After moving into the House of Extraordinary Scholars, Chen Nan dedicated himself to refining the profound techniques passed down through his family. Now, his six senses were razor-sharp, his spiritual perception fully restored, and his confidence from before the age of sixteen had returned. He was certain that he could become a peerless master in the shortest time possible.

  Ever since the pale yellow, unembellished true energy that Fairy Tantai had planted in his body was broken, his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds over the past few days.

  When Chen Nan examined himself internally, he found that the true energy within his body had undergone a qualitative transformation—it had grown brighter in color, flowed more smoothly, and the aura it emitted outward was becoming fainter and fainter, almost imperceptible to others. This delighted him beyond measure. Even top-tier experts would have difficulty detecting the profound power he possessed if they weren’t paying close attention.

  He channeled his energy into his fingertips, and tiny golden sparks flickered into existence between them. A wave of exhilaration surged through him. He could now condense his true energy into sword aura that densely enveloped his body—his family's profound technique had once again reached the pinnacle of the Second Heavenly Layer.

  The golden glow made his fingers appear as lustrous as jade. He spread two fingers and lightly clamped down on a longsword. With a crisp snap, the steel blade was severed in two, the broken halves clattering to the ground.

  Chen Nan was overjoyed. His cultivation had finally returned to its peak before Tantai Xuan's ambush, and at any moment, he might even break through to the Third Heavenly Layer of his family's technique.

  The resurgence of his confidence sent his blood boiling. Given time, if he could one day unleash radiant sword energy several meters long, he would be unstoppable in this world.

  "Cultivators, mages... I’ll show you what happens when a martial artist reaches the pinnacle of power..."

  Suddenly, a massive explosion shook the House of Extraordinary Scholars, causing the entire estate to tremble. Chen Nan rushed into the courtyard immediately.

  Next door, a shimmering blue barrier enclosed the courtyard, and the explosion had originated from within. Without that magic shield, his own courtyard might not have been spared.

  "No way... I really ended up next door to that magic-obsessed maniac?!"

  As the magic barrier gradually faded, the neighboring courtyard had already been reduced to rubble. Hovering in midair was a shriveled old crone, her entire body charred black. She let out a grating, cackling laugh.

  "Hehehe... Another failure! But I was only one step away from success! Hehehe..."

  Chen Nan groaned inwardly. "Damn... She’s practically a wicked old witch!"

  The old witch suddenly turned toward him. "Hehehe, boy, I haven’t seen you before! You must be new, huh?"

  Using the levitation spell from wind magic, she drifted into Chen Nan’s courtyard.

  "...Yeah, I just got here," Chen Nan answered stiffly.

  Just then, from the courtyard on his other side, a loud shout rang out—

  "Xiaohua, don’t run—!"

  A massive python, as thick as a barrel and covered in shimmering scales, slithered onto Chen Nan’s courtyard wall. Moments later, an elderly man with snow-white hair and beard leaped onto the wall, patting the giant snake’s head.

  "Xiaohua, don’t be afraid. Don’t run around. Hurry back to the courtyard," he coaxed.

  Amazingly, the python seemed to understand his words and slowly began to crawl back.

  Chen Nan was utterly dumbfounded, wailing inwardly, No way… He’s my neighbor too? Heavens!

  The old man turned toward the floating old witch and bellowed, "You damn old hag! You’re causing trouble again! You scared my Xiaohua into running all over the place! Can’t you ever be quiet for even a single moment?!"

  The old witch cackled. "Hehehe… Old Poison Freak, I didn’t even step foot into your courtyard! I was conducting magical research in my own space—what the hell does that have to do with you?!"

  "You disturbed my Xiaohua, Xiaolu, Xiaojin… You crazy old crone, you spend all day doing nothing but making a mess!"

  "Old Poison Freak, you’re insulting my character and tarnishing my grand magical research! I will punish you— AHHH! You actually dared to poison me?! Lightning Wave!"

  With a thunderous crack, a bolt of lightning sent the old witch plummeting from the sky. Chen Nan winced—not out of sympathy for her, but for the poor flowers and plants beneath her.

  At the same time, the elderly man on the wall took the full brunt of the spell. His hair and beard stood completely on end as he toppled headfirst into Chen Nan’s courtyard. His entire body was charred black, wisps of smoke rising from his form. A faint scent of roasted meat drifted through the air.

