After being tactfully dismissed from the classroom by Teacher Qu, Chen Nan walked over to the Alchemy Department building. He lingered outside for a long time, but ultimately decided not to go in.
Before coming to the D-level Star, he had wondered if having a Low-level Female Spirit Controller from a D-level Star with no background as his Contractor would be the key to escaping a fate of being controlled by others.
Low-level Female Spirit Controllers are unable to soothe High-level Male Spirit Controllers. Therefore, their value to society is primarily their reproductive contribution. They are responsible for bearing children, while their Contractors are responsible for providing for them.
If their Contractors died from a collapse of spiritual power or excessive mutation, the women could be rematched with others. Thus, for the men contracted to a Low-level Female Spirit Controller, they enjoyed a high degree of freedom. Generally, as long as they paid living expenses on time, they had no other responsibilities.
Thus, when he saw that the Master Brain had matched him with a low-level female Contractor from a low-level star, Chen Nan felt a fleeting sense of relief.
And yet, for some reason, upon meeting Ning Xuan, he felt an instinctive urge to submit to her. The etiquette he had been taught since childhood for dealing with a Contractor automatically took over, dictating his actions.
Now that he had failed to complete his Contractor's request, he felt rather uneasy.
After hesitating for a while, he opened his Light Computer's contacts, found Cui Mingxuan, and initiated a call. He remembered that of all his friends, only Cui Mingxuan was any good at cooking, and decided to ask him for advice.
"Hey, Ah Nan, are your injuries any better? I heard you were getting matched with a Contractor and were busy learning her family's rules. What gives you time to call me?" Cui Mingxuan's voice was filled with concern, clear evidence that he'd heard a few things.
"I'm already with my Contractor," Chen Nan said after a brief silence. "I need to learn how to cook. Mingxuan, you got any secrets? Teach me, quick!"
"What? You're already with your Contractor? Wait, aren't you having a Contract ceremony? Or did you just not invite me? Who is the Contractor? Weren't you supposed to be matched with the Bai Family's second miss? It happened so fast?" Cui Mingxuan fired off, his voice quick and anxious. He was worried for his friend. After all, the Bai Family was powerful, and their second miss had a terrible reputation.
"Don't make such a fuss. My Contractor is on a Low-class Star, and I formed the Contract behind my family's back. Don't tell anyone. Now, just give me your cooking tips. I need to make dinner for my Contractor!" Chen Nan pressed.
"A Low-class Star?" Cui Mingxuan lowered his voice. "Ah Nan, do your mother and the family approve?" He had already guessed his friend had done this behind their backs.
"Which is why you have to keep it a secret!" Chen Nan retorted, as if stating the obvious.
"If you form a Contract with one of those little lambs from a Low-class Star, and your family disapproves, she'll be assassinated. After all, even with a spiritual connection between you, her Level is so low her death would barely affect you! How long do you think you can keep this a secret anyway!" Cui Mingxuan reasoned.
"I will protect her!" Chen Nan's eyes darkened. Cui Mingxuan was right; for Ning Xuan, forming a Contract with him was not exactly a good thing.
"Stop changing the subject. Just hurry up and tell me what you've learned about cooking!" Chen Nan pressed.
"You found a Contractor on a Low-class Star, and she's already ordering you around? What's in it for you, then? Alright, alright. I've recorded some cooking videos before. I'll send them over in a bit." Sensing Chen Nan's impatience, Cui Mingxuan quickly changed the subject.
'He must have deliberately found a Contractor from a Low-class Star to defy his family,' Cui Mingxuan thought. 'Now he feels guilty about the trouble he's going to cause this temporary human shield, so he's trying to compensate her by granting her every wish before the family finds out.'
Meanwhile, Chen Nan watched the video tutorials while using his Light Computer to exercise his privileges as a Lieutenant General Officer, ordering high-quality ingredients from a High-level Star on the interstellar express delivery network.
And so, for dinner, Ning Xuan found herself eating High-level Exotic Beast Meat that resembled beef. Though the preparation was crude, the meat itself was tender, neither tough nor dry, and had no off-putting smell. The texture was surprisingly pleasant.
After she finished, a pleasant warmth spread through her abdomen. This kind of meat was clearly beneficial for improving one's physique.
When Chen Nan saw a faint smile of satisfaction finally appear on Ning Xuan's face, the knot of anxiety in his chest at last loosened.
"What kind of Exotic Beast is this from? The meat is excellent. Buy more of it—I want to use it for dinner tomorrow!" Ning Xuan had browsed countless types of meat on the Star Network, but she'd never seen this one before and had no idea where Chen Nan had gotten it.
"Contractor, this is meat from the back of an Earth Deer Beast, a Star Beast unique to Star A104. If you like it, I will make it for you again tomorrow!" Chen Nan was already calculating the balance in his Star Network account. 'If she only eats food of this Level, my monthly military stipend definitely won't cut it. Thankfully, I still have a good amount saved up. It should be enough to last for a while.'
Ning Xuan started to feel a little embarrassed. 'Even if this man showed up out of nowhere with ulterior motives and can't be trusted, I've still genuinely benefited from his care. A specialty product from an A-level Star has to be incredibly expensive, and probably isn't something you can get with money alone.'
"I'll cook for you tomorrow!" she declared. While studying how to process Exotic Plants, she had discovered a plant that tasted like Sichuan peppercorn, a fruit similar to a lemon, and a lantern fruit that resembled a chili pepper. They would make for some simple seasonings when she grilled the meat.
Over the next few days, Ning Xuan blazed through her Alchemy Department studies. She familiarized herself with all kinds of Exotic Plants and Exotic Beasts, comparing them to the animals, plants, Spirit Plants, and Spiritual Beasts she already knew. All the while, she never stopped her Cultivation of the Soul Nourishing Scripture—the Cultivation Technique even continued to run on its own while she slept!
Just over twenty days after her spiritual power awakened, Ning Xuan passed the final examination for the Alchemy Department's Intermediate Class and ascended to the Advanced Academy.
The Advanced Academy was divided into three years. Ning Xuan was now set to begin the first-year curriculum. Unlike the Intermediate Academy, which only required a single graduation exam, the Advanced Academy's assessment process was more rigorous. Each year had its own final exam, and only by passing the first-year exam could a student be promoted to the second year.
Ning Xuan opened her academic record to check and saw it had been updated.
School: Xingluo Bay Middle and High Level Joint Academy
Department: Advanced Academy
Program Length: Three years
Year: First Year
Major: Alchemy
Career Prospects: Pharmaceutical research institutes, various pharmaceutical corporations
Grades:
Medicinal Material Identification: A
Medicinal Material Processing: A
Trial Medicine Production: A
Comments: Excellent performance. Eligible for advanced studies.