Lin Yun didn't waste any words. Facing the encirclement of multiple attackers, he unleashed a barrage of punches, using his Falling Rock Fist to entangle with Lin Shan and the others without even using his Yuan Power.
His punches were incredibly powerful; a single blow would cause even a fifth-level Body Tempering Ironback Bear to feel pain, let alone Lin Shan and his group, who were only fourth-level Body Tempering weaklings. They simply couldn't withstand it.
Everyone who took a punch from Lin Yun howled in pain.
Soon, they were lying on the ground, crying and wailing.
"Falling Rock Fist!"
Lin Shan swung his fist at him.
He had also practiced the Falling Rock Fist, but Lin Yun could tell from his stance that he had only just begun, not even reaching the minor level of mastery. Facing Lin Yun's fully mastered Falling Rock Fist, it was like throwing an egg against a rock.
"Bang!"
Lin Yun's fist collided with Lin Shan's, producing a dull thud. The powerful punch directly fractured Lin Shan's wrist.
"You call that a 'Falling Rock Fist'? It's just small pebbles!" Lin Yun shook his head indifferently, then threw another punch, slamming it into Lin Shan's face.
"Ah~ Lin Yun, you dare hit me, you dare hit me!"
Lin Shan screamed like a pig being slaughtered, his voice crackling from the beating.
The commotion attracted a crowd of onlookers.
Seeing Lin Shan get beaten, the corners of the people around him involuntarily curled up, secretly enjoying the spectacle.
Qing Tan's little nose twitched, her big eyes staring blankly at Lin Yun.
"Qing Tan, are you alright?" At this moment, Lin Dong and Lin Changqiang arrived, coming to Qing Tan's side.
Qing Tan swallowed hard and said, "I'm fine. They tried to steal my spiritual medicine, but Brother Lin Yun stopped them."
The three looked at Lin Yun.
Lin Yun was still beating up Lin Shan and the others.
Lin Shan's sense of superiority made Lin Yun very angry, as if it were some unbelievable thing for Lin Yun to hit him. Couldn't an orphan hit a young master?
Lin Shan was the kind of person who bullied others only at home, bullying the younger members of the clan, but outside he was a meek dog.
This kind of scoundrel needed to be taught a lesson.
"Stop!"
A slightly older boy rushed over from behind Lin Shan, shouting "Stop!" but instead of stopping, he struck Lin Yun with a palm.
Lin Yun immediately threw a punch, and the fist and palm collided, both being knocked back several steps.
"Lin Hong!"
Lin Dong and the other two's expressions changed instantly.
The newcomer was Lin Shan's older brother, Lin Hong. Among the younger generation of the Lin family, Lin Hong was exceptionally outstanding, one of the top talents. He had reached the fifth level of Body Tempering at fifteen, and now he had probably cultivated a Yuan Power Seed, reaching the sixth level of Body Tempering.
"Brother, he hit me!"
Seeing Lin Hong, Lin Shan, whose face was swollen like a pig's head, seemed to have found a backer, crying out.
"Useless, what are you crying for?" Lin Hong said irritably.
He turned to Lin Yun, his eyes instantly sharpening. "Lin Yun, it's not appropriate for you, a fifth-level Body Tempering cultivator, to attack my brother so severely."
"Your brother, a fourth-level Body Tempering cultivator, led a group of people to attack Qing Tan, who hasn't even reached the Body Tempering stage yet. Is that appropriate?"
Lin Yun coldly questioned.
He was clearly standing up for Qing Tan.
"Did you bully Qing Tan?" Lin Hong looked at Qing Tan, then questioned Lin Shan.
Qing Tan was cute and lively, and Lin Hong had long been smitten with her. He had even considered arranging a childhood betrothal with Qing Tan, intending to marry her when she came of age, but Lin Xiao had refused.
Lin Shan swallowed hard and said sheepishly, "No, brother, we were just teasing Qing Tan, we didn't lay a hand on her."
