In the following days, Du Fei did not venture out again. After instructing Little Ai to be cautious, he embarked on his cultivation journey. Starting from the next day, he began his rigorous cultivation in the rear mountain of the Du Family residence.

With only two months left until the Clan Contest, he had to achieve some results, otherwise, it wouldn't suffice. Under Du Qing's pressure, Du Fei understood even more that if he were to be defeated in the Clan Contest, everything he currently possessed would be utterly lost!

And this outcome was something he absolutely could not accept!

Beneath the waterfall in the rear mountain, Du Fei was shirtless. He executed his moves with a slow grace. Whether it was a sweeping leg or a punch, each action appeared incredibly gentle. Yet, within this gentleness, every strike carried a certain degree of fierce power.

Blending both fierceness and gentleness in his power at the ninth level of Body-forging, probably only Du Fei had achieved this level.

After performing a round of Soft Fist, which served as his warm-up, Du Fei carefully took out a crystal vial from his bosom. He dripped out a single drop of the medicinal liquid inside. After safely concealing the vial again, he slowly ingested the drop of liquid.

With the experience from his first consumption, Du Fei was not as impulsive this time. As he slowly took in the medicinal liquid, his body movements smoothly transitioned, and he began to execute the Soft Fist.

As expected, though an intense cold surged from Du Fei's lower abdomen, the foundation laid by the Soft Fist made this cold sensation much milder. Despite its chilliness, Du Fei found it somewhat refreshing.

With this sensation, the Soft Fist was swiftly and fluidly executed by Du Fei, and the cold energy contained within his fist wind continuously froze the surrounding mist.

The frozen mist, under the guidance of Du Fei's Soft Fist, followed a strange trajectory, rotating slightly before gradually settling to the ground.

Vaguely, Du Fei's Soft Fist seemed to be imbued with a gentle internal energy. While this internal energy wasn't as evident as true breath, it certainly existed.

However, this peculiar internal energy was so faint that even Du Fei himself didn't notice, let alone any outsiders... for there were none here.

"Hu hu hu hu..."

It was unclear how much time had passed before Du Fei finally completed the last sequence of the Soft Fist. Meanwhile, the cold aura that had pervaded his lower abdomen had completely dissipated.

Du Fei's skin appeared increasingly soft and supple. With a slight movement of his body, a series of cracking sounds echoed from his bones.

This refreshing feeling throughout his body was something Du Fei had never felt before despite his long period of cultivation.

Pausing momentarily, Du Fei seemed to have a realization. His right hand suddenly clenched into a fist, and he struck a stone in front of him.

With that action, the stone instantly shattered, turning almost into dust.

"Bone-crushing stone, Body-forging fifth level?" Du Fei's expression was one of shock. But immediately, that shock turned into ecstatic disbelief, "No... Is it the Body-forging sixth level?"

As to whether he could have advanced to the Body-forging sixth level so quickly, Du Fei himself had some doubts.

After hesitating for a while, Du Fei took a light breath and slowly executed the Soft Fist once more.

This time, the power contained in every strike of the Soft Fist was several times stronger than before. Even during the moment of impact, one could faintly hear the sound of the air being torn apart. It was only then that Du Fei believed he had genuinely reached the Body-forging sixth level.

"This Soft Fist is indeed mysterious. Even though I am only at the Body-forging sixth level, if we disregard the internal energy, every punch I throw seems to possess the strength of the Body-forging seventh level! Even if I remain at this level, I have the confidence to face Du Qing head-on. However..."

At this thought, Du Fei's actions slowly ceased, and he slightly furrowed his brow.

The Body-forging seventh level, compared to the previous six, is often referred to as the first threshold in the martial path, and naturally, there's a reason for that. Firstly, it marks the appearance of true breath, indicating that martial cultivation is no longer just physical but also internal. Secondly, true breath is the foundation of martial arts. Only with true breath can a cultivator truly begin practicing martial techniques.

Even though the martial techniques available to those below a martial artist are considered basic, they can still significantly enhance an individual's strength.

In other words, even if, due to the influence of the Soft Fist, Du Fei possessed the strength of the sixth level of body forging and could contend with Du Qing, who was at the seventh level of body-forging, if Du Qing were to employ martial techniques, Du Fei was afraid that he would most likely be defeated, right?

Furthermore, I've made progress in these three months, but hasn't Du Qing progressed as well?

One should know, reaching the Body-forging seventh level isn't a feat achieved by just any ordinary individual!

