Yan Lin

Tagor Desert.

"Yan Lin, if your squad ambushed and killed a human team, then suddenly discovered a human child still hiding nearby, what would you do?"

Beneath the swirling yellow sands, a Da Dou Shi instructor from the Moba Snake People Tribe was training the most outstanding young recruits of his tribe.

He was a red-haired young man. Judging by the childishness still lingering on his face, he was probably only a little over ten years old.

Though his features had not fully matured, his sharply defined contours and handsome, well-proportioned face often drew envy from his fellow tribesmen. Yet inwardly, they stubbornly muttered, What's so great about that? He's only a tiny bit more handsome than me.

"I'd give him a knife and a piece of candy, then let him choose."

Faced with the instructor's question, the young man, Yan Lin, replied calmly.

His answer made the other tribesmen training nearby look at him curiously. The bald instructor's fierce brows furrowed slightly as well. He had thought the young man would answer that he would kill the child outright. At the very least, that was what he considered the correct answer, and what he had expected Yan Lin to say.

Who knew this brat would refuse to play by the rules?

Was last year's lesson not painful enough?

Muttering displeasedly to himself, the bald instructor began considering whether he should arrange another special "coming-of-age education" for Yan Lin.

He did not fly into a rage on the spot. After all, this was the finest recruit he had ever taught. The bald Snake Person patiently asked Yan Lin, "Why?"

"If he chooses the knife, it proves that he bears murderous intent toward me. He cannot be allowed to live."

The bald instructor's furrowed brows relaxed slightly. This answer was rather novel, yet it suited his tastes quite well. The severity in his green snake eyes softened a little as he stared at Yan Lin and asked, "What if he chooses the candy?"

"If he chooses the candy, it proves that he is deeply calculating. He cannot be allowed to live!"

The bald instructor's eyes widened slightly as he looked at Yan Lin, his gaze gradually becoming clear. "What if he chooses neither?"

"Then it proves that he has a rebellious nature. Today, he dares defy my orders. Tomorrow, he will dare come at me with a knife. He cannot be allowed to live!"

The bald instructor: "(ﾟ⊿ﾟ)ﾂ"

All the young elites of the Mobaas Tribe stared at Yan Lin in stunned silence. Their faces seemed to spell out three words: "Holy crap!"

Cauliflower Snake, Yan Lin's best buddy standing beside him, looked at his good brother as though he were some kind of genius. Could a person even come up with something like that?

"Whether he chooses or not, he's dead either way. Hisss... what a living King of Hell!"

"I feel like today is the first day I've ever known Yan Lin."

"This guy is ruthless!"

At that moment, the fellow tribesmen who had once trained alongside Yan Lin all began viewing him in a new light, inwardly becoming somewhat wary of him as well.

They had always thought Yan Lin was rather kind. Only now did they realize he was truly "kind" to the core!

"Gulp!"

Watching the red-haired young man remain calm and composed, as if those words had never come from his mouth, the bald instructor could not help swallowing. He, too, had no choice but to view the youth before him in a new light.

He had just thought this boy was too merciful. Now, he felt that he himself had been too merciful.

Compared to Yan Lin, he felt as vicious as a raw recruit.

This kid was an absolute monster!

Yet Yan Lin's transformation greatly pleased him. He believed this was the style a true strong person ought to possess.

On the spot, he praised Yan Lin and even told the other trainees to learn from him.

The other trainees did not think much of it. After all, Yan Lin had always been the most outstanding member of their group, even the most talented among the Snake People Clan's younger generation.

He had begun cultivating Dou Qi at the age of four and reached the ninth stage of Dou Qi by age ten. In terms of talent, few within the Snake People Clan could compare to him.

It was precisely because of this that Yan Lin had earned the name of a genius within the Snake People Tribe and gained considerable renown throughout the Snake People Clan. The higher-ups of the Snake People Clan had also begun paying special attention to him, even arranging a special "coming-of-age education" for him.

The bald instructor had always taken especially good care of Yan Lin. This was an order from the tribe, but it was also something he was willing to do.

Yan Lin was the finest tribesman he had ever taught, so naturally he gave him extra care. Yan Lin's excellence also earned him endless praise.

The other trainees had long become numb to hearing it, but the perennial second-place trainee, who had been beaten by Yan Lin in every respect, snorted coldly in dissatisfaction and jealousy.

"Tomorrow is your Snake Spirit Awakening Ceremony. There will be no training today. Go home and prepare yourselves. This afternoon, you will follow me to the Holy City."

The bald instructor's booming voice echoed beside every Snake Person's ears. After receiving their responses, he dismissed them on the spot.

The many Snake People left the training grounds in groups of two or three, each heading home to prepare for the once-every-three-years Snake Spirit Awakening Ceremony in the Holy City.

"Yan Lin, didn't you used to advocate peaceful coexistence between us and humans? Why have you changed now?"

On the way home, Cauliflower Snake could not help asking Yan Lin, whose stance had changed so drastically. Yan Lin kept walking, but there was a faintly vacant, lonely look in his eyes.

He had not been born a native Snake Person of the Dou Qi Continent. Rather, he had come from Huaxia on Blue Star, a living planet somewhere in the Milky Way Galaxy.

As for why he had transmigrated?

That was a tragic story involving him and a Mud Truck.

One midnight, Yan Lin and his domestic 007 girlfriend had planned to go to the Blue Whale Hotel to discuss the philosophy of life and the mysteries behind the origin of life.

Who would have thought that, on the road to the hotel, Yan Lin, who was driving with his girlfriend in tow, would be singled out by an out-of-control Mud Truck amid the traffic and taken on a ride of speed and passion?

