23. Retesting

Ning Xuan woke up feeling physically and mentally refreshed. Sensing someone beside her, she turned her head to find a young man with golden hair looking at her shyly.

Once a man and woman have shared intimacy, their relationship is never the same. Looking at him now, Ning Xuan no longer found him rigid or dull; instead, he seemed utterly delicious.

"Good morning, Master," Chen Nan said, a faint blush spreading across his fair skin. Around his neck was a silver restraint collar, and the exposed skin beneath it was covered in a dense cluster of red marks. Seeing this, Ning Xuan felt a surge of heat and immediately pounced on him.

"Mmm..." Ning Xuan’s lips nibbled at Chen Nan’s fragile throat, sending electric currents darting through his body. Chen Nan could sense that her biting was mere playfulness, devoid of genuine passion, yet she perhaps did not realize what kind of reaction her teasing provoked in his body.

"Your face is so red. Ah Nan, last night, I..." Before Ning Xuan could finish her sentence, Chen Nan’s face turned scarlet. He hurriedly covered her mouth. "Master, we should get up!" He dared not let her continue; his master, despite being born into the lower classes, was far more shameless in her words and actions regarding such matters than the noblewomen of the High-Rank Stars.

"Oh? Can you even get up? You can take the day off, you know!" Ning Xuan teased, looking him up and down.

Chen Nan bit his lip, and Ning Xuan reached out to pinch his cheek. "Stop biting. If you keep at it, you’ll break the skin again!" His bright red lips looked so luscious they made her feel ravenous.

"Gurgle..." Ning Xuan’s stomach let out a loud growl. She was truly hungry.

"I’m sorry, Master. I’ll go prepare breakfast for you right away!" Chen Nan scrambled to pull off the quilt and get out of bed to find his clothes. However, the moment his feet touched the floor, he stumbled, feeling as though he were walking on cotton with no strength in his legs. He shot Ning Xuan a look of complaint, then lowered his head in shame.

"Come here!" Ning Xuan raised an eyebrow.

Chen Nan obediently approached. Ning Xuan reached out, gripped the restraint collar, and pressed a circular button on its side. With a click, the collar unlocked.

Chen Nan’s strength instantly returned, and the weakness and soreness in his legs and waist were greatly alleviated. Ning Xuan could feel the muscles beneath her hand firm up instantly, and she gave them a satisfied squeeze.

"Master..." Chen Nan wanted to say that removing the collar was against the rules, but in his heart, he didn't want to wear it all the time. His expression was conflicted.

"I need to go for a retest of my mental power today, and I also need to check my brain capacity. You’re coming with me!" Ning Xuan tossed the collar onto the bed and stood up.

Chen Nan quickly gathered the pile of clothes from the side table and handed Ning Xuan her outfit.

"Fine. Our situation has changed, and you still need to protect me. So, for now, save the collar for when we’re home," Ning Xuan said, sweeping her gaze over his neck suggestively. It was fun to have him rigid in public and softer once they were behind closed doors.

Back in the Light Capital, Chen Nan had often been subjected to the lecherous gazes of noblewomen. Back then, he had only felt disgust and repulsion. But now, though his master’s gaze was equally improper, he only felt his body grow hot and his heart beat like a drum.

Chen Nan went downstairs to cook, but upon opening the refrigerator, he found that the food he had stored—enough to fill the entire fridge—had vanished, leaving only a few pieces of low-grade beast meat that Ning Xuan had previously turned her nose up at.

Chen Nan stared at the empty fridge, bewildered. Was there a thief in the house? Ning Xuan happened to come downstairs just then. Seeing his confusion, she immediately recalled what had happened after they returned home yesterday. It seemed that her latent spirit had shown signs of awakening, but for some reason, it hadn't gone smoothly. The generation of special energy had exhausted her reserves, causing the Ghost-Faced Red Vine—which had been dormant—to wake up and help her calm her agitated blood. Afterward, she had felt an abnormal hunger and ended up eating the entire month's worth of stored food.

Thinking of this, Ning Xuan gave a sheepish smile. "Um, I ate it all. Maybe you could buy some more?" she said, feeling a bit embarrassed. The types of meat she liked were specialties from A-Rank Stars and were quite expensive.

"Very well, Master. I’ll place an order right now!" Despite his lingering confusion, Chen Nan didn't ask further and pulled out his light-computer to order the food.

"Master, shall we eat breakfast out?" Chen Nan asked after quickly placing the order.

"Yes, let's. Go change your clothes and let's go!" Ning Xuan had no interest in the local eateries. Since arriving, she had eaten almost nothing but various meats; there were no vegetables or fruits to be found at all.

After breakfast, the two took a flying car to the Information Registration Center in District D. Ning Xuan’s main task today was to retest her mental power value and measure her brain capacity. After checking her basic information, the staff led her to the second floor and calibrated the equipment. Ning Xuan put on the mental power helmet connected to the device. It felt just like last time: she sensed a hidden mental force probing into her sea of consciousness. This force was very gentle and lacked any aggression. The only difference was that while the probe had retreated immediately last time, this time it lingered in her mind for a full minute before withdrawing.

Ning Xuan took off the helmet and looked at the staff member. He was staring blankly at the screen, which displayed a comparison of the two test results. Seeing Ning Xuan look over, he snapped back to reality and said with eager enthusiasm, "Congratulations, Ms. Ning. Your retested mental power value is 875, and your grade assessment is C."

A mental power value of 1-10 is Grade F, 11-50 is Grade E, 51-100 is Grade D, and 101-1000 is Grade C.

Grade C is a broad range and a difficult watershed to cross. Because Ning Chuchu had two high-status contractors, she had begun mental power training long ago and reached Grade C three years ago. Last year, her value grew to 398, and the families of Wu Di and Wang Chen had brought her to an A-Rank Star, providing her with top-tier mental power-enhancing potions. Even so, her current value was only 670.

Chen Nan also saw the results. His expression was complex—a mix of pleasant surprise and a touch of loss. In truth, when he established the mental link with her yesterday, he had sensed that Ning Xuan’s mental power was far higher than the recorded data. But seeing the results today, while pleasantly surprised, he couldn't help but feel a bit dejected. Based on today’s reading and her rate of growth, it would be effortless for her to break through to Grade B once she reached adulthood. Grade B females were considered "Controllers," and by then, she would undoubtedly have other contractors.