Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

It was nearing noon when Lin Hao finally appeared.

He had been busy for several hours, all for the sake of the Lin family.

However, when he thought about the Cultivation Techniques and martial skills he had organized for the Lin family, a satisfied smile spread across his young face.

Following the scent of wine, Lin Hao was about to look for Lin Tianxiao, but he hadn’t gone far before someone grabbed him by the arms.

"Young Master Lin, you’ve finally appeared." Seeing Lin Hao, Ninety-Five looked so pitiful he was on the verge of tears.

Lin Hao scratched his head, a bit embarrassed. "Uh, Pavilion Master, I know I said I’d treat you to drinks when I got back, but something came up and I got delayed."

"It’s fine, it’s fine! But please, I beg you, tell me about the Harmonization Pill! And that pill you used to heal Brother Lin last time, what was that?!" Ninety-Five’s mind was truly swarming with questions.

These questions were about to drive him mad.

"The Harmonization Pill?" Lin Hao looked confused. He didn’t know what gifts the sect had prepared for his Third Uncle and the others.

"The gifts! There were Harmonization Pills in the gifts! I know it has to be related to you. You can refine Harmonization Pills, can’t you?" Ninety-Five asked, staring at Lin Hao with expectant eyes.

’It’s just a Harmonization Pill, a mere Tier Three pill. Nothing special.’

So, Lin Hao generously nodded and admitted it.

"Young Master Lin, the Treasure Hunting Holy Hall and you are partners. For your sake, my young miss is under immense pressure right now. Could you possibly..."

Before Ninety-Five could finish, Lin Hao had already readily agreed. "No problem! I’ll write down the Harmonization Pill’s formula and hand seals for you. You can give them to Miss Yuxin."

Ninety-Five was stunned.

He had originally only wanted to ask Lin Hao to help refine a few pills, since the Harmonization Pill’s formula had been lost for ages.

But who would have thought that Lin Hao would, without the slightest hesitation, offer to write down the formula and hand seals for him.

He had asked for a sapling, but Lin Hao was offering him an entire forest. The sheer contrast left Ninety-Five reeling in shock.

"Thank you. On behalf of my young miss, I thank you." Coming to his senses, Ninety-Five bowed with his fists clasped, his eyes brimming with tears.

Lin Hao shrugged, replying calmly, "We’re partners, you don’t have to thank me. Besides, I, Lin Hao, am not a petty person. Miss Yuxin has shown me great kindness, and this is just the Harmonization Pill. It’s not worth mentioning."

Just because of a single sentence from him, Wenren Yuxin had dared to openly challenge the Lin family and the Lu family. Though Lin Hao didn’t say it aloud, he had always considered this a great debt of gratitude.

But when Ninety-Five heard these words, he started thinking about something else entirely.

’Just the Harmonization Pill... not worth mentioning.’

Hearing Lin Hao’s tone, he couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.

A pill whose formula had been lost to time was not even worth mentioning in Lin Hao’s mouth.

This was simply astounding!

After managing to suppress the excitement in his heart, Ninety-Five asked tentatively, "That pill you refined for Brother Lin at the Treasure Hunting Pavilion a month ago... what was it?"

"You mean the Life Reviving Pill?" Lin Hao asked.

Ninety-Five didn’t know the pill’s name. Hearing it now, he nodded abruptly.

The name was certainly descriptive.

Lin Hao had already given this pill some thought.

"I believe I gave the formula for that pill to the Treasure Hunting Pavilion’s Alchemy Master," Lin Hao said.

The corner of Ninety-Five’s mouth twitched slightly, and then he nodded.

His memory of that formula was still painfully fresh.

For its sake, he and the Pill Master had unprecedentedly spent half a day searching the latrine.

Hearing Lin Hao bring it up now, he still felt a lingering fear. If they hadn’t found it, would Lin Hao have thought they didn’t value it and, in a fit of anger, refused to work with the Treasure Hunting Holy Hall anymore?

