Downstairs. Storage Room.

Wisps of incense smoke lazily swirled around Bubai who sat cross-legged on the floor.

His eyes gleamed as he delicately plucked another strand of memory from the sleeping victim, devouring it eagerly.

Sensing the new orb of memory forming in his memory space, a smirk played across his lips. He glanced down at the twins laying flat on the mats next to him, lost in the depths of their dreams.

What was Bubai doing? Well, cultivating of course. What else did you think he meant when he said he was going “fishing”?

Obviously, he is just an honest man doing serious business!

After a gentle exhale, Bubai’s consciousness slipped into his memory space. His focus landed on the newly formed orb, flickering with a preview of the events of the memories.

“Hmm… doesn’t seem to be important.”

So, there was no need to immerse himself in it. After all, his aim had shifted from interrogation to harvesting their special emotional memories, spanning the full spectrum of emotions.

Bubai turned his attention to the twins solar system, “Yes, it’s progressing well. Its size is already catching up to the mother and daughter solar system.”

The dream fishing technique was really helpful in furthering his cultivation. Simply by collecting distinctive memories from the twins allowed him to expand his existing celestial network!

Thus, this had been one of the cornerstones of his cultivation routine.

The orbs generated by dual cultivating with the twins had deteriorated too much, so he can only... milk them dry of their value in another way.

Now, they served as ideal practice subjects for honing his mastery of the dream fishing technique.

Yes, Bubai had already learned the skill, but did anyone really think a technique’s full potential could be unearthed just from a couple of usages?

Naturally not.

Like in many novels of his past, the mastery of a technique had stages. Learning the technique only puts one in the initiation stage.

With each iteration, the technique will edge closer to instinct, eventually entering the novice stage.

Following dedicated practice to perfect the technique will lead one into the adept stage.

Finally, comprehending the profoundness of the technique will open the road into the mastery stage!

Only here will the masters of a technique be able to explore new possibilities, refining their technique, and perhaps even innovate further…

As for the true meaning behind this innovation, it wasn’t mentioned.

However, on multiple accounts, reaching the mastery stage had been hinted to be very important for cultivation in the future.

Of course, this was far into the future, and wasn’t something Bubai should worry about now.

Regardless, it was clear that he was far from mastering the dream fishing technique.

So, he must practice more, especially since he already had an inkling regarding some of the benefits he could gain.

Naturally, the gradually increasing proficiency will allow him to fish for memories more and more efficiently, but the benefits wasn’t only limited to this.

Once he attained a higher mastery, there will be broader applications for the technique!

For example, he can eventually avoid using external aids like the sweet dream incense!

This meant he will not have to find an enclosed room to fish for memories. Using the technique will be so much more convenient.

The best part: he would be able to cut costs!

An even more exciting fact is that this was only the indicator for the transition into the novice stage of the dream fishing technique.

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This meant there was even more benefits once he advanced to a higher stage! The prospects completely thrilled him!

Empowering himself with this enthusiasm, Bubai was ready to jump back into practicing the technique.

Returning to reality, Bubai noticed the presence of the enthusiastic An Jali laying on her belly right before his laps, showcasing her skills that blew him away...

Oh yes, his little brother was also excited. So, double that excitement!

Unable to contain his excitement, he took matters into his own hands, eager to share his surge of enthusiasm…

What was Bubai doing? Oh, nothing unsuitable for children. He was just cultivating.

Bubai was indeed a hard worker. While he extracted a memory orb from a twin using the dream fishing technique, he also skillfully employed his dream catching method to simultaneously generate another orb with his other servant.

See? He took “dual” cultivation to the next level. Ahem.

After charging his doll, Bubai gave her a gentle pat on the head before sending her back into the storage space.

With a sense of duty fulfilled, he tucked on his pants before quickly settling back into a lotus position, just in time to hear the storage room door sliding open.

Glancing over with a straight face, Bubai saw the iceberg beauty standing outside.

Calm and measured, he raised a brow, "Not sleeping more?"

Xiao Lan glanced at the wisps of smoke curling from the incense before stepping inside, seemingly unaffected by the sleep-inducing atmosphere.

In the midst of walking over, she suddenly paused to subtly sniff the air. Her indifferent eyes then swept over the twins before settling on Bubai now standing before her.

Bubai met her scrutiny with an innocent face. "What's wrong?"

