670: Chapter 670 Are you willing?

Daoist Priest Qingxuan was the first to snap back to his senses, his eyes widening.

He wanted to curse, to berate, to blast Ye Chen out of the room, but then he realized...

He was certainly no match for the opponent.

Going up there just to get beaten for nothing wouldn't be fun at all!

And so.

Daoist Priest Qingxuan abruptly turned his head to look at Daoist Priest Qingfeng.

He wanted to see...

How would the Sect Leader Senior Brother respond?

At the same time, the other Huashan Sect disciples also turned their gazes toward the Sect Leader, their eyes filled with apprehension.

Daoist Priest Qingfeng's expression finally changed.

But he understood very well that at this critical juncture, he could not show any hostility toward Ye Chen.

Otherwise...

Not only could he not afford to offend Ye Chen, but it would also disrupt the plans from above.

Daoist Priest Qingfeng took a deep breath and spoke in a heavy voice.

"Instructor Ye, my Huashan Sect is upright and honorable; we have never been subordinate to anyone."

"There is no such thing as switching sides or not."

Ye Chen looked at him and smiled.

"Sect Leader Qingfeng, those words are quite meaningless."

"The Huashan Sect acting as dogs for the Tianyi Sect is an open secret in the martial world."

"Is there any point in denying it?"

Daoist Priest Qingfeng's face turned pale and then flushed with agitation.

Ye Chen was telling the truth.

The Huashan Sect was indeed subordinate to the Tianyi Sect; that was an indisputable fact.

Denying it would only make him look guilty and make the Huashan Sect seem like they lacked the courage to admit their actions.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Ye Chen shook his head.

"Sect Leader Qingfeng, do you feel that I am humiliating you?"

Daoist Priest Qingfeng didn't speak, but his silence was an answer in itself.

Ye Chen stood up, hands in his pockets, and walked unhurriedly over to Daoist Priest Qingfeng.

"Let me ask you, has the Tianyi Sect ever looked at you as human beings?"

Daoist Priest Qingfeng's pupils constricted slightly.

Ye Chen continued.

"In their eyes, your Huashan Sect is just a dog."

"If you're obedient, they reward you with a couple of bones; if you're not, they can replace you with another at any time."

"Do you think that because you handle matters for them, they will treat you as one of their own?"

"Stop dreaming."

"In the eyes of those powers in the Kunlun Ruins, your secular sects are less than dogs."

Daoist Priest Qingfeng's face went completely pale.

Behind him, the Huashan Sect disciples lowered their heads one by one, their eyes filled with humiliation.

But they knew Ye Chen was telling the truth.

The powers of the Kunlun Ruins had never looked them in the eye.

They offered up resources, talented disciples, and everything they could give, only to receive a few words of praise occasionally bestowed upon them.

To put it nicely, they were vassals; to put it bluntly, weren't they just dogs?

Looking at Daoist Priest Qingfeng's paper-white face, Ye Chen continued calmly.

"But I am different."

"I don't need you to be a dog; I need you to be a partner."

"You do things for me, and I give you benefits."

"A fair trade, honest with everyone."

Daoist Priest Qingfeng looked up at Ye Chen, his eyes full of complexity. "Instructor Ye, what exactly are you trying to say?"

Ye Chen smiled.

"What I want to say is..."

"Whatever the Tianyi Sect promised you, I can give as well."

"And what the Tianyi Sect cannot give you, I can also give."

"For example..."

He paused, looking directly into Daoist Priest Qingfeng's eyes, "Letting you break through."

Daoist Priest Qingfeng's breath suddenly hitched.

Breakthrough!

These two words were like a key, opening the most secret door in the depths of his heart.

He had cultivated for over seventy years, yet he had been stuck at the Peak Celestial Master Realm for a full ten years.

In those ten years, he had tried countless methods, consumed countless natural treasures, and even swallowed his pride to beg the Tianyi Sect for pills.

But the Tianyi Sect only gave him a low-quality Realm-Breaking Pill; after taking it, not only did he fail to break through, but his foundation was damaged, taking three years to recover.

From then on, he knew that in the eyes of the Tianyi Sect, he, Qingfeng, was less than a dog.

If a dog is disobedient, the master might coax it a little.

If he was disobedient, the Tianyi Sect could replace him with someone more compliant as the Huashan Sect Leader at any time.

This was the reality.

A cruel reality.

Thinking of this.

Daoist Priest Qingfeng's Adam's apple bobbed. "Instructor Ye, you mean... you can help me break through?"

He truly wanted to progress.

He wanted to progress so very much.

He dreamed of breaking through that threshold and stepping into the Tianyi Realm.

But that threshold was like an invisible chasm lying before him; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't cross even half a step.

Ye Chen looked at him.

Before Qingfeng had entered, Ye Chen had already used the special investigative abilities within the Houtu Inheritance to simulate the trajectory of the cultivation technique running inside the other man's body.

