Li Han

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Li Han (厉寒)
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Great Sword Sect; later the Sword Sect
Occupation/Role	Cultivator; patrol-team leader; manager of Lin Chang'an's business and intelligence network
Status	Alive
First Appearance	1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Qi Condensation, fourth layer	59	Breaks through ahead of Qi Feng through sustained ascetic cultivation and receives command of a patrol team responsible for market-town order.
Qi Condensation, early seventh layer	114	Reaches late Qi Condensation despite his Low-grade Spirit Root; he notes that his cultivation has begun to stagnate.
Qi Condensation, eighth layer	156	Reaches the eighth layer at age thirty-nine after years of using sect resources and cultivating diligently.
Qi Condensation, peak / near perfection	201	Approaches the Foundation Establishment threshold, though Lin Chang'an judges his foundation still insufficient for a safe attempt.
Failed Foundation Establishment attempt	203 205	Forces a breakthrough with a premium Foundation Establishment Pill but suffers backlash, prematurely graying his hair and requiring one to two years of recovery.
Foundation Establishment, early stage	213	Succeeds on a later attempt by calmly synchronizing the transformation of body, mana, and divine sense; his breakthrough creates a spiritual-energy vortex over Qingshan City.

Background / History

Li Han first meets Lin Chang'an while traveling to what they believe is the Heavenly Sword Sect. He is an ordinary-looking youth in black with a Low-grade Spirit Root, anxious that he will not be admitted. Unlike Qi Feng, he is prepared to become a rogue cultivator because he already possesses a cultivation method obtained through an unspecified opportunity. 1

After discovering that they have been deceived into entering the Great Sword Sect, Li Han initially hesitates over whether to submit to the sect. He eventually becomes bound by its control methods, including a Thread-Pulling Technique mark that can trace his qi within one hundred li. 2 14

Li Han and Qi Feng are later condemned to mine labor. Once Lin Chang'an gains Elder Lu's favor, he intercedes for both men; Li Han is released and transferred to the Patrol Guard. Though he initially does not want to create ties within the sect, he accepts Lin Chang'an's help and promises future support. 23 24

Appearance

Li Han is initially described as an ordinary-looking young man who commonly wears black clothing. His difficult cultivation path later leaves him visibly aged despite his continued resolve. 1 205 206

• Dresses in black during his early years in the Great Sword Sect. 1 44
• Has dark, resolute eyes that Lin Chang'an associates with his pursuit of immortality. 44
• After his failed first Foundation Establishment attempt, his black hair turns nearly half white and he appears worn down. 205
• Returns from his visit home with fully gray hair but a steadier, more resolute demeanor. 206

Personality

Li Han is cautious, pragmatic, and deeply aware of how dangerous the cultivation world is for someone without talent or backing. His stated reason for pursuing strength is not lofty idealism but fear of dying; nevertheless, this fear becomes the basis of an exceptionally tenacious Dao heart. 44

He is restrained in both resources and personal life. While Qi Feng spends heavily on family and pleasure, Li Han directs his spirit stones toward cultivation and preserves his primordial yang to avoid hindering his progress. He plans to marry only after his cultivation ceases advancing. 59

His failure at Foundation Establishment does not break his resolve. After returning home and seeing that his family has prospered without him, he chooses the cultivation path again with no regrets. His second attempt is defined by patience and composure rather than the desperation that doomed his first. 205 206 213

Abilities & Skills

Persistent Cultivation

Li Han advances far beyond the expectations associated with his Low-grade Spirit Root through long-term discipline, resource investment, and abstinence.

• Breaks through to the fourth layer of Qi Condensation ahead of cultivators with better aptitude. 59
• Maintains arduous cultivation for roughly a decade, even when others indulge in pleasure or leisure. 96
• Reaches the eighth layer of Qi Condensation by age thirty-nine and later achieves Foundation Establishment. 156 213
• His cultivation ceiling remains constrained by aptitude; even after Foundation Establishment, he is still only at the early stage and expects limited future advancement. 247 254

Foundation Establishment

Li Han ultimately succeeds in establishing his foundation after an earlier failure.

• Receives Lin Chang'an's breakthrough insights and a premium Foundation Establishment Pill for his first attempt. 203
• His first attempt fails because he forces a breakthrough before his cultivation is fully ready, causing serious backlash. 205
• On his second attempt, he steadily compresses mana and guides the transformations of body, mana, and divine sense without panic. 213

Combat

Li Han is an active combatant who supports Lin Chang'an and Murong Yue in dangerous operations.

• Uses repeated fireball spells and a jade long saber during unrest in Qingshan City. 174
• Joins Murong Yue in activating Golden Core-crafted Nine Dragon Fire Dance Talismans against a Flying Zombie. 233
• Fights alongside Lin Chang'an and Murong Yue when nineteen Foundation Establishment cultivators ambush them. 239
• Helps intercept the Zhou Family Head alongside the Six Harmonies Demonic Corpse. 240

Management and Intelligence Work

Lin Chang'an relies on Li Han for steady administration, public order, business management, and discreet intelligence gathering.

