Years ago, Du Tian had mentioned that when he was still in the Du Family, he was betrothed to someone. And that person's name was Du Qian.

Does this mean, this Du Qian was his fiancee?

With this realization, Du Fei couldn't help but let out a bitter smile, unsure of how to react at the moment.

Du Xuanfeng, seemingly not detecting anything, patted Du Fei's shoulder and chuckled, "In this Clan Contest, make sure not to disgrace the Fourth-in-command!"

"I understand!"

Du Fei replied after taking a deep breath to calm himself.

Seeing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Du Xuanfeng's eyes. However, he didn't say much. Giving a slight nod, he turned and left with Du Qian.

Du Fei's gaze slowly shifted to the VIP seats at the center, feeling that countless eyes were now focused on him.

Du Zhentian's inexplicable and eerie look, Senior Elder Du Zhenshan's smiling face, Third Elder Du Zhenfeng's disdain, Du Han's indifference, Du Qing's coldness, Lian Zhen's smirk, and Gongsun Hong's keen interest.

Various curious glances, numerous in number, but Du Fei took a deep breath and casted them all out of his mind!

At this moment, the only thing in his mind was the Clan Contest!

As time passed, all the expected attendees had arrived, and the lively atmosphere quieted down. All eyes converged on Du Zhentian, who sat in the chief's position.

Feeling the anticipation, Du Zhentian gave a faint smile, stood up, greeted the crowd with a bow, and softly said, "I presume everyone would've already known the reason for the gathering here today. I, Du Zhentian, won't waste words. The Du Family Clan Contest begins now! Whether it be a snake or dragon, let's see what fate brings!"

His voice was calm, but because of his Qi, everyone present heard him loud and clear.

Upon hearing this, the younger generation of the Du Family, whether seated in the VIP section or scattered amongst the crowd, stepped forward. Immediately, one by one, they swiftly climbed onto the large arena in the square.

Du Family clan meeting, the first round was a massive free-for-all. Among the countless Du Family juniors, only sixteen remained standing after the melee. These sixteen would become the close kin of the Du Family. Yet, these remaining sixteen would then face off against one another to ultimately determine their strength and rankings.

Only a genuine prodigy, the top performer of each Clan Contest, would qualify to be a core member of the Du Family. And upon reaching that level, they no longer needed to participate in the Clan Contest.

Regardless, if one couldn't make it past the free-for-all, no excuses would suffice.

From the VIP seating, Du Qing, who was originally seated in the center, slowly stood up. Turning slightly, his gaze landed on Du Fei. He coldly smirked, "Cousin Du Fei, you better make the cut!"

With that, he stomped his foot and swiftly shot out, immediately landing with a "thump" in the middle of the arena. In an instant, all eyes were drawn to him.

"This Du Qing is indeed as exceptional as the rumors suggest! Given a few more years, he might just become the next Du Han!"

"These young ones from the Du Family truly have hidden dragons and crouching tigers among them..."

As Du Qing made his entrance, most of the younger generation from the Du Family who were participating in the Clan Contest had already taken their places.

"Is she not planning to participate in the Clan Contest? Or has she already become a core member?" Du Fei's gaze briefly scanned the arena and eventually settled on Du Qian, a touch of surprise in his eyes. He had originally thought that Du Qian would also participate in the Clan Contest.

"Young Master!" Little Ai's slightly annoyed voice snapped Du Fei out of his thoughts, "If you don't get down there, the Clan Contest will start without you!"

"I got it!" Taking a shallow breath, Du Fei regained his composure. Smiling faintly, he slowly stood up, his toes brushing the floor as his figure quickly shot from the VIP seating, landing on the arena.

Although his entrance seemed more low-key compared to Du Qing's grand display, those who knew better nodded in approval. Clearly, they were unaware that the Du Family had produced another remarkable individual like him.

Seeing that almost all the younger generation of the Du Family had taken their places on the arena, Du Zhentian, from the VIP seats, nodded slightly in satisfaction.

Watching his movement, Du Xuanfeng on the side also gave a slight nod. He slowly stood up, and under the gaze of countless eyes, he smiled and declared, "May the Clan Contest commence!"

"Boom!"

As Du Xuanfeng's voice fell, on the arenas scattered with the younger generation of the Du Family, countless individuals almost simultaneously made their move.

All of them being members of the Du Family, they basically had some understanding of each other's strengths. Therefore, those who originally intended to take advantage of the chaos were driven off the arena within less than three minutes of the start. Of course, there were also some who had decent strength but had to withdraw due to underhanded tactics. But no matter what, once they left the arena, they were out.

