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

It was late autumn, and a cold rain had fallen last night, making the air so damp you could wring water out of it. The colorful python robe was thick and heavy, and normally it would take three or four days to dry completely, but now he was expected to dry it overnight—wasn't that deliberately making things difficult for him?

In the courtyard, he squatted by the basin, washing his robe, and muttered to himself, "Sigh... Ever since Eunuch Xu was promoted to Grand Eunuch, life has become harder and harder. I heard that two more eunuchs went missing from the Directorate of Ceremonial the night before last, said to have been taken away by evil spirits... I wish that ghost would come right now and take me away with it, rather than suffer here."

Before the words were finished, a voice echoed softly:

"Alright, since you want to leave—then come with me."

With a "splash," the little eunuch's hand trembled, the basin overturned, and the water spilled. He jumped up in fright, and when he looked closely, he saw a dark figure standing in front of him. He was instantly terrified, fell to the ground with a thud, his legs kicking backward, and screamed:

"A ghost...a ghost!! No...don't come any closer!!"

Lin Tian frowned, somewhat speechless. Why was he always mistaken for a ghost every time he appeared?

He pointed to the long, thin shadow cast by the moonlight on the ground and said calmly, "Open your eyes wide and look carefully. Do ghosts have shadows?"

The young eunuch blinked, then, recognizing the shadow swaying in the wind, he breathed a sigh of relief and murmured, "So...it was a person? Ghosts really don't have shadows..."

But as soon as he finished speaking, he froze again: Something's not right! This person isn't dressed in palace attire, nor does he look like a eunuch... Could he be... an assassin?!

Lin Tian, ​​too lazy to guess what was going on in his mind, simply said, "You just said you hoped the evil spirits would capture you? I'm here now. I'll give you a chance—are you willing to leave the palace with me?"

"Leave the palace?" The little eunuch's pupils dilated, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

The Forbidden City is magnificent and resplendent, but that is all the emperor's glory.

Who would willingly become a eunuch? Especially someone like him, a nobody with no connections. If he weren't desperate and unable to survive, who would willingly enter the palace to suffer such torment?

But the next second, he hesitated, stammering, "You...you want to take me away, do you want to eat me? Or...do you have some kind of special fetish?"

"Special fetish?" Lin Tian almost choked on his breath upon hearing this, his temples throbbing.

If it weren't for your decent physique, I would have cleaved you in two with a single sword strike without hesitation.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and said coldly, "Don't worry about me. I have no interest in men. Come with me, and I'll guarantee you a life of luxury and endless wealth. All you have to do is obey me. Answer me in three seconds."

He traveled a long distance to the capital, his purpose quite clear—

Take a few eunuchs from the Forbidden City, practice the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual, cultivate a loyal force, and protect the Lin family's foundation.

These past few days, several eunuchs have gone missing, and rumors in the palace are spreading like wildfire, saying that evil spirits are claiming their lives. Lin Tian just wanted to roll his eyes: What ghosts? He did it all himself.

He selects people regardless of their qualifications.

Before the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual, what does talent matter? You claim to have unparalleled talent, cultivating twice as fast as the average person? In the martial world, Wudang and Emei would be vying to take you as a disciple. But under this attack method, everyone's cultivation speed increases thirtyfold—how much difference is there between thirty times and thirty-one times?

It doesn't matter.

Therefore, what Lin Tian truly cares about is character.

Even if he possesses the Soul Transfer Technique and can control someone temporarily, he cannot control them forever. If he raises a thankless wretch who turns on him and brings disaster to the Lin family, then it would be a losing proposition.

The words had barely left his mouth when—before he could even count to three—

With a thud, the young eunuch knelt on the ground, his voice trembling but firm:

"My lord! Please save me! I am willing to obey your orders for life, even unto death!"

Lin Tian wasn't surprised by the young eunuch's straightforward response. He had secretly observed the boy several times before—even among a group of low-ranking eunuchs, he was the worst off. Having pulled him out of that hellhole, why wouldn't he be grateful and devoted to him?

"Is there anything I absolutely need to bring?" Lin Tian asked casually.

"Reporting to you, sir, there's nothing there," the little eunuch answered readily. He was just a servant eunuch, without even a master, so what valuable things could he possibly have?

Lin Tian nodded slightly, grabbed his shoulder, and with a light step, the two of them soared into the air like crows, instantly leaping onto the rooftop.

"Including this guy, we've gathered a total of eighteen people in the past few days, which is about right. Any more would be difficult to manage and train. With a little training, these eighteen will become eighteen post-natal peak masters in less than a month. Coupled with the Seventy-Two Styles of the Evil-Repelling Sword Technique... I wouldn't dare say they could sweep through the martial world, but protecting the Lin family would be more than enough."

Just as he was pondering this, an old voice suddenly rang in his ears, as if drifting from the depths of the underworld:

"I've lived for a hundred years, what strange things haven't I seen? I've seen a few thieves break into the palace. But someone who specifically came in to 'kidnap' a young eunuch—hey, you're the first one."

Before he could finish speaking, the hairs on Lin Tian's body suddenly stood on end!

Ten steps away, on the rooftop, stood an old eunuch. He wore a coarse eunuch's robe, nine-tenths of his hair was white as snow, and his face was covered with scars, like the curses etched by time.

Lin Tian paused, his gaze piercing like a knife, but his heart was filled with turbulent waves.

He is now at the peak of the Acquired Realm, and especially after spending the last two months studying the "Nuwa Diagram" day and night, his spiritual senses have become so acute that they are almost at the level of the Profound Realm. Let alone those who have just achieved the initial stage of the Innate Realm, even those who have only achieved the minor stage of the Innate Realm cannot get within ten feet of him silently. Only those who have achieved the great stage of the Innate Realm, whose aura is in harmony with heaven and earth, can completely conceal their presence.

The old man before us appeared silently, without us even noticing the slightest disturbance.

—At least at the level of innate mastery!

The four innate realms are: initial achievement, minor achievement, major achievement, and perfection.

Once the Ren and Du meridians are opened, a "bridge between heaven and earth" is built within the body, and the acquired internal energy begins to reverse its innate state, which is the initial stage of success.

Once all twelve regular meridians and eight extraordinary meridians are fully connected, forming an internal circulation, acquired power continuously transforms into innate true energy until complete transformation occurs, thus reaching the minor stage of mastery. This stage is extremely time-consuming; even with exceptional talent, without a fortuitous encounter, it may take ten or twenty years to break through. Feng Qingyang's current predicament at the initial stage is a case in point.

As for moving from minor achievements to major achievements, it is an insurmountable bottleneck.

Only by resonating the internal circulation with the universe, drawing in external energy, and truly achieving a state of continuous and inexhaustible internal strength, can one cross the threshold of mastery. At this point, one's aura can be hidden in the void, completely undetectable to those of lower levels.

The innate perfection is the transformation of true qi into a protective aura, which is released outward and condenses into a three-foot-high qi wall, impervious to swords and blades, and unharmed by water and fire.

Now, this person stood before him—completely lifeless, like a phantom.

Such an old monster was hidden in the palace? Lin Tian never expected this.