"See that? Brother Su is the reasonable one here."
Liu Ziming lifted his chin proudly.
"But..."
Su Zhan shifted his tone, imitating Feng Jue's manner as he patted Liu Ziming's shoulder: "Young Master Liu, given your personality, you probably spent winter break partying so much you pickled your brain."
Just as Liu Ziming was about to retort,
Xu Hao mysteriously lowered his voice: "Guess what I found at home? My mom had hidden all my elementary school awards in her wardrobe, and my dad secretly polishes my championship trophy every day..."
His nose suddenly reddened: "Yet they criticize me every day for not improving fast enough..."
Everyone felt touched by this revelation.
Perhaps parents will always criticize you to your face.
Just like Xu Hao's situation.
He clearly already got into Vermilion Bird Academy.
Yet he still can't avoid daily lectures from his parents.
Behind the scenes, they genuinely take pride in Xu Hao.
Feng Jue spoke up: "My sister asked about you guys."
"Oh?"
Liu Ziming played along with an exaggerated response.
"She said..."
The expressionless youth hesitated briefly: "If she gets into Vermilion Bird Academy, could she join our team."
Liu Ziming whistled: "Sure thing, Brother Feng! Your sister has great taste!"
"Get lost."
Feng Jue continued: "But awakening... nobody can predict that."
Su Zhan deeply related to this point.
After all, he was the biggest variable himself.
Moreover, during this winter break back in Jiang City,
He had witnessed too many examples of this reality.
Ordinary people would risk being eaten by their mutated boss for meager wages.
Zhao Dayong, who couldn't find work after high school graduation and resented not being an awakener.
And Zhou Yueshan, who championed "those who gather firewood for others shouldn't freeze in the storm," with his unique philosophy.
Also... Qin Bai, who hated mutants with burning passion, believing better to wrongfully kill than spare any, yet had his own tragic background.
These people.
Their actions and words, it seemed like there really was no clear right or wrong.
It was difficult to pick any one of them as completely wrong in their views.
This shifted Su Zhan's perspective.
Perhaps, in this world, there are no absolute rights and wrongs.
Only differences in standpoint.
"Me too, me too!"
Liu Ziming grabbed Su Zhan's arm: "Brother Su, you need to judge this fairly! This past month hasn't been fit for human living!"
Xu Hao leaned in: "Oh, even the rich kid has problems?"
"You guys just don't get it."
Liu Ziming irritably ruffled his hair: "My parents have gone completely crazy lately, constantly talking about awakeners and class advancement."
"Do you know what my dad told me yesterday? That our family business is just a joke in the eyes of real nobility!"
"The chairman of a hundred-billion corporation! Said that to me personally!"
Su Zhan pondered this.
Actually, Liu Ziming's father wasn't wrong.
Truly powerful awakeners hold the real authority in this world.
"Three personal trainers! Twelve hours of daily training!"
Liu Ziming counted on his fingers: "Combat techniques, spiritual energy control, tactical theory on rotation, even meal times spent listening to battle case analyses."
"This winter break might as well not have happened... no, it was more exhausting than being at Vermilion Bird Academy!"
"And my mom, whenever she sees news about some young awakener achieving something, she sarcastically says, look at them..."
Xu Hao couldn't help laughing: "Sounds just like my parents!"
"How is it the same?"
Liu Ziming rolled his eyes: "Your family just nags a bit, mine involves real money! My dad said if I don't pass the semester finals, he'll freeze all my accounts!"
Xie Xi asked: "What's your current realm?"
"Dew Realm... fifth stage..."
Liu Ziming's voice immediately dropped by half.
Xie Xi didn't mince words: "Waste."
"Hey! What do you mean by that, Xie Xi!"
Liu Ziming jumped up: "After a month of training, I'm at peak Dew Realm fifth stage! Not everyone's a cultivation maniac like you!"
Su Zhan patted his shoulder: "Enough. Since you know your family's expectations, you should work harder."
He thought to himself, young masters will be young masters, complaining despite having such excellent conditions.
Not worrying about money, having all the cultivation resources you need, even what you don't have.
This was his dream life!
"I know."
Liu Ziming sighed: "But do you know how much pressure there is? The way my dad looks at me now, it's like he's watching a stock hitting its limit-up."
"Actually..."
Xu Hao said seriously: "I kind of understand your parents. In these times, without strength, no amount of money can be protected."
Feng Jue nodded: "Very clear-headed."
Liu Ziming opened his mouth, then finally slumped his shoulders in defeat: "...That's why I hate going home. Every time feels like attending a business negotiation, and I'm just the merchandise waiting for the right price."
"That analogy is a bit excessive."
Su Zhan frowned: "It really doesn't come to that."
Liu Ziming paused at this, sighed without arguing, silently acknowledging Su Zhan's point.
"Xie Xi, what about you?"
Su Zhan looked toward Xie Xi, curious about how the wealthy spent their winter breaks.
No... how the children of nobility spent their winter breaks.
"First day home, my parents said they'd take me to Lingnan Fortress for real combat."
Xie Xi began: "Said I should witness a real battlefield. I excitedly packed my gear before departure, brought my full academy uniform."
"Then got thrown into veteran barracks right after arriving at the fortress. My uniform was covered in bloodstains on the first day."
This immediately captured everyone's attention.
They all perked up to listen.
Facing the mist on a real battlefield—this was an experience none of them had yet encountered.
Liu Ziming swallowed hard: "So... you actually went straight to the battlefield?"
"First week was just perimeter patrols."
Xie Xi's gaze drifted into the distance: "Seeing those veterans missing arms and legs, I thought they were exaggerating... until our first encounter."
"Combat at the academy has rules, referees, protective measures."
"But there..."
"Someone joking with you one second could become minced meat at your feet the next. Fortunately, I've experienced mist events before, otherwise any completely green recruit would probably piss themselves seeing that."
Su Zhan's eyes flickered with interest.
He wanted to hear what the real battlefield was like.
After all, such places directly faced the mist, where all mist creatures gathered.
And he... possessed the ability to grow stronger by absorbing energy from killed mist creatures.
This kind of place might be hell for others.
But for him...
That was heaven!
Time to gather experience for future plans.
"On the seventh day, I saved someone."
Xie Xi suddenly changed topics: "A fresh recruit just graduated from awakening academy, sent straight to the front lines after graduation. Before that, he'd never even fought mist creatures."
"Three hours later, I watched as phosphorescent fire insects ignited him from the inside out."
Feng Jue frowned: "No rescue?"