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

……

Xiangyang City was a major town that dominated the north and south hundreds of years ago.

Especially during the late Southern Song Dynasty, the great hero Guo Jing defended this place for more than 30 years, transforming it into a spiritual totem in the hearts of people in the martial arts world.

Zuixianlou is located in the bustling southern part of the city.

The name sounds ethereal, but it's actually just an ordinary tavern with a diverse mix of people. From peddlers to wandering knights, you can find all sorts of people there.

Lin Tian often ate at places like this. It wasn't that he couldn't afford high-end restaurants—Madam Wang had given him tens of thousands of taels of silver when he left, showing how wealthy she was. But he knew that these kinds of places were where he was most well-informed.

"Hey, have you heard? The biggest mountain stronghold in Hubei, Kuangfeng Village, was raided a couple of days ago! And burned to the ground; smoke is still rising from the mountain! Amazing! Even the entire Hengshan Sect couldn't take it down last time, so who did it this time? It's practically acting on behalf of Heaven!"

"You don't even know who he is, so what are you bragging about?"

"Who is it? Tell me quickly!"

"Who else could it be? The Deadly Sword! This ruthless man has taken down dozens of strongholds in Fujian and Jiangxi in just six months. Now, with the addition of Mad Wind Stronghold, he has wiped out thirty-eight bandit groups in the southern outlaw world. Which mountain stronghold doesn't tremble at the mention of his name?"

"I heard he's only in his early twenties? What kind of genius is he?"

"He's most likely a disciple of Wudang or the Five Mountains Sword Sect. But since he uses a sword, it's more likely he's from the Five Mountains."

"At such a young age, he truly deserves the title of 'great hero'."

……

Hearing the murmurs around him, and realizing that he was the one being talked about, Lin Tian simply took a sip of his wine, his expression indifferent.

Having lived two lives, he's over forty in terms of mental age, a proper middle-aged man, so he wouldn't get carried away by such a compliment.

"Hey, let's not talk about the deadly sword. Let me tell you a strange story—I went outside the city a couple of days ago and almost didn't make it back alive. I ran into something weird!"

"What is it? Tell me about it!"

"It looks like a snake, but it's much thicker and bigger. It has two fleshy horns on its head, its whole body glows with golden light, and it runs as fast as the wind!"

The speaker was a burly man dressed in coarse cloth, with a serious expression and a firm tone.

"Hahaha, Old Wang, are you drunk again? Are your eyes playing tricks on you? I've lived in Xiangyang for over ten years, what haven't I seen outside the city? Where did this monster come from?"

"Haha, he probably got drunk again and got kicked out by his wife, so he's making up stories to feel important!"

"I'm not lying! I really saw it with my own eyes!" Old Wang said anxiously, his face turning red.

Just then, a deep voice came from behind him:

"Where can I find that thing you're talking about?"

Right now, the biggest bottleneck for Kalin Tian is his internal energy cultivation—if he can get enough Bodhi snake gallbladders, he is absolutely confident that he can break through to the Acquired Realm in a short time!

Once he steps into the Acquired Realm, coupled with the already unparalleled Fourteenth Sword Realm "Thirteen Deadly Swords", in the entire Smiling Proud Wanderer, apart from the two Innate Realm monsters, Feng Qingyang and Dongfang Bubai, even top masters like Zuo Lengchan who have reached the Acquired Realm perfection would not be able to withstand three moves from him!

……

"The kind of thing you're talking about... can you really find it?" Lin Tian's eyes were like torches as he stared intently at the burly man in front of him, known as Old Wang, his tone filled with barely suppressed urgency.

The burly man was taken aback, then glared at him and retorted, "Young man, do you believe what I'm saying?"

"Um."

Lin Tian nodded, his voice following closely, "Big brother, where did you see that thing?"

"I went to the south side of the city to gather some herbs, but who knew I'd run into that thing!" The burly man was still shaken, swallowing hard. "If I hadn't run fast, the grass on my grave would be two meters high by now."

"South of Xiangyang City... towards the Sword Tomb..." Lin Tian's eyes suddenly lit up. "It really is the Bodhi Serpent, no doubt about it."

With a sudden thought, he lightly flicked his fingertips.

A silver note fell silently and came to a steady stop on the table.

Lin Tian said calmly, "Take me to where you are, and this ticket is yours."

"No, no! That thing is too evil, I don't want to go again..." He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.

His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he stared intently at the piece of paper—

Five...five hundred taels?!

Having lived most of his life, he had never even seen fifty taels of silver at once, let alone such a large sum of money that could buy a house, get married, or acquire land!

