After twelve years of cultivation, the once newly awakened Ice Flame Holy Shadow finally stood at the pinnacle of the continent's soul master world.
Moreover, the energy contained in the 999,999-year god-bestowed spirit ring was incomparably vast. Added to the fact that his soul power had already been on the verge of level 99, now that he refined the ring's energy, his rank was not merely the entry point of 99—it directly soared to the peak of level 99.
If not for the world's limitation of rank itself, with the hundredth-level bottleneck being utterly extraordinary, then once he filled in his final missing spirit ring, his soul power would undoubtedly break past level 100, making him the first soul master in twenty thousand years—since the Angel God and the Sea God Poseidon—to step into the divine realm.
Even with that bottleneck, across the whole continent, even counting the overseas Seagod Island, Mu Yang was now the fourth to reach level 99 Peerless Douluo status, after Qian Daoliu, Bo Saixi, and Bibi Dong.
Of course, in later generations' terms, he was a level 99 Limit Douluo, while Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi were each half a level higher, considered half-gods.
And Bibi Dong?
Her Rakshasa God inheritance was flawed. Others surpassed their realms in strength, or at least equaled them. Bibi Dong, however, possessed strength far below her realm—by a large margin.
For example, in the original tale when hunting the hundred-thousand-year Titan Giant Ape and Azure Bull Python, even with a group of Title Douluo elders at her side, she couldn't directly subdue the two kings.
Were it Mu Yang at that time—even excluding martial soul fusion skills—he could annihilate them both in a single strike. One soul skill alone would suffice.
The reason Mu Yang had such confidence—that a single skill could end two hundred-thousand-year beast kings—was because his newly obtained spirit ability was far from ordinary.
Eighth Spirit Skill: Iceflame Clone. Upon release, it could condense three clones, each possessing 100% of the body's power, combat instinct, and able to act under Mu Yang's conscious control.
Though these clones lacked soul bones and soul cores, and could not infinitely replicate themselves, nor use the eighth skill again, they could still unleash all other soul skills. That alone was more than enough.
Against three beings of Peerless Douluo strength, even beast kings like Titan Giant Ape and Azure Bull Python could only meet instant annihilation.
Additionally, perhaps due to the incredibly high years of the ring, this time the god-bestowed eighth ring did not grant just one skill, but two.
Eighth Spirit Skill: Iceflame Explosion. Using spiritual power, Mu Yang could detonate any iceflame construct, inflicting an iceflame attribute strike. Its power depended on the energy contained within the construct.
Iceflame constructs meant any creation born of iceflame soul power—whether an iceflame spark, an arrow, a spear, a dragon, or even an iceflame clone.
Undeniably, this was a soul skill with an extremely high upper limit, yet also a very low lower limit.
For instance, if Mu Yang detonated a mere spark, the resulting force would be unimpressive—far unworthy of a near-million-year assault skill.
But if the construct was, say, from his sixth soul skill Iceflame manifestation, or the three clones from his eighth skill Iceflame Clone, then the destructive might of Iceflame Explosion would be utterly terrifying.
Especially detonating an Iceflame Clone—it could directly obliterate a large city.
After all, an Iceflame Clone was essentially a restricted Peerless Douluo-level being. And should a level 99 Peerless Douluo self-destruct, not only would an ordinary city vanish, even Heaven Dou City could be reduced to ruins.
What made this ability most terrifying was its nature: though it was nearly a million-year soul skill, its energy consumption was astonishingly low. With no interval between uses, as long as his soul power held and there were iceflame constructs on the battlefield, he could keep detonating endlessly.
"Tsk~. A Douluo-version nuclear weapon?"
In his mind, Mu Yang couldn't help envisioning the scene of detonating Iceflame Clones.
Compared to Tang San of the original, who even after becoming a god couldn't shatter a city wall with one strike, Mu Yang judged that in sheer destructive power, he now surpassed Tang San even at the moment of ascending as Sea God.
From this day onward, the most fearsome deterrent on the battlefield would no longer be Poison Douluo Dugu Bo—but Mu Yang himself!
One Iceflame Clone's detonation could wipe out an elite army of a hundred thousand!
When the first rays of dawn dispelled the darkness and once again illuminated the land, Mu Yang returned to the academy.
Just as he was about to rest, his sister-in-law Shui Yue'er hurriedly ran over.
"Mu Yang, Mu Yang! I've cultivated to level 70!"
Shui Yue'er exclaimed excitedly to him.
According to the plan, she should not have broken through so soon—especially since the peak of level 69 to 70 was a bottleneck of some difficulty.
But she had luck, coinciding with the rise of the Spirit Ascension Method.
With it, Shui Yue'er no longer needed to worry about her soul bone years.
Not long ago, Headmaster Huo Lie had used the soul bones collected by the academy over the years—mainly from the spoils of the Clear Sky Sect's destruction, plus those Mu Yang acquired from Tang Hao and Tang Chen—to exchange with powers across the continent for many century- and millennium-level soul bones.
As one of the young representatives of the academy's generation, Shui Yue'er was allocated a set of four water-attributed soul bones, each seven to eight thousand years old.
Of course, "a set" was only four bones, as torso and skull bones were rare even regardless of years.
Besides, as a junior, she would not yet benefit from the academy's limited low-year torso and skull bones.
Even so, four seven- to eight-thousand-year bones greatly boosted her power.
When she reached the peak of level 69, using the Spirit Ascension Method to raise them to ten-thousand-year soul bones, she underwent the transformation. Last night, she broke through the bottleneck in one stroke, ascending to level 70 Soul Sage.
"Mhm, mhm, so you're level 70 now. And then?"
Mu Yang nodded, feigning ignorance.
Seeing him playing dumb, Shui Yue'er grew anxious. She quickly said, "Didn't you say you'd prepare a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring and soul bone for me? Where are they?"
"Is that so? And what did you just call me?"
Arms crossed, Mu Yang teased with a playful look.
"Mu Yang… brother-in-law. Good brother-in-law. Yue'er's been good—please give them to me~ I beg you~!"
Realizing his game, Shui Yue'er instantly switched to coquettish pleading.
And as she did, a sly gleam flashed in her eyes. She wrapped her arms tightly around Mu Yang's, pressing it firmly against her chest.