  "Old Poison Freak, give me the antidote right now, or I’ll fry you to a crisp and have roasted ribs for dinner!"

  "Damn hag! You turned all the antidotes to ash with that lightning strike! How the hell am I supposed to give you one? Just heal me first so I can mix a new batch!"

  Chen Nan stood in the courtyard, looking left and right, at a complete loss for what to do.

  The old witch was foaming at the mouth, her eyes rolling back, while the old poison master writhed in agony, his teeth clenched, groaning incessantly.

  Chen Nan sighed. "Seniors, why not compromise a little? If you keep this up, you’re both going to die."

  Panting heavily, the old witch relented, "Fine… Old Poison Freak, I’ll turn half of your roasted ribs back into raw ones first. The other half… we’ll deal with after you make me an antidote."

  "Then hurry up!"

  A gentle white light enveloped the old poison master. Within moments, half of his injuries were healed, and he wobbled as he got back on his feet.

  Chen Nan said, "Elder, let me open the door for you. Please take your time."

  "No, I can’t go through the door—that’s too slow! If I waste even half a moment, that damn old hag will croak! Help me up the wall, I’ll go back the same way!"

  Chen Nan quickly stepped forward, supporting the old man as he climbed onto the wall. Then, feigning ignorance of martial arts, he clambered up as well.

  Once he reached the top and glanced downward, his vision blurred, and he nearly fainted.

  The old man’s courtyard was riddled with a dozen or so pits of varying sizes—centipede pits, scorpion pits, toad pits, venomous snake pits… Each one teeming with writhing creatures, a dense, squirming mass of venomous life. The areas without pits were filled with a haphazard assortment of medicinal herbs, among which strange insects and serpents slithered freely—such as a golden centipede over a foot long and a massive python as thick as a barrel.

  The old man said, "Young brother, climb down first and catch me from below."

  "No, no, no…" Chen Nan shook his head like a rattle drum. Was this a joke? He’d rather die than go down there.

  In the end, he grasped the old man’s wrists and slowly lowered him toward the courtyard.

  Just then, a palm-sized, emerald-green spider suddenly scuttled onto the walltop. At a glance, it was clearly highly venomous. Chen Nan panicked, his hands slipped, and—

  Thud! The old man plummeted straight down.

  "Ahhh! Heavens!" The old man let out a string of horrified cries.

  Chen Nan asked nervously, "Elder, are you alright?"

  "Heavens… oh, heavens…"

  "What happened? Did you hurt yourself?"

  The old man had landed in a thick patch of medicinal herbs. As he brushed the leaves aside, an enormous toad, as wide as a millstone, was revealed beneath him.

  "Heavens! My Xiaolu got knocked unconscious!"

  "Unconscious?! He’s worried about that damn toad?" Chen Nan immediately leaped back into his own courtyard.

  "Too terrifying… damn it… how can a toad grow as big as a fat pig?"

  About half a tea’s time later, the old poison master tossed a palm-sized porcelain bottle over the wall. "Pour everything inside down that old hag’s throat."

  Chen Nan uncorked the bottle and nearly passed out on the spot. The stench was beyond foul—so putrid it defied words. He seriously doubted whether this was actually an antidote. Even if it was, there was no way the old man hadn’t slipped in some… ‘special ingredients.’

  As the vile, fishy-smelling liquid was forced down the old witch’s throat, she rolled her eyes and sat up—only to immediately start retching.

  "Ughhh! Curse the heavens! That wretched old bastard—what the hell did he just make me drink?!"

  At that moment, the old poison master hobbled through Chen Nan’s courtyard gate, limping as he walked.

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  The old witch instantly floated into the air, conjuring a magical barrier around herself for protection.

  "Old Poison Freak! You dared make me drink such disgusting filth, and now you even have the audacity to come here in person? Hehehe…" Lightning crackled between her fingertips, sparks flickering ominously.

  The old poison master shuddered. Now that the old witch had completely hidden herself within her magical barrier, his poisons were utterly useless against her.

  "Hey, old hag, don’t you have any sense? Haven’t you ever heard that good medicine tastes bitter? That was a genuine antidote!"

