Chen Nan’s mind was a bit muddled at the moment. When he first heard the name Lin Mo, it didn’t register. But after hearing Ning Xuan mention forced matching and automatic contract termination, he realized Lin Mo must be another Contractor matched to Ning Xuan by the Light Computer.

Lin Mo, with a Spiritual Power Level above S-Class... A storm raged in Chen Nan’s heart. ’Could it be *that* Lin Mo? The one from Five Maples City!’

He was about the same age as Lin Mo, but the other man’s achievements far surpassed his own. Whether in terms of background or personal strength, Lin Mo was a figure of breathtaking talent, a true chosen one. ’And he was also Ning Xuan’s Contractor? And he had just been rejected by her? This... this can’t be real!’

Chen Nan looked at Ning Xuan, feeling his mind go completely blank. ’Why had he ever thought he was her only matched partner?’

After they entered the house, Ning Xuan threw Chen Nan onto the bed. Initially, after finishing her training, Ning Xuan had been somewhat aroused under Chen Nan’s influence and wouldn’t have minded tangling with him at home. However, being stopped and spoken to like that had left her feeling a little distracted.

Chen Nan sensed Ning Xuan’s coldness. Normally, if he saw she was in a bad mood, he would never dare to bother her. But right now, the lust burning through him was unbearable. He decided to feign delirium, tore open the collar of his shirt, and wrapped himself around her. Chen Nan kissed her hand, but Ning Xuan pried his mouth open and fed him a bottle of the Suppressant Potion she had concocted. "Perfect. You can be the first to test how well this medicine works."

This Suppressant Potion formula was an improved version Ning Xuan had developed from a fever suppression medicine formula found within Intermediate Compound Medicines. The original was for the lowest-grade fever suppression medicine, intended only for suppressing the fevers of B-Class or lower Spirit Controllers. However, there were many ordinary women and Low-level Female Spirit Controllers who could have multiple Contractors, so Low-level Male Spirit Controllers below B-Class didn’t really lack partners. Besides, even without a partner, a fever period below B-Class wasn’t that hard to endure.

Therefore, the original formula was actually quite useless. Ning Xuan had only bothered with it because the ingredients were common and cheap, and the alchemy process was very simple. She used it for practice. Then, because she was studying the principles of drug combination for Advanced Composite Potions, she had a sudden impulse and tried to improve it.

Unexpectedly, she had succeeded. The finished medicine was clear and bright, with extremely high purity. She had already taken it to a medicine monitoring station to be tested. It was safe, and the concentration of active ingredients was dozens of times higher than the original formula!

After Ning Xuan fed him the bottle of medicine, Chen Nan still didn’t know what it was. He only knew that after drinking it, his muddled thoughts gradually began to clear. Seeing the daze in his eyes fade to clarity, Ning Xuan removed the Imprisonment Ring from his neck and asked, "How do you feel?"

Chen Nan licked his chapped lips. "Thirsty... and still so hot!" As he spoke, he ripped open his already loosened shirt, revealing his delicate collarbones and well-defined chest and abdominal muscles.

"If you’re so hot, then go outside and cool off!" Ning Xuan shoved away Chen Nan’s wandering hand, ripped what was left of his shirt completely off his body, and pointed to the courtyard outside.

"Come back inside when you don’t feel hot anymore. Also, pay close attention to the changes in your body. Later, I want a written report on your experience after taking the medicine, with timestamps! I’ll be reading it!" Ning Xuan pinched the soft flesh on Chen Nan’s side. ’Feels nice!’

"Yes!" Seeing Ning Xuan’s cold expression, Chen Nan, though reluctant, didn’t dare to disobey. He obediently went to stand shirtless in the courtyard as punishment.

Most areas of Extreme Cold City were frigid. Only the safe zones, which had underground Earth Fire Resources and were heated by indoor Earth Fire Furnaces, could be kept above 0 degrees. Outside, most residents still needed to wear insulated or cold-proof clothing.

Chen Nan stepped out of the house shirtless and shivered from the cold. A moment later, the intense heat radiating from within his body dispelled the chill on his skin and cleared his head even more.

He glanced back and saw that Ning Xuan had already gone to the study. She was sitting primly at her desk, reading a book, occasionally bowing her head to furiously write down some notes. Chen Nan found a spot where Ning Xuan could see him perfectly and stood there, sighing with a complicated mix of emotions.

Based on his body’s reaction, he had already guessed that the medicine Ning Xuan gave him was a Suppressant Potion. But it was different from any of the various suppressant potions he had used before; this was a completely new type of medicine! Ning Xuan hadn’t bought any finished medicines, which meant she had concocted this bottle herself!

Fever suppression medicines effective for someone of his Level were, without exception, expensive, Star Rank Advanced Potions that only an Alchemy Master could create. Ning Xuan shouldn’t have reached the level required to concoct Star-grade Medicine yet, and this medicine didn’t have the characteristic Star Essence of a Star Rank medicine!

And yet, while this medicine couldn’t suppress his body’s physical reaction, it allowed his mind to remain clear and even lessened the agitation of his spiritual power!

This was incredible. After all, if he could keep his mind clear and not lose his senses, his combat effectiveness on the battlefield wouldn’t be affected, and it would prevent a spiritual power meltdown. He would only have to endure the remaining physical reactions. This medicine nearly solved the most severe problem faced by High-level Male Spirit Controllers during their fever periods!

Ning Xuan had actually managed to concoct such a medicine. The crucial part was that she hadn’t used any rare or expensive medicinal herbs recently, which meant the cost of producing this medicine wasn’t high.

Thinking of this, Chen Nan was once again amazed by Ning Xuan’s astonishing talent for alchemy.

As awe filled Chen Nan’s heart, his thoughts couldn’t help but drift back to the sudden appearance of Lin Mo. He wondered how Lin Mo had tracked them to Extreme Cold City so quickly. The safe zones had strong information protection for residents, so how on earth had the people Lin Mo sent found their location?

A strong sense of crisis washed over Chen Nan. He even felt a sense of unreality. ’How could Lin Mo possibly be one of Ning Xuan’s Contractors too?’

For a family like the Lin Family of Five Maples City, a man like Lin Mo was a singular treasure. His Superpower Body was the Divine Beast White Tiger, inherited from his father who came from the White Tiger Clan. The Lin Family treasured him more than their own eyes. Since his birth, they had groomed countless candidates just to be matched with him when he came of age. In fact, this practice was very common among the great clans. Male Spirit Controllers with excellent genes and outstanding talent were incredibly valuable to their families. Aside from necessary political marriages, they would never willingly let their own chosen one fall under the control of another family!

Chen Nan had originally thought that his own qualifications made him a top-tier choice for Ning Xuan. But compared to Lin Mo, his qualifications fell far short!