Chapter 10 Breaking Through the Waters

"Why did you lie..." Just as Du Fei and Little Ai were about to leave the main hall, Du Han, who had escorted them out, suddenly spoke in a subdued tone. Hearing this, Du Fei was taken aback. He swiftly turned around, staring at the calm-faced Du Han beside him. "You don't need to be afraid. I have no other intentions. I just don't understand. You should know something about the culprits, yet you haven't said anything," Du Han continued calmly. Du Fei stared at Du Han for a moment, and after confirming that the latter had no malice, he replied in a deep voice, "Some things are better done by oneself than entrusted to others, aren't they?" "Is that really the case?" Du Han gave a soft smile, then nodded, "Regardless, this is your affair, and it doesn't concern me much. However..." "However, what?" Du Fei asked with a furrowed brow. Du Han glanced at Du Fei, then at Little Ai, before continuing, "Putting everything else aside, if you want to stay in the Du Family and wish to protect what's dear to you, your current strength is really lacking... Even though the Lord Patriarch has reluctantly classified you as an inner family member, your power is far from satisfactory... In less than three months, the family festival will take place... I hope, by then, your inner family status won't be taken away by someone else!" "Furthermore, I'm very interested in you..." Having said that, Du Han smiled lightly, paying no further attention to Du Fei and turned to leave. "Family festival..." Du Fei frowned slightly, a strange look passing over his face. He was well aware of the family festival. It was said that this festival was an annual grand event for the Du Family. Apart from paying respects to the ancestors, there was another extremely important event during this period which was the Clan Contest! In the Clan Contest, the younger generation of the family could challenge anyone freely. If they were victorious in the chalenge, the challenger would take the other party's status and position within the family. Therefore, the annual festival and Clan Contest were extremely crucial for the younger generation of the Du Family. Many trained hard throughout the year just for this one contest! "Just three more months?" Du Fei gave a faint smile, his gaze landing on the bustling square below, "Though it's only three months, it's more than enough!" Little Ai, who stood beside him, seeing the suddenly invigorated look on Du Fei's face, it was as if she thought of something as she momentarily revealed a relieved smile on her lovely face. "Phew..." With a long sigh, Du Fei, with complete lack of grace, collapsed onto his bed with a satisfied expression on his face. "So, young master, are you really that tired today?" Little Ai's voice came from behind, a hint of resignation in her tone as she softly spoke. "I wouldn't say I'm exhausted, but everything has been overly bothersome..." Du Fei replied with a slight shake of his head. After leaving the grand hall, the two of them attended the Du Family's clan meeting. Originally, given Du Fei's status, he shouldn't have attracted any troubles. However, once people learned of Du Fei's identity as an inner family member, many approached to offer their greetings. While the sincerity behind these greetings required further consideration, Du Fei felt that such events were even more tiring than his training sessions. "Speaking of which, young master, when did you start cultivating, and how did you reach the fourth stage of body-forging?" Sitting by the bed and gently massaging Du Fei's back, Little Ai asked in a hushed tone. "What if I said that I only started cultivating these past few days, would you believe me?" Du Fei suddenly turned, grasping Little Ai's wrist as he chuckled. "Of course I'll believe it... I believe whatever the young master says..." Little Ai, her wrist held by Du Fei, blushed furiously. She seemed as though she wanted to pull away, but after a moment of hesitation, she didn't make any moves. However, Du Fei didn't notice Little Ai's reaction. Instead, he sat up and clapped his hands, declaring, "Regardless, I no longer need to hide the fact that I can cultivate. Starting tomorrow, I'll focus on my training... If, within these three months, I can advance to the seventh stage of body-forging, then Du Qing... everything about you will cease to exist!" Hearing this, a look of surprise flashed across Little Ai's face. But then, she blinked and softly responded, "I believe that you, young master, can surely achieve it!" This unwarranted trust warmed Du Fei's heart. He couldn't resist reaching out and ruffling Little Ai's hair, causing her face to turn a shade of crimson again. The Du Family's estate spanned an extensive area within Buyue City. Even the city's sole mountain peak was included within the family's restricted territory. Only members of the Du Family were allowed to set foot in this cultivation site. Within