Chapter 38: The Lian Family Visits

Sitting cross-legged on a flat stone, Du Fei formed a strange seal with his hands, and the true qi within his body slowly circulated.

As his true qi circulated, with each breath, the moisture in the surrounding air instantly condensed into ice crystals, falling to the ground.

However, this bone-chilling aura did not make Du Fei feel uncomfortable at all; instead, he found it quite comfortable. After all, the true qi cultivated from the Ice Heart Technique was inherently cold and yin.

This kind of cold and yin aura was like a great tonic to Du Fei at this moment.

Taking a long breath, Du Fei slapped the ground with his right hand and jumped up. With his movement, his entire body's bones suddenly made a series of cracking sounds.

Although Du Fei did not have a tangible feeling about the changes within his body, he was clear that he now possessed the strength of a Ninth Rank Martial Artist. With this strength and the various martial techniques he had cultivated, he might not be the best among the younger generation of the Du family, but it would be hard to find an opponent for him.

However, Du Fei was not the type to be arrogant, nor did he plan to publicize his promotion to Ninth Rank Martial Artist. After all, his cultivation speed was truly heaven-defying, and the fact that he was cultivating the Ice Heart Technique was a huge secret that must not be exposed within the family.

According to Du Fei's plan, as long as he left the family in half a month to search for the Dan King's ruins with Yun Yuqing, he could reveal his strength upon his return, and there should be no major issues.

Fortunately, after becoming a Martial Artist, even if he did not reveal his strength, outsiders would not be able to discern his exact level.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Du Fei felt a bit more relaxed. After three months of intense cultivation, he almost felt like he had been out of touch with the world. Now that he had made progress, he took a leisurely walk down the mountain path.

Returning to his courtyard, Du Fei searched for a while but did not see Xiao Ai's figure.

After a moment of hesitation, Du Fei asked a family member and learned that Xiao Ai had been called to replace him at the clan meeting.

"The Du family is truly troublesome... But why would they have an outsider like Xiao Ai replace me at the clan meeting? What are those old foxes thinking?" Du Fei frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and then quickened his pace, heading swiftly toward the front hall of the Du family.

In the front hall of the Du family, almost all the high-ranking members were seated, but their faces were all slightly gloomy, not looking particularly good. Even Du Zhen Tian's old face was dark, though he probably refrained from bursting out to maintain the family's dignity.

After a somewhat stiff atmosphere lasted for a moment, Du Zhen Tian's gaze slowly fell on the person standing in the center of the hall. He took a deep breath and said calmly, "Manager Lian, although we welcome guests... the Du family has never been particularly fond of people surnamed Lian. If you have no business, please leave!"

The person standing in the center of the hall was none other than Lian Rui, the Lian family's chief manager. At this moment, he wore an indifferent expression, merely giving a slight bow and chuckled, "Patriarch Du, what you say... although the relationship between our Lian family and the Du family is not particularly good, it's not that bad either. I am here to invite Patriarch Du to a banquet on the orders of our family head. If Patriarch Du is not interested, then I will take my leave!"

After saying this, Lian Rui gave a slight bow and slowly turned to leave.

"Hold it!" The Third Elder, Du Zhen Feng, raised his face slightly and said calmly, "If you have something to say, just say it. If you leave like this, outsiders might think the Du family lacks grace!"

"Ha ha, indeed, the Third Elder has grace!" As if not noticing the slight change in Du Zhen Tian's face, Lian Rui smiled lightly, then clapped his hands. Instantly, several red shadows flew out from his sleeves and quickly landed in front of a few people.

Du Zhen Tian and the others looked at the bright red invitations in front of them, their faces filled with confusion.

"What are you up to, Lian family?" Du Zhen Tian frowned and said calmly.

"Ha ha, Patriarch Du, there's no need to worry... It's just that our young master has successfully advanced to Ninth Rank Martial Artist and is preparing to take a concubine. Therefore, we have specially sent an invitation, hoping that Patriarch Du will honor us with your presence. The Lian family will be extremely honored."

Lian Rui smiled lightly, explained calmly, and then his gaze slowly swept around the hall, finally landing on Xiao Ai, who was standing to one side. He suddenly smiled and said, "This must be Miss Xiao Ai. Our young master has said that he and Young Master Du Fei hit it off at first sight, so he particularly wants to invite Young Master Du Fei to this grand banquet. Since Young Master Du Fei is not here, could Miss Xiao Ai please accept this invitation on his behalf?"

After saying this, Lian Rui flicked his wrist, and the red invitation in his hand slowly flew toward Xiao Ai... "Tap..."

Just as the invitation was about to land in front of Xiao Ai, a figure quickly darted out, reached out slightly, and caught the invitation.

