Ying Yaoshi was contemplating the possibility of retirement. Even if he couldn’t retire right away, he planned to train more newcomers so he could take things easier.

Speaking of which, he had trained quite a few talented individuals over the years, but they were all just a little lacking.

Thinking of Di Youlin, he couldn’t help but recall Ning Xuan’s other contracted slave, Lan Xin, who possessed the Ice-winged Blue Snake Mutant Beast Gene.

Lan Xin’s potential was no less than Di Youlin’s. His Beast Talent Skills were geared toward the Spiritual Domain, making him a great asset on the battlefield.

Di Youlin was beyond his reach, but he had snatched Lan Xin up early on. Once he slowly nurtured Lan Xin’s abilities, it wasn’t impossible that he’d have a chance to be with Ning Xuan forever.

A smile crept onto Ying Yaoshi’s face at the thought.

"What are you smiling about? That’s a mischievous look. What wicked idea are you plotting?" Ning Xuan poked him on the forehead.

Ning Xuan figured it was a good thing she had been cultivating so diligently. She had also gained many opportunities on the New Star Body, greatly improving her Spiritual Power Level and overall physical constitution. Otherwise, she probably couldn’t have handled how wild and passionate Ying Yaoshi had been last night.

"Thinking of you. I’m so glad I didn’t miss my chance with you." Ying Yaoshi held her tightly, refusing to let go.

"Of course. It’s not every day you find someone as good-natured as me." Ning Xuan shot him a look.

Another two or three days passed in the blink of an eye. During that time, Ying Yaoshi barely left the house. He knew Ning Xuan had to leave, so they were inseparable.

"The decennial military exercise is scheduled for next spring. It’s a tradition that has continued ever since the world changed. However, the Star Domain Battlefield has seen immense changes over the past decade. Most Star Domains have become unstable. In addition to the increasingly frequent wormhole crises, many independent Space Secret Realms have also appeared."

"Are they places like the Lingxiao Secret Realm or Extreme Cold City?" Ning Xuan asked curiously.

"Yes. Every Space Secret Realm has its own unique set of rules. The emergence of these Secret Realms is related to the instability of the Star Domain Space," Ying Yaoshi explained.

"Then, is the appearance of these Secret Realms beneficial to the Federation? Are there any valuable resources inside?" Ning Xuan asked.

"There are few benefits, but the drawbacks are obvious," Ying Yaoshi sighed. "A large portion of these Space Secret Realms are unstable and could collapse at any moment. Exploring them is extremely risky. However, this instability can’t be detected from the outside. So, the only way to know if a Space Secret Realm is worth exploring is to go inside."

"In that case, the exploration risk is huge," Ning Xuan said, immediately understanding.

"Yes. Because the risk is so great, we lost many people during the initial explorations, so all information about these Space Secret Realms was classified. However, the decision to classify this information has always been controversial. Now that the turmoil in the Star Domains is getting worse and more and more Space Secret Realms are appearing, there are loud calls to open them up to the public." Ying Yaoshi was revealing this information to Ning Xuan because he was afraid she didn’t understand the situation. He worried that while she was out adventuring, she might accidentally wander into a dangerous Space Secret Realm, which would be a huge problem.

"Are you afraid I’ll go exploring those Space Secret Realms? Is it alright for you to be telling me this?" Ning Xuan asked him.

"Don’t worry, I have the authority for this. Since you refuse to stay by my side, of course I’m going to worry about you. Take this and keep it safe. This is my Lifebound Scale Armor. If you’re ever in danger, just drip your blood on it, and I’ll be able to sense it. I can use my Talent Skill to come to your side immediately." Ying Yaoshi handed Ning Xuan a black scale about the length of his palm.

The black scale felt somewhat heavy to the touch. It was cool, and its black surface shone brightly. The scale was perfectly smooth, with a texture like heavy metal.

Ning Xuan had seen this kind of scale before. Back when she hadn’t yet arrived at Central Star and was still living in the house her parents left her in Xingluo Bay, Yan Fuzhen had taken out a similar scale, and Ying Yaoshi had emerged from it.

"Didn’t you say that every Space Secret Realm has its own rules? What if I enter a space that restricts SSS-level experts? Can your Talent Skill break through those rule restrictions?" Ning Xuan asked.

"Of course it can."

"However, my Spiritual Power Level and Combat Power will be suppressed by the rules, limited to the highest Level allowed within that space," Ying Yaoshi replied.

"Alright then, I’ll take this scale." Given their relationship, Ning Xuan didn’t refuse and stored the black scale in her Mysterious Ring.

The things she had obtained from the New Star Body, as well as those two Space Rings, were also inside it.

"Oh, right. This thing is called a Prajna Fruit. Accidentally eating one causes rapid mutation, even a complete loss of sanity. But if treated properly, and if you can endure it, it will unlock your Genetic Lock and stimulate your potential. Lan Xin’s sudden surge in strength was related to him accidentally eating one of these." Ning Xuan handed a red Prajna Fruit to Ying Yaoshi.

Ying Yaoshi’s expression changed drastically when he saw the fruit. "This is too dangerous! How do you have something like this?"

"How did you know it’s a Prajna Fruit?" Ying Yaoshi asked.

"Some guy claiming to be from the Starry Sky Academy told us. I think his name was Guo Jia. I ran into him at the graduation ceremony a while ago." After returning to the Federation, Ning Xuan had looked up information on the Prajna Fruit but found nothing.

Afterward, one thing happened after another. The Military Department and the school were also investigating someone hiding Space Artifacts brought back from the New Star Body, so she never got around to taking inventory of the items in her Space Rings.

"Guo Jia... He is indeed from the Starry Sky Academy. Does he know you have Prajna Fruits?" Ying Yaoshi asked.

"Mhm, he knows," Ning Xuan confirmed with a nod.

"How many do you have?" Ying Yaoshi asked.

"A lot." Ning Xuan replied with those two words. It really was a lot; she had never counted exactly how many.

"Give me fifty. I can trade them for some good things for you. Besides, if we bring this matter out into the open, the Starry Sky Academy and a few other factions will calm down a bit." Ying Yaoshi hadn’t expected Ning Xuan to have obtained such a treasure.

"Here, you can have all of these." With a casual wave of her hand inside her Space Ring, a pile of red fruits came bouncing and rolling out onto the bed.

Ying Yaoshi stared, his eyes wide. Prajna Fruits. A single one would cause various factions to fight over it, yet with one move, Ning Xuan had produced what looked at a rough glance to be over a hundred.

"Xuanyuan, to get so many Prajna Fruits at once... your luck is truly extraordinary," Ying Yaoshi exclaimed.

"Of course. My haul was huge, and this is just part of it. I also got a lot of rare ores. Take a look and see if you want any." As she spoke, Ning Xuan took out a few samples of each type of ore she had mined in the Oasis Fairyland for Ying Yaoshi to inspect.