High Martial Arts: I Travel Through Heaven and Earth Through Dreams

Inside the council hall, the air seemed to freeze.

Lin Hanzhou and Lin Batian stared at each other in the air for a full ten breaths, neither of them speaking first.

On one side is a rising dragon, its brilliance unmatched, and on the other is a tiger, soon to fall silent, yet still retaining its might.

Finally, Lin Batian's sharp, eagle-like gaze softened.

His eyes revealed a complex mix of emotions, including appreciation, surprise, and a sense of relief.

"You are very good."

"It's much better than I expected..."

"I thought that the final victor would be Tai'er or Hao'er, but I never expected that it would be you, the true dragon who had been lurking in the deep waters, who soared into the sky."

Lin Batian spoke first. Although his voice was hoarse and aged, it was full of energy and carried an undeniable authority.

As he spoke, his gaze fell on Lin Hanzhou again, as if trying to see through him.

"Innate third level... At such a young age, to have such cultivation, and with such a profound aura, Han Zhou, you have truly hidden your abilities well."

Lin Hanzhou responded calmly and respectfully.

"It's merely a matter of patiently waiting for the right opportunity, like flowing water, to accumulate strength and then unleash it, breaking through the dust and grime. What's the point of hiding it?"

"Well said! What a wonderful example of patiently waiting for the right opportunity!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Batian clapped his hands and burst into laughter.

The laughter, though somewhat carefree, aggravated the injury, triggering a violent cough.

He waved his hand to indicate that he was alright, and continued speaking.

"It seems I was blind to your talent and failed to discover such a prodigy as you. I have made you suffer all these years."

"So, Father Emperor set up this scheme, making all the princes kill each other to choose the strongest?"

Lin Hanzhou spoke calmly, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Yes, that is indeed what I meant."

Lin Batian nodded without hesitation, his eyes sharpening once again.

"My days are numbered; I am now only clinging to life by my innate true energy."

"Therefore, I need a powerful, intelligent, and capable successor to safeguard the empire I have built with my own hands!"

"I know this may be cruel, but the path to becoming an emperor is paved with corpses."

He paused for a moment, looking at Lin Hanzhou with admiration.

"I am very satisfied with your performance."

"You not only possess extraordinary strength, but also the wisdom to endure and the decisiveness to strike a fatal blow."

"I entrust the empire of the Great Sui Dynasty to you. I... rest assured."

Despite Lin Batian's lavish praise, Lin Hanzhou remained calm and composed.

He had anticipated this, so naturally he didn't experience much emotional change.

Lin Batian seemed very satisfied with his performance, and the look of admiration in his eyes deepened. He continued to speak.

"Next, I will tell you about the hidden dangers within the Great Sui Dynasty: the five great aristocratic families!"

When the topic of aristocratic families came up, Lin Batian became extremely agitated, looking as if he wanted to devour them.

"Back then, I was able to rise from the ashes of the other two great dynasties and unify the world, which was indeed thanks to the power of these five great families."

"They provided money, manpower, and experts to help me ascend the throne."

"But they, like a festering sore, became parasitic on the Sui Dynasty, sucking its blood and flesh!"

At this point, Lin Batian's eyes revealed deep weariness and hatred.

"Now, our Great Sui Dynasty is only on the surface thriving, but in reality it is already somewhat shaky."

"For sixty years, the five great families have controlled the government, monopolized official positions, and annexed land, making life unbearable for the people of the Sui Dynasty."

"More than 70% of the officials in the imperial court come from powerful families; their roots run too deep, far too deep!"

"I have spent my entire life trying to maintain a balance with them, but I have been unable to eradicate them."

In the end, this emperor, who had dominated the world for so long, sounded powerless and resentful.

He looked intently at Lin Hanzhou, his eyes filled with anticipation.

"What I cannot do, I can only entrust to you."

"I need you to use your iron fist to uproot these malignant tumors that have taken hold of the Sui Dynasty!"

"Do you dare to take on this responsibility?"

Lin Hanzhou raised his head, his gaze meeting Lin Batian's, his eyes filled with determination.

"Your subject receives the imperial decree."

"good!"

A final glimmer of light appeared in Lin Batian's eyes.

He trembled as he took a sandalwood box from under the dragon table and opened it.

Three things lay quietly inside the wooden box.

The jade seal is carved entirely from mutton-fat white jade, with the eight seal characters "Received the Mandate of Heaven, May Your Life Be Long and Prosperous" engraved on the bottom.

A token made of black iron, engraved with a ferocious demon totem.

There is also a gold tally with a tiger descending a mountain design.

"This is the Imperial Seal of the State; seeing it is like seeing the Emperor himself."

"This is the Xuan Gui Token, the highest token of the Dark Guards. The holder of this token can mobilize all Dark Guards, including Xuan Ya, and they will clear away all obstacles in the darkness for you."

"This is the Tiger Tally of the Army, which can mobilize the 200,000 Imperial Guards stationed in the capital. With it, the military power of the Sui Dynasty will be in your hands."

Lin Batian solemnly presented these three tokens, representing the highest authority of the empire, to Lin Hanzhou.

"Besides the five great families, you also need to be wary of the remnants of the two great dynasties. They seem to have colluded with the great families, so remember not to trust them too easily."

"I am tired. I have written down the rest here..."

Lin Batian pointed to a scroll of bamboo slips on the desk, his breath growing weaker and weaker.

He used his last bit of strength to tightly grasp Lin Hanzhou's hand, his eyes revealing a father's expectation for his son.

"Hanzhou... Remember, an emperor must be... ruthless in killing, and... also have the world in his heart... the future of the Great Sui Dynasty..."

Before he could finish speaking, his hand fell limply to his side, and he was completely lifeless.

This emperor, who once unified the world, passed away at this moment.

Silence returned to the council hall.

Lin Hanzhou stood silently, looking at the still-warm corpse behind the dragon table, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He slowly reached out and put the Imperial Seal and other items into his pocket.

When his hand grasped the jade seal, a cool and heavy feeling came over him.

It was as if he held in his hands the entire vast empire of the Sui Dynasty and the fate of its hundreds of millions of people.

He toyed with the Imperial Seal of the State in his hand, pondering Lin Batian's last words.

Do the five great families control the government? This makes it a bit difficult for him to implement the system he wants to implement later.

Fortunately, in the history of ancient China, someone had already provided a solution.

That means killing! Kill them one by one, according to the family tree!

As the saying goes, if you can't solve the problem, then solve the person who created it. Wouldn't that solve the problem?

A cold smile slowly curved Lin Hanzhou's lips.