Not Quite Lovers

Wang Xuan turned around and looked at Zhao Qinghan behind him. Because their faces were very close, he could smell her faint fragrance.

Zhao Qinghan looked at him, her eyes bright, and her faint breath brushed against his face. She had nothing to be afraid of and was about to speak.

At this moment, Wang Xuan put her down from his back because Great Grandmaster Horse was dissatisfied.

Great Grandmaster Horse's nostrils were practically emitting white light; he was furious. Didn't he see it kicking and biting as it fiercely fought its enemy, desperately trying to stop them from escaping?

But the two of them... actually acted like nothing had happened, exchanging glances!

It cried out, hissing, venting its intense dissatisfaction. It almost gave up and decided to just let the person go.

Wang Xuan walked over quickly, which immediately sent chills down the spine of the Great Grandmaster from Heluo Star.

In fact, ever since he saw the people from the Oula Star return, his heart sank, knowing that his three companions had most likely been killed.

He wanted to run away immediately, but the horse fought him to the death. As soon as he turned around, the horse spat out lightning and struck him squarely. His body was still a little numb.

After Great Grandmaster Horse ate the core of the Demon Fruit, the power of the lightning he spat out increased dramatically!

Boom!

Wang Xuan walked over, and with a flick of his finger, a terrifying beam of light shot out, striking the man's body and turning his Alloy Armor bright red.

He let out a scream and hurriedly used his internal organs to resonate and use his secret power to block the flames. In just a moment, he was almost burned to death!

Great Grandmaster Horse seized the opportunity, unleashing a bolt of lightning that sent the man flying.

It leaped up, its body incredibly agile and nimble, instantly catching up with its opponent and performing a "Horse Trampling a Flying Swallow" maneuver!

It stepped on the person and landed on the ground, feeling smug. It felt that its move was quite ingenious and could be called a brilliant move.

Then, it went wild, kicking and stomping, and soon took half of Great Grandmaster Heluo Star's life.

Wang Xuan decided not to intervene and would leave the matter entirely to Great Grandmaster Horse.

Sun Chu, all things begin anew. Glistening dewdrops roll on the leaves of flowers, grasses, and vines, radiating brilliance in the morning glow, and all kinds of plants exude vibrant life.

The sun-drenched forest, with its rising energy Light Mist, appears peaceful, yet it is also dangerous.

A giant bird of prey ripped through the morning glow, letting out a sharp cry, while a distant monster suddenly howled, shaking the tranquil beauty of the mountain forest in the early morning.

This is the secret place, a reminder to be vigilant.

Zhao Qinghan, tall and slender, walked slowly, completely ignoring the birdsong and roars of beasts deep in the mountains. Her fair and delicate face glowed in the morning light.

Her shoulder-length hair seemed to be glowing, and her eyes were bright. She came closer and looked at Wang Xuan without saying a word.

"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you to silence you?" Wang Xuan turned his gaze away from Great Grandmaster Horse and looked at her.

"I'm not afraid." Zhao Qinghan came to face him. She was tall and slender, about 170 centimeters, and looked up at him with a smile.

I will keep your secret.

She is usually quite aloof, but now when she smiles, she looks exceptionally radiant and beautiful, exuding a youthful and sweet aura.

"No one else will know that you became Great Grandmaster in such a short time. This is a secret between you and me!" Zhao Qinghan said with a smile, seemingly very happy to be able to keep such a secret between the two of them.

Today, she witnessed Wang Xuan take action and actually defeat Great Grandmaster from another realm one after another. She was shocked and never expected that her classmate Wang had reached such a level.

At that moment, she was somewhat dazed and found it hard to believe.

Because this was someone close to her, someone she knew well, but his true strength was astonishing.

Bathed in the soft light of the rising sun, Zhao Qinghan smiled slightly, placed her hands on Wang Xuan's shoulders, and looked at him intently.

She tiptoed lightly, then quickly kissed Wang Xuan on the cheek before backing away. Her bright red lips were very sexy, appearing even more alluring in the morning glow.

This move was somewhat unexpected by Wang Xuan.

When he said he would kill her to cover it up, it was obviously a joke, and the other party understood. At the same time, Wang Xuan believed that she would not reveal his secret.

