Chapter 15: Can’t Stop
When Li Su returned to his house, he was accompanied by another “immortal,” a female cultivator named Shen Xinyue. She presented Li Su with a token of love on Immortal Desolate Peak. Despite her age, Shen Xinyue still appeared youthful, thanks to the efforts of many female cultivators who invested their true essence in maintaining their appearance or sought beauty-enhancing pills like the Resplendent Youth Pill. This resulted in some female nuns appearing younger than male monks. However, this pursuit of beauty sometimes hindered their progress in cultivation.
“Sister, come quickly!” exclaimed Ning Xiaoyu as she welcomed Shen Xinyue.
Having lost her parents, Shen Xinyue accompanied Li Su directly home from Immortal Desolate Peak. Li Su had spent nearly three days there. During his stay, four female cultivators presented tokens to him, but he ultimately chose only two of them. One had an eccentric personality that didn’t resonate with Li Su, and the other lacked the desired appearance. While Li Su was not solely focused on looks, the system requirements dictated that appearance was necessary to receive rewards and ensure the continuation of his lineage.
After marrying Shen Xinyue, Li Su arranged a welcoming ceremony for the other female cultivator whom he had chosen. She hailed from a family of immortals. Since there were only a few cultivation families in the Wu Kingdom, those who learned of Li Su’s penchant for taking concubines saw an opportunity to establish connections with him through their daughters. These immortal cultivating families primarily consisted of monks in the Qi refining period, with no hope of reaching the foundation establishment stage. If their descendants possessed average spiritual roots, it was only natural for them to desire a prestigious alliance for their family.
However, choosing the right person for their daughter was crucial. Li Su was an ideal candidate for several reasons. His strength alone made it difficult for an ordinary cultivator family to have a member reach the foundation establishment stage. Some Foundation Establishment period monks preferred not to be burdened by mortal affairs. Li Su’s reputation also played a role in attracting families. Despite his inclination to take concubines, he treated his women well. Moreover, Li Su was neither peculiar in his preferences nor lacking in appearance. He possessed both high-quality looks and a commendable character.
A cultivation family intentionally sent the second “immortal” whom Li Su married to become a spouse for his own daughter. However, not all cultivation families could establish a marital relationship with Li Su, as they didn’t always have suitable daughters. Beauty was not a trait every daughter possessed. Some female cultivators were young and focused on entering the immortal gate, giving little thought to marriage.
Thus, in the entire world of cultivating immortals within the Wu Kingdom, suitable female cultivators were scarce.
“The patriarch of the Li family has taken another immortal as his spouse.”
“Yes, it’s quite a lively affair. The banquet held by the Li family this time is said to be exceptional. Have you attended it yet?”
“Of course, I went. The Li family’s ancestral home is truly generous. They even arranged banquets for the homeless people.”
In the city of Luocheng, many common folks still hold Li Su ‘the living immortal’ in high regard.
Soon after Shen Xinyue married into the Li family, she bore Li Su’s child. And just like Ning Xiaoyu in the beginning, she couldn’t stop there. Within five years, she gave birth to three children for Li Su. Among them, two children had spiritual roots. Another female cultivator named Mo Ling, whom Li Su recruited also had one child with spiritual roots. This brought the total count of Li Su’s descendants with spiritual roots to thirteen.
Though the number of descendants with spiritual roots had only increased by three in the past five years, the overall population of the Li family was steadily growing. In this world, people tend to marry at a relatively young age, around fifteen or sixteen. The new generation of Li family descendants had grown up, eager for rewards. They married early, further expanding the Li family’s population. This also contributed to Li Su’s cultivation advancing to the eighth stage of the foundation building, a notable achievement given the increased difficulty of each subsequent stage.
While there was no qualitative change in cultivation that came with reaching the next stage, Li Su found contentment in his progress. In his leisure time, he indulged in a new hobby—refining weapons using the one hundred years of refining experience acquired through rewards. He could craft high-grade magic weapons with the help of materials obtained from the Flying Immortal Sect. Monks in the middle and late stages of the foundation establishment could barely wield such artifacts.
“One hundred years of refining experience… This magic weapon is impressive. It should reach the level of a superior-grade artifact.”
A cultivation family paid Li Su a visit on a particular day, expressing their desire to establish a marital relationship with him. News of Li Su’s late-stage foundation establishment cultivation had gradually spread over the past five years. While the transmission of such news took time, it wasn’t of much importance. However, once the news reached those cultivation families seeking a connection with Li Su, they couldn’t resist their excitement. This family, in particular, took the initiative to bring their daughter for the visit.
“My daughter has long admired you, Senior Li…”