For Lin Li, this was merely playing along.
What truly excited him was...
The gains from this battle!
Upon returning to his private room aboard the warship, Lin Li immediately sat down in meditation to continue absorbing the feedback energy from Ye Fan.
"This battle earned me 600,000 evolution points!"
Ye Fan thought: with twelve Core Formation cultivators, plus the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators Lin Li killed along the way, they had accumulated a total of 600,000 evolution points!
At this rate, with just one or two more battles, Ye Fan would be able to evolve once more, reaching the level of a mid-grade treasure!
"I'm really looking forward to it!"
Of course, Ye Fan's 600,000 evolution points also provided Lin Li with a substantial amount of feedback energy.
After breaking through to the peak of the third level of Core Formation, Lin Li continued to cultivate in seclusion. Finally, with the steady supply of energy from Ye Fan, his cultivation advanced further, and he broke through the bottleneck!
Core Formation fourth level!
Core Formation fourth level stabilized!
Core Formation fourth level peak…
Core Formation fifth level!!!
"Hoo!"
Lin Li opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as he exhaled a long breath of stale air. He thought with joy, "One battle, and I've broken through from the peak of the first level of Core Formation to the fifth level! And the lifespan of a Core Formation cultivator can easily reach several centuries... It's time for me to start thinking about how to shatter my core and form my Nascent Soul."
Once a cultivator reached the great perfection of the Core Formation stage, they needed to use a special method to shatter their golden core from the inside out. Then, by infusing their soul into the shattered core, they could form a Nascent Soul, thereby breaking through to a higher realm and stepping into the Nascent Soul stage. Their lifespan would then increase to two to three thousand years!
...
Upon returning to Baixing Kingdom, Lin Li, having achieved great merit, naturally thought of the Ninth Princess. He declined any personal rewards and instead requested that the emperor provide more assistance to Hailan Kingdom, allowing it to grow stronger.
The king of Baixing, pleased with Lin Li's accomplishments, gladly agreed to his request!
...
A year later!
Hailan Kingdom had become the most economically powerful nation among the smaller countries nearby!
At the same time...
The war between Baixing Kingdom and the Boundless Empire had fully escalated!
Lin Li, as a member of the vanguard, ventured deep into the Boundless Empire, earning numerous military achievements.
He also killed several Core Formation cultivators!
As expected, during these battles, Ye Fan successfully evolved into a mid-grade treasure, the Demon Sword of Human Slaughter, and gained a new active skill: Human Slaughter!
Human Slaughter: "Blood-handed butcher!" Only those who have slaughtered countless enemies can earn this title! Sword Master Ye Fan, after gaining great fame during the Holy War of Baixing Kingdom, was given the name Blood-handed Butcher by the terrified people of the Boundless Empire. Upon activation, this skill grants the Sword Master an overwhelming aura, causing enemies significantly weaker than the Sword Master to be paralyzed with fear, unable to fight. Even enemies of equal strength will feel the oppressive aura, becoming hesitant and fearful, unable to fully unleash their power.
...
Two years later!
The Boundless Empire, unable to withstand the onslaught, sought aid from the Holy Empire.
However, the defeated Boundless Empire no longer had the power to negotiate as equals. They were forced to cede one-third of their territory in exchange for the Holy Empire's assistance, forming an alliance to resist Baixing Kingdom.
But.
Baixing Kingdom had become unstoppable!
Wherever Blood-handed Butcher Lin Li appeared, the Baixing Kingdom forces conquered everything in their path.
On the other hand...
In the lower-level battles, thanks to the ancient puppets, Baixing Kingdom maintained a superior fighting strength, continuing to grow stronger!
Even with the Holy Empire's involvement, the Sacred Boundless Alliance could only barely manage to hold Baixing Kingdom to a stalemate.
Over the three years of battle, Lin Li's cultivation had already reached the great perfection stage of Core Formation!
