A disturbing silence stretched among all the elders as they observed and assessed, becoming increasingly shocked at the gigantic young man's physical power.
The youngest elder slowly withdrew his fist from Denil's fat chest. He felt like he had punched directly into an iron mountain; his fists were an intense shade of red, leaving him even more stunned at the capability of this young man who was a realm and a few levels below him.
The chubby young man smiled strangely, wiping the blood trickling from his mouth, and then bowed. "Thank you for holding back your fist, sir."
Everyone looked at the young man with subtle approval. The elder spared nothing in his punch, but Denil made sure not to hurt his ego. This young man knew how to be subservient and retreat when necessary. Everyone felt that he could be of value.
"Well, now that you've seen with your own eyes, I can explain reasonably." Denil then stagnated all the Qi in his meridians, physique, and bloodline. The world seemed to return to normal, and he turned back into just a ridiculous whale.
"You must wonder how my humble clan stays stable in this forest, being one of the oldest clans on the planet." Everyone looked at him with extreme anticipation, but everything was quite obvious.
"Yes, my body is the secret of our clan. But clearly, this has never been completely out of the discerning eyes of cultivators throughout history. Many have discovered and tried to steal our secret, but in the sect, there must be reports of elders who came to the forest and never returned, right?"
Denil turned to meet the eyes of the elders. It wasn't just one, but almost a hundred renowned elders throughout history who never returned after going into the forest.
The four of them personally went into the depths of that forest, well aware of the mortal danger that existed there. Death was certain with the slightest carelessness, but they managed to move carefully and fulfill the mission. The extravagant reward upon their return to the sect was worth the risk.
What this young man was implying was an unreal logical leap. But at the same time, they had already read and studied all the techniques the sect possessed. The physical power shown before their own eyes was surreal to the point that they felt Denil wasn't stretching the truth that much.
"The technique is not our only secret. We have invincible protection as well," Denil spoke slowly, giving them time to reason. "You must already imagine the power capable of protecting us from everything, including the sect. It's a force from the divine world, more specifically, a divine sect."
The brows of all the elders furrowed tightly. The sect existed without any competition throughout the planet for countless millennia, but they never dared to think of themselves above everything and everyone. It was common knowledge among those who reached a certain level about the existence of divine worlds.
"I came here because I have a proposal. But first, as proof of my loyalty, look at this." Denil then took out four small crystals, and they floated towards the elders.
They all clenched their fists with the crystals containing a large amount of information. Slowly, they opened their eyes, and a tremor of surprise was evident in all of them.
"The physical technique consists of three levels. I received the first from the clan, and I wrote down the parts I knew. Of course, some parts that the clan didn't tell me are missing, but the general introduction is there."
The eldest elder seemed very shaken and spoke impatiently. "Young man, what do you want?"
"Well, you are brave and well-known elders in the sect; I want you to take me with you," Denil replied without hesitation. "I know the recruitment will happen in a few months, but me being there already and then being accepted is quite different from being someone from the interior being accepted. You must understand..."
Everyone nodded, understanding well what he desired. It was simple: power and influence...
His being recruited as a recommendation from the elders could mean being accepted directly as a direct disciple. On the other hand, those accepted from the interior would start at the lowest level, having to climb slowly, some taking decades, and would only be disciples in name, closer to being a laborer. The difference was like heaven and earth, and those lost years were crucial for the future of a young cultivator.
Denil then continued. "I'm proposing to hand over the complete technique to you." Everyone then froze, stunned as Denil continued. "I am someone from the clan, and therefore, even if the clan finds out, they cannot trigger the divine sect. The protection extends only to external attacks."
"You yourself said you only have the first level, and it's incomplete. How do you intend to do that?" The elder with the long beard spoke abruptly.
Denil then calmly replied, "It's true. But a few hours before you arrived, there was a secret meeting in the clan with the main members and advisors. The agenda was you four."
He continued. "I was present, of course. The main discussion was as follows: Whether everything that was happening, with Innoa and your arrival, was all a setup or not."
The elders couldn't understand what he was proposing. Why would this small clan doubt if Innoa himself was almost dead within their own clan?
"To be more clear, the complete technique is being kept underground in the clan, and it is properly protected by a formation from the divine world. I found out today in the meeting that to enter the formation, there are only two ways. One is being the patriarch, who held the key to enter and exit. The other is by creating an extra key, something that must be on a similar level to the divine world and, at the same time, be the opposite of the laws coming from the formation."
"The core that sustains the formation comes from the most abundant source in the forest. That's why the clan remains here in this dangerous place. The source, of course, is the Yin of death from the cores of divine and demonic beasts in the forest."
All four had a sudden understanding at the same time. Power on the same level as the divine realm... and the opposite of Yin was just Yang... the pieces quickly fell into place in their minds.
Denil nodded, understanding that they got it. "Yes, the information you obtained in the forest scared everyone in the clan to death. It was too coincidental that you entered the clan with the key to the divine formation."
The four knew well that Innoa was someone known in the sect, but he was just a young cultivator. It was quite acceptable for him to be sacrificed so that they could enter without raising alarms, kill everyone who could trigger the divine sect, and steal the technique.
As for the supposed key that the elders brought to the clan, that was none other than the Lotus they used to help Innoa. That Lotus was completely Yang in nature and a powerful one at that. That's why it felt like everything was planned ahead. Innoa getting injured, Innoa then brought into the inner parts of the clan, and then the elders, with a pure yang item to help Innoa. The same item that could be used to open the formation.
"Don't worry. In the end, it was decided that it shouldn't be a setup. That's why I gathered the courage to come here and tell you all this," Denil added.
"What... what do you need?" One of the elders almost whispered, forgetting even his status.
"Not much. I've already entered and seen the formation many times. With this key, I should be able to enter quietly, make a copy of everything, and leave without causing a stir."
"You brought the pure four-petal Yang lotus, right? I will use only one petal at most. So, you don't even need to inform the one who gave you the mission. Everything will stay between us and no one else," Denil said with a light smile, full of intentions.
The elders remained silent for a few seconds, immersed in their own thoughts. The eldest elder, the group leader, pondered deeply and fixed his gaze on Denil's eyes.
In those eyes, there was a mix of confidence, greed, and courage. Everything seemed too good to be true, but... the technique the elder had read on the crystal was something on another level. Even having lived for hundreds of years, the elder couldn't comprehend almost anything of it, and that was just the first level.
Something seemed off, but what could this young man do against them? He was just borrowing the Lotus. Steal and run? That was ridiculous; they would hunt him down and kill him within a day with ease.
However, if everything went well... they could ascend to the heavens.
The elder was the most powerful and experienced in the group. In no time, he would easily have a great breakthrough in the technique, having it complete to study. Shortly after, he could "silence" everyone present and keep the technique just for himself, something easy and simple.
While this elder pondered these possibilities, almost in sync, the other elders had similar silent thoughts. Alm and Bruno just watched and waited, but mentally, they laughed uncontrollably, easily reading the minds of the elders.