"Master, the baby is born! The baby is born!"
Joyful events continued to unfold in the Li residence as Li Su's wife, Xinna, gave birth to a baby girl. This newborn possessed an eighth-rank spiritual root, just like Ning Xiaoyu's first child. An eighth-rank spiritual root was considered quite decent, as it allowed one to become an Outer Sect disciple in any of the three major immortal sects without any issues. However, achieving Foundation Establishment depended on various factors such as resources, dedication, and personal understanding. With good resources, hard work, and decent comprehension abilities, there was still hope for Foundation Establishment in their lifetime. Time played a crucial role in cultivation, and theoretically, if one's lifespan were unlimited, even those with mediocre spiritual roots could achieve Foundation Establishment.
Li Su, with his extremely poor spiritual roots, had received cultivation base rewards from the system equivalent to over a thousand years of cultivation. This had enabled him to establish his Foundation at an extraordinary pace. However, without spiritual roots, Foundation Establishment would be impossible.
"I have finally surpassed 20,000 descendants!"
On Li Su's 122nd birthday, the number of his descendants finally exceeded 20,000. It had taken nearly 80 years for the number of descendants to reach 10,000, but only about 20 years to double that figure. Of course, some of Li Su's descendants had passed away due to old age. Upon surpassing 20,000, the system rewarded Li Su once again. His cultivation base remained at the hundred-year level without any increase, but his spiritual roots were slightly enhanced.
Another reward he received was a longevity pill that extended his lifespan by thirty years each time he took a concubine. Although there were various types of life-extending pills, in the system, they were standardized to increase lifespan by 30 years. These pills were highly valuable, especially in the Xiu Immortal World of Wu Kingdom, where such medicines and spiritual herbs were rare. Even in Feixianzong, life-extending pills were considered precious, and ordinary disciples had no access to them. The few pills Li Su had obtained previously were rewards from the Feixianzong's leader after witnessing his Foundation Establishment.
"Foundation Establishment on the ninth floor!"
With the recent rewards and incremental enhancements to his cultivation base, Li Su successfully advanced from the eighth floor to the ninth floor of Foundation Establishment. This marked a pinnacle achievement in the Foundation Establishment stage, significantly boosting his overall cultivation base. Each step forward during this stage brought substantial improvements due to the strength of true essence and the purity of Spirit Power.
In Wu Kingdom, the Li family had already become a formidable force. With 20,000 direct descendants of Li Su alone, and when considering the servants, long-term workers, guards, and others associated with the family, the total exceeded 100,000. Some descendants had even entered the royal court, strengthening the Li family's influence in Wu Kingdom. The emperor of Wu Kingdom, realizing the growing power of the Li family, made a move to maintain his authority by proposing a marriage between Li Su and a young princess. The princess also possessed spiritual roots, albeit weak ones that made it unlikely for her to enter the realm of immortals or achieve Foundation Establishment.
"Husband, the royal family is concerned that we might replace them if our influence continues to expand," Ning Xiaoyu expressed her thoughts. The Li family's growing power in Wu Kingdom, combined with Li Su's status as a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator and his special position in Feixianzong, which secretly controlled Wu Kingdom, made the royal family uneasy. Moreover, Li Su's continuous marriages to "fairies" had prompted other cultivating families in Wu
Kingdom to follow suit. With a slight increase in Li Su's strength, it was entirely feasible for the Li family to replace the royal family in the future.
The current royal family of Wu Kingdom still outnumbered the Li family, and they were keen on producing more offspring with spiritual roots to ensure the stability of their status. However, having descendants with spiritual roots was not as simple as they desired. Presently, there were only a handful of immortal cultivators among the royal family, and Xianmen (the Immortal Sects) had control over their training. Xianmen preferred a submissive royal family and might not be inclined to have a powerful one. In the past, Xianmen had even forced the Siqi Kingdom to change its ruling family due to the ambitious nature of the emperor. Thus, the Li family's potential posed a threat to the royal family's standing.
Upon understanding the intentions of the royal family, Li Su remained unperturbed. As long as the princess willingly married him, it suited his purposes. In a few months' time, the Li Mansion once again buzzed with excitement as Princess Na arrived for the wedding. The royal family spared no expense in making this occasion grand, leaving a significant impact on Wu Guozhong. Observing the royal family willingly offer a princess for marriage to Li Su, other cultivating families also started contemplating similar arrangements, lamenting their own lack of daughters.