  "Bullshit! Since when do antidotes reek that horribly? Ugh…" At that, the old witch retched again, and at the same time, a thin bolt of lightning zapped the old poison master.

  His head of white hair instantly stood on end once more, fanning out like a lion’s mane. Though he barely managed to stay on his feet, his limbs twitched uncontrollably.

  "You unreasonable old hag! Faithless wretch! I saved your life, and this is how you repay me?"

  "Hehehe… If you hadn’t attacked me first, how would I have gotten poisoned in the first place? You brought this on yourself!"

  "Nonsense! Even if I hadn’t struck first, you’d still have thrown magic at me sooner or later. I was just preempting the inevitable."

  …

  The two of them seemed ready to go at it again. But the old poison master clearly lacked confidence—he knew that in a fair fight, he had no chance against the old witch.

  Chen Nan, watching from the side, could hardly stand it anymore. "Uh… esteemed seniors, how about letting this go? Peace is precious, after all."

  The old poison master said, "I have no objections—just as long as she heals my burns."

  Chen Nan added, "Senior, you should hurry up and treat the old gentleman’s wounds. Otherwise, people might think we’re having a barbecue in the courtyard."

  "Hehehe…" The old witch burst into laughter. "Alright, since you said so, I’ll spare him this time. By the way, boy, what’s your name?"

  "I’m Chen Nan."

  "Hehehe… I’ll remember that."

  Then, the old witch chanted a long and intricate spell. A sacred radiance gathered around the old poison master, gradually rejuvenating his charred and damaged skin. When the glow finally faded, he had returned to his lively, energetic self, with not a trace of his previous misery.

  Chen Nan marveled at the sight—magic was indeed remarkable.

  Having cast such a high-level healing spell, the old witch now looked a bit weary. She turned to Chen Nan and said, "You’re not bad, kid. If anyone dares to bully you, just come find me—I’ll make them pay." As she spoke, she shot a fierce glare at the old poison master.

  The old poison master added, "Kid, I think you’re pretty good too. Don’t worry, as long as I’m around, no one will dare mess with you. No matter how strong that bastard is, he still has to eat and drink, doesn’t he? Hehehe… I refuse to believe he can dodge my poisons forever." With that, he also gave the old witch a menacing glare.

  "Hmph!"

  The old witch let out a cold snort and flew off into the distance.

  Chen Nan said, "That senior who studied magic—her courtyard is already in ruins. She probably won’t stay here anymore, right?"

  The old poison master explained, "Of course not. That wretched old hag loves comfort too much—there’s no way she’d stay here."

  Chen Nan was overjoyed. That terrifying, destructive old witch was finally gone. If only this poison-loving old freak left as well, his personal safety would be even more secure.

  "Oh? Then where did she move to?"

  "Right in your backyard."

  Thud!

  "Hey, young man, why do you keep sitting down on the ground for no reason?"

  …

  "Old sir, your snakes and insects… they won’t crawl into my courtyard, will they?"

  "Generally, no."

  Chen Nan asked humbly, "And by ‘generally,’ you mean…?"

  The old poison master gave it some serious thought. "Hmm… as long as there aren’t any loud disturbances, my little darlings won’t go wandering around. Basically, as long as that old hag doesn’t conduct any magic experiments, it should be fine."

  "How often does she conduct magic experiments?"

  "About once a day, I’d say."

  Thud!

  "Hey, young man, are you really not feeling well? Why are you lying on the ground again? Let me see if I have any miracle elixirs on me. Hmm… corpse venom, crane’s crown poison, heartbreak grass… ah, none of these will do. No worries, I also have bone-melting pills, seven-step soul-snuffing powder…"

  Whoosh!

  In the blink of an eye, Chen Nan vanished from the courtyard and reappeared inside his house.

  "Tsk, young people these days have no patience. I’m sure I have something that suits you. If not, I’ll find something next time." The old poison master hopped over the wall and returned to his own courtyard.

  Chen Nan sighed. The House of Eccentrics truly lived up to its name—the two people he had met so far were “eccentric” to the extreme.

  On the fifth day of his stay, a young woman came to visit. Though she did not possess Chu Yue’s otherworldly beauty, she was still remarkably elegant, exuding a serene, ethereal aura that put people at ease.

  "Greetings, Young Master Chen."

  "Hello. And you are…?"

