After a round of gossip and discussion, regarding the matter of the kingdoms and principalities under the two great empires rebelling in suspected collusion with Spirit Hall, the Elemental Academy chose to observe quietly.
And what else could they do if not watch?
It wasn't as if the Elemental Academy could march out to help the two empires fight against Spirit Hall and suppress the rebellion.
Impossible!
Those kingdoms and principalities belonged to the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires, not the Elemental Academy.
What's more, relations between the Elemental Academy and the two empires were not particularly good. They certainly weren't close enough that the academy would march onto the battlefield on their behalf.
As for the Star Luo Empire, there was no need to mention it. Situated in the southern part of the continent, it had practically no dealings with the academy at all.
As for the Heaven Dou Empire, in the past they had been very warm toward the Elemental Academy. After all, the academy had many experts, and befriending it could offset the empire's shortcomings in high-end combat strength.
But after the news spread that Muyang had used a martial soul fusion skill to kill Tang Hao, the Heaven Dou Empire's warmth cooled quickly.
Why?
Because the Emperor Xue Beng, who had only ascended the throne two years ago, had not forgotten who was rescued the mastermind behind the attempted usurpation.
Although the high command of Heaven Dou had not personally witnessed the battle in which Ice Phoenix Flame Shadow slew Tang Hao, the descriptions of Ice Phoenix Flame Shadow's image in the reports all pointed to the same truth: the one who had rescued Qian Renxue from the palace was none other than Muyang, through that very fusion skill — Ice Phoenix Flame Shadow.
In other words, once the identity of Ice Phoenix Flame Shadow was revealed, Xue Beng and the Heaven Dou Empire saw Muyang as an enemy.
Only because the Elemental Academy wielded significant influence, and Muyang himself was so strong, the empire could not swallow them whole. Otherwise, this accomplice to treason and usurpation would already have been on the empire's wanted list.
In the blink of an eye, half a month passed. The rebellions of the kingdoms and principalities under the two empires ended swiftly.
But they were not suppressed by the empires. Instead, it was because Spirit Hall — the mastermind behind it all — had already achieved its goal.
Before the suppression armies of the two empires could even arrive, Spirit Hall, having fully withdrawn its forces from the empires, dispatched several soul master legions of over ten thousand troops each. With inside support from the rebels, they struck like thunder, seizing all of the kingdoms and principalities under the two empires.
Thus, the foundation of Spirit Hall's hegemony was laid.
Combining its original territory with these kingdoms and principalities, once consolidated, Spirit Hall's dominion was in no way inferior to that of the Heaven Dou or Star Luo Empires.
And most importantly, as Spirit Hall's nature shifted from that of a religious organization to an empire, the soul masters in its ranks who had once hailed from the two empires would undergo a change of identity. They were no longer Heaven Dou or Star Luo subjects — they were citizens of the Spirit Empire.
Henceforth, when the Spirit Empire marched against the two great empires, its soul master soldiers would no longer bear the psychological burden of striking their "own homeland."
And just as the continent plunged into chaos and turmoil, the Elemental Academy also welcomed three pieces of good news.
The first good news was that Feng Xiaotian, one of the academy's younger generation representatives, broke through to level 70 and became a quasi-Soul Sage. He then applied to the academy for four ten-thousand-year limb spirit bones of considerable age. Using the Ring Condensation Method, he successfully condensed a hundred-thousand-year seventh spirit ring, officially advancing to a seven-ring Soul Sage.
Afterward, with Muyang crafting a Spirit-Gold Battle Armor set for him, Feng Xiaotian attained strength comparable to nine-ring Titled Douluo like She Long.
It was true he lacked a domain ability. But he possessed an unparalleled hundred-thousand-year seventh ring, four ten-thousand-year limb bones, and given that the Titled Douluo of this era were mostly underwhelming, with the amplification of Spirit-Gold Armor, even without a domain, he could display the power of a newly advanced nine-ring.
Thus, counting Feng Xiaotian, the Elemental Academy now had thirteen Titled-level battle strengths.
Although his strength was at the bottom tier of Titled Douluo, scarcely stronger than high-level Soul Douluo with powerful martial souls, a Titled strength was still a Titled strength. You can't dismiss even humble bread as useless rations.
The second good news was that Dean Huo Lie successfully condensed Same-Origin Resonant Twin Soul Cores, broke through his bottleneck, and advanced to level 96 Titled Douluo.
Although, once surpassing level 96, the Spirit-Gold Armor's boost diminished due to being only at the three-word level, it still provided some effect.
With Same-Origin Resonant Twin Cores, various secret techniques, Spirit-Gold Armor, and four-limb spirit bones cobbled together, though only level 96 in level, Huo Lie's true combat strength exceeded even level 97 Titled Douluo.
Though not tested in actual battle, Muyang estimated that Huo Lie's strength was not far from an ordinary level 98 Titled Douluo without a hundred-thousand-year ring or bone.
The third good news came five days ago. Spirit Hall's Fifteen Ton and Falling Devil Douluo once again came to the Elemental Academy, and both sides reached a spirit bone trade agreement.
Muyang exchanged two inherited spirit bones exploded from Tang Hao, along with two of the many high-aged bones obtained in the destruction of Clear Sky Sect, for four ice-attribute limb spirit bones — including the Extreme Ice Left Arm Bone.
A ninety-thousand-year Extreme Ice Left Arm Bone.
A seventy-thousand-year Ice Jade Right Arm Bone.
An eighty-thousand-year Frost Left Leg Bone.
And a seventy-thousand-year Ice Burst Right Leg Bone.
After refining these four high-aged ice spirit bones, Shui Bing'er's spirit power surged from level 75 Soul Sage to level 80 Quasi-Soul Douluo.
These three pieces of good news, no matter which, were immense boons for the Elemental Academy. And though the third one seemed the least important, in truth its significance surpassed the first two.
Because once Shui Bing'er reached level 80 and attached her eighth ring, she would become an eight-ring Soul Douluo.
With Spirit-Gold Armor in hand, and her solid foundation, her strength could be amplified to the level of an ordinary level 95 Titled Douluo.
And once Muyang also achieved Title, the two of them could, under the amplification of Spirit-Gold Armor, unleash their martial soul fusion skill together. Their upper limit of power would step into the divine tier.
And as of now, no soul master on the continent had yet ascended to godhood. A divine-tier battle strength would be the very symbol of invincibility.
In other words, no matter how the situation developed in the future, with divine-tier strength seated within, the Elemental Academy could remain unmoved, facing all storms with unchanging resolve.
That afternoon, atop a secondary peak of the mountain range where the academy was situated, beneath the blazing sun, Muyang and Shui Bing'er were cultivating the Solar Body Refinement.
The strength of one's physique determined the maximum age of both self-condensed and god-gifted spirit rings. In order to gain more soul power from their rings, the two prepared to cultivate the Solar Body Refinement to the critical point matching their current spirit power before proceeding to condense and attach their next rings.
For additional chapters
Versatile mage {40 chapters}
Douluo Dalu:This Soul Master is to Weird {30 Chapters}
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