The Grand Hall of Primordial Domain Sect stood silent.
Eleven elders sat in a circle, each occupying a jade throne carved with complex patterns that pulsed with faint light.
The sect leader was not present.
Supreme Elder Feng sat at the highest position, his face grave. His fingers drummed against the armrest in an irregular rhythm.
"We must decide tonight." he said quietly.
The words hung in the air.
Elder Wei, a portly man with a white beard that reached his chest, spoke first.
"Kill him."
The statement was blunt and direct.
"Kill him before he becomes a threat to the entire world. A spiritual root of supreme quality with unknown attributes, this is not a blessing. This is a catastrophe waiting to unfold."
Elder Hua, a middle aged woman with sharp eyes, leaned forward.
"You speak of killing a seventeen year old sect disciple? On what grounds? He has committed no crime. He has broken no sect rules. How will we justify this to the other disciples? Other sects will use this as a way to damage our name."
"Justify?" Elder Wei's voice rose slightly. "Since when do we need to justify eliminating threats to maintain the sect's stability? The boy hijacked the awakening formation. He severed control from Supreme Elder Feng himself. Do you understand what that means?"
Silence fell.
Supreme Elder Feng's fingers stopped drumming.
"It means," Elder Wei continued, "that either the boy possesses knowledge and power far beyond what a body refinement cultivator should have, or something has taken over his body. Either scenario is unacceptable."
Elder Yun, a lean man with grey hair tied in a topknot, spoke for the first time.
"I agree with Elder Hua. You assume that he has taken over the formation or that someone has taken over his body. But on what grounds? Because a second awakening happened? Did it even happen before so that we would assume it would be like a normal awakening?"
He paused, letting his words settle.
"We should nurture him. Educate him. Mold him into the next sect leader. A supreme quality spiritual root appears once in a thousand years. If we can guide him properly, bind him to the sect through gratitude and loyalty, we will possess a weapon that no rival sect can match."
"Brainwashing, you mean." Elder Hua said flatly.
Elder Yun smiled thinly.
"I prefer the term 'education.' The boy is young. Impressionable. His personality changed after the awakening, yes, but his memories are intact. He knows he is Zhen Wu of the Wu family. He knows he is a sect disciple. We simply need to... reinforce his sense of belonging."
Supreme Elder Feng finally spoke.
"And if he resists this education?"
"Then we eliminate him." Elder Yun said without hesitation. "But only after we have exhausted all other options. Wasting such potential would be a sin against Heaven itself."
Three more elders nodded in agreement.
The nurture faction had formed.
Elder Hua exchanged glances with two other elders sitting to her left.
"I propose a third option." she said carefully.
"Treat him as a normal disciple. Provide standard resources. Standard training. But when he encounters trouble, from rival disciples, from outside forces, from demonic cultivators, the sect intervenes. Quietly. Subtly. We save him, we favor him, but we do not make it obvious."
She leaned back in her throne.
"This way, he develops gratitude naturally. He sees the sect as his protector without feeling the weight of manufactured loyalty. And if he truly is a reincarnated cultivator or possessed by some ancient entity, he will appreciate the freedom to cultivate at his own pace without constant oversight."
"That is too passive." Elder Wei objected immediately. "You give him too much freedom. What if he decides to leave the sect? What if he allies with our enemies?"
"What if he does?" Elder Hua countered. "If we try to control him too tightly, we guarantee he becomes our enemy. Better to let him grow naturally and hope his gratitude binds him to us."
Elder Yun shook his head.
"Hope is not a strategy."
Two elders who had been silent until now voiced their support for Elder Hua's proposal.
The factions were now clear.
Three elders for elimination. Four elders for controlled nurturing and indoctrination. Three elders for subtle favoritism with minimal intervention.
Supreme Elder Feng observed them all with cold calculation.
In his heart, he already knew which path he would advocate for. But first, he needed to understand where the final uncommitted elder stood.
Elder Bai sat at the far edge of the circle, his expression neutral. He was the oldest among them, the most experienced. His wrinkled hands rested calmly on his lap.
"Elder Bai." Supreme Elder Feng said quietly. "You have not spoken. What is your opinion?"
Elder Bai was silent for a long moment.
When he finally spoke, his voice was soft, almost gentle.
"I believe we should nurture the boy. Educate him. Bind him to the sect, if he decides to become the sect leader, with his talent the Primordial Domain Sect would surely rule over the world with time."
Elder Yun's faction smiled.
Elder Bai continued.
"However, I also believe we should prepare contingencies. If his loyalty cannot be secured, if his nature proves incompatible with sect interests, then elimination becomes necessary. But not before we have extracted every possible benefit from his existence."
His words were measured, careful.
But in his heart, Elder Bai's thoughts were entirely different.
'A supreme quality spiritual root with unknown attributes. The formation could not even classify it. This is beyond rare, this is unprecedented.'
'My current spiritual root is Second Grade wood attribute. I have cultivated for three hundred years and reached Soul Transformation realm, but my potential is exhausted. I can feel it. The breakthrough to Void Refinement will never come.'
'But if I could transplant his spiritual root...'
His thoughts paused.
'No. Not transplant. Transplantation has too low a success rate, and even if successful, the root would degrade without the original soul to sustain it. But possession, if I could possess his body entirely, replace his soul with mine while he is still weak...'
'His soul foundation is not yet on par with mine. And will continue to be so for a few years.'
'This is the perfect opportunity. But these old gazers will keep a close look on him at all times.'
'If I act within the first few months, It would almost certainly result in failure, right now there is too much attention on him.'
Elder Bai's expression remained calm and benevolent as these thoughts churned in his mind.
"I support Elder Yun's proposal." he said aloud. "Nurture the boy. But watch him carefully. Very carefully."
