Gao Yaxin and Li Qian were chatting on the rooftop of Building One at the Cultivation Base.

Gao Yaxin couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. "Knowing the Cultivation Base ended up in your hands, I can finally relax. It’s a weight off my mind."

"Sister Yaxin, rest assured, I won’t disgrace this Cultivation Base. I’ll restore it to its former glory sooner or later," Li Qian replied.

Li Qian wasn’t just saying this to comfort Gao Yaxin. He was genuinely confident he could change the Cultivation Base’s current situation and make it thrive.

After they chatted for a while, something occurred to Li Qian, and he took off his backpack.

He pulled a black bead from his backpack and placed it in front of Gao Yaxin. With a serious voice, Li Qian said, "Here. This should be what those Cultists from the Black Divine Teachings are looking for."

Indeed, the object Li Qian had just taken out was the strange black bead he had gotten from the Sparrow-tailed Fish.

He had studied the black bead for a while.

He had even searched for it online.

But he came up empty-handed, finding only vague and contradictory information.

To this day, Li Qian still had no idea what it was.

"For me?"

Gao Yaxin pointed to her nose. "Do you even know what this is?" she asked, wanting to be sure.

Li Qian shook his head. "I don’t. But considering the great lengths those Cultists from the Black Divine Teachings went to—not even hesitating to confront the Public Security Bureau just to get it back—you can tell... this thing must be extremely valuable to them!"

"This thing is indeed very valuable, especially to the Cultists of the Black Divine Teachings."

"In fact, it’s not just the Cultists of the Black Divine Teachings. Cultists from other Dark Organizations crave these things too."

Gao Yaxin nodded in agreement with Li Qian’s assessment.

She looked at him, her tone a little teasing. "If it’s such a rare and priceless treasure, why are you giving it away?"

Li Qian gave a wry smile and answered honestly, "I may only be a high school student right now, but I’ve already set my sights on becoming a Breeder."

"Rare treasures hold an extraordinary appeal for any Breeder." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"So, it would be a lie to say I don’t want to keep this bead for myself."

"However, I’m even more aware that possessing a treasure one can’t protect only invites disaster."

"This bead has been in my hands for only a few days, and it’s already attracted enemies like those Cultists from the Black Divine Teachings. Who knows what greater dangers I’ll face in the future."

"So, I know my own limits."

"As I am now, I don’t have the strength to hold on to this bead."

"It’s better to give it away than to risk my life hiding it."

Gao Yaxin shot Li Qian an approving glance. "To have such maturity at eighteen—to understand the art of compromise—is quite rare. I’m looking forward to your future even more now."

"But aren’t you worried? By passing this hot potato to me, you’re just redirecting the trouble. What if those Cultists from the Black Divine Teachings come after me instead?"

Li Qian smiled, looking quite relaxed. "Because I trust you, Sister Yaxin. You’re a smart person."

"If you dare to take this bead, it proves you have the confidence and strength to protect it."

"If you don’t dare to take it, I’ll just hand it over to the Public Security Bureau."

After the attack, Li Qian understood. When one’s strength is insufficient, this bead was more of a curse than a blessing.

"You’re really something else..."

Hearing Li Qian’s words, Gao Yaxin was momentarily at a loss.

His maturity was so incredible she found it hard to believe he was just a high school student.

He seemed more like a middle-aged man with a wealth of life experience.

’Then again,’ she thought, ’when I recall his slightly awkward reaction to me mentioning a beautiful female partner... that part definitely fits a high school student.’

"To be honest, this bead isn’t actually that valuable to me personally."

"However, my teacher seems to be researching this area. He might be interested."

"If he is, I’ll accept this bead on his behalf. As for the price, I’m sure we can reach a satisfactory arrangement."

With that, she wasted no time. She took out her phone and dialed a number right in front of him.

She was likely calling her teacher.

A few minutes later, she hung up and turned back to Li Qian.

A faint smile played on her lips as she said, "You’re in luck. My teacher from the Beast Taming University, Teacher Zhang, is indeed researching this. This Demon Core is something he desperately needs."

As she spoke, she held out her hand. An azure crystal, about the size of a fingernail, suddenly materialized in her palm.

"Alright, I’ll take this Demon Core on my teacher’s behalf. It’s hard for me to gauge its exact value, but I’m sure trading it for this Spatial Crystal won’t leave you at a disadvantage."

"A Spatial Crystal!" Li Qian was stunned to hear those three words from Gao Yaxin.

Through his recent web-surfing and occasional chats with the eccentric members of the Waste Pet Research Institute group, Li Qian had heard of Spatial Crystals before.

He knew what they were and what they did.

Simply put, a Spatial Crystal was a piece of Spatial Equipment.

It was similar to items like Storage Rings or Qiankun Bags from the web novels of his past life.

Rumor had it they could only be created by specific Space-type Pet Beasts in conjunction with a specific Beast Taming Talent.

They were exceedingly rare!

To be honest, the moment Gao Yaxin produced the Spatial Crystal, Li Qian’s heart skipped a beat.

But he didn’t take it right away.

Seeing this, Gao Yaxin smiled, having a good idea of what he was thinking.

She explained, "To my teacher, this Demon Core is certainly no less valuable than this Spatial Crystal."

"The Demon Core is useless to you, and my teacher has little use for a Spatial Crystal. This trade is a classic case of each party getting what they need."

After her explanation, Li Qian no longer hesitated.

Besides, it was an equal exchange; there was no reason to be bashful.

He took the Spatial Crystal from her hand.

He probed the Spatial Crystal with his Spiritual Power.

Soon, a space roughly two meters in length, width, and height appeared before his "mind’s eye."

With a single thought, his phone appeared inside that space.

With another thought, the phone reappeared.

Li Qian knew full well that this space wasn’t literally in front of his eyes.

It was his Spiritual Power probing inside that created the illusion of it being so.

"If you want to use it more conveniently, I suggest you have it made into a necklace or bracelet," Gao Yaxin said, smiling at Li Qian.

Li Qian nodded, deciding he would go to a jewelry store the next day, pick out a men’s necklace, and have the Spatial Crystal set into it.

With this Spatial Crystal, he would no longer have to lug around bags of all sizes whenever he went out.

He could also keep his more valuable items stored with him at all times.

"By the way, Sister Yaxin, what exactly is a Demon Core?"

After stowing the Spatial Crystal, Li Qian immediately turned the topic back to the black bead.

He was extremely curious about it.

What on earth could it be, that not only were the Cultists of the Black Divine Teachings dead set on obtaining it, but even Gao Yaxin’s teacher was interested?