Although Chen Nan did not receive a clear answer, the situation had taken a fundamental turn. Now his "value" was comparable to that of the Sima family, and the emperor could only try to win him over rather than offend him easily.
After leaving the palace, he felt much better.
Upon arriving at the new Qishi Mansion, he immediately spotted the old poison monster with bloodshot eyes, staring at him fiercely like a wolf.
Chen Nan felt a chill and turned to flee.
"You damned brat, stop right there! You destroyed the Qishi Mansion and scattered all my treasures... I'll poison you a thousand times over!"
"Take this! Corpse poison, arsenic, heartbreak grass... bone-dissolving pill, seven-step soul-severing powder..." The old poison monster flicked his hand and threw a large pile of poisons at Chen Nan. Packets of powder scattered around him, and his whole body was shrouded in a large cloud of poisonous mist.
Chen Nan shouted, "You perverted old man, are you serious? Throw the antidote now, I can't take it anymore..." As soon as he opened his mouth, the poisonous mist drifted into his mouth and nose, and he felt dizzy.
"I told you, I'd poison you ten thousand times. If you die, I'll bring you back to life; if you live, I'll poison you again..."
Chen Nan dared not speak again, focusing all his energy on circulating his family's profound martial arts. Golden light emanated from his body, and a thin golden halo appeared on his skin, blocking the poisonous mist. At the same time, his internal energy circulated rapidly, circulating through his meridians, forcibly expelling the small amount of poisonous mist that had been initially inhaled.
Seeing that a long time had passed and Chen Nan still hadn't collapsed, the old poison master increased the dosage of the poison, releasing more than twenty packets of poison at the same time. Smoke billowed at the gate of the Qishi Mansion, and the guards on duty were so frightened that they kept their distance.
The commotion attracted many extraordinary people to watch. Two people were immediately knocked down by the poison gas that drifted over from afar. The old poison master casually threw out a few packets of antidote, which saved the two people from death.
Most of these extraordinary individuals were highly skilled cultivators. They could tell at a glance that Chen Nan had successfully blocked the poisonous gas, and they were deeply impressed by his superb skills.
Chen Nan walked step by step out of the poisonous fog zone and headed towards the old poison monster.
"You perverted old man, are you ever going to stop? Do you want to keep playing this game?" he said, clenching his fists and deliberately making a cracking sound from his knuckles.
The old poison monster's expression changed drastically, and finally, with a mournful face, he said, "This is outrageous! Just a few days ago you looked so frail, but now you're so abnormally strong, you're not even afraid of poison anymore! I'll poison you, I'll keep poisoning you... I'll poison you a thousand times over!"
Chen Nan hadn't expected that after his family's secret martial arts reached the third level, he would actually be able to resist poison. This unexpected discovery delighted him. He passed through the poisonous fog area again, grinned at the old poison monster, and pointed his right hand at the old man's feet. A sword aura shot out from his finger, piercing through the marble beneath the old poison monster's feet.
The old poison monster was startled and quickly retreated.
Many of the onlookers in the distance were highly skilled martial artists, and they were all shocked when they saw the dazzling sword energy. They couldn't believe that such a young junior was actually a third-tier martial artist who had reached the level of projecting sword energy from his body, and was in no way inferior to those of them who had cultivated for decades.
Sima Lingkong's eyes flashed with jealousy and hatred. He clenched his fists tightly, wishing he could rush up and beat that originally ordinary guy to a pulp.
"Damn brat, don't come any closer!" The old poison monster kept retreating.
Chen Nan stepped forward, grabbed his arm, and said, "You perverted old man, do you still want to play?"
Seeing the faint golden halo around Chen Nan's body, the old man quickly shook his head and said, "I'm not playing anymore. Why am I so unlucky? Every neighbor I run into is more freakish and insane than the last!"
Chen Nan whispered, "Don't complain. I'll give you something; you'll definitely be happy."
The old poison master looked listless and said, "What kind of rubbish is this? I'm not interested in martial arts; a little self-defense skill is enough."
"What?!" the old poison master exclaimed in surprise, "Really?"