The next instant, his movements were so swift it was as if he had become a different person. He grabbed the silver note and stuffed it into his pocket, clutching his chest tightly with both hands as if afraid it would be snatched away. Only then, panting heavily, did he look at Lin Tian:

"No...no problem! Young man, if you want to leave now, I can lead the way!"

"Then stop dawdling." Lin Tian stood up and casually tossed out a few pieces of silver. "This meal on the table is on me."

"Oh... okay! Thanks, thanks!" The burly man nodded and bowed repeatedly.

……

"Young man, this is it." After hurrying all the way to the desolate wilderness south of the city, the burly man pointed to the grassy area ahead, "I ran into it here a couple of days ago. Look, this mark on the ground, that's where it crawled."

Lin Tian was about to step forward to check when suddenly—

"call out!!"

A golden light shot out from the bushes, as fast as lightning, heading straight for Lin Tian's throat!

"Ah!! A monster...a monster is here!" The burly man was terrified on the spot, his voice trembling.

Instead of being surprised, Lin Tian's face showed a hint of wild joy.

That golden figure… isn’t it his target for this trip—the Bodhi Serpent?!

Its speed was indeed astonishing; an ordinary second-rate martial artist would probably not even have time to react. But in Lin Tian's eyes, it was nothing more than an elite monster that gave him experience points.

With a slight flick of his wrist, the Pearl Sword was drawn from its sheath.

A flash of sword light, swift and decisive.

The snake's head, which was over ten feet long, was severed with a snap. Its remaining body twitched twice before collapsing with a thud.

The burly man remained frozen in place, his face as white as paper, as if he had been immobilized.

It took a long while for him to come to his senses.

But when his gaze fell upon the sword in Lin Tian's hand, inlaid with thirteen bright pearls—

I'm dumbfounded again.

"Ten...thirteen bright pearls?! You...you could you be...the 'Deadly Sword' that wiped out the Mad Wind Stronghold?!"

"Heh." Lin Tian chuckled lightly, neither confirming nor denying.

He simply said, "Hurry up and leave. There might be more than one here. If another one comes, I can't protect you."

The burly man, who had been full of excitement, suddenly shuddered upon hearing this, his hair standing on end, and all his previous excitement vanished. He quickly waved his hands.

"Young hero, please take care! I... I'll be leaving now!" Before he finished speaking, he turned and ran away.

Once the figure disappeared into the distance, Lin Tiancai slowly squatted down and began to dispose of the Bodhi snake's corpse.

With a precise flick of the sword tip, it pierced seven inches into the ground.

A snake gallbladder the size of a pigeon egg, dark green in color, was picked out, emitting a pungent, fishy stench.

The smell was more deadly than a three-day-old rotten seafood mixed with durian bomb; it could practically send a person to heaven on the spot.

Frowning slightly, Lin Tian didn't hesitate for a moment, tilting his head back and swallowing the gall bladder of the Bodhi snake in one gulp. In an instant, an extremely pure heat burst forth from his stomach, surging like a river, rushing straight to his limbs, bones, and internal organs.

The overwhelming power was so immense that he immediately sat cross-legged, focused his mind, and began to circulate his Mind-Intent Qi-Mixed Yuan Gong.

The vital energy surged like a tide, rushing through the meridians and transforming entirely into profound internal strength.

"Damn, no wonder it's the gallbladder of the Bodhi snake! What I gained in half a day is equivalent to more than a month of my hard training. It's practically a cheat code!" Lin Tian was shocked and couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"The itinerary needs to be changed. There are still more than half a year before Yu Canghai makes his move, so it's better to stay here and cultivate in seclusion. Only when I break through to the Acquired Realm will I be qualified to roam freely in this martial world."

Without hesitation, he built a thatched hut in the mountains and hid there, devoting himself to spiritual practice.

.....................

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye. Lin Tian had already transformed into the "Snake Demon Killer." Every Bodhi Snake he could find outside Xiangyang City was killed without exception.

At this moment, he sat quietly in the thatched hut, with a green lotus leaf spread out in front of him, on which were neatly arranged a dozen snake gallbladders, each one as big as an egg, gleaming with a faint light.

"The Bodhi Serpents in the valley have been mostly cleared out; this should be the final harvest. My eight extraordinary meridians have long been loosened, just one step away from completion. Now, with the accumulated essence and energy, this breakthrough is a sure thing! It might even—likely—skip the initial stage of the Acquired Realm and step directly into the minor stage of the Acquired Realm!!"