"Hmph!"
Lin Hong snorted coldly, ignoring Lin Shan for the time being.
He continued to target Lin Yun, "No matter what, it's not your place to discipline my brother, Lin Hong's brother."
"I've already disciplined him," Lin Yun said calmly,
showing no regard for Lin Hong.
He was now also at the sixth level of Body Tempering, no less than Lin Hong. Even if he offended him, it wouldn't matter. Qingyang Town was just a small place. Not to mention Lin Mang's branch, even the entire Lin family was nothing. With the system, Lin Yun would surpass him in no time.
Moreover, this was just a competition between juniors. As long as it didn't involve a life-or-death struggle, it wouldn't have much impact within the family and wouldn't alarm the older generation.
Seeing that a conflict with Lin Hong was inevitable, Lin Yun immediately created a mission.
Fighting couldn't be for nothing; there had to be a reward.
[Mission: Sparring with Lin Hong. Reward: One bottle of Grade Two Qi and Blood Pills.]
Lin Hong's face was ugly, and he said coldly, "Then I'll teach you a lesson too. An orphan with no one to discipline him can become lawless."
After saying that, Lin Hong attacked directly, taking a step forward and striking Lin Yun's chest with a palm strike. The force of the blow was fierce.
Lin Hong didn't use his Yuan Power, and neither did Lin Yun. He simply threw a punch, once again clashing head-on with Lin Hong.
However, this time Lin Hong retreated several steps.
In terms of physical strength, he was actually no match for Lin Yun.
"Hmph, is the fifth level of Body Tempering really that strong!" Lin Hong's face turned ugly, and he struck again, using his Yuan Power.
"Eight Desolate Palms."
His palms emitted a pale blue Yuan Power light, striking fiercely at Lin Yun.
"Yuan Power Seed, sixth level of Body Tempering!"
Lin Dong exclaimed in surprise, looking at Lin Yun with worry, subconsciously clenching his fists.
Qing Tan clenched her small hands, her cute face filled with self-reproach. Because of helping her, Lin Yun was likely to suffer.
The sixth level of Body Tempering had given birth to a Yuan Power Seed, a fundamental difference from the fifth level—they were not even on the same level.
Lin Yun was in danger.
"No, Lin Yun offended Lin Hong to help Qing Tan; I have to help him." Lin Dong hesitated slightly, then gritted his teeth and charged forward with a fist.
Although he was only at the fourth level of Body Tempering, far from being Lin Hong's match, he couldn't just watch someone get hurt standing up for them.
"Cousin Lin Hong, teach me a lesson too."
Lin Dong attacked from behind, sneaking up on Lin Hong.
"Clap clap clap clap!"
Four resounding punches echoed as his fist slammed into Lin Hong's back.
Lin Hong tried to turn around, but Lin Yun's fist was already meeting it.
"Falling Rock Fist!"
The two exchanged blows, but the scene everyone expected—Lin Yun flying through the air—did not occur. Instead, he steadily blocked Lin Hong's palm strike.
At this moment, people noticed that Lin Yun's fist was also emitting a bright light of Yuan energy, even more intense than Lin Hong's.
Lin Hong's palm throbbed with pain as he was simultaneously attacked from behind by Lin Dong. Although Lin Dong was only at the fourth level of Body Tempering, the Four-Sound Back-Piercing Fist still hurt, causing his face to twitch.
"Impossible! How did you also break through to the sixth level of Body Tempering?" Lin Hong endured the pain, shocked and incredulous.
He had broken through to the sixth level of Body Tempering with considerable resources. His father, Lin Mang, now controlled the Lin family's finances and had spent a lot of spiritual medicine on him, allowing him to surpass his peers.
Lin Yun was younger than him, an orphan, and had no one to rely on. How could he also reach the sixth level of Body Tempering?
Not only Lin Hong, but everyone else was also shocked.
