Sun Lingtong

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Sun Lingtong (孙灵瞳)
Alias(es)	Boss Sun; Old Sun; Iron Pier (disguise)
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Unempty Gate (outer disciple); former master of the Fire Persimmon Immortal City Black Market 132 151
Occupation/Role	Thief, intelligence broker, Black Market leader, explorer
Status	Alive
First Appearance	Chapter 44
Cultivation	Foundation Establishment; approaching Golden Core formation 604

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Mid-stage Qi Refining	138	At thirteen, she was severely injured and rescued by the two-year-old Ning Zhuo.
Foundation Establishment	44	Revealed as the Black Market’s Foundation Establishment-stage master.
Peak Foundation Establishment	132	Identified by Zhu Xuanji as a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator and Unempty Gate outer disciple.
Final Foundation Establishment stage	604	Nearing the point where her illusory Golden Core must become fully real; she deliberately avoids further soul cultivation to preserve the quality of her breakthrough.

Appearance

Sun Lingtong has the body of a three- or four-year-old child because she accidentally consumed a Face-Fixing Pill as an infant and later cultivated a related technique. Her actual age is far greater than her appearance suggests. 44 138

• Short, glossy black hair.
• Large black-and-white eyes and tender, smooth skin.
• Chubby cheeks marked by two red blush patches.
• Small, childlike build despite being a veteran cultivator.
• Favors a pair of daggers, which she manipulates with exceptional wrist and finger flexibility. 44 136

Personality

Sun Lingtong is perceptive, theatrical, and intensely fond of excitement. She built her Black Market authority on reading people, spotting deception, and exploiting uncertainty; even under threat, she often performs weakness or panic until an opening appears. 44 132 136

Her morality is pragmatic rather than conventional. She teaches Ning Zhuo theft, deception, and retaliation, yet frames these acts as punishing evil or repaying grievances. She also kept order in the Black Market, reducing bloody disputes through rules she enforced herself. 140 141 132

Beneath her greed and thrill-seeking, Sun Lingtong is fiercely loyal to Ning Zhuo. She endured life as a wanted fugitive to remain close enough to aid him, disciplines him when his cultivation becomes reckless, and repeatedly risks herself in dangerous explorations for their shared goals. 198 424 695

Background

Sun Lingtong joined the Unempty Gate and traveled widely with her master, gaining far more worldly experience than her childish appearance suggests. She cultivated the Boy’s Skill rather than the sect’s orthodox methods, focusing primarily on her Divine Sea. 138 604

While thirteen and only at mid-stage Qi Refining, an injured Sun Lingtong was rescued by the two-year-old Ning Zhuo. Suspicious of the unusually intelligent child at first, she remained to observe him; their bond eventually grew into a lifelong partnership. 138 137

During Ning Zhuo’s childhood, Sun Lingtong became his mentor in the Hundred Arts, thieving, social observation, and survival. Their competitions initially damaged Ning Zhuo’s confidence, prompting Sun Lingtong to reassess her behavior and teach him the value of play as well as worldly caution. 140 141

She later became the master of Fire Persimmon Immortal City’s Black Market. Her network, including the Turtle Breath Gang, provided intelligence and operational support while allowing her to regulate the market’s disputes. 132 178

Abilities & Skills

Spiritual Eyes

Sun Lingtong possesses a Spiritual Eye talent suited to observation, appraisal, and detecting hidden dangers.

• Reads people and sees through attempted lies, forming the basis of her Black Market rule. 44
• Sees through mist and identifies threats or array components that others miss. 136 695
• Confirmed that Old Monster Stone’s Transformation Spirit-level existence was dead. 427
• Studied the Luoshu page and its water-vortex array, though prolonged use caused bleeding and mental strain. 697

Unempty Gate Thieving Arts

Her primary specialty is theft: infiltration, disguise, lock-breaking, concealment, and stealing objects or information without alerting defenses.

• Uses theft techniques to disguise her identity and blend into hostile environments. 582 742
• Deceived the sentient puppet Ru Die Niang by posing as an inspector, allowing her group to steal warehouse goods. 260
• Navigated the lethal defenses of the Rinsing Jade Retreat through repeated scouting spells, talismans, and precise movement. 695 696
• Learned from Zeng Jide that theft can be cultivated through vows and used as a personal Dao Path. 663 664

Spatial Movement

Sun Lingtong employs the Space Piercing Art, stepping through spatial ripples to reposition or escape.

• Escaped a three-sided assault during Han Ming’s ambush. 136
• Cannot use the art when an enemy formation seals spatial ripples. 207
• Coordinated spatial escapes with Yang Chanyu and the Ten Thousand Miles Swimming Dragon. 318 428

Blade Arts

Sun Lingtong is a highly experienced dagger fighter who developed blade arts for both precision and desperate combat.

• Butterfly Wing Blades — revealed after she baited three opponents into lowering their guard; used to defeat Han Ming. 136
• Falling Star — a self-created forbidden dagger art designed for life-or-death situations; powerful but carries heavy aftereffects. 207
• Her combat style emphasizes agility, misdirection, disposable artifacts, and exploiting opponents’ distrust of one another. 136

Empty Heart Seal

Sun Lingtong’s understanding of the Unempty Gate’s Dao allows her to use the Empty Heart Seal despite not cultivating the sect’s orthodox path.

