Two men in purple were fast walking towards the Advent Tower, their hasty walking made everyone that didn't wear the same color type immediately move away from them, these two were elder status and were big shots in the Heavenly Academy.
"I'm telling you, that's not possible!" the first of the two spoke as he was walking forward.
The other, a wide grin on his face spoke back, "And I'm telling you, it's happening right now."
This man, if Shen Bao were to see him, he'd recognize him as the same person who 'aided' him in his growth a while ago back at the end of the race test of the Academy.
The first was someone who Shen Bao didn't know, but he seemed to be pretty worried about the news that the other person had relayed to him.
"Elder Cho, I hold great respect for your status, but what you're saying defies logic, you'll be losing a lot of faces if it turns out to be nothing but a lie!" the first elder said.
"And I'm telling you, that it is happening, the body that we couldn't use, couldn't control is currently operating! This isn't something to be told lightly, MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!" the first elder shouted as two students didn't even notice them approaching the gate of the Advent Tower.
The two elders entered and their entrance caused a great commotion, they immediately moved towards the location of the least used chamber of the Advent Tower, where instead of the usual sight that any cultivator that was used to the Advent Tower would see, an empty area where no one would even bother looking at twice, now, there was a huge group of people all shouting and rioting as someone was collecting copious amounts of Top Grade Spirit Stones from other cultivators that had pale ashen faces.
Betting… what a wretched sight! Especially in an establishment as prosperous and as grand as the Heavenly Academy.
However, betting and gambling were not banned, it was in fact one of the main sources of income for many elders even because it was the best way to secure great amounts of resources.
The presence of the two elders came like a shock to everyone in the Advent Tower and they immediately scurried away like rats in the presence of a mighty cat.
"This is the room," spoke the first elder.
Elder Cho replied, "Yes, he is in there," he said.
The first elder then got closer to the room and slapped his palm against the massive formation that was sealing the chamber tight.
The chamber opened up, and some brave cultivators in yellow robes snuck peek at the inside of the chamber.
They saw what the elder saw, a person calmly sitting without a single hint of pain or agony as he was perfectly in sync with the body of a cultivator that should not, and would not allow anyone to possess.
This body was a curse, it would almost always kill whoever tried to possess it, and only the few that remained alive after a desperate struggle from coming back from that possession could tell what happened
The body, for some reason, had never seen the calamity yet still was plagued with the same curse as every other body that had seen this 'calamity'.
This body was in the middle of cultivation deviation, a death sentence to any cultivator and whoever entered that body, if they weren't fast enough to leave immediately they would never come out alive.
Many died. And the few that survived, they survived with grievous injuries to their cultivation base not to mention the majority of them went insane from the incredible pain.
Yet, this man, a person with a cultivation base that not even the elder in purple could figure out, was able to calmly stay in this state unperturbed.
"How long has he been there?" the elder asked no one in particular.
The cultivators in the room were too terrified of the elder for having been caught gambling that none of them dared utter their voice.
"Half a day," a person in red spoke up when no one dared reply.
Turning, "Damn, almost half a year then…Xiao Feng, do you perhaps know this person?" asked the elder.
"Elder Hu, I wouldn't call it knowing him much, we're more than strangers but less than acquaintances, we had a few words."
Elder Hu scuffed at the reply that didn't add much to his knowledge and walked into the room.
"Brother Hu, what are you doing?" asked Elder Cho, this time this elder had a wide smile on his face.
"I'll wake him up, I need to understand how he managed to possess this body, it is a great treasure of the Heavenly Sect and he must share the knowledge, do you know how many other students can use this to further their understanding of the Ancient Sect?" Elder Hu said.
"But waking him up from the possession will kill him in most cases, wouldn't that be a disservice to the Heavenly Academy? Leave that kid alone, when he is back we'll ask him how he had done it," Elder Cho said.
"We need that knowledge now," Elder Hu said and he was about to strike the back of Shen Bao to forcefully eject him out of the possession.
