"Sincerity?" Narrowing his eyes and studying Du Fei for a moment, Du Yuntian suddenly chuckled, "All these years, you are the first from the Du Family to dare negotiate terms with me. But I must admit, you indeed have the qualification to do so."

"Thank you," Du Fei responded with a light smile.

After looking at Du Fei once more, Du Yuntian flung a storage ring onto the table before Du Fei, "This represents the sincerity of the Yunshui Du Family."

Seeing Du Yuntian's gesture, Du Fei's eyes narrowed slightly. After a brief moment, he nodded, not putting on any airs, and picked up the storage ring. His mental strength swiftly probed its contents. Moments later, his expression slightly changed.

Inside, not only were there the two items that Du Fei had acquired from the auction but there were also an astonishing five thousand hot Yan Sect Pills.

"This is..." Du Fei retrieved his mental strength, a slight frown forming.

"You needn't worry. Since I've said it's the Yunshui Du Family's token of sincerity, then naturally, it's a gift for you," Du Yuntian said with a mischievous smile.

"A gift... Nevertheless, isn't this gift a bit too generous?" Du Fei remarked, his eyebrows slightly knitted. After all, such generosity was almost excessively extravagant.

"Not at all. Both Long Bai and Long Lingtian have always been significant threats to our Yunshui Du Family. Since you've dealt with both, it's only fitting for our family to pay a small price. Moreover, you bear the surname Du... Even if you currently refuse to acknowledge your ties to the Yunshui Du Family, in our eyes, you still belong to us. Consequently, gifting you these items doesn't result in any loss for the Yunshui Du Family," Du Yuntian said, staring deeply at Du Fei. After a pause, he sighed, "Furthermore, the incident in Buyue City, no matter how you view it, was the main family's fault. While these items can't truly make up for it, consider it a small compensation."

Hearing this, a trace of coldness appeared on Du Fei's face. Back then, people from the Yunshui Du Family watched members of the branch family perish without intervening, almost leading to the extermination of Buyue City's Du Family, this old man... But now... heh...

Even though, due to various reasons, he had some ties with the Yunshui Du Family, expecting him to forget about that incident was simply impossible.

"Enough with the pleasantries... I believe, Lord Patriarch, you have shown enough sincerity. So, what do you want in return? Just state it directly," Du Fei said, taking a deep breath and pushing various thoughts out of his mind.

Hearing this, a rare hint of embarrassment crossed Du Yuntian's face. After a moment, he hesitated and said, "Du Fei, if I recall correctly, you mentioned at the auction house earlier that your primary objective in coming to the imperial capital was Long Aotian and the Yunshui Long Family, right?"

"Yes, so what?" Du Fei responded indifferently.

"Well... what I want you to do is related to that matter," Du Yuntian took a deep breath and continued with a grave tone, "Including our Yunshui Du Family, the Four Great Families in Yunshui have always been suppressed by the Yunshui Long Family mainly because of Long Aotian's presence! If you could eliminate Long Aotian, even if our Yunshui Du Family openly declared war and sought revenge on the Yunshui Long Family, I doubt the Junwu Sect would stand by their side anymore. Moreover, if you can clinch the top spot in the Palace Contest and enter the Junwu Sect, then even annihilating the Yunshui Long Family might be possible! So, in essence, I want you to kill Long Aotian and secure the top position in the Palace Contest!"

As he finished speaking, a murderous intent flashed across Du Yuntian's face, evidently harboring deep resentment towards the Yunshui Long Family.

"I can agree to your terms... or rather, this was one of my objectives from the beginning," Du Fei responded with a calm nod, "However, I've received information that my father is still alive and is imprisoned within the Yunshui Long Family."

"I understand," Du Yuntian nodded, "I'll mobilize all the resources of the Yunshui Du Family to verify this. If it's true, we'll pick the best opportunity to rescue your father, ensuring you can participate in the Palace Contest without any worries."

"One last question..." Du Fei took a deep breath, "Who exactly is Long Aotian's Master?"

Hearing the question, Du Yuntian paused slightly. After a brief moment, he let out a bitter smile, shaking his head slowly, "Speaking of which, it's quite strange. Long Aotian has been with the Junwu Sect for at least ten years, but no one knows who his Master is. However, although he's currently only an outer disciple of the Junwu Sect, he's treated better than many inner disciples. Therefore, many people speculate that his Master is someone with significant influence within the Junwu Sect, possibly even one of the three Supreme Venerables of our Da'an Dynasty..."

"You don't know either, Lord Patriarch?" Du Fei slightly furrowed his brow, then calmly said, "No matter. By the time he's on his deathbed, I presume his Master will reveal themselves..."

"And by then, there will be scores to settle!" This last thought remained unsaid, but it resounded coldly in Du Fei's heart.

"As for the matter of Long Aotian's Master, I'll also have the Yunshui Du Family investigate it. However, don't keep your hopes too high... We will expedite the investigation regarding your father. As soon as we have any news, we'll notify you immediately. But there are only three days left until the Palace Contest. What are your plans for these three days? If you need, you can stay at the Du Family Mansion..." Du Yuntian gazed at Du Fei, speaking slowly.

