Li Yang wasn’t running aimlessly.
During the half-hour she spent memorizing the “Entry Guidelines”, she didn’t just commit it to memoryshe truly understood it.
Every piece of information, whether explicitly stated or subtly implied, had been carefully extracted.
She had also formulated a few of her own theories.
For example, the “Entry Guidelines” listed countless dangers.
But what about the things that weren’t mentioned?
Did that mean they were relatively safe?
After all, this was an assessment.
Despite the invigilators’ serious expressions and the ominous “Life and Death Contract”, it was clear that the officials wouldn’t throw a group of teenagers into completely unknown danger.
The isolation zone had undoubtedly been thoroughly studied beforehand.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have gone through such painstaking effort to create a detailed “Entry Guide”.
If the officials had already mapped out the area, then anything not mentioned in the “Entry Guidelines” was likely relatively safe.
So, Li Yang deliberately walked through areas not covered in the guidelines.
Once she had put enough distance between herself and the others, she slowed her pace and carefully observed her surroundings.
The ground beneath her was relatively dry, with scattered fallen branches nearby.
Tall, unfamiliar trees grew wildly, while smaller shrubs struggled through the gaps, reaching for sunlight.
The weather was pleasant today.
However, the air carried an unusually strong scent of moisture and decay, far from the fresh, oxygen-rich environment of a typical jungle.
Li Yang carefully studied the tree before her.
She reached out and touched its rough bark and thick trunk, sighing softly.
“What a huge tree.”
Not all plants underwent mutation.
It was somewhat like the monsters in ancient folktales, requiring both spiritual energy and the right opportunity.
The tree before her wasn’t a mutant plant.
But it was so tall and massive that she couldn’t help but feel the urge to cut it down.
However, she resisted the temptation.
First, ordinary plants granted very little lifespan most likely not even worth the effort.
Second, cutting down such a large tree would create too much noise, potentially attracting powerful mutant creatures.
That wouldn’t be worth the risk.
Reluctantly, Li Yang withdrew her hand and patted the tree.
“Good luck!
If you ever mutate, I’ll come back and chop you down.”
A breeze rustled through the leaves, making the tree shake as if trembling in fear.
She couldn’t chop down the big ones.
But small shrubs?
That was worth a try.
This was, after all, an isolation zone.
Even ordinary plants here were probably very different from the wild grass in Heqing Community.
Li Yang untied the iron axe from her waist, rolled up her sleeves, and swung at the small shrub.
Before entering the isolation zone, every examinee had been given the opportunity to choose their own weapon.
Most people picked swords, knives, or guns.
Only Li Yang rushed straight for the iron axe.
Before leaving, she even asked the instructor, “Sir, can I take more than one?”
The instructor hesitated.
“…You can take more, but be mindful of your weight load.
Carrying too much might be a disadvantage.”
Li Yang grinned happily.
She wasn’t greedy.
“Two axes will be enough!”
Two iron axes more than enough to last three days!
Bang!
With a single swing, the shrub fell instantly.
A long-lost sound rang in her ears “Ding!”
Then, the system notification popped up:
Lifespan +3 minutes.
As expected, it was just an ordinary plant.
The lifespan gain was too low.
Of course, it was still better than the wild grass from Heqing Community.
That one only added one second a complete waste of effort.
One axe swing took 10 seconds.
The lifespan gain was only 3 minutes.
After experiencing the sweet rewards of clover, she couldn’t settle for so little anymore!
Mutant plants were the real prize!
Just as she was thinking this, she heard a faint rustling sound nearby.
Her sharp eyes caught a suspicious-looking shrub.
It wasn’t very large, but it was… moving?
The “Entry Guidelines” described high-risk mutant plants.
But in such a huge isolation zone, there had to be less dangerous variations too.
Maybe this was one of them!
Li Yang tightened her grip on the iron axe.
Technically, this would be her first time dealing with a mutant plant.
The four-leaf clover didn’t count—it couldn’t even move.
Whoosh!
The small shrub suddenly realized it had been discovered.
It launched several green leaves toward Li Yang like flying blades.
The leaves were thin as knives and incredibly fast.
But Li Yang easily dodged them with a simple sidestep.
90 physique points weren’t just for show.
Her physical abilities were on another level.