• Prevented Qi Bai’s soul search from extracting usable memories; information illuminated by the seal became blank. 141
• Clears distracting thoughts and counters mental interference, including Luo Shang’s Soul-Reaving Dimness Art. 207
• Absorbed Evil God Bone Marrow through the seal to empower the Ten Thousand Miles Swimming Dragon’s escape. 509

Array and Mechanism Expertise

Sun Lingtong is skilled at examining arrays, operating mechanisms, and adapting stolen tools.

• Operated mechanical platforms to assist Ning Zhuo’s artifact work. 518
• Identified the changing, externally driven nature of the Rinsing Jade Retreat’s corridor array. 696
• Helped refine Ning Zhuo’s Five Elements Golden Core Wheel and relocate the retreat’s contents. 698
• Rapidly learned the Myriad Phenomena Scripture’s Foundation Establishment section, producing the Qi Sea magic power needed to activate an array plate. 616

Paper Figure Army Command

After entering the Underworld through Ning Zhuo’s Qian Mo Lamp, Sun Lingtong gained access to a portion of the Paper Figure Army.

• Could not control a Nascent Soul paper general because her soul cultivation was initially insufficient. 604
• Received massive, stable soul enhancement through Luo Si’s Heavenly Granted Talisman. 615
• Took command of a Ghost Ox and twelve Ox Cavalry, leading them against Azure Corpse Wolves. 617
• Uses Luo Si’s authorization to move through the River of Forgetfulness Underworld’s military routes. 623

Equipment

• Daggers — her primary close-combat weapons; used with Butterfly Wing Blades and Falling Star. 44 207
• Azure Iron Han Armor — a custom miniature mechanical battle armor built by Ning Zhuo; grants flight through Separation Fire arrays and carries the activation phrase, “Golden Swallow Cuts Clouds, Han Armor Covers Body!” 582
• Ten Thousand Miles Swimming Dragon — a shared Nascent Soul-level mechanism used for reconnaissance, void traversal, infiltration, and emergency escape. 423 427
• Dust Washing Cup — a magic treasure gifted by Luo Si at the Wangchuan River. 604
• Heavenly Granted Talisman — Luo Si’s black-jade talisman that greatly increased her soul foundation. 606 615
• Luo Si’s token and authorization slip — credentials that protect her access to the River of Forgetfulness Underworld’s military network. 618 623

Relationships

• Ning Zhuo — Her sworn brother, partner, and former student. Sun Lingtong mentored him from childhood, while Ning Zhuo repeatedly rescues and supports her through Life Hanging by a Thread. 140 141 695
• Tassel-Haired Wanderer — Her brother, who intervened to save her from Qi Bai. 144
• Yang Chanyu — Fellow Unempty Gate disciple, former betrothed, and frequent ally. Their masters arranged their engagement, though both initially intended to dissolve it. 212 318
• Han Ming — Former accomplice in the raid on Purple Sun Villa. Sun Lingtong betrayed her and took the Phoenix Soul Blood Incense Pills, creating a lasting vendetta. 47 136
• Qi Bai — Soul Devouring Sect Golden Core cultivator who captured and tortured her; Ning Zhuo and the Tassel-Haired Wanderer eventually defeated him. 137 150
• Luo Si — Forgetful Ghost General who gave her the Dust Washing Cup, a Heavenly Granted Talisman, military resources, and authorization. 604 606 623
• Zeng Jide — Senior Unempty Gate disciple and fellow thief who secretly protected her in River of Forgetfulness Immortal City and became a mentor in advanced thieving arts. 655 663

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Purple Sun Villa raid — Recruited Han Ming and cooperated with Ning Zhuo to target Sun Lie’s pill stores, then betrayed Han Ming to seize the Phoenix Soul Blood Incense Pills. 44 45 47
• Black Market investigation and Soul Devouring Sect conflict — Evaded Zhu Xuanji’s interrogation through manipulation, survived Han Ming and two demonic cultivators, then endured Qi Bai’s torture without exposing Ning Zhuo. 132 136 141
• Magma Immortal Palace partnership — Assisted Ning Zhuo’s Palace Trial operations, impersonated him as the “Entry Standard,” and repeatedly acted to protect his secrets. 295 318
• Thousand Peaks Forest expedition — Explored Old Monster Stone’s cave, suffered petrification from its defenses, then used the injury and the Fetal Breath Spirit Boat to strengthen her body. 427 435 441
• Two Injections Country campaign — Joined Ning Zhuo in stealing military resources, mechanical platforms, and the Earth Milk Pure Spirit Pool while avoiding major battlefield powers. 460 508 509
• White Paper Immortal City and Underworld operations — Entered the Underworld in a paper figure, built control over the Paper Figure Army, infiltrated River of Forgetfulness Immortal City, and helped disrupt the Prefect’s plans. 603 617 655 663
• Rinsing Jade Retreat exploration — Served as Ning Zhuo’s advance scout in Meng Yaoyin’s heavily defended cave dwelling, mapping its arrays and uncovering the Luoshu-linked divination room. 695 696 698