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

Whispers spread through the crowd, and skepticism was written on everyone's face. Under such a clear blue sky, who would believe he could truly command the wind and rain?

On the high platform, Lin Tian stood with his hands behind his back, eyes closed and mind focused. He held a few petals of the thousand-year-old Tianshan snow lotus between his lips, the chill seeping into his body and quietly nourishing his depleted true essence.

Suddenly—

His eyes snapped open, gleaming with a sharp light, and he pointed a finger at the sky, his voice booming like thunder:

"The wind is blowing!"

In an instant, a gale howled, whipping up clouds of dust and sand, making people's robes flutter loudly!

"The wind... the wind has really picked up!!"

"It's gone! It's really gone!"

"No! Impossible!" Jia Sidao's pupils constricted sharply, his voice trembling. "This is a coincidence...it must be a coincidence!"

Lin Tian ignored him, took another step, his hands slicing through the air as he roared:

"Clouds rise!"

Before the words were even finished, dark clouds suddenly surged out of nowhere in the cloudless blue sky, like a surging black tide, instantly covering the sky and completely swallowing the blazing sun!

Lin Tian's face paled slightly. He quietly swallowed the flower petal in his mouth, and a cool stream of true energy circulated through his limbs and bones, allowing him to stabilize himself. He sighed inwardly: "Even with my current cultivation at the first level of the legendary realm, I still find it difficult to use 'Summoning Wind and Rain.' I've only gone halfway through, and my true energy is almost exhausted. Fortunately, the thousand-year-old snow lotus has kept me alive."

He put a few more petals in his mouth, took a deep breath, and roared back:

"Thunderous roar!"

Rumble—!

Thunder rumbled across the sky, and lightning danced wildly in the depths of the dark clouds, as if the heavens and earth were responding to his command!

The wind rises, the clouds surge, thunder roars...

Emperor Lizong of Song, Zhao Yun, and the powerful minister Jia Sidao, sitting below the stage, were both dumbfounded, their eyes almost bulging out.

"This...this is clearly a celestial anomaly! The heavens are connected to the earth, could it really be an immortal descending to earth?" Zhao Yun murmured to himself, his voice trembling.

"It's fake...it must be an illusion!" Jia Sidao gritted his teeth and growled, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. "It can't possibly work! It can't possibly rain! This is just a trick! Yes, it must be a trick!"

But the next moment—

Lin Tian took one last breath, swallowing the remaining petals. His true essence surged back, and he pressed his arms down sharply, his voice shaking the heavens.

"Rain is falling!"

wow——

The first raindrop fell on the scorching ground, sending up a wisp of white smoke.

Then, the second drop, the third drop...

The drizzle turned into a downpour!

In a short while, a torrential downpour began, drenching the imperial city and washing away the dust of the world!

"It's raining! It's really raining!!"

"Your Highness possesses extraordinary abilities; you are truly a deity!"

"Prime Minister Jia has been defeated! He has lost all face!"

"Let's see how he gets out of this mess! Does His Highness really intend to take his life?"

The officials were in an uproar, and they all knelt down and kowtowed, their eyes filled with awe and fear as they looked at Lin Tian.

Zhao Yun gazed up at the rain-soaked sky, trembling with excitement: "One moment the sky was cloudless, and the next it's pouring! The heavens have reversed their fate, they're blessed! Hahaha... This is truly an omen of the revival of our Great Song Dynasty!"

"This...how is this possible..." Jia Sidao staggered backward, his face ashen, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

"Tian'er's methods are unpredictable." Ma Yu stroked his beard and sighed, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes.

Lin Tian's true energy gradually recovered, reaching over 70%. He didn't linger any longer; with a light touch of his toes, his figure soared through the air like a crane, landing gracefully in front of Zhao Yun.

"Hahaha! Tian'er! You have indeed defied fate! Tomorrow we will hold the ancestral worship ceremony, grant you the right to return to your ancestral lineage and be reinstated as a member of the royal family!" Zhao Yun was overjoyed and grabbed Lin Tian's arm.

Lin Tian smiled faintly: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. There is no need to change my surname for now. I am moved by the divine revelation that if I cultivate with the surname 'Lin,' it may extend Your Majesty's life by a hundred years and bring you lasting blessings."

He said it so easily, without batting an eye.

Returning to the Zhao clan? Don't even think about it. If this identity weren't still useful, he wouldn't even bother to glance at Zhao Yun.

Power and wealth were nothing but fleeting clouds in his eyes. The true path to immortality, how could it be tied to a single surname or name?

"Extend...extend his life by a hundred years?!" Zhao Yun's breath hitched, his eyes gleaming. As an emperor, ruling the country, he cherished this life more than anyone else and feared death more than anyone else.

