He Ao

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	He Ao
Alias(es)	Mercenary (Research Institute codename); Hao Yi (clone identity); K (mystical public identity); Jess, Sito, Lynn, Sot, Pa Xiu, Loren, and Hawk (simulation identities) 140 331 424 536 649 1014 1149 1383 1566 1742
Species/Race	Human; later a Martial Arts Angel 1 1687
Gender	Male 1
Age	18 at introduction 1
Affiliation	China Folk Anomaly Research Institute; temporary leader of Dawn; later addressed as Dean He 17 140 1376 1718
Occupation/Role	University student and late-night cold-noodle stall owner; later a Research Institute leader, Dawn leader, and field operative 1 16 1376 1718
Status	Alive 1937
First Appearance	Chapter 1: I Am a Law-Abiding Good Person

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Physical awakening — Vermillion Fruit	13	Chooses and consumes the Vermillion Fruit, breaking bodily blockages and gaining markedly greater speed and agility.
Martial Arts — Qi Induction (Rank F)	18 72	Perceives and circulates Qi through the cultivation method in the small book; later identified as having been a Rank F Martial Artist.
Super Memory — Rank F → Rank E	38	Super Memory upgrades from F-rank to E-rank after a mission.
Martial Arts — Essence Refining Qi Transformation (Rank E)	72	Fuses Heavenly Qi and Earthly Qi into Five Elements energy, tempers the Five Viscera, and breaks through from Rank F.
Talent Sequence — Spectator → Mercenary	115	Uses a green Secret Medicine to promote to Talent Sequence 29: Mercenary, greatly improving physical capability and bodily control.
Martial Arts — Essence Refining Qi Transformation (Rank D)	137 138	Uses the reward Heaven and Earth Two Qi to form his own Qi and cross the Rank D threshold.
Talent Sequence — Mercenary → Assassin	175	Integrates Talent Sequence 56: Assassin and gains the life-burning ability Stealth.
Talent Sequence — Magician	184 185	Endures a painful infusion of Talent Sequence 40: Magician and successfully integrates it alongside Martial Arts.
Martial Arts — Refining Qi into Spirit (Rank C)	397 527	Uses Primordial Qi, Super Memory, and Morning Light to condense multiple streams of Divine Sense and reach Rank C.
Talent Sequence — Hidden Magician (Rank C)	527	Advances his Magician pathway to Talent Sequence 72: Hidden Magician.
Super Memory — Rank B	723	Reaches Rank B, substantially strengthening his soul, perception, and ability to project consciousness into alternate bodies.
Talent Sequence — Miracle Scholar (Rank B)	905	Advances his mystic pathway to Talent Sequence 144: Miracle Scholar, combining scholarly mystic knowledge with Super Memory.
Martial Arts — Rank B	913	Forms a lake of Divine Sense and breaks through to Rank B Martial Arts through a dawn-assisted cultivation breakthrough.
Super Memory — Rank A / Angel	1372 1374	Promotes to Angel status, awakening a dangerous Mythological Form and causing conflict between his two Talent Sequences.
Martial Arts — Refining Spirit to Return to Emptiness (Rank A)	1682 1687	Understands and integrates with the world itself, becoming a Martial Arts Angel.
Life Dungeon Game — Senior Player	1687	His status panel identifies him as a Senior Player following his Martial Arts Angel breakthrough.
Martial Arts — complete void transformation	1725	Refines his body into a jade-like void-transformed state that can separate incompatible Talent Sequence powers.
Worldcraft — New Underworld integration	1824 1826	Takes control of the New Underworld’s structure, reinforces it with the remains of the Eternal Divine Kingdom, and prevents the God of Death from replacing K’s faith.
Martial Arts — Refining Void and Integrating with the Dao	1850	Advances further after creating Biqingtian, developing a deeper connection with a world's rules and Dao.