Supreme Elder Feng nodded slowly.
"Then we have our decision. Five elders support controlled nurturing. Three support elimination. Three support passive favoritism."
He stood from his throne.
"We will proceed with the majority decision. Zhen Wu and his family will be transferred to the inner sect immediately and be placed under constant monitoring. He will be assigned a personal instructor. His cultivation resources will be increased to match his potential."
Elder Wei scowled but said nothing.
Elder Hua sighed quietly.
Elder Bai smiled gently, his aged face kind and grandfatherly.
The meeting concluded.
One by one, the elders rose and departed through different exits.
The Grand Hall fell silent once more.
Outside, the night sky was clear. Stars scattered across the heavens like grains of rice on black silk.
Zhen Wu stood by the window, staring out into the darkness.
The courtyard below was empty. Moonlight painted everything in shades of black and white.
His room was small. Simple. A wooden bed, a single desk with three books stacked neatly.
Tomorrow, that would change.
Tonight, he had other concerns.
'Spies from other sects witnessed the awakening ceremony. They saw everything.'
His fingers tapped against the windowsill.
'By dawn, the event will likely reach their sect leaders. By midday, emergency meetings will take place. By evening, decisions will be made.'
'Kill him before he matures. Recruit him with better offers. Kidnap him and extract his secrets. Destroy him to prevent Primordial Domain Sect from gaining overwhelming advantage.'
These just a few possibilities that could happen.
His face grew cold, his expression hardening like ice forming over still water.
'And inside the sect, jealousy will fester. Disciples who cultivated for decades, who fought and bled for every advancement, will see a seventeen year old outer sect waste suddenly elevated above them. Some will accept it. Others will not.'
His gaze fixated on a single point in the darkness, unmoving.
'In my previous life, I survived by being careful. By moving slowly. By never drawing attention until I had the strength to defend it.'
'This time, I have no choice. Attention has already been drawn. The target is painted on my back.'
'Then... so be it.'
His gray eyes reflected the moonlight, cold and depthless.
'However, even though I am in the Body Refinement realm, I am not easily bullied...' A smirk appeared on Zhen Wu's face.
A knock sounded at the door.
Three soft raps.
Zhen Wu's expression shifted instantly.
The coldness vanished. His face softened, taking on the slightly dazed, uncertain classic look of a seventeen year old who had just experienced something beyond his comprehension.
He had spent the past few hours sorting through the original Zhen Wu's memories. Every mannerism. Every speech pattern. Every relationship and interaction.
The original Zhen Wu had been timid, polite but desperate to please his father and prove his worth to the family his entire life.
Zhen Wu could play that role perfectly.
"Come in." he called out, his voice carrying just the right amount of exhaustion and confusion.
The door opened slowly.
A middle aged man stepped inside. His face was weathered, lined with exhaustion. His robes were clean but worn, patched in three places.
He was Wu Chen. Zhen Wu's father.
"I saw the light still on." Wu Chen said softly. "I wanted to check on you."
Zhen Wu turned from the window, offering a small, tired smile.
"I'm fine, Father. Just... trying to process everything that happened today."
Wu Chen's eyes were red rimmed, as if he'd been crying earlier.
"I don't understand any of it." he admitted, voice thick with emotion. "The elders won't tell me anything. They just said you're being moved to the inner sect tomorrow. Our whole family. They said you have exceptional talent now, but..."
He trailed off, looking at his son with a mixture of hope and fear.
"Are you really alright? Your hair, your eyes... you look so different."
Zhen Wu's smile widened slightly, warm and reassuring.
"I'm fine, Father. Really. Whatever happened during the awakening, I feel stronger now, my appearance may have changed, but after all I am still your son. The sect is going to help me cultivate properly. This is good news, you don't have to cry."
Hearing Zhen Wu's sweet words, Wu Chen couldn't hold back his tears.
"You should rest, Father." Zhen Wu said gently, politely dismissing him. "Tomorrow will be busy for all of us."
Wu Chen hesitated.
Then he stepped forward and pulled Zhen Wu into a tight embrace.
"I'm so proud of you." he whispered. "No matter what happens, remember that."
Zhen Wu froze for a split second.
Then his arms moved, wrapping around his father's back, returning the hug.
Wu Chen's shoulders shook slightly. Tears rolling down his cheek, dampening Zhen Wu's shoulder.
"Thank you." Wu Chen said quietly. "For not giving up. For surviving."
He pulled back, wiping his eyes quickly.
"I'll let you rest."
He turned and walked to the door, glancing back once more before stepping out into the hallway.
The door closed with a soft click.
Zhen Wu stood motionless, staring at the closed door.
His expression remained warm and gentle for exactly three seconds.
Then the coldness returned.
His face became a mask of ice once more, gray eyes fixed on the door as if he could see through it to where his father walked away down the corridor.
Several seconds passed.
'Wu Chen genuinely cares for his son. That much is clear from the original Zhen Wu's memories. A good father. A kind man. Weak, but kind.'
'But a liability...'
His thoughts paused.
'Discarding Wu Chen and my family entirely would raise everyone's suspicion, especially the elders. It is not the right move for now.'
He sighed quietly, a sound almost too soft to hear. The coldness in his eyes didn't fade.
'Unfortunately, I have to be careful about his safety, because I have to maintain the illusion that I am Zhen Wu, the devoted son of the Wu family.'
Another sigh.
He turned away from the door and moved to the bed. Although cultivators were all powerful, sleep could not entirely be replaced, at least at his realm.
Zhen Wu lay down, closing his eyes. Within moments, Zhen Wu was asleep, the exhaustion was clear on his face, the body of a teenager needed more sleep than that of an adult.
Outside, the moon continued its arc across the sky.
The night was already half over.