Chapter 17 - Population Growth, Marrying a Princess
Chapter 17: Population Growth, Marrying a Princess
“Master, he’s born, he’s born.”
In Li’s residence, happy events continued. Li Su’s new concubine gave birth to a child. This baby’s spiritual root was not bad, and it was the same as the first child of Ning Xiaoyu, which was an eighth-grade spiritual root.
Typically, possessing an eighth-grade spiritual root allowed one to join any of the three major immortal sects as an outer disciple without any issue.
Whether or not they could establish a foundation depended on various factors.
An eighth-grade spiritual root, with favorable resources, a willingness to work hard, and decent understanding, held hope of establishing a foundation within one’s lifetime.
Practicing cultivation, to a certain extent, was a race against time.
In theory, as long as a person’s lifespan was unlimited, regardless of how poor their spiritual root might be, they could still build a foundation.
Li Su’s extremely poor spiritual root, combined with the cultivation base bestowed by the system, was equivalent to over a thousand years of cultivation—enough to establish a foundation, wasn’t it?
Of course, there was no way if there was no spiritual root.
“At last, we’ve surpassed 20,000 descendants.”
On Li Su’s 122nd birthday, the number of Li Su’s descendants finally surpassed 20,000. It had taken nearly 80 years for Li Su’s descendants to reach 10,000, but only about 20 years to double that number. Some of Li Su’s descendants had passed away due to old age.
After Li Su’s descendants exceeded 20,000, the system rewarded him once again. His cultivation base remained at one hundred years old without any further increase. The spiritual root had also been slightly enhanced.
Another reward was that every time Li Su took a concubine, he could get a life extension pill that increased his lifespan by thirty years.
There were different types of life-extending pills, but in the system, they uniformly increased the lifespan by 30 years. This was more precious.
In the world of cultivating immortals in the Wu Kingdom area, longevity pills were relatively rare, mainly because these kinds of life-enhancing pills and spiritual herbs were rare.
The pills that increased lifespan were more precious in the Flying Immortal Sect. Ordinary disciples had no chance of obtaining them.
The few pills Li Su got last time were rewarded by the head of the Flying Immortal Sect after she saw him build the foundation.
“I’ve reached the ninth floor of the foundation establishment.”
The reward this time, combined with the sporadic enhancement of cultivation during this period, successfully allowed Li Su to go from the eighth floor of the foundation building to the ninth floor. Breaking through another layer was the peak of the foundation building. His cultivation had improved a lot again.
Advancing in the foundation establishment stage brought considerable progress with each step. This was due to the strength of one’s true essence and the purity of spiritual power.
In the Wu Kingdom, the Li family had become a colossal force. Li Su alone boasted 20,000 direct descendants. When considering the Li family’s servants, workers, guards, and other staff, the total exceeded 100,000.
Some of the Li family’s descendants had even gained positions in the royal court, increasing their influence within the Wu Kingdom.
“Master, people from the imperial city have arrived.”
On this particular day, the Emperor of the Wu Kingdom dispatched a delegation to the Li residence.
Soon, Li Su became aware of Emperor Wu’s intentions.
The emperor sought to arrange a marriage between a young princess and Li Su. The status of the princess was inconsequential; the emperor did not make any demands in that regard.
This princess also possessed a spiritual root, albeit a very poor one, incapable of entering the immortal sects, with a minuscule chance of establishing a foundation.
“Husband, the royal family of the Wu Kingdom is likely concerned that we may eventually surpass them,” Ning Xiaoyu observed, perceiving Emperor Wu’s true intentions.
The Li family’s influence in the Wu Kingdom grew, and Li Su’s descendants entered the royal court. Although Li Su had no interest in secular power, the same couldn’t be said for the Li family’s descendants.
Previously, when Li Su was weak, he posed no threat. However, the situation had changed now that Li Su had reached the late stage of foundation establishment and held a special status within the Flying Immortal Sect, which was secretly controlling the Wu Kingdom.
Furthermore, Li Su had been continuously marrying “immortals.” Cultivating families within the Wu Kingdom began attaching themselves to Li Su one after another.
With even a slight increase in Li Su’s strength, it would be entirely feasible for the Li family to replace the royal family of the Wu Kingdom.
Currently, the Wu Kingdom’s royal family still outnumbered the Li family. Members of the royal family were also focused on producing more offspring with spiritual roots, hoping to increase the number of immortals within the royal bloodline. This ensured the stability of their status.
Yet, offspring with spiritual roots were not simply born on demand. The number of immortal cultivators within the royal family remained in the single digits.
The immortal sects desired an obedient royal family, not necessarily a powerful one. Even if the royal family’s offspring were sent to the immortal sects, their cultivation might not be particularly outstanding.
Over a hundred years ago, in the Four Qi Kingdom, the emperor’s ambitions had led to the forceful replacement of the imperial family by the Immortal Sect, resulting in the installation of a new imperial family on the throne.
Upon perceiving the royal family’s intentions, Li Su remained indifferent.
After all, the royal family had sent a princess with a spiritual root. As long as she was willing, it was a perfect match for Li Su.
And so, a few months later, the Li Mansion buzzed with activity once again. With the marriage of the princess, the royal family of the Wu Kingdom put on a grand display. This wedding had a profound impact throughout the Wu Kingdom.
Naturally, the royal family held far greater influence than ordinary cultivating families. Observing the royal family’s proactive gesture in offering a princess for marriage to Li Su, other cultivating families began pondering their own strategies.
“Ah, why did we end up with three sons and no daughters?”
A cultivating family, full of male offspring, found themselves quite frustrated.