Qin Yan

Biodata

Power Progression

Qin Yan’s panel records attributes and skill proficiency. His cultivation realm is less certain: he suspected he had reached Skin-Refining, but noticed no typical shedding of skin 16 23.

Background and History

Qin Yan transmigrated into the body of a teenage boy who shared his name. The original Qin Yan was honest and well liked by his father, Qin Zhaolin, who had paid for his schooling. After his parents’ deaths, Qin Zhao and Zhao He blamed him for the family’s misfortunes; Qin Qing had watched their treatment of him without intervening 1.

At the family division, Qin Yan accepted a dilapidated house and two taels of silver, then attacked Qin Zhao and Zhao He. When Zhao He summoned her relatives, he ambushed them and later secured the old village chief’s support by claiming a passing hero had saved him 1 4 5 6.

Appearance

Qin Yan initially had a lean build and a face that retained its childishness. As he trained, his size and physique changed dramatically 3 6 18.

• At fourteen, he was nearly 1.8 meters tall and powerfully built 18.
• Despite his height, he still had a boyish face 25.
• His later build was described as tall and well proportioned, with prominent muscles 44 48.

Personality

The transmigrated Qin Yan is markedly more ruthless than his predecessor. He describes his morals as flexible, uses deception and ambushes when they suit him, and is willing to kill perceived threats. He refused to visit Qin Zhao as he lay dying or attend his burial 5 20 30 33.

He also rewards people who help him. He shared food with the village chief and Seventh Uncle, offered them a share in his trading work, and supplied his followers with food and training. He values independence and declined an officer’s invitation to join the army because he preferred building his own strength 22 23 33 49.

Abilities & Skills

Infinite Physique

Qin Yan’s talent appears on a panel alongside his strength, speed, spirit and skills. Training can raise his attribute limits, while practice and combat increase skill proficiency 2 7.

• His forehead wound healed overnight, and raw fingers recovered after archery practice 3 8.
• The talent supports intense training and rapid recovery, but exertion can still exhaust him 12 50.
• Unusual animal parts and fruits can raise his attributes; the black snake’s gallbladder and three strange fruits gave him substantial gains 32 33.

Mental Perception

Qin Yan can sense his surroundings, an ability he associates with his growing spirit attribute 10 15.

• Underwater, he detected fish and shrimp several meters away, even in murky water 10 11.
• He used perception to search the Qiao family home for valuables 18.

Combat and Movement

Qin Yan combines prior-life fighting experience with skills learned or comprehended in his new life 2 13.

• Unlimited Combat: Uses practical strikes, grappling and low blows. Its proficiency increases through combat 5 13 17.
• Dragon Wandering Step: A self-created movement technique that uses short, nimble movements to evade attacks and close with opponents 13.
• Archery: Used for hunting, moving targets and attacks from concealment. He shot Black Wind Mountain’s sentries from darkness 12 37.
• Ape Strike Staff Technique: A thirteen-form staff art emphasizing wide swings and nimble variations 21.
• Six Harmonies Saber: A saber technique he learned under Li Wenqing and later taught his followers 26 43.
• Assassination Technique: Comprehended through stealth killings; at Entry Level, it reduced his presence and increased his speed 38 42.

Slaughter and Sha Qi

Slaughter emerged after Qin Yan killed members of the Qiao household. At Entry Level, it allows him to gather Sha Qi and use it to break evil 18 42.

• His Sha Qi manifests as an icy chill and faint dark-red mist 42.
• Gathering it places him in a state of absolute calm; he had not yet explored all its uses 42.

Heart Burst

A self-comprehended skill that breaks through the body’s limits, doubling strength and speed for ten minutes 49.

• Deactivating it left Qin Yan almost unable to stand, although Infinite Physique restored him quickly 50.
• Because of the exhaustion, he resolved to reserve it for emergencies 50.

