The island Fang Yang now occupied within the Thunder Saint Academy was officially named the Wind Peng Dojo.

He chose the name to remind himself of his purpose for coming to the Thunder Saint Academy.

Clouds and mist permeated the Wind Peng Dojo.

A massive protective formation stood majestically, shrouding the island and obscuring its true appearance from view.

At that moment, a white flame streaked through the void, entering the Wind Peng Dojo with exceptional smoothness.

The white flame slowly dissipated, revealing the newcomer’s appearance.

With a handsome face and a posture as straight as a spear or a sword, it was none other than Fang Yang!

It turned out Fang Yang had left the Minglong Assessment and returned to the Wind Peng Dojo.

"White Feathered Eagle, Small Frost Horse, and Electric Python—come on out."

Moonlight spilled down, illuminating the empty stone steps.

Standing on the bluestone steps, Fang Yang lightly patted his beast pouch. Instantly, his three battle pets appeared before him.

The White Feathered Eagle hovered with beating wings, the Frost Horse stood on the grass, and the Electric Python coiled, flicking its tongue.

This Minglong Assessment had actually been relatively easy.

However, for his three beasts—especially the Small Frost Horse—it was their first time truly drawing blood.

A moment later, Fang Yang took out several prepared meals and fed them to his three battle pets.

Raising battle pets was like keeping a lover. Not only did it cost a fortune, but if you weren’t attentive, they were very likely to have a change of heart.

Fortunately, not only did Fang Yang possess a great number of Yuan Stones, but he also had a profound technique like the Slave Spirit Skill.

A man like him was extremely lacking in a sense of security.

That night, inside his palace bedroom, Fang Yang sealed the doors to block out any disturbances.

In the darkness, he did not sleep. Instead, he sat cross-legged on a meditation mat.

WHOOSH! The Volcanic Soul Marrow, a Spiritual Object, materialized in midair. A cyan light erupted from its form, instantly illuminating the bedroom.

’Volcanic Soul Marrow, a special Tier Five treasure of the Soul Dao and Fire Dao.’

’Refining it will enhance my Soul Foundation and increase my comprehension of the Fire Dao and Soul Dao.’

’I hope you don’t disappoint me.’

Fang Yang’s gaze was profound. He reached out and seized the Volcanic Soul Marrow.

As if it had a spirit of its own, the Volcanic Soul Marrow trembled violently, resisting his attempt to refine it.

But when the Sacred Spear of Yin Wood within his Void Acupoint True Essence Sea pulsed with divine light, the Volcanic Soul Marrow was instantly suppressed. It transformed into a burst of Cyan Lotus Flame and began to burn intensely.

This was not a physical fire, but one that burned Fang Yang’s Soul, intent on making his Soul Foundation grow!

Following the sensation, Fang Yang closed his eyes.

Two hours later, he experienced Soul Emergence as his Soul detached from his physical body.

A watery Light Mirror materialized before him, allowing him to see the form of his Soul.

In his soul form, his figure was tall and erect, his features handsome. His white hair cascaded down, and his gaze was like cold lightning, powerful enough to shake one’s very core.

The greatest change was the pair of white-feathered wings on his back.

Though the wings were still dense with feathers sharp as swords, their edges were now wreathed in a vast white flame.

A new trait for his school had emerged: Ten Thousand Eagle Souls!

’Ten Thousand Eagle Souls, equivalent to a Tier Five Soul Dao cultivator...’ Fang Yang’s eyes narrowed into a slight smile. He crossed his arms, feeling very satisfied.

Before, he only had Three Thousand Eagle Souls.

But now, he had achieved Ten Thousand Eagle Souls, officially stepping into the realm of a ten-thousand-fold Soul Foundation!

He had gained a great deal from this Minglong Assessment.

Not only had he raised his rank to thirty-sixth on the Earth Ranking, but he had also elevated his Soul Foundation.

In addition, he now had nearly five thousand Merit Points.

These five thousand Merit Points were partly a reward for making it onto the Earth Ranking, and partly a repayment from Dongfang Xuezhi and the others.