Once the thought was formed, he no longer hesitated, reached out and grabbed all the snake gallbladders, swallowing them all.

boom--!

A terrifying surge of energy exploded within his body like a volcanic eruption, engulfing his entire being. Lin Tian, ​​his mind as firm as iron, activated his Mind-Intent Qi-Mixed Yuan Technique, refining this violent energy into pure internal force, launching a fierce attack on his eight extraordinary meridians!

The human body's meridians are divided into the twelve regular meridians and the eight extraordinary meridians. Ordinary martial artists cultivate the twelve regular meridians and reach the peak of the first-rate level after they are fully opened. Only by opening the eight extraordinary meridians can one enter the acquired realm and truly join the ranks of masters.

The fourfold nature of the day after tomorrow:

Initial success, minor success, major success, and perfection.

Once all eight meridians are opened, the Ren and Du meridians can be connected, building a bridge between heaven and earth, and it is hoped that one can break through to the innate level!

At this moment, the internal energy within Lin Tian surged like a burst dam, first rushing towards the Yang Qiao Meridian. Under such a terrifying impact, the Yang Qiao Meridian ruptured instantly, becoming completely unblocked!

But the internal force had not diminished and was unstoppable, crushing through the Yin Qiao Meridian, Yin Wei Meridian, and Yang Wei Meridian in succession, opening all three meridians at once!

With his four meridians connected, Lin Tian's aura surged instantly, and he had already firmly stepped into the peak of the Lesser Acquired Realm! He only needed to break through the Belt Meridian to advance to the Great Acquired Realm.

Although she has only achieved minor mastery at present, such combat power is enough to intimidate any region in the martial arts world. Even the Hengshan Sect Leader, Abbess Dingyi, and the Taishan Sect Master Tianmen have only reached this level.

In terms of true combat strength, let alone those who have achieved minor mastery, even those who have achieved great mastery or perfection in the acquired realm would probably be no match for him.

.........

Suddenly, Lin Tian, ​​who was sitting cross-legged, opened his eyes abruptly. A cold light flashed in his eyes, like a knife being drawn from its sheath, but it disappeared in an instant.

"I'll achieve a minor success the day after tomorrow! These past six months of hardship and sleeping in the open have been worth it." He slowly stood up, his gaze sweeping over the dilapidated thatched hut. "The Bodhi snake is extinct; there's no point in staying any longer. Besides, Yu Canghai's uprising is imminent; it's time to head back to Fuzhou."

Once he made up his mind, he quickly packed his things and walked out of the house without looking back.

Having achieved this level after six months of seclusion, I am already completely satisfied.

But there's still a lingering regret in my heart—

He was never able to find the Sword Tomb of Dugu Qiubai.

That was somewhat expected. After all, The Smiling, Proud Wanderer is a martial arts world, not a fantasy world. The Southern Song Dynasty, where The Return of the Condor Heroes is set, is several hundred years ago. Even the Xuan Tie Heavy Sword, after being eroded by wind and rain, would have long since rusted into scrap iron, not to mention the simple sword tomb in the desolate mountains.

But here's the problem—

Since the Sword Tomb has long been destroyed, where did Feng Qingyang learn the Dugu Nine Swords from?!

Back in Xiangyang, after changing into smart clothes, he led a fine horse, spurred it on, and embarked on his journey home. The winds of Fuzhou were finally about to lift the first curtain on the world of martial arts.

……

Outside Fuzhou city, there is a roadside inn.

"Please come in, sir. What would you like to eat? Our shop is in a remote location, and we can't offer fancy dishes, but we'll provide you with plenty of simple meals."

The hunchbacked old man came out from inside the door, his face beaming with smiles.

Lin Tian's eyes flickered slightly as he glanced at him—his back was bent, but his neck was straight. A truly hunched person's neck would have been crooked long ago; this hunchback was probably an act. Looking at his light, silent steps, landing on his toes first, it was clear he was a seasoned practitioner of light-body techniques.

He immediately realized: this old man was most likely Lao Denuo, the traitor from the Huashan Sect.

Standing beside her was an ugly-faced girl with sharp eyes and brows; it was none other than Yue Lingshan.

"Two catties of beef and half a catty of your best wine," Lin Tian said calmly, then walked to a corner and sat down, his gaze calm and deep.

"Okay! Please have a seat, I'll be right there!"

Lau Denor deserves a resounding acclaim; his performance was so convincing that it's no wonder he was able to infiltrate Huashan and remain an undercover agent for so many years.

The restaurant was deserted; he was the only customer. The dishes were served quickly, and Lin Tian ate slowly and deliberately, without making a sound.