The crowd around the arena, witnessing the intense battles that had been fervent from the beginning, all nodded slightly, their eyes glued to the action. Everyone understood that the initial eliminations were not the most exciting part. But once all the weaker competitors were ousted, the real spectacle would begin.

"Smack!"

Du Fei lightly swung his arm, a palm landing on the chest of an approaching opponent. Just one blow forced the opponent to cough up blood and retreat, eventually having to bitterly exit the arena.

This was already the third person he had repelled since stepping onto the arena. Yet Du Fei didn't display the slightest bit of arrogance. Given his strength at the seventh level of body-forging, those at the third or fourth level were naturally no match for him. The ones he truly needed to be wary of were not these individuals.

After repelling three people, for a moment, others seemed reluctant to challenge Du Fei. Taking advantage of this lull, Du Fei's gaze began to slowly sweep across the arena.

Apart from him, there were nearly ten others who stood somewhat isolated in the field. These individuals were clearly the outstanding figures of the Du Family's younger generation, which was why no one dared to challenge them.

As for Du Qing, he merely stood with his hands behind his back, smiling. Around him, there was a clear space of about ten meters. Not to mention challenges, not even a single person dared to approach him.

The intense battle continued for a while longer. The number of people remaining on the field had dwindled to less than thirty. By now, all the weaker competitors had been eliminated in this sieve-like massive melee. Those who remained were all somewhat capable.

"Clap clap clap..."

Standing in the center of the arena, Du Qing slowly turned around, his gaze falling on Du Fei. He lightly clapped, commenting, "Not bad, Du Fei. You truly didn't disappoint me. If you couldn't even withstand this first round... then you'd truly be useless..."

"However, among those you repelled earlier, there was one with the strength of the fifth level of body-forging. I didn't expect him to be sent back by you in one move. It seems you've reached the sixth level! Not bad. I underestimated you before... However, if this is the extent of your abilities, it's still not enough!"

Having said this, Du Qing gestured slightly with his hand. Four individuals on the arena hesitated for a moment before slowly approaching Du Fei.

Leading them was none other than Du Jie.

Observing this scene, Du Fei slightly curled his lips, remarking indifferently, "It seems, Young Master Du Qing, that you're scared... resorting to such methods. Are you that afraid I might qualify and vie for the core disciple's position with you?"

"Afraid? Yes, I am," Du Qing responded with a smile on his face. "However, if you can't even withstand this minor test, then how could you ever qualify to be my opponent?"

"Heh..." Du Fei scoffed coldly. His gaze swept over the four individuals now surrounding him. He sneered again, muttering under his breath, "Fifth level of body-forging? A bunch of trash."

In the VIP seating area, Du Zhentian slightly furrowed his brows. After a moment, he glanced at the Third Elder, Du Zhenfeng, then burst into laughter, saying, "Third Elder, your grandson's tactics are quite commendable! Comparable to your prime years!"

Du Zhenfeng replied calmly, "Lord Patriarch, we both know that in the first round of the Clan Contest, aside from testing the younger generation's individual strength, it's also about their reputation and methods. If Du Qing possesses such tactics, it just proves that his reputation in the Du Family is very high. Is there an issue with that?"

"Is it truly about high reputation?" Du Zhentian said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. However, he didn't comment further, simply tapping the armrest, his expression inscrutable.

On another side of the VIP area, Lian Zhen, Du Han, and Gongsun Hong, the top younger generation figures from the three major powers, now sat together. They cast their indifferent gazes towards the arena, but Du Han remained silent.

"Hehe, Brother Du Han, it's been several years since we've witnessed such a scene, hasn't it? If I remember correctly, during your Clan Contest, you also faced a similar situation... I wonder, do you think this Du Fei can stand out like you did?" Lian Zhen said with a smile, gently shaking the folding fan in his hand.

Du Han glanced at him, then replied indifferently, "I'm not sure. Just three months ago, he only had the strength of the fourth level of body-forging. Now, it seems he's around the fifth or sixth level... Young Master Lian Zhen should be aware that starting from the fifth level of body-forging, unless one deliberately displays their strength, others can't discern one's true capability. So, whether he can advance or not depends on how far he has come in these three months."

"Three months? Fourth level of body-forging?" Gongsun Hong responded with a charming smile, "Even for the so-called geniuses, advancing two levels consecutively is already considered a miracle. I wonder if this Du Fei will be one such miracle!"