The vampire bat territory wasn't much safer than the big-winged vicious bird territory. Xiang Shaoyun hadn't even taken over the territory for long before he was swarmed by a large number of evil spirits. Fortunately, he was practically immune toward these low-level evil spirits. Anyone else would probably not have it as easy as him here.

For Xiang Shaoyun, this was just another camp. At this kind of desolate land, apart from cultivating, he had nothing else to do. At present, with his filthless soul, his comprehension ability had grown to a brand new level. Thus, he was able to quickly master the dark and earth battle techniques he had been practicing previously. Afterwards, he started refining the 3,000-year-old root essence. The root essence contained the power of wood, and it constantly exuded a rich vitality, a power filled with life.

After refining the root essence, Xiang Shaoyun's cultivation reached peak eighth-stage Skysoar Realm, and he would be able to enter the ninth-stage at any time. At this point, he decided to go all in and refine the 1,000-year-old congealed liquid ball and the radiant meteorite as well.

The power of water represented an unending wave of softness, capable of constraining force with softness, containing both strength and gentleness. The power of light represented purity, radiance, holiness, and justice. After refining both powers into his body, an astonishing phenomenon appeared within him.

All nine of his stars started radiating brilliantly, and strands of energy started swirling about within his body. They connected with the astral cosmos sea, forming a river of stars that was vast and wondrous. His entire person started radiating nine different colors, covering his surroundings with a serene, gorgeous, and beautiful curtain of light.

The evil spirits nearby seemed to have been purified as they all suddenly turned completely silent and calm. Their evil aura slowly faded away, as if a senior monk was conducting a purification ritual on them, setting them back on the right path, removing their stubbornness. And just like that, the nearby evil spirits all dissipated into nothingness.

As for the other evil beings in the area, something exceedingly rare happened. They all sank into silence and became completely calm. The nine-colored radiance started cleansing the devilish and evil auras from their bodies as they greedily absorbed the nine-colored energy that had appeared in the area. The grand guardians and the principal of the academy were witnessing everything that was happening, and they were all deeply shocked.

"Shit! Shit! Shit! This kid has fully formed his nine astral powers. It is basically impossible to make him focus on only one power now," exclaimed the old man in a gold outfit.

"Old Gold, can you focus on the main issue here? The power this kid exudes feels somewhat different!" complained the purple-haired old man.

"Yes, it's indeed different. About 10,000 years ago, the academy had also nurtured several nine-star physique holders, but not one of them had been able to release nine powers at the same time. This kid has actually accomplished that! This is unbelievable!" said the principal. 

"He is able to reach this level in only half a year. I didn't even notice him taking out anything from his storage ring. He has probably formed an astral cosmos sea as well. Otherwise, he wouldn't have suddenly refined different unique powers out of nowhere. Also, he seems to be completely immune to the possession of the evil spirits. Not even a true top Emperor can accomplish that. This kid is too astonishing," said the beautiful woman.

"I feel like this kid probably possesses one of those strongest physiques depicted in the legends," said the heroic middle-aged man. "Looks like the Back Graveyard is not a suitable place for this kid. We should just put him at my place. I will supervise him properly and see if he can really cultivate all nine powers."

After saying that, he prepared to head toward the Back Graveyard, but before he could leave, the purple-haired old man grabbed his arm and said, "Hah, are you not giving up? This kid can only be my disciple!"

Meanwhile, the old man in a gold outfit noiselessly left for the Back Graveyard. When the others noticed, they cursed and followed him. They possessed an incredible speed, instantly covering the large distance between where they were and the Back Graveyard.

Just as they were about to enter, a sloppy old man walked out. He appeared to be sweeping the floor before the Back Graveyard's entrance. The old man had long silver hair that cascaded down his shoulders. His stooped figure did not hide the fact that he had a tall and sturdy body. When he swept the floor, he moved slowly and weakly, yet he was extremely serious. Not a speck of dust could be seen on the ground.

When the grand guardians saw the old man, their eyes were filled with admiration. They bowed to him respectfully before proceeding to enter the Back Graveyard. Right at that moment, the old man stopped sweeping the floor. His mouth did not open, but an ethereal voice rang out, "Return. Stop monitoring this child in the future. I don't have much time left. Let me give this child some pointers with the little time I have remaining."

If one focused, one would notice that the old man was actually blind. However, his empty eyes seemed to be exuding a certain indescribable might that nobody dared look straight at. A look of overwhelming shock covered the faces of the grand guardians when they heard his words.

They had been living in the academy for many, many years, yet they had never once heard the old man speak. They knew that he was the oldest senior of the academy and had once contributed greatly to the academy. He was blind, deaf, and mute. Ever since these grand guardians had joined the academy, this old man had been guarding the Back Graveyard. Everyone addressed him as the gravekeeper elder.

None of them knew how long he had lived, yet the massive contribution he had brought to the academy was worthy of their respect. Not one of them could see the old man's actual strength.

At times, they even suspected that the old man was a regular human because of the apparent lack of astral energy around him. Yet he had lived for so many years, surpassing the lifespan of ordinary humans. It gave them a feeling that he had reached a level where he had abandoned complexity and returned to the original simplicity. However, he also exuded a thick aura of death, as if he was going to die at any moment.

Regardless, these grand guardians all knew this elder was definitely stronger than them. One ought to know that they had all stayed at the academy for tens of thousands of years. Thus, their shock was understandable since this was the first time they had heard the old man speak after so long.

They could feel that although this elder was blind, he seemed to know about everything they were doing. Also, the secret technique he used to speak earlier was not one an ordinary person could use. They wanted to refuse, yet they couldn't even bring themselves to voice their objections. They exchanged gazes, each of them hesitating whether to take the lead and object.

At this time, the gravekeeper elder said, "Leave without worries. I won't instruct him for more than half a year. After that, any of you can take him as a disciple. I won't interfere."