• Leads a patrol team after reaching the fourth layer of Qi Condensation. 59
• Oversees market-town public order and monitors the Patrol Prefecture and Purple Copper Mine. 61
• Employs effective pressure tactics during debt collection with Qi Feng and Zhang Qing. 76
• Is entrusted to gather intelligence quietly upon arriving in Qingshan City. 170
• Resumes management of Lin Chang'an's Qingshan City business after returning from his hometown. 206

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Mortal-world sword carried when first traveling to the supposed Heavenly Sword Sect. 1
• Jade long saber used during the Qingshan City unrest. 174
• Sound transmission talismans used to coordinate with Lin Chang'an and Murong Yue in the secret realm. 228
• Golden Core-crafted Nine Dragon Fire Dance Talisman used jointly with Murong Yue. 233
• Foundation Establishment Pills supplied by Lin Chang'an for his breakthrough attempts. 201 203 213

Relationships

• Lin Chang'an — Closest friend, benefactor, and later superior. Lin Chang'an secures his release from mine labor, provides cultivation guidance and resources, entrusts him with business and intelligence work, and supports both of his Foundation Establishment attempts. 24 59 170 203 206
• Murong Yue — Fellow early companion and cultivation ally. She remains in Qingshan City to support Li Han's first Foundation Establishment attempt and later fights beside him in the secret realm and against the ambush. 203 228 239
• Qi Feng — Early companion and rival. Qi Feng initially belittles Li Han's prospects, later apologizes, and becomes his longtime friend; their relationship ends after Qi Feng's son Qi Shan betrays Li Han and his allies. 1 24 239
• Qi Shan — Qi Feng's son and former junior. Li Han denounces him after he joins an ambush against Lin Chang'an's group; Qi Shan responds by calling Li Han “useless trash” and resenting his Foundation Establishment success. 239
• Li Fei — Younger brother who manages the Li family's prosperous mortal-world estate during Li Han's absence. 205
• Li Han's parents — Mortal parents who remain proud of him and worry about the hardships he endures away from home. Li Han watches them from afar rather than revealing himself during his return to Qingniu Town. 205

Story Role / Major Arcs

Great Sword Sect Entrant

Li Han enters the Great Sword Sect alongside Lin Chang'an and Qi Feng after the fraudulent recruitment scheme. He accepts the sect's harsh reality but remains wary of dependence and control. 1 2 14

Mine Labor and Patrol Guard

After being sent to the mines, Li Han is rescued through Lin Chang'an's intervention and assigned to the Patrol Guard. He becomes part of Lin Chang'an's emerging faction and develops into a reliable patrol leader. 23 24 59

Pursuit of Strength

Li Han trades a two-hundred-year-old Spirit Cleansing Grass to Lin Chang'an in the hope of removing Gu worms from his body. The episode reveals both his hidden resourcefulness and his determination to eliminate threats to his future. 44

He steadily rises through Qi Condensation by sacrificing comfort and spending his resources entirely on cultivation. His progress surpasses Qi Feng's despite his inferior spirit root. 59 96 156

Qingshan City Administrator

When Lin Chang'an expands into Qingshan City, Li Han is placed in charge of a group of late Qi Condensation cultivators, gathers intelligence, and manages Lin Chang'an's commercial interests. 169 170 206

Foundation Establishment Trials

Near fifty, Li Han chooses to risk Foundation Establishment because further waiting would increase the burden of age. His first attempt fails and leaves him prematurely aged, but his trip home restores his resolve. 201 203 205

He returns after six months with a tempered Dao heart, then later successfully reaches Foundation Establishment through measured control rather than force. 206 213

Secret-Realm Ally

As an early Foundation Establishment cultivator, Li Han continues accompanying Lin Chang'an and Murong Yue into dangerous secret realms. Though conscious that his cultivation lags behind theirs, he refuses to abandon opportunities that may change his future. 228 232 254

Notable Quotes

“It’s not that my cultivation heart is firm, I’m just afraid of dying.” 44

“My talent is poor. If I indulge in pleasure at this age, I won’t go far in the future.” 59

“Forced? If I hadn’t forced the breakthrough, would I still have a chance?” 205

“I’m not leaving!” 206

Trivia

• Li Han was the only member of his initial group who paid two spirit stones to sell himself into the Great Sword Sect, an experience he later considers deeply embarrassing. 114
• He was a Martial Grandmaster before his cultivation career in the Great Sword Sect. 7
• His ordinary appearance is, in his own view, an advantage when male cultivators risk being targeted for their looks. 109
• Zhang Qing considers Li Han's Dao heart extraordinarily resolute and believes that, with a High-grade Spirit Root and some luck, he might have reached Golden Core. 227