After scanning the invitation, Du Fei smiled lightly and said, "Please convey to Young Master Lian that since it's a joyous occasion for him, I, Du Fei, will certainly attend... However, due to the urgency of time, I may not be able to bring a gift!"

"Ha ha, Young Master Du Fei's presence is already a great gift. The Lian family would not dare to ask for more! Since the invitation has been delivered, I will take my leave!" Lian Rui laughed heartily, then turned and gave a slight bow to the surroundings before leaving with large strides.

His back view seemed somewhat arrogant no matter how one looked at it.

"Bang..."

After a moment of silence in the hall, Du Zhen Tian rubbed his right hand slightly, and the invitation in front of him instantly burst.

"These days, the Lian family has been making frequent moves, constantly harassing our Du family's businesses... Today, they even sent this invitation! Humph! It's just that after obtaining that Eighth Rank cultivation technique, that brat Lian Zhen successfully advanced to Martial Artist... and now he's so arrogant!" The Third Elder, Du Zhen Feng, also changed his expression slightly and said coldly, "Patriarch, since the Lian family is acting this way, our Du family cannot lose face. I want to see how they can proceed with their celebration with us Du family present!"

"This kind of move hasn't been seen in many years!" Compared to Du Zhen Feng, Du Zhen Tian remained calm. His gaze swept over the shredded paper in front of him for a moment before he said calmly.

"The Lian family's attitude suggests they want to announce to the various forces in Bu Yue City that from now on, they are the true dominant force... Humph! It's just an Eighth Rank cultivation technique. Can it really turn the Lian family's group of fools into geniuses? As for Eighth Rank cultivation techniques, our Du family has them too, but..." Du Zhen Feng sneered slightly, then quickly stopped as if he had thought of something.

After giving Du Zhen Feng a cold look, Du Zhen Tian tapped the table to one side and said calmly, "What a good plan! They've only had the technique for less than three months, and they're already getting arrogant?"

"Should we go, or not?" The Second Elder, Du Zhen Xuan, hesitated for a moment and then said softly.

"Go! Why not?" Du Zhen Tian smiled coldly, "I don't believe that old ghost Lian Ji can advance to Seventh Rank in just three months with a cultivation technique... Does he think he's the only one who has an Eighth Rank cultivation technique?"

After saying this, Du Zhen Tian took a deep breath and his gaze slowly fell on Du Fei, who was standing in the distance. He said slowly, "Fei, I heard you have been in seclusion for three months. Have you made any progress?"

"I have successfully advanced to the Eighth Level of the Body Tempering stage!" After a moment of hesitation, Du Fei said calmly.

"Uh..."

When Du Fei said this, the high-ranking members in the hall were momentarily stunned.

Although they had all been very optimistic about Du Fei, they did not expect him to reach the Eighth Level of the Body Tempering stage in just three months! This speed was no slower than Du Han's in his prime.

Hearing Du Fei's words, Du Qian, who had been expressionless, also showed a look of surprise. After a deep look at Du Fei, she slowly turned her head.

"Eighth Level of the Body Tempering stage!" Du Zhen Tian's face also showed a hint of joy. After a moment, he laughed heartily and said, "That old ghost Lian Ji thinks that Lian Zhen advancing to Ninth Rank Martial Artist makes him so arrogant, but I believe Fei will catch up with his progress in a few years..."

"Give the order. Since there is a grand banquet in three days, our Du family cannot lose face. Prepare the troops and attend the Lian family's grand banquet in three days. I want to see what that old dog Lian Ji is up to!" After a cold laugh, Du Zhen Tian gave a calm order.

Hearing this, the other members of the Du family all nodded slightly.

After all, no matter what, the Du family of Bu Yue City was a branch of the Yunshui Du family. Although their relationship had become distant, they had never looked up to the Lian family. Lian Rui's performance seemed to have successfully ignited the anger of the Du family members. ...

The Lian family's grand banquet seemed to have invited various forces in Bu Yue City and even the surrounding areas. It was clear to everyone that the Lian family was not content to remain idle and was planning to make some moves, big or small. Many forces were prepared to watch from the sidelines, as whatever the Lian family planned to do, their primary targets would be the Du family and the Gongsun family, not the smaller forces...

As for these smaller forces, as long as they did the necessary formalities and were a bit smarter, they would not be too troubled by the Lian family...

Because of this, Bu Yue City suddenly became very lively due to the Lian family's grand banquet. Many people crowded into Bu Yue City, even those who did not have the qualifications to attend the banquet. Watching a grand event up close and being the first to understand the future power dynamics of Bu Yue City was a must-do.

After all, no matter how one looked at it, the Lian family's grand banquet did not seem to be a peaceful affair!