"Not bad!"
That elder nodded and continued, "Has the Sect Master considered, what if this isn't a rumor? Or perhaps it is a rumor, but one spread by Spirit Hall?"
"If it's the former, then given the talent displayed by Mu Yang, Spirit Hall will surely see him as a grave threat."
"Don't forget, during the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Tournament back then, Platinum Bishop Salas — then the Head of the Heaven Dou Cathedral — once sent people to assassinate him."
"And geniuses are all proud, let alone geniuses who have already grown into true powerhouses. Putting oneself in his shoes, this old man does not believe that young man could possibly swallow such a grudge."
"Similarly, Spirit Hall would never allow an enemy who holds hostility toward them to continue growing unchecked."
"And if it is the latter, then Spirit Hall must surely harbor the intention of suppressing the Elemental Academy."
"After all, not only does the Elemental Academy currently have no shortage of experts, but even its younger generation shines brightly. For instance, Mu Yang, Huo Wu, Huo Wushuang, Shui Bing'er, Shui Yue'er, and Feng Xiaotian — these six have displayed talent no weaker than Spirit Hall's 'Golden Generation.' In the future, all of them carry considerable chances of becoming Title Douluo."
"With such strength and potential, it is not difficult to understand why Spirit Hall would wish to suppress the Elemental Academy."
After pondering for a moment, Ning Fengzhi asked, "And if it is neither of the two?"
"The first cannot be substantiated — false things are, in the end, false, and cannot become real."
"But the latter… whether or not the rumor was spread by Spirit Hall, this actually isn't important. So long as the Elemental Academy believes the rumor originated from Spirit Hall, that is enough."
"In this way, once they become convinced Spirit Hall is deliberately targeting and suppressing them, the Elemental Academy will inevitably grow resentful."
"And should the Elemental Academy further believe that Spirit Hall intends to secretly strike against them, then, to avoid suffering the same fate as the Clear Sky Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, seeking out other powers to form an alliance would become entirely reasonable."
As his words fell, Ning Fengzhi's eyes could not help but brighten. As a cunning old fox, he instantly grasped the hidden meaning behind his elder's words, and the more he mulled it over, the more feasible it seemed.
Although dragging others into the water in secret might not be the most moral act — was it not a matter of helpless necessity?
Moreover, it was even possible that Spirit Hall truly harbored such intentions. For the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to secretly pull the Elemental Academy in — that would not be harming them, but rather ensuring that an ally made preparations in advance!
Northern Province, inside Cold Ice City, several dozen li away from the Elemental Academy.
"Your spirits are all hammer-type. Work in pairs, act according to plan. Be sure to leave behind some traces. Go."
In a courtyard in the northern part of the city, a golden-haired, enchantingly handsome man with a powerful aura issued orders to the six subordinates before him.
"Yes, Elder!"
The six elite Spirit Hall cultivators, each bearing hammer-type spirits, bowed in unison and then departed from the courtyard.
"Old Ghost, do you think His Holiness the Pope's scheme will succeed?"
After the six left, Yue Guan turned to Ghost Douluo beside him and asked.
"I don't know either. But even if it doesn't succeed, it makes little difference. At the very least, it will plant the seed of discord. And if it does succeed, well… then there will be plenty of fun to watch."
Ghost Douluo spoke with a hint of schadenfreude.
Yue Guan nodded in strong agreement. "Indeed. With the chamber pot dumped on the Clear Sky Sect's head, with those overbearing brutes' temperaments, they wouldn't bother explaining a thing."
"When two tigers fight, one is bound to be injured. By then, regardless of who wins or loses, the losses will never belong to Spirit Hall."
Clearly, due to communications being unchanged, and with the Northern Province lying quite far from the Heaven Dou domain, news spread slowly. After exterminating the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo had immediately come to carry out the special mission Bibi Dong had ordered, and thus remained unaware that their chosen scapegoat — the Clear Sky Sect — had already been annihilated.
Likewise, Bibi Dong herself had not foreseen Mu Yang and the Elemental Academy to be so decisive — that, on the very day after Tang Hao's death, they would march thousands of li overnight to utterly annihilate the Clear Sky Sect.
