Martial Arts Master: The Lin Family Sword God, who swept through the Five Mountains and Four Sects

In the scorching heat of July, cicadas chirped through the sky, and the blazing sun baked the earth until it was scalding hot.

In Fuzhou, Fujian, the Fuwei Escort Agency stands majestically.

Seventy years ago, Lin Yuantu wielded the Seventy-Two Styles of the Evil-Repelling Sword Technique, sweeping across the martial arts world and earning a great reputation. He also founded the Fuwei Escort Agency.

With branches all over the world, it had eighty-four head镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) under its command, and thousands of镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) and 趟子手 (escorts/porters), making it the most powerful and influential force in the martial arts world.

Today, this prestigious title rests on the shoulders of Lin Zhennan, the third-generation chief bodyguard, and still shines brightly.

In the backyard, under the blazing sun, a young figure wielded a long sword, creating layers of sword shadows.

Sword light flashed, blurring the lines between reality and illusion; the cold glint swept through the air, even producing a faint hum.

At such a young age, to have such cultivation, if placed in the Five Mountains Sword Sect, one would be a top-notch young talent. Ordinary third-rate martial artists would probably be defeated in less than ten moves.

Just then, the door opened slightly, and a woman dressed in luxurious clothes walked out slowly, carrying a bowl of chilled plum juice in her hand. Fine water droplets seeped from the bowl, and a cool sensation wafted out.

She looked at the boy, who was sweating profusely, her eyes filled with pity.

Taking a few steps closer, she said softly, "Tian'er, you've been practicing since this morning, for two hours now. Take a break. This is some plum juice that I specially asked Escort Xu to bring back from the capital. I chilled it in the icehouse for half a day. Have a sip to cool off."

The young man sheathed his sword, a helpless smile appearing on his face. He took the soup bowl and said softly, "Thank you, Mother."

He tilted his head back and drank deeply, his Adam's apple bobbing, sweat trickling down his temples.

The woman watched quietly, her heart softening, and she couldn't help but sigh, "Your father always said that being a镖师 (bodyguard/escort) relies on connections; making friends is more important than practicing martial arts. What exactly are you trying to achieve by practicing martial arts so desperately?"

The boy wiped his mouth and smiled nonchalantly, "Mother, I just enjoy practicing martial arts; I have no plans to become a bodyguard. As for the escort agency, isn't Pingzhi still there?"

Upon hearing this, the woman sighed softly, "Fine... I can't argue with you. It's almost noon, I'll go to the kitchen to check on the food, remember to eat on time. If you're like last time, unable to move even when I call you, don't blame me for locking you up all afternoon and forbidding you from touching a sword."

"Yes, Mother," the boy replied with a wry smile.

The woman nodded in satisfaction and turned to leave.

She didn't turn around, and naturally didn't see the fleeting shadow and worry in the boy's eyes behind her.

This young man's name is Lin Tian.

He doesn't belong to this world.

Reborn, she was just a helpless orphan in her previous life, but in this life, she has a real home and genuine family affection.

At first, he even felt fortunate.

Until that day, he learned that his father's name was Lin Zhennan, who was in charge of the Fuwei Escort Agency; and his younger brother's name was Lin Pingzhi.

In an instant, it was as if struck by lightning.

He was not only reborn—but reborn into the world of "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer"?!

Every man harbors a dream of chivalry and justice, of seeking righteousness and settling scores. Logically, transmigrating into a martial arts world should be a cause for great joy.

But unfortunately... he is the eldest son of the Lin family.

Others may not know the fate of the Fuwei Escort Agency, but how could he not?!

If we were to create a "Top Ten Tragic Figures in The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" list, the three members of the Lin family would undoubtedly be among them. If we include himself… perhaps it should be said that there are four members of the Lin family?

Although he was an orphan in his previous life, he achieved success at a young age through his own efforts. Lin Tian was never one to settle for mediocrity.

At the age of eleven or twelve, when his meridians were first established, he began to cultivate diligently day and night. Now, at only seventeen or eighteen, he has already reached the second-rate level and is considered a skilled fighter in the martial arts world.

