by Translator: Pokka; Author: 我本纯洁 (I Am Pure); Licensed From: Migu
The evil spirits nearby seemed to have been purified as they all suddenly turned completely silent and calm. Their evil aura slowly faded away, as if a senior monk was conducting a purification ritual on them, setting them back on the right path, removing their stubbornness. And just like that, the nearby evil spirits all dissipated into nothingness.
As for the other evil beings in the area, something exceedingly rare happened. They all sank into silence and became completely calm. The nine-colored radiance started cleansing the devilish and evil auras from their bodies as they greedily absorbed the nine-colored energy that had appeared in the area. The grand guardians and the principal of the academy were witnessing everything that was happening, and they were all deeply shocked.
"Shit! Shit! Shit! This kid has fully formed his nine astral powers. It is basically impossible to make him focus on only one power now," exclaimed the old man in a gold outfit.
"Old Gold, can you focus on the main issue here? The power this kid exudes feels somewhat different!" complained the purple-haired old man.
"Yes, it's indeed different. About 10,000 years ago, the academy had also nurtured several nine-star physique holders, but not one of them had been able to release nine powers at the same time. This kid has actually accomplished that! This is unbelievable!" said the principal.
"He is able to reach this level in only half a year. I didn't even notice him taking out anything from his storage ring. He has probably formed an astral cosmos sea as well. Otherwise, he wouldn't have suddenly refined different unique powers out of nowhere. Also, he seems to be completely immune to the possession of the evil spirits. Not even a true top Emperor can accomplish that. This kid is too astonishing," said the beautiful woman.
"I feel like this kid probably possesses one of those strongest physiques depicted in the legends," said the heroic middle-aged man. "Looks like the Back Graveyard is not a suitable place for this kid. We should just put him at my place. I will supervise him properly and see if he can really cultivate all nine powers."
After saying that, he prepared to head toward the Back Graveyard, but before he could leave, the purple-haired old man grabbed his arm and said, "Hah, are you not giving up? This kid can only be my disciple!"
Meanwhile, the old man in a gold outfit noiselessly left for the Back Graveyard. When the others noticed, they cursed and followed him. They possessed an incredible speed, instantly covering the large distance between where they were and the Back Graveyard.
Just as they were about to enter, a sloppy old man walked out. He appeared to be sweeping the floor before the Back Graveyard's entrance. The old man had long silver hair that cascaded down his shoulders. His stooped figure did not hide the fact that he had a tall and sturdy body. When he swept the floor, he moved slowly and weakly, yet he was extremely serious. Not a speck of dust could be seen on the ground.
When the grand guardians saw the old man, their eyes were filled with admiration. They bowed to him respectfully before proceeding to enter the Back Graveyard. Right at that moment, the old man stopped sweeping the floor. His mouth did not open, but an ethereal voice rang out, "Return. Stop monitoring this child in the future. I don't have much time left. Let me give this child some pointers with the little time I have remaining."
If one focused, one would notice that the old man was actually blind. However, his empty eyes seemed to be exuding a certain indescribable might that nobody dared look straight at. A look of overwhelming shock covered the faces of the grand guardians when they heard his words.
They had been living in the academy for many, many years, yet they had never once heard the old man speak. They knew that he was the oldest senior of the academy and had once contributed greatly to the academy. He was blind, deaf, and mute. Ever since these grand guardians had joined the academy, this old man had been guarding the Back Graveyard. Everyone addressed him as the gravekeeper elder.
None of them knew how long he had lived, yet the massive contribution he had brought to the academy was worthy of their respect. Not one of them could see the old man's actual strength.
At times, they even suspected that the old man was a regular human because of the apparent lack of astral energy around him. Yet he had lived for so many years, surpassing the lifespan of ordinary humans. It gave them a feeling that he had reached a level where he had abandoned complexity and returned to the original simplicity. However, he also exuded a thick aura of death, as if he was going to die at any moment.