As a result, although Bibi Dong had already received news of the Clear Sky Sect's destruction, there had been no time to notify Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo, who, after wiping out the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, had not returned to Spirit Hall but had instead gone straight to the Northern Province to carry out her carefully laid 'scheme within a scheme.'
Elemental Academy, Snow Mountain Mimicry Training Grounds.
Seated cross-legged atop the summit, emptying his mind of distractions and adjusting his state, Mu Yang attempted to condense his first Spirit Core.
At present, his spirit power level had already reached rank 84, Spirit Douluo. The secret art of Spirit Core condensation had long since been made public; by rights, he ought to have condensed his first Spirit Core long ago.
It was only because his spirit power had risen too rapidly in this period, coupled with pressing matters that occupied him, that it had been delayed.
During the previous trip to Star Dou Great Forest, Mu Yang had obtained three hundred-thousand-year spirit rings and spirit bones, raising his level from rank 70 Spirit Sage to rank 80 Spirit Douluo.
Then, in the subsequent journey to the Slaughter City, the eighth God-bestowed spirit ring — with an age surpassing three hundred thousand years — together with the divine test's reward of a full level increase, propelled Mu Yang further from rank 80 Spirit Douluo to rank 84 Spirit Douluo.
In such a short span, to have his spirit power leap fourteen levels — how could he possibly have spared time to condense a Spirit Core?
But now that the explosive growth stage had passed, with some leisure at hand, and moreover with the Spirit Core needed as a trump card for passing the fifth trial of the Asura God's Test, Mu Yang finally calmed himself to begin the condensation.
Facing the biting winds sweeping across the mountain peak, Mu Yang stretched out his right palm. As his spirit power circulated within, strands of icy-blue spirit power gathered in his palm, forming a small pool of liquefied spirit energy.
The icy-blue spirit power in his palm gradually accumulated. Mu Yang released his spiritual power, manipulating the liquid spirit energy to float above his palm, where it began rotating clockwise.
Now at the initial stage of Spirit Core condensation, relying on his still-decent control of spirit power and his formidable spiritual strength, Mu Yang did not act too cautiously, but directly quickened both the injection and the rotational speed of his spirit power.
As the rotation accelerated, Mu Yang saw the liquefied icy-blue spirit energy above his palm slowly being compressed, gradually thickening.
Everything was progressing smoothly — compress, rotate, compress again, rotate again.
The liquid spirit energy spun faster and faster, compressed more and more tightly, until before long, within the already thick substance appeared a needle-tip-sized icy-blue crystal.
Clearly, the spirit power hovering above his palm had now undergone a change in form, beginning its transition from liquid to solid.
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Mu Yang dared not be the least bit careless, focusing his full attention.
After all, things were not as before. With his spirit power level having skyrocketed in such a short time, his degree of control had inevitably diminished.
In other words, compared to when he had been rank 70 Spirit Sage, the difficulty of condensing a Spirit Core had indeed increased.
Yet Mu Yang harbored no regret for not having condensed one earlier.
For a Spirit Core has the effect of refining spirit power. Once a Spirit Master's spirit power becomes more refined, the amount of energy required for advancement also increases. When the total growth of spirit power remains fixed, naturally the rate of level advancement slows.
For example, when he had no Spirit Core in his body, the three hundred-thousand-year spirit rings and bones of Titan Giant Ape, Sky Azure Bull Python, and Xiao Wu had boosted his spirit power by roughly ten levels.
But if, at that time, he had already condensed a Spirit Core, then even with those three hundred-thousand-year rings and bones, he likely would not have gained ten levels, but only eight or nine.
Thus, condensing a Spirit Core after a surge of spirit power — while making the process somewhat more difficult — was still more advantageous than condensing one before the surge.
After all, at higher levels, each advancement required a great deal of time.
And though the difficulty of condensing had indeed risen due to his rapid growth, it had by no means reached the point of being impossible.
Moreover, as for control over spirit power — with diligent practice, improvement was not so hard to achieve.
For additional chapters
Versatile mage {40 chapters}
Douluo Dalu:This Soul Master is to Weird {30 Chapters}
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