In Martial Universe, Signed in at the Start with Yao Lao's Ring

At this moment, witnessing Lei Li—widely regarded as the strongest among the younger generation of Qingyang Town—being sent flying by a single punch from Lin Yan, the juniors of the Lei and Xie Clans were utterly shocked.

"Lin Yan… This is the first time I've heard of him. But his strength… it's terrifying."

"Indeed. This is the first time I've seen Brother Lei Li pushed back by another junior. Just who is this Lin Yan?"

"If I recall correctly, Brother Lei Li has already reached the ninth level of the Tempered Body stage. Yet even he was knocked back… Could it be that Lin Yan has already reached the Earthly Yuan stage?"

"A genius reaching the Earthly Yuan stage at such a young age? Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

The younger members of the Lei and Xie Clans couldn't stop whispering among themselves, their gazes toward Lin Yan filled with wariness.

However, Xie Yingying couldn't bear listening any longer. Seeing the juniors around her looking so intimidated, she was irritated and let out a cold snort.

"Shut up, all of you!"

"Brother Lei Li was only pushed back because he was caught off guard. If it were a head-on confrontation, how could he possibly lose?"

"So stop with your ridiculous speculations and just watch carefully!"

Lei Li, on the other hand, was staring at Lin Yan with a solemn expression.

Having exchanged blows with him, he understood better than anyone how strong Lin Yan truly was.

Even though there was an element of surprise in Lin Yan's earlier attack, Lei Li could still feel the overwhelming force behind it.

After all, if the gap in strength were too large, even a surprise attack wouldn't be enough to break through his defenses.

Moreover, even now, the spot where Lin Yan had struck him still throbbed with pain. This only confirmed one thing—while Lin Yan might not necessarily be stronger than him, their strength wasn't far apart.

"Lin Yan… I've heard that the Lin Clan recently produced a prodigy by that name. That must be you, right?"

"I originally thought you were just another useless brat like Lin Hong. Looks like I underestimated you."

"You do have some skill."

Lei Li's tone was heavy as he addressed Lin Yan. Unlike before, he no longer carried the same air of arrogance.

However, Lin Yan couldn't be bothered to acknowledge Lei Li.

He let him talk all he wanted and instead turned toward Lin Dong, Qing Tan, and Lin Xia.

"Lin Dong, Qing Tan, Lin Xia, are you all alright?"

Seeing Lin Yan's arrival, the three of them were visibly relieved.

"Brother Lin Yan, it's a good thing you came. Otherwise, we would've been in serious trouble today. I don't think I could have taken him on," Lin Dong admitted, a trace of gratitude in his voice.

Qing Tan looked at Lin Yan with joy, her face beaming.

Lin Xia, on the other hand, simply rolled her eyes at him with a touch of arrogance. "You always show up at the last moment. Any later, and we'd be in real trouble."

Lin Yan could only smile awkwardly in response.

However, Lei Li, realizing he was being completely ignored, grew furious. Without another word, he lunged forward.

"Looks like you're the arrogant one here!"

"Watch out!" Lin Xia quickly warned.

Lin Yan turned around and effortlessly dodged Lei Li's attack. Without hesitation, he countered with Eight Extremes Collapse, delivering a devastating punch.

"You really thought you could take me on? You only landed a hit earlier because of a surprise attack!"

Lei Li let out a cold snort and didn't bother dodging, opting for a direct confrontation instead.

Boom!

In an instant, their fists clashed.

The outcome was obvious—Lei Li was utterly defeated.

He had merely used a second-grade martial art from the Lei Clan.

But Lin Yan had unleashed Eight Extremes Collapse, a technique capable of rivaling even ninth-grade martial arts.

As Lin Yan's fist landed, Lei Li felt as if a mountain had slammed into him. His entire body was sent flying, rolling across the ground in a disheveled heap.

The younger members of the Lei and Xie Clans, including Xie Yingying, were completely dumbfounded.

If Lin Yan's previous strike against Lei Li could be dismissed as a mere sneak attack,

Then this time, Lin Yan had undeniably defeated him in a head-on confrontation.

As a result, everyone watching was utterly stunned as they looked at Lin Yan.

"How is this possible? Brother Lei Li actually—"

"Heh, Lei Li of the Lei Clan got beaten so miserably. Tsk tsk, what a rare sight! This was worth witnessing!"

Suddenly, more than ten figures leaped down from a nearby building, landing before the crowd.

A young man at the front let out a faint chuckle.

"Wu Yun… from the Raging Blade Dojo."

Lei Li, still looking disheveled, struggled to his feet. Even now, he could feel a lingering numbness and pain in his fist. However, he gritted his teeth and endured it, glaring angrily at the youth in the lead.

"Wu Yun, is your Raging Blade Dojo planning to meddle in this affair too?"

Wu Yun smiled slyly. "Our Raging Blade Dojo has always stood for fairness—we hate seeing the strong bully the weak. Since your Lei and Xie Clans were ganging up on the Lin Clan, we simply couldn't turn a blind eye."

"You—!"

Xie Yingying was so furious that she nearly coughed up blood. It was clear to anyone present that it was the Lei and Xie Clans who had been utterly humiliated. Yet Wu Yun was shamelessly twisting the narrative in broad daylight, which infuriated her even more.

"Fine! We'll remember this!"

Lei Li realized that staying here any longer would only make things worse.

Before leaving, he shot Lin Yan a cold glance and sneered, "Lin Yan, I'll settle this with you at the Hunting Competition! When the time comes, I'll make sure you know what true regret feels like!"

After leaving those harsh words, Lei Li led the juniors of the Lei and Xie Clans away.

Among the departing crowd, Xie Yingying secretly stole another glance at Lin Yan before following.

"Brother, you must be Lin Yan?"

"That was incredible! We were watching from behind, and you sent Lei Li flying with a single punch—too powerful!"

"Lin Xia, your Lin Clan has really produced a monster this time!"

Meanwhile—

Wu Yun's demeanor underwent a drastic shift after Lei Li and the others left.

Just moments ago, he had been acting all tough and authoritative, but now he suddenly turned into a cheerful, carefree joker. He first spoke to Lin Yan with admiration, then casually struck up a conversation with Lin Xia, clearly familiar with her.

Lin Xia, despite still being somewhat shocked by the whole situation, put on a smug expression, as if this outcome had been expected all along.

She rested her elbow on Lin Yan's shoulder and said proudly to Wu Yun, "Of course! Lin Yan is our Lin Clan's ultimate genius!"

Lin Yan, however, remained humble.

"Brother Wu Yun, thanks for stepping in today."

Wu Yun and his companions were taken aback by Lin Yan's response. Given how strong he was, they had expected him to be arrogant and dismissive, yet he was surprisingly polite. Hearing his gratitude, they even felt a little embarrassed.

"Brother Lin Yan, you're joking. Even if we hadn't stepped in, Lei Li and the others wouldn't have been able to do much to you. Your strength is just too overwhelming."

Wu Yun laughed and stretched. "It's getting late—we have some matters to attend to, so we'll be off. See you at the Hunting Competition. I'm looking forward to watching you crush Lei Li again!"

After exchanging a few more words, Wu Yun waved goodbye with a smile and led his group away.

Lin Yan smiled as he watched them leave.

But just as he was about to turn his gaze elsewhere, he suddenly realized that Lin Xia had unknowingly moved in close—so close that their faces were almost touching.

Lin Xia smirked mischievously at him.

"Well, well! Lin Yan, little brother, who would've thought you were this strong?"

"Even Lei Li couldn't take you on. Tsk tsk, and here you were, lying to us before, saying your strength was just about the same as ours. You really know how to keep secrets!