Background

He Ao begins as an eighteen-year-old college student whose stated life goal is to make money. Quiet and socially isolated by rumors, he insists that he is an honest, law-abiding person; when Liu Nan is lured into an alley by a robber, he subdues the criminal and hands him over to the police. 1 2

He maintains himself through a late-night cold-noodle stall and is notably frugal, even declining Liu Nan's invitation to dinner because of its expected expense. His everyday life changes when a countdown and the Life Dungeon Game interface appear in his vision, assigning him his first simulated identity: Evil God Priest Yezuola. 2 12 16

After receiving the Vermillion Fruit, He Ao begins pursuing Martial Arts through a small book whose contents he initially cannot read. He eventually learns to sense Qi at dawn, then steadily combines cultivation, Secret Medicines, and game rewards into his own fighting system. 13 17 18 72

His parents were killed in an earlier conspiracy tied to Pena and the Anvis Mechanical Factory, a truth that later motivates He Ao's investigation into the people responsible. 179 1250

As his strength and influence grow, He Ao becomes a major authority within the Research Institute and temporarily assumes leadership of Dawn. He continues to use his identities, organizations, and simulated-world experience to resist entities attempting to manipulate the Main World. 730 1376 1718

After becoming a Martial Arts Angel, He Ao begins working on the scale of worlds. He integrates the New Underworld, obstructs the God of Death's attempt to replace K's faith, and later intervenes in Kwotela to save Visen. 1824 1826 1912 1926

Personality

He Ao presents himself as a “law-abiding good person,” and he consistently involves police or official institutions when possible. His claim is sincere in the sense that he protects victims, reports crimes, and opposes murder, trafficking, exploitation, and ritual sacrifice. 1 12 504 740

He is highly practical. He carefully evaluates risk against reward, prefers powers that can be cultivated or controlled personally, and distrusts external dependence such as mechanical modification. His approach to allies is similarly pragmatic: he values people who reciprocate help and believes loyalty without tangible benefit is unreliable. 101 137 146 264

In combat, He Ao is calm, analytical, and often frighteningly decisive. He can exploit an opponent’s personality, habits, energy flow, and tactical errors within moments, showing little hesitation toward enemies responsible for serious harm. 53 181 891 1414

Despite this ruthlessness, he repeatedly protects vulnerable people—such as Liu Nan, Grandpa Fang, Jia Qian, Lin Chichi, Luo Luo, and civilians caught in extraordinary incidents—and takes responsibility when others cannot protect themselves. 94 294 419 422 649

He rejects the notion that power or fate inherently determines a person’s worth. Even when confronting manipulators such as Noktis or negotiating with gods, he relies on planning, human connections, and his own judgment rather than accepting a predetermined role. 1359 1736 1824

Abilities & Skills

Super Memory

Super Memory is He Ao’s soul-bound core Talent Sequence. It grants exceptional recall, rapid calculation, combat analysis, and the ability to process vast amounts of information.

• Memorizes texts, maps, and martial routines after minimal exposure; he uses it to decipher ancient pictographs and absorb the full Five Beasts Fist sequence. 70 146 447
• Can be activated in a burst to temporarily raise his physical output far beyond his baseline. 53
• Enables him to identify combat patterns, analyze personalities, and infer hidden motives from fragmented evidence. 309 645
• Its later promotion grants Listening and Thought Alteration. 423
• At higher levels, he can read shallow thoughts, inspect memories, and influence or extract information from minds. 1397 1414
• After reaching Angel rank, he gains the Memory Weaver ability and can use Radiance City's mystical connections to restore memories altered by the Fate Spinning Wheel. 1376

Martial Arts and Divine Sense

He Ao’s Martial Arts are based on the small book’s Qi cultivation method, which he continually improves through combat experience, ancient records, and direct study of other martial artists.

• Qi Induction lets him absorb and circulate ambient energy, especially at dawn. 18 72
• Essence Refining Qi Transformation combines Heavenly Qi and Earthly Qi, allowing him to generate Qi, reinforce his body, and perceive energy circuits. 137 138
• Qi can strengthen his physical fitness, reinforce weapons, expose weaknesses in an opponent’s energy flow, or be released offensively. 138 145 200
• Divine Sense develops from his Martial Arts advancement and greatly expands his perception, analysis, and control of energy. 397 913
• He learns, refines, and creates Martial Skills by observing opponents’ energy circuits, including Force Collapse Mountain Shattering and Second Stage Break. 891 1086
• As a Martial Arts Angel, he can draw on a world’s power, influence natural phenomena, and enter a void-transformed state that evades tangible attacks. These abilities are constrained by the power of the world in which he attained Dao. 1566 1682 1725
• His integration with the Dao allows him to more effectively mobilize power embedded in worlds connected to him, including the New Underworld. 1850 1912

Talent Sequences

He Ao has integrated multiple Talent Sequences instead of relying on a single path.

