Flander finally noticed the eight children standing behind Qin Ming. The oldest of them was only around seventeen or eighteen years old. At that age, even with extraordinary talent, having the strength of an entry-level Soul Elder would already be considered impressive, right?
But what followed in their self-introduction completely shocked Flander.
First up were the captain and vice-captain, Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan.
"I am Yu Tianheng, Level 45 Assault-Type Battle Soul Sect."
"Dugu Yan, Level 45 Control-Type Battle Soul Sect."
Next were the Shi brothers.
"Shi Mo, Level 44 Defense-Type Battle Soul Sect."
"Shi Mo Ke, Level 44 Defense-Type Battle Soul Sect."
Then came the two agility-type soul masters.
"Yu Feng, Level 43 Agility-Type Battle Soul Sect."
"Oslo, Level 43 Agility-Type Battle Soul Sect."
Finally, Gu Ran and Ye Lingling introduced themselves.
"Gu Ran, Level 44 Dual-Type Assault and Defense Battle Soul Sect."
"Ye Lingling, Level 43 Support-Type Tool Soul Sect."
Their reported levels not only stunned Flander and Zhao Wuji but also shocked the Shrek Seven Devils, who had just arrived—apart from Ning Rongrong. They had always prided themselves on being monsters, but these individuals before them were in no way inferior.
Tian Lin was still dissatisfied with the current levels of the Emperor Team. Even the strongest, Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan, were only at Level 45. Though they had also consumed immortal herbs, the original Shrek Seven Devils in the same timeline had all reached at least Level 50. Within three more years, they would each hit the Soul Emperor rank.
Indeed, the Emperor Team's talent could not truly match that of the Shrek Seven Devils, the protagonist group.
Still, this was enough for Tian Lin. After all, wasn't he here with them?
Tang San stepped forward and said, "Senior Qin Ming, hello. I'm Tang San. You must be the leader of the Emperor Team. Brother Tianlin asked me to deliver a message to you. He said that he had something to take care of and left early. He will meet up with you later at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy."
"That rascal," Yu Tianheng said with displeasure. "He said he came ahead to have some fun, but now that we're here, he's run off. How irresponsible."
Helplessly, Yu Tianheng continued, "When I see him again, I'll make sure to scratch him up a few times with my dragon claws."
While Yu Tianheng was grumbling, a cold voice interrupted him, "Yu Tianheng, who are you planning to scratch?"
Dugu Yan, with her icy glare, turned to look at Yu Tianheng. Usually, she was very accommodating to her fiancé, but when it came to Tian Lin, it was a different story.
Over the years, Dugu Yan had become a total brother complex. To repay Tian Lin for saving both her and her grandfather's lives, she treated him like her own brother.
Whenever they fought in team battles, Dugu Yan often went easy on her opponents. But if either Tianheng or Tian Lin got hurt, she would immediately lose control and unleash her Jade Phosphor Serpent's poison at full strength, nearly melting her opponents into puddles of acid several times.
"Uh, Yan'er, I was just joking. You know I can't even beat Xiao Tian," Yu Tianheng quickly explained. He was terrified of his fiancée when she got angry.
The proud heir to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was now showing signs of being a henpecked husband.
"You all heard that, didn't you? Even the captain of the Emperor Team admits he can't beat my boss," Ma Hongjun said smugly to Oscar.
"Hey, Fatty, what did you just say? Who's your boss?" Gu Ran suddenly pointed at Ma Hongjun angrily.
Startled, Ma Hongjun was about to respond when Ning Rongrong intervened, "Alright, Gu Ran, calm down. Hongjun has already agreed to join my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. Why are you so upset? Besides, you don't even get this mad when other men pursue Lingling."
"Big Sister Rongrong, that's different! This Fatty dares to compete with me for the position of Boss's number one underling. That spot belongs to me, Gu Ran! If anyone tries to take it, I'll fight them to the death!" Gu Ran declared with fierce determination, using the most ruthless tone to say the most trivial thing.
What he meant was clear: Tian Lin was more important to him than even Ye Lingling. Gu Ran had grown addicted to being Tian Lin's follower. After all, Tian Lin had given him so many benefits—it was simply too good to pass up.
The Emperor Team members helplessly held their foreheads. They were used to this. Whenever Gu Ran had his episodes, they just pretended not to know him.
Dai Mubai and the others, however, were baffled. Gu Ran was no weakling, yet he was so fixated on being Tian Lin's subordinate. Just how many benefits had Tian Lin given him?
...
Meanwhile, the subject of their discussion, Tian Lin, was fully focused on alchemy.
The Snow Soul Divine Pill was completely different from ordinary pills. Instead of using fire, it required ice. Although it was a top-tier divine pill, its refinement process didn't take as long as the Heaven-Mending Pill, nor even as long as the Nine-Grade Purple Gold Pill.
It only required seven days for the success or failure of the pill to be determined. Its short refinement time was its advantage, but it also had a major drawback: the success rate was less than 50%.
This was because the process involved condensing an immense amount of cold energy into the pill. If there was even the slightest mistake during refinement, the cold energy would instantly dissipate, and the pill would become useless.
Fortunately, they were at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. With the endless supply of cold energy from the ice spring, the success rate of refining the Snow Soul Divine Pill could be increased to 70%. With such high odds, Tian Lin believed the heavens wouldn't forsake him.
Now at the critical stage, Tian Lin stayed by the furnace day and night without rest, not even taking time to fully recover his soul power through meditation.
This worried the Gold-Patterned Ice Silkworm. "Xiao Tian, take a break. Thanks to this Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, my essence has already recovered partially. Even if I can't provide you with a 990,000-year soul bone, a regular 100,000-year one shouldn't be a problem anymore."
Tian Lin shook his head. "That's not enough. Brother Ice Silkworm, don't forget, our goal is godhood. Words like 'almost' or 'good enough' have no place here. If you settle for 'almost' during cultivation, you'll fall short when it truly matters!"
"Well said, Xiao Tian! Just for that, I know I didn't choose the wrong partner," the Gold-Patterned Ice Silkworm praised. "I'll stick with you until the Snow Soul Divine Pill is complete."
Tian Lin smiled faintly and let the Ice Silkworm sit beside him. Together, they watched the furnace, a man and a giant silkworm, for an entire day and night.
On the seventh day of refinement, an overwhelming cold energy suddenly erupted from the furnace, causing the temperature of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to plummet.
Even the fire spring's outer edges froze, leaving only its core unaffected.
Tian Lin's eyes lit up. Excited, he stood up and exclaimed, "This all-encompassing cold energy—it's done! The Snow Soul Divine Pill is complete!"