Chapter 11

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Li Yang was completely unaware that she had accidentally exposed a flaw in the practical combat test. She was preparing to invest in her mental energy.

With so few “lives” in hand, spending them was inevitably a matter of careful deliberation.

She only had three years left in total—should she invest year by year, or all at once?

The latter might yield greater gains, but what if her body reacted abnormally after a sudden surge in mental energy? After all, she was still in the special quarantine zone, perched atop a large tree.

Better to take it year by year.

Li Yang decided to play it safe. Even if the gains were smaller, the quarantine zone was vast, full of various plants and shrubs.

“Consume one year of lifespan to increase mental energy.”

[You have been reading continuously for one year. Due to the dull and tedious content of the book, you constantly feel like going outside to exercise. Mental energy increased to 45 points.]

Only a five-point increase in mental energy—Li Yang was not discouraged and continued to invest her lifespan.

[You have been reading continuously for one year. Your aversion to studying has grown stronger, and the text before your eyes seems like an incomprehensible manuscript. Mental energy increased to 46 points.]

Li Yang: “…”

Two years of lifespan, and mental energy had only increased by six points—less than the increase she’d gotten earlier when boosting her physical strength.

Was there a pattern to this?

Li Yang pondered carefully for a while but found the pattern elusive.

Whether boosting physical strength or mental energy, the Longevity System relied on “simulated events.”

A whole year wasn’t short, and as long as random events occurred, they would affect the final outcome.

“Hmm, the first step is always the hardest…” Li Yang thought back to when she first tried to increase her physical strength but saw no effect for a long time due to poor talent.

Her initial mental energy was also low. Once this value rose, things should improve.

Go for it. Besides, she couldn’t use this year to enhance physical strength anyway.

No need to save it; what if there was a big breakthrough tomorrow? Her lifespan cap was only ten years, and if she exceeded it without the ability to store it, wouldn’t that be a waste of life?

Li Yang consumed another year of lifespan.

[You have been reading continuously for one year. Although your mind is dull, through persistent and unyielding effort, you have finally mastered the book. Mental energy increased to 60 points.]

Li Yang: “!”

Ignoring the phrase “mind is dull,” she was thrilled at this sharp 14-point increase.

Very good—a great breakthrough!

Li Yang summoned the system panel and admired her various stats.

Name: Li Yang
Lifespan: 1 year / 10 years
Physical Strength: 90
Mental Energy: 60
Note: Only 1 year of lifespan remains. Please harvest plants promptly to gain more lifespan.

Li Yang was quite satisfied with the 60 points of mental energy. Whether it was psychological or not, she felt sharp and alert, as if she could stay awake all night without feeling tired.

Of course, she still planned to rest a bit; tomorrow’s test awaited.

Before sleep, Li Yang checked her surroundings carefully. After confirming there was no danger, she covered herself with her coat and closed her eyes to rest.

Although June’s weather wasn’t cold, the quarantine zone always felt damp and eerie, especially at night, when mysterious howls echoed in the distance, adding to the chilling atmosphere.

Li Yang spent the night half asleep and half awake, but when she woke the next morning, she felt refreshed and not the slightest bit drowsy.

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Was this because her mental energy had increased?

Sixty points of mental energy made a difference.

The military academy required a minimum of 65 points, and a physical strength of 65 already meant a person was very fit by ordinary standards.

So 60 points of mental energy should mean she was full of vigor.

Li Yang jumped down from the tree and began today’s “life harvesting” operation.

This practical test was wonderful. Li Yang only wished it lasted longer—three days was simply too short; she wished for thirty!

She had roughly sketched a map to avoid retracing her steps.

The quarantine zone was vast, but each team’s assigned area was limited. She wasn’t greedy; as long as she could clear out the eight group’s safe points in three days, that would be enough.

After twenty minutes of walking, Li Yang arrived at what she called Safe Point No. 7.

There was a small lake in this area, but as long as she stayed away from it, this place was relatively safe.

Just as Li Yang was about to conduct a thorough search—a tactic she had learned yesterday since disturbing the shrubs would trigger them to attack—

Hmm?

Li Yang blinked and saw a clearer “faint glow.”

The description felt awkward because the glow was so subtle that “faint glow” was the best word for it. Yet to Li Yang, it indeed appeared clearer.

Yesterday she could faintly see it only after the mutant plants attacked. Now, a shrub about three meters away was perfectly camouflaged with no visible abnormalities, yet the faint glow enveloped the entire shrub as if marked.

Li Yang: “…Could this be because my mental energy has increased?”

She walked over nonchalantly, eyes looking elsewhere, then suddenly raised her axe and swung at the shrub.

The shrub reacted quickly, springing up and revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth.

Li Yang had become skilled; her axe struck squarely into the open maw. With cracking sounds, the ugly shrub was split in two.

System: [Lifespan +1 month]

Li Yang easily dispatched a mutant plant and felt refreshed.

