"How is it? Do you find that scroll interesting?" Du Qian asked casually as she looked at Du Fei, who was entranced by the scroll.

"Hehe, I just think that this blank item wouldn't be placed here for no reason. Perhaps there's some secret inside," Du Fei remarked casually.

"Anyone can see what's inside. How could there be any secrets?" Du Qian laughed, then her expression became more serious. "Alright, enough of that... Whether it's cultivation methods or martial techniques, we of the Du Family can only choose one from here. Even if we come back in the future, we can only read that one chosen item. So, Du Fei, you better make a good choice."

"There's such a rule?" Du Fei was slightly taken aback, finding it a bit strange.

"If there weren't such a rule, wouldn't an outsider infiltrate and steal all of the Du Family's secrets?" Du Qian stated calmly, "But you don't need to worry about that. Once you make a selection, you won't be able to view the others. In any case, just choose what you like the most. Personally, I'd suggest a seventh-grade martial technique. After all, these ninth-grade cultivation methods are not that impressive."

Hearing this, Du Fei nodded understandingly. For a millennium-old family, if there weren't special protective measures for the family's cultivation methods and martial techniques, just one traitor could steal the family's entire foundation.

He guessed his father left years ago for this very reason. Otherwise, this place would have been emptied out long ago.

His gaze slowly scanned the jade boxes around him, finally settling on a box at the edge that faintly emitted a cold light.

"Eighth-Grade Martial Technique, Ice Peak Leg!"

This martial arts technique could be said to be the only eighth-grade technique on the third floor, and Du Fei knew very well why it was placed here. It was because the Ice Peak Leg wasn't very powerful on its own. However, when combined with the Du Family's Ice Heart Technique, its power could even rival some seventh-grade martial techniques!

It was just that, in recent years, none among the younger generation in the Du Family could cultivate the Ice Heart Technique, so naturally, no one could master the Ice Peak Leg.

After hesitating for a moment, Du Fei walked over, opened the box, and slowly unfurled the scroll under Du Qian's curious gaze.

As soon as the scroll opened, a burst of cold air rushed out.

"Little Bai, input the data into the system!"

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Du Fei calmly commanded.

"Command accepted. System is starting data input. Input completed. Would you like to review—"

"No need for now." Du Fei mentally responded. However, he quickly stuffed the scroll back into the box and casually tugged at another box.

It was odd. The box that should have easily opened for some reason wouldn't budge, no matter how much force he used.

"Impressive indeed!" Du Fei praised inwardly, then turned his gaze to Du Qian and smiled, "Apart from these, is there anything else worth checking out?"

"What else do you want apart from this?" Du Qian rolled her eyes slightly, "Since you chose this combat technique, I won't say much. It's your personal preference... At the same time, let me give you some advice. Since you've chosen a combat technique, you won't be able to get a cultivation method from the family. So, your choices are limited to two options. First, try your luck at the auction house. Second, join a certain sect... Otherwise, without a cultivation method, no matter how talented you are now, you won't progress much in the future."

"Thank you for the advice," Du Fei replied with a slight smile, "I'll make some time to visit the auction house. Thank you for the guidance, Sister Du Qian!"

"Be honest, did you get the chant for the Ice Heart Technique from your father?" Du Qing suddenly approached with a mysterious smile and asked softly.

"Of course not. Remember, I was once considered useless, you know." Du Fei replied calmly without a change in his expression.

"It's best if you haven't. If you have, you must be careful... Many in the Du Family have long desired the Ice Heart Technique..." Du Qian said cryptically. After sharing this puzzling piece of information, she smiled faintly and swiftly exited through the main door.

...........

"Phew—"

Taking a deep breath and feeling the true breath moving slowly within him, Du Fei exhaled and let out a comfortable groan.

It was undeniable that when comparing before and after reaching the seventh level of body-forging, whether it was the power of the Body-forging Fist or the feeling during cultivation, they were entirely different.

Every time Du Fei cultivated, he could clearly feel the true breath in his body constantly circulating and strengthening with his Body-forging Fists.

However, what frustrated Du Fei was that the elixir which previously had a miraculous effect on his cultivation had now largely lost its potency. Even if he consumed all of it in one go, its efficacy wasn't significant. Based on Du Fei's calculations, it seemed he would still need a lot of time to reach the eighth level of Body-forging.

"If I could create a real Marrow-cleaning Pill instead of this semi-finished elixir, I believe there would be many benefits."

Muttering to himself for a moment, Du Fei sighed with a sense of helplessness. He was well aware that before he became a real martial artist, his dream of creating a completed pill was just a fantasy.

