checking her gains.

Name: Li Yang
Lifespan: 4 years/10 years
Physique: 90
Spirit: 40
Note: Lifespan is down to 4 years. Please harvest plants as soon as possible to obtain more lifespan.

After a busy day, Master Li had gained 3 years of lifespan! She was quite satisfied. After all, it was just something she had picked up along the way. Once she was admitted to the Central Capital Military Academy and joined the Department of Agriculture, gaining ten or a hundred years would be a dream come true!

The day's experience gave Li Yang some new thoughts about the clover in Heqing Residential District. That clover was likely not simple. Although it had taken a long time to cut, it had added a full ten years to her life, which showed just how extraordinary it was.

Though she had gained three years of lifespan, Li Yang didn't rush to increase her physique points. A 90-point physique was already eye-catching; if she broke 100... she would really have to worry about being captured and studied. She wasn't in a hurry for physique, so Li Yang set her sights on her spirit points.

The military academy only tested physique, so it shouldn't matter if she boosted her spirit a little, right? Besides, with a 90-point physique, a spirit value of only 40 made her look like she had "well-developed limbs but a simple mind." That wouldn't do; one had to have brains. Look at this time—if she hadn't memorized the "Entry Guidelines," she wouldn't have survived the first day so safely.

In the dead of night, with nothing else to do... Li Yang prepared to spend 3 years of her lifespan to boost her spirit value!

-

In the central control room of the practical examination quarantine zone, a massive screen displayed 20 small sections, each corresponding to a different team, with various focus points within each. Standing before the screen were the examiners overseeing the Donghua Province assessment.

The chief examiner was a tall, sturdy middle-aged woman. She stared at the screen for a moment and asked, "How is the first day of the assessment going?"

Although she was the chief examiner, she couldn't monitor everyone. Several proctors were hidden in the shadows of each zone, not just to observe the candidates' movements but to ensure their safety.

The vice examiner replied quickly, "So far, 20 people have withdrawn from the competition because they didn't read the 'Entry Guidelines' carefully and accidentally provoked a first-rank high-tier mutated creature."

"The remaining candidates have generally taken two paths: one group memorized the 'Entry Guidelines' and chose to act alone, passing the first day relatively peacefully; the other group didn't pay much attention to the guidelines, but their own strength was formidable, and they barely managed to hang on after a day of bitter fighting."

The chief examiner sneered, "Courage without strategy is just asking for death. It's better they were eliminated early."

The vice examiner hesitated, then said, "There is one candidate who is quite unique."

The chief examiner asked, "Oh?"

The vice examiner replied, "She is in Team 8, a student from Huangcheng No. 1 High School named Li Yang. Her physique is 90 points."

Upon hearing this, the chief examiner raised an eyebrow. "So it's her. What? Did she not read the 'Entry Guidelines' either?"

The proctor in charge of Team 8 was also present and interjected, "Student Li Yang memorized the entire 'Entry Guidelines'."

The chief examiner looked impressed. "A meticulous one."

The vice examiner switched the screen, pulled up the video replay for Team 8, and said, "Professor Chen, you should see the specifics for yourself."

The screen displayed the footage. Team 8 had been divided into three squads. Chen Song's squad had the most people and the most disastrous situation; they had immediately encountered a first-rank sixth-tier mutated wild boar, which had driven the six of them into a pathetic state, to the point where one person panicked and triggered their rescue device.

Xu Wenpei's group of three, due to their smaller numbers and relative caution, had only encountered a first-rank first-tier mutated pheasant. Although they were pecked quite badly, they had managed to escape without incident.

Then there was the third squad of Team 8—Li Yang herself.

She had clearly grasped the "Entry Guidelines" thoroughly; every step she took was textbook-perfect. As long as she stayed the course, she would pass the practical exam steadily. The elimination rate for the practical exam was actually not high; after all, they were all candidates with over 83 physique points. As long as they weren't particularly brainless, both the Central Capital and Zhanxing academies were willing to take them in and nurture them.

However, the girl before them wasn't just avoiding danger; she was also finding unranked mutated plants hidden in the "safe zones."

"Unranked" referred to plants that had absorbed a large amount of starlight but hadn't yet completed mutation. The danger coefficient of such plants was low, so the "Entry Guidelines" didn't mention them. Generally, as long as a candidate didn't actively provoke them, they wouldn't even attack.

But Li Yang was different. They watched as she chopped down an unranked photinia shrub, then an unranked blackberry bush, and then... she chopped down a morning glory that was about to complete its mutation...

The examiners present were silent.

No wonder the vice examiner said she was special; she really was special enough! Looking at the entire examination field, of the 180 people remaining, they were either lying low or were getting beaten up because their brains were too slow to avoid mutated creatures.

Only Li Yang... if you said she wasn't lying low, she stayed in the "safe zone"; if you said she was, she was out there bullying unranked mutated plants!

The vice examiner cleared his throat and asked, "Professor Chen, according to the rules, candidates get extra points for killing mutated creatures. Since she's killing unranked ones, does that count?"

This point system was a hidden mechanism that the candidates didn't know about, and these scores determined the final ranking of the practical exam. A first-rank low-tier was 5 points, mid-tier was 10, and high-tier was 20. The single second-rank creature was worth 100 points, though that was almost impossible for candidates who hadn't yet channeled starlight into their bodies to achieve.

As for how many points killing an unranked mutated creature was worth, it had truly been overlooked. The teachers who prepared the exam were all high-rank star-wielders; in their eyes, unranked mutated creatures were just ordinary organisms, and they had long since stopped considering them.

But just because they had forgotten didn't mean they didn't exist. Li Yang had used 30 unranked mutated plants to refresh their memories.

The vice examiner added, "If she had only killed one or two by accident, we could skip the points, but Li Yang has killed such a large number that if we don't count them..." It would make the practical exam seem unprofessional.

The format of the practical exam was new every year, and minor oversights were common as long as they were corrected in time. The chief examiner deliberated for a moment and said, "Count them... 2 points each."

For a high-rank star-wielder, an unranked mutated creature was equivalent to an ordinary animal, but for a candidate who hadn't yet channeled starlight, it was quite a challenge, especially in such large quantities.

The vice examiner immediately replied, "Understood!"

On the far right of the screen was a candidate list. Twenty names were grayed out due to withdrawal, and among the remaining 180, Zhong Qian from Team 3 had originally topped the board with 30 points. Now...

Li Yang from Team 8 had surged ahead, her score leaving everyone else in the dust with a full 60 points.

Looking at the leaderboard, the chief examiner felt a bit of regret. 2 points was too much; she should have said 1! But then she thought about it and felt the ranking was correct. Li Yang's ability to clean out 30 unranked mutated plants without alerting other mutated creatures... was that not a form of talent in itself?

It was just a bit eccentric!