They all knew that Lin Yun cultivated diligently, but they hadn't expected him to be so talented, actually able to catch up with Lin Hong.
"What are you doing?"
Just as the stalemate was at hand, a young girl stepped out from the crowd, her pretty face filled with anger, and loudly rebuked them.
The girl, dressed in red, appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen years old, slightly older than the others. She was quite pretty, with a brown ponytail that swept her slender waist straight down. Her slightly raised eyebrows exuded a spirit that rivaled any man's.
"Sister Lin Xia!"
many people called out.
Lin Xia was the eldest daughter of the first branch of the Lin family, Lincoln, and the most outstanding among the younger generation. Half a year ago, she had broken through to the sixth level of Body Tempering. In terms of both status and strength, she was no less than Lin Hong.
Although a woman, she held considerable authority among the younger generation.
Lin Xia clearly understood the situation. She glared at Lin Hong, then looked at Lin Yun with some surprise, clearly astonished that he had broken through to the sixth level of Body Tempering.
"We're all brothers of the same clan. What kind of ability is this, fighting amongst ourselves? If you really have the ability, then during the Qingyang Hunt, compete with the younger generation of other families. If you can beat them, that's true skill,"
Lin Xia said, preventing the conflict from escalating further.
Lin Hong glared at Lin Yun defiantly. "In the clan competition six months from now, I'll show you what I'm made of."
"Heh!" Lin Yun chuckled lightly, not uttering any harsh words.
In another six months, he would crush Lin Hong under his feet.
"And you, I'll let you off the hook for now. Once I win a top-three finish in the clan competition, I'll use that to ask Grandpa to let me arrange a marriage between Qing Tan and me. So, take good care of Qing Tan for me; she's my future wife." Lin Hong glared fiercely at Lin Dong and said.
After making his threats, Lin Hong led Lin Shan and the others away in a sorry state.
"Brother Lin Yun, I didn't expect you to be able to fight Lin Hong to a standstill. As far as I know, Lin Hong broke through to the sixth level of Body Tempering three months ago. Did you do it even earlier?" Lin Xia looked at Lin Yun thoughtfully, filled with curiosity.
"I only recently broke through by chance. I was only able to defeat Lin Hong because of some brute force; it's nothing special." Lin Yun said calmly, not wanting to flaunt his strength.
Lin Xia said, "To break through to the sixth level of Body Tempering at your age is already quite an achievement. Brother Lin Yun, don't underestimate yourself. Grandpa is certainly very happy to have such an outstanding junior like you in the clan. Perform well in the clan competition."
"As for Lin Hong, don't worry about him. I'll warn him."
"Thank you, Sister Lin Xia!" Lin Yun bowed in thanks.
After speaking, Lin Yun picked up the wild boar from the ground and prepared to leave.
"Brother Lin Yun!"
Qing Tan suddenly called out to him, her voice crisp and clear, "Thank you."
"Thank you, Brother Lin Yun," Lin Dong echoed her thanks.
"Hmm!" Lin Yun glanced gently at the two siblings, nodded slightly, and without saying anything more, turned and left.
This was his first encounter with Lin Dong and Qing Tan since his transmigration, and he had a good impression of them.
Especially Lin Dong, who dared to take the initiative against Lin Hong; he had courage and loyalty.
Having read the original novel, Lin Yun liked Lin Dong very much, especially his indomitable spirit, his resilience, his loyalty, his hatred of evil, and his passionate nature—he had a very strong personality.
Back in his room,
Lin Yun began to check his mission rewards.
[Mission: Teach Lin Shan a lesson and help Qing Tan out of trouble. Reward: A pair of Golden Silkworm Gauntlets. Completed, claim?]
[Mission: Sparring with Lin Hong. Reward: A bottle of Grade Two Qi and Blood Pills. Completed, claim?]
"Claim!"
Lin Yun looked at the gauntlets and pills in his hand and chuckled, "This is an unexpected bonus."