Lin Fan

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Lin Fan (林梵)
Alias(es)	Future Calamity; Crimson Snake; “Lu Li” (Countermeasure Bureau cover identity) 671 675 696
Species/Race	Human; later becomes the Crimson Snake 675 676
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Ring of Time and Space; Countermeasure Bureau (infiltrator under Lu Li’s identity) 687 696
Occupation/Role	Former company clerk; time-ritual practitioner; founder and operator of the Ring of Time and Space 669 696
Status	Active 696
First Appearance	Chapter 664

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Time Ring Ritual initiate	667	Uses a shaved-hair-and-blood ritual to enter his past self and steal time power while concealed by the Ring of Time and Space.
Candle-enhanced temporal interference	668 670	The candle absorbs stolen time power, strengthens his body, and lets him influence his past self during unobserved moments.
Blood control	669	Learns to manipulate his blood, hardening and launching it as red crystals capable of embedding in walls.
Time Clone	672 673	Trades time for the ability to condense a body that can act in the past independently.
Incomplete Time-Space Circle	673	Completes a spacetime loop, gains additional time power, and forms an incomplete Time-Space Circle within himself.
Crimson Snake	675	Absorbs the candle’s time power after its ignition, gains a serpent-shaped mark on his scalp, and inherits scorching life-force abilities.
Advanced temporal movement	677 680	Splits off Time Clones and learns time-based teleportation by fixing his position in time and using planetary movement to carry him elsewhere.
Saint of the Time-Space Circle	682	Accepts Lu Li’s understanding of the universe and becomes a walker who carries out the Time-Space Circle’s principles.

Background / History

Lin Fan was an ordinary clerical employee from the countryside with little financial security or support in the city. His miserly employer forced workers to move heavy ornamental plants; after Lin Fan suffered a workplace injury, the company withheld compensation and deducted his wages instead. 669

His life changed when a candle attached itself to his head. Although the authorities described the object as a poison-gas weapon, Lin Fan suspected it was a supernatural treasure. Unable to remove it and realizing that even his landlady could not see it, he kept its existence secret and searched for information online. 664

His investigation led him to the Ring of Time and Space, a hidden organization whose teachings promised time power through rituals. Shadow B exploited Lin Fan’s inexperience by selling him a flawed ritual manual and forcing him to shave his head, but Lin Fan successfully performed the Time Ring Ritual and began observing his own past. 665 667

As he drew power from his past self, Lin Fan discovered the candle could absorb time power that would normally go to his mentor. Its feedback rapidly strengthened his body and awakened blood manipulation. 668 669 His growing ability also revealed a disastrous truth: a future version of himself, called Future Calamity, had murdered Brother Hei, Sister-in-law Hei, and later Lin Fan’s employer. 671 674

After forming an incomplete Time-Space Circle and acquiring a Time Clone, Lin Fan became entangled with competing versions of himself, including Shadow B and the Umbrella Man. He eventually inherited the power of the Crimson Snake when a candle ignited above his head, leaving him with a red serpent-shaped mark. 673 675 677

Appearance

Lin Fan initially appears as an unremarkable office worker. The Time Ring Ritual permanently leaves him bald, and the first candle remains fixed to the top of his head until it ignites. 664 667 675

• A candle attached to his scalp, initially visible only to him and later to supernatural observers. 664 674
• A bald head caused by the ritual manual’s required first cultivation. 667
• A crimson serpent-shaped mark on his scalp after becoming the Crimson Snake. 675
• Uses a black cloak and mask when operating through time; the cloak conceals him from ordinary sight, while the mask suppresses his aura, heartbeat, temperature, and traces. 673
• Later adopts Lu Li’s appearance and identity to infiltrate the Countermeasure Bureau. 687 696

Personality

Lin Fan begins as frightened, skeptical, and practical. He considers asking the authorities for help but chooses secrecy once he realizes the candle may be a valuable supernatural object. He is wary of obvious scams, particularly Shadow B’s expensive ritual-manual sales tactics. 664 667

His increasing control over time makes him more daring and calculating. He uses unobserved moments in the past to steal time power, investigates crimes connected to his future selves, and prepares escape routes before acting. 670 674 Even while disturbed by the murders committed by Future Calamity, he prioritizes avoiding suspicion and surviving the consequences. 671

After Lu Li exposes him to the truth of the universe, Lin Fan’s values become fundamentally detached from ordinary human concerns. He later abandons efforts to rescue his captured family, viewing familial affection as an obstacle to his advancement and purpose. 682 689

Abilities & Skills

Time Ring Ritual

Lin Fan’s foundational ability is a ritual that allows his consciousness to enter and interact with his past self.

• Travels into a point within the previous day and experiences events through his past body. 667 668
• Steals time power by altering vague or unobserved portions of the past. 668 670
• Can possess his earlier self more forcefully after the candle enhances him. 670
• Uses Time Acceleration to move at abnormal speed, including accelerating the meteor that allowed the candles to evade interception. 687 696
• The established past cannot be directly changed; attempting to interfere with fixed events risks lethal temporal backlash. 674
• Remaining in the past too long can cause time to scatter his consciousness and turn him into a puppet. 670

Time Clone

Lin Fan can create a body from time power that acts independently within the past.