And Ye Fan was now only a few tens of thousands of evolution points away from evolving into a high-grade treasure!
Because of Lin Li's repeated military successes, the king of Baixing Kingdom held him in high esteem. Learning that Lin Li had reached the peak of Core Formation and needed a method to shatter his core and form a Nascent Soul, the king opened the royal treasury to him, allowing Lin Li to choose any cultivation technique—except for the royal family's secret arts.
In the end, Lin Li selected the Sword Nascent Soul Technique as his primary method for shattering his core and forming his Nascent Soul!
...
After one year of seclusion!
Thanks to Lin Li's accomplishments, Hailan Kingdom had reached unprecedented heights of prestige, becoming the most renowned vassal state within Baixing Kingdom, second only to Baixing itself!
Finally!
In a meditation chamber filled with abundant spiritual energy.
Lin Li sat in deep meditation, observing inwardly as his golden core began to shatter, breaking into tiny points of starlight. These lights gradually converged to form a small, golden, translucent infant, about the length of an adult's forearm.
The tiny infant resembled Lin Li in appearance, though it looked more youthful and innocent.
Resting on the infant's lap was a small sword, strikingly similar in appearance to Ye Fan, the demon sword.
"Nascent Soul achieved!"
The golden infant's voice was soft and filled with joy: "From now on, I am a Nascent Soul stage cultivator!"
"Now I have the chance to avenge my clan's massacre!"
"And with Baixing Kingdom about to unite the entire region, I refuse to believe that the only ancient teleportation array across the seas is the one I used to arrive here!"
However, his voice gradually grew colder, filled with hatred and murderous intent!
"I swear, I will find a way to return to Zhao Kingdom, and then..."
"I'll kill him!"
...
"Congratulations to the Ninth Prince Consort on successfully forming a Nascent Soul!"
The once Qi Refining stage elder who had first met Lin Li alongside the Ninth Princess was now a second-level Foundation Establishment cultivator.
As a trusted servant of the Ninth Princess, he also lived in the royal palace. Seeing Lin Li emerge from seclusion, he was overjoyed and exclaimed, "Your Highness! Now that you've become a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, Hailan Kingdom will surely have the chance to become the sixth great kingdom, alongside Baixing's Five Great Kingdoms!"
"Oh?"
Lin Li raised an eyebrow, unfamiliar with this information due to his focus on cultivation.
Noticing Lin Li's confusion, the servant explained, "Baixing Kingdom is actually a confederation of over a hundred smaller nations. The Five Great Kingdoms are the only ones with Nascent Soul stage cultivators, and they dominate the alliance. Only those with Nascent Souls can truly rule over the vast seas! The king of Baixing is the monarch of the kingdom with the most votes among the vassal states."
"In other words, only a nation with Nascent Soul cultivators can aspire to become a great kingdom. The current king of Baixing is himself a Nascent Soul stage powerhouse!"
Lin Li nodded thoughtfully.
At that moment, a young boy appeared, his face full of disbelief. After hesitating briefly, he joyfully shouted, "Father! You're finally out of seclusion!"
Lin Li's heart stirred. "Zheng'er?!"
"Father!"
The boy, Lin Zheng, was the child born to Lin Li and the Ninth Princess after their marriage. Now over ten years old, he had grown up during Lin Li's rare appearances in his life.
Hailan Kingdom had now risen to become the most prominent nation within Baixing, outside of the Five Great Kingdoms.
All of this was due to Lin Li's existence.
As a result, Lin Zheng had become one of the most favored young nobles in Hailan Kingdom. He knew full well that everything his family had was because of Lin Li.
For this reason, despite Lin Li's prolonged absences since Lin Zheng's birth, the boy still idolized his father. Now, seeing Lin Li, he excitedly ran forward and embraced him.
With a warm smile, Lin Li gently patted Lin Zheng's head, feeling both touched by the warmth of family and conflicted within. If he sought a way to return to Zhao Kingdom to avenge his clan, what would become of his family here?