"Of course it's true. I originally intended to give it to you when I left Qishi Mansion, but seeing how much you want to eat me alive, I'd better give it to you now."
The old poison master grabbed Chen Nan and ran towards his courtyard. After closing the gate, he asked urgently, "Where is the Poison Scripture?"
Chen Nan pulled a crumpled roll of rough paper from his pocket and said, "Here, take it."
The old poison monster jumped up and said, "You damned brat, you're still trying to fool me with a roll of toilet paper..."
Chen Nan stuffed the roll of paper into the old man's hand and said, "Believe it or not."
With a suspicious look, the old poison master opened the scroll and slowly began to read. The more he read, the more excited he became, finally shouting, "It really is the Poison Manual! That's wonderful!" He quickly flipped through the pages, and when he reached the last page, the old man exclaimed, "Why does it seem like a few pages are missing?"
Chen Nan scratched his head and said, "Last time I went to the toilet, I think I used three sheets."
"You..." The old poison master was practically spitting blood with rage. Pointing his finger at Chen Nan, he said, "You... you actually used the Poison Scripture as toilet paper? Heavens, may the Poison Ancestor manifest himself and poison this brat a thousand times over!"
"You perverted old man, are you kidding me? I was the one who gave you the Poison Scripture, and you're cursing me like this..."
The old man said with a bitter face, "Who told you to 'desecrate' the last three chapters of the Poison Scripture? Do you even remember what they say?"
"Hmm, I think I vaguely remember. I guess I'll remember everything when I go to the bathroom again."
"You..." The old poison monster was so angry he had no temper left.
"You perverted old man, look at your miserable face. The last three pages actually contain very little information. Listen carefully..."
The old poison master was overjoyed and carefully wrote it down.
"Alright, I've written it all down. Don't chase me to the bathroom to ask me about it later."
The old poison master glared and said, "How exactly did you get your hands on this book, you little bastard? Did you find it in the Royal Archives the other day?"
"I don't know how to thank you. This book is really important to me. Well, let's just call it even for the time you scared away all my treasures."
"You're being too stingy!"
The old poison master said, "I just heard you say that you were planning to give me this poison manual when you left. Are you leaving now?"
Chen Nan said, "In Qishi Mansion, you are the only person I am familiar with and trust, so I don't want to hide anything from you. I will leave sooner or later, but please keep this a secret."
The old poison monster nodded and said, "I knew you would leave. Is it after you marry Liang Shui? Don't forget this old man after you leave."
"You perverted old man, don't worry, I'll think of you every time I go to the toilet from now on..." Chen Nan laughed and strode away.
Three days later, Emperor Chu Han of Chu celebrated his sixtieth birthday in a grand ceremony at the imperial palace. All civil and military officials came to offer their congratulations, and the rare and precious gifts presented as birthday presents were piled up like mountains. Of course, the most dazzling gift was the crystal-clear and radiant Fiery Lotus given by the little princess, its delicate fragrance refreshing the soul.
The magnificent imperial palace was filled with singing and dancing, and the melodious sounds of stringed instruments. Officials sang praises to the emperor, their words of admiration never ceasing. After receiving the congratulations from his subjects, Chu Han ordered a banquet to be prepared. Soon, the hall was filled with the clinking of glasses and the fragrant aroma of wine.
Although the birthday gifts sent by the people of Qishi Mansion were not rare treasures, they were treated as honored guests, seated not far from the emperor, and on equal footing with the important officials. Everyone toasted each other, and the wine flowed freely.
The main hall was filled with a festive atmosphere, with singing and dancing, melodious music, and the emperor and his ministers drinking and chatting happily.
After several rounds of drinks and dishes, the expected thing happened. A man stood up from the banquet, bowed to Chu Han, and said, "Your Majesty, don't you think these songs and dances are too weak? The mighty Chu Kingdom spans thousands of miles, and its founding emperor established the nation through military might. Are our descendants, after ruling this vast land, only capable of appreciating decadent music?"
These words were utterly unreasonable, and all the ministers turned pale and angrily rebuked them.
"Are you an envoy from the vassal state of Tianyang? How dare you be so rude!"
