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

Lin Hong knew that he had completely lost face today.

So, after throwing out a harsh warning toward Lin Yan, he had no choice but to swallow his humiliation and leave.

He quickly turned to Lin Shan and the others.

"Let's go!"

With that order, he led his group away.

The conflict was finally over.

Qing Tan let out a long sigh of relief as she watched Lin Hong and the others disappear into the distance.

'Luckily, Brother Lin Yan was here today…'

'Otherwise, I really don't know what I would have done.'

"Brother Lin Yan, you sure know how to keep secrets!"

At that moment, Lin Xia suddenly wrapped an arm around Lin Yan's shoulders, a mischievous grin on her face.

The two of them had always had a fairly good relationship, so Lin Xia was truly shocked to see how strong Lin Yan actually was.

Right now, she was playfully tightening her grip on his arm, her tone carrying a hint of accusation.

"You've already reached the sixth layer of the Tempered Body stage, and you didn't even tell your sister?"

Lin Yan chuckled.

"You never asked."

Lin Xia glared at him.

"Still trying to argue?"

She was just about to punch him, but before she could, she noticed Qing Tan slowly approaching them.

The girl's cheeks were slightly flushed, and her gaze toward Lin Yan carried a hint of shyness.

Seeing this, Lin Xia decided not to tease Lin Yan any further.

She released his arm and whistled softly.

"Looks like someone's got some luck in romance~"

Lin Yan simply smiled before turning his attention to Qing Tan.

"Did you want to say something, Qing Tan?"

Qing Tan's face reddened slightly.

"Actually… I just wanted to thank you, Brother Lin Yan. If it weren't for you stepping in, I would have definitely been bullied by Lin Shan and the others today."

Hearing this, Lin Yan simply smiled and ruffled her hair.

"There's no need to be so formal. We're family, after all."

Qing Tan's face turned even redder.

She had originally wanted to express more of her gratitude, but before she could, Lin Changqiang suddenly rushed over with Lin Dong.

Clearly, Lin Dong had received the news from Lin Changqiang and immediately ran over.

However, unlike in the original storyline, the situation had already been resolved by Lin Yan before Lin Dong could arrive.

"Brother Lin Yan? Sister Lin Xia is here too?, Qing Tan, I heard from Lin Changqiang that Lin Shan and his group were causing trouble for you. Are you okay?"

Lin Dong greeted Lin Yan and Lin Xia out of politeness, but his main concern was Qing Tan.

He quickly walked over and gently grabbed her hand, his face full of concern.

"I'm fine, Brother Lin Dong. It was Brother Lin Yan and Sister Lin Xia who saved me."

Qing Tan shook her head and reassured him.

Seeing Lin Dong's confusion, she simply explained everything that had happened.

Lin Dong's eyes turned cold.

Lin Shan and Lin Hong had been bullying others for a long time, and he had already been holding back his anger against them.

Now that something like this had happened, his rage only grew stronger.

He secretly made up his mind—

He would teach them a lesson when the time was right.

Of course, that was just his personal grudge against Lin Shan and Lin Hong.

When he finished listening to Qing Tan's explanation, he felt deep gratitude toward Lin Yan and Lin Xia.

Especially Lin Yan.

Based on Qing Tan's description, if Lin Yan hadn't stepped in, Qing Tan wouldn't have even had the chance to wait for Lin Xia's arrival.

Because of that, Lin Dong's respect for Lin Yan grew immensely.

"Brother Lin Yan, thank you, I won't forget this favor."

Lin Dong seriously expressed his gratitude toward Lin Yan.

He had always been someone who remembered his debts.

Especially when it came to his family and friends, he valued them above everything else.

Since Lin Yan had helped Qing Tan, Lin Dong engraved this favor into his heart.

If Lin Yan ever needed help in the future, Lin Dong would never hesitate.

"Heh, no need to be so formal. We're all family. Helping each other is only natural."

Lin Yan replied with a smile, but his tone had a subtle meaning, much like someone accepting a red envelope during the New Year—acting humble but secretly satisfied.

That said, this was the first proper conversation between Lin Yan and Lin Dong.

Even though they were part of the same Lin family, they had never interacted much before.

Now, after a few more words of small talk, they didn't have much else to say.

It wasn't like they could suddenly become best friends overnight.

So after exchanging a few more words, Lin Dong eventually left with Qing Tan.

Before leaving, though, Qing Tan ran back and whispered softly into Lin Yan's ear.

"Brother Lin Yan, I really mean it—thank you for today, I hope we can become good friends in the future."

Lin Yan smiled and nodded.

With that, Qing Tan and Lin Dong left together.

However, on their way back, Lin Dong couldn't help but ask Qing Tan about the situation again.

After all, he wasn't sure how strong Lin Yan actually was.

It didn't make sense to him—

How had Lin Yan managed to protect Qing Tan on his own?

"Brother Lin Dong, you don't know this, but Brother Lin Yan is actually really strong... He single-handedly beat up Lin Shan's entire group, and even when he fought Lin Hong, he completely overpowered him!"

Qing Tan spoke excitedly, clearly impressed by Lin Yan's strength.

"He's that strong? If I remember correctly, Lin Hong has already reached the sixth layer of the Tempered Body stage."

"Brother Lin Yan is even stronger than him?"

Lin Dong's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

Qing Tan nodded proudly.

"Of course! Brother Lin Yan is really powerful!"

Hearing this, Lin Dong finally got a clearer picture of Lin Yan's strength.

But when he looked at Qing Tan, his expression turned a little strange.

"You seem to like Brother Lin Yan quite a bit, huh? I don't think I've ever seen you talk about another guy like this before."

Qing Tan's face immediately turned red.

She glared at Lin Dong and snapped,

"Don't say nonsense! I don't!"

Of course, Lin Dong and Qing Tan's conversation was something Lin Yan didn't know about.

After seeing them off, Lin Yan was also about to leave.

But then, he paused for a moment and reconsidered something.

"The back mountain doesn't have many spirit herbs left… and finding the ones I need will be even harder."

"Instead of wasting time searching, I might as well buy some from the marketplace."

"That way, I can refine more medicinal liquid and train at a much faster rate."

Making up his mind, Lin Yan turned to Lin Xia with a grin.

"Sister Lin Xia, I need to ask you for a favor~"

Hearing his tone, Lin Xia immediately sensed danger.

"Why do I feel like this isn't going to be good…?"

"Come on, how could that be?"

"Actually, I just need to borrow some money. I'll pay you back soon."

Lin Yan smiled innocently.

Lin Xia sighed helplessly, but in the end, she gave him a loan.

"Thanks, Sister Lin Xia!"

Lin Yan happily accepted the money and immediately set off for Qingyang Town's marketplace.

As he had mentioned earlier, he wanted to acquire more medicinal liquid to assist in his cultivation.

His goal was clear—

To break through to the Earth Yuan Realm as soon as possible before the Lin Clan Competition.

And the fastest way to obtain the necessary medicinal ingredients was, of course, Qingyang Town's marketplace.