After a brief silence, the aloof Xiao Lan shook her head subtly before extending her hand toward him, a spirit stone nestled within her delicate fingers. "Forgot."

With a tilt of his head, Bubai donned a soft smile. "No, I left it for you.”

“…” Xiao Lan pursed her lips, before she whispered, "I've recovered."

Bubai clasped her fingers, closing them around the spirit stone. "Doesn't mean you don't need it. Just accept it."

“It’s not mine.” Her staunch reply came.

Bubai reached up, his fingers gently grazing her ears as he tucked back a strand of her violet hair, "There’s no need to calculate so much between us. What's yours is mine, and what's mine is yours."

Xiao Lan's eyes trembled ever so slightly. She lowered her head, her grip tightening around the spirit stone.

Moments later, she slowly tucked it away into the folds of her sleeves.

Looking back up at him, the aloof woman’s hand took the initiative to intertwine with his.

With a gentle tug, Xiao Lan towed Bubai out of the storage room. Bubai followed her lead, stopping alongside her below a lamp in the hallway.

The situation was intriguing, yet his eyes never left her, innocently inquiring, "What's up?"

Xiao Lan didn’t answer, her delicate fingertips caressing the wall, eventually grasping onto the lamp and began turning…

Squeakkkk.

Like a lever, the lamp was turned upside down, accompanied by the mechanical clunks of hidden mechanisms springing to life...

By the staircase, the seemingly immovable white jade wall gradually receded to the side, revealing the hidden staircase spiraling downwards.

Bubai finally arched an eyebrow in interest. Oh? So, that’s where it was.

However, he didn’t make any hasty moves, letting Xiao Lan lead him forward.

Entering the stairway, his eyes passed over the key slot on the wall before settling onto the back the beauty, watching her the entire way as they descended into the darkness.

Following the staircase, the duo soon stepped into an underground space.

With their entry, the lamp embedded on the wall flickered to life, casting a dim glow that illuminated the cavernous expanse hidden by shadows.

The sight that greeted him was strangely unsettling.

Prison cells stretched out before them, their bars lined up in neat rows. Despite each cells’ relative cleanliness, their white jade walls still bore traces of crimson stains, with chains hanging on each of them.

This was the dungeon. Each tower was equipped with one.

The implications of this place was rather atrocious, yet Bubai wasn’t too surprised.

WeiWei had long hinted at this “secret” in the tower.

Though she refused to share details after whetting his appetite, he had later stumbled upon references to it in the tower architecture book stored in the classified section, and found out about this “secret”.

It’s just that he had never paid it a visit… waiting for the inevitable.

Bubai glanced at Xiao Lan who slowly walked him through the dungeon, silently passing by the empty cells, and couldn’t help but ask, "Why did you bring me here?"

Xiao Lan's steps slowed to a halt. She didn’t turn around, yet her reply came, holding a monotonous tone that mirrored her seemingly detached demeanor, “You have money. You can purchase more.”

Huh? Bubai blinked, momentarily taken aback by her words. Moments later, his brain processed the implications of her words.

With a slight twitch of his lips, he gently squeezed her hand, his firm reply kicking the ball back, "You know I won't waste money on that."

Xiao Lan lowered her head, and Bubai sensed a veil of gloom shrouding her frosty voice as she shot back. "You need.”

Need? Perhaps he may want, but he certainly doesn’t need… as long as his harem doesn’t shrink.

Feeling a strange pang of concern, Bubai softly tugged on her hand intertwined with his, turning her around to face him.

Pulling her into his embrace, his eyes searched hers for answers. "Xiao Lan, what has gotten into you all of a sudden?"

Xiao Lan averted her eyes, her confession barely above a whisper. "The freshness of a rose will fade away.”

Understanding dawned on Bubai when he pieced together her fears. "So that's what you're worried about.”

“Silly girl…” With a sigh, he cupped her face in his hands, his touch gentle yet reassuring.

A soft smile played on his lips. "Xiao Lan, listen up. You don't have to worry about me getting tired of you because..."

“The stars shall fade, the sun himself grow dim with age, but your beauty will never fade in my eyes.”

Bubai’s declaration rung true in the dungeon, prompting Xiao Lan’s glassy eyes to reflect unspoken emotions. Her grip on his robe tightened, her ever so distant voice drifting into his ears.

"Prove it."