Grass by the Nest

"Does the dress look better, or does Xiao Mei look better?"

Shen Yue asked with anticipation.

Chen Han clicked his tongue. After the two exchanged a few more lighthearted remarks, Chen Han finally asked what was on his mind.

"Who bought these new items, and this dress you're wearing? Looking at the fabric, it wasn't cheap."

Shen Yue looked surprised. "Big Brother, you didn't know? It was Senior Sister."

"Senior Sister? Which Senior Sister?"

"Hmm... that Senior Sister who is very beautiful. What was her name again? Right, Senior Sister Chen Qiuyu."

Chen Han didn't react for a moment. Shen Yue continued, "Senior Sister Chen Qiuyu said she was your senior sister, then she furnished the house with these new things and even took me shopping. She bought this dress for me, too."

Chen Han's gaze grew complex, a bad feeling washing over him. Is this woman afraid of me? Is she trying to curry favor because she doesn't dare to be my enemy?

Chen Han felt deeply stifled. He had been planning how to ruthlessly settle the score with Chen Qiuyu when the time was right.

But now that she had made this move, deliberately forcing him to owe her a favor, he couldn't very well dismantle the items already installed in the house and send them back, so he had no choice but to accept them.

He did not want to have any friendly interactions with Chen Qiuyu. She had humiliated him plenty in the past; now that she saw he was strong, she was sending gifts to butter him up. What did she take him for?

The grudge of her past humiliation was not being forgotten; the time simply hadn't come yet.

Regardless of whose daughter she was, if she offended him, she wouldn't have an easy time. While he wouldn't kill her, she would certainly suffer her fair share of misery.

Chen Han was a man who held grudges, but he didn't dwell on this matter too long, deciding to tell the three women when he got home not to accept things from others.

He turned back to his room to focus his attention on other things.

Taking out the Thunderbolt Extreme martial arts manual, Chen Han began to study it carefully.

If a man has no long-term worries, he will have near-term troubles. The Mountain Breaking Fist was, after all, only a third-rate martial art. If he wanted to break through to higher realms in the future, it was best to start learning stronger techniques early.

Thunderbolt Extreme was perfectly suited for him.

After studying it for a while, Chen Han wore a troubled expression.

He discovered that cultivating Thunderbolt Extreme required more than just talent; it demanded immense perseverance and a deep family fortune.

"The learning cost for this martial art is simply too high. Money is a minor issue, but some of the required items are priceless and impossible to find, even if you have the wealth to buy them."

"No wonder this manual is so easily circulated; the average person simply lacks the resources to master it."

Chen Han estimated for a while and realized this technique was completely beyond his current reach. He could only store it away carefully and wait for a future opportunity.

Chen Han then opened the Taiji Health Cultivation Technique. After the Ming Jin stage, this technique no longer distinguished between levels of power. In other words, while it could be used for combat, its primary focus remained on health preservation.

After the reshaping of tendons and bones and the rebirth of the body, one reaches the stage of "Lifting Mountains and Carrying Cauldrons, Steel Tendons and Iron Bones!"

This realm allows for a further, massive increase in the strength of tendons and bones. As the name suggests, the physical body can lift a cauldron, and the bones and sinews become comparable to steel.

This step still requires sufficient monster meat, body-strengthening medicinal soups, and ten training sessions every day.

The only difference is that one must consume a century-old exotic beast heart every month.

Exotic beast hearts are incredibly expensive and rich in nutrients. Consuming them provides martial artists with the benefits of nourishing the foundation and thickening the blood and qi. Their price is even higher than that of exotic beast meat, something commoners would never even see.

"This is also not something I can solve at the moment. That leaves only the Mountain Breaking Fist."

"The family's Martial Arts Grand Ceremony is in less than half a month. I must improve my strength as quickly as possible to reach a cooperation with Chen Qiuyu and try to defeat all opponents in the tournament."

Following this, Chen Han resumed his life of practicing martial arts at the first light of dawn every day.

