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Li Luochen overheard the conversation between Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling. He recalled that in the original storyline, the two were already close friends. With his intervention, would they still become best friends? What a wonderful connection.
Perfect timing! The five-member team could now add another member. Li Luochen decided to find a defensive-type Battle Spirit Ancestor to round out the roster.
As for backup members, there were plenty of candidates: Tai Long, Huang Yuan, Jing Ling, Jiang Zhu, Niu Dun, and Yang Wu.
Among them, Niu Dun and Yang Wu had already reached Soul Ancestor level. This was thanks to the abundant cultivation resources available after their clans joined Shrek Academy. Both were outstanding talents from the third generation and had been groomed as key successors.
Yang Wudi even specially prepared some pills and custom medicinal baths to aid their cultivation. As a result, both broke through to Soul Ancestor level around the age of twenty. Now, at twenty-three, Niu Dun was at level forty-four, while Yang Wu, at twenty-two, was at level forty-six.
The original top students of Shrek Academy had also made significant progress due to the improved cultivation resources. Tai Long was currently at level thirty-nine, while Huang Yuan, Jing Ling, and Jiang Zhu were all at level thirty-seven.
Li Luochen calculated the timeline—there was about a year and a half before the Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament began. It was time to start preparing. This time, they would make Shrek Academy shine. Then, Li Luochen fantasized about having Principal Flender step down so he could take over as headmaster.
Hehe, if Flender was considered the "Grand Founder," then he, Li Luochen, would be the "Second Founder"! Expanding the academy's influence! In the future, history would record that the second headmaster of Shrek Academy, Li Luochen, not only possessed extraordinary strength but also led the academy to new heights, making it the number one spirit master academy on the continent.
Lost in these fantasies, Li Luochen's smile nearly stretched ear to ear. However, for now, it was time to give his allies an advantage. He sent a mental message to Dugu Yan and left.
Upon hearing the message, Dugu Yan smiled knowingly and took Ye Lingling elsewhere to play.
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Sunset Forest
Li Luochen left Shrek Academy and headed straight for the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well in Sunset Forest. Shrek City was located very close to Sunset Forest, and many students from the academy often came here to hunt soul beasts.
Most of the dominant soul beasts in Sunset Forest had already been killed, and the remaining ten-thousand-year soul beasts posed little threat.
Li Luochen proceeded directly toward the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well. Naturally, Dugu Bo sensed the intruder's presence. He knew only one person would barge in so brazenly.
After a few breaths, Li Luochen arrived beside Dugu Bo.
"Hmm? What's going on with you, kid? Last time you were at level sixty-seven, and now you're at eighty? You didn't use some evil technique from those fallen spirit masters because your attribute-based cultivation was too slow, did you?"
Dugu Bo immediately saw through Li Luochen's cultivation level. He had never heard of anyone advancing directly from level sixty-seven to eighty—it was simply unbelievable.
"How could I? This is just a bit of fortune, Grandpa. Yanzi knows about it. Remember when we got separated in the Star Luo Empire for a while? …
That's how I successfully absorbed the Golden Dragon Torso Bone. Not only did it break my bottleneck, but it also increased the years of my soul rings and spirit bones. If you don't believe me, check whether my spirit power is impure."
With that, Li Luochen extended a hand for Dugu Bo to inspect. Naturally, Dugu Bo checked to ensure nothing was wrong with his grandson. After examining him, he found that Li Luochen's body was in excellent condition—his blood energy was strong, his spirit power was condensed, and its quality was no less than that of a ninety-seven-level Super Douluo like himself.
"Alright, spill it. You've come here to snatch some immortal herbs, haven't you? Sigh, but finding even one in such a treasure trove is already a great opportunity.
Go ahead, tell me what you need."
Dugu Bo, being an old fox, knew full well that Li Luochen had come for immortal herbs.
"Hmm, I need the Eight Petal Sunflower, Ghost Shadow Flower, Ninth Grade Immortal Lotus, and Beautiful Silk Tulip. Oh, and I noticed the Nine Treasure Purple Zoysia seems to have matured again. Use it to refine more Nine Treasure Purple Pills to help the academy's teachers, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun improve.
