Master Lin

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Lin Fan 1
Alias(es)	Master Lin; Silver Cudgel Lin Fan 11 37
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Loyalty Hall (formerly); Yong'an City Security Bureau 24 41
Occupation/Role	Former leader of Loyalty Hall's Jili Pier; Security Bureau regular officer 4 44
Status	Active 49
First Appearance	Chapter 11 (as “Master Lin”) 11

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Basic Staff Technique — Advanced (63/1000)	2	Gains proficiency through a fixed hour of dawn practice. 2
Beginner Body Refinement — Untrained (1/100)	4	Learns it by having Wu Yong strike him with a wooden staff. 4
Basic Staff Technique — Great Accomplishment (452/1000)	7	His staff training continues alongside Law study and Body Refinement. 7
Beginner Body Refinement — Novice (1/300)	7	Repeated staff strikes improve his strength and physical toughness. 7
Basic Staff Technique — Mastered	16	Completing the technique lets him choose a new staff art. 16
Thousand Jin Staff Technique — Untrained (1/1000)	16	Chooses the strength-oriented path over Gale and Four Directions Staff Techniques; the selection substantially improves his body and strength. 16
Beginner Body Refinement — Minor Accomplishment (432/500)	16	Displayed after his Thousand Jin Staff Technique unlock; his realm remains “None.” 16
Beginner Body Refinement — Great Accomplishment	23	His accumulated Body Refinement enables him to wield a sixty-jin iron rod one-handed. 23
Basic Whip Technique — Uninitiated	36	Learns the technique while whipping prisoner He Sen. 36
Beginner Body Refinement — Mastered (784/1000)	43	His panel also records Thousand Jin Staff Technique at 325/1000 and Basic Whip Technique at 65/100. 43

Background / History

Lin Fan is a transmigrant who arrived in Yong'an City believing that the hidden Martial Way must exist despite the locals’ insistence that only ordinary fighting skill and body strengthening are real. His cheat system first manifested when he used a wooden stick against Zhao Er, granting him Basic Staff Technique proficiency. At the time, his panel listed no realm. 1

While working as a Loyalty Hall underling, he covertly befriended Fierce Tiger Gang member Zhao Er. The pair staged fights during gang clashes so neither would be seriously injured, shared food, and looked after each other’s needs. 1 Lin Fan’s defeat of Chen Niu at Jili Pier brought him Wang Changhai’s attention, while his punishing Body Refinement regimen led Wang to appoint him leader of Jili Pier. 1 4

His reputation transformed after he defended Wang Changhai at Cui Jing Tower. Lin Fan defeated eighteen of Sun Yaowei’s fighters and forced the young master to kneel and apologize; by the next day, Yong'an’s residents were calling him “Master Lin.” 9 10 11 He later passed the Security Bureau Law Examination in first place and entered the bureau as an officer, using both legal knowledge and force against local criminals and corrupt powerholders. 24 27

Appearance

Lin Fan is a young, heavily muscular man whose physical development is repeatedly noted by his associates and superiors. During training, he often works bare-chested, leaving his back red, swollen, or bloodied from staff strikes. 2 4 7

• Carries himself with an intimidating, beastlike aura after unlocking the Thousand Jin Staff Technique. 16
• Commonly fights with a staff or iron rod; later appears in Security Bureau uniform with a silver staff and saber. 40
• Can casually wield a sixty-jin iron rod one-handed. 23

Personality

Lin Fan is intensely disciplined and goal-driven. He divides his days among staff training, Body Refinement, and Law study, refusing to rest even when injured because he sees hardship as necessary preparation for eventually finding the Martial Way. 5 7 43

He is generous to subordinates and protective of ordinary people. As Jili Pier’s leader, he feeds his men, helps with their family difficulties, and advocates for higher porter wages; as an officer, he publicly promises residents that they can bring grievances to him. 5 7 34 40

His pursuit of justice is paired with a ruthless, confrontational streak. He openly challenges gangs, wealthy families, and corrupt officials, and uses prison beatings to improve his whip technique while extracting information from detainees. 38 43 46

Abilities & Skills

Staff Techniques

Lin Fan’s foundational combat style is staff fighting. Mastering Basic Staff Technique allows him to select the strength-focused Thousand Jin Staff Technique.