Regardless, these grand guardians all knew this elder was definitely stronger than them. One ought to know that they had all stayed at the academy for tens of thousands of years. Thus, their shock was understandable since this was the first time they had heard the old man speak after so long.
They could feel that although this elder was blind, he seemed to know about everything they were doing. Also, the secret technique he used to speak earlier was not one an ordinary person could use. They wanted to refuse, yet they couldn't even bring themselves to voice their objections. They exchanged gazes, each of them hesitating whether to take the lead and object.
At this time, the gravekeeper elder said, "Leave without worries. I won't instruct him for more than half a year. After that, any of you can take him as a disciple. I won't interfere."
Chapter 573: Change
The gravekeeper elder made it very clear that he would only be instructing Xiang Shaoyun for half a year. After that, he would no longer interfere in Xiang Shaoyun's affairs. At the same time, he expressed that he wouldn't take Xiang Shaoyun as a disciple and that the elders needn't worry about it.
One could say that the gravekeeper elder was being very humble, especially considering the fact that his status and strength was much higher than these grand guardians. These grand guardians would need to be completely stupid to still refuse him in such a situation.
"We shall obey the gravekeeper's command," said the grand guardians with a bow before leaving. When they returned to the white stone where they had been observing Xiang Shaoyun, they took one final look at the scene before reluctantly erasing it.
"Old Purple, what do you think the gravekeeper is up to?" asked the old man in a gold outfit.
"How am I supposed to know?" said the purple-haired old man.
"I mean, will the gravekeeper allow that kid to continue cultivating nine powers or will he make that kid cultivate only one power?" asked the old man in gold outfit.
"There is no way of knowing," said the heroic middle-aged man as he rubbed his forehead.
The principal said, "The gravekeeper has witnessed more things than all of us. He knows what he's doing, and he will make the best choice. Just wait. Also, a few decent successors have appeared from this batch as well. I need to go back and focus on them. We can't let the fellows from the other academies notice them."
He then left. The others also left one after another.
...
Time passed, and at the Back Graveyard, Xiang Shaoyun had reached late ninth-stage Skysoar Realm as a result of refining both the congealed water ball and the radiant meteorite. On top of that, the accumulation from all the different powers he had refined previously and the unique phenomenon that had appeared within his body had also contributed to his rise in cultivation level.
Why had that nine-colored phenomenon happened? It was due to the nine stars within his body reaching some sort of balance that created a resonance between the nine stars. After filling all nine of his stars with unique energies, the amount of nine-colored fog within the astral cosmos sea had also grown.
Money continued absorbing the nine-colored fog hungrily. His strength grew considerably. By the time he left the astral cosmos sea, it would probably be the time for yet another breakthrough. As for the three little birds, at first, they weren't used to life in the astral cosmos sea. But when they noticed the nine-colored fog, they started absorbing it in peace. Their bodies were cleansed, and they benefited greatly from absorbing it.
After spending some time
compressing the energies within him, Xiang Shaoyun started checking his own condition using inner gaze. He found with astonishment that the nine stars were all shining with a unique luster and were surrounding his astral cosmos sea, creating a seemingly boundless river of stars.
"Without realizing it, my astral cosmos sea has grown so big. I'm afraid not even a Soul Foundation Realm Sovereign can compete with me in regards to the astral cosmos sea," muttered Xiang Shaoyun proudly.
Soon after, he circulated the nine energies around his entire body one time, and in doing so, he immersed himself in his newly gained strength and was filled with satisfaction. He opened his eyes, revealing a gaze so sharp it seemed capable of slicing the sky apart, so bright everything seemed to dim in comparison.
His current senses had improved even further than before. It was as if nothing in his surroundings could escape his senses. Even a tiny ant crawling on the ground far away could be sensed clearly. This was not the kind of sharpness the Nether Soul Domain alone could grant.