In his view, Zhao was rational and intelligent, had his own principles, and was very skillful in handling matters, but he was indeed a good classmate to him.

Before coming to the secret land, she had said that as long as she was safe, he would be safe.

After arriving here, she did indeed do just that, keeping him by her side, even sleeping next to him at night.

It was precisely for this reason that Wang Xuan risked his life to save her, and together they traversed the night sky under the monster's claws.

In the secret place, the relationship between the two naturally grew closer. They were chased by the Great Dragon and went through life-and-death tribulations together, which led to a significant development between them.

It can be said that the two were true friends and classmates who had gone through thick and thin together, and their relationship became very close, allowing them to trust each other.

But when it comes to a more advanced relationship—lovers— Wang Xuan feels that it's definitely not enough.

He is very rational in this regard and has a clear understanding of the situation.

He believed that Zhao Qinghan was more rational and calmer.

They had gone through thick and thin together, and Wang Xuan had done everything he could to save her. Zhao should have been moved, but to say that it directly turned into love would be a stretch.

At this level, he understood Zhao Qinghan quite well.

She has a clear plan for the future and is incredibly calm. Even during her student days, she was already responsible for and handling some specific affairs of the Zhao Family.

As New Star with strong technological capabilities, living in a modern city, she has the right to use some of her family's resources and power, and has a strong sense of self and opinion.

Long ago, Wang Xuan told Qin Cheng that ordinary people simply couldn't handle Goddess Zhao, advising his friend to be more realistic and level-headed.

In fact, that was a very clear understanding on his part.

Therefore, Zhao Qinghan's action just now surprised him slightly.

Upon reflection, the two had experienced many things together in the secret place. Wang Xuan had saved Zhao Qinghan from life-or-death situations several times. Perhaps it was out of gratitude that Zhao Qinghan showed this rare sentimental side.

However, the two hadn't actually spent much time together, so Wang Xuan was very clear-headed and not that narcissistic.

He felt that the two were more than friends, but definitely not lovers.

Zhao Qinghan took two steps back. Except for a moment when her body tensed slightly for Wang Xuan's cheek, she quickly regained her composure and did not feel embarrassed.

In the soft morning sunlight, she smiled, her beautiful eyes sparkling, and said, "I feel that although we've known each other for a long time, we've only really known each other for a short time, and it's only recently started. You've saved me many times, and I'm very grateful and touched. There was even a moment when I was moved by you. But I have to admit that we're more than friends. To say we're lovers is definitely not the case. It's not enough, it's not quite there yet."

She admitted that in this secluded place, in the perilous environment where her life was constantly threatened, she became much more vulnerable.

Overwhelmed with emotion after being rescued, and knowing that she was now the only one who knew his secret, she was very sentimental and kissed his cheek.

What else could Wang Xuan say but sigh? As expected of Goddess Zhao, she was so calm and composed afterward, unlike other girls who would be shy.

"Is there anything you'd like to say?" Zhao Qinghan asked with a smile. She was tall and slender with a delicate face.

"You've said everything you need to say, what do you want me to say?" Wang Xuan stared at her, watching her slightly upturned red lips, which looked even more beautiful in the morning glow. He felt that as a man, he was being dominated by her and was too passive.

"I feel like you've teased me, and I'm going to return the favor." With that, Wang Xuan cupped her face without hesitation and gave her a hard kiss on her fair and delicate side.

Then, he tried to kiss those bright, sexy red lips, but the kiss was stopped by beautiful fingers after only a light touch.

Wang Xuan didn't insist and switched to the other side of his face.

Only then did he feel that he hadn't embarrassed his fellow men, that he had returned the favor twice over, and that he wasn't so passive anymore.

Zhao Qinghan took out her makeup box and looked at herself in the small mirror. Her face flushed slightly for the first time, and there was a red mark on each of her cheeks.

She glared at Wang Xuan, asking why he was using so much force!

"People who practice the Golden Body Art have excellent physical fitness!" Wang Xuan said with a bright smile.

At this moment, both of them noticed something was wrong and quickly turned around. They saw Great Grandmaster Horse peeking over with his large head, his eyes deep and mysterious, spying on them.

"This horse is really something else! It came running over without a sound. Look at its expression, what is it thinking?!" Wang Xuan slapped it and pushed it away.

