"Master Zhao?" Wang Xuan looked at her, smiling. He knew very well that Zhao Qinghan could not have reached that level. How much time had passed? If Zhao, the goddess, were to enter this realm, he might as well wash his hands of it, go home, marry, have children, and live in seclusion.
Zhao Qinghan shot him a sideways glance, but her smile remained, and her gaze was less piercing, almost charming. "Look here." She extended a beautifully slender finger, as white as ivory but even warmer, waving it in front of Wang Xuan.
"Quite nice-looking," Wang Xuan commented. Zhao Qinghan rolled her eyes, ignoring his remark, and shook her delicate finger again.
Wang Xuan suddenly realized something; her mental realm was being approached by secretive power. She actually possessed an unusual mental force, trying to interfere with his consciousness. He feigned distraction, sitting there looking at her graceful face, and quickly noticed an unusual sparkle in her eyes.
Was this some strange technique from the Old Technique realm, or a mental manipulation method from the New Technique realm? Wang Xuan was certain that a normal person would have already fallen victim; her mental power was formidable, seemingly endowed with a natural ability. What surprised him even more was that Zhao Qinghan's pupils had actually changed to a purple hue—wasn't that characteristic of the indigenous people?
"Last time you fought me, you were quite strong. Look at you now; I haven't even struck, and you've lost your ability to act," Zhao Qinghan said with a faint smile.
"Come on, apologize. By the way, last time Qin Cheng handed you the power cord from the room, were you really planning to tie me up?" Zhao Qinghan asked with a sly glance from her beautiful eyes.
Little Zhao still remembered that? Wang Xuan thought Zhao, the goddess, was a bit vengeful. He was also certain that if he hadn't formed a mental realm, he might have indeed fallen for it; that mental force spread was genuinely formidable. This wasn't a complete mental invasion; it contained elements of hypnosis, more intense, intervening in the material realm with mental power—very impressive.
Now, with her unusual pupil color, had the Zhao family previously intermarried with the indigenous people? Wang Xuan pondered whether he should pretend to be affected, satisfying "Master Zhao's" sense of achievement, or find some other reason to cover it up. He felt there might still be opportunities for contact and collaboration in the future, so hiding too tightly wouldn't be good; revealing a bit of his background might be better.
Then, Wang Xuan's body tensed; for a moment, he appeared dazed, then his eyes lit up as if struggling. Finally, he reached out a hand and grabbed that beautiful finger, seemingly breaking free from some mental restraint, letting out a sigh of relief.
"What did you do to me?" he gasped, appearing quite exhausted.
"Let go!" Zhao Qinghan looked at him, her gaze somewhat piercing yet very calm. She pulled her finger outward with force but was held tightly.
"Not letting go. I feel mentally dazed and drained; what exactly did you do to me?" Wang Xuan insisted.
He feigned exhaustion, looking serious as he stared at her face. Zhao Qinghan tugged hard but realized that without using the Old Technique or the New Technique, she couldn't shake him off; however, she didn't want to make a scene here.
"It was just a mental disturbance; it couldn't affect your actions. I was merely testing you, and unexpectedly, you surprised me," Zhao Qinghan said quite calmly.
She was held by the finger, showing no panic, instead examining Wang Xuan with an intense gaze. However, Wang Xuan refused to let go, maintaining eye contact with her.
"A person under mental interference wouldn't feel uncomfortable. Besides, I was only testing you without using much strength, so you revealed yourself; your power is higher than I estimated."
Wang Xuan released her, sighing, "Is there no trust left? Zhao, you've been full of schemes since we met."
As he released her smooth, delicate finger, he felt lingering warmth. Zhao Qinghan glanced at him and said, "You covered yourself up and then blame me? I was just testing you briefly, and you turned it against me."
Wang Xuan shifted the topic, "Fine, let's not mention it anymore; we'll let this slide."
"A lady needs assistance?" A sharply dressed young man approached, speaking politely.
Wang Xuan glanced around; many gentlemen seemed ready to step up. He sighed, wondering why people could be so different. There were ladies around too; why wasn't anyone standing up for him?
Zhao Qinghan thanked him, declined the help, and then quickly finished lunch with Wang Xuan. They left for a quiet tea room.
In the tea room, a fragrant aroma wafted, with suitable lighting creating a peaceful atmosphere ideal for conversation. Zhao Qinghan sat comfortably and said, "I can tell you've had new experiences in the Old Land. With your current strength, you should be able to protect yourself in the Secret Realm."
Wang Xuan's expression momentarily froze. He thought Zhao was being a bit vengeful. She had just mentioned Qin Cheng wanting to tie her up, and now she claimed he could enter the Secret Realm—did she really want to make things difficult for him?
"What's with that expression? Am I that petty?" Zhao Qinghan noticed his guarded demeanor.
"Of course not; you have a broad mind." Wang Xuan glanced at her.
Zhao Qinghan's long, snow-white legs were crossed, and she lightly tapped the tea table before looking at him. "I used to think you had great talent, so I wanted to bring you into the Secret Realm for opportunities, allowing you to go further on the Old Technique path."
She informed Wang Xuan that the Secret Realm was currently very dangerous, with too many deaths; the situation was quite serious. Those just beginning their training might not survive upon entering. Now that she was sure Wang Xuan was skilled, he might be able to enter the Secret Realm. Despite Zhao Qinghan's sharpness, it was hard for her to determine he was a master!
