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

Outside the Mysterious Objects Tower,

Lin Yan stopped after finding an open space.

Then, looking at the few young men and the woman who had closely followed him, he spoke softly.

"This place will do."

"You may all come at me together."

Hearing this, the few young men frowned deeply, their expressions growing increasingly displeased at Lin Yan's blatant arrogance.

A crowd gradually gathered around them, and upon noticing the woman in the group, some quickly recognized her identity.

"Isn't that Liu Qingxu from the Liu family? What, did she get into some kind of conflict?"

"But those guys don't seem to be from the Liu family. I think they're just some of her many admirers... Oh, right! The guy in the lead is the eldest young master of the Yun family! The others must be his lackeys."

"Well, that makes sense. Another fool trying to impress a beauty. But those two young men are in trouble now. Offending such a group of rich brats? This won't end well for them."

The surrounding people kept murmuring.

At the same time, Liu Qingxu seemed unable to tolerate the situation any longer. She stepped forward and spoke to Lin Dong.

"Since you don't want to sell it, then just forget about it."

"You should know that I was simply asking."

"But your attitude was worse than mine."

Then, she turned to the Yun family's young master and said,

"This matter has nothing to do with you. I don't need you to intervene in my affairs, so please leave."

After saying that, Liu Qingxu glanced at both sides, intending to end the matter here.

However, the Yun family's young master clearly did not agree.

Back inside the Mysterious Objects Tower, he had interfered only to win the beauty's favor.

But instead of earning her approval, he had embarrassed himself. He hadn't only failed to impress her but had even provoked her displeasure.

This made Yun family's young master furious.

And with so many people watching, there was no way he could back down now. Otherwise, he would lose all face in Yan City.

"Qingxu, this matter no longer concerns you."

"This is between me and them."

With that thought, the Yun family's young master directly addressed Liu Qingxu.

Then, with a wave of his hand, he signaled the other young men to attack alongside him.

"Truly courting death."

Lin Yan shook his head lightly.

Seeing the group of people rushing toward him, he quickly met them head-on.

He immediately assessed their strengths—the few lackeys were at the Initial Earth Yuan Stage, while the so-called Yun family's young master was at the Advanced Earth Yuan Stage.

However, such nobodies posed no threat to Lin Yan anymore.

After all, even Lei Ying, a Heavenly Yuan Stage Initial Phase expert, had been suppressed by him.

What could these mere Earth Yuan Stage weaklings do?

Slap! Slap! Slap!

Thus, as the Yun family's lackeys charged at Lin Yan, their attacks were effortlessly dodged.

Lin Yan then threw a powerful punch, striking each of them directly in the stomach.

The Yun family's lackeys, hit squarely by Lin Yan's punch, immediately felt an unbearable wave of pain rolling through their lower abdomens.

"Ugh..."

Cries of agony erupted from them, and soon, one after another, they clutched their stomachs, collapsing onto the ground.

"Damn it!"

The Yun family's young master felt his eyelid twitch violently at the scene.

He couldn't understand—how was Lin Yan's combat strength so terrifying when they were both at the Advanced Earth Yuan Stage?

But at this point, he had no way out. Even though he now felt a deep wariness toward Lin Yan, he had no choice but to continue his attack.

Lin Yan effortlessly dodged the young master's strike.

Then, with an equally powerful punch, he aimed straight for the Yun family's young master's face.

Seeing the incoming blow, the young master couldn't help but feel his heart pounding wildly. Even just from observing, he could tell the sheer force behind this punch was terrifying.

If he were to take a direct hit, he might end up disfigured!

Thinking of this, fear surged within him. No one wanted their face to be ruined, and he was no exception.

"Wait."

"You can leave now."

"We have no real grievances. I don't want to be too harsh."

"Let's just put an end to this, alright?"

But in the end, Lin Yan's fist stopped just before it struck the young master's face.

Just as the latter reached the peak of his fear—perhaps even regretting his earlier actions—Lin Yan retracted his punch.

Then, looking at the Yun family's young master, he chuckled and spoke.

"Alright, alright!"

"Thank you, brother, for your mercy!"

"We'll be leaving immediately!"

The Yun family's young master was overjoyed.

The stark contrast between near-defeat and unexpected mercy filled him with immense relief and gratitude toward Lin Yan.

Wasting no time, he quickly pulled his fallen subordinates off the ground and, like frightened rats, fled the scene.

Around Them, the Spectators Whispered.

"This young man... he's truly something else."

They weren't just marveling at Lin Yan's strength, but also at how skillfully he handled the situation.

If he had refused to fight, a pampered young master like the one from the Yun family wouldn't have let him off so easily. But if he had beaten him into the ground, it would have caused unnecessary trouble.

Instead, Lin Yan executed perfect control—first, showing the Yun family's young master the overwhelming gap in their strength; then, at the moment of despair, sparing him.

In doing so, not only did he thoroughly defeat him, but he also left the young master feeling indebted to him.

This approach not only subdued his opponent but also earned admiration from those who had witnessed it.

"I never thought a talent like this would emerge in Yan City."

They couldn't understand why a young talent like him had remained unknown until now.

"My name is Liu Qingxu. May I ask, Brother, what is your name?"

Liu Qingxu was clearly intrigued after witnessing everything that had just transpired.

She was familiar with most of the talented young individuals in Yan City, having interacted with them at some point.

However, this was her first time encountering someone like Lin Yan. His composure and approach had left a strong impression on her, making her genuinely admire his methods.

Thus, Liu Qingxu took the initiative to step forward and ask.

"Lin Yan."

Lin Yan responded with a smile.

Liu Qingxu nodded upon hearing his name, silently committing it to memory.

Meanwhile, Lin Dong turned to Lin Yan and said, "Brother Lin Yan, is this that thing you told me about last time while we were fishing...?"

"Sun Tzu's Art of War?"

He suddenly recalled their previous fishing trip with Qing Tan, where Lin Yan had shared some strategies. Seeing Lin Yan's actions now, everything seemed to connect.

"Hehe, I didn't expect you to remember, Brother Lin Dong."

Lin Yan chuckled before reviewing the concept with him once more.

"As the saying goes: Do not press a retreating army, leave gaps when besieging an enemy, and do not pursue a desperate foe."

"Simply put, always leave room for maneuver, so that future interactions remain possible."

"If one acts ruthlessly in every situation, eventually, they will face consequences."

Lin Yan earnestly imparted these principles to Lin Dong.

"I understand, Brother Lin Yan."

Lin Dong nodded seriously, absorbing the lesson.

He had always taken Lin Yan's teachings to heart, and his ability to grasp concepts quickly allowed him to appreciate the depth of Lin Yan's wisdom.

"This man is extraordinary… he surpasses all of Yan City's so-called geniuses by far."

"Compared to him, those so-called prodigies of Yan City seem utterly incompetent."

Liu Qingxu was inwardly astonished.

After hearing Lin Yan's explanation, her admiration for him grew even stronger.

Lin Yan, Lin Dong, and Liu Qingxu returned to the Mysterious Objects Tower, intending to continue browsing.

However, as soon as they stepped inside, an elderly man walked directly toward them, his eyes filled with admiration as he gazed at Lin Yan.

"Hahaha! Young friend, your insights just now were truly eye-opening!"

"Impressive, truly impressive!"

"Tell me, young man, I can see that you are exceptionally gifted. Do you have any interest in becoming a Seal Master?"

The elder openly praised Lin Yan without hesitation.

Meanwhile, upon seeing him, Liu Qingxu's delicate face filled with surprise.

"You are… Master Yan?"