However, his hand was stopped by elder Cho, "I advise against it, I already informed the Great Elder about this, are you sure you want to be on the bad side of one of the Grand Elders?"
"You fool!" spoke elder Hu this time in a hushed tone, "Do you know the gravity of an Unknown Puppet being navigated! There is a chance that he might know the 'End' we can't allow that!"
"But that isn't for you to decide, also, what if he finds out what the Calamity was, that thing had happened long ago, why are you so worried about things of the past?" asked elder Cho.
Elder Hu seemed perturbed about how to reply and was about to fully ignore the Elder in front of him and go for the kill right there and right now.
However…
"Kids nowadays you're all so rowdy move aside…"
The voice of a man that should have been in a grave for at least a few thousand years spoke.
Turning, there was an old bald man with plenty of liver spots all over his skin and a beard that reached all the way to his knees.
The old man was hunched forward-leaning on an old cane and was wearing black robes.
"Great Elder!" the two elders in purple bowed to the old man.
"Now, now, no need to fret, what's going on here," the great elder spoke as he rubbed his long beard.
"Ho… interesting, a man without Qi, and he can actually attune himself this well to this corpse. Interesting, interesting," the old man spoke as he approached.
"Elder, we haven't fully investigated this, we'll need to wake this child up, and analyze why this corpse is now functional," elder Hu said.
"And why should we do that?" the grand elder calmly spoke.
"Its… he is an unknown it will not be predicted what might happen, I mean, you do remember what happened with Du Shen!" spoke elder Hu.
"And why do you think that this disciple has what it takes to even reach the hems of Du Shen's clothes?" spoke the Grand elder.
"Grand Elder, it is not that I believe that this person can be as threatening as Du Shen, but, there is always a possibility…"
"Threatening? Du Shen? Hah, you youngsters know not of the past and speak of a man as if he was the plague itself. Curses upon your second-handed knowledge and the poisonous thoughts that have been diluted and given to you, but I alone cannot change your knowledge of a past you were never a part of… Nevertheless, do not harm or even touch this boy, he has the right to this corpse as everyone here, he paid the fees, and let him learn until he cannot anymore. After all, not many can stay there for long periods of time… Elder Cho, come with me," spoke the grand elder.
And his word was final.
The room was closed back on Shen Bao. And everyone was dismissed leaving a fuming elder looking at the room with wrathful gazes.
The Grand Elder walked out of the Advent Tower alongside Elder Cho.
"You're a venomous snake, Elder Cho…"
"Oh… where did that come from, Grand Elder," Elder Cho spoke.
"You used me to bring down Elder Hu a peg, but I don't really mind nor care, you played your cards wisely, however, you made trouble for an unrelated person for your agenda…sigh," the old man breath out then turned to elder Cho, "But why did you not tell me that that person is related to the Poison God, at least you could have informed me in your hasty message to get me here."
"Well, I didn't want to spoil it for you, I mean, Du Shen and you were pretty close friends, weren't you?"
"Ah close maybe, friends? Never. And this child… an acolyte at best, maybe… Du Shen had strange cultivation techniques and had stranger disciples."
"I wouldn't be able to fully know his relationship with Du Shen, but I know for a fact that he is a Poison User," elder Cho spoke.
"I believe you saw that in the race, still, I'm impressed, among the many acolytes of Du Shen, none of them was able to hide their Poison Cultivation this deep, if I weren't so close with Du Shen I wouldn't have even guessed it. Not to mention, how did you discover that he is an acolyte?" spoke the Grand Elder.
"I honestly I'm not sure that he even is an Acolyte, he doesn't have their vengeful tendencies, nor does he have the madness that they usually harbor, he has a great ability to manipulate poison and is actually relying on tools and trinkets more than his poisons."
"Tools and trinkets? This is probably a conversation to be had over some drinks…"
"With pleasure, I have a few bottles of good wine we can have, I'll treat you to some good drinks and a good story," Elder Cho spoke and the two walked off in the distance.