Wonderful.

Had she known mental energy had such benefits… oh well, even if she had known, she didn’t have extra lifespan to spend on boosting stats.

On the second day, Li Yang’s efficiency improved.

On day one, she had to search thoroughly and sometimes accidentally killed “3-minute” mutants. But by day two, it was as if she had radar scanning—once she locked onto a safe zone, she could easily find the mutant plants.

Yesterday she harvested 30 mutant plants in a whole day; today, just by noon, she had already taken down 30.

Efficiency doubled!

Li Yang’s lifespan rose again to four years.

—

Quarantine Zone Control Room.

The examiners found it impossible to ignore Li Yang. Her score on the leaderboard was truly eye-catching.

Sixty points were already far ahead, but by the second morning, she had surged to 120 points!

The second place went to Zhong Qian, who had reached 60 points. How did he earn his score? After thoroughly studying the “Entry Guidelines,” he selectively ambushed first-grade mutant creatures. He earned his points by slaying ten low-tier first-grade mutants and one mid-tier first-grade mutant.

Zhong Qian came from a prestigious family and boasted a physical strength of 93 points. He’d undergone rigorous combat training since childhood, which explained his fighting prowess.

Still, even so, he only had 60 points—half of Li Yang’s!

Such a vast gap prompted some examiners to voice concern.

“This Li Yang only scores so high by sniping no-grade plants. Isn’t that a bit unfair?”

Compared to Zhong Qian’s great effort, Li Yang seemed to be taking shortcuts…

The chief examiner looked at him and countered, “Do you think she doesn’t deserve those 120 points?”

The examiner who spoke earlier laughed awkwardly. “It just feels a bit inflated.”

The chief examiner pulled up the screen for Group 8, focusing on Li Yang, and played back her entire morning’s actions at accelerated speed.

“First, she thoroughly understood the ‘Entry Guidelines’ to identify such precise safe zones, demonstrating her caution and analytical skills.

“Second, her mental strength far exceeds that of ordinary people, giving her heightened perception of starlight, allowing her to quickly locate no-grade plants.

“Lastly, her growth rate is remarkable. Yesterday, her sniping efficiency was nowhere near this level—it has doubled today!”

The other examiners watched the replay in silence. Initially, they thought Li Yang’s easy sniping of no-grade plants was suspicious, but after watching, none dared to speak.

As the chief examiner said, her seemingly effortless sniping revealed her comprehensive strength.

Quick-witted and courageous, she not only had a physical strength of 90 but also a substantial mental energy. Otherwise, how could she so easily find no-grade plants?

If anyone else tried, even Zhong Qian might not be as efficient.

The chief examiner sighed and said slowly, “She’s an orphan with no backing, forced to start with no-grade mutants to hone herself as much as possible.”

This revelation enlightened the examiners.

No wonder. They had lived privileged lives and forgotten the hardships of humble origins.

Li Yang was not Zhong Qian, who had encountered low-grade mutants since childhood and was thus brave enough to train with first-grade mutants during the test.

But Li Yang lacked that capital. Recklessly challenging first-grade mutants would be foolhardy.

Still, she didn’t give up on this opportunity to toughen herself, so she chose no-grade plants.

Seeing this, the examiners no longer doubted her score.

Li Yang earned her 120 points on merit. No-grade plants existed within the quarantine zone, open for anyone to hunt, but no one else had the awareness to do so.

That was the difference.

A great Starbearer needed not only strong physical strength but also extraordinary awareness and powerful self-drive.

The girl before them undoubtedly possessed these qualities.

—

Feeling the benefits of increased mental energy, Li Yang no longer hesitated to invest her lifespan.

She poured in three more years, raising her mental energy to 75 points.

The increase was slightly below expectations because she unfortunately drew a “brain inflammation event,” causing a sharp drop in mental energy.

It was like when she broke her leg while increasing physical strength—a malignant event she could only accept as bad luck.

It wasn’t until the afternoon of the second day that Li Yang encountered others from Group 8. Approaching her was the round-faced girl, Xu Wenpei, who had spoken to her before.

Xu Wenpei nearly dropped her jaw upon seeing Li Yang. The two companions with her stared in astonishment.

The four of them together made a stark contrast.

Xu Wenpei and her two companions—a girl and a boy—were all stripped of their pre-entry radiance. They looked as if they had rolled in mud several times. Their clothes were soiled and unrecognizable in color, their hair stuck with dried mud, and their faces, barely clean, showed faint traces of blood.

In contrast, Li Yang still wore the unremarkable uniform of Huangcheng No.1 High School. Though her clothes were dirtied and wrinkled, and covered with dry leaves, moving alone, she appeared clean, neat, and composed—far from the disheveled image the others expected.

They exchanged surprised glances.

Xu Wenpei said, “Why are you…” completely unscathed!

Li Yang replied, “Why are you all…” in such a sorry state!