Ning Xuan watched as Chen Nan took their daily necessities out of the Space Button and sorted them. While he was organizing the kitchen refrigerator, he noticed Ning Xuan staring at the stove. Chen Nan immediately walked over, lifted the pot from the stove, set it aside, and explained, "Contractor, underneath these two burners are two Earth Fire Bottles. They can produce a continuous supply of Earth Fire, making them very convenient to use!"

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

"What about the bag of plant roots I bought from the mercenaries? Did you bring it?" Ning Xuan asked.

"I brought some, but just a few. However, Contractor, there are many varieties of similar plant roots in Extreme Cold City!" Chen Nan quickly added, seeing Ning Xuan’s displeased expression at how little he’d brought.

Chen Nan took the hard, brown, dirt-caked roots out of his Space Button, placed them in the sink, and washed them clean. He didn’t know what Ning Xuan wanted with these plant roots, but since she’d asked, they must be useful. ’Can’t go wrong doing a little extra work,’ he thought.

Ning Xuan watched him finish washing the plant roots and walked over. She weighed one in her hand, tapped it, and then suddenly slammed it onto the hard countertop. With a loud BANG, she startled Chen Nan so badly that he stumbled back two steps. He wanted to run, but his legs cramped up. ’Looks like I’m not going anywhere!’ he thought.

"To think it has such a hard shell, but it’s actually soft inside!" Ning Xuan pulled apart the tough outer skin, revealing a pale yellow flesh that was firm and dense.

Ning Xuan activated the Earth Fire Bottle, fetched a thin-bottomed pan, and greased the surface. She placed the peeled, pale yellow flesh in the pan to roast. The other burner didn’t stay idle; Ning Xuan grabbed a few pieces of her favorite beast meat and put them on to grill as well. Chen Nan had already set up the spice rack with all her usual seasonings. Soon, the SIZZLE of hot grease filled the air, followed by an enticing aroma that permeated the kitchen. After about ten minutes, the pale yellow flesh had puffed up considerably, its surface turning a crisp, golden brown. A uniquely sweet fragrance began to spread through the air.

Chen Nan’s mouth watered as he caught a whiff of the scent. ’It smells so tempting,’ he thought. ’I’ve never smelled anything like this before!’

Ning Xuan cut off a small piece from the edge with a knife. The inside was even more fragrant. "Here, try it," she said. "See if it’s poisonous." ’Based on my judgment, this smells similar to a sweet potato from Earth,’ Ning Xuan thought. ’It should be non-toxic.’

Chen Nan obediently ate the piece of food Ning Xuan handed him. It was sweet and soft, with a delicate texture—a rare delicacy, much to his surprise.

"Contractor, this food is non-toxic!" As a Spirit Controller, Chen Nan had exceptionally keen senses; he could tell if something was poisonous without even swallowing.

’Honestly,’ Chen Nan thought, ’even the finest ingredients from an A-level Star might not be this delicious. However, while the food isn’t poisonous, it doesn’t provide the energy a Superpower Body requires. It’s not of much use to the Contractor.’

Ning Xuan cut a small piece for herself as well. ’It doesn’t taste exactly like the sweet potatoes I remember, but it’s wonderfully smooth and fiber-free,’ she mused. ’It would probably be even better roasted into chips!’

Chen Nan’s belief that it couldn’t replenish a Superpower Body’s energy was simply because his Level was too high. From Ning Xuan’s perspective, the food provided slightly more energy than native plants from a D-level Star—though, of course, it was a far cry from the specialty products of an A-level Star.

After they finished lunch, Chen Nan asked Ning Xuan if she wanted to go see the Earth Fire Refining Room. Ning Xuan looked at the still-injured Chen Nan. "You can go out in your condition?"

"I can. I know you want to improve your strength, and your business is what’s important, Contractor!" Chen Nan felt that he would be safer when Ning Xuan was too busy to pay attention to him.

Ning Xuan nodded. She was indeed very interested in the so-called Earth Fire Resources here. ’Alchemy, especially when crafting special medicine, has very high requirements for the flame,’ she thought. ’I’ve only ever used ordinary fire, which made my alchemy very inefficient!’

’Then again, special flames are much harder to control than ordinary ones. With my current level of spiritual power, I’m not sure I can control Earth Fire at all.’

Recently, Ning Xuan had been practicing the *Soul Nourishing Scripture* while using the *Guiding Spirit Scripture* to guide a special energy within her body to nourish her acupoints and bloodline. Ever since that sudden turmoil when her blood had boiled, it had become capable of producing a special energy similar to Spiritual Energy. This had not only awakened the dormant Ghost-faced Red Vine, but from that point on, the special energy would appear in her blood from time to time. If too much of it accumulated, her body would be filled with a scorching, boiling sensation.

Ning Xuan had tried using the *Guiding Spirit Scripture* to draw this special energy out of her blood and channel it into her acupoints and meridians. To her surprise, doing so relieved the scorching, boiling sensation.

The *Guiding Spirit Scripture* was a Cultivation Method for drawing external Spiritual Energy into the body. This world had no Spiritual Energy, so she had originally thought it was impossible to practice here. ’I never expected it could be used this way.’

The Earth Fire Refining Room wasn’t far from Chen Nan’s house. It was built underground, and from the outside, it looked like a small door, just wide enough for two people to pass through side-by-side. Behind the door was an elevator leading down.

"Contractor, it’s very hot downstairs. Let me help you with your cloak and thermal suit," Chen Nan said respectfully.

The elevator descended quickly, and Ning Xuan could already feel the temperature rising outside. Since it was only her outerwear, she didn’t refuse Chen Nan’s help. Just as she finished removing the layers, the elevator stopped.

As Ning Xuan stepped out of the elevator, a wave of scorching heat hit her. ’Under this searing heat,’ she realized, ’the rate at which my blood produces that special energy seems to be accelerating!’

’They say every Spirit Controller’s Superpower Body has a different attribute. Judging by my blood’s reaction, could it be that the Superpower Body I’m about to awaken is a Fire attribute?’

"Brother Chen, what brings you to the Earth Fire Room? Are you looking for a particular Alchemist?" a male Spirit Controller in his twenties asked as he walked over to greet Chen Nan.

Before Chen Nan could reply, the man’s gaze fell on Ning Xuan. He scratched his head sheepishly and broke into a grin. "Brother Chen, I’ve never seen this young lady before. Is this her first time in Extreme Cold City?"

"Contractor, this is Qu Jieyou. He’s pretty much a permanent resident and knows this place well. You can ask him if you have any questions."

"Jie You, this is my Contractor. You can call her Miss Ning," Chen Nan said, introducing the two.

Qu Jieyou’s eyes widened in surprise. "Brother Chen, you actually formed a Contract? I thought you were... Wait, you—you’re injured?"

Chen Nan had applied medicine to the cuts on his face and changed his clothes, so his injuries weren’t obvious at a glance. However, the faint smell of blood still clung to him, and the puncture wound on the back of his hand from a vine hadn’t fully healed. Qu Jieyou noticed it all as soon as he got closer.