Ling Yun

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Ling Yun (凌云)
Alias(es)	Zhang Mu (assumed identity when dealing with Demon Suppression Envoys and other outsiders)
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Former ordinary disciple of the Black Tiger Martial Hall; leader of the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Gang; Sixth Elder of the Martial Artist Alliance; allied with the Demon Suppression Division without formally joining it
Occupation/Role	Martial artist, gang leader, cultivator, and Demon Suppression Division collaborator
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 1: “Ling Yun” 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Tiger Blade Technique — Third Layer	2	Spent all three initial Modification Points to leap from untrained to great accomplishment; gained Burst Force, which releases his physical strength at once.
Vajra Body / Phantom Step — Third Layer	20	Perfected Copper Skin-level defense and Instantaneous Movement; could damage a saber against his own arm.
Tiger Blade Technique — Fifth Layer	27	Reached the low-tier technique’s modification limit; improved control and extended Tiger’s Might’s duration.
Vajra Body / Phantom Step — Fifth Layer	28	Raised both foundational arts to their limits while hunting Evil Spirits for points.
Bloodforging Realm	30	Broke through and gained the ability to condense Blood Qi into Blood Essence Pearls for emergency recovery.
Tiger-Hundred Crack Saber Technique — Fifth Layer	33	Fused the Tiger Blade Technique and Hundred Rend Blade Technique into an intermediate-grade saber art; retained and strengthened Tiger’s Might.
Tiger-Hundred Crack Saber Technique — Sixth Layer	34	Unlocked Blood Blade Manifestation, condensing vital energy into a tangible attacking blade.
Tiger-Hundred Crack Saber Technique — Ninth Layer	75	Spent six Modification Points during battle, reaching the peak of the Bloodforging Realm.
Iron Bell Body — Fifth Layer	75	Perfected the defensive art and gained a second secret technique.
Spirit Conduit Realm	97	By this period, Ling Yun had reached the realm from which he could efficiently cultivate lesser arts without system assistance.
Iron Vajra Cover — Tenth Layer	97	Fused Vajra Body and Iron Bell Body into an intermediate martial art; enhanced Immovable Wisdom King and produced a drop of golden blood.
Half-Step Celestial Origin Realm	98	Qin Wei identified Primordial Blood within Ling Yun and recognized his advancement.
Evergreen Skill — Third Layer	103	Developed rapid minor-injury healing and a slight improvement to Blood Essence recovery.
Extreme Cloud Steps — Tenth Layer	182	Fused Phantom Step and Pacing Cloud Steps; unlocked Geppo, granting flight.
Evergreen Skill — Tenth Layer	183	Fully suppressed Demonic Qi and doubled Bloodline Power recovery.
Bloodburn Surging Wave Saber Technique — Tenth Layer	184	Fused Bloodburn Saber and Surging Wave Saber arts; its stacking force reached twenty-eight layers and a 500% power increase.
Life Severing Saber Art — Advanced Martial Art	190	Created an advanced saber art with distinct long-range and close-range forms shaped by Ling Yun’s saber intent.
Spirit Sea Nine Transformations — Introductory	210	Achieved entry after consuming all ten auxiliary potions, gaining access to mental-power cultivation.
Spirit Sea Nine Transformations — Third Layer	212	Increased mental power to eight times its initial amount and unlocked Spirit Piercing Gaze.
Celestial Origin Realm	226	Officially broke through after refining his Primordial Blood.
Undying Blade Technique — Twentieth Layer	227	Recorded at its limit alongside an 80% Tiger Devour mutation rate and 10% Primordial Blood refinement.

Background / History

Ling Yun was originally an ordinary disciple of Cloud City’s Black Tiger Martial Hall and came from Huangtu Village. The body’s original owner had joined the hall through farm-bred strength, but possessed little notable talent. Ling Yun transmigrated into that body during saber training and immediately awakened the Moon Spirit Wind Shadow Modifier, a system that could improve compatible martial arts using Modification Points 1.

He rapidly surpassed the Black Tiger Martial Hall’s ordinary disciples by modifying the Tiger Blade Technique to its third layer overnight. The sudden enhancement left him with extreme hunger and eventually pushed him toward acquiring body-refinement and movement techniques rather than relying on saber skill alone 2 20.

