"I apologize, Your Majesty," Lin Li shook his head and said, "The terms they offered me are not good, and truthfully, the treatment you're offering me far surpasses that of Hailan Kingdom."
"In fact, the salary you're offering is ten times more than what Hailan Kingdom could ever give me!"
"Then why?" the ruler of Baixing Kingdom asked urgently.
"Because… I have never broken my word in this life!"
Lin Li declared firmly, "Before I came here, I already promised the Ninth Princess, and now, I must keep that promise!"
Moreover, Lin Li had already successfully formed his core and obtained the necessary cultivation techniques.
With Ye Fan by his side, Lin Li had little need for spirit stones. His only desire was...
War and slaughter!
Thus, Lin Li continued, "However, Your Majesty!"
"If your ambition is truly to unify the world, then I am willing to fight for Baixing Kingdom, free of charge. I will be your vanguard in the wars against the Holy Empire and the Infinity Empire! I will lead the charge, shedding blood for you!"
"For Baixing's Holy War, I, Lin Li, am duty-bound!"
At that moment, the hall fell into stunned silence.
There were sneers.
Mockery.
Sarcasm.
But amidst all that, some began to view Lin Li with newfound respect!
Admiration.
Reverence.
"Who would have thought Lin Li possessed such noble character?"
"He truly is a man of honor!"
And even...
Affection.
The Ninth Princess blushed deeply. At that moment, it was as if Cupid's arrow had struck her heart, causing her pulse to race and her thoughts to whirl with Lin Li's words: "I have never broken my word in this life! I will never let her down!"
"If only… I could marry him," she thought, unable to suppress the idea.
It wasn't unreasonable. Lin Li was young, handsome, and immensely talented. Now, with his display of integrity and valor, it was hard for the Ninth Princess, who was one of the few close to him in this foreign land, not to feel such emotions.
Meanwhile, the Baixing ruler, who initially felt slighted, now began to see things differently.
Indeed!
Forcing a man of such honor and integrity to break his word would be improper!
Furthermore…
The words Lin Li spoke afterward, offering to fight in the Holy War, deeply moved the ruler.
"Hahaha! Well said! Never breaking your word in life!" The ruler of Baixing Kingdom laughed heartily. "Since that is the case, I shall not force you to become a marquis of Baixing!"
"However... when the Holy War begins ten years from now, you must fight for me!"
"Without question!" Lin Li agreed with conviction.
In truth, even if the ruler of Baixing hadn't planned to start a Holy War, Lin Li, eager to improve his power, would have sought out ways to participate in battle anyway!
Now that the ruler harbored such grand ambitions, Lin Li was more than happy to support them!
If a three-nation war broke out, Lin Li was confident that, with the Blood Sword, he could carve out a name for himself on the battlefield and rise to prominence quickly!
...
Three months later.
Lin Li and the Ninth Princess returned to Hailan Kingdom, a small island nation with a population of about 700,000.
Before their arrival, the Ninth Princess had already sent a flying message to inform the king of Lin Li's accomplishments.
On the day of their return, the port of Hailan Kingdom was abuzz with celebration!
Countless citizens crowded the harbor, eager to welcome the Ninth Princess's ship.
The king of Hailan even dispatched the royal honor guard to await their arrival at the docks.
As Lin Li disembarked, the air was filled with the sound of cannons and cheers.
"Welcome back, Ninth Princess!"
"Welcome, Elder Lin!"
Amidst the fluttering banners, the honor guard shouted loudly.
Soon after, the crowd erupted into thunderous applause.
Dressed in a royal blue robe, the king of Hailan Kingdom—who was even more handsome than the ruler of Baixing—personally greeted Lin Li.
"No wonder the Ninth Princess is so beautiful," Lin Li couldn't help but think as he observed the king's striking appearance.
Amid the cheering citizens, Lin Li and the others were escorted to the royal palace of Hailan Kingdom.
Following a grand banquet to welcome him and the ceremony that officially granted Lin Li the title of elder, his name quickly became known throughout the kingdom!
At the same time, Lin Li was introduced to another elder of Hailan Kingdom: Elder He.
This elder, a senior cultivator over four hundred years old, appeared ancient and frail.
Finally, Lin Li was given a private residence in a place rich with spiritual energy, where he began his closed-door cultivation once again…
One month later.
Lin Li's realm had stabilized, reaching the perfected stage of Core Formation's first level.
At the same time, he had exhausted his supply of low-grade spirit stones, with only a few mid-grade spirit stones left.
At that moment, a servant arrived.
"Your Majesty requests your presence."
...
When Lin Li arrived at the royal palace of Hailan Kingdom, he was shocked!
It turned out...
The king of Hailan had arranged for the Ninth Princess to marry him!
This left Lin Li both flattered and conflicted.
After all, Lin Li had spent his life focusing on cultivation.
Qinglian, a fellow disciple of Xuantian Sect, had been his only romantic interest. They had even agreed that once he reached Core Formation, they would marry.
But now, Lin Li had no idea how to return to Zhao Kingdom.
Moreover, the Ninth Princess was indeed a stunning beauty, admired by all.
After careful thought, Lin Li agreed.
Thus, a grand wedding ceremony took place.
The entire kingdom rejoiced!
Lin Li became the Ninth Prince Consort of Hailan Kingdom.
On their wedding night, Lin Li and the Ninth Princess enjoyed a blissful union.
...
Ten years later.
Lin Li and the Ninth Princess had a son.
Their son, named Lin Zheng, was now seven years old.
Today was Lin Zheng's seventh birthday.
Suddenly, a soldier arrived with an urgent report.
"Report~~~!"
After a long shout, the soldier knelt before Lin Li and said, "Your Highness, Prince Consort! An envoy from Baixing Kingdom has arrived!"
In the middle of the birthday celebration, Lin Li and the Ninth Princess excused themselves, leaving Lin Zheng in the care of their attendants.
They made their way to the harbor.
"Master!"
The Ninth Princess was overjoyed when she saw the beautiful Taoist priestess disembarking from the Baixing envoy's ship.
The visitor was none other than the now Core Formation Taoist Priestess Shallow Waters!
After a warm reunion, Taoist Shallow Waters learned of the Ninth Princess's marriage to Lin Li, which did not surprise her. She had already sensed her disciple's feelings for Lin Li ten years ago.
Back at the royal palace, Taoist Shallow Waters, acting as a senior, gifted Lin Zheng a magical artifact for his birthday and then revealed the purpose of her visit: "Lin Li, the Holy War of Baixing has begun!"
"His Majesty, the king of Baixing, requests that you immediately accompany me back to Baixing Kingdom to lead the puppet army in an attack on Infinity Empire!"
The Ninth Princess's expression darkened upon hearing this: The moment she had dreaded was finally here, and she couldn't avoid it.
Lin Zheng, however, was oblivious and asked innocently, tugging at Lin Li's sleeve, "Daddy… What is the Holy War of Baixing?"
Lin Li smiled slightly and shook his head. "Ask your mother that question later," he said.
Then, taking the Ninth Princess's hand, Lin Li spoke reassuringly. "Don't worry. Not only will I return safely from this Holy War…"
"I promise you, I will make a name for myself, expanding the territories of both Baixing and Hailan Kingdoms!"