"Miss Lu, why are you looking at me like that? Are you planning to offer me magical herbs?" Nan Gong Huan stood beside Lu Sui’an, smiling at her.

  Only then did Lu Sui’an realize she had been staring at Nan Gong Huan for a long time. She immediately turned her head away in embarrassment, saying disdainfully, "Hmph, don’t think that just because the mentor and the princess favor you, you can do whatever you want. I’m sure you used some underhanded methods to seduce them. I’ll expose you sooner or later!"

  "Is that so? I’ll be waiting," Nan Gong Huan grinned, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes.

  Jiang Huairou quietly poked Nan Gong Huan’s arm, whispering curiously, "Nan Gong, I’m also quite curious. Why does the mentor favor you so much? And how did you get invited by the princess?"

  "Maybe... it’s because I’m charming," Nan Gong Huan tilted her head, a hint of recklessness in her smile.

  Jiang Huairou’s smile stiffened, her lips twitching. She wasn’t sure if Nan Gong Huan was joking or if she was being guarded. It was getting harder to extract more information from her.

  Class time arrived, and everyone was still scattered without any formation.

  A lean man walked toward them—their martial arts mentor.

  "Uncle... Uncle?" Nan Gong Huan’s eyes widened, then blinked. Wasn’t this her uncle, Nan Gong Shuixie?

  What was he doing here? And he was actually a mentor at the academy!

  Nan Gong Huan tried to recall. When she was very young, her grandfather had mentioned that her uncle was a mentor at the Royal Academy.

  Now... it seemed he had returned to his position.

  "What? Nan Gong, you know the mentor?" Jiang Huairou stood beside Nan Gong Huan, always trying to gain her trust.

  "I guess you could say that," Nan Gong Huan chuckled dryly. Speaking of which, Nan Gong Qian’er was also at the academy. She wondered if they had met.

  To her surprise, in just one month, her uncle had already broken through to the Two Spirit Life level.

  This was also the first time Nan Gong Huan had seen her uncle looking so sharp. He didn’t look like a man in his forties but rather like someone just in his thirties, exuding the charm of a mature man. Moreover, after a month, his thin frame had filled out, making him look more powerful.

  When Nan Gong Shuixie saw Nan Gong Huan, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, and then he smiled at her.

  He stood still and announced to everyone, "I am your martial arts mentor, Nan Gong Shuixie."

  His expression was gentle, making him seem approachable.

  Seeing the mentor arrive, everyone quieted down. But many were still speculating about the mentor’s identity and his relationship with Nan Gong Huan.

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  "For the first class, let me assess your basic physical fitness," Nan Gong Shuixie wasted no time, having everyone warm up and run two laps around the training grounds.

  At first, everyone kept up, but gradually, some fell behind, stretching the line by two hundred meters.

  Nan Gong Huan ran at a steady pace in the middle, and Jiang Huairou followed her rhythm, managing to keep up perfectly.

  Some male students sprinted past the finish line, and Nan Gong Shuixie nodded in satisfaction. He paid extra attention to Nan Gong Huan, noticing that her movements were more precise than he had expected.

  Nan Gong Huan, meanwhile, remembered her days as a novice assassin, trained by a devilish instructor. Those dark, grueling days of training were still etched in her memory.

  And now, looking at her uncle’s expression, it wasn’t much different from that devilish instructor...

  Soon, everyone finished the run, panting heavily. Most of the female students were still physically weaker.

  Based on everyone’s overall condition, Nan Gong Shuixie divided them into three groups—strong, medium, and weak—and planned to train them with different intensities accordingly.

  Nan Gong Huan and Jiang Huairou were placed among a few male students in the "strong" group. The next part of the class was spent on horse stance training.

  "I’ve been standing for almost fifteen minutes. Who can endure this for so long?" a male student complained, his legs trembling and aching.

  "Stop whining. Look at Nan Gong Huan. She’s standing there like it’s nothing," another male student couldn’t hold on any longer, his legs giving out as he collapsed to the ground.

  For those who couldn’t hold on, Nan Gong Shuixie let them rest for a few minutes before continuing.

  Everyone’s eyes turned to Nan Gong Huan, who stood with her eyes closed, motionless like a wooden stake. Her posture was more precise than anyone else’s, and only a thin layer of sweat appeared on her forehead.

  Of course, they didn’t know that for the past three years, she had undergone relentless, devilish training. The horse stance was just the most basic requirement.

  Not wanting to lose to a girl, the male students mustered their strength and managed to hold on for half an hour.

  The female students didn’t fare as well, but they managed to hold on intermittently.

  The entire class was almost entirely spent on horse stance training.

  When class ended, everyone was drenched in sweat.

  "Nan Gong Huan, I have to admit, I’m impressed. You stood for so long without moving at all," a male student panted, giving her a thumbs-up, his thighs still trembling.

  "You’re really something," the male student who had spat earlier had to admit defeat.

  "Just because your physique is better than mine doesn’t mean your potion fusion rate is higher!" Lu Sui’an, as always, couldn’t stand to lose. She had taken several breaks during the horse stance and was quite dissatisfied with losing to Nan Gong Huan, so she had to find superiority elsewhere.

  She was the capital’s recognized genius alchemist, with a potion fusion rate of over eighty percent!

  Nan Gong Huan just smiled it off. Since it was still early, she wanted to visit the herb pavilion to see if they had the magical herbs needed for her advancement potion.

  As everyone dispersed, Nan Gong Shuixie called out to Nan Gong Huan.

  He didn’t hold back his praise. "Your performance was outstanding. I heard you’ve also studied under another master outside. Did your master teach you all this?"

  "Yes, Uncle," Nan Gong Huan nodded, steering the conversation. "I’m really happy to see you at the academy. You look like you’re in great shape."

  "That’s also thanks to your spirit root," Nan Gong Shuixie’s eyes softened, and he found himself liking this niece more and more.

  Nan Gong Huan’s lips curved into a smile. He probably wouldn’t want to know the origin of that spirit root.

  "Uncle, have you seen Qian’er?" Nan Gong Huan directly broached the topic, wondering how her uncle would treat Nan Gong Qian’er.

  Hearing the name, Nan Gong Shuixie’s face immediately darkened. "I’ve heard about her misdeeds. As far as I’m concerned, I never had that daughter."

  Back then, he had been drugged by Shen Yerong and forced into a relationship, never expecting it to result in a child.

  The actions of the mother and daughter disgusted him. Now that he had broken free from Shen Yerong, he only wanted to focus on cultivation and becoming stronger. As for Nan Gong Qian’er, she no longer had anything to do with him.