At the same time, inside the hotel.
Su Zhan was eating his last meal in Lan City.
After this meal, they would leave this place and return to Vermilion Bird Academy.
"That old man got off easy not getting the death penalty," Liu Ziming said with a disdainful curl of his lips. "Did all kinds of evil deeds, even killed people from the Aberrant Purge Division."
Xie Xi snorted coldly: "If it were up to me, we should have thrown him deep into the Mist to be fed to the Aberrants."
Xu Hao swallowed his food, hesitating to speak: "Actually, Dean Li he..."
"What?" Xie Xi's sharp gaze swept over. "You want to speak up for him?"
"No." Xu Hao shrunk his neck slightly. "I just think it's quite tragic. His daughter turned into an Aberrant - something like that happening to anyone would be a tragedy."
Feng Jue sat silently to the side without speaking.
In his eyes, Dean Li getting this outcome was already quite good.
Liu Ziming lowered his voice: "Do you think he'll cause more trouble at the border?"
"He won't." Wang Mingyuan said calmly. "If the authorities dare to do this, they definitely have means to control him. The awakeners at the border are the strongest batch in Daxia - Dean Li won't be able to make waves there. And I think Dean Li is smart enough to know he can't escape from the border with his strength. So no matter how unwilling he is, he has no choice but to serve this life sentence."
Xie Xi interrupted unwillingly: "Then why not execute him directly?"
Wang Mingyuan sighed lightly, his gaze sweeping over everyone: "You need to understand that high-level awakeners like Dean Li are precious strategic resources for all of Daxia. Someone of his strength guarding the border can save tens of thousands of lives every year. Letting him die on the execution ground is far less valuable than letting him atone for his crimes on the battlefield."
"But..." Liu Ziming still wanted to say something.
"No buts." Wang Mingyuan adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses. "This is reality. In the war against the Mist, we can't afford to lose any high-level combat power. Even criminals must be squeezed dry of their last value."
"Remember." Wang Mingyuan's voice lowered. "In this era, sometimes living criminals are more useful than dead heroes."
Xie Xi snorted coldly and turned away, but didn't refute further.
Xu Hao muttered quietly: "What about those who died..."
"Their deaths won't be in vain." Wang Mingyuan patted Xu Hao's shoulder. "It's precisely because of these sacrifices that we must make the most of every resource. Every monster Dean Li kills in Lingnan is him paying for his crimes, atoning for his sins, and honoring the spirits of the deceased."
Everyone fell silent.
Su Zhan's eyes focused slightly.
He thought to himself that while Wang Mingyuan's words were cruel, they were indeed the most practical consideration. The dead couldn't be brought back to life, but the living Dean Li could still kill enemies - that was maximizing benefits.
But from this information, he grasped another layer of meaning.
Had Daxia... become this desperate?
Su Zhan looked out the window, his thoughts churning.
An awakener who committed such serious crimes still had to be sent to guard the border, squeezed for his last value.
What did this imply?
Had Daxia's defenses become so fragile that even criminals couldn't be easily executed?
"Alright." Wang Mingyuan waved his hand. "Everyone go prepare your luggage. We're catching a flight soon."
Liu Ziming's expression changed and he blurted out: "No way, another plane? Last time the Transcendence Society attacked, we crashed immediately! Almost sent us all to our graves!"
Su Zhan frowned deeply.
Airplanes.
Compared to trains and cars, planes were indeed faster.
But if something went wrong, there was no chance to escape.
If a train derailed, you could still climb out windows. If a ship sank, you could still struggle to swim.
But when a plane falls from ten thousand meters high, the people inside are like being thrown into a washing machine.
High in the sky.
No cover, no retreat.
Only the despair of free fall.
Everyone frowned, clearly still traumatized by the previous crash.
Wang Mingyuan glanced at them and smiled: "This time it's a military transport plane, specially arranged to escort us. No problems."
Only then did everyone's expressions relax.
Liu Ziming scratched his head: "Should've said so earlier! Military plane is acceptable..."
Military planes were at least much safer than civilian aircraft.
"Our exchange event can be considered perfectly concluded." Wang Mingyuan adjusted his glasses. "Although we didn't participate in the final team competition, nor the third round that Dean Li and I originally planned. But with your outstanding achievements, when we return to Vermilion Bird Academy, the dean will definitely praise you publicly."
"Any rewards?" Su Zhan only cared about this now.
For him, those vague honors and praises were meaningless.
They couldn't enhance strength, nor exchange for resources.
His experience of losing both parents and having no cultivation background made him understand better than anyone that only tangible things held in hand were real.
"Of course." Wang Mingyuan seemed to have anticipated this question and explained: "Given your situation, with 3 out of 5 people achieving the feat of five consecutive wins. Vermilion Bird Academy emphasizes team spirit, so all five of you can receive three months of special training resource quotas. That means for these three months, all cultivation resources in the academy treasury, including gravity training rooms, physical examination rooms, etc., will be free and open to you."
Su Zhan's eyes lit up slightly.
Damn, this was actual substantial reward.
Potions he usually couldn't afford to use, now completely free.
Wang Mingyuan noticed his reaction and continued: "However, I must especially remind you all, particularly you, Su Zhan."
Su Zhan looked up to meet his gaze.
Huh?
Why single him out?
"Free doesn't mean you can abuse it." Wang Mingyuan walked up to Su Zhan. "I know some of you might develop retaliatory consumption mentality, thinking you can freely squander resources you usually can't afford. Overusing potions will damage your foundation and ruin your future. Starting tomorrow, Su Zhan, Feng Jue, Xu Hao. Report to the medical office at 7 AM sharp every morning for comprehensive physical examinations by Physician Zhang. We need to monitor the absorption of every potion, the load-bearing capacity of every meridian."
Hearing this, the corner of Su Zhan's mouth twitched slightly.
Completely numb.
Why only name the three of them?
That's because Liu Ziming and Xie Xi simply didn't lack cultivation resources.
They wouldn't engage in retaliatory consumption just because resources were free for three months.
The life of the rich kids was really good.
"If we discover anyone overdosing on potions to pursue rapid breakthroughs..." A cold light flashed in Wang Mingyuan's eyes. "I will immediately cancel their special training qualifications and punish them to clean the training room toilets for three months. Remember, cultivation must progress step by step. These three months are for building your foundation, not for risking your lives. If your foundation gets damaged, no amount of resources can fix it later."
Su Zhan nodded silently, already calculating the most optimal cultivation plan in his mind.