"No need," Du Fei shook his head, "I'll continue to stay at the Supreme Venerable Hall for the next three days. There, even people from the Junwu Sect would likely hesitate to attack me directly. If you have any news, just send someone there. However, during these three days, I plan to cultivate in seclusion. I'll leave the other matters in your hands, Lord Patriarch."

"Alright then, be careful," Du Yuntian pondered for a moment, then nodded, "Inside that storage ring, there's also a jade tablet detailing past Palace Contests and some information about this year's event. You might want to look at it when you have time."

"Thank you. In that case, I'll take my leave..." Du Fei nodded, standing up to depart.

"Hold on!" Du Yuntian also stood, revealing a faint smile on his face, "You can leave, of course, but to ensure everything goes smoothly, we must put on a little show today. I hope you understand."

"Bang—"

As the words fell, Du Yuntian's foot stepped forward, and in a flash, like a cold lightning bolt, he was right in front of Du Fei. Immediately, he thrust a palm towards Du Fei's chest!

"Boom—"

Almost immediately when Du Yuntian struck out, Du Fei's hands shot up, blocking directly in front of his chest. The golden hue on him shimmered violently, releasing an incredibly sharp aura in an instant.

"Clang clang clang—"

The moment the two made contact, waves of turbulent Qi exploded outwards. Du Fei's body shook and was quickly thrown backward, colliding with a wall. He broke through the wall in a flash.

"Thud—"

Landing on the ground, after staggering back several steps, Du Fei managed to stabilize himself, his face turning slightly pale. Surprise flashed across his eyes!

Du Yuntian was worthy of being the patriarch of the Yunshui Du Family. Even a casual move from him was so powerful. If he hadn't held back, Du Fei wasn't sure he could've blocked it in his haste.

While Du Fei was slightly astonished, Du Yuntian leisurely walked out from the VIP lounge. However, his face was now filled with anger, and he glared menacingly at Du Fei.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—"

With their confrontation, numerous figures suddenly appeared from all around. Their eyes settled on Du Fei, displaying expressions of bewilderment. Evidently, they were puzzled as to why "Ye Fei" had suddenly started a confrontation with Du Yuntian.

"So, Ye Fei, are you truly unwilling to agree to the Yunshui Du Family's terms?" A cold light gleamed in Du Yuntian's eyes as he spoke calmly.

Seeing Du Yuntian in this state, Du Fei internally chuckled. This old fox was so good at putting on a show that it was almost indistinguishable from reality. It seemed he intended to deceive even the members of the Yunshui Du Family.

In response, Du Fei paused momentarily, then retorted with a faint huff, "I have no interest in staying with the Yunshui Du Family just to refine pills!"

"Hmph! Young man, don't get too arrogant just because you have some skills. Once you leave here, you'll regret it. Besides the Yunshui Du Family, who else can offer you such a high price? Now, be on your way! Farewell," Du Yuntian said with a cold smirk.

"We'll see about that!" Du Fei retorted with a cold laugh. He then bowed slightly in acknowledgment, not sparing Du Yuntian another glance, and turned to leave.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—"

The moment Du Fei made a move, several of the Yunshui Du Family's powerhouses immediately stepped forward, blocking his path.

"Let him go!" A chilly voice sounded from behind Du Fei. It was Du Yuntian.

Hearing that, the blockading powerhouses of the Yunshui Du Family hesitated for a moment but eventually retreated quickly. After a cold chuckle, Du Fei's feet propelled him forward, swiftly departing the scene.

"Lord patriarch, what... is going on?" After a moment of tense silence, someone cautiously inquired.

With a cold smile that held a hint of frostiness, Du Yuntian sternly replied, "This fellow is too arrogant! The Yunshui Du Family appointed him as Supreme Elder, allowed him unrestricted access to our medicinal herbs, and only asked him to produce three Pozong Pills a year. Such generous terms, and he's still unsatisfied!"

Hearing this, the powerhouses of the Yunshui Du Family exchanged glances. They hadn't expected the patriarch to offer such a high price for Ye Fei. However, the revelation also brought a hint of disappointment to many of them. After all, having an alchemist in a family greatly increases the possibility of cultivating high-level powerhouses.

"Listen closely, all of you. No one is to speak of today's events. Everyone, prepare with full force for the Palace Contest. This time, I want to ensure that little punk Ye Fei doesn't even have the qualifications to participate!"

With a cold chuckle, Du Yuntian swept his sleeves and slowly walked into the VIP lounge, leaving the rest looking at one another, filled with bewilderment.

Inside the VIP lounge, the murderous intent on Du Yuntian's face faded instantly. However, what replaced it was a look of subtle astonishment.

He slowly raised his right hand, and there, in the center of his palm, was a soft, ice-blue wisp of energy, gently writhing. Moments later, it was dispelled by Du Yuntian's Qi.

"This is the Qi of the Heaven and Earth Primordial Core... This youngster... He truly refined the Ice Lotus Pill to its fullest... Had I known this earlier, even if it meant turning against the Yunshui Long Family, it would have been worth it..." Staring at his palm, Du Yuntian murmured to himself, "Fortunately... it's not too late... Du Fei... hehehe... Du Fei..."