The group entered the cabin, which was quite lively, as the students who arrived earlier gathered together chatting.
However, these students were not all gathered together; they were clearly divided into two groups.
From their attire, one could roughly distinguish them: the Noble Families' offspring formed one side, and the commoners' offspring formed the other.
"Young Master Yuan."
"Young Master Ying."
"Young Master Bai."
"Young Master Lin."
"Young Master Zhen."
"Miss Gu Xiao."
"Miss Lu Li."
As soon as they entered, they immediately became the focus of everyone's attention.
Even the commoner side's people turned their gazes, curiously watching Jing Yuan and the others who just arrived.
Curiosity about who they were caused these previously self‑important young masters and misses to suddenly adopt a sour expression.
"Hmm."
He only gave a slight nod as a sign, then stopped paying attention to the trailing Noble Families' offspring, and the seven of them found a seat by the window.
"Young Master Yuan, we will be classmates from now on, please teach me well."
"Miss Gu Xiao, your skin is wonderful; which skincare product are you using? Could you recommend it?"
"Young Master Tian Ying, I heard you like sheet music; I recently happened to acquire a few ancient scores."
He saw the obvious coldness displayed by several of them, but that couldn't dampen their enthusiasm.
If they could befriend any one of the five, including Jing Yuan, it would be crucial for their future development within their families.
If they could earn the favor of any one of them, they could obtain preferential access to family resources, even gaining some influence.
For them, it would be no exaggeration to say it's a leap to the heavens.
"Everyone, we have some matters to discuss; could you please step aside?"
These people kept pushing forward nonstop, almost pressing against them.
A few of them were about to get right up to Lu Li and Gu Xiao, but Yan Lin stopped them with a hand.
These Noble Families' offspring naturally wanted to connect with Jing Yuan and his group, at least to show their faces, but Yan Lin's intention to turn them away was clear, so they dared not linger.
"Haha, Young Master Lin, you all chat. I am Sun Jie of the Sun Family; if you need anything, just call me."
A youth standing at the front spoke up, instantly drawing unfriendly glances from the surrounding Noble Families' offspring.
Damn, that guy cut in line.
No, I can't let him have all the spotlight; at least I need to mention my name too.
"Could you step back?"
Before they could speak, Liu Zhen stepped in front of them.
Compared to Yan Lin's more diplomatic approach, Liu Zhen was much more direct.
"Ah, yes, yes..."
Now those Noble Families' offspring no longer dared to linger, departing one by one, though their eyes still occasionally glanced this way.
"These guys are really annoying."
After shooing away these annoying "flies," Yan Lin said, clearly displeased.
"It's human nature; if our roles were reversed, we might do the same thing."
Xiao Bai smiled faintly and said, in this world, there's no one who doesn't want to take shortcuts.
"Maybe, but isn't there no 'if' in this world?"
Yan Lin didn't deny Xiao Bai's words, but so what? I'm already in a position of power now; why bother considering those unnecessary things.
"Tsk tsk, I didn't expect these high‑and‑mighty Noble Families' offspring to put on such a face."
"It's normal; even within Noble Families there are classes. The lineage of those gentlemen is top‑tier, a force that would make Tianyuan City tremble at a footstep."
"From arrogance to humility, thinking of it makes one laugh."
Obviously, before Jing Yuan and his group arrived, these Noble Families' offspring and the commoner students had already had unpleasant encounters.
That's why they split into two factions, ignoring each other.
Now seeing these self‑important Noble Families' offspring get humbled, they couldn't help but sneer.
"These lowly commoners."
Someone among the Noble Families' offspring wanted to lose their temper, but was stopped.
"There's no need to engage with these people; after we leave the academy and step into the cosmos, they'll naturally realize the gap between us."
Most importantly, Jing Yuan and his group are nearby; if a disturbance occurs here, it could leave a bad impression.
Moreover, what he said is true; Star Sea Academy does indeed train officers.
But once we join the legion later and seek promotion, the gap between those with background and those without will quickly widen.
Without powerful backing behind you, spending a lifetime only reaching Captain Rank would be like smoke rising from an ancestral tomb.
Of course, if your talent is truly earth‑shattering, dazzling everyone and suppressing all enemies, then that's fine.
In the Republic, there will be people to support you; you won't need to worry about background.
But the odds of that are even lower than buying a lottery ticket.
After the group boarded the ship, they waited about an hour and a half before the launch time.
As the last student entered the cabin, the ship's doors closed.
"Hello, freshmen, I'm your orientation teacher, Wu Lei. We are about to set off for Star Sea Academy; there will be some turbulence when the ship lifts off, so students can find somewhere to hold on."
After all the freshmen gathered, Wu Lei's voice rang over the intercom.
"It's just a simple ship launch; only those with low cultivation among the commoners need to hold onto things."
"Ha, bragging won't hurt your back."
"Then try it; who's a coward is a loser."
"If you try, who's afraid?"
Amid the arguing, indeed many students chose to stand still, bewildered.
Then... "Ouch, I'm going."
"You're so heavy, get up quickly."
"Who, who stepped on my waist, raise your dog paw quickly."
"Dammit, who grabbed my butt!"
"Rascal, he groped the chest!!!"
"Aaa!!! I stepped on it, stepped on it, wtf, wtf!!!"
When the ship's thrusters fired, the cabin interior swayed wildly.
The acceleration at the moment of launch was rapid; without Captain Rank strength, staying upright was impossible.
In the command center, watching the swaying students via a virtual screen, Wu Lei laughed heartily.
"Youth, how wonderful."
"Cherish these final beautiful moments; they won't last long."
Beside him, Zhang Yu adjusted his glasses, smiling wickedly.
"What's the agenda this year?"
It seemed he thought of something, and Wu Lei gave a mischievous grin.
"I don't know, the plan is with the boss; these rookies won't have it easy anyway."
Zhang Yu found a chair, crossed his hands, and cradled the back of his head.
"Really, let's mourn for these little guys."
He said that, but Wu Lei's expression was completely different.
"Then you could ease the training a bit."
"Then it's my turn to be promoted."