Shi Potian

Biodata

Power Progression

Appearance

• Stands half a head taller than Li Zhexian and wears wrist guards 6.
• Has bandages wrapped around his arm after his later defeat 22.

Personality

Shi Potian treats Soul Power level as a measure of both personal worth and entitlement to sect resources. He repeatedly calls Li Zhexian trash for remaining at level ten and argues that Ning Rongrong should choose him instead because of his higher cultivation 6 9 11.

He is sensitive to public humiliation. Laughter from other disciples provokes him, and he dismisses his defeats as the result of underestimating Li Zhexian or not using a Soul Skill. During their later confrontation, restoring his reputation becomes more important to him than his original accusations about stolen spirit wine 9 11 19.

Although he claims to act for the sect and Ning Rongrong’s benefit, both Chen Xin and Rongrong reject his assumed authority. His resentment eventually leads him to threaten disclosure of Li Zhexian’s Twin Martial Souls and write an unsigned report about his unescorted departure 9 19 22.

Abilities & Skills

Rock Armor Bear

Shi Potian’s Martial Soul manifests as a bear behind him and produces rock armor over his body 7 19.

• Physical strength: His stomps crack stone paving, while his punches can damage walls and courtyard gates 7 19.
• Rock armor: Gray-black rock initially covers his arms; activating his second Soul Ring extends armor over his arms and chest 7 19.
• Limitations: Li Zhexian’s Azure Lotus Sword can deflect his attacks and shatter his rock armor 12 19.

First Soul Skill: Rock Bear Heavy Strike

His first Soul Ring empowers the Rock Armor Bear to deliver an enormous rock-fisted blow 11.

• Sends Li Zhexian flying into a courtyard wall and damages the masonry 12.
• Registers 1,300 damage per hit against Li Zhexian’s shield during the courtyard fight 12.
• Repeated use exhausts Shi Potian’s Soul Power until the skill fails to activate 12.

Second Soul Ring Activation

His second Soul Ring coats his arms and chest in rock and strengthens his assault 19.

• An empowered punch drives Li Zhexian into the courtyard gate and registers 1,080 shield damage 19.
• The skill’s name is not given in the documented encounter 19.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Short axe / hatchet — Carries it into the arena but sets it aside to fight barehanded. It is knocked from his hand during a later defeat 7 19.
• Wrist guards — Worn when he first confronts Li Zhexian 6 7.
• White jade hairpin — Attempts to give it to Ning Rongrong; she rejects the gift, and he leaves it on the study table 9.

Background / History

Arena Defeat

Shi Potian first confronts Li Zhexian after the latter asks the sect’s disciples to attack him. He insults Li Zhexian’s cultivation and engagement to Ning Rongrong, then agrees to an arena match. Although initially arranged for the following day, the fight takes place immediately at Li Zhexian’s insistence 6 7.

Li Zhexian allows him to land repeated blows while testing his shield. When Shi Potian turns his mockery toward Rongrong, Li Zhexian draws the Azure Lotus Sword, cuts a stone pillar in half, and places the blade at his throat. Chen Xin stops Shi Potian from attacking again and orders him to concede; Ning Fengzhi subsequently assigns him to repair the pillar 7.

Pursuit of Ning Rongrong

After the match, Shi Potian announces that Rongrong will break off her engagement and demands that Li Zhexian leave the sect. Chen Xin rebukes him for pretending to speak on the sect’s behalf and drives him away 8 9.

Sect elders promote Shi Potian as a suitable replacement fiancé, citing his Martial Soul and cultivation. Rongrong refuses to let them choose for her, rejects his hairpin, and reminds him that he lost to Li Zhexian. Even after Li Zhexian later reaches level twenty, an elder continues to favor Shi Potian because his background is known and his cultivation has progressed steadily 9 17.

Courtyard Attack

On the night Rongrong ends her engagement, Shi Potian arrives with four disciples and again tries to force Li Zhexian out. His attacks instead trigger system rewards for Li Zhexian, including Soul Power Tempering Liquid, healing pills, and copies of the Low-Rank Sword Qi Condensation Method 11 12.

Shi Potian exhausts himself using Rock Bear Heavy Strike. Li Zhexian then counters with his sword, splits the bear phantom, and leaves him kneeling and coughing blood. Chen Xin warns him against returning, while Ning Fengzhi orders him to pay for the damaged wall and water jar 12.

The rewards prove more useful to Li Zhexian than the damage itself: the Tempering Liquid temporarily reduces his cultivation suppression. Li Zhexian later decides that Shi Potian is too weak to remain a worthwhile shield-testing opponent 13 18.

Final Confrontation and Report

As Li Zhexian prepares to depart, Shi Potian blocks his courtyard with five disciples. He accuses him of stealing spirit wine and concealing a second Martial Soul, demanding that he surrender the wine gourd, kneel, and leave the sect 18 19.

Li Zhexian reveals his wine-gourd Martial Soul during the fight, then breaks Shi Potian’s armor and knocks him down. Shi Potian threatens to report his Twin Martial Souls to Spirit Hall and must be helped away by other disciples 19 20.

After Li Zhexian leaves, Shi Potian tells Rongrong that Spirit Hall may prevent him from returning alive. She orders him never to say Li Zhexian’s name again. He subsequently writes an unsigned account of what he witnessed, explicitly adding that Li Zhexian departed without an escort 22.

Relationships

• Li Zhexian — Rival and repeated target of harassment. Shi Potian’s attacks inadvertently supply system rewards that help Li Zhexian weaken his cultivation suppression 7 12 13 19.
• Ning Rongrong — Pursues her as a prospective wife, but she rejects his gift and his attempts to decide her future 9 11 22.
• Chen Xin — Repeatedly restrains or rebukes him for attacking Li Zhexian and exceeding his authority as a disciple 7 9 12.
• Ning Fengzhi — Sect master who holds him responsible for property damage and rejects an elder’s attempt to excuse his conduct as sparring 7 12 17.
• Sect elders — Some support him as a match for Rongrong, favoring his known background and steady cultivation 9 17.