  "My name is Nalan Ruoshui. I’m also a member of the House of Eccentrics."

  "Miss Nalan, welcome. Please, come in."

  Once inside, Nalan Ruoshui said, "I heard from the Eldest Princess that you’ve lost all your cultivation. I have some knowledge of medicine and wanted to see if I might be able to help restore your strength."

  Chen Nan was taken aback. He had never expected this elegant young woman to be a master physician. In his mind, renowned doctors were all aged men with white beards, not someone so young.

  "You want to restore my cultivation?"

  Nalan Ruoshui remained calm. "Yes."

  "But my cultivation was crippled by force. That’s not something medicine can fix."

  "I can at least try. Using acupuncture, I can stimulate your meridians and awaken your body’s latent potential. In theory, this should help you regain your strength."

  Chen Nan decided to keep his restored cultivation a secret. With a smile, he said, "Then I’ll have to trouble you, Miss Nalan."

  "It’s no trouble at all," she replied coolly.

  From her sleeve, she produced a jade box filled with fine golden needles. The shimmering needles reflected the soft luster of the jade, creating a dazzling sight.

  "Young Master Chen, please remove your outer robe."

  Chen Nan complied, shrugging off his wide-sleeved coat to reveal the fitted garments underneath.

  "Please remove everything from the waist up."

  "Uh…" Being scrutinized like an object by such a beautiful woman made Chen Nan feel rather awkward. But in the end, he relented, stripping off his upper garments completely.

  Nalan Ruoshui approached with the jade box in hand, moving lightly and gracefully. A faint, delicate fragrance wafted to Chen Nan’s nose, sending a subtle ripple through his heart.

  "Has Young Master Chen felt any discomfort in his body these past few days?"

  "Aside from losing my cultivation, there's no discomfort."

  "Oh, that's good."

  As the intoxicating fragrance lingered in the air, Chen Nan found himself entranced. Nalan Ruoshui seemed to notice the change in his expression. With delicate fingers, she quickly picked up a golden needle and swiftly inserted it into a major acupoint on his chest.

  "Ah..." Chen Nan let out a painful cry.

  Nalan Ruoshui remained calm, as if nothing had happened. After removing the first needle, she quickly and precisely inserted the second one into another acupoint.

  Chen Nan cried out again. He couldn't help but wonder: Acupuncture isn't usually this painful, right? Could she have intentionally applied more force?

  As expected, the pain after the third needle wasn’t as intense as the first two.

  Chen Nan silently thought, "This beautiful and skilled doctor has quite the temper!"

  In no time, his upper body was filled with golden needles. At that moment, the true qi within his body stirred restlessly but was forcefully suppressed and dispersed through his meridians.

  Nalan Ruoshui extended her slender fingers and began to massage around the needle sites. Waves of warmth radiated from her fingers into Chen Nan's body.

  Chen Nan realized that Nalan Ruoshui possessed impressive internal strength. The true qi flowing through her fingers constantly stimulated his acupoints, causing the dormant true qi in his body to become active again.

  "Calm your mind! Calm your mind!" He kept reminding himself, trying to settle the stirring true qi back into a peaceful state.

  After about half an hour of treatment, Chen Nan was drenched in sweat, and Nalan Ruoshui's face was flushed, her breathing slightly hurried.

  Looking at the graceful curves of her body, Chen Nan felt his mouth go dry. Nalan Ruoshui seemed to sense the heat in his gaze. A flicker of anger flashed in her eyes as she calmly said, "If Young Master Chen wishes to restore his cultivation, now is the time to calm your mind, focus, and circulate your previous martial techniques."

  Chen Nan closed his eyes and slowly adjusted his true qi, letting it circulate at a slow pace. He could already feel that, after the acupuncture, his meridians and acupoints were unusually relaxed. Naturally, he would not waste this opportunity to refine his family’s secret art. However, he could only circulate his true qi slowly, afraid that any sudden movement would be noticed by Nalan Ruoshui.

  After half an hour of slow regulation, he felt his true qi become somewhat stronger, his cultivation slightly improved. When he opened his eyes, Nalan Ruoshui was calmly watching him.

  "Well? Do you feel true qi flowing through your meridians?"

  "No."

  "Not at all?"

  Chen Nan shook his head.

