Wang Xuan turned to look at Zhao Qinghan behind him. Since their faces were so close, he could smell her faint, refreshing fragrance.

Zhao Qinghan gazed at him, her eyes sparkling, and the soft breath she exhaled brushed against his face. She had no fear and was about to speak. At that moment, however, Wang Xuan set her down from his back because Ma Dazongshi was becoming dissatisfied.

Ma Dazongshi was snorting white light in frustration. Didn't they see it was fiercely battling the enemy, trying to stop them from escaping? Instead, the two men were just exchanging glances like everything was fine!

It let out a series of irritable calls, venting its displeasure, almost ready to quit the fight altogether and simply let the person go.

Wang Xuan quickly walked over, causing the Dazongshi from Heluo Star to shudder in fear. In fact, since he had seen this person from Eura Star return, his heart had sunk, knowing that his three companions were likely dead.

He wanted to flee immediately, but the horse was unwilling to let him go. As he turned around, Ma Dazongshi unleashed a bolt of lightning, hitting him squarely, leaving his body feeling a bit numb.

After consuming the fruit core of the Demon Fruit, Ma Dazongshi's lightning had become significantly more powerful!

Boom!

Wang Xuan approached, and with a snap of his fingers, a terrifying flame shot out, striking the man's body and turning his alloy armor red hot. He let out a scream and quickly resonated his organs, using secret powers to block the flames. In an instant, he nearly burned to death!

Ma Dazongshi seized the opportunity, spitting out a bolt of lightning that sent the man flying. It leaped into the air, displaying extraordinary agility and lightness, and swiftly caught up with the opponent, executing a "Horse Trampling Flying Swallow" maneuver!

It proudly landed on the man, feeling that this move was quite clever, almost like an artful technique. Then, it started frolicking, kicking and stomping, quickly taking half of the Dazongshi's life.

Wang Xuan decided not to intervene any longer, completely leaving it to Ma Dazongshi.

As the sun began to rise, everything started anew. Dewdrops rolled on the leaves of flowers and vines, sparkling in the morning glow, while all kinds of plants were full of life.

The sunlit forest shimmered with energy, looking peaceful yet also dangerous. In the sky, a massive bird of prey pierced through the dawn, screeching sharply, while distant monsters howled, shaking the serene beauty of the morning forest.

This was the Secret Realm, reminding everyone to stay alert.

Zhao Qinghan, tall and graceful, walked over lightly. She completely ignored the sounds of birds and beasts in the depths of the forest. Her delicate, snow-white face shone in the morning glow.

Her shoulder-length hair seemed to radiate light, and her eyes sparkled as she approached Wang Xuan without speaking.

"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you to keep quiet?" Wang Xuan withdrew his gaze from Ma Dazongshi and turned to her.

"Not afraid," Zhao Qinghan stood in front of him, her height around one hundred seventy centimeters, looking up at him with a smile.

"I'll keep your secret."

Usually quite aloof, Zhao Qinghan appeared especially radiant and lovely when she smiled, exuding an aura of youthfulness and sweetness.

"No one else will know that you've become a Dazongshi in such a short time. This is our secret!" Zhao Qinghan said with a smile, seeming pleased to have such a secret that belonged only to the two of them.

Today, she was shocked to see Wang Xuan dispatch the Dazongshi from another realm one after another. She never expected that the classmate she was familiar with had reached such a level.

At that moment, she felt a bit dazed, finding it hard to believe.

Because this was someone she knew well, yet his true power was astonishing.

In the gentle light of the rising sun, Zhao Qinghan's lips curved into a smile, placing her hands on Wang Xuan's shoulders as she looked closely at him.

She gently stood on her toes, quickly planted a kiss on his face, and then stepped back, her red lips looking particularly alluring in the morning glow.

This action took Wang Xuan by surprise.

When he joked about killing to keep secrets, she clearly understood it was a joke, and he believed she wouldn't disclose his secret.

To him, Zhao Qinghan was rational and intelligent, with her own principles, adept at handling situations, yet she treated him well.