the mountain range, there were even ferocious beasts raised by the Du Family for cultivation purposes. However, due to this, fewer people have come to this back mountain for cultivation in recent years, leading it to be neglected to a certain degree. At that moment, around the waterfall located halfway up the mountain behind the Du Family's residence, thin streams of white mist faintly lingered. From within the mist, intermittent muffled sounds resonated, stirring one's soul. In the pond before the waterfall, Du Fei stood waist-deep in the water. His stance was slightly open, both hands clenched, and in a split second, he threw a punch at the water's surface. "Ha!" With that fierce shout, a trench-like mark appeared in the pond in front of Du Fei, even exposing the bottom of the pond. However, moments later, the pond water filled the trench once more. "Still the same?" Watching this unfold, Du Fei slightly twitched the corner of his mouth, soon commenting with a hint of self-mockery. After pondering for a moment, Du Fei slowly exhaled, retracted his stance, and said softly, "System, what's going on? Didn't you tell me that the fastest way to break through to the seventh level of body-forging is through this method?" "Query recognized, answer unclear." An emotionless electronic voice resonated coldly in Du Fei's mind, offering no further explanation. Upon hearing this, Du Fei couldn't help but give a bitter smile. That morning, when he began his training, he had asked the system what the fastest method was to ascend to the seventh stage of body-forging. The system's response was the "Water-Breaking Technique" using Soft Fist. However, it was to no avail despite him trying the entire morning. He even felt that this method was inferior to his usual training routines. Thinking of this, Du Fei couldn't help but shake his head. With a light tap of his toes on the water, he swiftly returned to the shore like a darting fish. Casually taking off and wringing out his wet clothes, tossing them onto a rock, Du Fei stood up once again. He began to perform the Soft Fist movements slowly by the pond's edge. "Snap snap snap..." After executing a set of Soft Fist moves, Du Fei's spirits immediately lifted. With his every move, the surrounding mist seemed to dance and sway along with him. "Go!" With a low shout, Du Fei's final move transformed from fist to palm, powerfully striking the tree in front of him. "Creak..." This time, in sync with Du Fei's motion, a small tree, as thick as a bowl, emitted an unpleasant groaning sound and soon after crashed to the ground. "Have I finally achieved something? A month and a half of arduous cultivation wasn't wasted after all!" There was a moment of silence in his heart, but Du Fei still felt somewhat unsatisfied. Although, as his days of cultivation deepened, he felt his power continually accumulating, this accumulation seemed utterly ordinary, quite different from what he had imagined. If it weren't for the upcoming Clan Contest in three months, such a pace in training might not matter much. However, with the Clan Contest looming, he felt that progressing at this leisurely pace wouldn't suffice! He needed to reach the seventh level of body-forging within three months! Otherwise, how could he possibly stand a chance against Du Qing? A hint of gloominess surged in his heart. Taking a deep breath, Du Fei murmured, "System, besides this Water-Breaking Technique, are there other methods to speed up my cultivation?" "Beep! Query recognized, system searching. Data obtained, would you like to read?" This time, the system responded promptly. "Read!" Du Fei replied without hesitation. "Permission granted, loading information, beginning readout." "Ding..." The deeply familiar dark space reappeared within Du Fei's mind. However, unlike before, there wasn't a silhouette present. Instead, there floated a large, dark cauldron, with black flames bubbling within. "What is this..." Before Du Fei could ask, several oddly-shaped plants suddenly flew in from all directions. These plants deliberately hovered in front of Du Fei for a moment, then swiftly dropped into the cauldron. Subsequently, the flames within the large cauldron bubbled intensely. Those plants quickly merged together and soon after, a golden pill the size of a thumb shot out from the cauldron, landing in front of Du Fei. At the same time, a cold electronic voice rang out again. "A Ninth-grade pill, the Marrow-cleaning Pill. When consumed by those below a Ninth-grade Martial Artist, it can cleanse the bones and refine the marrow, accelerating cultivation speed. With prolonged use, it can even enhance true breath." "Ingredients required for refining, Purple Wisteria Leaves, Tiger Bone Flower, Orchid Marrow Leaves, Stone Heart Marrow. Method of refining..." As the electronic voice continued, the expression on Du Fei's face gradually turned to one of astonishment. By the end, his shock transformed into complete disbelief!