"How dare the envoy from the small Tianyang Kingdom question the emperor of the hegemonic nation? Do you intend to rebel?"
"How dare you! Does your Tianyang Kingdom harbor any ill intentions?"
...
The envoy from Tianyang Kingdom remained calm and said, "This humble subject truly has no intention of offending Your Majesty; I merely wish to invite Your Majesty to appreciate the fierceness of warriors."
The Emperor of Chu laughed and said, "Very well. I have long heard that Tianyang Kingdom is full of extraordinary people. Although the country is small, the number of peerless masters is no less than that of any major country. Today, let me broaden my horizons."
Chu Han waved his hand, and all the singers, dancers, and musicians withdrew.
Before long, three people entered the main hall. All three were in their twenties, and each of them was extremely tall with muscles like coiled dragons, exuding explosive power.
After the three men bowed to Chu Han, one of them said, "Our martial arts demonstration is meaningless. We would like to invite the young heroes of Chu to come down and spar."
A minister from the State of Chu said, "Are you openly challenging us? Do you want to compete with the heroes of our great Chu?"
One of the three said, "If that's your opinion, then it's not entirely unreasonable."
The minister angrily exclaimed, "You...you have such audacity!"
"The land of Chu is rich in heroes; I doubt they would fear the challenge of the three of us."
At this moment, Princess Chu Yue spoke up: "If you wish to witness the skills of the young cultivators of my Chu Kingdom, I can answer you on their behalf and accept your challenge."
All three were delighted.
"We are dragon knights, we have our own dragons, and it is impossible for us to compete in the palace hall."
At this moment, Chu Han spoke up, "Then let's go to the palace's martial arts arena. I didn't expect my birthday celebration to be so spectacular, to actually see dragon knights dueling with humans, hehe..." Chu Han had a smile on his face, as if he could already see the three dragon knights' miserable defeat. Indeed, with Chen Nan, who could draw Hou Yi's bow, present, he wasn't worried at all.
But the happiest person in the room was none other than the little princess. She was the first to jump up and say, "Great! Finally, we can see the big, clumsy dragons flying and fighting in the air! Hehe..."
The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment.
The Queen grabbed the little princess, tapped her forehead, and said, "You little rascal, you're always stirring up trouble!"
The little princess giggled.
The civil and military officials accompanied the emperor to the palace's martial arts arena. Chu Han sat high on the central platform, with the empress beside him, and several princes and two princesses on either side. The ministers sat on the lower platform.
One of the three dragon knights walked to the center of the arena, raised his head and roared to the sky. His voice, like rolling thunder, carried far and wide. Before long, a black dot appeared in the distance. The dot grew larger and larger until a flying dragon, six or seven zhang long, flew above the arena and circled in the air.
The dragon knight waved to the sky, and the dragon swooped down and landed beside him, creating a gust of wind that caused the civil officials to scream in alarm.
The dragon knight leaped onto the dragon's back and addressed the onlookers: "Before we begin, there are some things I must explain. The three of us cannot fight continuously, so the Chu Kingdom can only select some representatives, preferably nine people. Each of us will take on three, but we must go one by one."
This dragon knight was very arrogant, implying that the three heroes of Chu were no match for one dragon knight of Tianyang, which immediately drew a lot of angry rebukes.
The people in the Qishi Mansion sat together, and the old poison monster whispered, "Arrogant enough, but he has the capital to be arrogant." He turned to Chen Nan and said, "Do you know that although Tianyang Kingdom is small, it has a large number of cultivators. The number of profound cultivators in the country is no less than that of Chu Kingdom, so the experts from this country should not be underestimated."
Chen Nan nodded. He had already sensed the immense power of these three individuals; each of them had reached the level of a second-tier cultivator. However, among the three, only the one who had remained silent had caught his attention. He sensed that this person was about to enter the realm of a third-tier cultivator, a truly formidable opponent.
Chu Yue said, "No need for nine people, three are enough." She turned to the crowd and asked, "Who would like to experience the skills of these three dragon knights?"
The young experts in the army stood up one after another, willing to fight the dragon knight.
