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

"Lin Shan, don't go too far!"

"Too far? We found this Scarlet Sun Herb days ago, but it wasn't fully matured then, so we left it here. Now, you've picked something that belongs to us, and you're saying we're the ones being unreasonable? You're the one trying to twist the truth!"

"You're lying!"

"I'm not lying."

"Do you have any proof that you saw this Scarlet Sun Herb first?"

"No, but do you have any proof that we didn't?"

"Qing Tan, stop making excuses. Hand over the Scarlet Sun Herb, and I'll let you go."

"Never!"

"Heh… No problem. Anyway, I saw Lin Changqiang running away just now. He's probably gone to find Lin Dong, right? That's fine—I didn't get to enjoy my last fight enough."

"You bastard!"

At this moment, Lin Yan stood nearby, watching the exact scene from the original storyline—where Qing Tan got into a conflict with Lin Shan over the Scarlet Sun Herb.

This event gave Lin Yan a better understanding of the current timeline.

Previously, the only clear reference point he had was the Lin Clan Competition, but since that was still several months away, he hadn't been able to gauge exactly how far along things were.

But now, he knew.

Lin Dong had only obtained the Stone Talisman slightly earlier than him, and at this moment, Lin Dong's strength was probably around the fourth layer of the Tempered Body stage.

With Lin Dong's current ability, he could defeat Lin Shan, but he was no match for Lin Hong.

In the original storyline, Lin Dong suffered a crushing defeat here and was only saved when Lin Xia intervened.

"Little friend, are you interested in stepping in?"

Yao Lao, unaware of Lin Yan's thoughts, noticed him pausing and curiously asked.

"Hmm…"

"It wouldn't hurt to interfere a little."

After a moment of contemplation, Lin Yan made his decision.

To him, stepping in actually made perfect sense.

He wasn't particularly close to Lin Dong.

But Lin Dong was someone worth befriending—a person with a strong sense of loyalty, always willing to support his friends.

Since Lin Shan was bullying Qing Tan, this was the perfect opportunity to step in and earn some goodwill.

And best of all, it wouldn't cost him anything.

As long as he didn't go too far, the elders wouldn't get involved. And as long as they didn't step in, none of these other Lin Clan juniors could do anything to him.

For Lin Yan, this was a low-risk, high-reward move.

With that in mind, he stepped forward.

At that moment, Qing Tan was already on the verge of giving up under Lin Shan's intimidation.

She didn't want to hand over the Scarlet Sun Herb, but at the same time, she was worried about Lin Dong getting beaten up.

Caught in this dilemma, she hesitated, about to surrender the herb—

When suddenly, a voice rang out.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. So many people bullying a little girl. Aren't you ashamed?"

Lin Yan smirked mockingly as he walked up to them.

Hearing his taunt, Lin Shan and his group turned toward him, their faces darkening with anger.

"Lin Yan, are you tired of living? Are you trying to play the hero?"

Lin Shan and the others were furious.

But when they saw that the one who had spoken was just Lin Yan, their anger turned to disdain.

To them, Lin Yan was nothing more than a nobody.

"If you apologize to me now, I might let you go," Lin Shan said coldly, narrowing his eyes.

"And what if I refuse?" Lin Yan asked with a grin.

"Then you'll be lying in bed for a few months!" Lin Shan snapped.

He had always looked down on Lin Yan because of his orphan status. But now, Lin Yan had openly challenged him, making him furious.

In his rage, Lin Shan charged forward and threw a punch.

"Falling Rock Fist!"

"Lin Yan, watch out!"

Qing Tan shouted a warning.

Even though she barely knew Lin Yan, he had stepped in to help her. Naturally, she was on his side now.

Seeing Lin Shan's attack, she became extremely anxious.

"Don't worry. He's no threat to me."

Lin Yan responded with a calm smile.

He didn't even bother using a martial art.

Instead, he simply threw out a casual punch.

Boom!

With overwhelming strength, Lin Yan's fist collided directly with Lin Shan's attack.

The impact sent Lin Shan flying, his body rolling across the ground in a pathetic heap.

Seeing this, Lin Yan mockingly smirked.

"That's it?"

Lin Shan screamed in pain, clutching his bruised body.

But upon hearing Lin Yan's mocking words, his face turned red with rage.

He glared at his underlings.

"What are you standing around for? Get him!"

Lin Shan's lackeys hesitated, but they reluctantly charged forward.

Unfortunately for them…

They were even weaker than Lin Shan.

Most of them were only at the third layer of the Tempered Body stage, so against Lin Yan, they stood no chance at all.

Within moments, Lin Yan easily defeated them all, leaving them sprawled across the ground.

Qing Tan, watching from the sidelines, gasped in awe.

"Lin Yan-ge, you're so strong…"

Originally, she had thought Lin Yan was outnumbered and would struggle.

But the reality?

Lin Yan effortlessly destroyed them, like a parent disciplining misbehaving children.

Her eyes sparkled with admiration.

"Stop!"

At that moment, a figure suddenly rushed forward, shouting as he attacked.

But rather than actually stopping the fight—

He threw a palm strike straight at Lin Yan.

Qing Tan's face paled.

"It's Lin Hong!"

"Lin Yan-ge, be careful!"

She shouted in alarm.

Lin Yan, however, remained calm.

"Lin Hong, huh?"

"If I recall correctly… he's also at the sixth layer of the Tempered Body stage."

"Perfect. I'll use him as my test subject."

Lin Yan's eyes gleamed with excitement.

The previous fights had been too easy.

He had held back because he didn't want to accidentally kill Lin Shan and the others.

But now, Lin Hong was on equal footing with him.

A true opponent.

A chance to go all out.

Without hesitation, Lin Yan threw a punch.

"Penetrating Fist!"

Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa!

Ten consecutive explosive sounds rippled through the air as his fist met Lin Hong's palm.

Boom!

A powerful shockwave burst out—

And Lin Hong was blown backward, stumbling several steps before barely regaining his balance.

Lin Yan clicked his tongue in disappointment.

"That's it? And you call yourself a sixth-layer Tempered Body cultivator?"

"You're way too weak."

Nearby, Qing Tan and the other onlookers stood frozen in shock, their mouths open in disbelief.

As if they had just seen a ghost.