Chapter 1

At nine in the morning, the sky over Beta Star in the Yuanji system was clear and bright.

The harsh sunlight filtered through the glass of the flower room, casting golden patterns across the shelves, leaves, and petals. The air was thick with warmth and humidity.

Crouching beside a low flowerpot, a woman with bright, almond-shaped eyes stared intently at the fragile branch before her. With steady hands, she carefully fed her mental power into the stem, nourishing it.

After six months, Wu Ying finally felt like a true Awakener—so this was how mental power could be used.

The withered, yellowing rose seemed to revive a little, but Wu Ying wasn't entirely confident; she didn't trust her own amateur skills.

She'd only attended a few mental power training sessions. What if she overdid it and hurt the flower?

Gently stroking the bud that had just peeked out with a light pink tip, she felt only affection, not even daring to touch the thorns on the stem.

The flower room, as its name suggested, seemed like a vision of blooming splendor. In reality, it held only two pots of roses, one of which had half its leaves withered.

It wasn't easy—each plant seemed to require activation at different points. She had to probe the root system with her mental power to trigger them. She still had a long way to go, but at least the path was viable.

Wu Ying sat on the ground, hugging her knees, her fair chin resting on them, a gentle smile on her face. Her amber eyes were like a warm river, shimmering in the sunlight.

Her amber hair gleamed, her flawless face carried an air of charm, and her clear, autumn-like eyes were gentle and pure. Her gaze met the sunbeams mid-air, a captivating sight.

The flower room was cozily decorated. Even with only two pots of roses, Wu Ying had grand ambitions. The room occupied the entire top floor, lined with plenty of flower racks. To avoid making the space feel too empty, she'd placed dolls, stools, a bean bag, and exquisite knick-knacks throughout—it was beautiful.

Suddenly remembering something, her moist eyes twinkled as she dialed a video call to Asher.

Asher Sicel, her husband, the commander of the Fourth Military District of the Blue Star Federation, was so busy with military affairs that he hardly had a moment to rest. She guessed the man had already forgotten the way home.

He got a good laugh at her expense—annoying.

"Huh? Not answering me?"

Wu Ying raised an eyebrow, feigning anger as she patted the floor, but her fingertips barely touched the ground before she quickly lifted them, only stirring a bit of dust. She rolled over and climbed onto the stool bench behind her, kicking up her fair bare feet and continuing her relentless pestering.

This might become the norm between her and Asher—the man was incredibly taciturn. Wu Ying would talk to him from outside the door, and he'd reply with a message on the Light Brain.

The ringtone drifted through the flower room. After a long while, still not answered, she didn't hang up either—after all, she had all the time in the world now.

Just as she was about to hang up and redial, the screen before her suddenly lit up, showing only a sharp jawline.

Wu Ying pouted. This man—he couldn't even be bothered to show his full face on the projection.

"Alright, I already know you're handsome. No need to worry I'll faint from the sight."

No response, as calm as if no one was there. Normal—Asher rarely responded to banter like that.

"Ahem, what are you up to? You won't even show your face, but I've let you see all of me. You're hiding away—how unfair is that for me?"

She dragged out her words, her naturally sweet, soft voice now dripping with honey, tender and lingering, each syllable tugging at Asher's ears.

Asher's heart couldn't help but quicken. On his face, which Wu Ying couldn't see, his brows furrowed tightly, his lips pressed into a straight line. He didn't like her like this, but Wu Ying seemed to know exactly that and thus acted all the more boldly.

His tone was stern, his low, magnetic voice carrying a reprimand: "Wu Ying, speak properly."

Even though she couldn't see his face, Wu Ying could already imagine his expression—brows knit, pupils slightly widened, as if enduring some torment, restrained and tolerant.

Fun.

"What did I do? I am speaking properly."

The feet behind Wu Ying kicked even more cheerfully, bobbing in the camera, like a bully showing off after getting their way. Unaware of how she looked, she complained pitifully to him: "Don't be unreasonable, okay? If I did something wrong, you have to explain it clearly so I can fix it."

Asher found it hard to describe his feelings at the moment. Her voice only seemed more grating, more grinding, and he couldn't help but rub his ear hard. When he lowered his hand, his ear was red, and only then did he regain composure.

"What is it?"

He couldn't possibly explain it to her; he just wanted to get straight to the point and end the call.

A man utterly devoid of romance, Wu Ying silently mocked, though her face kept a bright smile. "It's something big, but I have to see your face to say it."

That was her—she wouldn't give up until she got her way.

Asher let out an almost imperceptible sigh, and the camera flipped to show his cold, handsome face before her eyes.

Wu Ying's eyes lit up, openly staring at him: black hair, onyx-like phoenix eyes, a high-bridged nose, a handsome face—but his imposing aura was too overwhelming, his inscrutable expression betraying both strength and restraint, making anyone instinctively wary at first glance.