But... that's not enough.

"How hateful! At this age, with such strength, I would be considered a top disciple in the Five Mountains Sword Sect. But against the Qingcheng Sect, against Yu Canghai, that hypocritical leader of the righteous path, I am nothing more than a mantis trying to stop a chariot."

"When Yu Canghai made his move, Lin Pingzhi was nineteen years old... which means he only had one year left."

"One year? To leap from second-rate to first-rate, and then break through the fourth realm of acquired cultivation? That's utterly delusional!"

Lin Tian gripped the sword hilt tightly, his knuckles turning white, and a hint of suffocating despair flashed across his eyes.

"Practicing the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual?! What a joke! Bah, I'd rather die than touch that stuff. Or... should I just give the manual to my cheap old man? Anyway, he already has two sons, me and Pingzhi, so it's not like the family line is cut off, right? But if Mother finds out it was my idea, she'll probably skin me alive."

Forget it, forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore... If all else fails, I'll just dump it on that hypocrite Yue Buqun. Knowing his greed and pride, he'll probably have to protect the Lin family for the sake of his reputation. Sigh.

Just as I was feeling frustrated, a cold, mechanical voice suddenly rang in my ears—

"Ding... System restored. The God-level Card System is at your service."

"Who?!"

Lin Tian felt a jolt, almost jumped up, and his heart pounded wildly.

But the next second, a surge of joy welled up in his heart—this voice…could it be that the cheat code has arrived?

"Based on the host's thought process, this system can be defined as a 'cheat code'." The voice sounded again, completely calm.

A cheat code?!

Holy crap! Hahahaha! I finally have a cheat code! I told you, as a noble transmigrator, how could I possibly end up so miserable!

Before he could even finish laughing, he suddenly exploded: "Hey! Can't you, system, have some professional ethics? Seventeen years! A full seventeen years! What have you been sleeping through? You've kept me living in fear until now, and you tell me where you've been gallivanting off to!"

"Due to the first time carrying a host through a soul-transmigration, a spacetime storm was encountered, causing damage to the host's soul. The system remained dormant and underwent repair for seventeen years before being fully activated."

"Well……"

Lin Tian was speechless for a moment, his face slightly flushed. Although the system sounded emotionless, his words did indeed sound like he was shifting the blame.

He cleared his throat twice and quickly changed the subject: "Um... let me introduce your functions."

Before he could finish speaking, a massive surge of information exploded into his mind. In an instant, Lin Tian understood everything.

The God-Tier Card System, as the name suggests, revolves around "cards." There are various ways to acquire them, the most common being—killing enemies to obtain cards. The quality of the dropped cards is directly linked to the target's strength and reputation.

Cards are tiered by color: white, green, blue, red, purple, orange... the higher the tier, the rarer they are. As for higher tiers? The system states that they are currently unavailable due to world level restrictions.

"Ding... Given the host's current situation, the system can gift you one blue card and one red card. Collect them?"

New player perks?!

It's a sure thing, this is a huge profit!

Lin Tian didn't even blink: "Draw it! Draw it right now!"

"Congratulations, host. You have obtained 1 blue special card and 1 red martial arts card."

As soon as he finished speaking, two palm-sized cards appeared out of thin air in his palm, one blue and one red, their light subtly shimmering.

He held it in his hand without any hesitation—according to the system prompt, this type of card is only visible to the host, and others cannot detect it at all.

The moment the fingertip touches the screen, the information is automatically transmitted into the mind's consciousness:

[Special Blue Card]: Twenty years of internal cultivation.

[Red Martial Arts Card]: Thirteen Deadly Swords.

Lin Tian's breath hitched, and a surge of wild joy rushed to his head.

Internal strength! Swordsmanship! These are exactly what he lacks most right now!

In this martial arts world, internal energy cultivation levels are divided into third-rate, second-rate, and first-rate, followed by the four acquired realms, the four innate realms, the four legendary realms, and finally the four mythical realms...

A higher level? The system remained silent on the matter.