Ling Yun left the Black Tiger Martial Hall after the Deng Family funeral mission exposed him to Evil Spirits, illusions, and Demon Suppression Division conspiracies. During the incident, he fought Situ Ying, negotiated with the Evil Spirit Bai Ji for Ghost Cores, and began drawing Zhang Mu into his service 10 15 19.

His return to Huangtu Village later became personal: he found its inhabitants ensnared by a withered willow and eventually recovered his parents’ souls from a Soul Orb. Wen Qin helped reunite those souls with their bodies, allowing Ling Yun to bring his parents back to the Ling Estate 123 134 136.

Appearance

Ling Yun began as a handsome village youth, but constant body cultivation transformed him into an exceptionally large, dense-muscled martial artist whose physical presence frequently causes others to mistake him for something inhuman 1 20.

• His perfected Vajra Body gave his skin a bronze, metallic appearance and enough toughness to chip ordinary sabers 20.
• His battle aura can turn blood-red, particularly when Bloodline Power and killing intent surge 54.
• Tiger’s Might enlarges him into a nearly three-meter-tall muscular form; later uses reach approximately six meters 33 197.
• His advanced physique heals visible wounds rapidly, including burns, punctures, and broken bones when sufficient Bloodline Power remains 55 57.

Personality

Ling Yun is calm, practical, and difficult to intimidate. He evaluates danger quickly, treats strength as the surest answer to most problems, and routinely remains composed while facing Evil Spirits, elite Envoys, and hostile factions 14 178 188. He also values independence, refusing both Qin Wei’s offer of a Demon Suppression Division vice-captaincy and Shang Mu’s invitation to join the Shang Family 30 159.

His pursuit of power is obsessive and impatient. Rather than accept years of conventional cultivation, he spends Modification Points, wealth, Bloodline Power, and rare medicines to accelerate his progress. This tendency has consequences: rapid growth triggers Demonic Qi Backlash and an episode of bloodlust that nearly endangers those around him 103 107.

Despite his ruthlessness, Ling Yun is not indiscriminately cruel. He lets the Slime leave after obtaining information, shares spoils with Demon Suppression Envoys, protects his parents, and trains Xiao Lu despite his harsh methods 26 103 173 222. His concern is highly selective; family, trusted followers, and people he respects receive protection, while enemies and those he considers useless receive little mercy 135 243.

Abilities & Skills

Moon Spirit Wind Shadow Modifier

Ling Yun’s system identifies modifiable martial arts and consumes Modification Points to improve them instantly.

• Converts untrained techniques into mastered arts within moments, bypassing years of training 2 20.
• Modification Points can be gained from Evil Spirits, Ghost Cores, and certain inhuman cultivators 15 173 178.
• High-level modifications consume increasingly severe amounts of points and Bloodline Power 190 212.
• Early upgrades cause extreme hunger and physical depletion; later upgrades can trigger Demonic Qi Backlash 2 107.

Saber Arts

Ling Yun’s primary combat style is saber-based, combining speed, explosive force, stacked power, and condensed killing intent.

• Burst Force — Releases his physical strength in a single explosive attack 2.
• Tiger’s Might / Tiger Devour — Enlarges and strengthens his body dramatically; its recorded mutation rate reaches 80% by Chapter 227 33 227.
• Blood Blade Manifestation — Condenses vital energy into a physical blood-red blade, but rapidly consumes vital energy 34.
• Bloodburn Surging Wave Saber Technique — Builds power through repeated stacking; at mastery it can stack twenty-eight layers 184.
• Life Severing Saber Art — Advanced art with long-range and close-range forms derived from Ling Yun’s personal saber intent 190.
• Undying Blade Technique — An advanced martial art recorded at the twentieth layer 227.

Body Refinement and Defense

Ling Yun’s defensive arts make his body as dangerous as his weaponry.

• Iron Vajra Cover — Intermediate body art created by fusing Vajra Body and Iron Bell Body; greatly improves his physical defense 97.
• Immovable Wisdom King — Forms a blood-qi shield capable of resisting poison, flames, piercing attacks, and combined spiritual assaults 120.
• Its improved form allows Ling Yun to move briefly while the defense is active, though doing so costs additional Bloodline Power 97.
• A drop of golden blood within him provides powerful healing, but permanently consumes large quantities of Bloodline Power to develop 97.