The rain is still falling.

After pondering for a moment, Zhao Yun finally sighed and said, "So be it. Since Tian'er is destined to be with the Lin family, his path of cultivation will continue with the Lin surname. But the position of Crown Prince is rightfully yours."

Lin Tian nodded slightly, then turned his gaze to the dejected Jia Sidao beside him. A slight smile played on his lips, but it was cold: "Prime Minister Jia, isn't it time to honor our bet?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Sidao trembled violently, his knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground with a thud, ignoring the mud and water splashing everywhere. He kowtowed repeatedly, tears streaming down his face, and cried out, "Your Majesty! Although this old minister has made mistakes, I have been loyal and devoted for many years, even to the point of sacrificing my life. I beg you to have mercy and spare this old minister's life!"

Looking at his disheveled state, Zhao Yun recalled the past relationship between the emperor and his subject, and his heart stirred slightly. He turned to Lin Tian and said, "Tian'er, Prime Minister Jia misspoke and his crime does not warrant death. This time... let's forgive him."

"Since Emperor Lizong has spoken, I will obey." Lin Tian said calmly, as if he had everything under control.

"Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Your Highness!" Jia Sidao was overjoyed, kowtowing repeatedly and weeping with happiness.

Lin Tian just gave a cold laugh, his voice as light as the wind: "I'll let you off the hook, but fate... might not allow it."

Before he could finish speaking, the ground suddenly cracked open, and a bottomless crevice ripped down. Before he could even react, Jia Sidao could only let out half a scream before he plunged into the abyss.

"ah--!!"

The lingering sound abruptly ended.

The crack was seven or eight zhang deep, with jagged rocks everywhere. How could someone as old and frail as Jia Sidao possibly survive a fall into it?

Lin Tian stood with his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent: "Your Majesty, I am the man chosen by Heaven. For Prime Minister Jia to be my enemy is to defy Heaven, and today's retribution is truly divine punishment. I hope Your Majesty will see the truth."

Zhao Yun stared at the crack, his pupils shrinking slightly. The earth splitting open out of thin air? This was beyond human capability! He was already eight or nine parts convinced, waved his hand, and said in a deep voice:

"Guards, bury Jia Sidao..."

"Your Majesty," Lin Tian suddenly spoke again, his tone solemn, "Now the Mongols are eyeing us covetously, the Liao Dynasty has fallen, and the next one will be our Great Song. Our cavalry is no match for the iron cavalry, but there are countless extraordinary people and heroes in the martial world. If we can gather this force, we will surely become the mainstay in the fight against the Mongols. I humbly request Your Majesty to allow me to unite the martial world."

Zhao Yun gazed at him for a moment, then finally nodded: "If the Emperor is willing to dedicate himself to the country, how could I refuse?"

Lin Tian's eyes flashed, and he silently thought:

After three years of seclusion, the twelfth relief of the War God's Manual has finally been completed, reaching the peak of the first realm of the Legendary Realm. All twenty-seven True Formless Sword Bones have been forged, making my physical strength twenty-seven times that of an ordinary person. Even if there are old monsters lurking deep within the martial world, what do I have to fear?

Name: Lin Tian

Age: 26

Supernatural powers: Driving mountains and rivers, summoning wind and rain

Understanding of artistic conception: The conception of death [perfect], the conception of earth [perfect], the conception of water [perfect].

Cultivation level: First stage of the Legendary Realm

Cultivation Techniques: War God's Manual [Twelfth Relief], Nuwa's Visualization Method, Formless Sword Bone [Twenty-Seven True Formless Sword Bones]

Martial arts skills: Deadly Sword [Seventeenth Sword Realm], Nine Yin Martial Arts [Transcending Mortality]...

"My lord, we have intelligence." A shrill voice came from outside the door.

"Enter."

A young man in a light blue outfit pushed open the door and entered; he had a handsome face and a neat demeanor.

"Speak," Lin Tian said without looking up.

During these three years, he did not sit idly in the court. He carefully selected 108 eunuchs from the palace to form the Thirty-Six Heavenly Guards, taught them the "Sunflower Manual," and entrusted them with personal secrets; he also established the Seventy-Two Earthly Guards, passed on the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual," and guarded the Seventy-Two Heavenly Pavilions scattered throughout the world.

Today, even the weakest of the Heavenly Guardians has reached the initial stage of the Innate Realm, while the strongest is only at the minor stage of the Innate Realm—after all, the major stage of the Innate Realm requires merging with the power of heaven and earth, and it is difficult to break through by force through offensive techniques.

The seventy-two guardians of the Earthly Branch are all at the Acquired Perfection level, forming an undercurrent that cannot be ignored.