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

Lin Tian met his gaze and said calmly, "Things have come to this point, and instead of trying to make amends, you're courting death? To end it all is nothing but a cowardly act."

"That's right, Brother Jing!" Huang Rong rushed forward, gripping his arm tightly, tears welling in her eyes. "What can death solve? You must live to shoulder your responsibilities!"

"Father, please don't..." Guo Fu also choked up as she tried to persuade him.

"Uncle Guo, the martial world still needs you to hold it together," Yang Guo said in a low voice.

Guo Jing's throat bobbed, his face turning pale and then flushed, and he finally hissed, "I...I will go to the government office immediately to turn myself in and accept punishment according to the law!" After saying that, he turned to leave, but Huang Rong couldn't stop him.

"Senior Brother Guo." Lin Tian suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, but it made him pause.

"You just mentioned Hong Qigong?" Lin Tian's eyes flashed. "You don't know where he is, but I do—two years ago, he joined my Heaven and Earth Pavilion. Right now, he's leading his brothers infiltrating the northern border to cut off the Mongol army's supply lines. In the past two years, no fewer than two thousand Mongol generals and soldiers have died at his hands."

He paused, his gaze fixed intently on Guo Jing: "Your martial arts have reached the Lesser Completion of the Innate Realm, unmatched among the Five Greats. Even surrounded by a thousand troops, you could fight your way in and out seven times, emerging unscathed!"

"Have you ever considered this—if you kill ten Mongol soldiers every day, that's three hundred a month, three thousand six hundred a year, and thirty-six thousand in ten years! Wouldn't such a record be far more substantial than sitting here at Dasheng Pass and talking about 'League of Legends'?!"

He did not deny the value of the alliance—if it could truly unite the martial arts world, it would indeed be a world-shaking force. But the prerequisite is that the martial arts world can truly unite.

But Guo Jing... isn't qualified.

To lead a group of heroes requires not only strength, but also wisdom and cunning. Guo Jing was kind, but too naive.

Lin Tian was qualified, but he disdained it. Three years ago, he established the Heaven and Earth Pavilion precisely because he never believed in those empty and profit-driven "orthodox martial arts."

Guo Jing stood frozen in place, as if struck by lightning.

Throughout his life, he firmly believed that a single tree cannot support a great building, and only by pooling the strength of the masses can the country be saved from peril. Yet he never imagined that even the strength of one person, if persistent, could accumulate like grains of sand to form a tower that could shake mountains and rivers.

"As for your mistakes today..." Lin Tian spoke slowly, his tone suddenly softening, "I—will let bygones be bygones."

"Forgive me for my innocence... Junior Brother Zhitian, you—" Guo Jing's pupils dilated, his face filled with astonishment.

"Insolence!" Tianyi stepped forward coldly, his aura domineering. "Your Excellency is the Crown Prince, the only bloodline of Emperor Lizong. Are you perhaps not worthy of the power to pardon you?!"

Tai...Prince? !

The rightful heir to the throne of the Song Dynasty?!

The words "Crown Prince" exploded like a thunderclap, instantly silencing the entire audience. Everyone's expression changed, and even their breathing faltered.

"But, but Junior Brother Zhitian, aren't you surnamed Lin? How could you be..." Guo Jing's lips trembled slightly, his shock still lingering, now tinged with doubt.

"Lin is the surname of your maternal clan, Your Excellency," Tianyi explained calmly before Lin Tian could speak. "To pray for the Emperor Lizong's well-being, Your Excellency joined the Quanzhen Sect using your maternal surname. Upon your ascension to the throne, you will naturally revert to the Zhao family's orthodoxy."

"This...this..." Guo Jing's mind was in a whirl, and he was unable to recover for a moment.

Since the Northern Song Dynasty, scholars have been valued and martial arts despised; no matter how high one's rank in the martial arts world, one is still nothing more than a commoner. And yet, the person he had always addressed as his "junior brother" was actually the future emperor?!

Absurd, yet so real it's suffocating.

"Does Senior Brother Guo believe it or not?" Lin Tian chuckled, turning his gaze to Huang Rong. "And what does Chief Huang think?"

Huang Rong's eyes flickered violently. After a moment of silence, she slowly nodded: "I believe you."

Her voice was clear and cold, yet every word was firm: "In just three years, to elevate the Heaven and Earth Pavilion to a behemoth capable of rivaling half of the martial world is something only the imperial court could accomplish. As the master of the Heaven and Earth Pavilion, how could he casually impersonate the Crown Prince? If Brother Lin doesn't possess imperial blood, who else could pull off such a feat?"

