Time passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, two months had gone by.
During these two months,
The freshmen of Vermilion Bird Academy had successively broken through to the Dew Realm.
The atmosphere in the freshman zone gradually shifted from initial tension and anxiety to becoming fiercely competitive.
Xu Hao broke through on the twelfth day—not the fastest, but his foundation was solid.
Liu Ziming, relying on resources provided by his family, broke through on the tenth day and triumphantly treated the entire dorm to a lavish meal.
Feng Jue unexpectedly broke through on the ninth day, remaining silent throughout the process, merely wiping his sweat before resuming cultivation.
Xie Xi broke through on the sixth day, setting the fastest record among female students this year.
Because the shadow of that person lingered relentlessly.
As for Su Zhan, the first among this year's freshmen to break through, it took him only three days. His name had long since spread throughout Vermilion Bird Academy.
"Monster with an SSS-ranked Life Soul"—this was how the lowerclassmen privately referred to him.
"Su Zhan's sugar mommy"—this was the topic everyone loved discussing the most.
Because during these two months,
Xie Xi had challenged Su Zhan twice.
Both times ended in failure.
Well... another 600,000 Daxia currency down the drain.
Su Zhan himself paid little attention to these discussions.
Most of his time was spent attending classes:
Cultivation Theory,
Combat Training,
Mist Creature Analysis,
And so on...
Or holed up in the training room, familiarizing himself with the new abilities of his Time Abyss Eyes.
One day, two months later, the academy announced arrangements for the freshman exchange event.
[Each team must have at least four members, with a maximum of seven. Team size does not affect difficulty. Teams must form independently, after which the academy will arrange exchange partners.]
The moment the rules were announced, the freshman zone of Vermilion Bird Academy erupted with excitement.
In the dormitory,
Su Zhan and his three roommates sat around a table with the exchange manual spread out before them.
Liu Ziming lounged with his legs crossed: "Brother Su, we're definitely clinging to you, the bigshot with an SSS-ranked Life Soul."
Xu Hao sighed helplessly: "Young Master Liu, could you be serious for once? This exchange is the academy's evaluation of us. Failing means repeating the year."
"But the rules work out perfectly—four to seven per team? That's exactly our number."
Su Zhan spoke up: "The academy specifically noted that difficulty isn't tied to team size, so having fewer members won't put us at a disadvantage."
"What's the rush? We could totally recruit a few girls."
Liu Ziming flashed his trademark roguish grin: "I know some healers—great girls, decent skills, and most importantly, easy on the eyes—"
"No."
Feng Jue didn't even look up, his response curt.
Su Zhan also shook his head: "We're going to compete, not socialize."
"Tch, you cultivation-obsessed blockheads."
Liu Ziming pouted: "What's wrong with bringing pretty girls? They can fight and they're nice to look at—perfect package."
Su Zhan raised an eyebrow, smirking at Liu Ziming: "Young Master Liu talks about girls all the time—have you actually gotten a girlfriend?"
"Ugh, how vulgar. I just appreciate beauty. You philistines wouldn't understand."
Liu Ziming waved a hand, adopting an air of profound wisdom: "Matters of the heart require fate, chemistry, and—"
"And falling for every girl you see?"
Xu Hao couldn't resist interjecting.
"Wrong!"
Liu Ziming wagged a finger: "This is called having an eye for beauty, like appreciating fine art. Understand?"
Feng Jue remarked flatly: "Just say you're a playboy."
"Hey!"
Liu Ziming glared indignantly: "I'm just open-hearted! Besides, do you know why I haven't gotten a girlfriend yet?"
All three looked at him expectantly.
"Because,"
Liu Ziming suddenly turned serious: "Cultivation is the true path! Women would only slow my sword draw!"
The trio: ...
"I think it's because Vermilion Bird Academy's rules are too strict."
Su Zhan saw right through him: "Wouldn't want Young Master Liu getting expelled over this."
"Exactly, so Young Master Liu can only wreak havoc outside campus."
Xu Hao added.
Liu Ziming flushed crimson, opening and closing his mouth wordlessly.
Just then, a knock came at the door.
"Excuse me, is your team still looking for members?"
A gentle female voice called from outside.
Liu Ziming sprang from his chair like lightning, smoothing his hair in record time.
With what he deemed a charming smile, he opened the door while saying: "Absolutely! We've got room! Please come in—"
The door revealed Xie Xi standing there, face icy.
Liu Ziming's smile froze.
"Uh... miss, this is the boys' dorm, and it's late. How'd you even get in?"
His attitude did a complete one-eighty.
Su Zhan was briefly stunned by the speed of this transformation.
Professor Wang Mingyuan had mentioned Xie Xi came from notable background.
Her parents were well-connected in their circles.
Add to that how she threw around 300,000 like it was nothing—no, make that 900,000 now, after losing to him twice more these past two months.
Hmm... "their circles" definitely meant more than just "notable."
No wonder Liu Ziming didn't dare provoke her.
After all, there's a world of difference between having wealthy parents and having powerful Awakened parents.
Young Master Liu certainly knew which battles to pick!
"I told the dorm matron I was visiting someone."
Xie Xi said flatly.
Su Zhan's lip twitched.
Damn.
He could practically see the knowing look the matron must have given Xie Xi.
Was security in the boys' dorm really this lax?
Xie Xi cut to the chase, her gaze locking onto Su Zhan: "I want to join your team."
All four were momentarily stunned.
Su Zhan recovered first: "Why? Don't you have teammates?"
"Don't even ask. The girls in my dorm are useless, every last one."
Xie Xi snorted, counting off on her slender fingers: "The support type takes forever just to cast a basic heal.
The ranged attacker's decent, but keeps complaining about being tired.
And the most ridiculous? The assault type is scared of pain."
Xie Xi took a deep breath to compose herself: "Long story short, I don't like carrying dead weight."
With that, she produced a card from a hidden compartment in her tactical belt, spinning it between her fingers: "100,000 Daxia currency. Generous enough?"
Su Zhan frowned: "This isn't about money—"
He could tell Xie Xi was exaggerating about her dormmates' shortcomings.
After all, anyone who passed Vermilion Bird Academy's entrance exam couldn't possibly be that incompetent.
"200,000."
Xie Xi upped the offer without hesitation: "Or name your price."
"Oh? Miss Xie is feeling generous today?"
Liu Ziming rubbed his hands together eagerly: "Maybe consider me? I'm very accommodating—"
Xie Xi couldn't even be bothered to look at him: "Are you worth that much?"
Liu Ziming gaped like a fish out of water.
"Put it away."
Su Zhan said firmly: "Teamwork isn't a transaction. I need to discuss this with my teammates."
This was true.
He needed money, but there were lines he wouldn't cross.
Wagers were fair game—money earned through skill.
But this was different.
Taking payment for team membership? That was backdoor dealing.
Even if Xie Xi had the skills, accepting money would fundamentally change the nature of things.
Besides, the team wasn't his alone.
...If they were going to take money, it'd have to be shared.
But he suspected the others wouldn't agree.
So in short—couldn't take the money, shouldn't take the money.