Zhao Qinghan, observant and surprised, said, "Hey, the white colt's sides are bulging up. Could it be that it's about to grow wings?"

Wang Xuan observed carefully and said, "It has actually undergone secondary development. Okay, hurry up and turn into a celestial horse. Then you can carry us across the sky and take us to explore the depths of the secret realm."

Great Grandmaster Horse strutted around arrogantly, raising his head as if he hated the sky above, and ignored Wang Xuan completely.

Wang Xuan glanced at the ground not far away. The Great Grandmaster of Heluo Star had long since died, trampled to death by the white colt while it was galloping.

Next, Wang Xuan traversed the dense forest, not only stripping the armor off the four Great Grandmaster but also searching their bodies to collect various other valuable spoils of war.

Later, he found another opportunity to take out a piece of the battle suit of the Oula Star from the Blessed Land Fragment and gave it to Zhao Qinghan.

"There are many suits of armor. We'll make sure Great Grandmaster Horse wears armor too," Wang Xuan said.

Zhao Qinghan took the battle clothes and armor, and asked Wang Xuan to take off his Oula Star battle clothes. She wanted to wash these clothes and armor carefully in the spring several times.

Then she saw Wang Xuan's underwear, which was actually made of tree bark. She couldn't help but laugh!

What could Wang Xuan say? He turned and went to search for the iron arrows throughout the dense forest; he couldn't stay in this place any longer.

He thought the archer's weapon was good and that he could keep it.

When he returned, he found Zhao Qinghan carefully washing every piece of battle armor and suit of clothing, and immediately said, "The armor that Great Grandmaster Horse wore doesn't need to be washed."

Great Grandmaster Horse was immediately annoyed. The more he looked at Wang Xuan, the more displeased he became. He really wanted to have a farewell dinner with him and go their separate ways.

But when it thought about how it had only been a few days since it first encountered the mysterious insects and the seeds of the Demon Fruit, it stopped and didn't want to leave.

Because all of these are of great benefit to its transformation.

"Let's wash it clean," Zhao Qinghan suggested.

Great Grandmaster Horse nodded repeatedly, but the next moment he didn't want to look at the two of them anymore!

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

While examining the spoils of war, Wang Xuan suddenly noticed that among the pile of items he had taken from the archer Metal Token stood out.

He had seen this before, and had also collected a piece from the Oula Star aliens. He took it out from the fragments of the blessed land.

The two Metal Tokens were no more than the length of a palm, silver-gray in color, with an antique feel and intricate patterns. They were extremely hard, like some kind of alloy.

He hadn't paid much attention to it before, but now he couldn't help but think about it more.

He opened his mental realm and carefully examined the two plaques, sensing that there was something wrong with the two pieces of metal.

Wang Xuan extended his spiritual energy towards the two plaques, but found it somewhat difficult, as he was blocked by a strange force.

He took a deep breath, made a forceful impact, and then quickly withdrew from the mental realm.

"There really is something strange about this!" Wang Xuan exclaimed in surprise. He had actually managed to draw out some of the Mysterious Factor from inside the sign!

Both signs contained a dense, Mysterious Matter inside!

"These teams are fighting and competing with each other. Could it be that they're trying to collect and steal each other's Metal Token?" Wang Xuan looked surprised and turned to ask, "Qing Han, what do these two tokens look like to you?"

Zhao Qinghan bent over to wash her armor by the clear spring, her curves graceful. She turned and glanced at it, saying, "The key looks like a set of keys that were inserted into grooves in ancient times."

Wang Xuan immediately made various connections, then a look of delight appeared on his face, and he muttered to himself, "Is there a secret cave that requires Mysterious Factor to open?"

If that's the case, then he is the key, so there's no need to collect Metal Token!

"Could there be a dilapidated Inner Scenery Realm in the outer area of the secret realm, or perhaps an Inner Scenery Treasure?" Wang Xuan had a startling guess.

"Some kind of wondrous object left behind by the Transcendent Immortals, hidden within the Inner Scenery Treasure?" His eyes shone with unparalleled brilliance!

Thanks to Sister Corn's alt account number six for the support! It should be Fangxin's alternate account; she's already voted for a whole bunch of alliance leader accounts.