Northern Border's Sole King, Once Its Uncrowned King!

The news that Winter City had been granted as one of King Frost Extreme Luo Li's fiefs had long since spread among the city's people.

Yet there was hardly any opposition.

The measures Marquis White Robe Luo Li had implemented as commander-in-chief years ago had brought tangible changes to Winter City.

As residents of the city who had benefited deeply from Luo Li's grace, they felt only joy, not opposition.

Outside Winter City

Soldiers clad in blue frost armor and holding long halberds were conducting their routine inspection of those entering the city.

The wealthy merchants and nobles who had arrived by carriage to trade or sightsee all consciously stepped down before reaching the gates and cooperated with the inspection.

As the core city of King Frost Extreme Luo Li's fief in the Northern Border, no one wished to cause trouble here and offend Heaven Dou's most powerful minister, who was at the height of his influence.

A convoy of carriages slowly approached and stopped before the city gates.

Two soldiers holding long halberds stepped forward to conduct the customary inspection, but their gazes suddenly fell upon the emblem of two crossed swords on the carriage.

Their expressions changed at once.

The two hurriedly bowed toward the carriage.

"Greetings, my lord!"

The reason was simple.

The crossed-swords emblem represented the master of Winter City, the Northern Border's sole king:

King Frost Extreme Luo Li!

No one would dare impersonate this man in Winter City for fraud and intimidation.

After all, the current lord of Winter City was a lieutenant of the White Robe Army under his command.

It was just...

Which of His Majesty's subordinates had come?

As the two soldiers wondered, a clear, ethereal voice sounded beside their ears.

"No need for formalities."

That familiar voice immediately filled their faces with excitement.

Even the hands gripping their halberds began to tremble uncontrollably.

A slender hand lifted the hanging carriage curtain.

A flawless, extraordinarily handsome face came into view.

His long snow-white hair, tied up behind him, outshone even the vast white snow falling across the Extreme North.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Upon seeing that face, the two soldiers changed from bowing to kneeling on one knee.

Within Winter City's military system, only one person could receive such a salute.

The master of winter, the Northern Border's sole king:

King Frost Extreme Luo Li!

The two soldiers were not quiet.

That cry of "Your Majesty" instantly drew the attention of many nearby people.

Their gazes turned in this direction.

When they saw that immortal-like handsome face, they were all startled as well.

The people of the Northern Border who had benefited from Luo Li during his days as Marquis White Robe reacted even more intensely than the two soldiers.

They dropped to their knees with a thud and cried out excitedly, "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

The others were not from the Northern Border, having come here from elsewhere, or had never benefited from Luo Li's grace. Though their reactions were not as intense, they too respectfully said:

"Greetings, Lord King Frost Extreme."

After all, his status was right there. No one would be foolish enough to show disrespect.

Luo Li raised his hand.

Under the precise control of his immense Soul Power, everyone was gently lifted to their feet.

Only after responding to their enthusiasm did the carriages enter the city.

The wheels rolled over the bluestone road, their sound steady and tranquil.

The carriage curtain fell. Qian Renxue looked at Luo Li, her golden eyes gleaming with admiration.

She had witnessed the entire scene just now.

"Brother Luo's prestige in the Northern Border is truly astonishing."

Qian Renxue admitted to herself that although she, as Crown Prince, was also beloved in Heaven Dou City, she absolutely did not possess the same authority Luo Li held in Winter City.

The soldiers and civilians who had saluted him had done so entirely from the heart!

Even Xue Ye could never accomplish this.

It could be said that even if Xue Ye had not granted the Northern Border to Luo Li, he would still have been this place's uncrowned king!

The division of this fief had merely made it official.

Faced with Qian Renxue's praise, Luo Li remained calm, without the slightest hint of pride or arrogance.

"I merely did what I should have done."

One should fulfill one's duties according to one's position.

To the people of Winter City, these changes that moved them to tears were, in Luo Li's eyes, simply responsibilities he ought to have fulfilled.

Since he had served as Winter City's commander-in-chief during that period, he had an obligation to make this place better.

Qian Renxue had actually done fairly well as Crown Prince, but she had not brought the people tangible changes or allowed them to benefit.

Therefore, although she had a good reputation among the people of Heaven Dou, she could not achieve what Luo Li had in the hearts of the Northern Border's people.

As for Xue Ye...

To be honest, calling him a mediocre ruler was already giving him considerable credit.

The one thing Xue Ye had done well was choosing to proactively befriend Luo Li rather than deliberately target him because his achievements were increasingly overshadowing the throne.

As for everything else...

He had truly done poorly, even far worse than Qian Renxue as Crown Prince.

He had allowed Prince Xue Xing to shelter those illegal gray-market industries.

He had turned a blind eye to—and even indulged—the various vile acts committed by Prince Xue Beng during his so-called period of "pretending to be a wastrel."

He clearly knew that Heaven Dou's political and legal systems were riddled with parasites, and that aside from several forces under Luo Li's command, its military was also difficult to look at, yet he had never taken concrete action to change any of it.

A man like him was not even worth comparing to Luo Li. Even compared with Qian Renxue, the Crown Prince, his reputation among the common people had already begun to fall short.

Luo Li had Xue Ye to thank for having so many battles to fight over the years.

After all, due to the existence of Spirit Hall, the relationship between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire remained relatively balanced. Though they had fought a few wars from time to time, they were not frequent.

Most of Luo Li's campaigns over the years had actually been against rebellious kingdoms and duchies.

Those subordinate to the Heaven Dou Empire had seen Heaven Dou's decay and begun to entertain ambitions of taking a share for themselves.

Yet Luo Li had driven them back one by one, suppressing them until they were utterly obedient.

Many royal families had been thoroughly purged and replaced.

From another perspective, if Xue Ye had truly been a good Heaven Dou Emperor, Luo Li would not have amassed such illustrious military achievements.

Qian Renxue fell silent, deep in thought.

Do what one should do...

It sounded simple, but in the current empire, how many people could truly accomplish that?

The carriages soon arrived at the Great Soul Arena within Winter City.

A group of people stood there waiting respectfully.

At their head was Winter City's current lord, Shen Bei, a lieutenant of Luo Li's White Robe Army.

Upon receiving word of the general's arrival, he had guessed the destination and rushed here with his men without stopping.

The carriage curtain was lifted.

Luo Li and Qian Renxue stepped down from the first carriage.

The members of the Imperial Dou Team stepped down from the other two carriages as well.

"General!" Shen Bei led the people behind him in kneeling on one knee.

Their movements were perfectly synchronized.

As an old member of the White Robe Army, although Luo Li had already been made king, Shen Bei was still more accustomed to addressing him as General.

Luo Li did not care about a mere form of address.

He waved his hand, signaling Shen Bei and the others to rise.

He shot Shen Bei a glare and said irritably, "I brought academy students here for training. Why did you make such a spectacle of it?"

Shen Bei scratched his head and gave a simple, foolish grin.

He knew Luo Li's temperament, so he had already restrained himself and not arranged a grand welcoming ceremony.

But even so, the proper attitude had to be shown.

This was respect for the general!