Dragon Phoenix Academy.

The new disciples had all settled down. Clear cliques had also formed among the regular disciples, core disciples, and personal disciples. A new ranking of strength for them had also been released. Apart from the eight freaks that had been completely hidden by the academy, a few other new disciples had also displayed their talent and shocked the entire academy.

These people were all personal disciples of the academy elders, becoming a target of admiration for many disciples. Apart from that, some of the academy elders' children, who were also personal disciples and were considered part of the academy's local factions, had started recruiting from the new disciples and became part of the strongest factions in the academy.

The same would happen during each recruitment. Some would become leaders and some would become followers. Numerous small factions would sprout, and they would then start fighting over the cultivation resources supplied by the academy.

Xiang Shaoyun, who had shocked the academy with a single brilliant feat, also had a hope of becoming one of the strongest faction leaders. Unfortunately, he had completely vanished after the academy had brought him away.

Some claimed that he had been hidden, becoming a personal disciple of a previous generation elder. Some claimed that he had become the principal's personal disciple. Some even claimed that he had been placed on house arrest due to his disobedience.

Initially, many people were inclined to believe the first two rumors, but eventually, someone confirmed that Xiang Shaoyun had indeed been locked somewhere. Moreover, it seemed like he was in serious trouble, as there was a possibility that he wouldn't appear anymore.

After news of that spread, some were worried while some were happy. People like Di Lin, Di Tong, and Di Shang were celebrating, while people like Tang Longfei and company were anxious.

Fortunately, the academy had still settled down the Han Clan sisters, whom Xiang Shaoyun had brought. They were both classified as Xiang Shaoyun's followers and were accorded the treatment of regular disciples.

However, they were somewhat lacking in strength and were having a hard time keeping up with the other disciples. But due to their exceptional looks, they weren't really prejudiced against. Some people were also starting to set their eyes on the two.

These people knew the sisters had joined with Xiang Shaoyun, but when they learned of Xiang Shaoyun's imprisonment, their courage grew. Naturally, they were beaten off by Tang Longfei and Lady Shura.

However, they were no pushovers either. They declared that a day would come when Tang Longfei and company were taught a lesson. The Han Clan sisters were greatly saddened, and they vowed to grow their strength as best as they could. Thus, they became two of the most hardworking followers in the academy, eventually advancing from the sixth-stage to the seventh-stage.

Of course, that was not enough. They would continue working hard. After all, this was a place filled with geniuses, and they were among those with the weakest talents in the academy.

...

Xiang Shaoyun was naturally unaware of all that was happening outside. He was still cultivating steadily. For him, since even the evil spirits that were the biggest danger in the Back Graveyard were no longer a threat to him, he no longer feared anything there.

Massive numbers of evil spirits were constantly being transformed into ghostrune feed, and he himself was also not idling around. Using these evil spirits, he started tempering himself. His soul had already solidified and was as powerful as the soul of a top Emperor. Thus, he needed to have a good practice of soul battles.

After all, upon reaching the Soul Foundation Realm, soul battles would no longer be avoidable. In that realm, those with the stronger soul foundation would be the stronger cultivator.

Thus, it wasn't wrong for him to start practicing early. One could say that he was preparing an umbrella for the rainy day. With the protection of the Nether Dragon Soul Headband, Xiang Shaoyun was considered invincible when facing the evil spirits.

He slaughtered the evil spirits without stop, exhausting his soul power ceaselessly. The regeneration after exhaustion would usually result in a growth of his soul. Apart from that, he had also used some flame power and lightning power to temper his Imperial Nether Prison, making his chains impervious to flame and lightning.

While doing so, something beyond Xiang Shaoyun's expectation happened. The Nether Soul Domain had undergone an obvious change after the tempering. When he noticed the change, he started tempering his soul in the same manner as well. The instant the lightning and flame powers touched his soul, he wailed in pain. It was a risky attempt, one where carelessness would result in death.

The only reason Xiang Shaoyun even dared to make the attempt was due to the protection of the Nether Dragon Soul Headband. The tempering caused him to wail in pain endlessly, and after the tempering, he became severely weakened. Even the three little birds became anxious watching him. Nowadays, the three birds were already capable of walking around. They could already flap their wings as well. Before long, they would be able to fly.

They were extremely vicious and ferocious, yet they were incredibly intimate with Xiang Shaoyun. Unfortunately, they could do nothing to make his situation better. Xiang Shaoyun did not let them stay worried for long. He quickly swallowed some soul spring liquid and immediately recovered considerably. And by the time he fully recovered, he found that his soul had solidified even further. His soul body looked sparkling and translucent, as if it was completely free of filth.

Seeing that reminded him of something, causing him to exclaim in shock, "In the legends, when one reaches the Heaven Battling Realm, one's body will transform into a saintly body and one's soul will transform into a filthless soul. With a filthless soul, one can form independent clones that can battle outside of the main body. My current soul feels incredibly pure. Is this a result of tempering using powers of extreme yang?"

At that thought, he grew excited. If he could form a filthless soul at his current cultivation level, it would signify a massive increase in not only his soul power but also his intelligence and comprehension.

Thus, in the coming days, Xiang Shaoyun focused on tempering his soul. He started with a small amount of the powers of extreme yang, and as his soul slowly adapted to it, he increased the amount. Eventually, he even took his Nether Dragon Soul Headband off and enveloped his entire soul in a layer formed of powers of extreme yang.

Although he had to withstand an unimaginable pain doing so, he gained a lot as well. His soul power rose greatly, reaching a level comparable to a peak Emperor's. He also finally built himself a genuine filthless soul. The so-called filthless soul was a soul with no impurity whatsoever. The difference between such a soul and a regular soul was as clear as a cleansed body and an unwashed body.

If one could see Xiang Shaoyun's current soul, the sight would be shocking enough to cause eyeballs to pop out of the eye sockets. His soul was akin to a newborn's, resembling nature itself, with no imperfection. It was sparkling and translucent and had an indescribable splendor swirling around it constantly, as if it were the soul of a son of god, pure and ethereal.

At this sight, anyone would sing a heartfelt praise such as "What a fine filthless soul!"

Ultimately, some powerful evil spirits at the depths of the Back Graveyard noticed Xiang Shaoyun. And with that, a massive calamity noiselessly approached him.