• Mercenary — Enhances physical fitness, body control, flexibility, firearm affinity, and senses. 115 137
• Assassin — Grants Stealth, which distorts cognition to conceal him; using it burns life force. 175
• Magician / Hidden Magician — Provides access to magical and miracle-oriented abilities, eventually advancing to the Rank C Hidden Magician sequence. 184 527
• Miracle Scholar — A Rank B Talent Sequence used alongside Super Memory and mystic knowledge. 905
• His Martial Arts power initially acts as a buffer between Super Memory and Miracle Scholar, preventing their post-Angel promotion conflict from immediately destroying his body; his completed void transformation later permits incompatible Sequence powers to coexist. 1374 1725

Firearms, Weapons, and Close Combat

He Ao is proficient with firearms and highly skilled in close-quarters combat.

• Demonstrates exceptional fixed-target and moving-target marksmanship during the Ruins Selection. 143
• Uses guns, knives, swords, spears, walking sticks, and improvised weapons according to range and terrain. 53 294 662 764
• Favors decisive killing techniques rather than performative martial arts, targeting joints, energy nodes, blind spots, and vital points. 53 664 891

Puppetry, Clones, and Identity Control

Through the Puppet Crystal Ball and his developing soul abilities, He Ao can operate alternate bodies and maintain separate public identities.

• The Puppet Crystal Ball allows his main consciousness to descend into Hu Wen’s body, carrying soul-bound abilities such as Super Memory and Divine Sense. 331
• He can exchange positions with a clone to preserve an identity, misdirect enemies, or operate in multiple locations. 420 725
• He uses physical disguises, the Five-Colored Ring, and different identities—including Hao Yi—to compartmentalize his activities. 401 495
• The upgraded Character Card function permits him to operate two character roles at once; the roles remain mystically separated while still sharing his consciousness and allowing limited cross-role interaction. 1476 1483

Mystic Arts and Worldcraft

He Ao develops substantial mystic and array knowledge alongside his Martial Arts.

• Uses arrays to stabilize Liu Zhengyun’s body and soul through the World Eye Fragment. 1318
• Bypasses ancient sealing arrays by identifying and disrupting critical runes. 1320
• Uses the Historical Contract and the Fate Entrapment Disk to interact with historical projections and the deeper structure of worlds. 1503 1552 1562
• Creates Biqingtian by linking it to the Martial Arts World through soul rules, allowing life and civilization to emerge. 1849 1850
• Integrates and stabilizes the New Underworld using the remains of the Eternal Divine Kingdom and the Skeleton Giant's memories, preventing the God of Death from occupying its ecological niche. 1824 1826

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Bone Sword — Extremely hard sword and an excellent conduit for Qi; its performance in He Ao’s hands can rival a C-grade extraordinary item. 214
• Miracle Wand — Holds miracles, including Vanish Without a Trace, which conceals chosen items from people and machines. 214
• Puppet Crystal Ball — Controls puppets and later permits the descent of He Ao’s main consciousness into Hu Wen’s body. 214 331
• Blood-Moistening Jade Pendant — Stores energy, improves Martial Arts comprehension, and grants a perspective useful for analyzing truth and energy circuits. 715 891
• Eye of Truth Stone Slab — Angel-level bound item that provides high-dimensional analysis but carries severe contamination risk. 848 849
• World Eye Fragment — A fragment used in soul-stabilizing arrays and to perceive nearby ruin channels and anomalous changes. 1318 1720
• Historical Contract — A book that records events from He Ao’s perspective and enables interaction with history. 1503 1561
• Fate Entrapment Disk — An ancient artifact through which He Ao accesses historical battlefields and deeper historical structures. 1297 1552 |
• Wheel of Stars — Used alongside the Historical Contract to summon historical phantoms, including Li Cheng’s Thunder Master projection. 1539 |
• Mark of Eternal Silence — Silver longsword connected to the Fate Entrapment Disk and its historical core. 1552 1561
• Verola — Extraordinary train used for travel, identity exchanges, and operations across distant locations. 725 1316
• Barrier Wood — Ancient final reward with a unique affinity to He Ao and a major role in his study of the Martial Arts World. 1829 1832
• Voice of the Star Sea — System reward connected to the origin of Martial Arts in the current era. 1706