"However, if I can't create it myself, buying some might be a good option."

This thought flashed across Du Fei's mind, giving him a glimmer of hope.

However, the Marrow-cleaning Pill was extremely valuable, and it typically only appeared in auction houses. To acquire it, he estimated he would need tens of thousands of gold coins.

Although Du Fei's status in the Du Family had changed, he didn't think that openly taking money from the Du Family to buy a Marrow-cleaning Pill would be a wise move.

After pondering for a moment, Du Fei came up with a pretty good idea.

If Marrow-cleaning Pills could be auctioned, then perhaps the Marrow-cleaning elixir could be auctioned as well!

Three days later, Du Fei once again emerged from his chamber. As he squinted at the sunlight, he felt rejuvenated.

Over the span of three days, he tried creating the Marrow-cleaning fluid again, but even with the assistance of the system, he failed multiple times and was only successful after many painstaking attempts.

It was then that Du Fei had to admit that creating a pill really wasn't something ordinary people could do. Even with the system's assistance, which allowed for a highly precise refinement process, this was the result, so he could only imagine how tough it must be for others.

However, if creating pills wasn't difficult, then why would pills be so valuable?

After fumbling around the crystal bottles in his arms for a moment, Du Fei chuckled. He quickly escaped the Du Family residence from a hidden corner and headed towards a large auction house in Buyue City.

The Buyue Auction House wasn't only famous in Buyue City, but it also held considerable reputation throughout the southern part of the Da'an Dynasty. Without a doubt, items auctioned here were quite rare.

And it was precisely these items that attracted a vast crowd to the auction house.

Standing at the entrance of the auction house and squinting for a while, Du Fei walked into a side alley. He put on a bamboo hat to disguise his features, as he understood the principle of not showing off one's wealth. Moreover, at such a significant auction, there would definitely be members of the Du Family in attendance, so he didn't want his identity to be recognized.

After ensuring that no one could easily identify him, Du Fei slowly approached the main entrance of the auction house. Instead of heading straight to the main hall under the watchful eyes of the guards at the gate, he entered through a side door.

Seeing this, the guards let out a sigh of relief. After all, many people who came to sell items often had similar getups.

Upon entering the side door, a relatively spacious hall appeared before Du Fei. At the back of the hall, there were several windows, each covered with black cloth, revealing only the faint silhouette of a person behind it.

Du Fei was well aware that behind these windows were the appraisers of the auction house. Only these seasoned experts could determine the value of an item.

Casually taking a seat in front of one window, Du Fei rummaged in his arms for a bit before placing five crystal bottles before him.

"Eh—"

The person sitting behind the window seemed slightly surprised for a moment. He then opened one of the bottles, sniffed it, and after a brief hesitation, said, "Is this... a pill?"

"It's not exactly a pill. However, it's a product of the pill-refining art. I call it Marrow-cleaning Fluid. It has a miraculous effect for those under the seventh level of body forging. Especially for those stuck at the sixth level and cannot consume the Marrow-cleaning Pill, taking this might give them a chance to advance to the seventh level." Du Fei casually explained.

"Really? I've never heard of such a thing..." The person behind the window was shocked by Du Fei's explanation and hesitated for a moment.

Because if what Du Fei said was true, its value for those who couldn't advance to the seventh level of body forging would be more precious than anything else.

With a somewhat helpless sigh, Du Fei calmly said, "Can't you tell if it's real or not? Even if you can't, just try it for yourself..."

"Um..." After hesitating for a moment, the person behind the window bowed and asked, "Sir, are you an alchemist? If you are..."

"Do I need to reveal my identity to sell something?" Du Fei replied coldly.

Seemingly detecting Du Fei's impatience in his tone, the person hastily said with utmost respect, "My apologies, sir. However, I genuinely cannot identify this item. Would you mind waiting a moment? I will ask Master Yuan from our auction house to appraise it."

"Whatever!" Du Fei huffed indifferently.

"In that case, please allow us to escort you to the VIP room to rest for a while." As the words finished, two servants emerged from behind the window and respectfully led Du Fei towards a side corridor.

Du Fei didn't say much. He simply followed the servants and casually took a seat.

After sitting in the VIP room for a short while, he heard a burst of hearty laughter from the doorway. Shortly after, a lavishly dressed middle-aged man strode in.

Upon entering the room, the middle-aged man merely nodded slightly towards Du Fei, walked forward a few steps, then picked up one of the crystal bottles from the table. He opened the bottle, poured out a drop, and placed it in his mouth.

In an instant, the middle-aged man's entire body trembled, and a look of respect immediately appeared on his face.