Consequently.

He had already figured out the origins of the other's technique.

And it just so happened that...

The Houtu Inheritance contained records of the Huashan Sect's learning methods.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow and spoke calmly.

"The technique you cultivate is called the 'Breeze Manual', right?"

Daoist Priest Qingfeng's pupils constricted slightly. "How did you know?"

"Not only do I know that, I also know that this technique has flaws."

Ye Chen said unhurriedly, hands in his pockets.

"The 'Breeze Manual' emphasizes following nature and overcoming hardness with softness; there is nothing wrong with that in itself."

"But in your pursuit of a breakthrough, you forcibly reversed the technique to break softness with hardness. As a result, your meridians were damaged, and hidden injuries were left in your energy center."

"That is the first reason you haven't been able to break through for ten years."

Daoist Priest Qingfeng's expression changed completely.

Every word Ye Chen spoke was like a scalpel, dissecting the deepest secrets of his cultivation.

He had indeed forcibly reversed his technique.

That was five years ago; he truly couldn't hold out any longer and took a desperate risk. The result was that not only did he fail to break through, but he also nearly suffered qi deviation.

Only he knew about this; he hadn't even told Qingxuan.

How could Ye Chen know?

Ye Chen ignored his shock and continued.

"The second reason is that you took a low-quality Realm-Breaking Pill."

"That pill didn't help you break through; instead, it left a layer of pill toxins in your energy center."

"The pill toxins are like a film wrapping around your true qi, preventing it from circulating smoothly."

"Every time you circulate your power, you feel a faint pain in your energy center, don't you?"

Daoist Priest Qingfeng's body jolted, his face turning as white as ash.

pill toxins.

He thought that Realm-Breaking Pill was just ineffective; he never expected it to leave behind pill toxins.

No wonder his energy center felt a faint pain every time he circulated his power.

He thought it was just old injuries that hadn't healed, but it was actually the pill toxins at work.

"The third reason..."

Ye Chen looked at him, his tone as calm as if he were discussing a trivial matter.

"Your foundation was tampered with."

Daoist Priest Qingfeng's pupils constricted sharply, and he felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

"You... what did you say?"

"I said, someone secretly tampered with your foundation while you were attempting a breakthrough."

Ye Chen said nonchalantly.

"A restriction was planted in your energy center."

"That restriction usually remains dormant, but every time you try to break through, it automatically activates and scatters your true qi."

"So every time you feel like you're about to break through, you fall short at the last moment."

"It's not your fault; someone just doesn't want you to break through."

Daoist Priest Qingfeng stood there, his expression changing drastically.

He never would have expected...

That the reason he couldn't break through actually involved three different causes?

If Ye Chen hadn't pointed it out, he truly could not have imagined it was true.

Especially.

That someone actually didn't want him to break through???

He suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot. "Who was it?"

Ye Chen looked at him and said calmly.

"Who do you think wouldn't want you to break through?"

A name flashed through Daoist Priest Qingfeng's mind, and he felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him from head to toe.

The Tianyi Sect.

Only the Tianyi Sect.

Only the Tianyi Sect had the opportunity to tamper with things when he was breaking through.

If he broke through, he wouldn't be so obedient.

If he broke through, he would have the capital to bargain.

If he broke through, he wouldn't be so easy to control.

So the Tianyi Sect wanted to lock him firmly at the Peak Celestial Master Realm, making him an obedient dog forever.

As for the more talented disciples?

Those people would all be sent to the Tianyi Sect.

Therefore.

The Tianyi Sect only needed to choke his lifeblood alone!

Daoist Priest Qingfeng's eyes suddenly turned red.

Ten years.

A full ten years.

He thought it was because his talent was insufficient, his effort was lacking, or his luck hadn't arrived.

He blamed all the faults on himself, trying again and again, failing again and again, and getting injured again and again.

And the result?

The result was that it wasn't his problem; someone just didn't want him to break through.

Someone had intentionally locked him in this realm.

Daoist Priest Qingfeng's body swayed, nearly losing his balance.

Seeing this, Daoist Priest Qingxuan hurried forward to support him, shouting anxiously, "Sect Leader Senior Brother!"

Daoist Priest Qingfeng waved his hand, pushing away Qingxuan's support.

He took a deep breath, looked up at Ye Chen, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Instructor Ye, what do you want me to do?"

Ye Chen looked at him, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

"It's very simple."

"On the surface, you continue to be the Tianyi Sect's dogs."

"In secret, you are my people."

"If the Tianyi Sect has any movements, tell me immediately."

Daoist Priest Qingfeng's brow furrowed tightly. "You want me to be an undercover agent?"

"Not an undercover agent."

Ye Chen shook his head and corrected, "It's just taking what we each need. Just tell me, are you willing?"