Wang Cong

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Wang Cong (王璁)
Alias(es)	Senior Martial Nephew; Cong'er
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Mount Sanqing
Occupation/Role	Daoist priest, merchant, maritime trader, and organizer of Mount Sanqing’s commercial affairs
Status	Active; later becomes a major overseas merchant of the Ming Dynasty 1137
First Appearance	Chapter 97

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Third Stage	352	A mid-to-upper-level martial artist. He can convert inner force into vital energy and draw in spiritual energy unusually early, though he initially cultivates lazily.
First Marquis	1137	Broke through roughly ten years before Pan Yun’s ascension. This formally placed him among cultivators and preserved his youthful appearance despite more than thirty years at sea.

Background / History

Wang Cong is Wang Fei Yin’s son and a senior disciple of Mount Sanqing. He graduated early from the Mount Longhu Academy due to his talent, but chose commerce over pursuing an official career, focusing instead on supporting his family and temple through business 98 352.

After returning from a caravan journey, he helped construct the Sanqing Mountain God Temple. He immediately accepted responsibility for Pan Yun’s sensitive household-registration situation, arranging her new identity and assisting with the temple’s registration, land deeds, and construction procedures through his friendship with County Magistrate Ming Xuan 97 98.

Though naturally gifted, Wang Cong initially devoted far more effort to making money than cultivation. When Wang Fei Yin warned him that he needed at least the Fourth Stage to protect his spatial jade pendants and survive future dangers, Wang Cong finally resolved to train seriously 352 362.

He later became one of Pan Yun’s most dependable traveling companions. He accompanied her through investigations, travel under Imperial Guard supervision, anti-pirate operations, and overseas ventures, frequently handling logistics, negotiation, trade, and protection for their group 472 515 638 819.

After the maritime ban was lifted, Wang Cong built a substantial maritime-trade network. His fleet operated under Mount Sanqing’s banner, benefiting from the reputation of Pan Yun and the temple’s other feared cultivators; merchants paid to travel under his protection 819. By the later years of the Ming Dynasty, he owned warehouses and shops at Guangzhou Harbor, opened western sea routes, and became one of the dynasty’s largest merchants in western trade 1137.

Following Pan Yun’s ascension, Wang Cong rushed back from Guangzhou in grief, regretting that he had missed her farewell. He later traveled with Yin Song and Yin Qingjun to Lop Nur, where he used a Divine Intent Talisman to contact her across worlds 1137.

Appearance

Wang Cong is initially described as a young man with a gentle smile and an approachable manner. Years of maritime travel leave him visibly darker from sun exposure; after reaching the First Marquis realm, he appears to be in his thirties despite having spent over three decades active at sea 97 1093 1137.

• Often carries a backpack or business supplies while traveling 97.
• Became thinner and paler after an earlier business journey, though he had no visible injuries 352.
• Later develops a more weathered, sun-darkened appearance from sailing 1093.
• Is capable of disguising himself with Pan Yun’s cosmetic techniques, though he remains recognizably similar to his usual appearance 373.

Personality

Wang Cong is practical, sociable, and commercially minded. He is deeply familiar with ordinary people, merchants, officials, and the martial world, and he consistently approaches problems through negotiation, preparation, and resource management 98 362 819.

He is also protective of his fellow disciples. When cultivators appeared to be targeting Hu Jing, Wang Cong tried to send Hu Jing away with his best horse and every talisman he had, intending to delay the attackers himself despite knowing he could not defeat them 515.

Although he once avoided strenuous cultivation, he is not cowardly. His reluctance stems from his belief that a fulfilling life does not necessarily require immortality; only after seeing distant lands and learning that another world exists does he begin to desire a longer life and greater cultivation 1142.

Wang Cong is warm with villagers and juniors, but he can be bluntly realistic. He recognizes selfishness in institutions, understands that luck can change, and believes hope matters even when circumstances are unfavorable 97 142 444.

Abilities & Skills

Cultivation and Vital Energy

Wang Cong possesses exceptional cultivation aptitude but initially neglects training in favor of business.

• Converts inner force into vital energy earlier than most cultivators of comparable rank 352.
• Can draw spiritual energy into his body for cultivation 352.
• Learns spells quickly because his vital energy can support them 352.
• Reaches the First Marquis realm later in life, formally entering the ranks of cultivators 1137.
• Remains weaker in cultivation than several of his fellow disciples, a fact he openly acknowledges 1142.

Martial Arts and Swordsmanship

Wang Cong is an experienced martial artist whose travels have exposed him to real conflict.

• Practices sword forms after committing himself to cultivation 362.
• Has traveled through the jianghu after graduating from the academy and encountered bandits, corrupt officials, local tyrants, and martial-world disputes 362.
• Uses a Tai Chi symbol and a peachwood charm for immediate defense against a cultivator’s attack 515.
• Can judge martial strength through the circulation of vital energy and explain cultivation rankings to martial artists 515.

Talisman Use and Divination

Wang Cong uses talismans in both practical and commercial contexts.

• Carries talismans for emergency protection and gives them to companions facing danger 515.
• Uses divination to assess travel and sailing prospects 819 1093.
• Secretly placed a yellow talisman on a merchant to preserve a lead for later investigation 777.
• Uses Pan Yun’s blood-painted Divine Intent Talismans to communicate with her while traveling overseas 1137.

Medicine and Practical Healing

Wang Cong has studied medical arts through Mount Sanqing.

