"What's the matter? Not interested in the clan meeting?" Du Qian, who had been silent at his side, glanced at Du Fei and then suddenly whispered.

"Uh, sort of..." After a slight pause, Du Fei responded.

"Do you realize that while the Du Family has hundreds, if not thousands of members, only a few can attend the clan meeting in this hall? Aside from the upper echelons of the Du Family, there are only a handful who are qualified. Yet, you're not paying attention. Do you have any idea how many people envy and resent the position you're in?" Du Qian said casually with a cunning smile.

"Heh heh, what's so special about my position here that would make everyone so envious?" Du Fei asked, genuinely curious.

"It's just that you don't know. For instance, ordinary disciples receive twenty gold coins a month. Inner disciples get two hundred gold coins. But if you have a place in this hall, then each month you'd get at least this much..." Saying this, Du Qian showed two fingers.

"Two thousand?"

The young lady shook her head.

"Twenty thousand?"

"Around that much. But if you need more, you can ask for it. For example, even if you asked for a hundred thousand gold coins, the patriarch would probably grant it," Du Qian said with a faint smile. "Did you know, in the path of cultivation, besides one's innate talent and effort, external resources are also very important. For instance, a pill crafted by an alchemist can save months or even years of hard cultivation. And then there are rare cultivation methods and martial techniques that are priceless... How can you get these without money? And with these resources, wouldn't your cultivation speed be even more astonishing? Just on this point alone, isn't your position something countless people would envy, resent, or even hate you for?"

"Uh..." Du Fei was momentarily taken aback. While her explanation made sense for the most part, there seemed to be something amiss.

Seeing Du Fei's somewhat puzzled expression, the young lady burst out laughing, then added casually, "Just remember, this position is your foundation in the Du Family. For instance, if you ever genuinely wish to marry me in the future, without this position, you can only dream about it!"

As if speaking about someone else's matters, the young lady's expression remained unchanged. Du Fei, on the other hand, paused for a moment and then couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.

Could it be that all those who could become core disciples of the Du Family were abnormal?

"Also, do you know why Du Qing and the Third Elder have always been against you?" Du Qian played with a strand of hair by her ear, twirling it in her fingers. After a mysterious smile, she asked lightly.

"Why?"

"The Third Elder's son is named Du Xuanqing, also known as Du Qing's father. Back in the day when your father, Du Tian, was still in the Du Family, Du Xuanqing competed with him for a core position during the Clan Contest. In the end, Du Xuanqing lost to your father by half a move and led a wasted life thereafter. Now that you've crippled Du Qing, I think it would be hard for the Third Elder not to harbor any resentment towards you."

"So that's the reason..."

Hearing this, Du Fei also let out a faint bitter laugh. No matter what had happened in the past, even if he had known about all these matters earlier, he certainly wouldn't have held back. To have a solid position in this family, simply showing restraint or playing by the rules of a gentleman would only result in being swallowed whole, not even leaving the bones behind.

Seeing Du Fei's expression, Du Qian didn't say anything more. Instead, she said with a light smile, "If you're free later, come with me to the third floor of the Martial Cultivation Pavilion. Whether you want cultivation methods or martial techniques in the future, the items on the third floor should be the best choices..."

Though it wasn't his first time here, standing in front of the Martial Cultivation Pavilion again, Du Fei was still awed by the majestic architecture.

"Is it that impressive? Follow me!" Du Qian's gaze briefly swept over Du Fei before she took the lead.

In her heart, she found it somewhat strange. While she was naturally indifferent and didn't care much about many things, given her status and appearance, she was aware that she had countless admirers in the Du Family and even throughout Buyue City. Any man couldn't help but take a few extra glances at her. However, this Du Fei, despite carrying the title of her fiance, couldn't even be bothered to look at her more than necessary. Or could it be, as the rumors suggest, that he and his servant...

With that thought, Du Qian let out a bitter laugh in her heart. If Du Fei behaved like other men, even if the patriarch instructed her to, she might not have interacted much with Du Fei. However, because of Du Fei's somewhat cold attitude, she found herself somewhat intrigued.