This was only the beginning, yet he was already far ahead of his peers.

...

The next morning, the sunlight was warm and gentle.

Fang Yang was on the eastern side of the island, directing the Flying Eagle Group to build their aeries.

In the sky, one Flying Eagle after another took flight. The Thick Mountain Eagles led the effort, piling up materials into small, hill-like mounds.

In the process, Fang Yang gradually discovered the benefits of a powerful Soul Foundation.

Whether he was laying formations or developing the island, he found that he barely expended any effort.

Aside from the palace where he resided, Fang Yang had to build practically everything else on the Wind Peng Dojo himself.

JINGLE...

Suddenly, the grand formation trembled, and the faint sound of wind chimes echoed.

Fang Yang activated a technique, and a watery Light Mirror appeared, showing the figures of Sen Hui and Sen Wei.

It was Sen Hui and Sen Wei, requesting entry into his Wind Peng Dojo from outside the formation.

"Ah Yang, you’re really amazing."

Sen Hui gave him a thumbs-up and said with a grin, "Ranking thirty-sixth on the Earth Ranking on your first try... for that achievement, even my older brother can’t stop praising you."

Sen Wei, however, stared at Fang Yang in slight astonishment. "You already have a ten-thousand-fold Soul Foundation? I never expected you to have such talent."

A ten-thousand-fold Soul Foundation was equivalent to a Tier Five Soul Dao cultivator.

In other words, if Fang Yang focused solely on the Soul Dao school, he would be nearly equivalent to a Tier Five cultivator.

Considering Fang Yang’s background, what a terrifying talent this was!

"Incredible, simply incredible," Sen Wei praised.

If she hadn’t visited Fang Yang today, she would never have noticed his growth, as the lingering traces of his Soul Dao breakthrough would have dissipated in a few days.

Seeing her sister regard him with new respect, Sen Hui’s lips curled into a slight smile, happy for Fang Yang as well.

Before long, they left behind the Lion’s Heart Banquet, a meal made from a Northern Barbarian Lion, and departed.

As for Fang Yang, he returned to the task of building his new home.

After this, he received a letter from Dongfang Xuezhi.

The flock of eagles danced in the air, constructing a horse pasture.

Fang Yang lowered his gaze to read the letter’s contents.

The letter’s main purpose was to inform Fang Yang of the identity of the mastermind who had diverted the disaster onto them that day.

Muri Guanglong!

The mastermind behind the plot that day was none other than Muri Guanglong.

That Muri Guanglong knew it was impossible to take the Celestial Sword Dragonfish young without alerting the Swordfish Ten Thousand Beasts King, so he had devised this grand scheme.

In the letter, Dongfang Xuezhi’s words were filled with indignation, using terms like "damned thief" and "treacherous bastard."

’Muri Guanglong, Celestial Sword Dragonfish...’

Fang Yang clutched the letter, a thoughtful glint in his eyes.

From their previous encounter, it was clear Muri Guanglong was a formidable character, possessing both cunning and audacity.

’When dealing with someone like that, it’s best to finish them in one decisive blow.’

’Of course, the ones who wanted to see Muri Guanglong utterly destroyed more than anyone right now were Xuezhi, Mo Ran, Cyan Aura, and Lin Tianxue.’

A cool night breeze blew as moonlight once again spilled onto the empty stone steps.

After a period of hard work, the island now boasted aeries, a horse pasture, and a Snake Cave. Gradually, the Wind Peng Dojo was beginning to show signs of life.

’Of course, it would be even better if Lu Yao were here...’ Fang Yang thought wistfully.

「Three days later」

Fang Min and Fang Hao successively completed the Minglong Assessment.

The former, Fang Min, made it onto the Earth Ranking at eighty-fifth place.

The latter, Fang Hao, failed to make it onto the Celestial Ranking, which was a slight shame.

This just went to show that the Thunder Saint Academy, which gathered the prodigies of the eight great Golden Clans, was no easy place to survive.

And for that very reason, Fang Yang’s achievements were all the more astounding.

Under these circumstances, his reputation grew ever more prominent, drawing a great deal of attention.