After the meal, everyone returned to the suite.

Su Zhan stood at the entrance, slightly stunned.

Beneath his feet was a soft carpet, and the lights automatically turned on.

In the center of the living room stood a genuine leather sofa.

On the coffee table, fresh fruit plates and chilled champagne were already prepared.

The big bed in the bedroom was covered with silky sheets.

On the bedside table, thoughtfully placed, was a sleep-inducing incense.

However, what caught Su Zhan’s attention the most was the floor-to-ceiling window stretching across the entire suite.

He walked over to the window. From the 51st floor, the whole of Lan City lay beneath his eyes.

The traffic on the streets looked like glowing threads.

Further away, the faint blue glow of the seafood farming area flickered in the night.

The view was indeed beautiful.

Su Zhan pressed his palm against the cool glass.

At the dinner earlier, Liu Ziming had quietly told him:

The most expensive suites on the top floor of the hotel were nothing extraordinary.

But the huge floor-to-ceiling window was the real reason why the top-floor suites could be sold at such high prices.

Couples loved this feature the most.

They were the main consumers of the top-floor suites.

“That makes sense.”

Su Zhan chuckled dryly.

He finally understood why such an expensive place had the highest couple consumption.

This floor-to-ceiling window was worth the price alone.

“Tomorrow’s exchange event…”

Su Zhan’s thoughts drifted away.

What level would the participants from Lan City be?

In this economically developed area, the strength of awakened individuals corresponded to the economy.

They definitely wouldn’t be weak.

But compared to Vermilion Bird Academy, they surely wouldn’t be impressive.

“Being able to compete with other awakened teams is a good thing.”

Su Zhan said softly.

After all, their own team had very little coordination with each other.

They needed real battles to continuously improve their teamwork.

“Xie Xi has already reached the third stage.”

This fact did not surprise him.

After all, she had outstanding talent and was the most diligent cultivator he had ever seen.

Moreover, she came from a military family background, so her cultivation resources were not comparable to ordinary people’s.

Su Zhan stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window for half an hour before turning toward the bedroom, his footsteps silent on the thick carpet.

The luxurious suite’s soundproofing was definitely top-notch.

At this moment, however, it made him feel a little uncomfortable.

It was too quiet—so quiet he could hear his own heartbeat.

“I’ve really been poor for too long. I’m not used to such expensive things.”

Su Zhan mocked himself with a sigh.

He tidied up his clothes and prepared to wash up.

Saving energy was important; tomorrow’s exchange event was the main highlight.

The next day.

Early morning.

Su Zhan and his group arrived at Lan City Starlight Awakened Academy.

This was their final destination for the trip.

As the top awakened academy in Lan City,

the grand gate of Starlight Academy was magnificent.

Two enormous stone lion statues stood on either side of the main gate.

“Teacher Wang, I’ve heard so much about you!”

An elderly man with white hair hurried forward; he was the dean of Starlight Academy.

He warmly shook Wang Mingyuan’s hand: “It’s truly our honor to have everyone from Vermilion Bird Academy here to guide us.”

Wang Mingyuan adjusted his glasses and replied politely: “Dean Li, you’re too kind. We are also here to exchange and learn.”

No matter what they thought in their hearts,

they still maintained politeness on the surface.

No matter how much the dean disliked Wang Mingyuan coming to request trainees,

he still had to greet him with a smile.

Surface-level respect had to be fully displayed.

While the two exchanged pleasantries,

a crowd of Starlight Academy students had already gathered, whispering among themselves.

“Are those the geniuses from Vermilion Bird Academy?”

“I heard they just went through a plane crash yesterday.”

“Look at that girl; she has such a strong aura.”

The murmurs rose one after another.

“See that? The good-looking guy is Su Zhan, the owner of an SSS-ranked Life Soul!”

A girl with a ponytail whispered to her companion, eyes full of admiration.

“Tch, it’s just that his Life Soul level is higher.”

A burly boy nearby sneered: “Real combat is what counts.”

“You don’t know anything!”

Another student retorted: “That guy broke through to the Dew Realm in just three days—that’s a monster!”

“Hey, look at that.”

Someone pointed at Liu Ziming: “I heard that five-star hotel in Lan City, the Coastal Hotel, is owned by his family.”

“A playboy, huh? Not gonna lie, I’m jealous. I wish I had a dad like that.”

Xie Xi seemed to hear the gossip and coldly glanced over, instantly silencing the whispering students.

“Tsk, tsk, looks like we’re pretty popular.”

Liu Ziming smugly adjusted his collar: “If you’re fans, I’ll be gentle—I do spoil my fans after all.”

Xu Hao smiled awkwardly: “Everyone seems very interested in us.”

Feng Jue remained silent but kept a vigilant eye on the crowd’s gaze.

Su Zhan was somewhat surprised.

He didn’t expect even Lan City’s awakened to be aware of his deeds.

Heh, looks like they prepared quite a bit for this exchange event.

At this moment, a loud voice interrupted all the chatter:

“Everyone, please be quiet!”

Dean Li of Starlight Academy stood on the steps, his voice carrying across the entire plaza:

“Let’s give a warm round of applause to welcome the teachers and students from Vermilion Bird Academy!”

But only sparse and scattered applause followed.

“Tch, I take back what I said earlier.”

Liu Ziming frowned slightly and nudged Xu Hao with his elbow: “Looks like these people aren’t very welcoming.”

His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for the nearby circle of Starlight students to hear.

Several students immediately glared angrily.

Liu Ziming was completely unfazed and instead smiled brightly while waving at them, looking exactly like a visiting nobleman.

Xie Xi coldly swept her gaze across the crowd: “As expected.”

Wherever her gaze landed, many students instinctively stepped back half a pace but soon straightened their backs, unwilling to be intimidated as they glared back.

Xu Hao awkwardly scratched his head and muttered quietly: “Uh… the atmosphere seems a bit tense?”

Feng Jue remained silent but sharply locked eyes on several students who clearly held the strongest hostility.

Su Zhan stood calmly in place.

He noticed that a few students in the crowd did not follow the hostile trend but instead observed them with a scrutinizing gaze.

These people might be the real opponents worth watching.

“Hey, you pretty boy.”

A tall boy pointed at Su Zhan and shouted: “I heard your Life Soul can control time? What a brag!”

“Oh, this student’s well-informed, huh?”

Liu Ziming immediately got fired up: “Let me correct you—it’s not that he controls time, it’s that he can beat all of you up.”

“You—!”

The boy’s face flushed red with anger.

“Too much nonsense.”

Xie Xi looked impatient and turned toward Wang Mingyuan: “Teacher Wang, can we start now?”

Wang Mingyuan pushed up his glasses and nodded to Dean Li.

The two exchanged a glance.

Dean Li cleared his throat and raised his voice: “Everyone, take a short break. The exchange event will begin in half an hour.”