• Possesses enough medical knowledge that Wang Fei Yin cites him as an example for younger disciples 362.
• His medicine becomes sought after by injured examination candidates when other doctors cannot match its effectiveness 444.
• Understands medicinal goods and overseas demand for Korean ginseng, Platycodon grandiflorus, Artemisia annua, tiger bone, rhinoceros horn, and musk 954.

Trade, Diplomacy, and Logistics

Wang Cong’s greatest strength is commerce. He combines market knowledge, social instinct, and Mount Sanqing’s reputation to develop trade networks.

• Rejects an official career in favor of business ventures 98.
• Organizes Mount Sanqing’s storage room by material size and type 305.
• Recognizes the commercial value of spatial artifacts for transportation and trade 353.
• Wins over Nosaka Taro in Japan through knowledge of Great Ming culture and persuasive speech, selling an entire shipment of marble bricks 638.
• Builds relationships with Korean officials and gentry, allowing him to acquire valuable medicine with relative ease 954.
• Prepares maritime cargo around regional demand, including books, silk, porcelain, and other Ming goods 819.
• Establishes reliable shops at Guangzhou Harbor that sell guaranteed genuine Ming goods to foreign merchants 1137.

Craftsmanship

Wang Cong is skilled with his hands and insists on controlling the quality of his work.

• Personally carves and polishes jade into pendants, bracelets, hairpins, earrings, and rings rather than entrusting valuable material to others 332.
• Designs spatial-artifact jewelry with Pan Yun and Tao Yanbai 953.
• Carves and assembles a model ship using mortise-and-tenon joints without nails, rulers, or measurements 964.
• Demonstrates useful tracking and evidence-gathering ability while searching for Xiao Hong’s remaining bones 796.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Sword — used for regular martial practice and self-defense 362.
• Peachwood charm — activated as a protective barrier during Zhang Ziming’s sudden attack 515.
• Spatial jade pendant — a valuable storage artifact given to him by his Junior Martial Uncle 353.
• Jade materials and tools — used for carving spatial pendants, rings, and other jewelry 332 953.
• Huai Yin wood — a yin-infused wood piece he carries among his formation materials 790.
• Divine Intent Talismans — blood-painted talismans created by Pan Yun for communication during overseas voyages 1137.
• Merchant fleet — operates multiple ships for trade, transport, and protected merchant voyages 819.

Relationships

• Pan Yun — His Junior Martial Uncle and closest long-term collaborator. He handles her registration, accompanies her on dangerous journeys, protects her interests, and remains deeply devoted after her ascension 97 472 837 1137.
• Wang Fei Yin — His father and cultivation mentor. Wang Fei Yin repeatedly pushes him to cultivate instead of focusing entirely on commerce 97 352 362.
• Miao Zhen — Junior Martial Sister. Wang Cong helps care for her and treats her as family within Mount Sanqing 97 142.
• Miao He — Junior Martial Sister. She enthusiastically welcomes him home and relies on him as an elder brother 97.
• Ming Xuan — County Magistrate and friend. Their relationship allows Wang Cong to efficiently arrange official matters for Pan Yun and the mountain god temple 98 99.
• Hu Jing / Great Hero Gu — Traveling companion whom Wang Cong protects and later works alongside during investigations and maritime operations 513 515 609.
• Wang Xiaojing — Longtime associate who later becomes Wang Cong’s chief steward in Guangzhou after retiring from sea travel 1137.
• Yin Song — His master. They travel together after Pan Yun’s ascension and cooperate in attempting to contact her across worlds 1137.
• Xue Shao — Associate in overseas diplomacy and trade; together they impress Nosaka Taro in Japan 638.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Mount Sanqing Temple Construction

Wang Cong returns from caravan work to help build the mountain god temple. He supports Pan Yun’s appointment as temple keeper, arranges her official identity, and manages the relevant government procedures 97 98.

Cultivation and Spatial Artifacts

After obtaining spatial jade pendants, Wang Cong recognizes that his low cultivation leaves him unable to protect his property or himself. He begins taking cultivation and sword practice more seriously while also refining his jade-working skills 352 362.

Traveling Companion to Pan Yun

Wang Cong accompanies Pan Yun through official investigations, Imperial Guard travel, and supernatural crises. He protects Hu Jing, handles supplies and communications, and often acts as Pan Yun’s practical support in unfamiliar environments 472 474 515.

Japan and Maritime Trade

Wang Cong becomes a central figure in Mount Sanqing’s overseas commercial expansion. He negotiates with Japanese magnates, builds trading relationships in Korea and Japan, organizes protected shipping, and develops a merchant fleet under Mount Sanqing’s banner 638 819 954.

Guangzhou and the Silver Refining Venture

When his ship is seized in Guangzhou, Wang Cong investigates the local military faction behind the confiscation rather than immediately appealing to Pan Yun. His later business interests include a silver refining workshop that mine owners choose to cooperate with rather than build independently 1018 837.

Later Life

After reaching the First Marquis realm, Wang Cong continues maritime trade for decades. He becomes a leading western-trade merchant, establishes Guangzhou Harbor warehouses and shops, and later plans a glassworks in Lop Nur after discovering the region’s potash deposits 1137.

Notable Quotes

“Wang Cong of Mount Sanqing, one name is enough. Why would I need a title?” 362

“If they're really after you, I can at least try to block them.” 515

“When it comes to scholarship, who here can compare to you? And when it comes to spreading the Way, no one here can surpass me.” 638