"Congratulations, Senior, on successfully forming your core!"
As Lin Li emerged from his closed-door cultivation, a maid under orders from the Ninth Princess immediately informed her of the news.
Soon after, the Ninth Princess and the royal advisor came to offer their congratulations.
When Lin Li noticed that Taoist Priestess Shallow Waters was still in seclusion, he inquired, but the Ninth Princess couldn't provide any useful information. The royal advisor, however, remarked that Lin Li's core formation speed was astonishing. It had taken him only six months to successfully form his core.
Typically, core formation required at least three to seven years of seclusion. That Shallow Waters had been in seclusion for only six months and hadn't emerged was normal, but for Lin Li to succeed so quickly was truly shocking!
The Ninth Princess expressed her hope that Lin Li would become a grand elder of Baixing Kingdom. Even though Lin Li had just entered the Core Formation stage, the Ninth Princess was authorized by the king to offer Lin Li the same treatment as mid-stage Core Formation elders: thirty middle-grade spirit stones per year, one high-grade spirit stone, and access to the royal library's techniques—excluding the royal family's exclusive ones.
Although Lin Li had little interest in such things, he felt a certain affinity with the Ninth Princess and her people. After confirming that the position of grand elder required no actual responsibilities, only serving as a figurehead to deter rival nations and help boost Hailan Kingdom's maritime trade advantages, he agreed to the position.
The Ninth Princess then had her people report this to Baixing Kingdom's prime minister.
What the Ninth Princess never expected was that the ruler of Baixing Kingdom—who had hundreds of Core Formation elders and Nascent Soul ancestors—would personally request to meet Lin Li and prepare an extravagant banquet in his honor!
Typically, a newly advanced Core Formation cultivator would never warrant such attention from the Baixing Kingdom ruler.
With doubts in her heart, after confirming multiple times that Lin Li would remain as Hailan Kingdom's grand elder and not be recruited by Baixing Kingdom, the Ninth Princess and the royal advisor escorted Lin Li to the palace of Baixing Kingdom.
The palace architecture was vastly different from the Zhao Kingdom structures Lin Li had known. It resembled a grand Western temple.
...
"Lin Li! To think you are so young, yet so accomplished! Congratulations on successfully forming your core!"
In the grand hall of the palace, which resembled a Western temple, the ruler of Baixing Kingdom sat on his throne, holding a trident. His wavy, sea-blue hair and powerful physique exuded strength as he spoke with a smile. "This time, thanks to you, Baixing Kingdom is destined to prosper!"
"Your Majesty?" Lin Li was puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"I am fully aware of what transpired in the Crimson Trial."
The ruler of Baixing Kingdom continued, "Without your help, Taoist Priestess Shallow Waters would never have successfully brought back the ancient scroll containing that remarkable artifact-crafting technique."
"You, a mere Foundation Establishment Peak cultivator, stood alone against many and killed dozens of same-level cultivators from the Holy Empire and Infinity Empire. Truly astonishing!"
"What?!"
The Ninth Princess, the royal advisor, and all the officials present were shocked.
Everyone was in awe, exclaiming, "The ancient artifact-crafting techniques from the jade slip were all thanks to this foreigner?"
"The heavy losses suffered by the Holy Empire and Infinity Empire in the Crimson Trial were because of him?!"
"To defeat so many same-level cultivators... How terrifying!"
"And now, he has successfully formed his core! In the future, he will undoubtedly become a key figure in our kingdom's Core Formation stage!"
As the crowd buzzed with discussions, the ruler of Baixing Kingdom spoke solemnly, "Lin Li! I now confer upon you the title of Sacred Battle Marquis, with an annual stipend of ten high-grade spirit stones and fifty middle-grade spirit stones!"
"Gasp!!!"
The crowd collectively sucked in a breath of disbelief!
The Ninth Princess and the royal advisor both felt an icy chill in their hearts.
Comparing oneself to others could be utterly demoralizing!
Lin Li had just been granted the title of marquis, with such an incredible stipend! How could he ever be satisfied with merely being a grand elder of Hailan Kingdom?
After all, Hailan Kingdom was on an entirely different level from Baixing Kingdom—it was like comparing the heavens to the earth. There was no way they could offer Lin Li such a lavish salary.
Even though the Ninth Princess and the royal advisor knew Lin Li had an extraordinary future ahead of him, the reality was that Hailan Kingdom's resources were far too limited to support such a powerful figure.
In that moment, both the princess and the royal advisor felt a deep sense of bitterness.
"Your Majesty! Please reconsider!"
The prime minister of Baixing Kingdom hastily stepped forward to protest. "This man is a foreigner, and he has yet to prove himself in our kingdom. Bestowing upon him the title of marquis might invite criticism! Moreover, the stipend you're offering is far too generous—it's comparable to that of our late-stage Core Formation marquises and even some foreign princes!"
"Silence!"
The ruler of Baixing Kingdom reprimanded. "You have no idea how important the Sacred Battle Marquis is to our kingdom!"
"He is the key to Baixing Kingdom's destiny, the one who will help us unify the seas!"
The ruler's eyes gleamed with ambition. "For thousands of years, the world has been divided among three major powers! Though Baixing Kingdom has the most Nascent Soul ancestors among the three, our land is barren, and our lower- to mid-tier cultivators are few in number. This has prevented us from waging war against the other two nations."
"But now, everything has changed!"
"Thanks to the Sacred Battle Marquis, we've obtained the ancient artifact-crafting techniques. We can now craft puppets with the strength of Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, and even Core Formation cultivators! And the materials needed—Meteorite Iron—are a specialty of our kingdom!"
"In ten years, once all the Meteorite Iron in our treasury has been turned into puppets, Baixing Kingdom's military power will surpass the other two nations! At that time, unifying the world will no longer be a dream!"
"Lin Li! Kneel and receive your reward!"
The ruler's words left everyone speechless, and the crowd was filled with shock!
No one had imagined the ruler's ambition would be so great.
He actually intended to wipe out the other two nations and unify the world!
But what no one expected was Lin Li's response.
He refused.
"I apologize, Your Majesty."
Lin Li shook his head and declined. "I have already promised the Ninth Princess that I would serve as Hailan Kingdom's grand elder. I cannot pledge my loyalty to you."
The entire court was thrown into an uproar!
Nearly every official in Baixing Kingdom cursed Lin Li for not knowing his place!
The Ninth Princess and the royal advisor were equally stunned, finding it hard to express their feelings, but the princess was deeply moved, tears welling up in her beautiful eyes.
The ruler of Baixing Kingdom was enraged. "What?!"
"You dare refuse me!"
"What is Hailan Kingdom to you? It's merely a vassal of my kingdom! Whatever they offer you, I will double it! No, triple it! Even quadruple it! I can pay you five times as much!"
At this moment, for the ruler of Baixing Kingdom, it was no longer just a matter of valuing talent. It was...
A matter of preserving the dignity of a king!