  Nalan Ruoshui seemed to ponder for a moment before saying, "In that case... hmm, perhaps too much time has passed. It's alright, we'll continue tomorrow. I believe that with some treatment, your strength will be restored."

  "Thank you, Miss Nalan."

  Nalan Ruoshui carefully removed each of the golden needles from his body and placed them back into the jade box.

  Watching her graceful figure gradually disappear, Chen Nan returned to his own courtyard.

  Though Nalan Ruoshui wasn’t an otherworldly beauty, she possessed an ethereal, serene charm that gave her a unique allure—one that was quiet and detached from the mundane.

  Chen Nan sighed. "A beautiful and skilled doctor... with such a serene and ethereal presence... If I continue having close contact like this every day, won’t it test my self-control? But... this really is something to look forward to!"

  "Brat, what are you grinning about?" The old poison master poked his white head over the courtyard wall, with a large green spider crawling on his shoulder.

  "Nothing..."

  "Nothing? You're practically drooling!"

  "You saw wrong..."

  "‘Saw wrong’? Spit it out—are you plotting something bad against that girl?" The old poison master had an air of shamelessness.

  "Uncle, have you been spying on me all this time?"

  "Spying? I was just a bit curious. I accidentally overheard and saw things."

  "‘Accidentally’?" Chen Nan was speechless.

  "Yeah. By the way, kid, how did you lose all your cultivation? And what exactly can you do? What gave you the right to stay in the House of Eccentrics?"

  "Well..."

  The old poison master said, "Don’t worry, there are no secrets between the eccentrics of the House. If there were, the Eldest Princess wouldn’t have left you here. Everyone here is loyal to the Kingdom of Chu, and no one would leak its secrets."

  Chen Nan thought about it and realized that the old poison master was right. He answered truthfully, "I can draw the Hou Yi Bow."

  "What?! Oh!" The old poison master was so shocked that he fell off the wall, but in the next moment, he reappeared in Chen Nan’s courtyard.

  "I must have heard wrong. You can draw the sealed Hou Yi Bow? I xxxx... No wonder you’re living here at such a young age! You really are a national treasure!" The old man shouted in awe, his voice full of astonishment.

  Watching the old poison master jumping around, Chen Nan couldn't help but laugh.

  After quite some time, the old man finally calmed down and asked, "Kid, how did you lose your cultivation?"

  "It's a long story. I’ll tell you when I have the time."

  "It’s fine, just give me a brief version. I’m really curious," the old poison master said, looking like a curious child.

  "To put it simply... well... I was crippled by a demon."

  The old poison master asked, "That’s it?"

  Chen Nan nodded. "That’s it."

  The old poison master looked puzzled. "That’s too simple, isn’t it?"

  "You asked me to keep it simple."

  "Well then, give me the long version."

  Chen Nan was speechless.

  At that moment, a loud explosion sounded from the backyard, and the old poison master screamed, "Damn it... this destructive maniac... my treasures must have been scared again!" He quickly jumped back into his own courtyard.

  Chen Nan sighed in relief. Returning to his room, he immediately began meditating. His true qi surged wildly, and a dazzling golden light emanated from his body, enveloping him in a radiant glow.

  After about half an hour, the golden light around him slowly faded, dissipating from his body. He sprang to his feet, feeling the immense power of his true qi, and almost couldn’t resist letting out a loud roar.

  Nalan Ruoshui truly had extraordinary medical skills. After her acupuncture and the subsequent intense circulation of his true qi, Chen Nan felt clear-headed and refreshed, his strength having improved significantly.

  Suppressing the urge to shout to the heavens, he rushed into the courtyard and punched the ground.

  "Boom!"

  The entire courtyard shook, and the bamboo grove swayed violently, dropping leaves all around. Cracks appeared on the ground, radiating outward from where he stood.

  From next door, the old poison master screamed, "Damn it... that old lady still hasn’t finished with her rampage. Next time, I’ll poison her to the point where she can’t get out of bed for three months. Xiaobai, don’t run..."

  Chen Nan’s hands unleashed a series of brilliant sword qi, the golden blades striking the ground and sending dust flying. In no time, the ground returned to its original state. He was beyond excited. His family’s secret martial arts had finally broken through the second stage and reached the third stage, filling him with a great sense of pride and ambition.