At the same time, his bearing seemed to have turned somewhat ethereal, making him look like a son of god that had just descended from the heavens. And the change of bearing was not something as simple as a change in physical appearance. Rather, he emanated a sort of feeling that made it very clear he was an extraordinary person.
In the past, he had needed to use his unrivaled will to unleash a pressure capable of pushing someone into admitting defeat without even trying to fight. Now, he no longer needed to make a conscious effort to achieve the same effect. It was a change brought by the increase of his strength, the accumulation of nine unique powers in his nine stars, and the transformation of his soul into a filthless soul.
One could say that Xiang Shaoyun had finally created his vessel of cultivation and battle, reaching a turning point in his path of cultivation. One should not look down on him just because he wasn't an Emperor. Just from all he had accomplished thus far, not even an Emperor was comparable to him.
Finally, Xiang Shaoyun stood up and gazed toward the depths of the Back Graveyard. He was wondering if he should continue going deeper. One ought to know that all the evil spirits nearby had dissipated after he had purified them. And he was in need of more evil spirits to feed his ghostrunes.
If others knew what he was thinking, they would probably curse that he was a madman. Others wanted nothing more than to avoid meeting evil spirits, yet he wanted to seek for more evil spirits. If he wasn't a madman, what was he?
Just as he was about to move, he found that a crooked figure had suddenly appeared before him. Although the newcomer had a crooked figure, that did not hide the fact that he had a sturdy body. His long silver hair was also rather conspicuous.
Xiang Shaoyun was given a fright. He almost assumed that it was an evil spirit with a solid form. If that was the case, it could only mean that it was an extremely powerful evil spirit. Without any hesitation, he unfurled his wings and attempted to flee.
At that time, the newcomer said, "You don't need to be afraid. I am a human, not a spirit. You can call me the gravekeeper elder. I am in charge of the Back Graveyard."
"Gravekeeper elder? Why did I not see you when I first came?" Xiang Shaoyun asked vigilantly.
"That was because you were thrown in here. With such a situation, it's not weird that you haven't seen me," said the gravekeeper elder without moving his mouth.
"Then why are you showing yourself now? Are you going to bring me out?" asked Xiang Shaoyun. He kept getting an eerie sensation from that person, especially that pair of empty eyes. They seemed to contain endless dreadfulness, a pair of eyes one did not dare look straight into.
"It's still not the time for you to leave yet," said the gravekeeper elder. "I am showing myself because the time has come for me to appear."
Xiang Shaoyun was completely confused as he thought to himself, What in the world does that mean?
"Since you're not here to take me away, I won't be taking much more of your time, then," said Xiang Shaoyun as he cupped his hands and saluted the elder before flying toward a different direction.
He was still filled with suspicion toward the gravekeeper elder. After all, the gravekeeper elder looked more like an evil spirit that had hidden its form than a human. But Xiang Shaoyun had only flown for a short while when the gravekeeper elder appeared before him yet again. In his shock, he stopped moving.
"What do you actually want?" Xiang Shaoyun asked as he released Yun Flame's power and wrapped it around himself.
"Come with me if you have the guts," said the gravekeeper elder before flying toward a different direction.
Chapter 574: Ancient Secret
Looking at the departing gravekeeper elder, Xiang Shaoyun found that with a simple step, the elder was able to close a massive distance, as if the distance was nonexistent. Xiang Shaoyun was quite knowledgeable himself. With a single look, he exclaimed, "Shrinking space stage!"
Footwork intent was separated into stages, respectively the moving like the wind, shrinking space, and so close yet worlds apart. Seeing the shrinking space stage greatly surprised Xiang Shaoyun. Without any hesitation, he chased after the gravekeeper elder.
He was flying at full speed with his wings, moving at a speed comparable to a third-stage Emperor. And yet, he couldn't even approach the elder and could only follow from far behind. He even had the feeling that the elder had already slowed down. Otherwise, he wouldn't even be able to keep up.