Before coming to the Secret Realm, she had said that as long as she was safe, he wouldn't be in danger.

Once they arrived here, she indeed kept him by her side, even sleeping nearby at night.

Because of this, Wang Xuan was willing to take risks to save her, crossing under the claws of monsters together beneath the night moon.

In the Secret Realm, their relationship had naturally become closer, having experienced life-and-death trials together, leading to significant development.

One could say they had become true comrades who had gone through hardships together, close friends and classmates who could trust each other.

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However, regarding the possibility of progressing to a deeper relationship—romance—Wang Xuan felt they were still lacking.

In this regard, he was very rational and had a clear understanding.

He believed Zhao Qinghan was even more rational and calm.

After going through hardships together, Wang Xuan had done everything he could to save her, and Zhao Qinghan should feel moved. But if it were to directly translate into affection, something was missing.

On this front, he knew Zhao Qinghan well.

She had clear plans for her future and was incredibly composed. Even during their student days, she had already been responsible for handling some specific affairs of the Zhao family.

In a high-tech New Star, living in a modern city, she had the power to utilize some of her family's resources and strength, possessing a strong sense of independence and self.

Long ago, Wang Xuan had told Qin Cheng that ordinary people couldn't handle Zhao, warning his friend to be clear-headed and realistic.

In fact, that was also his own clear perception.

Thus, Zhao Qinghan's action just now caught him off guard.

Upon reflection, having experienced so much together in the Secret Realm, Wang Xuan had saved Zhao Qinghan from life-threatening situations multiple times. She might have shown this rare emotional side due to feeling touched.

However, they had not truly spent enough time together, so Wang Xuan was very clear-headed and did not indulge in self-importance.

He felt that their relationship was more than just friends, but definitely not quite lovers yet.

Zhao Qinghan stepped back two paces. Aside from the brief moment when she kissed Wang Xuan's cheek and her body slightly tensed up, she quickly became calm and composed, showing no sign of embarrassment.

Bathed in the soft morning sunlight, she smiled with bright, beautiful eyes and said, "I think, although we've known each other for a while, we've only just started really getting to know each other. You've saved me many times, and I'm very grateful, deeply moved even. For a moment, I was touched. But I must admit, we're more than friends, yet definitely not lovers. Not quite there yet."

She admitted that, in the dangerous environment of the Secret Realm, where her life was constantly in jeopardy, she had become much more emotionally vulnerable.

Feeling moved after being saved and knowing that she was the only one privy to his secret, she acted on impulse and kissed his cheek earlier.

What else could Wang Xuan say? He could only sigh. As expected of the goddess Zhao, she remained calm and composed even afterward, nothing like other girls who would've been embarrassed.

"Do you have anything to say?" Zhao Qinghan asked with a smile, her tall and elegant figure poised.

"You've already said everything. What do you want me to say?" Wang Xuan stared at her, watching her slightly curled red lips, which appeared even more captivating in the morning glow. He couldn't help but feel that, as a man, he was too passive, completely dominated by her.

"I feel like you teased me, so I have to return the favor." As she spoke, Wang Xuan didn't hesitate. He cupped her face in his hands and firmly planted a kiss on her soft, snow-white cheek.

Then, he moved to kiss her alluring red lips, but before he could even touch them, her slender fingers gently blocked him.

Wang Xuan didn't insist and instead kissed her other cheek.

Only then did he feel like he hadn't let down his fellow men—he had doubled down and wasn't so passive anymore.

Zhao Qinghan took out a compact mirror from her bag and looked at her reflection for the first time with a slightly flushed face. There were two distinct red marks on each side of her cheeks.

She glared at Wang Xuan and said, "Why so hard?!"

"People who practice the Golden Body Technique have a good physique!" Wang Xuan said with a radiant smile.

Just then, both of them noticed something unusual. They quickly turned around to see Grandmaster Ma poking its large head around, its eyes deep and mysterious, clearly spying on the two of them.

