High above the housing grounds of the Heavenly Academy, was the Giant Floating Island. This is where the main lecture halls and all the Black Robe and Purple Robe elders lived.
It was a place of knowledge and academic research, history, and great source of information and power. Here lived only the best of the teachers and only the great.
However, their night was disturbed as the sound of booming thunder, and blinding lightning woke people from their sleep to a noise akin to the world breaking upon itself.
"Who the hell is breaking through to the Ascendant Stage at this damn hour!" one of the elders of the heavenly academy grunted as he came out of his chambers.
Anger and annoyance clear on his face, "Damn younglings, too eager to cross the mortal divider they actually dared and challenge it here, in this damn place, how can this old man have a good night's sleep!" the elder grunted cussing more and more as he grabbed a long staff and walked out of his room.
Many servants came to his presence, donning his robes and slippers to walk forward and see who was this idiot trying to break the ascendant stage at such a dark hour of the night.
The elder flew up, wearing his Black Robes, and after locating the source of the thundering booms he approached it slightly to look at it from far away.
The elder, however, seemed to have been a bit too slow. As he looked up, he seemed to have realized that he wasn't the first outside the Heavenly Academy to witness what was going on.
"Grand Elder, you seem to be interested in what's going on," spoke a man wearing Purple Robes.
"Elder Cho… what brings you here in this dark hour?" asked the Grand Elder.
"The same thing that pulled you out of your rest, Grand Elder," Elder Cho spoke while giving a light bow.
"Who is breaking the Ascendant Stage? Is it one of the young ones? A Blue robe?" asked The Grand Elder.
Elder Cho shook his head, "No, and to my surprise, it is someone we both know, and this isn't the Ascendant Stage, I too thought the same until I noticed something different," Elder Cho said.
The Grand Elder squinted his eyes, then said, "Ah… Not enough Saint Qi, but what kind of a mad man would call upon themselves a Heavenly Tribulation this great, before they even reached the Ascendant Stage. A blasphemous soul indeed," spoke the Grand Elder.
"Perhaps not, perhaps it is a blessed child," Elder Cho said.
"You're known for many things, Elder Cho, but being wise isn't one of them, speak your mind and stop with the riddles. My Divine Sense is too powerful, if I were to send it there to take a peak, I might disrupt the young person's trial," the Grand Elder spoke.
"Yes Grand Elder, this is one of the disciples of one of your oldest friends," spoke Elder Cho.
"I told you to stop speaking with riddles, none of my friends is still alive to have a disciple…wait… is this Du Shen's disciple? The Acolyte?" spoke the Grand Elder, his eyes squinting even further as if he was able to see Shen Bao from such a great distance.
"Yes, it's Shen Bao, the kid that came in and made all the teachers vie for teaching him as if he himself was a heavenly treasure. The child who harbors two acolytes yet serves nor bow down to any. The kid who even Master Rain didn't punish when he was rude and even punched him. The very child who went all the way to the Under Void and aided Master Rain in his venture. A child who the Wife of the Wind King came personally to see," spoke Elder Cho.
The Grand Elder snorted, "You're praising him so highly as if he was your own son," spoke the Grand Elder.
"I wish if I had a son with a fraction of that child's talent and will. I've seen him facing Master Rain's ire without flinching and felling the words and beliefs of the whole cultivation world when he challenged the Mortal Reminder of heavens, the Blade That Severs Mortality, without even reaching the appropriate cultivation level. Who wouldn't want such a talent to be their own? Especially when everyone knows that that child has no talent root. A Talentless Talent."
"Even a blind rat can find cheese one day, it is only good fortune and luck that he managed to get all the way to where he is today. I've seen many talented people in my time, and many of them had even far more talent and power than even I did, but what do you think happened to all of them? why are they all dead, while I still live? Talent is irrelevant. Today, however, I'll have to admit one thing," spoke the Grand Elder.
"Please do share," spoke Elder Cho as red lightning crackled in the distance brightening the world in a blood-red color.
"The trial this kid is about to challenge… is not something a Soul Transformation cultivator should face. It is something close to what Ascendants should face. The Heavenly Qi's coidentity is so high in the Tribulation Clouds that one would easily confuse them for Saint Qi. This kid is probably going to perish today, though I wonder, why is such a powerful Tribulation coming for this kid?" spoke the Grand Elder frowning.
"Hasn't this been the case for all of Du Shen's followers?" asked Elder Cho.
The Grand Elder Shook his head.
"The followers, those filthy acolytes, they were nothing but fakes. They grasped the outer teachings of Du Shen's Poison Path and used it to destroy and murder. They were corrupted all too easily, yet their power would wane with the passage of time. They didn't have real growth and might, they were using the power of the Poison Path to break through the blockades of Heaven, mighty as the power might be, it is nothing in the outer teachings. Du Shen himself spoke of the vanity of his own followers," Said the Grand Elder.
Elder Cho, having not heard this tale of Du Shen listened attentively.
"Du Shen realized that his followers didn't follow his belief, his calling. They never believed that his Auxiliary Path would allow him to reach The Beyond, but they still craved the power it gave for so little effort it took. And thus they only took the teachings that made them stronger in body, not in mind. While this child…as much as I hate to admit it, I've seen how his mind works. He is as still as a mountain, and as brave as a lion. He admitted fault against his teachers, and he also fought for his beliefs. As much as I hate to say it… he is the closest to Du Shen's character of all of the acolytes."
"Is that the reason why his Trial is so difficult?" asked Elder Cho.
The Grand Elder shook his head, "No, even Du Shen didn't suffer tribulation as grave and as heavy as this one while in Soul Transformation."
"You were there when Du Shen was in Soul Transformation," asked Elder Cho.
"Yes, we were rivals at that time. He, however, was far better than me. Yet… not to this extent. This is absurdly too much for a Soul Transformation cultivator, and I could even honestly say, that a few weak Ascendants would not be able to tide through this tribulation without harm if they're lucky enough not to die."
These words made Elder Cho a bit worried.
"If it's that dangerous shouldn't we assist Shen Bao, even if it brings the ire of the Heavens, we can appease it with a few sacrifices," spoke Elder Cho.
The Grand Elder shook his head, "Do not interfere, that man, will either live or die. They will die and become forgotten. Or they will live and break new waves in the world of cultivation. Let him find his own way, your only duty right now is to witness how this child fares through this ordeal…"
The Grand Elder closed his eyes and began using his Divine Sense to look at the situation, making absolutely sure not to reach too far into the Tribulation's range.
"Good luck lad…" Elder Cho spoke as he also closed his eyes waiting for the thunder to calm down, before the beginning of the real trial.