Chapter 20 of 100

Chapter 20: The First Round

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Du Tian had once said that when he was still in the Du family, he had been betrothed to someone, and the name of that person was Du Qian.

So, this Du Qian was his fiancée?

At this thought, Du Fei couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh, unsure of what expression to show.

Du Xuanfeng, seemingly unaware of what Du Fei was thinking, patted his shoulder and chuckled, "Don't disgrace the Fourth Elder in this clan competition!"

"I know!" Du Fei took a deep breath, calmed his emotions, and replied calmly.

Seeing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Du Xuanfeng's eyes, but he didn't say much more. He nodded slightly and then turned to leave with Du Qian.

Du Fei's gaze slowly fell on the center of the VIP seats, where it seemed countless eyes were now focused on him.

Du Zhen Tian's mysterious demeanor, Elder Du Zhen Shan's smiling face, Elder Du Zhen Feng's look of disdain, Du Han's indifference, Du Qing's coldness, Lian Zhen's half-smile, and Gongsun Hong's interest... Various gazes filled with different meanings, but Du Fei took a deep breath and pushed them all out of his mind.

At this moment, his mind was solely focused on the clan competition.

As time passed, everyone who should have arrived had done so, and the bustling scene gradually quieted down. All eyes, with various expressions, were now fixed on Du Zhen Tian, who stood at the head of the table.

Seeming to sense the anticipation, Du Zhen Tian smiled faintly, stood up, and bowed to the crowd, saying softly, "Everyone knows why we are here today, so I won't waste words. The Du family clan competition! It officially begins! Whether you are a snake or a dragon, it all depends on your own destiny!"

His voice was calm, but due to his true qi, everyone present could hear him clearly.

Upon hearing this, the younger generation of the Du family, whether they were originally seated in the VIP seats or scattered among the crowd, all stepped forward and quickly climbed onto the large arena in the square.

The first round of the Du family clan meeting was a free-for-all. Among the countless Du family descendants, only sixteen would remain from the melee, and these sixteen would become the inner-circle disciples of the Du family. These remaining sixteen would then face each other in subsequent matches to determine their strength and ranking.

Only true geniuses, the top-ranked in each clan competition, had the qualifications to become core disciples of the Du family, and at that point, they would no longer need to participate in the clan competition.

However, no matter what, if one couldn't even make it out of the melee, then nothing else mattered.

From the VIP seats, Du Qing, who had been sitting in the center, slowly stood up. He turned his head slightly, his gaze falling on Du Fei, and he smiled coldly, "Cousin Du Fei, you must make it through!"

With that, he stepped forward, his figure quickly darting out and landing on the arena with a "thud." Instantly, all eyes in the venue were on him.

"This Du Qing is indeed extraordinary, as the rumors suggest. If given a few more years, he might become another Du Han!"

"The younger generation of the Du family is truly full of hidden talents..."

With Du Qing's entry, most of the younger generation participating in the clan competition had already entered the arena.

"Is she not planning to participate in the clan competition? Or is she already a core disciple?" Du Fei's gaze swept the field and finally landed on Du Qian, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He had originally thought that Du Qian would also participate in the clan competition.

"Master!" Xiao Ai's slightly angry voice snapped Du Fei out of his thoughts, "If you don't go down now, the clan competition will start!"

"I know!" Du Fei took a deep breath, regaining his composure. He smiled slightly, stood up slowly, and with a light step, quickly darted out from the VIP seats and landed on the arena.

Although his entrance was less dramatic than Du Qing's, those who knew better couldn't help but nod in approval, clearly unaware that the Du family had produced such a talent.

Seeing that most of the younger generation of the Du family had already entered the arena, Du Zhen Tian nodded slightly in satisfaction.

Noticing his action, Du Xuanfeng also nodded slightly, then slowly stood up and, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, smiled and announced, "The clan competition! Begins!"

"Boom..."

With Du Xuanfeng's words, the arena, which was filled with the younger generation of the Du family, erupted into chaos as almost everyone attacked simultaneously.