This seemed unrealistic; by conventional reasoning, even if Wang Xuan were exceptionally talented and had opportunities for cultivation, he shouldn't be at that level yet!
This wasn't just about insight; it involved the most mysterious domain of the Old Technique—the secret paths—where common sense would fail. She believed Wang Xuan still had some distance to travel before reaching quasi-master status.
As a classmate, she was quite straightforward, believing in Wang Xuan's potential to go far on the Old Technique path. With the exploration of the vast void, a great era was approaching, and the extraordinary wasn't far off.
She stated plainly that the annihilation starship was about to emerge, and the power of the New Star would surge rapidly. Destroying a life planet could be done in an instant!
However, with the mysterious realm drawing near, if the extraordinary entered the New Star, it would become an internal issue. No matter how powerful the technological weapons, they couldn't destroy their own New Star.
If certain large organizations within the New Star first broke through in the mysterious realm and birthed myth-level beings, it would inevitably trigger a dramatic transformation in the New Star.
Wang Xuan was surprised; Zhao Qinghan was so young, just having stepped out of school, yet she was already contemplating the future situation.
"Extraordinaries are like the beings in the Mist; although they're not yet visible, they will inevitably appear. During that special period, various factions within the New Star will clash over interests. It's hard to say what will happen. I hope to have some friends around me who are already strong before the great era arrives," Zhao Qinghan asserted, convinced that there would surely be extraordinary transformations in the future.
Wang Xuan listened quietly, feeling quite impressed with Zhao. What she said was highly likely to happen.
"I'm going to the Secret Realm," Zhao Qinghan declared.
"Old Zhong is really causing trouble," Wang Xuan sighed. Even someone as deeply accomplished as Zhao was breaking down, unable to sit still, and had to go to that planet herself.
"You still say you don't want to go to the Secret Realm? The image of Old Zhong carrying a lifeboat to escape is only circulating in specific circles. The fact that you've seen it means you're already in that group, wanting to approach the Secret Realm," Zhao Qinghan replied.
"Little Zhao, could you be a bit nicer to me? Why are you testing me again?" Wang Xuan inadvertently revealed a flaw.
Zhao Qinghan shot him a glare, then continued, "Old Zhong is impressive. He must foresee various possibilities for the future. Unwilling to die of old age, he made a leap against destiny and actually lived a second life. After this troublemaker appeared, the other old men certainly can't sit still; they'll all want to take a gamble."
Wang Xuan nodded, "Very impressive. While the other old men use the Secret Realm to exhaust practitioners, Old Zhong is eliminating a bunch of old men, forcing everyone to stir up trouble."
Zhao Qinghan: "..."
"You don't need to take such risks," Wang Xuan advised.
Zhao Qinghan shook her head. "If I don't go now, I might not have another chance later. The treasures Old Zhong acquired will likely be taken soon. Besides, the creatures appearing in the Secret Realm are getting stronger and stranger. I worry it will be even more dangerous in the future with powerful extraordinary beings emerging."
She candidly expressed that since an extraordinary transformation would occur in the future, she needed to prepare ahead. She discovered her talent was good and wanted to put in the effort.
Wang Xuan recalled what she had said to Qin Cheng about why she practiced the Old Technique. It was just to maintain her figure, but she ended up succeeding in energy collection and inner cultivation, which had greatly impacted Qin Cheng, who struggled with energy collection.
He guessed that Zhao Qinghan's talent must be quite strong.
"Since you've seen my purple pupils, you must have guessed that long ago, my family also intermarried with the indigenous people." Although Zhao Qinghan had no apparent issues herself, as it was a recessive trait, she worried about future offspring causing problems. She wanted to go to the Secret Realm to resolve this trouble, aiming to settle it for her generation!
"Prepare for the worst," Wang Xuan reminded again, truly unwilling for her to get into trouble.
Zhao Qinghan shook her head, "This might be the last good opportunity!"
"Good opportunity?" Wang Xuan was puzzled.
"A bunch of old men can't sit still; they will definitely bring a large number of experts to charge in. We'll follow behind them," Zhao Qinghan candidly admitted. A few young people would tag along, waiting for the old men to clear the way and then picking up the benefits.
"You young people have so many ideas," Wang Xuan sighed.
He realized that Zhao had a clear plan for herself, foreseeing the extraordinary transformation. She wanted to build up her strength in advance and take control of the Zhao family.
With all her considerations, it was evident that Little Zhao aimed to actively vie for power in the future, and she was proactively encouraging those around her to become stronger and approach the extraordinary, so they could mutually assist each other later.
Zhao Qinghan asked him, "Do you want to go to the Secret Realm? If you do, you can accompany me. If I'm safe, your safety should also be fine."
Without a doubt, being by her side would significantly enhance safety.
"The footsteps of the extraordinary are already near; no one can stop the future trend. Now is the best time to rapidly accumulate and enhance oneself. The Secret Realm has some peculiar treasures that can elevate a person overnight. With all the families mobilizing, they will inevitably collect some treasures. After this action, some might step into the extraordinary realm."
Wang Xuan's emotions stirred; if even Little Zhao dared to go, he, with his master-level strength, naturally felt tempted to visit the Secret Realm in pursuit of the extraordinary!
"Okay, I plan to enter the Secret Realm!" In the end, he made that decision. Sometimes, one needs to be decisive; hesitating might lead to achieving nothing.