Even more striking than his appearance was his indescribable personality—overbearing and blunt, never wasting words, and when he did speak, it was all commands. He was so introverted it was like a locked oil jar, keeping all emotions and desires sealed inside, revealing nothing.

To use Wu Ying's words, the man was practically suffocating.

"Speak."

When he saw Wu Ying just staring at him without talking, Asher seemed to twitch his forehead and prompted.

The moment the words left his mouth, the woman on the screen instantly reddened around the eyes, and Asher's breath hitched—he knew he was in trouble again.

Wu Ying prepared herself, tears gathering in her eyes like drizzle, and only when her vision blurred did she pause, her tone woeful: "I just miss you so much. Why are you so impatient? I know you don't like me, but I'm your wife. Shouldn't you at least show me some respect?"

"Say something."

Wide-eyed and tearful, she looked at him. She couldn't help but blink, and tears dripped down like pearls. She seized the moment to lower her head and rub her eyes—they were already stinging.

On the other side, Asher leaned back, his Adam's apple bobbing as he quickly undid the top buttons of his collar. His chest felt tight, making it hard to breathe. Leaning against the chair back, half his face hidden in shadow, his deep-set eye sockets cast in darkness, like a beast lurking in the dark.

"What should I say?"

"Say you're wrong—that you shouldn't be so cold to me, shouldn't be so impatient."

"Wu Ying!"

"What!"

Wu Ying yelled back, but seeing Asher starting to get angry, she knew when to stop and took the initiative to extend an olive branch. "Alright, I have my reasons."

She suddenly remembered that the reason she'd called Asher was because of yesterday's social gathering.

In the interstellar age, most of Yuanji Star was battle-ready planets: Alpha Star was the war zone, Beta Star the reserve. Because the interstellar war had lasted so long, to ensure the family harmony of soldiers and officers, Beta Star had established a family quarters where approved military families could reside.

Yesterday, the family quarters hosted a gathering. As the wife of the Fourth Military District's highest commander, she had to attend. The first half went smoothly—people drank, chatted, danced, showing off skills. Wu Ying, being new, didn't join in and could only watch from the side.

She wasn't embarrassed. Dancing wasn't her hobby anyway, but chatting, which required no skill, naturally led people to pull her into conversations.

The family quarters was a microcosm of society. Modern Blue Star people weren't usually this gossipy or bored, but Wu Ying had stacked too many traits.

E-level mental power, from a protected zone, and most importantly, she'd married the Federation's renowned commander. Asher, born into the Sicel family, had 3S-level mental power, one of the Federation's rare mental power experts, a top-tier combat asset against the insect race, and a high-ranking commander.

The gap between them was stark, and their marriage alone was enough to cause widespread dissatisfaction. Even if no one had the right to object, it didn't stop them from thinking Wu Ying wasn't worthy of him.

So, at the gathering, Wu Ying listened to many pieces of advice on "how to be a virtuous wife and good mother" and "how to let go for your man's freedom," with people deliberately mentioning that Asher hadn't come home to Beta Star, to show she was doing well.

Wu Ying wore a gloomy expression, playing the part of someone who didn't quite understand but remembered everything—a submissive, aggrieved but strong little trooper.

After seeing her like that, everyone dropped the topic and moved on to talking about the latest federal events.

That was her favorite part. Most people in the family quarters had mental power and their own jobs, and in a remote place like Yuanji Star, they loved gathering all sorts of information from their networks.

Wu Ying listened to a lot. These people didn't take her seriously, but they didn't deliberately avoid her either. As long as she ignored their nonsense, they were actually easy enough to get along with.

Modern Blue Star people had developed politeness into social etiquette, rarely saying harsh words, even hiding contempt behind friendly faces.

Wu Ying had gotten used to it. They were polite but indifferent to those from the protected zones, treating them as inferiors and thus offering all sorts of unsolicited advice. If you refused, they'd just see you as being unreasonable.

Their inherent arrogance was infuriating, but the worst part was that if you didn't go along, they'd keep sending different people to talk to you, determined to "correct" your wayward ways.

Wu Ying: I know, I'm just playing along.

That was her conclusion after experiments and tests; it worked remarkably well.

Wu Ying told him the whole matter pitifully, emphasizing that she hadn't known he'd returned to Beta Star until she heard it from others—a huge blow to her—then rambled on about how everyone was telling her to be a good wife and mother, but her husband never stayed home, and there was nothing she could do.

After hearing her out, Asher automatically filtered out all the emotional rhetoric and fillers, finally reaching two conclusions: one, she was upset by what others said, and two, she was urging him to come home.

After a moment, Asher said dryly, "Don't mind their words. Want me to have a talk with their husbands?"

Wu Ying quickly waved it off. Though their words were annoying, solving it this way wasn't something she wanted.

Not to mention the outcomes; she really didn't want to play the game of a woman getting upset, running home to her husband, and then using his favor to assert her place among the other women.

