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

As the Lin Clan members waited at the starting point, they inevitably encountered some familiar faces.

At the very front of the crowd stood two men.

One was dressed in a light gray silk robe and appeared to be around the same age as Lin Zhentian.

The other was a middle-aged man with a smile that concealed a cunning nature—an unmistakable smiling tiger.

These two were, of course, the heads of the Lei and Xie Clans.

The elder was Lei Bao, the head of the Lei Clan.

The younger man was Xie Qian, the head of the Xie Clan.

Upon spotting the Lin Clan members, the two men approached with smiling faces.

"Heh, Lin Zhentian, long time no see. It seems your old bones are still holding up."

"Lei old man, don't worry. My old bones will outlast yours in the coffin."

"Oh? That's not certain. The more you stress over things, the harder it is to live long."

"Besides, every Hunting Competition ends with a heavy loss of stakes. That's enough to weigh on anyone's heart. And when the heart is burdened… life naturally shortens."

Their words carried clear hostility.

The Lin Clan and the Lei-Xie alliance had long been sworn enemies.

Although their conversation appeared cordial on the surface, anyone listening closely could hear the thinly veiled sarcasm and curses exchanged between them.

Lin Yan took a glance at the two clan heads.

Since he was a member of the Lin Clan, and the clan had treated him well, seeing these two act so arrogantly irritated him.

However, he was well aware that he wasn't yet strong enough to take them on.

Both of them were Heavenly Yuan Stage experts.

Even with Eight Extremes Collapse, Purple Flame, and Purple Cloud Wings, Lin Yan could, at best, fight someone at the late Earthly Yuan Stage.

Against Heavenly Yuan Stage cultivators, he stood no chance.

His gaze then shifted toward the back, where he immediately spotted Lei Li and Xie Yingying staring daggers at him.

Lei Li's expression was particularly cold.

After all, the last encounter had been a complete humiliation for him.

When he returned home, Lei Bao had harshly reprimanded him for his failure.

However, it wasn't all bad.

After scolding him, Lei Bao had given him a few fourth-tier medicinal herbs.

While Lei Li wasn't an alchemist, he could still brew these herbs into a tonic.

With his relentless training over the past few months, he had finally stepped into the Earthly Yuan Stage.

"Lin Yan, we'll settle our score soon enough."

Now brimming with confidence, Lei Li smirked at Lin Yan and made a throat-slitting gesture.

He was determined to reclaim his lost dignity.

If the opportunity presented itself, he wouldn't hesitate to kill Lin Yan during the competition.

After all, fists had no eyes.

A "misstep" leading to Lin Yan's death could always be blamed on his own incompetence.

"Heh."

"So he's feeling confident, huh?"

Lin Yan, however, remained unfazed.

A thought suddenly occurred to him.

He couldn't deal with Lei Bao or Xie Qian yet.

But Lei Li?

He could crush him effortlessly.

Seeing Lei Li's smug expression, Lin Yan couldn't help but wonder—

How despairing would Lei Li's eyes look after being completely defeated again?

Soon, the two groups separated.

Shortly after, the members of the Raging Blade Dojo arrived.

Once all the participants received their identification tokens, they stepped into the hunting grounds.

The competition had officially begun.

"Brother Lin Yan, want to team up?"

Lin Xia and Lin Dong hadn't rushed ahead. Instead, they turned to Lin Yan and asked.

"I'll pass."

Lin Yan shook his head.

"Moving together would only slow down the efficiency of collecting tokens."

"Besides, the Hunting Competition is also meant to be a test of one's strength."

"If we rely on a group, it'll make things too easy, and the training aspect will lose its value."

Lin Xia and Lin Dong were slightly taken aback by his response.

While everyone else was focused on how to reach the finish line, Lin Yan simply saw this as a training opportunity.

"Brother Lin Yan truly lives up to his reputation."

Lin Dong sighed in admiration.

Compared to Lin Yan, he felt that he lacked the heart of a true powerhouse.

"I give up. Geniuses really don't think the same way as us normal people."

Lin Xia shook her head, speechless at Lin Yan's attitude.

However, she didn't try to persuade him otherwise.

Everyone had their own aspirations, and deep down, she actually agreed with Lin Yan's words.

Perhaps it was precisely because he held himself to such strict standards that he had become so powerful.

"Then, Brother Lin Yan, let's part ways here!"

"See you at the finish line!"

Lin Dong bid farewell and quickly left.

Lin Xia also dashed off in another direction.

Lin Yan, however, was in no rush.

After all, his system never revealed where he could perform a sign-in.

Only after reaching a location would the system notify him that the sign-in had been completed.

Unlike the other participants who aimed straight for the finish line,

Lin Yan's goal was to explore every corner of the hunting grounds.

That way, he wouldn't miss out on any possible sign-in opportunities.

"Alright then… I'll start from this direction."

He tossed a twig into the air, observed the direction it fell, and made his choice before setting off.

Along the way, he encountered other participants and Demonic Beasts.

Naturally, he defeated them all.

If a participant came across Lin Yan, they would inevitably attack in hopes of stealing his identification token.

As for the Demonic Beasts, there was no need to explain.

High-tier beasts might have some intelligence, but these low-tier ones had almost none.

Upon seeing Lin Yan, they simply charged at him recklessly.

Lin Yan showed no mercy, taking them down with a single punch each.

Thus, as he continued wandering around,

he found that while he still hadn't triggered a sign-in,

he had unknowingly collected over ten identification tokens.

The number of beast cores he had obtained was also piling up.

Letting out a helpless sigh, he muttered,

"I didn't come here for this…"

Lin Yan continued forward,

soon spotting another Demonic Beast charging at him.

Without hesitation, he summoned his Beast Flame.

His fist was instantly engulfed in the Purple Flame.

Then, he unleashed a powerful punch—Eight Extremes Collapse.

Before the beast could react, its chest was pierced through by Lin Yan's fist.

Lin Yan retrieved its beast core and prepared to continue searching for a sign-in location.

But just as he took a few steps forward,

the system's voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

[Congratulations, Host! You have successfully completed a sign-in at the Hunting Grounds!]

[Reward obtained: Nine-Colored Devouring Python!]