• Defeated Chen Niu with a wooden staff during the Jili Pier conflict. 1
• Fought eighteen experienced thugs at Cui Jing Tower using a chair leg as an improvised staff before switching to bare fists. 9
• Selected Thousand Jin Staff Technique for overwhelming power rather than speed or technical versatility. 16
• A full-force Thousand Jin strike cracks the ground and shatters ordinary wooden staffs. 16
• His iron rod’s weight and reach are intended to compensate for the fragility of wooden weapons. 23

Body Refinement

Lin Fan developed Beginner Body Refinement by deliberately enduring repeated staff strikes from his subordinates.

• Increases his strength, toughness, and pain tolerance through a warm current felt during advancement. 5 7
• Lets him withstand the attacks of Sun Yaowei’s fighters with little more than negligible pain. 9
• Enables feats of exceptional strength, including effortlessly lifting and swinging a sixty-jin iron rod. 23
• Requires severe physical punishment; his training initially leaves his back bleeding and swollen. 4 5

Basic Whip Technique

Lin Fan acquires whip proficiency by whipping prisoners at the Security Bureau.

• Uses morning prison sessions to raise his technique’s proficiency. 36 43
• Applies the whip against Headman Chen when Chen attempts to attack him. 43
• His use of the technique is tied to interrogation and punishment rather than formal instruction. 43

Knowledge of Law

Lin Fan studies at Qingfang Private School and later passes the Security Bureau Law Examination in first place.

• Attends Law classes consistently despite his gang background. 2
• Applies the statutes to expose and punish marketplace bully Jin Biao. 27
• Uses legal charges and the threat of harboring a criminal to pressure Master Hu into surrendering Hu Yu. 46

Equipment

• Wooden staff — His original training and combat weapon; repeatedly breaks when subjected to his growing strength. 1 16
• Iron rod — A custom, sixty-jin weapon from Big Ox Blacksmith Shop. Its ends are threaded, and it bears the inscription “Forged by Big Ox Blacksmith Shop.” 16 23
• Saber — Carried at his waist while serving as a Security Bureau officer. 40
• Whip — Used at the Security Bureau to train Basic Whip Technique and punish prisoners. 43

Relationships

• Zhao Er — First close friend after Lin Fan’s transmigration. They initially stage gang fights to protect one another; Lin Fan later takes Zhao Er in as steward of his manor. 1 18 21
• Wang Changhai — Former Hall Master and superior in Loyalty Hall. Wang promotes Lin Fan to lead Jili Pier, while Lin Fan later protects Wang’s dignity at Cui Jing Tower. 4 8 10
• Madam Wang — Lin Fan’s sworn sister and Wang Changhai’s wife. She supports his entry into the Security Bureau and worries about his escalating conflict with Loyalty Hall. 22 42
• Wu Yong — Lin Fan’s close subordinate and confidant. Wu Yong assists his Body Refinement, manages tasks at Jili Pier, and procures his custom iron rod. 3 4 16 23
• Qian Tao — A loyal Jili Pier subordinate whose family receives Lin Fan’s help. He frequently publicizes Master Lin’s deeds to commoners. 7 27 45
• Song Qing — Security Bureau captain who respects Lin Fan’s ability and later promotes him to regular officer for his merits. 6 44
• Yang Ming — Song Qing’s disciple and later fellow officer. Lin Fan repeatedly assists him in dangerous cases, earning his gratitude and admiration. 14 22 46

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Jili Pier conflict — Defeats Chen Niu, begins pursuing the Martial Way, and earns promotion to leader of Jili Pier. 1 4
• Cui Jing Tower incident — Protects Wang Changhai, overwhelms eighteen fighters, and gains the public moniker “Master Lin.” 9 11
• Fierce Tiger Gang confrontation — Defeats Yuan Jiang and dozens of gang members after intervening for Zhao Er and his injured aunt. 18 20 21
• Security Bureau entry — Ranks first in the Law Examination and becomes a Security Bureau officer. 22 24
• Anti-corruption campaign — Arrests ruffians, confronts He Sen and Headman Chen, and becomes known among commoners as an upright officer. 27 37 40 44
• Hu Family case — Storms the Hu Mansion to arrest Hu Yu and clear Wang Hao, directly challenging one of Yong'an’s powerful households. 46 49

Notable Quotes

“If any ruffians come to bully you again and I’m not around, just bear with it for a moment. Come to the Security Bureau afterward and find me, and I will resolve it for you.” 40