With Shen Wan'er and her family now living in the Chen Mansion, he didn't have to worry about their safety.

A few days later, during a moment of leisure, Chen Han sat across from the Old Steward, sipping tea.

"Nephew Xiao Han, the family's Martial Arts Grand Ceremony is soon. Although your strength is formidable among the younger generation, you must remember not to be careless."

Chen Han nodded in agreement. "I naturally won't be negligent. There is always someone better, and a sky beyond the sky; I understand that much."

"Good, as long as you know. By the way, you might encounter Chen Huaizheng when the time comes.

This boy has excellent talent. He broke through to the An Jin stage at twenty, and four years have passed since then. He may have reached the peak of An Jin. Although he is not your match, he is still a strong opponent."

Chen Han silently noted the name. He had confidence, but he was not arrogant; a proud army is bound to fail, and that was no empty threat.

The Old Steward continued, "And there is Chen Shanzhen. This boy's talent is average, but he wins through diligence and hard work. Plus, his family has deep financial resources, and he has been nourishing his blood and qi since childhood. His physical strength is not something an ordinary martial artist can compare to."

"Chen Shanzhen? Who is that? I don't have any impression of him..."

Chen Han couldn't recall where he had seen this person. In truth, there were still many clansmen under the eaves of the mansion he didn't know well.

The Old Steward nodded. "It is normal that you don't know him. But you must not tell anyone else what I am about to say..."

Gossip!

Chen Han's expression became subtle, and he tilted his ear slightly to listen more clearly.

"It's like this: Chen Shanjiang, that is, Chen Shanhe's eldest son, when he was young, once..."

After the Old Steward finished speaking, Chen Han nodded with a lingering sense of intrigue.

Good heavens, this boy was actually conceived from the forbidden acts Chen Shanjiang committed multiple times with his sister-in-law. The matter was suppressed immediately at the time, which is why he rarely appeared in public since childhood.

Not many people knew about this matter, and the Old Steward was one of them.

Afterward, Chen Shanjiang felt guilty and gave his sister-in-law's husband a sum of silver so the couple could live well. At the same time, because the child carried the blood of the Chen Family, he was kept in the Chen Family to be taught by his grandfather, Chen Shanhe.

Chen Han couldn't help but exclaim, Good grief, even a rabbit doesn't eat the grass by its own burrow. Besides, if you're going to have an affair, fine, but his sister-in-law was already a married woman...

On the other side, "Grandfather, that guy Chen Han was clearly playing you for a fool. I cannot swallow this insult, Chen Shanzhen. Rest assured, at the upcoming Martial Arts Grand Ceremony, I will definitely make this arrogant fellow pay the price!"

Chen Shanzhen had learned that Chen Han had agreed to take the mountain post only to regret it and refuse the next day, and he was absolutely furious.

To dare to toy with his grandfather like this—he would certainly not let this person off.

"Hmm, when Chen Han returned, he was only a martial artist at the peak of the Dark Force realm, not much different from you. It is just unclear why his strength and skill are so astonishing; you must be extra careful when the time comes."

Chen Shanzhen wore an expression of absolute confidence and youthful pride, "Just rest easy, Grandfather. I have been personally taught by you since I was small, and I have used those expensive resources to temper my body."

"Now, with this Kirin Vest added to the mix, if I don't beat Chen Han until he's crawling on the floor looking for his teeth... then I'm not a Chen!"

As he spoke, he looked at his inner garment. It was a remarkably soft shirt, but it was far more than that.

This garment was called the Kirin Vest, crafted from the hide of the exotic beast known as the Kirin Ox. Wearing it could deflect nearly half the force of a punch from a martial arts practitioner.

He was already as strong and sturdy as a bear, and now, possessing this armor, his resistance to blows was extremely high. To call him a human-shaped ferocious beast when fighting at full strength would be no exaggeration.

As for Chen Han, a mere Dark Force martial artist, he didn't take him seriously at all.