Qing Chen narrowed his eyes slightly. Scenes of reading scriptures and jade slips in the Scripture Repository in years past flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern.
He had always possessed an extraordinary sensitivity toward the path of cultivation. Though those obscure ancient texts contained scant records of "possession," they had drawn his attention.
About ten years earlier, while devoting himself to cultivation at his sect, Qing Chen had once brought his questions to his master, True Person Budong, asking him about the various aspects of "possession."
He still remembered the somewhat peculiar look on True Person Budong's face as he said:
"My disciple, there are always those in this world who harbor evil thoughts, deluding themselves that possession can change their aptitude, grant them powerful spiritual roots and spirit bodies, and let them ascend to heaven in a single step.
"But that is merely the unrealistic wishful thinking of low-level cultivators. In truth, it is nowhere near so simple.
"Many years ago, after successfully breaking through to the Golden Core realm, I crossed the distant Rihai Sea Region to travel around Penglai Spirit Island, one of the Upper Eight Cave Spirit Islands.
"There, I made quite a few friends and provoked a few enemies. Naturally, my horizons broadened considerably, including my knowledge of the path of possession that you are curious about.
"Possession, or possession reincarnation, is an extremely sensitive and strictly prohibited forbidden art. Three great tribulations lie hidden within it, making survival a one-in-ten prospect.
"The first is the boundless heart thunder tribulation.
"The instant a cultivator activates the art of possession, the rules of this world send boundless heart thunder down into their sea of consciousness.
"Outsiders can scarcely detect any unusual signs, but for the cultivator caught within it, it is a desperate ordeal,