"Even at the Body-forging sixth level, I can't be complacent! One and a half months! No, within one month, I must advance to the Body-forging seventh level! The remaining time will be for practicing martial techniques!"

After making a certain resolution, Du Fei let out a faint cold laugh, his gaze landing on the crystal vial.

Almost instantly, he gritted his teeth, and this time, he poured two drops of medicinal liquid from the vial and promptly tossed them into his mouth.

Time flowed like water, passing in the blink of an eye.

In what felt like just a moment, a month had swiftly passed.

Before the waterfall on the Du Family's rear mountain, a figure was still slowly practicing the Body-forging Fist.

Du Fei, at that moment, had his eyes slightly closed, breathing naturally. With every punch he threw, the amount of mist around him seemed to increase, and as Du Fei executed the Body-forging Fist amidst this mist, his movements appeared even more natural and smooth.

Over these two months, although Du Fei's figure hadn't changed much, both his skin and bones had undergone significant transformations. It wasn't visible from the outside, but his slightly yellowish skin, no matter how one looked, seemed to contain boundless brute strength within.

Whether in the past or the present, someone who could cultivate to this level in just two months could be considered a rare talent.

Reaching this point, while the Body-forging medicinal liquid played a role, a more significant reason was Du Fei's relentless efforts since childhood. Even though his previous cultivation attempts were unsuccessful, he had already laid a solid foundation for himself. Coupled with his rigorous daily training, his impressive progress was within reason.

After completing a set of Soft Fist, Du Fei, who was deep in cultivation, took a long breath and slowly opened his eyes.

The moment he opened them, a cold glint flashed across his dark eyes, freezing the surrounding air in an instant.

Fortunately, it was only a brief moment before Du Fei had regained his composure. He gently clenched his fist, carefully feeling the soft force contained within his knuckles.

After practicing for so long, Du Fei had experienced the peculiar inner strength that occasionally appeared when he executed the Soft Fist.

While this internal energy was rare, in Du Fei's view, if he could comprehend and grasp this internal energy, then reaching the seventh level of body forging would be a natural and effortless achievement.

Over this month, Du Fei had several times grasped and closely experienced this inner strength, but always seemed to miss its essence. However, today, he felt he had a faint understanding of this force.

"If the force emanates from the exterior of the body, even if it's gentle, it's still rigid... But what if the power originates from the lower abdomen?"

Du Fei had never tried this before. Today, he took a slight breath and slowly closed his eyes.

As he closed his eyes, for the first time, he vividly felt that with every breath, the thin Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi flowed along his meridians, gradually converging in his lower abdomen. But unlike the vague sensations he had experienced before, this thin Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi didn't dissipate. Instead, as time went on, it grew richer.

At the same time, the residual medicinal power from the body-forging elixir, which had been lying dormant within Du Fei's meridians, seemed to be stimulated. After flowing slowly through his meridians for a moment, it quickly moved towards Du Fei's lower abdoment as well.

With the influx of the cold medicinal power, the Qi cluster in the lower abdomen area seemed to slowly take shape. When it reached the size of a fist, it began to rotate slowly.

This rotation was initially very awkward, but as time passed, it gradually became smoother. At a certain moment, the thin Qi vortex seemed to stabilize.

"Is this... the true breath vortex?"

A thought flashed through Du Fei's mind, and he immediately exhaled quickly. Yet this time, the true breath vortex in his Dantian Qi ocean didn't disappear but remained intact. Even as Du Fei slowly held his Soft Fist posture, he seemed to be able to feel its presence at all times.

Gently opening his eyes, Du Fei didn't rush to verify anything. Instead, he once again slowly assumed his stance and executed a set of Soft Fist, flowing like clouds and water.

With his movements, large drops of black sweat quickly emerged from his pores, and there were even faint wisps of white smoke swirling around his head.

"Snap snap snap snap snap...Boom!"

Following the final movement, a series of crisp bone-cracking sounds resonated continuously. Then, Du Fei slapped a giant rock in front of him with the back of his hand. Instantly, a clear palm print appeared on its surface, but the rock didn't shatter.

Seeing this scene, a faint smile couldn't help but form on Du Fei's lips.

"At last, I've advanced to the seventh level of body-forging..."

Closing his eyes and sensing the true breath vortex in his lower abdomen for a moment, Du Fei murmured to himself. At that moment, a strong sense of confidence surged within him!