Rather than wasting time fighting their biases and stereotypes, she'd focus on her studies, improve herself. Only by becoming truly strong could she gain the ability to counter them.

She was busy enough as it was. As a student of the College of Plant Science at Federal University, she had plenty of courses: geology and soil studies, nutrient solution and culture medium courses, seed research...

If not for having the time today, she wouldn't have bothered. Her purpose? To intentionally give him a hard time.

Asher should understand—she'd suffered so much, and all she did was vent to him, keeping her boundaries well. She stopped the moment he was about to get angry.

That wasn't something just anyone could do, and she'd tried hard.

"I was talking about you, yet you're not reflecting on yourself, and now you're ready to use your big-leader identity to intimidate your subordinates?"

Her elbow was getting sore from propping, so she rolled over and lay on her back. In the interstellar age, it was easy—no need to adjust anything manually; the light screen automatically followed her face, except for people like Asher who deliberately hid theirs.

Her light-brown hair fanned out behind her, making her delicate face glow white. Asher watched her quietly. She was always so at ease with him, bringing all her suppressed temper here to find trouble.

Like this time, she didn't actually need him to do anything, but she insisted on tormenting him. She spoke with grievances, but all her mischievousness was visible in her eyes.

On the light screen, her red lips kept parting and moving, enough to capture attention on their own, and her features joined in, scrunching her nose, glaring, widening her almond eyes, exaggerating every emotion. As if that weren't enough, she gestured with her hands, making fists, raising them, even pointing at him demanding an explanation. Her collar shifted with the movement, her white neck following suit.

In her, Asher saw vitality with teeth and claws, impossibly vivid. He was still stunned every time he saw it.

"Even Yu the Great passed by his home three times without entering, but you returned and didn't even come to see me. Am I going to eat you? You're really breaking my heart."

Wu Ying pressed her hand to her chest like a tragic heroine, her eyes drooping, sending out pitiful puppy-dog looks.

"Fine, I'll come back in a few days."

He conceded. Anyway, even when he was away, she'd find ways to torment him; going back to let her have her fun in person would buy him some peace for a while.

"Great! When you come back, I'll give you a massage, okay? You've been so busy lately, you must be exhausted. I won't bother you now. Bye, take care, I'll miss you."

Wu Ying pursed her lips and blew a kiss, but before she could finish her sticky-sweet words, the call cut off with a snap.

On his end, the light screen vanished abruptly, and only then did Asher realize what he'd done. His mind seemed to go blank for a few seconds, and then his hand, moving faster than thought, had ended the call. Asher didn't even process it, and now the silence around him was broken only by his own heartbeat, which was pounding hard.

Imagining that Wu Ying was now grinning triumphantly, Asher couldn't help but hold his forehead and sigh.

Just as he guessed, she froze for a moment, then burst into laughter on the sofa, rocking back and forth, her cheeks flushing, her eyes glistening, her laughter like tinkling jade. Tears welled up.

Wu Ying thought, he's definitely panicked now, probably realizing he fled in disgrace. Wasn't that more fun than any game? She gave herself a mental high-five.

With her mood soaring, Wu Ying sat up, her feet crossing and swinging back and forth, her brows curved like crescents, joy radiating from within.

"Huh?"

Another rose bud had appeared, the bud plump as if about to bloom. Wu Ying abandoned everything and dashed over, carefully examining this bud that had seemingly fallen from nowhere.

She was certain it hadn't been there before. The whole flower room had only two rose pots, and when she'd looked moments ago, there'd only been one bud. Now this rosebush, which hadn't withered, had sprouted another bud.

Why?

She was full of questions. In just an hour, what had changed?

The roots were clearly visible in the transparent culture medium. She hadn't altered the medium or the nutrient solution, so of course, it had to be the mental power stimulation.

The interstellar era wasn't just about insectoid invasions but also cosmic radiation. Blue Star people had mitigated its negative effects through physical enhancement and genetic improvements, but the radiation's impact on plants and animals was irreversible, completely altering their growth patterns.

In the past, Blue Star only needed proper light and soil. Now, under optimal conditions, it also required mental power stimulation. Historically, there was a period when Blue Star people relied entirely on nutrient solutions, abandoning the method of getting energy from plants.

When they finally realized they should replant, they discovered that plant cultivation needed to be completely re-explored.

Food crops, vegetables, and fruits had gradually found their cultivation methods, but ornamental flowers had been left behind.

The two pots in the flower room were seeds Wu Ying had painstakingly obtained from the Seed Bank. She'd been attending classes while trying to awaken them. Fortunately, there was progress.

The two roses were her pride and joy; every change stirred her heart. After pondering, there was only one possibility: perhaps she'd unintentionally used her mental power earlier.

Her mental power seemed more effective on plants, as her training instructor had said. That was what helped clarify her future path.

Wu Ying opened her Light Brain and sent a message to Nova; she needed a professional opinion. This was the first time it had happened, and she had no idea about the causes or risks.