The banquet in Spirit City was held in the square before the Pontiff's Palace. Since all twenty-three academy teams were qualified to attend, along with Spirit Hall's upper ranks and the leaders of the various academies, there were simply too many people. No building in Spirit City could accommodate them all, so the banquet could only be held outdoors in the square.
By six in the afternoon, male and female students dressed in formal, extravagant attire began arriving one after another. They skillfully worked the crowd, politely approaching acquaintances, teachers, and elders to offer a toast before introducing themselves. Amid the friendly exchanges, the banquet gradually became lively.
After the Golden Generation trio of Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan arrived, students from other academies gathered around them, congratulating them on taking second place and congratulating Hu Liena on making the Beauty Ranking.
Xie Yue had a somewhat fiery temper. They had originally been brimming with confidence, intending to defend the academy's championship title, only to run into Blue Tyrant Academy—a Cheng Yaojin who had suddenly emerged out of nowhere—and be defeated within a minute. He found it rather humiliating.
Just as he was about to lose his temper, Hu Liena grabbed his hand and shook her head at him. Xie Yue understood what his sister meant and held himself back. After all, in terms of the competition, they had simply been outmatched and could not blame anyone else. He forced out a smile and thanked them for their congratulations.
Hu Liena placed her right hand over her left breast and gave a salute before saying with a smile, "Thank you all for your congratulations. This tournament was filled with outstanding experts, and it was already no easy feat for us to take second place. Although we failed to defend