After speaking, she straightened her clothes, knelt down, and bowed solemnly: "This humble subject, Huang Rong, greets Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"This humble subject, Guo Jing, greets Your Highness the Crown Prince." Guo Jing suddenly realized what was happening and knelt down with a thud.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince!" The crowd knelt down one after another, their shouts echoing throughout the courtyard.

"Get up, all of you." Lin Tian gently raised his hand, his tone calm, yet it carried an undeniable air of authority.

"Your Highness...I..." Guo Jing lowered his head, overwhelmed with shame. Suddenly, he prostrated himself again, clasped his hands in a fist, and said in a deep voice, "Please allow me to join the Heaven and Earth Pavilion! I, Guo, am willing to use my martial arts to atone for my foolishness today!"

"The martial world is far removed from the imperial court, so Senior Brother Guo need not stand on ceremony." Lin Tian smiled gently. "You can still call me Junior Brother. If you wish to join the Pavilion, I will welcome you with open arms."

Guo Jing felt a surge of warmth in his heart, his eyes reddening slightly, and he replied emphatically, "Senior Brother's martial arts are superb. If there are any dangerous or difficult missions, please feel free to give the order!"

Despite his status as the Crown Prince, he still treated his fellow disciples as fellow students—this bond was as heavy as a mountain.

Lin Tian's gaze sharpened slightly as he looked into the distance: "The Mongols have long coveted Xiangyang. Now that the Golden Wheel Monk is dead, they will surely use this as a pretext to launch an attack. Within three months, war will break out. Once this matter is settled, Senior Brother Guo should immediately head to Xiangyang. At that time, ninety percent of the brothers from the Heaven and Earth Pavilion will come to our aid."

He surveyed his surroundings, his gaze sharp as a knife, and no one dared to meet his eyes.

"You've all heard me clearly." His voice suddenly turned cold as he stood with his hands behind his back. "In three months, I will be facing the Mongols head-on. I have no time for pretense. I'm giving you one month—just one month—for everyone to register at the Heaven and Earth Pavilion. With the nation in peril, obey my orders!"

"Those who fail to register by the deadline—will be executed!"

"Anyone who disobeys orders from their sect will be annihilated!"

"Remember this, there's only one of you—get out!"

The cold sound faded, and all was silent.

This major battle was planned based on his analysis of the Mongol army's intelligence, supply lines, and scout movements. He could not allow chaos to break out in the rear, nor could he allow himself to be attacked from both sides.

In two months, he will use ruthless methods to control the entire martial arts world.

Since the Heaven and Earth Pavilion is named after "Heaven and Earth", it should be able to devour the martial arts world and suppress the eight wastelands!

A dragon that lies dormant in the abyss will one day soar into the sky.

When the Heaven and Earth Pavilion truly revealed its fangs, the martial arts world realized that what they had seen in the past was merely the tip of the iceberg.

The seventy-two Pavilion Masters are all experts at the peak of the Acquired Realm—they could all be considered among the Five Great Masters in the martial world. And there are a total of seventy-two such masters in the Heaven and Earth Pavilion!

Grand Pavilion Master Lin Tian is a perfected innate master with unparalleled cultivation. His status is also extremely noble—the Crown Prince of the current dynasty and the only son of Emperor Lizong!

There are even rumors that he has a secret guard of the number of Heavenly Gang, each of whom has reached the Innate Realm, who follow him like a shadow and kill without leaving a trace.

The order from the Heaven and Earth Pavilion is as firm as a mountain: all martial arts practitioners must register within a specified period; all sects must obey.

Such an overbearing declaration naturally aroused countless grievances. Many powerful figures openly challenged it, sect leaders glared at each other angrily, and undercurrents were surging.

No one who steps into this world survives to see the next sunrise.

The seventy-two pavilions mobilized all their forces, and in just seven days, forty-four sects were destroyed, nearly a thousand martial artists perished, and blood stained the mountains and rivers.

Killing one person is a crime, slaughtering ten thousand makes one a hero, but only by slaughtering nine million can one become a peerless tyrant.

If they had only slain two or three sects, the Heaven and Earth Pavilion might have been branded as a demon. But when their blades fell and mountains of corpses piled up, the martial world would no longer dare to call them demons—because the victors define good and evil, and the strong establish their own laws.

Will such ruthless suppression provoke resistance?