Relationships

• Liu Nan — Classmate, recurring rescuee, and trusted companion in multiple extraordinary incidents and Ruins expeditions. 1 53 214
• Liu Zhengyun — Liu Nan’s father and a senior Research Institute figure who treats He Ao with familiarity; He Ao later risks himself to stabilize Liu Zhengyun during his loss of control. 101 1318
• Zhang Anxia — Research Institute contact who introduces He Ao to the organization and assists with his internal registration; he later helps He Ao handle matters following the Fate Spinning Wheel incident. 17 140 1376
• Grandpa Fang — Elderly neighbor who supported He Ao through food and ingredients; He Ao regards him as someone who kept him from starving and later saves his life. 17 94 400
• Li Cheng — Research Institute ally and frequent co-explorer of ruins; the two share information, investigate ancient facilities together, and coordinate against Angel-level threats. 1288 1320 1539
• Yang De — Research Institute ally who works with He Ao during high-risk operations and helps coordinate broader responses. 264 419
• Jia Qian — His granddaughter in the Sito simulation. He protects her, trains her in energy mobilization, and fights beside her against the Evolution Followers. 649 662 664
• Ye Ying — Young woman with an abnormal Energy Circuit whom He Ao guides and trains, seeking a way to delay her deterioration. 1283 1297 1300
• An Ming — Aspiring martial artist whom He Ao tests, guides, and directs toward basic Martial Arts training. 1039
• Goya — A healer and ally who works with Hao Yi and Li Cheng during Angel-level operations and assists He Ao after his promotion. 857 1376
• Wei Jinna — Federal Bureau of Investigation agent who becomes a capable field ally during the Pa Xiu-related investigation. 1404 1420
• Noktis — A manipulator who claims to have arranged He Ao’s growth and later becomes a direct adversary in their conflict over fate and free will. 1736
• Good Friend — A godlike being with whom He Ao forms a pragmatic alliance against the God of Death; He Ao remains aware that the alliance is based on mutual benefit rather than trust. 1824 1912
• Visen — A survivor He Ao saves during the Kwotela incident, preserving Kwotela’s bloodline and changing her people’s future. 1926

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Early Vigilante Incidents — Saves Liu Nan, assists the police, exposes the Bull’s kidnapping operation, and gains the Vermillion Fruit after confronting an enhanced criminal. 1 12 13 53
• Game Awakening and Cultivation — Becomes a Life Dungeon Game player, begins entering simulated worlds, discovers Qi, and advances from Qi Induction to Essence Refining Qi Transformation. 2 18 72
• Research Institute and Ruins Explorer — Joins the Research Institute’s network as Mercenary, excels in the Ruins Selection, and survives increasingly dangerous ruins alongside Liu Nan and other explorers. 140 143 191 214
• Hao Yi and Alano — Uses Hu Wen’s puppet body and the Hao Yi identity to intervene in Alano’s conflicts, establish authority, and confront Dawn-linked forces. 331 332 419
• Institute Leadership — Becomes a major Research Institute authority, handles international crises, and develops a reputation that attracts recruits, admirers, and fear from hostile factions. 730 850 1718
• Martial Arts Angel Path — Studies ancient Martial Arts civilizations, reaches Angel rank, resolves the conflict between his Talent Sequences, and completes his void-transformed Martial Arts body. 891 1374 1687 1725
• Dawn Leadership — Temporarily takes command of Dawn after the Fate Spinning Wheel conflict, using its resources while maintaining his own independent objectives. 1376
• New Underworld and the God of Death — Cooperates with Good Friend to expose the God of Death’s scheme, takes control of the New Underworld, and prevents his own replacement through K’s faith. 1824 1826
• World Creation and Dao Integration — Uses the Martial Arts World, soul rules, and Biqingtian to explore how worlds can be restored or created, culminating in Refining Void and Integrating with the Dao. 1832 1849 1850
• Kwotela Salvation — Intervenes in the conflict surrounding Slan, the God of Death, and the Desire Witch, ultimately saving Visen and securing an exceptional mission evaluation. 1912 1916 1926

Notable Quotes

“After all, I'm a law-abiding good person.” 1

“I'm not a savior, just a good person passing by.” 740

Trivia

• He Ao’s recurring life goal is simply to make money. 1
• He runs a late-night cold-noodle stall and is skilled enough at cooking to impress Liu Nan and Yuan Nan Nan. 16 46
• He once wore a KFC paper bag over his head during the Research Institute selection; he kept it from falling by taping it in place. 142
• He frequently uses dry humor to unsettle people who expect a conventional hero or a conventional villain. 2 504 740