"This horse really is becoming a spirit. How did it sneak over without making a sound? Look at its expression—what could it be thinking?!" Wang Xuan slapped it away.

Zhao Qinghan observed carefully and was surprised. "Huh, its body is bulging on both sides. Could it be growing wings?"

Wang Xuan examined it closely and said, "It's going through a second transformation. Alright, hurry up and become a pegasus. Soon, you'll be flying us across the skies, exploring the depths of the Secret Realm."

Grandmaster Ma raised its head proudly, looking disdainfully at Wang Xuan, as if the heavens were too low for its ambitions.

Wang Xuan glanced at the ground not far away. The grandmaster from Heluo Star had long since breathed his last, trampled to death by the white colt during its playful romp.

Next, Wang Xuan moved through the forest, stripping the armor off four grandmasters and searching their bodies for valuable loot.

Later, he found an opportunity to take out a set of battle armor from the fragment of the blessed land, which he had obtained from the Olarian, and gave it to Zhao Qinghan.

"There's plenty of armor. We'll even dress up Grandmaster Ma later," Wang Xuan said.

Zhao Qinghan accepted the armor and battle suits, then told Wang Xuan to take off the Olarian battle suit he was wearing. She wanted to carefully wash all of them in the spring.

Then, she saw what Wang Xuan was wearing underneath—an inner garment made from tree bark! She couldn't help but laugh.

What could Wang Xuan do? He turned and left, heading into the forest to search for those iron arrows, feeling like he couldn't stay here any longer.

He thought the archer's weapons were pretty good and decided to keep them.

When he returned, he found Zhao Qinghan meticulously cleaning each piece of armor and battle gear. He quickly said, "There's no need to wash the armor for Grandmaster Ma."

Grandmaster Ma immediately grew angry, glaring at Wang Xuan with annoyance, thinking about breaking ties and going their separate ways.

But then it remembered that it had only been a few days since it met Wang Xuan, and it had already eaten mysterious insects and the core of a demonic fruit. These things were greatly beneficial to its evolution.

"Better clean it thoroughly," Zhao Qinghan suggested.

Grandmaster Ma nodded repeatedly, but a moment later, it didn't want to look at the two of them anymore!

Zhao Qinghan smiled and said, "After all, we're going to be riding it."

Wang Xuan was sorting through the spoils of war when he suddenly noticed a peculiar metal plate among the items taken from the archer's body.

He had seen something like this before—a similar plate he had collected from the Olarian. He retrieved it from the fragment of the blessed land.

Both metal plates were only about the size of a palm, silver-gray, ancient, and covered with intricate engravings. They were extremely hard, seemingly made of some alloy.

He hadn't paid much attention to them before, but now he couldn't help but give them another look.

He opened his mental field and carefully examined the plates, feeling that something was off about them.

When Wang Xuan tried to extend his mental field into the plates, he encountered resistance, as if a strange force was blocking him.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed harder, but then quickly withdrew his mental field.

"There's definitely something strange going on!" Wang Xuan was astonished. He had managed to draw out some mysterious essence from inside the plates!

Both plates contained dense amounts of mysterious energy sealed within them!

"Could it be that these teams are fighting to collect and steal each other's metal plates?" Wang Xuan mused, showing a look of intrigue. He turned and asked Zhao Qinghan, "What do these plates look like to you?"

Zhao Qinghan, gracefully bent over the spring as she cleaned the armor, her curves soft and elegant, glanced back and said, "They look like keys, like ancient keys inserted into grooves."

Wang Xuan immediately began imagining all sorts of things and then smiled with excitement, muttering to himself, "Could there be a hidden cave that requires mysterious energy to open?"

If that were the case, then he himself would be the key! There would be no need to collect any more metal plates.

"Could it be that there's a remnant Inner Landscape somewhere in the outer region of the Secret Realm, or maybe an Inner Landscape treasure?" Wang Xuan guessed excitedly.

"A rare artifact left behind by an ancient immortal, hidden within an Inner Landscape treasure?" His eyes sparkled with excitement!