38. The Spirit-Guiding Scripture

Ning Xuan watched as Chen Nan unpacked their daily necessities from his spatial storage unit and organized them. While Chen Nan was arranging the refrigerator in the kitchen, he noticed Ning Xuan staring at the stove. He immediately moved over, lifted the pots off the burner, and set them aside to explain, "Mistress, beneath these two pots are geothermal fire canisters. They provide a constant, inexhaustible source of subterranean heat, making them incredibly convenient to use!"

"What would you like for lunch? I brought plenty of the types of beast meat you enjoy," Chen Nan asked with a smile.

"The bag of plant roots I had the mercenaries buy for me—did you bring that?" Ning Xuan asked.

"I did, though only a small amount. However, Mistress, there are many varieties of similar plant roots in the City of Extreme Cold!" Seeing Ning Xuan’s slight displeasure at the small quantity, Chen Nan quickly added.

Chen Nan took the hard, brown, soil-covered roots from his storage unit and placed them in the sink to wash. He did not know what Ning Xuan intended to do with them, but since she had asked, they must have a purpose; doing extra work was better than making a mistake.

Ning Xuan watched him clean the roots. She walked over, weighed them in her hand, tapped them, and then suddenly slammed one onto the hard stove. The loud "bang" startled Chen Nan so much that he took two steps back. He felt an urge to flee, but his leg muscles cramped, rendering him unable to move.

"It has such a hard shell, yet the inside is soft!" Ning Xuan pried open the tough exterior to reveal tender, yellow flesh with a firm, dense texture.

Ning Xuan opened the geothermal burner, fetched a thin frying pan, coated the bottom with grease, and placed the yellow flesh on it to roast. On the other burner, she wasn't idle; she took a few pieces of her favorite beast meat and grilled them as well. Chen Nan had already set up the spice rack, placing her most frequently used seasonings on it. The sizzling sound of rendered fat filled the kitchen, and soon, an enticing aroma permeated the room. After about ten minutes, the yellow flesh became fluffy, its surface turning a crispy, golden brown. A unique, sweet fragrance filled the air.

As Chen Nan caught the scent, his mouth began to water. It was an incredibly tempting aroma, one he had never smelled before.

Ning Xuan used a dinner knife to cut off a small piece, which released an even more fragrant scent. "Here, taste it! See if it’s poisonous." Based on her assessment, the flavor was similar to the sweet potatoes from Earth, so it should be toxin-free.

Chen Nan obediently ate what she handed him. It was sweet, soft, and had a delicate, smooth texture—an exceptionally rare delicacy.

"Reporting to Mistress, this food is non-toxic!" As a Spirit Controller with heightened senses, Chen Nan didn't even need to swallow to detect if there were any toxins present.

Truth be told, even the top-tier ingredients from A-class stars were not necessarily as delicious as this. However, while non-toxic, this food provided little of the energy required by an esper's abilities and offered minimal benefit to the Mistress.

Ning Xuan also cut a small piece. Although it didn't taste exactly like the sweet potatoes from her memories, it was remarkably free of fibers and grit. It would likely have an even better texture if dried into fruit strips.

The issue Chen Nan perceived regarding the lack of energy replenishment was actually due to his own high level. From Ning Xuan’s perspective, this food provided slightly more energy than the local plants grown on D-class stars, though it was certainly far inferior to the specialties found on A-class stars.

After they finished lunch, Chen Nan asked if she wanted to see the geothermal alchemy room. Ning Xuan looked at Chen Nan, who was covered in injuries. "Can you go out in your condition?"

"I can. I know you wish to improve your strength, and your affairs are of the utmost importance!" Chen Nan felt that he was safest when Ning Xuan was busy and unable to pay close attention to him.

Ning Xuan nodded. She was indeed interested in the so-called geothermal resources here. Refining potions, especially specialized ones, had high requirements for heat. She had previously used ordinary flames, which resulted in very low efficiency.

However, specialized flames were also much harder to control. Ning Xuan wasn't certain if her current level of mental control was sufficient to manage geothermal fire.

During this time, Ning Xuan had been practicing the "Soul Nourishing Scripture" while using the "Spirit Guiding Scripture" to channel the special energy within her to nourish her acupoints and blood vessels. Ever since the sudden surge and boiling sensation in her blood, she had become capable of generating a special energy similar to spiritual essence. Not only did it wake the dormant Ghost-Faced Red Vine, but from then on, that special energy appeared in her blood from time to time. If it accumulated too much, it caused a burning, boiling sensation in her body.

Ning Xuan tried using the "Spirit Guiding Scripture" to draw this special energy from her blood and infuse it into her acupoints and meridians, which surprisingly alleviated the burning, boiling sensation.

The "Spirit Guiding Scripture" was a technique from the cultivation world designed to draw external spiritual essence into the body. Since this world lacked such essence, she had originally thought it impossible to practice, but she hadn't expected it to be used in this way.

The geothermal alchemy room was not far from Chen Nan’s house, built underground. From the outside, it looked like a small door that could only accommodate two people walking side-by-side, behind which was an elevator leading deep underground.

"Mistress, it is very hot below. Let me help you remove your cloak and thermal gear," Chen Nan said respectfully.

The elevator moved quickly, and Ning Xuan could already feel the change in the external temperature. Since they were just outer garments, she did not refuse Chen Nan’s help. By the time she had changed, the elevator had stopped.

Ning Xuan stepped out of the elevator, and a scorching, intense heat wave hit her. Under the stimulation of this heat, the rate at which her blood produced the special energy seemed to accelerate.

It was said that every Spirit Controller's ability had a different attribute. Judging by the reaction in her blood, could it be that the ability she was about to awaken was of the fire attribute?

"Brother Chen, why have you come to the geothermal room? Are you looking for a specific alchemist?" A male Spirit Controller in his twenties saw Chen Nan and came over to greet him.

Before Chen Nan could answer, the man looked at Ning Xuan, scratched his head in embarrassment, and grinned. "Brother Chen, I've never seen this lady before. Is she visiting the City of Extreme Cold for the first time?"

"Mistress, his name is Qu Jieyou. He is a long-term resident here and is very familiar with the area. If you have any questions, you can ask him."

"Jieyou, this is my Mistress. You may address her as Miss Ning," Chen Nan introduced them.

Qu Jieyou’s eyes widened in surprise. "Brother Chen, you’ve actually formed a bond? I thought... wait, are you injured?"

Chen Nan had applied medicine to the wounds on his face and had changed his clothes, so they weren't immediately noticeable at a glance. However, the scent of fresh blood still lingered on him, and the wound on the back of his hand, where a vine had pierced through, had not fully healed. Qu Jieyou noticed it the moment he got close.