"This is the third floor of the Martial Cultivation Pavilion, the most important place for the Du Family. Within the Du Family, besides the patriarch, the three senior elders, and the nine core disciples, other upper echelons cannot enter as they please. Moreover, nothing inside can be taken out. Remember this rule!" Having given her instructions lightly, Du Qian then pushed open the door to the third floor of the Martial Cultivation Pavilion.

Frowning slightly, Du Fei couldn't help but look to the side. Although he didn't see anyone, he could sense a very powerful aura hidden on this third floor, an aura that was not weaker than Du Zhentian's. It seemed that beneath the seemingly relaxed exterior, the Du Family attached great importance to this place!

Thinking of this, Du Fei became even more intrigued with the third floor of the Martial Cultivation Pavilion. Taking a deep breath, he stepped through the entrance of the third floor.

As he entered, the ancient door behind him closed rapidly with a booming sound...

"Phew—"

After exhaling lightly, Du Fei's eyes gradually adjusted to the room's lighting. Following the dim light, he was slightly surprised to discover that this so-called third floor of the Martial Cultivation Pavilion wasn't like the first and second floors, which were loft-like. Instead, it resembled a cave. If he hadn't just entered from the doorway, Du Fei would have almost thought he was in some mountain cave.

On the ceiling of the cave, dozens of thumb-sized luminous pearls were embedded, emitting a faint glow and illuminating the entire space.

The space resembled a circle, and at one glance, everything was visible.

At the center of the space, there was a rather ancient stone platform. Scattered across the platform were dozens of jade boxes. The boxes were tightly closed, making it impossible to see what was inside.

Following Du Qian's gesture, Du Fei slowly approached the stone platform and casually glanced over it, his heart slightly shaken.

"Ninth-Grade Cultivation Method, Xuanyin Technique!"

"Ninth-Grade Cultivation Method, Earthquake Scroll!"

"Seventh-Grade Martial Technique, Motionless Hand of Cold Wind!"

"......"

When it came to martial techniques, the ninth-grade was common and widely available. The eighth-grade techniques, though less common, were possessed to some extent by most families. Starting from the seventh-grade techniques, they became extremely rare. The fact that the Du Family possessed over a dozen seventh-grade techniques speaks to their treasures accumulated over centuries.

Cultivation methods and martial techniques were different!

Cultivation methods were rarer than martial techniques. Even a ninth-grade cultivation method was extremely rare in the market. It was said that the Du Family only had four kinds of cultivation methods. Three of them are ninth-grade, and the sole eighth-grade method was lost.

Of course, Du Fei was aware that the so-called 'loss' meant that his father took the cultivation method and related skills when he left. Those items were probably contained within the jade pendant around his neck right now.

Thinking about this, Du Fei couldn't help but chuckle bitterly.

"Why, aren't you interested in these?" Du Qian casually opened a jade box, showing the faintly glowing scroll inside and asked indifferently.

Du Fei smiled lightly, "A Seventh-grade Martial Technique... without the power of a Ninth-grade Martial Artist, trying to cultivate it is basically nonsense. As for cultivation methods, our Du Family only has a few. It seems I can take my time choosing..."

"The best cultivation method of the Du Family is definitely the Ice Heart Technique passed down by the Yunshui Du Family. Although it's only a fragment, it's better than any other cultivation method here. Unfortunately, this Ice Heart Technique is considered lost in our family... However, you can still take a look at the box." Saying this, Du Qian casually pointed to a jade box.

Hearing this, Du Fei walked over without any change in his expression and opened the jade box nonchalantly. A quick glance, and his face changed slightly!

Inside the jade box was another scroll!

"That thing is fake. You don't have to look at it!" Sensing Du Fei's confusion, Du Qian said lightly.

Upon hearing this, Du Fei swiftly grabbed the scroll and spread it out. Almost immediately, a slight twitch appeared on his face. Indeed, the scroll was blank. And judging by the material, it wasn't something prepared recently. It must have been left behind by his father years ago.

However, Du Fei was momentarily puzzled. He didn't understand how the cultivation and combat methods, which should have been on scrolls, could have been placed into the jade pendant by his father.

But no matter how he looked at it, in whichever possibility, his father seemed to have had incredibly profound methods back then!

"Beep—"

"Detected missing part of a damaged file. Do you wish to input—"

Just as Du Fei was chuckling inwards bitterly, a cold electronic voice suddenly echoed in his mind.