In a flash, Li Yang charged toward the shrub and swung her axe down.
The small shrub suddenly jumped into the air!
What had once been a round, harmless-looking bush now sprouted a giant, fanged mouth completely ruining its cuteness.
Li Yang aimed for the open mouth and swung down with force.
“Aargh!”
The ugly shrub let out a piercing scream.
It tried to leap forward and bite her.
But before it could, Li Yang brought the axe down again, splitting it in half.
Even in its final moments, the ugly shrub made a desperate move scattering its remaining leaves like deadly projectiles toward her.
Li Yang reacted instantly.
She dodged behind the large tree, using its thick trunk as cover.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The leaves struck empty air.
And the ugly shrub was officially dead.
“Ding!”
A system notification appeared:
Lifespan +1 month
Li Yang: “……”
She grumbled in dissatisfaction.
“Only one month?”
The system pretended not to hear.
After thinking for a moment, she comforted herself.
“Fine… at least it was easy to chop.”
The ugly shrub could move and attack.
But it wasn’t difficult to kill just a few swings of the axe.
If there were enough of them…
This could be a good source of lifespan!
Her determination surged.
She was going to sweep through the shrubs and hunt them all down.
Eliminating mutant plants was everyone’s responsibility.
And Li Yang would take the lead!
Guided by the “Entry Guidelines” and her week of intense studying, she now had a deeper understanding of mutant creatures.
For example, most mutants were highly aggressive which made the four-leaf clover in Heqing Community even more special.
Additionally, mutant creatures emitted a stronger “Star Radiance” although Li Yang wasn’t sure if that’s what it was.
To her, it just looked like a faint, flickering glow.
She avoided areas where mutant animals might appear.
Instead, she focused solely on plants.
Especially these small shrubs if she found one, she chopped one.
Sometimes, she accidentally cut down an ordinary plant.
That just meant another 3-minute bonus.
On the first day, Li Yang stayed busy.
By nightfall, she followed the “Entry Guidelines” and located a safe overnight spot.
The isolation zone was more dangerous at night mutant animals became more active.
But Li Yang had no interest in animals.
She just wanted to survive until morning and continue her plant-hunting spree.
By the end of the day, she had chopped 10 ugly shrubs and 20 other mutant plants.
That night, she checked her system panel:
Lifespan: 4 years / 10 years
Li Yang had gained 3 full years of life!
Master Li was very satisfied.
After all, this was just a side benefit along the way.
Once she got into Zhongdu Military Academy and joined the Agricultural Department, she could dream of ten, even a hundred years of life!
That day’s experience made Li Yang rethink the four-leaf clover from Heqing Community.
That plant was definitely not ordinary.
Even though it had taken her a long time to chop, it had still granted her ten years of life a clear sign of its uniqueness.
Although Li Yang had gained three more years, she wasn’t in a hurry to increase her physique value.
A 90 physique score was already eye-catching enough.
If she broke past 100… she might actually have to worry about getting captured for research.
Physique value could wait.
Li Yang turned her attention to mental strength.
The military academy only tested physique value.
Wouldn’t it be fine if she increased her mental strength a little?
Besides, with a 90 physique but only 40 mental strength, it made her look like a brute with no brains.
That wasn’t good.
A person needed intelligence too.
Just look at this test if she hadn’t memorized the “Entry Guidelines”, she wouldn’t have made it through the first day so smoothly.
It was late at night.
There was nothing else to do.
So, Li Yang decided to spend three years of lifespan to boost her mental strength!
Isolation Zone: Control Room
The Isolation Zone for the Combat Assessment had a central control room.
At the center stood a massive screen, split into twenty smaller sections, each corresponding to a different group.
Each section had several focus points tracking individual examinees.
Standing before the screen were the examiners overseeing the Donghua Province assessment.
The chief examiner was a tall, muscular middle-aged woman.
She observed the screen for a while before asking, “How is the first-day assessment going?”
Although she was the chief examiner, she couldn’t monitor everyone at all times.
Each section had multiple hidden invigilators keeping an eye on both student movements and their safety.
The assistant examiner quickly reported, “So far, twenty students have withdrawn.
Most of them failed to read the “Entry Guidelines” properly and accidentally provoked a Tier 1 High-Grade mutant creature.”