For some reason, as he traveled with the gravekeeper elder, all the evil spirits and beasts seemed to have vanished. Not one of them had appeared. After flying for a while, Xiang Shaoyun found that the elder had stopped before a spartan building.
The building was crudely built with some wood, and there was only a single building. The surroundings were still as desolate as everywhere else in the graveyard, but when looking at the distance from his position, one would find that farther ahead was a lush area with verdant hills and limpid water. A gravestone stood there, exuding a solemn yet refined aura.
Without a doubt, that was the proper graveyard part of the entire Back Graveyard. The part he had been in was merely the graveyard of the evil spirits. The building was built within the evil spirits' part, but it wasn't too far from the proper graveyard part. It was obvious this was the gravekeeper elder's place of residence.
Looks like he's really a human, thought Xiang Shaoyun.
He had been suspecting that the gravekeeper elder was actually an evil spirit that had hidden his true form. After all, the outer appearance of the gravekeeper elder was a tad bit too scary. The gravekeeper elder sat down on a stone chair in front of the building and said without looking at Xiang Shaoyun, "Sit."
Xiang Shaoyun did not dare to sit down. Instead, he bowed at the gravekeeper elder and said, "It's better if this kid remains standing."
Facing an old man with extraordinary strength, he was filled with respect.
"Just sit if I tell you to. I don't really care about matters concerning etiquette," said the gravekeeper elder.
Xiang Shaoyun hesitated slightly before he sat down at the other stone chair. Inwardly, he wondered, Why does this gravekeeper elder want from me?
The gravekeeper elder seemed to have read Xiang Shaoyun's mind as he explained forthrightly, "I am more or less aware of your current situation. I am going to tell you something, and I will only say it once. Pay attention. In all the years the dominion has existed, many nine-star physiques have appeared before. But a high-grade version like yours is very rare. Your physique is basically one blessed by the heavens, allowing you great efficiency when cultivating.
“It is generally believed that only by cultivating a single power will one be able to combine the strength of all nine stars and unleash an ultimate combat prowess. That is also the fastest way one can advance, with very few troubles in advancement.
"Of course, some also prefer cultivating two different powers, but that will greatly reduce one's cultivation speed. Furthermore, the resulting combat pr
owess isn't that much stronger than cultivating only a single power. The only benefit is gaining the ability to use the two powers and complement each other for unique effects.
“As for cultivating three or more powers, that is a choice almost no one will make. That is mainly because someone doing so will lack the ability to use all the different powers together, resulting in a lower combat prowess.
"Of course, there are people that refused to admit defeat and insisted on cultivating multiple powers, and all of them have ended miserably. The only type of people capable of cultivating five powers are those possessing a Primal Astral Physique. This physique grants one an innate physique with five stars of five different powers.
“For someone not born with this physique, it is extremely hard to cultivate this physique through effort alone. After all, the main advantage of this physique is the balance between the five powers, and that balance is something almost impossible to achieve artificially. After all, the Primal Astral Physique is one of the strongest combative physiques in existence.
"As for nine-star physiques, it is extremely hard to balance nine different powers. However, there is an ancient legend claiming that a legendary physique known as the Nine Heavens Celestial Physique, also known as the Major Primal Astral Physique, exists. It is a physique granting someone an innate ability to absorb nine different astral energies, accomplishing something nobody else can accomplish.
“It is said that this is a physique only the ancient god involved in the creation of the world possessed, and that ancient god is also the ancient ancestor of us humans. He is the creator of the dominion, the sky, and the stars above us.
"Throughout the years, many humans have tried recreating someone comparable to the ancient god. Children with a nine-star physique were all requested to cultivate nine different powers. Us, the Dragon Phoenix Academy, also once did that. We called it the Strongest Physique Cultivation Project. However, it all ended in failure. All those nine-star physiques had gone to waste, and thus, nobody wants to ever see a nine-star physique holder cultivate nine different powers and walk the path of no return ever again."