Chapter 500 - 57: Star Sword Cultivator Route 2

Chapter 500: Chapter 57: Star Sword Cultivator Route 2

"Really?"

"Of course!"

Lin Yu’s decisive answer left Li Hua feeling conflicted.

He had already pledged his allegiance to Lin Yu. Although his status as a lord hadn’t been revoked, allowing him to interact with other lords and purchase items from the points store, his access was capped at the level of a Tier Three Lord, with no further advancement.

Since his territory had no special products, he had no way to gain points through trade. As for common resources, that was out of the question. Which of the lords who hadn’t been eliminated were still short on resources?

Moreover, after becoming an Affiliated Lord, he could no longer earn points from the tournament organizers by completing missions.

Unable to rely on the points store, his territory’s development now depended entirely on himself and Lin Yu, the main lord.

If he chose to be "absorbed" by Lin Yu and contribute his territory’s cultivation resources, he would be able to enjoy the fruits of a Technology Tree that matched his own territory.

Seeing Li Hua remain silent for a long time, Lin Yu knew he was still struggling with the decision. He spoke again, "If you really don’t want to be ’absorbed’ by me, you can also choose to hand over your territory’s cultivation knowledge in exchange for military merit within the territory."

"You can use this military merit to exchange for special items in the territory. Don’t worry, we’ll provide any technology developed from your information to you for free."

"This is the territory’s current military merit shop. You can take a look and then make your decision."

With that, Lin Yu handed him a form.

Li Hua took the form and examined it carefully.

The exchange form listed rewards from various treasure chests, as well as items redeemed from the "Cosmic Arena" and the "Eternal Battlefield."

There was nothing particularly strange about these; besides the large quantity, they were all things Li Hua had seen before.

But further down the list, the vast number of Spiritual Armaments, the variety of Spirit Fruits with different effects, and things like the All-Attribute Spirit Fruit, Divine Fruit, and Peaches of Immortality he had seen before—this was completely beyond Li Hua’s expectations.

He knew that Lin Yu was showing him the very foundation of his territory. It was a sign of trust, but also a show of force.

After reading it, he felt even more conflicted.

’So if I just share my cultivation knowledge, I can get military merit to exchange for these things.’

’If I actually accept Lin Yu’s suggestion and get absorbed into the main territory, what benefits would I get then?’

’Based on what Lin Yu said before, if I’m absorbed, my territory would basically be under his direct administration, like a province under a central government.’

’But if I’m not absorbed, it would be like being a vassal lord in a feudal dynasty.’

’The difference between the two is pretty big.’

’Let me think...’

Li Hua looked up at Lin Yu’s sincere gaze and made a decision.

"Boss Lin, I’ve decided. I choose absorption. I trust you won’t treat me unfairly."

"Good!"

"Since you’re entrusting your territory to mine, I absolutely will not disappoint you."

Lin Yu then confirmed the absorption of Li Hua’s territory into the main territory. At the same time, Li Hua received a system prompt.

[Your liege lord, Lin Yu, is absorbing your territory into the main territory.]

[Do you accept?]

[Once absorbed into the main territory, you will be unable to separate from it, even in the event of the liege lord’s death or the main territory’s destruction. You will prosper and fall together, sharing the same fate.]

[Once absorbed into the main territory, your territory cannot violate the laws and regulations promulgated by the main territory, nor can it go against the main territory’s development plans.]

[Once absorbed into the main territory, your territory will receive the main territory’s characteristic bonuses, while also retaining your own.]

Looking at these prompts, Li Hua, who was already mentally prepared, found that the restrictions weren’t as severe as he had imagined, and the benefits were quite significant. He gladly agreed.

The moment he agreed, a system prompt sounded in Lin Yu’s ear, along with a notification that a new technology path had been unlocked.

Just as he expected, the previously discovered star-based Cultivation Technology Tree was now complete. Furthermore, many technologies on the tree were lit up; all of the existing professions in Li Hua’s territory, such as Alchemist, Swordsmith, and dancer, were instantly unlocked.

"Haha, Brother Li, would you like to move your territory into the main one? If you do, just pick a spot, and I’ll move it over for you."

Li Hua blinked, calculating in his mind:

’Now that my territory is completely linked to the main territory, if I want to advance further, I’ll probably have to focus solely on cultivation.’

’In that case, I’ll need to continue building and developing the Sword Sect and strive for my own breakthrough. I won’t have much time to manage the territory.’

’My territory has always lacked conventional forces, focusing instead on an elite troop strategy. If I move into the main territory, I’ll only need to focus on developing my Sword Sect.’

"Move it. I saw a Spirit Sea on that map. I want to move there!"

"That’s fine, but I have important plans for the Spirit Sea. I can only place your territory on one side of it. How does that sound?"

"Deal!"

"Alright then. Wait here for a moment. I’ll be right back."

After speaking, Lin Yu dissolved into motes of elemental light and vanished into thin air.

Li Hua’s eyes widened in astonishment, his jaw dropping. He stared dumbfounded at the spot where Lin Yu had disappeared, his mind short-circuiting.

"Lord Li, don’t just stare. That was the Lord’s energy clone. The real Lord will be back in a moment."

"Let’s discuss the future resource allocation for your territory. Since you’ve been fully integrated, there are some rules and distribution methods you need to be aware of."