Equipment and Items

• Brush knife — Bought in Qinghe Town and used in his ambush against the Zhao family 3 4.
• Quicklime — Used to blind opponents, including Zhao family members and Cao Lian 4 40.
• Tendonwood Bow and arrows — Used for archery training; he made bamboo arrows to preserve his iron-tipped ones 8.
• Thirty-refined saber — Given to him by Li Wenqing 26.
• Ape Strike Staff Technique manual — Taken from the Qiao family home 18.
• Wind-Crossing Saber Technique and Twelve Blood-Breaking Knives manuals — Looted from Black Wind Stronghold 42.

Relationships

• Qin Zhaolin — His late father, an Azure Blade Gang trader who favored him and paid for his education. Qin Yan later inherited his trading position 1 21.
• Qin Zhao — His eldest brother. Their relationship collapsed after the family division; Qin Yan later learned that Qin Zhao had misled the gang about his plans to mourn their father 1 19.
• Qin Qing — His second brother. He failed to intervene in Qin Zhao’s earlier mistreatment but later warned Qin Yan that Qiao Shanwei was looking for him 1 18.
• Zhao He — Qin Zhao’s wife, who blamed and bullied Qin Yan. Her attempt to enlist her brothers against him ended with Qin Yan breaking her leg 1 4 5.
• Qin Zhengyang — The old village chief and Qin Yan’s great-uncle. He backed Qin Yan against the Zhao family and hoped he could become a leading figure in the clan 6 7.
• Qin Zhaofeng — His Seventh Uncle, a hunter who offered help after the family division and later assisted with the trading business 3 22.
• Li Wenqing — Leader of the Azure Blade Gang and Qin Yan’s master. He first admitted Qin Yan as a gang disciple, then made him his sixth personal disciple 21 26.
• Song Bao and Qin Xiaoyi — Village youths who became Qin Yan’s followers. Song Bao helped bring other recruits, while Qin Xiaoyi became one of the group’s strongest trainees 23 30.
• Zong Xiaoshan — A naturally powerful fighter whose sister was murdered by bandits. Qin Yan helped him against the bandits and accepted him as a subordinate 37 42.
• Xiaoxuan — The black cat Qin Yan brought home as a kitten. It ate part of the Spirit Mouse’s corpse and grew rapidly 32 33 50.

Story Role and Major Arcs

The Qiao Family

After learning from Di Feng that the Qiao family was connected to his father’s death, Qin Yan killed Qiao Shansheng and attacked the family home. He looted and burned the house, then killed Qiao Shanwei when the surviving brother confronted him. Qin Yan persuaded Chen Hui and Li Meng to testify that he had acted in self-defense 15 17 18 19.

Building a Following

Li Wenqing accepted Qin Yan into the Azure Blade Gang and assigned him his father’s purchasing work. Qin Yan gathered eleven village youths, trained them on a mountain clearing, and supplied them with food. After becoming Li’s personal disciple, he escorted Madam Chen and Jiang Wan to the village, fighting off refugees who attacked their party 21 23 26 28.

Black Wind Mountain

After bandits threatened Clear Water Village, Qin Yan defeated their raiding party and forced a captive to reveal information about Black Wind Mountain. He attacked the stronghold, killed its chiefs and remaining bandits, and distributed silver to rescued women. Zong Xiaoshan joined him afterward 35 37 40 42.

The Mu Lineage

Qin Yan clashed with Mu Feng over an attempt to buy villagers’ farmland cheaply. He later infiltrated the Mu Lineage compound, killed Mu Youcheng, and fought a Green-Faced Corpse Monster before fleeing with a box of silver as cavalry approached 44 45 47.

Notable Quotes

“Old village chief, I have no morals!” 1

“Morality was like a piece of clothing: when needed, one could put it on for show.” 20

“From now on, you’ll call me boss! I’ll teach you skills too, but if you ever betray me, don’t blame me for turning ruthless.” 23