The number of people who signed up for the Qishi Mansion was much smaller, mainly because there were very few young people.
Finally, the candidates were chosen, all from the Qishi Mansion. The first to be selected was a young, mid-level mage whose strength had already reached the level of a second-tier cultivator. The second was Sima Lingkong, whose injured dragon had already been healed by the old witch using holy light magic. The third was Chen Nan, who was chosen by the eldest princess before he even had a chance to register.
The magician was the first to go down to the arena to fight, and he floated lightly from the stands to the center of the arena.
Long Qishi laughed, "Magicians are rare and seldom seen on ordinary days. I never imagined I would have the honor of fighting a magician who has reached the second tier today. What a privilege!"
The mage said, "That's easy, but dragon knights seem to be a rare species. It's quite unusual to see three dragons appear today!"
Long Qishi sneered, "Heh heh, it seems dragon knights are the bane of mages. You're dead today!"
The magician laughed and said, "You're just bragging after you've beaten me."
The two exchanged sharp words, showing no mercy.
Long Qishi held a dragon-slaying spear, patted the dragon's head, and the dragon soared into the sky.
"Delicate mage, make your move."
The magician held his wand, chanted a spell softly, and with a wave of his wand, bolts of lightning struck the dragon knight from the sky, crackling and popping in the air.
Without waiting for its master's command, the dragon quickly dodged to the side, and all the lightning bolts that missed their mark struck the ground, creating a huge crater.
The dragon stirred up a gust of wind and charged toward the mage. The mage drifted rapidly through the air, and with a gentle wave of his wand, dozens of ice spears emitted a series of ear-piercing sounds as they pierced the air, flashing with a chilling light, and charged toward the dragon knight in a wide area.
The dragon knight had no time to dodge. He swung his dragon-slaying spear, and streaks of crimson battle energy erupted from its tip, shattering the ice spears into pieces that fell to the ground. Then, he spurred his dragon to charge at the mage again, while the dragon-slaying spear trembled repeatedly, and streaks of battle energy, like sword blades, hissed as they attacked the mage.
The mage quickly dodged, simultaneously chanting a spell to create a light blue magical shield to protect himself. However, the dragon knight's battle aura was exceptionally powerful, seemingly indestructible, causing cracks to appear in the magical shield, eliciting a scream from the mage.
The dragon knight laughed loudly, "I already told you, dragon knights are the bane of mages, you're dead!" The dragon continued to chase the mage in the air.
A cold smile crept across the mage's lips. The instant the magical shield shattered, he waved his wand lightly, unleashing a barrage of gleaming wind blades that shot toward the dragon knight. Simultaneously, massive bolts of lightning followed, accompanied by intense magical fluctuations in the air.
The dragon knight's expression changed drastically. In his haste, his body erupted with a dazzling light. The crimson battle aura blocked the ice blades and lightning, but it only lasted for a short while before the light of the battle aura gradually dimmed.
The Chu court officials who were watching all showed their joy, but the highly skilled cultivators of the Qishi Mansion showed no expression whatsoever.
This was the first time Chen Nan had witnessed a battle between a dragon knight and a mage, and he found this aerial combat quite novel. He secretly pondered, "Just how high a level of martial arts skill must one reach to be able to fly using their own strength?"
Suddenly, the situation in the air reversed. The dragon knight's clothes burst open, his long hair stood on end, and crimson battle aura burned fiercely around him like flames.
"Die, you weak mage!"
Crimson battle aura protected the dragon knight and the dragon as they charged forward, wind blades sliding to the sides. At this moment, the energy of the lightning also weakened, disappearing after making a series of crackling sounds.
The mage was terrified. It was too late to dodge. He hastily erected a magical shield, but it was utterly ineffective against the dragon knight's powerful impact and shattered in the blink of an eye. The mage was slammed into by the dragon's massive body, screaming as he plummeted to the ground, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.
A gasp of alarm rippled through the crowd. Rescuers rushed to the scene and, upon closer inspection, discovered that the magician's sternum was shattered and he was already dead.
The dragon rider roared to the sky, and the dragon followed suit with a roar, tumbling and soaring in the air, looking incredibly majestic.