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.