As for the Beautiful Silk Tulip, I'd like Grandpa to refine it into two pills, ensuring its effects are preserved. I have important plans for them."
Li Luochen originally planned to take only four types of immortal herbs, but upon arriving, he noticed the Purple Spirit Ganoderma had grown anew and was freshly matured. So, he decided to put it to good use.
He wanted Oscar and Ma Hongjun to improve further. Moreover, his own grandfather, Li Yusong, had been stuck at level eighty for some time. Li Luochen decided to give him one pill to help him break through, absorb two golden spirit bones, and quickly advance through the Soul Douluo stage.
Later, Li Luochen planned to search the seas for a suitable hundred-thousand-year sub-dragon sea soul beast for his grandfather. That way, his grandfather's strength would vastly improve.
"Sigh, you're always troubling this old man. But fine, recently my alchemy skills have greatly improved. Leave these herbs with me, and wait here for half a month. I'll need that time to refine them."
For the next half month, Li Luochen observed Dugu Bo refining the pills. He was curious about the process—was it similar to the alchemists of the Dou Qi Continent?
In reality, Dugu Bo placed the alchemy furnace near the fire spring of the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well, using the extreme heat of the water to refine the herbs. He then channeled his spirit power to fuse the immortal herbs with auxiliary materials, eventually producing several pills.
To put it simply, this method was highly effective on the Douluo Continent. The location of the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well was ideal, and the fire spring was perfect for alchemy. Additionally, Dugu Bo's alchemy furnace was exceptional.
According to Dugu Bo, he had discovered the furnace in an ancient ruin. It was incredibly old and sturdy, likely a relic from the ancient era when spirit-guided tools were highly advanced. For instance, modern storage devices were remnants of that era.
Dugu Bo speculated that the furnace was also a spirit-guided tool, made of extremely hard material. However, its spirit core seemed to be damaged, preventing it from functioning at its full potential. Still, it suited someone like Dugu Bo, who was self-taught in alchemy.
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Half a Month Later
Li Luochen left the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well. His portable soul-guided container now held two porcelain bottles and three immortal herbs.
Two Beautiful Silk Tulip Pills had been successfully refined. Dugu Bo assured him that the pills would fully preserve the herbs' original effects. However, Li Luochen still planned to test them on Ning Rongrong to see if they could evolve her Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda.
As for the Nine Treasure Purple Pills, Du Gu Bo found their refinement easy. This was his second attempt, and he was quite familiar with the process. This time, he produced seven pills, and their quality was even better than before. Li Luochen believed these pills would be highly effective.
Duu Bo also decided not to stay at the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well any longer. Soon, he needed to help someone obtain their ninth soul ring. The target was a hundred-thousand-year Sky Lord soul beast.
At first, Dugu Bo wasn't interested, but the other party offered a tempting deal: after helping him hunt the Sky Lord and aiding his ascension to Title Douluo, they would assist Li Luochen and Dugu Yan in hunting the two dominant soul beasts of the Great Star Dou Forest—the Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape.
Such conditions were impossible to refuse. After all, Dugu Bo had been wondering how to help his granddaughter hunt another hundred-thousand-year soul beast.
Dugu Yan's seventh soul ring had been pure luck. While they were sightseeing at a coastal city in the Star Luo Empire, they spotted a severely injured ten-thousand-year Sea Dragon Emperor. Dugu Bo subdued it effortlessly, and Dugu Yan absorbed it.
Such luck was rare indeed. Although Dugu Bo now possessed a hundred-thousand-year soul ring and had reached level ninety-seven, capable of easily defeating hundred-thousand-year soul beasts, he couldn't prevent them from self-destructing. Losing both soul rings and spirit bones in such cases was simply not worth it.
This time, however, they had a team—and it was led by Qing Luan Douluo, Spirit Hall's Third Offering. Success was practically guaranteed, and they would also have the opportunity to help both Li Luochen and Dugu Yan obtain soul rings simultaneously. A win-win situation!
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