Sometimes, size matters

"Very eloquent way of avoiding the answer," Lex said, not letting his thoughts show. Of course, internally, he had already decided. Whatever long-term goals Vernan had meant nothing to Lex, for if everything went according to plan, he would be long gone by then.

This was because there was one very important detail involved in this transaction that was not mentioned, because it was considered common knowledge in the crystal realm.

Since everyone, at least in the academy, was a cultivator, they had a much longer average life expectancy than humans from Earth. The average academy graduate was a golden core cultivator, who normally had a life expectancy of around 250 years. Keeping that in mind, the average student spent well over 15 years in the academy before they graduated - since the course was much larger than then.

Vernan paused, then smiled. The more wary Lex was, the more Vernan liked him.