Chapter 10: The Annual Competition.

"What is it?"

Du Shaofu stopped in his tracks, raised his head slightly, and replied indifferently. He naturally recognized this old man, Du Hai, the current steward of the Du family's backyard. Although his status did not match that of the chief steward of the front yard, he still held a considerable position in the Du family. Normally, he did not take Du Shaofu, the young master of the Du family, seriously. Of course, if Du Hai saw other young masters of the Du family, he would bow and scrape from a distance.

"Today is the day of the annual competition among the younger generation of the clan. The prizes this time are extremely high. Why haven't you gone yet? Don't blame me for not informing you; this is a rare opportunity."

Du Hai stood with his back straight, as if telling Du Shaofu this news was a form of charity. His eyes looked at Du Shaofu with a hint of ridicule and mockery. A fool, participating in the competition would be useless.

"Another year of the annual competition, huh."

Du Shaofu felt that time had passed rather quickly, but he ignored Du Hai and walked away.

"That fool, does he really want to participate in the competition? How could the Du family produce such a fool?" Du Hai sneered coldly, watching Du Shaofu's back. He then hummed a tune, walked with his hands behind his back, and thought about the new maidservants waiting for him to instruct. Otherwise, he would have gone to watch the spectacle long ago.

Every year, the competition among the younger generation of the clan took place in the Du family's training ground. When Du Shaofu arrived at the training ground, he heard the clamor of the crowd. He came to the training ground just to watch the spectacle.

In the center of the training ground, over a hundred main and collateral line descendants of the appropriate age were eagerly waiting. Several outstanding young men and women stood out among them, while the others gathered behind them.

"Hey, look, that fool is here."

As Du Shaofu entered the training ground, someone immediately noticed him, and more and more eyes turned to him.

"I heard that fool seems to have recovered, but I wonder if it's true."

"Probably not. The clan wasted so much manpower and resources on him and couldn't cure him. It's unlikely he has recovered."

"Haha, a fool coming to participate in the clan's competition, to compete in foolishness, perhaps?"

"That fool is here to participate in the clan's competition, probably looking for a beating."

"That fool, if he were normal, he wouldn't look bad, quite good-looking."

"..."

With the targeting by Du Hao and others, the surrounding ridicule and mockery did not cease. Many young women looked at Du Shaofu with a hint of pity.

Du Shaofu's strong and resolute face remained calm. His dark eyes scanned the ridiculing clan members indifferently, but his gaze remained clear, as if the ridicule and disdain did not affect his mood at all.

Suddenly, Du Shaofu seemed to sense something and raised his head slightly. He saw that among the group of young men and women of about the same age, many eyes were on him. Among them, Du Gui, whom he had disciplined the other day, was looking at him with a cold gaze and whispering to a well-dressed young man beside him.

Du Shaofu recognized the well-dressed young man, Du Chong, who was Du Gui's brother and one of the outstanding young men of the Du family.

Beside Du Chong, there was also Du Hao, whom Du Shaofu was not unfamiliar with, and another young man named Du Yan, whom Du Shaofu also knew.

Du Hao, Du Chong, and Du Yan stood in the center, surrounded by many young men and women, showing their prominent status among their peers.

Du Gui seemed to have said something to Du Chong, and Du Chong's gaze, filled with coldness, also turned to Du Shaofu. Du Hao and Du Yan also cast cold glances at him, clearly not with any good intentions.

Du Shaofu glanced at Du Hao, Du Chong, and Du Yan from a distance. These three were the main ones who had taken his monthly medicinal pills in the past.

A bitter smile slowly formed on his lips, and then Du Shaofu's face relaxed into a faint smile. He shook his head and slowly moved forward, looking for a good spot to watch the spectacle.

"What is that fool doing here?"

"Stay away from that fool, lest you catch his foolishness."

Seeing Du Shaofu approach, the Du family members along the way avoided him like the plague, their expressions indifferent, their eyes filled with disdain and disgust. No one was willing to stand with Du Shaofu.

"Second Master is here."

At this moment, a group of Du family elders slowly approached the training ground, causing a stir among the onlookers.

"Pay respects to Second Master and the elders."

The crowd around the training ground, including the young men and women like Du Chong, Du Hao, and Du Yan, immediately bowed respectfully to the approaching Du family elders.

"Rise."

Among the Du family elders, a sturdy man waved his sleeve, looking at the younger generation of the Du family's main and collateral lines. His eyes showed satisfaction and anticipation, but then his gaze swept over the crowd and finally landed on Du Shaofu, who was standing alone in the center of the field.

"Is Second Uncle personally overseeing this?"

Du Shaofu's eyes softened slightly at the sight of the sturdy man. It was his own second uncle, Du Zhixiong, who had always been good to him and was a well-known strongman in the entire Stone City, known for his fierce and powerful demeanor, which intimidated many forces dissatisfied with the Du family.

Du Zhixiong's gaze lingered on Du Shaofu for a moment, but he did not say much. Then he looked at the eager young men and women like Du Hao and Du Chong and said loudly, "You siblings will compete, but only to the point of stopping. First, there will be an elimination round. When only twelve remain, we will draw lots to determine the opponents for the final rounds. Do you all understand the rules?"

"Yes!"

Hearing the man's question, the young men and women immediately responded in unison. Their eyes were fixed on a long table nearby, where two brocade boxes and a jade bottle the size of a baby were placed, their eyes filled with fervor, as if they already knew what was inside.

The sturdy man nodded in satisfaction and continued, "The top three among you will receive the following rewards: the first place will receive the essence blood of the Boulder Demon Wolf for foundation building, the second and third places will each receive a foundation-building pill, and those who perform well will also receive rewards."

"The essence blood of the Boulder Demon Wolf for foundation building, which could grant the innate abilities of the Boulder Demon Wolf."

"The clan has really gone all out for these young ones. Let's see who can ultimately receive the essence blood of the Boulder Demon Wolf for foundation building."

The blood of the young men and women standing in neat rows immediately boiled. Whether it was the essence blood of the Boulder Demon Wolf or the foundation-building pill, the temptation was enormous.

"I must get the essence blood of the Boulder Demon Wolf!"

Du Hao clenched his fists slightly, his eyes filled with fervor. The essence blood of the Boulder Demon Wolf for foundation building was something the entire Du family could not easily support several times. The benefits were clear, so he must get the essence blood of the Boulder Demon Wolf to build his foundation and break through to the innate realm.

"Truly a very generous and tempting reward."

Hearing about the prizes, Du Shaofu's heart raced. If it were before, it wouldn't have mattered, but now that he could cultivate, the significance was different.

[Thank you, Commander Fengye Piaoling, for your generous donation of 10,000 Zuelang coins, and Brother Sha Tao Lang for your donation of 588 Zuelang coins. I am grateful to both of you.

During the new book period, although I update two chapters daily and finish them by afternoon, I think it might be better to set a fixed time for updates. I will set the first chapter at noon and the second at 8 PM. For today's first update, I will release it a bit earlier.

During the new book period, the updates are limited, and I hope for your understanding. Everything is being considered for the official release. Please add the book to your collection, and when it goes live, we can unleash more updates and chapters.]