Then Yan Lin lost consciousness.

When he regained consciousness, he had already been reborn in the Dou Qi Continent as an ordinary Snake Person under the Mobaas Tribe.

Perhaps because he had lived two lives, Yan Lin's talent was not bad. Unfortunately, he had never received his Golden Finger, so he could only rely on diligent cultivation.

Heaven did not disappoint those who worked hard.

He achieved the same feat as Yan Emperor: cultivating Dou Qi at four and reaching the ninth stage of Dou Qi at ten.

As Yan Lin's talent first emerged, he entered the sight of the Snake People Clan's higher-ups, who arranged his Coming-of-Age Trial early.

It was this Coming-of-Age Trial that completely changed Yan Lin's previous way of thinking.

He had the body of a Snake Person, but the soul of a human, so he had always favored peaceful coexistence between humans and Snake People.

The Snake People Clan's Coming-of-Age Trial revolved around whether one should spare a surviving human child.

The purpose was naturally because the Snake People Clan and humans were like fire and water. The Snake People Clan's experts wanted the clan's children to understand the enmity between the two races as early as possible.

Back then, Yan Lin did not know this was a trial arranged by the clan. Perhaps due to his human instincts, he ultimately spared that surviving little girl.

He did not know that the little girl's parents had both died at the hands of Snake People and harbored deep hatred for them. She immediately betrayed Yan Lin, her benefactor. Had Snake People Clan experts not secretly protected him, he would have died long ago.

That trial had a tremendous impact on him.

He fully recognized that he was a member of the Snake People Clan and no longer regarded himself as human.

Even if his soul was human, his outward appearance was that of a Snake Person. Humans would never consider him one of their own.

The prejudice in people's hearts was an insurmountable mountain!

"You said it yourself, that was before. People's hearts can change."

Yan Lin clasped both hands behind his head, his slightly boyish handsome face calm as though he did not care.

But as Yan Lin's close friend and best buddy, Cauliflower Snake could still tell that he was not as calm as he appeared.

Sure enough, that last Coming-of-Age Trial affected him deeply.

Cauliflower Snake's expression darkened slightly. He could roughly guess why Yan Lin had changed.

However, as his good buddy, seeing that Yan Lin did not wish to mention the matter again, Cauliflower Snake did not bring it up either. As usual, he chatted and laughed with Yan Lin as they headed home.

The two lived across from each other. The difference was that Yan Lin was an orphan whose parents had died young.

Cauliflower Snake's parents were both alive. They had been close friends with Yan Lin's parents, so they often looked after him. That was why Yan Lin and Cauliflower Snake were not blood brothers, yet were closer than brothers.

[Cultivation Talent: Ordinary—Can be copied]

[Bloodline: None]

[Constitution: None]

[Dou Skill: Snake Form Skill...—Can be copied]

[Technique: Golden Snake Secret Tome—Can be copied]

As he entered the tribe's residential area, there were noticeably more Snake People here. Yan Lin saw transparent attribute panels exclusive to them above their heads, yet there was not the slightest surprise in his eyes.

Like other transmigration protagonists, Yan Lin had his own Golden Finger. However, it had only appeared yesterday, after he broke through to the tenth stage of Dou Qi and successfully condensed his Dou Qi Vortex.

When it first awakened, Yan Lin had been extremely thrilled and excited. But as time passed and he came to understand its functions, he was already able to face it calmly.

His Golden Finger was rather unusual. It could copy the unique entries possessed by others.

Entries were further divided into special entries and ordinary entries.

Special entries included four categories among the beings he saw: "talent," "bloodline," "special constitution," and "rare treasures."

Ordinary entries included Dou Skills, cultivation techniques, medicinal pills, magic cores, puppets, medicine cauldrons, and so on.

There were two ways to obtain another person's entries.

First, by defeating someone, he had a certain chance of obtaining the other party's special attribute entries. He could obtain the other party's ordinary entries with absolute certainty.

Second, by killing someone, he could obtain any one entry from that person with absolute certainty.

Otherwise, he could not see anyone's attribute panel.

The reason Yan Lin could see them now was because this was a privilege granted by his beginner's gift pack.

He had one free chance to copy another person's entry.

Unfortunately, among all the Snake People he had seen in the Mobaas Tribe, none possessed entries worthy of Yan Lin's attention.

Most Snake People's entries were not even as good as his own.

"With this Golden Finger, it would have been great if I'd been born into an Imperial Clan. Even a fallen Xiao Family would do. I could copy a Godly Bloodline and soar straight to the top."

After examining the attribute panels of numerous Snake People, Yan Lin secretly felt disappointed. He thought it would have been wonderful if he had been born into a Dou God Clan.

Even being born into the Xiao Family would have been quite good.

Xun'er, who possessed a Godly Bloodline, was someone whose entry he wanted to copy. Once he obtained it, his cultivation would rise like a rocket.

Xiao Yan and Yao Lao were also good candidates.

Unfortunately, there were no ifs!

He was a Snake Person with weak strength. Even leaving the Tagor Desert was difficult.

With no other choice, Yan Lin could only choose the best option available to him.

Within the Snake People Clan, the one with the strongest talent and strength was none other than Queen Medusa. Yan Lin planned to give his first time to Queen Medusa.

"Queen Medusa will also attend tomorrow's Awakening Ceremony. That will be the best opportunity for me to copy an entry."

Yan Lin began making plans in his heart.

He had already inquired clearly. The Awakening Ceremony was one of the Snake People Clan's grand events. Not only would Queen Medusa attend, but so would the four great elders and the Eight Great Commanders.

This was undoubtedly the best opportunity for Yan Lin to copy entries.