However, it also stated that The Smiling, Proud Wanderer belongs to the Dharma-ending Age, where the number of innate experts can be counted on one's fingers, let alone legends and myths, which simply do not exist.

Lin Tian didn't press the matter.

Knowing too much is not necessarily a blessing.

The most crucial thing right now is that he is too young and his internal strength foundation is almost zero. The internal strength infusion over the past twenty years has directly propelled him from the initial second-rate level to the peak of the first-rate level!

Of the Thirteen Protectors of Songshan who roamed the martial world, only the First Protector, Pagoda-Bearing Hand Ding Mian, the Second Protector, Crane-Hand Lu Bai, and the Third Protector, Great Songyang Hand Le Hou, had reached the Acquired Realm. The remaining ten were only at the First-Class Realm.

An eighteen-year-old top expert?!

Such a prodigy is a once-in-a-century talent!

Lin Tian was deeply shaken.

With twenty years of refined internal energy directly injected into him, he could instantly join the ranks of the top tier in the martial arts world—it should be known that many small sect leaders, despite their best efforts, could not even reach the threshold of the first tier, and some even spent their entire lives stuck at the peak of the second tier.

Without the slightest hesitation, he clenched his right hand, and the dark blue card shattered instantly.

In an instant, a vast and pure true energy erupted from his palm, like a river flowing backward, surging into his limbs and bones, and was completely refined into a part of the attack technique he cultivated—the Mind-Intent Qi Hunyuan Gong.

This technique, also known as the "Shaoyang Divine Skill," is one of the seventy-two Shaolin arts and is a specialized internal energy cultivation method practiced at the Bodhidharma Academy.

Although it is not as all-encompassing as the Yi Jin Jing or Xi Sui Jing, nor as profound and enduring as the Huashan Zixia Divine Skill, it is still considered a top-tier internal skill in the world of "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer".

When Lin Zhennan passed on this skill, he was evasive and kept silent about why the Lin family's ancestral martial arts originated from Shaolin.

Ke Lin Tianxin is as clear as a mirror.

Lin Yuantu, the ancestor of the Lin family, was a man who traveled the world in disguise.

Lin Tian knew even better—Lin Yuantu had once entered Shaolin Temple and studied under the contemporary abbot, Zen Master Hongye.

As a disciple personally taught by the abbot, it is perfectly normal for him to master several of the seventy-two unique skills.

Perhaps he knew more than one or two other internal martial arts, but only the "Heart-Mind Qi Hunyuan Gong" is a balanced and unassuming internal martial art suitable for being passed down from generation to generation.

If other deadly and ruthless skills are left behind, it will only bring disaster and harm future generations.

Because it is internal energy transformed from cards, the refining speed is extremely fast.

In just a few breaths, his twenty years of cultivation had been completely integrated into his own, perfectly matching the "Mind, Intent, Qi, and Primordial Power" and becoming one with it.

His eyes suddenly narrowed, a sharp glint flashing in his pupils.

Lin Tian raised his hand and thrust out a palm, creating a howling wind and surging waves of energy.

More than ten meters away, an old elm tree that required two people to hug suddenly shook violently, its branches and leaves swaying wildly, and yellow leaves falling in a flurry as if swept by a storm.

"This... is the power of a top-tier master?!"

Lin Tian stared at the scene before him, his heart still reeling.

Although he had reached the peak of the first-class level, Yu Canghai, that dwarf, was after all a fourth-level acquired expert—even if he had only just entered this realm, he was not someone that ordinary first-class experts could contend with.

But a slight smile played on his lips, and a fierce fighting spirit surged in his eyes.

"That's enough for me."

With a burning gaze, he slowly looked at another crimson card in his hand.

Thirteen Deadly Swords!!

The world may not know his name, but Lin Tian knows all too well what kind of extraordinary talent lies behind those five words.

Compared to Jin Yong's martial arts world, the swordsmen in Gu Long's works are truly a constellation of stars, a constellation of geniuses...

Fang Baoyu, Mu Daoren, Jing Wuming, A Fei, Xue Yiren, Ziyi Hou, Yan Nantian... each name is an embodiment of the ultimate swordsmanship.