• Acquired by trading three inches of time through the Ring of Time and Space archive. 672
• Allows him to leave his past self, investigate locations, wear equipment, and act separately. 673 677
• A clone must not reveal its true appearance to observers unless doing so fits the past; otherwise, its consciousness suffers a severe temporal impact. 672

Temporal Teleportation

Lin Fan can relocate by fixing himself in time and allowing celestial movement to shift his physical position.

• Learned during his apprenticeship under Shadow B. 680
• Provides extremely high travel speed. 680
• Its destination is difficult to control, leaving Lin Fan temporally disoriented after use. 680

Candle Enhancement and Blood Control

The candle attached to Lin Fan amplifies time power and changes his body.

• Absorbs time power that would ordinarily be transferred to his superior mentor. 667 671
• Enhances Lin Fan’s physical condition, giving him greater strength, vitality, and bodily awareness. 668
• Lets him control blood, form it into red crystals, and fire them as lethal projectiles. 669
• The three candles represent the past, present, and future. 687

Crimson Snake

After the candle’s ignition, Lin Fan becomes the new Crimson Snake.

• Generates intense life force and scorching flames that melt Lin Tong’s Ouroboros restraints. 675
• Bears a crimson serpent mark and experiences his blood as a many-headed, many-tailed serpent beneath his skin. 675 680
• Uses the power in combat against future remnants and during the Final Day operation. 679 696
• Can be restrained when spacetime is stabilized by specialized countermeasures, including Lin Tong’s Ouroboros and Bai Pang’s golden powder. 696

Equipment / Items

• Time Ring Ritual Manual — A photocopied ritual text acquired from Shadow B; its version requires the practitioner to shave their head and use the hair as ritual material. 667
• Candle of the Past — The first candle to attach itself to Lin Fan; it absorbs time power and ultimately awakens his Crimson Snake nature. 664 675
• Black cloak — An invisibility garment that cannot be perceived by those without special vision. 673
• Black mask — Conceals aura, heartbeat, temperature, and other identifying traces. 673
• Hourglass — Given by Shadow B as a means to complete or reclaim traded time. 676

Relationships

• Lu Li — A former high school classmate who later reveals the truth of the universe to Lin Fan. Lin Fan accepts Lu Li’s invitation, receives a candle from him, and eventually uses Lu Li’s identity as a Countermeasure Bureau cover. 680 682 687 696
• Shadow B — A future version of Lin Fan who initially scams him with expensive manuals, then serves as his mentor and completes his apprenticeship. 667 676 680
• Future Calamity — Lin Fan’s future self, responsible for murdering Brother Hei, Sister-in-law Hei, and Lin Fan’s employer in actions that entangle Lin Fan in the resulting investigations. 671 674
• Umbrella Man — A desperate future remnant of Lin Fan who seeks survival and attempts to persuade Lin Fan to light the third candle. 677
• Lin Tong — Initially pursues Lin Fan over the candle-related murders, later works alongside him for years while unknowingly dealing with Lin Fan disguised as Lu Li. 674 689 696
• Yang Li — A Countermeasure Bureau agent who pursues Lin Fan and prioritizes capturing him over saving civilians during the Crimson Snake incident. 675
• Brother Hei and Sister-in-law Hei — Lin Fan’s neighbors and victims of Future Calamity; their murders become the first major case tying Lin Fan to temporal crimes. 671

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Candle Incident — Discovers the candle attached to his head, conceals it from the authorities, and finds the Ring of Time and Space. 664 665
• Time Ring Ritual — Learns the ritual from Shadow B, enters his past, steals time power, and begins exploiting unobserved moments. 667 670
• Future Calamity Murders — Learns that future versions of himself killed his neighbors and employer, then uses time travel and clones to investigate the connected candles. 671 674
• Crimson Snake Awakening — Escapes Lin Tong and Yang Li after a candle ignites, transforming him into the Crimson Snake. 675
• Three Candles — Encounters Shadow B, the Umbrella Man, and other temporal remnants while seeking to complete his Time-Space Circle and understand the Shadow Kingdom’s prophecy. 676 677
• Ring of Time and Space Headquarters — Completes Shadow B’s apprenticeship, observes Lu Li’s role in founding the organization, and accepts Lu Li’s revelation about the Final Day. 680 682
• Countermeasure Bureau Infiltration — Returns under Lu Li’s identity, takes over the Ring of Time and Space’s arrangements, and secretly operates within the Countermeasure Bureau for years. 687 689
• Final Day — Reveals himself as Lin Fan during the operation involving the three candles, claiming responsibility for establishing the Ring of Time and Space. 696

Trivia

• Lin Fan recognizes Lu Li as the classmate who once tore up an exam paper in front of his class. 680
• The ritual manual’s condition that his hair would never grow back becomes literal: Lin Fan remains bald throughout his later appearances. 667 675
• Before accepting Lu Li’s truth, Lin Fan describes the few days after finding the candle as more exciting than the rest of his life. 675