Since they were all from the Du family, they had a general understanding of each other's strength. Therefore, those who had planned to take advantage of the chaos were quickly eliminated within the first three minutes. Of course, there were also some who, despite their decent strength, were forced to retreat due to underhanded tactics. Regardless, once they were out, they were out.

The crowd in the stands, witnessing the intense battles from the start, nodded in approval, their eyes glued to the action. Everyone knew that the initial eliminations were not the most exciting part, but once the weaker ones were eliminated, the real show would begin.

"Thud..."

Du Fei lightly swung his hand, striking the chest of the person in front of him. With just one palm, he forced the opponent to retreat, spitting blood, and ultimately leaving the arena in frustration.

This was the third person he had defeated since entering the arena, but Du Fei felt no sense of pride. With his Seventh Stage Body Tempering strength, these Third and Fourth Stage Body Tempering opponents were no match for him. The ones he truly needed to worry about were not among them.

After defeating three people, the others hesitated to attack Du Fei. Taking advantage of this moment, Du Fei's gaze slowly swept the field.

Apart from himself, there were about ten others who stood relatively unchallenged. These were clearly the outstanding members of the younger generation of the Du family, and the others did not dare to attack them.

As for Du Qing, he stood with a smile, his hands behind his back, surrounded by an empty space of about ten meters. No one dared to approach him, let alone attack.

The intense battles continued for a while, and the number of people in the arena had dwindled to less than thirty. At this point, the weaker ones had been eliminated, and those remaining all had some skill.

"Clap, clap, clap..."

Du Qing, standing in the center of the arena, turned slightly, his gaze falling on Du Fei. He clapped lightly, "Not bad, Du Fei. You haven't disappointed me. If you couldn't even make it through the first round... you would be too much of a failure..."

"However, among those you defeated, there was one at the Fifth Stage of Body Tempering. I didn't expect him to be forced back by you in one strike. It seems you have reached the Sixth Stage of Body Tempering. Not bad, I underestimated you before... but if that's all you have, it's not enough!"

With that, Du Qing waved his hand lightly. At his signal, four people on the arena hesitated for a moment before slowly moving towards Du Fei.

The one leading them was Du Jie.

Seeing this, Du Fei smirked slightly and said coldly, "It seems, Young Master Du Qing, you are afraid... to use such tactics, are you that afraid of me making it through and competing for the position of core disciple with you?"

"Afraid? I am indeed afraid!" Du Qing smiled, "But if you can't even handle this small test, then you don't have the qualifications to be my opponent!"

"Ha ha..." Du Fei laughed coldly, his gaze sweeping over the four people who had surrounded him, and he muttered, "Fifth Stage of Body Tempering? A bunch of failures!"

In the VIP seats, Du Zhen Tian frowned slightly, then glanced at Elder Du Zhen Feng and laughed, "Elder Three, your grandson's tactics are quite impressive! He's on par with you in your prime!"

Elder Du Zhen Feng replied calmly, "Clan Head, the first round of the clan competition is not just a test of strength but also of popularity and tactics among the younger generation. Qing's tactics show that he is highly respected in the Du family. What's the problem with that?"

"Highly respected, really?" Du Zhen Tian smiled ambiguously but didn't say more. He patted the armrest and wore a mysterious expression.

On the other side of the VIP seats, Lian Zhen, Du Han, and Gongsun Hong, the top young talents of the three major forces, were now sitting together, their cold gazes fixed on the arena. Du Han didn't say much.

"Ha ha, Brother Du Han, it's been a few years since we've seen such a scene... If I remember correctly, you also faced a similar situation during the clan competition. Do you think Du Fei can stand out like you did?" Lian Zhen smiled, fanning himself.

Du Han glanced at him and replied coolly, "I'm not sure. Three months ago, he was only at the Fourth Stage of Body Tempering. Now, he seems to be around the Fifth or Sixth Stage... As you know, Young Master Lian Zhen, once someone reaches the Fifth Stage of Body Tempering, their strength is hard to gauge unless they deliberately show it. So, whether he can make it through depends on how much he has improved in these three months."

"Three months? Fourth Stage of Body Tempering?" Gongsun Hong smiled, "Even a legendary genius would find it miraculous to advance two stages in such a short time. I wonder if this Du Fei will be the so-called miracle!"

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