With Tianlin's permission, Yin Yang passed on all the Mysterious Heaven Skills cultivation methods he had secretly learned from Tang San to the inner sect disciples.
Although the Tang Sect itself wasn't particularly remarkable, the Mysterious Heaven Skill was indeed quite good. No one knew where the Tang Sect had come by such a technique—it was unlikely to be an original creation of their ancestors, since this was a Daoist cultivation method. Its power was balanced and gentle, and its recovery speed was extremely fast, making it exceptionally suitable for the disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Unfortunately, during this period, no disciple with talent strong enough for Tianlin to impart the Shu Mountain Sect's techniques appeared. This was a bit of a regret.
One should not casually pass on advanced techniques. Unless someone was extraordinarily gifted and trustworthy, Tianlin would not teach them recklessly.
At present, the only ones in the sect who had learned Tianlin's cultivation methods were the four sect Guardian Douluo, Ning Fengzhi, Ning Rongrong, Gu Ran, and a few others.
…
A month passed. The number of soul masters in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had now reached nearly seven thousand, the highest in the sect's history. Apart from Spirit Hall and the two great empires, no other sect could rival such strength.
For example, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan currently had just over four thousand soul masters, and the Clear Sky Sect, having only recently emerged from seclusion and having abandoned all its affiliated sects, now had fewer than a thousand soul masters.
Inside the Seven Treasures Hall, Tianlin and Ning Fengzhi were analyzing the current landscape. Ning Fengzhi pointed to the location of the Star Luo Empire's Holy Dragon Sect and said, "Xiao Tian, Tuoba Xi has already submitted to you. According to intelligence from the Speed Clan, he has now fully brought the smaller sects of Star Luo under control, gathering nearly thirteen thousand soul masters. Together with our seven thousand, that's a total of twenty thousand, almost a third of Spirit Hall's numbers."
Even combined, the total number of soul masters across the continent had just surpassed six figures. With the sect's current strength, its foundations were enough to contend for supremacy over the continent, making Ning Fengzhi very satisfied.
Tianlin nodded. "But in war, soul masters alone are not enough. We also need an army. Uncle Ning, if I'm not mistaken, you've been planning for this since I first entered the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, haven't you?"
Ning Fengzhi smiled slightly. "Yes, my original intention was only to have a force ready to resist Spirit Hall at a critical moment. These armies wouldn't belong to me. But unexpectedly, your accidental involvement ended up merging with my plan, making it even more perfect. If all goes well, I think that, in the future, at least four hundred thousand troops will be at your command!"
"That's all thanks to me being indecisive back then and unwilling to kill," Tianlin said proudly as if indecisiveness had become a virtue in this context.
"The living have their uses, and the dead their benefits. Xiao Tian, no matter what you did back then, I could have handled it. If you can only respond to one possibility, you can't be a qualified leader. Remember this!" Ning Fengzhi never missed a chance to teach Tianlin.
At this moment, no one else yet knew what plans this father-in-law and son-in-law pair was plotting. Just then, a bold voice echoed with laughter as it entered the hall: "Hahaha, Vice Sect Master, I've succeeded! The Crystal Immortal Spirit Pill is finished!"
"Really?!" Tianlin was overjoyed. He had waited nearly half a year for this supreme immortal pill to be ready.
"Yes, Vice Sect Master, see for yourself!" Yang Wudi took out a luxurious glazed treasure box, which glowed with a blood-red light.
Of course, the box itself wasn't glowing, but rather the item within. The Crystal Immortal Spirit Pill was refined primarily from the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng, and it inherited the blood-red glow of its main ingredient.
Tianlin immediately sent someone to call Ning Rongrong and the others.
Under everyone's expectant gaze, Yang Wudi opened the treasure box. Instantly, the suppressed glow burst forth completely, accompanied by a rich medicinal fragrance.
"Wow, even though I've already tasted an immortal-grade pill before, this one seems even higher in grade. Just the scent alone is making the medicinal power in my body absorb faster!" Ning Rongrong exclaimed as she inhaled the aroma.
The Crystal Immortal Spirit Pill was a top-tier immortal pill, extremely potent yet the gentlest of all. Besides the usual effects of strengthening the body and increasing soul power, it had a unique property: if the user had previously taken other immortal-grade medicines, the Crystal Immortal Spirit Pill could merge with the previous medicinal effects, helping the user absorb all remaining medicinal power perfectly.
The glow inside the glazed box gradually dimmed, allowing everyone to see that there were actually four blood-red pills lying inside.
"There are four? This is really unexpected!" Tianlin was both surprised and delighted. He had expected that making even two would be impressive, yet Yang Wudi had doubled that.
"You've done an incredible job, Senior Yang!"
Yang Wudi scratched his head, a bit embarrassed. "Haha, Vice Sect Master, you flatter me. I must thank His Excellency Poison Douluo—he took me to his home, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, where I gathered many precious alchemy ingredients. That's why I was able to refine four pills. I was afraid you'd say I was being wasteful."
"Four Immortal Spirit Pills—no matter how many herbs you used, it's worth it." Tianlin was unconcerned. He picked up the first pill and handed it to Ning Rongrong. "Here, Rongrong, take it right now. The pill has just been refined; this is when its medicinal power is at its peak."
"Mm!" Ning Rongrong knew Tianlin had gone to great lengths to prepare this pill for her. Since she was about to entrust her life to him, there was no need for politeness. She accepted the pill, swallowed it, and sat cross-legged to begin absorbing its power with her cultivation method.
Tianlin also picked up a pill for himself. This time, he had to be a little selfish—no one here was more suited for the Immortal Spirit Pill than him, as he had already consumed three other immortal-grade medicines.
If he could activate all the residual medicinal power from those three, who knew how much his attributes would increase?
"As for the remaining two, Senior Yang, you should take one. After all, you worked so hard to refine them," Tianlin said.
Yang Wudi shook his head. "No need for me. I've never taken any immortal-grade medicine before, so I wouldn't be able to fully utilize the pill's power—it would be wasted on me. Besides, alchemy is what I love, not a hardship. Just like those blacksmiths—they create weapons for others to use, not for themselves."
Seeing Yang Wudi decline, Tianlin looked around at the others, finally settling his gaze on Bai Chenxiang. "In that case, junior sister, you take one. After all, the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng was provided by your grandfather. Both emotionally and logically, you deserve a share."
"Me? But I've never taken an immortal-grade medicine before either. Wouldn't it be wasted on me, too?" Bai Chenxiang hesitated, but Tianlin still pressed the pill into her hand.
"Some things are more important than mere appropriateness—they're called righteousness. This is what you deserve. At worst, I'll find a way to refine more for you later, and you can take them together."
Hearing this, Bai Chenxiang nodded gratefully. "Thank you, senior brother!"
Now only one pill was left. Ma Hongjun, Yufeng, Gu Ran, and Ye Lingling were all highly suitable candidates, but it would be unfair to give it to any one of them. For now, Tianlin decided to keep it and give it to whoever made the greatest contribution in the future.