Lin Hao had no idea that a month ago, the dignified Pavilion Master of the Treasure Hunting Pavilion and an Alchemy Master had nearly ended up rummaging through a latrine over a single piece of paper.

Seeing Ninety-Five nod, Lin Hao continued, "I can give you the hand seals for the Life Reviving Pill as well, but I have one condition."

"Name it. I will contact the young miss at once," Ninety-Five said, his expression more solemn than ever.

’For such a heaven-defying pill,’ he thought, ’Lin Hao’s condition surely won’t be ordinary.’

But when Lin Hao stated his condition, Ninety-Five was completely flabbergasted.

"I need Miss Yuxin to provide this pill to the army!"

Ninety-Five froze, finding it hard to believe. "Young Master Lin, that’s your condition?"

This condition was far too simple.

Lin Hao nodded.

The condition was simple, but its implications were anything but.

Ninety-Five immediately understood. "You want to use this to win over the Chen family?"

With the support of two of the great families, Lin Hao would no longer have to fear the Imperial City’s Lin family, or even the sects of the Southern Border Prefecture.

But to his surprise, Lin Hao shook his head, his expression earnest. "No. The Chen family is a line of loyal patriots, and the soldiers serve the nation with utmost loyalty, repelling enemies at our gates. They are the most respectable people. I’m sure that with a great enemy at our doorstep, many of them are burning their Bloodline Power. I don’t wish for them to die tragic, heroic deaths. As for the costs of refining the pills, you can deduct them from my share of the profits."

Upon hearing this, Ninety-Five was filled with a profound sense of respect.

Without another word, he gave Lin Hao a deep, solemn bow.

He had once trained in the army and witnessed countless tragic and heroic deeds. For Lin Hao to possess such a heaven-defying pill and think not of profiting from it, but of benefiting the soldiers—such magnanimity, such spirit, was unparalleled on this continent!

Ninety-Five was thoroughly and completely won over by Lin Hao.

Here and now, he made a silent vow to protect this young man before him, even at the cost of his own life.

"Rest assured. I swear on my life that I will report what you’ve entrusted to me to the young miss, without omitting a single word." Ninety-Five’s eyes shone, and the image of Lin Hao became a monument, deeply seared into his very soul.

"Then wait here for a moment..." With that, Lin Hao turned and walked back towards his own courtyard.

Behind him, Ninety-Five respectfully watched him go.

As he waited, Ninety-Five didn’t feel the slightest trace of impatience.

When Lin Hao appeared again, he held a stack of papers. It was clearly the Harmonization Pill’s formula and hand seals, as well as the hand seals for the Life Reviving Pill.

Ninety-Five accepted them with a solemn expression, then took his leave from Lin Hao.

Lin Hao knew he was in a hurry to return, so he didn’t try to keep him.

The moment he left the Lin family estate, Ninety-Five was already dashing towards the Treasure Hunting Pavilion.

At the Treasure Hunting Pavilion, Ninety-Five summoned his most trusted subordinates and ordered, "I am going to the Imperial City. During my absence, as long as Young Master Lin Hao is in War Dragon City, you must ensure his safety at all costs. You can die, but he is not allowed to suffer even the slightest harm!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Pavilion Master, what matter requires you to make the trip personally? Our intelligence network has never made a mistake."

Ninety-Five replied, "Regarding him, I have a thousand things to say that I must tell the young miss—and my old brothers—in person."

On this day, the Pavilion Master of the Treasure Hunting Pavilion, who had stayed in War Dragon City for ten years, left for the first time, carrying a young man’s hopes with him on the road to the Imperial City.

Just as Ninety-Five was leaving War Dragon City, Lin Hao found Lin Tianxiao.

With fine wine before him, Lin Tianxiao was already blissfully drunk.

"Third Uncle, I need to talk to you about something." Seeing the three empty wine jars beside him, Lin Hao shook his head with a wry smile.

His Third Uncle couldn’t hold his liquor, yet he loved to drink.

