Once the rules were set, and the meeting concluded, Mu Yang began investigating spies within the academy.
The Elemental Academy differed from sect forces. In the entire academy, temporary members—students who, after graduation, did not remain—made up the majority. Those who confirmed and applied to remain after graduation, along with the teachers, only comprised a minority.
Since the number of targets wasn't large, and Mu Yang's method of rooting out spies was both convenient and effective, there was no need to spend effort probing their social ties or collecting evidence. By directly using the Soul-Seizing Secret Technique to control their consciousness and interrogate them, Mu Yang completed the investigation in less than half a day.
As expected, within the academy's teachers, Mu Yang uncovered five spies planted by other powers.
Two were from the Heaven Dou Empire, while the remaining three came from the Spirit Hall, the Star Luo Empire, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Fortunately, the Elemental Sacred Academy hadn't been established long. In the past, while Blazing Fire, Godwind, and Sky Water three elemental academies were renowned, they had little worth plotting over. Thus, there were no long-buried spies.
These five had all joined only after the Elemental Sacred Academy widely recruited talents, and the strongest among them was merely a six-ring Soul Emperor. None were entrusted with secret methods, so none of Mu Yang's creations had leaked.
After consideration, seeing they had caused no actual damage, and had worked diligently in the past, Mu Yang did not kill them. Instead, he had Huo Lie dismiss the five.
Afterwards, Mu Yang spent another day planting Heart Demon Locks in nearly a hundred academy teachers and those gifted students who had applied to remain after graduation.
To set an example, the academy's headmaster, Huo Lie, was the very first to let Mu Yang plant a Heart Demon Lock in him.
As for passing on the Spirit Ascension Method, Mu Yang himself didn't need to handle it.
The two versions he wrote were extremely detailed, with all cultivation intricacies clearly annotated. Once Huo Lie and the others mastered them, they could pass them on according to the pre-set divisions.
Three days later, after working tirelessly without rest, endlessly running the Spirit Ascension Method to devour the world's ambient energy, Mu Yang finally raised the years of his Spiritual Condensing Wisdom Skull to one hundred thousand.
Thus, all six of Mu Yang's main spirit bones, along with his external bone, had reached one hundred thousand years or more.
In only three to four days, Mu Yang had raised his sixty-thousand-year Wisdom Skull to a hundred-thousand-year soul bone—an average of ten thousand years per day. This proved the Spirit Ascension Method's efficiency in raising years was indeed remarkable.
Still, its efficiency wasn't fixed.
The stronger the soul master, the more effectively they could absorb world energy and convert it into the special aura that increased ring and bone years. With Mu Yang's dual Yin-Yang Soul Cores, his absorption speed far exceeded that of ordinary level 98 Title Douluo, so naturally his efficiency was high.
The skull's main effect was to strengthen spiritual power. With its years increased, Mu Yang's spiritual power surged.
When the Spiritual Condensing Wisdom Skull reached one hundred thousand years, the moon in his Sea of Consciousness—symbolizing his spiritual cultivation—radiated dazzling lunar brilliance. His realm had entered the Fourth Stage: Perfect Full Moon.
And in the Lunar Refinement of Spirit, the Fourth Stage Perfect Full Moon represented spiritual power at level 99.
Of course, that wasn't Mu Yang's only gain.
Generally, a hundred-thousand-year soul bone carried two attached skills. The Wisdom Skull was no exception. Beyond its original bone skill—Lunar Divine Light—it now birthed a second skill.
Soul Bone Skill: Lunar Shelter. Similar to Invincible Golden Body, it was an "Absolute Defense" skill.
However, Lunar Shelter was not absolute defense against physical or energy attacks, but rather against spiritual ones.
Once activated, it granted immunity to all spiritual attacks below the divine level, and could also dispel all sub-divine spiritual control. It lasted for three seconds and could be used three times per day.
Having upgraded his head bone to one hundred thousand years, Mu Yang temporarily set aside further work on it, and turned his focus to raising the years of his Ice Jade Emperor Torso Bone.
At equal years, torso bones enhanced physique far more than limb bones. Moreover, the Ice Jade Emperor Torso Bone already carried higher years. Mu Yang planned to "graduate" it first.
Its room for growth exceeded six hundred thousand years. Once raised to 999,999 years, it could surely allow his Iceflame Holy Shadow martial soul to condense a 999,999-year god-bestowed eighth spirit ring.
Time flew—over two months passed.
That afternoon, atop a subsidiary peak outside the academy, Mu Yang was attaching the god-bestowed eighth spirit ring to his Iceflame Holy Shadow.
Three days earlier, he had raised the torso bone's years to its limit—999,999—through the Spirit Ascension Method.
Though raising years by this method was unlike refining an equivalent bone—it could not drive soul power growth—the physical enhancements granted by the bone itself remained unchanged.
Compared to two months before, his soul power level had not advanced, hardly even improved. Yet the Ice Jade Emperor Torso Bone, increased by over six hundred thousand years, had caused his physique to soar.
After resting three days, dispelling the fatigue of his prior two-month marathon, and adjusting his state, Mu Yang began condensing his Iceflame Holy Shadow's eighth ring.
His vastly enhanced physique meant his capacity to endure rings had grown enormously.
As expected, the eighth ring he now condensed matched his seventh: both were god-bestowed at the maximum limit.
The faintly gleaming ring encircling Mu Yang, bearing nine golden lines, not yet fully refined, proved it.
Another night passed. Just as dawn approached, Mu Yang's aura, while refining the god-bestowed ring, gradually stabilized.
At last, his body trembled. Having completely refined the god-bestowed ring's energy, Mu Yang opened his eyes.
"Good. At last, I've stepped into the realm of level 99 Peerless Douluo!"
Looking at the nearly pure-golden god-bestowed eighth ring shining upon him, and feeling the boundless, oceanic soul power within his body, Mu Yang nodded in satisfaction.