Lin Dong Gets Beaten, the Original Work's Timeline Begins!

Having successfully cultivated the Fifth-grade martial art [Thunderclap Force] to Minor Accomplishment, Liu Yuan was in high spirits.

After all, now that he had learned [Thunderclap Force], he was no longer like before—possessing Lesser Yuan Dan Realm cultivation yet lacking actual combat ability.

Now, he finally possessed a certain degree of combat capability.

It gave him the initial confidence to survive in this world forever.

Of course, cultivation method manuals were still a shortcoming.

[Thunderclap Force] was merely a martial art, a method for wielding Yuan Power rather than a fundamental method for cultivating it.

However, he also had a cultivation method manual. The system had rewarded him with one earlier.

As long as Liu Yuan made up for that weakness next, his strength could grow even greater!

"Let's go home and eat!"

Seeing that night was approaching and the setting sun had dyed the horizon orange-red, Liu Yuan hummed a tuneless little song and cheerfully headed home.

He soon arrived home.

However, the moment he stepped through the courtyard gate, he keenly sensed that something was wrong.

A stifled fury filled the small courtyard.

Then, he heard Lin Xiao's angry voice coming from Lin Dong's room. It was full of energy, though mixed with a trace of frustration at his failure to meet expectations.

"You're unskilled and brought this suffering upon yourself!"

"I told you long ago, if you don't have the ability, don't go competing with others!"

"Feeling good now, lying in bed?!"

Amid the scolding came Lin Dong's suppressed, unwilling heavy breathing.

Liu Yuan frowned slightly at the sight.

He walked over to Qing Tan, who stood at the doorway with a worried look toward the room, lowered his voice, and asked what had happened.

"What happened?"

"What's wrong with Lin Dong?"

Qing Tan turned around. Upon seeing Liu Yuan, her eyes immediately reddened, and she quietly told him what had happened.

"Brother Liu Yuan, you're finally back!"

It turned out Lin Dong had been beaten up.

That afternoon, Lin Dong had been training at the Back Mountain as usual when he ran into several clan members he had never gotten along with.

Lin Dong had initially not wanted to bother with them, but he could not endure their repeated verbal provocations.

The hot blood of youth had ultimately gotten the better of him.

He fought them, but due to the gap in strength, he was brutally taught a lesson and was even knocked unconscious.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuan suddenly understood.

So the timeline had already reached this point?

If he remembered correctly, Lin Dong had been beaten by Lin Shan this time.

But not long afterward, Lin Dong would find the Stone Talisman that could defy fate within that mysterious little stone pool at the Back Mountain.

Liu Yuan had no designs on the Stone Talisman.

Although it was indeed one of the greatest divine artifacts in the entire Martial World, this was Lin Dong's destined opportunity.

If he chose to steal it first, how would he be any different from a despicable man who took advantage of others and repaid kindness with betrayal?

Besides, Liu Yuan's system was already the strongest across the entire map.

In the future, he would still need to rely on Lin Dong, this Child of Destiny, to trigger the system, farm rewards, and grow stronger.

From any perspective, he had no reason to, nor would he ever, take Lin Dong's belongings.

However...

Now that he thought about it carefully, Lin Dong did not seem to possess any useful martial arts yet.

The Lin Family's basic martial arts were too low-grade and had limited power.

Whenever Lin Dong fought others, he basically relied on brute force, his moves chaotic and unstructured.

That was likely why he had suffered such a huge loss against Lin Shan this time.

How about... finding an opportunity to teach him the [Stone Splitting Palm] he had just mastered?

This Second-grade Martial Art was quite powerful, and its cultivation threshold was not high. It was perfectly suited to the current Lin Dong.

Just as Liu Yuan was pondering this.

The argument inside the room also came to an end.

Lin Xiao emerged with a livid face. Seeing Liu Yuan, he only barely nodded before speaking to his wife, Liu Yan.

"Liu Yan, take out that Crimson Ginseng from the cabinet and brew it for Dong'er to drink."

Liu Yan froze, somewhat hesitant. "But that is..."

Before she could finish, Lin Dong, lying on the bed, immediately struggled to sit up and cried out anxiously.

"Father! No!"

"That's for treating your injuries!"

Lin Xiao abruptly turned around and shouted, "Lie down!"

He looked at Lin Dong with a complicated expression, containing both heartache and disappointment.

"If my internal injuries could be cured, they would have been cured long ago! They've dragged on for so many years that I'm already beyond saving!"

"Giving this Crimson Ginseng to me would be a waste! If you use it, at least you can spend a few fewer days in bed!"

Lin Dong bit his lip hard and clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white from the force.

Looking at his father's lonely back, his heart filled with endless guilt and self-reproach.

It was all because he was useless!

If he were strong enough, he would not have been injured, much less wasted the precious medicine his father used to heal himself!

Soon.

Liu Yan brought the brewed ginseng soup to Lin Dong.

The family then began their meal.

But because of what had happened that evening, the entire meal felt somewhat oppressive.

No one spoke. Only the faint clinking of bowls and chopsticks could be heard.

Lin Dong ate as though chewing wax, carelessly shoveling down a few bites. After finishing his medicine, he silently set down his bowl and chopsticks, then turned and ran outside.

Judging by his appearance, what had happened today had dealt him a severe blow.

Liu Yuan watched Lin Dong's figure vanish into the night, his gaze flickering as he too set down his bowl and chopsticks.

He said to Lin Xiao and Liu Yan, "Uncle Xiao, Aunt Liu, I'm done eating. I'll go check on him."

Without waiting for their response, he immediately chased after him.

The night was as black as ink.

Relying on senses far beyond those of an ordinary person, Liu Yuan quickly found Lin Dong training madly in a corner of the courtyard.

The youth was bare-chested, repeatedly slamming his body into a wooden post in the courtyard.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

As though he could not feel pain, he put all his strength into every impact, producing dull thuds.

He vented all the humiliation and unwillingness from the day upon that unfeeling wooden post.

Liu Yuan did not disturb him. He merely stood quietly at a distance and watched.

Only when Lin Dong was panting from exhaustion and even his movements had begun to distort did Liu Yuan slowly walk over.

Lin Dong heard the footsteps and warily turned around.

When he saw Liu Yuan, he relaxed, stopped moving, and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Brother Liu Yuan."

His voice was somewhat hoarse.

"Why are you here?"

Liu Yuan looked at the bruises that had yet to fade from his body and spoke calmly.

"You look like you're having a hard time."

"I came to help you."

Lin Dong could not help revealing a bitter smile at those words.

But he soon sensed something unusual in Liu Yuan's words and suddenly realized what he meant.

"Help me?"

He lifted his head, his eyes filled with disbelief and intense hope.

"Brother Liu Yuan, you mean...?"

Looking at those eyes, startlingly bright in the darkness, Liu Yuan's lips curled into a faint smile.

He no longer kept him in suspense and directly revealed his purpose.

Liu Yuan chuckled.

"I'll teach you a Second-grade Martial Art. Do you want to learn it?"