“Among those still participating, there are two main types:
One group memorized the guidelines thoroughly and chose to act alone, spending the first day relatively peacefully.
The other group didn’t pay much attention to the guidelines but had strong personal skills.
They fought through an exhausting day but managed to barely survive.”
The chief examiner sneered.
“Bravery without strategy is just a pointless death wish.
It’s better if they get eliminated early.”
The assistant examiner hesitated for a moment before adding, “There is one examinee who stands out.”
“Oh?”
“She’s in Group 8, from Huangcheng No.1 High School.
Her name is Li Yang, and her physique score is 90 points.”
The chief examiner raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, it’s her?
Let me guess she also didn’t read the “Entry Guidelines”, did she?”
The invigilator in charge of Group 8 spoke up.
“Li Yang memorized the entire “Entry Guidelines” word for word.”
The chief examiner’s gaze softened.
“A meticulous one, I see.”
The assistant examiner switched screens, pulling up Group 8’s footage.
“Professor Chen, take a look at this.”
The screen lit up.
In Group 8, the students had split into three teams.
Chen Song’s team had the most people and was in the worst shape.
They had immediately encountered a Tier 1, Sixth-Grade mutant boar, forcing them into a desperate struggle.
One of them even panicked and pressed the emergency beacon, withdrawing from the test.
Meanwhile, Xu Wenpei’s team of three had a smaller, more cautious approach.
They only encountered a Tier 1, First-Grade mutant pheasant.
Although they got pecked half to death, they managed to escape without casualties.
Then there was Group 8’s third team which was just Li Yang, alone.
She had clearly memorized the guidelines thoroughly.
Every step she took was perfectly calculated like a textbook example of survival.
If she continued following this strategy, she would easily pass the combat assessment.
The elimination rate for the combat test wasn’t actually that high.
After all, everyone here had a physique score of at least 83.
As long as they weren’t completely reckless, Zhongdu Military Academy and Star-Slayer Academy were willing to accept them and train them properly.
But this girl on the screen…
She wasn’t just avoiding danger.
She had even found the hidden “safe zone” mutant plants.
So-called “No-Rank” plants referred to those that had absorbed large amounts of Star Radiance but hadn’t fully mutated yet.
These plants had low danger levels, which was why the “Entry Guidelines” didn’t mention them.
Under normal circumstances, as long as examinees left them alone, they wouldn’t attack.
But Li Yang was different.
She chopped down a No-Rank Photinia shrub.
Then she chopped down a No-Rank Blackberry bush.
Then she chopped down a Morning Glory plant that was about to mutate…
The entire examination hall fell silent.
No wonder the assistant examiner had called her “special”.
Across the entire testing ground, the remaining 180 students were either hiding quietly or getting beaten senseless by mutant creatures.
Only Li Yang…
You couldn’t say she was hiding she stayed in the “safe zone.”
But you couldn’t say she was being cautious she was actively attacking No-Rank mutant plants!
The assistant examiner cleared his throat.
“Professor Chen, according to the rules, students receive bonus points for defeating mutant creatures.
But since she’s only killed No-Rank ones… does it count?”
The scoring system was a hidden mechanic the examinees didn’t know about it.
But their final ranking depended on it.
Tier 1, Low-Grade: 5 points
Tier 1, Mid-Grade: 10 points
Tier 1, High-Grade: 20 points
The single Tier 2 creature: 100 points though it was almost impossible for non-Starbearers to defeat.
But… No-Rank mutants?
They had forgotten to assign a point value for those.
After all, the professors who designed the test were high-level Starbearers.
To them, No-Rank mutants were as weak as ordinary plants.
They had completely ignored them.
But Li Yang reminded them by cutting down 30 of them.
The assistant examiner added, “If she had only killed one or two, we could ignore it.
But with this many… it would make the combat assessment seem inconsistent if we didn’t count them.”
After some thought, the chief examiner declared, “Fine… 2 points each.”
And just like that
Li Yang, with 60 points, surged to the top of the leaderboard.
The chief examiner frowned.
“I should’ve said 1 point instead.”
But after reconsidering, she smirked.
“Then again…
Clearing 30 mutants without triggering a larger threat?
That’s a talent in itself.
Even if it’s… a little unconventional.”