Li Shan

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Li Shan (李山)
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Shangyang Family 4
Occupation/Role	Laborer; later a Martial Artist assigned to a Level Three area 4 14 42
First Appearance	Chapter 4

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Found the Essence of Qi and Blood	10	Made initial progress in Stone Platform Stance Practice. 10
Blood Essence saturation / bottleneck	13	Reached the bottleneck in Blood Essence refinement and celebrated by treating Xu Yuan and others to meat. 13
Formal Martial Artist / First Meridian	14	Broke through roughly two days after expecting his bottleneck to open. 14
Thunderclap Fist mastered	47	Reportedly mastered Thunderclap Fist while assigned to the Level Three area; his captain supplied him with precious medicine. 47

Background / History

Li Shan began as a Shangyang Family laborer pursuing martial arts as a chance to change his circumstances. He joined Xu Yuan and Sun Rong in a small stance-training group, though he repeatedly spent his own practice time correcting other laborers’ movements. 4 5

His family ran a small business, giving him enough means to purchase Meridian Nourishing Soup. He also offered to lend Xu Yuan money for the soup, explaining his father’s belief that relationships and mutual assistance were valuable investments. 7

Li Shan found the Essence of Qi and Blood after Sun Rong, later reached a Blood Essence bottleneck, and became a formal Martial Artist shortly after Sun Rong and Wang Huan. 9 10 13 14 He subsequently moved into the Martial Artists’ training residence, where he reunited with Xu Yuan. 18 23

For the Martial Artist assessment, Li Shan chose to prioritize martial skill because his family’s resources could not guarantee a cultivation breakthrough. He failed to attain basic Thunderclap Fist proficiency before the deadline and was assigned to a Level Three area. 27 38 42

Appearance

Li Shan is noted for his thick eyebrows. 7

Personality

Li Shan is kind, approachable, and generous, but frequently allows those traits to compromise his own interests. He freely taught laborers despite losing training time, lent or offered resources to peers, and continued helping Chen Sanli even when Chen Sanli exploited his goodwill. 4 7 8 24 25

He values harmony among companions and instinctively acts as a mediator. This tendency can make him socially naïve: when Wang Huan and Chen Sanli fought, Li Shan restrained Xu Yuan and urged everyone to calm down, inadvertently appearing to side with Wang Huan. Xu Yuan later concluded that Li Shan treated friends and strangers with the same generosity, making true closeness difficult. 34 35

Li Shan can also be competitive and envious. He envied Sun Rong’s faster progress and later felt regret when Xu Yuan’s secure assignment eclipsed his own relatively favorable Level Three posting. 9 42

Abilities & Skills

Stone Platform Stance Practice

Li Shan trained in the Shangyang Family’s stance method as a laborer and successfully entered the Martial Artist rank.

• Found the Essence of Qi and Blood during early training. 10
• Reached Blood Essence saturation and a breakthrough bottleneck. 13
• Became a formal Martial Artist shortly afterward. 14
• Was capable of identifying and correcting other laborers’ stance errors, although doing so slowed his own training. 4 5

Thunderclap Fist

Li Shan elected to focus on Thunderclap Fist for the Martial Artist assessment due to limited financial resources. 27

• Failed to reach basic proficiency by the assessment deadline. 38
• Later reportedly mastered the technique while serving in a Level Three area. 47
• His subsequent cultivation was said to be progressing quickly with precious medicine obtained by his female captain. 47

Relationships

• Xu Yuan — Began as a training partner and friend. Li Shan offered him a loan for Meridian Nourishing Soup, welcomed him warmly after his promotion, and later became distant from him after trying to mediate the Wang Huan conflict. 4 7 23 34 38
• Sun Rong — Early stance-training companion. They teased each other amicably, but their relationship cooled after Sun Rong became a Martial Artist and grew more distant. 5 12 13 14
• Chen Sanli — Roommate who repeatedly took advantage of Li Shan’s generosity, including his food, toilet paper, and willingness to preserve dormitory harmony. 24 25 30
• Wang Huan — Fellow Martial Artist and roommate. Li Shan broke up Wang Huan’s fight with Chen Sanli and later remained one of the few people still able to speak normally with Wang Huan after his ostracism. 34 38
• Li Shan’s father — A small businessman who taught Li Shan to cultivate relationships and connections. 7
• Unnamed female captain — Reportedly favored Li Shan in his Level Three assignment and secured precious medicine for him. 47

Story Role / Major Arcs

Laborer Training

Li Shan forms a practice group with Xu Yuan and Sun Rong, but his habit of freely instructing others costs him valuable cultivation time. 4 5 He progresses from sensing the Essence of Qi and Blood to becoming a formal Martial Artist. 10 14

Martial Artist Dormitory

After joining the training residence, Li Shan remains a familiar and welcoming presence for Xu Yuan. However, Chen Sanli increasingly exploits Li Shan’s kindness, while Li Shan’s attempts to resolve dormitory disputes reveal his poor grasp of factional dynamics. 23 24 25 34

Assessment and Assignment

Li Shan focuses on Thunderclap Fist rather than cultivation for the assessment, but falls short of the required proficiency. He is assigned to a Level Three area, a result better than the Level Four placements received by several roommates. 27 38 42

Level Three Service

While stationed in the Level Three area, Li Shan reportedly gains the favor of his female captain, receives access to precious medicine, masters Thunderclap Fist, and continues improving his cultivation. 47

Trivia

• Li Shan moved dormitories during his laborer period because too many people sought his guidance every night and he could not refuse them. 9
• He treated Xu Yuan and others to a substantial meat meal after reaching his Blood Essence bottleneck. 13
• Sun Rong’s teasing repeatedly linked Li Shan’s slower progress to the time he spent helping others. 5 9 12