"Hao... Hao’Er! Come... Third... Third Uncle toasts you. Without you, the Lin family would’ve been... fin... finished." Lin Tianxiao’s eyes were hazy with drink, and his words were slurred.

Lin Hao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Third Uncle, I have something important to tell you. After I’m done, I’m preparing to leave."

"What? Leave? No! You have to stay... stay a couple more days!" Hearing that Lin Hao was about to leave, Lin Tianxiao seemed to sober up a little.

"On the martial path, if you don’t advance, you fall behind. I must hurry back to the sect to cultivate. That place is a true Holy Land for cultivation. After gaining Chu Tiandu’s memories, I’ve come to new realizations about the martial way, so I must return soon."

"What is it? Go on, I’m listening." Lin Tianxiao cupped his ear, feigning rapt attention.

"I’ve left some Cultivation Techniques and martial skills for the family. You need to urge the family disciples to train hard. If you find any outstanding disciples, you can send them to the Heaven-Stepping Sect. I also prepared something for you seniors. Here, this is for you, Third Uncle."

Lin Hao had been busy for hours, writing out a dozen or so sets of Cultivation Techniques and martial skills. They ranged from the most basic, for the first level of the Blood Coagulation Realm, all the way up to the Soul Gathering Realm.

As he spoke, a martial skill manual appeared in Lin Hao’s hand.

Lin Tianxiao’s eyes immediately locked onto it.

After taking it, he flipped through a few pages. His once hazy, drunken eyes grew brighter and brighter, until they finally regained their full clarity.

"Hao’Er, this... you just wrote this?!"

It was a Profound Level, Low Grade martial skill, perfectly suited for Lin Tianxiao to practice at his current level. Moreover, the ink was barely dry and still gave off a faint scent. Lin Tianxiao could tell.

"Mhm," Lin Hao nodded.

A Profound Level, Low Grade martial skill was incomparably precious. Forget a small place like War Dragon City; even in the Southern Border Prefecture, Martial Artists would fight wildly over it. The fact that Lin Hao could casually produce one left Lin Tianxiao utterly shocked.

However, that wasn’t all.

"There are more than ten other manuals in my room, ranging from Yellow Level to Profound Level of every grade. I’ll have to trouble you to distribute them, Third Uncle," Lin Hao said.

"What?!" Lin Tianxiao cried out in disbelief.

’More than ten martial skill manuals, covering every grade from Yellow Level to Profound Level... ’ He simply couldn’t believe his ears.

SLAP!

Suddenly, Lin Tianxiao raised his hand and slapped himself across the face.

"So it wasn’t a dream," Lin Tianxiao mumbled, clutching his face.

"Hao’Er, I finally understand why you left the main Lin family. With these dozen-plus martial skill manuals, your relationship with the sect, and that mysterious master of yours... given time, our War Dragon City Lin family can truly rise."

Lin Hao smiled and asked, "Then how powerful do you think our Lin family can become, Third Uncle?"

"The whole Southern Border Prefecture... no... a whole province... We could definitely stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Lin family of Imperial City!" Seeing Lin Hao’s expression, Lin Tianxiao kept amending his answer, finally blurting out an ambition so wild he himself barely dared to think it.

Lin Hao shook his head silently, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon.

After obtaining the memories of the Carefree Divine Monarch and Chu Tiandu, Lin Hao knew that the vast Celestial Yang Continent was just a small, insignificant place. Above it was the Divine Demon Destruction Domain.

And even the Divine Demon Destruction Domain might just be a drop in the ocean.

This world was vast, far too vast, and the Lin family was like a single speck of dust within it.

What Lin Hao wanted to do was to vie with the sun and moon for splendor!

Lin Tianxiao’s eyes were filled with shock. ’Could it be that Hao’Er’s goal is to build the Lin family into one of the continent’s top-tier powers?’

That was too astounding!

If Lin Tianxiao knew what was truly on Lin Hao’s mind at that moment, he would probably be scared to death on the spot.