Bloodline Power and Recovery

Ling Yun’s Bloodline Power drives his transformations, healing, and martial-art modifications.

• Can condense Blood Essence Pearls, which restore his vitality in battle when shattered 30 74.
• Rapidly repairs injuries, though severe wounds can still exhaust his reserves 57.
• Can detoxify Gu poison and neutralize poisons absorbed into his body 54 66.
• The perfected Evergreen Skill doubles Bloodline Power recovery and fully suppresses Demonic Qi 183.

Movement Arts

Ling Yun’s movement techniques allow him to overwhelm opponents through speed and positioning.

• Phantom Step grants afterimage-producing Instantaneous Movement 20.
• Extreme Cloud Steps combines Phantom Step and Pacing Cloud Steps into an intermediate martial art 182.
• Geppo allows sustained aerial movement and flight 182.

Mental Arts

Ling Yun developed mental power after obtaining the Spirit Sea Nine Transformations.

• His third-layer mental cultivation expands perception across the Ling Estate and improves his comprehension of other techniques 211 212.
• Spirit Piercing Gaze consumes substantial spiritual power to pierce through laws and offers a potential countermeasure against formations and illusions 212.
• The technique’s cultivation costs are exceptionally high, requiring rare materials or enormous Modification Point expenditure 210 212.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Thousand Machines — Low-grade Spirit Artifact acquired at auction; can transform into weapons such as a long saber and bears inscriptions for Thousand Transformations, Strength, Sharpness, Speed, Durability, and Evil Spirit Extermination 36 39.
• Reforged Thousand Machines — Improved using the Demon Suppression Division’s best available materials after Ling Yun exchanged seized Spirit Artifacts for Qin Wei’s assistance 122 142.
• Spatial Rings — Carries spatial storage; later acquires an additional ring from an enemy in Huangtu Village 134.
• Blood Essence Pearls — Condensed Blood Qi reserves used for emergency recovery and continued transformation in combat 30 74.
• Soul-Seeking Talisman — Used in the effort to recover his parents’ souls 135.
• Essence Integration Pills — Pills obtained from Wang Yuan that raised his Primordial Blood refinement to 10% overnight 227.

Relationships

• Fang Yuan — Childhood friend and fellow Black Tiger Martial Hall disciple. Fang Yuan considered Ling Yun his elder brother because Ling Yun once shared food with him; Ling Yun later prepared cultivation insights for him and ultimately buried him after the Deng Family disaster 4 5 15.
• Zhang Mu — Ling Yun’s first major subordinate, intelligence gatherer, estate manager, and gang leader. Ling Yun provides him cultivation resources and authority, but demands absolute usefulness and loyalty 19 27 228.
• Qin Wei — Rival, ally, and recurring sparring partner within the Demon Suppression Division. Qin Wei repeatedly tries to recruit Ling Yun, later relies on him in major battles, and helps him enter Luoyang City 30 180 223.
• Xiao Lu — Ling Estate maid and Ling Yun’s martial arts trainee. She tends to his daily needs, while he trains her harshly and uses Bloodline Power to aid her recovery 35 97 103.
• Meng Wu — Martial-arts discussion partner, alchemy collaborator, and close associate. Their relationship develops through argumentative technical debates, mutual learning, and frequent playful quarrels 105 155 160.
• Fang Rou — Childhood friend and Fang Yuan’s sister. Ling Yun protects her in keeping with his promise to Fang Yuan and gives her a place at the Ling Estate 137 141 222.
• Ling Dazhi and Lou Guihua — Ling Yun’s parents. He recovers their souls, conceals the full truth about Huangtu Village, and remains protective of their safety 125 136 222.
• Wen Qin — Eight-Star Demon Suppression Envoy with healing and soul-related abilities. Ling Yun entrusts his parents’ recovery to her 49 136.
• Shang Buyu — Survivor of the Shang Family and source of the missing Spirit Sea Nine Transformations material. Their relationship is transactional and cautious 140 158.
• Yue Yi — Mysterious leader of the Martial Artist Alliance. She reveals the Great Radiance Dynasty’s use of powerful martial artists as “materials” and offers Ling Yun a path out of the dynasty 253.

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Black Tiger Martial Hall and Transmigration — Ling Yun awakens in a new world, gains the Modifier, and quickly exceeds the cultivation level expected of an ordinary disciple 1 2.
• Deng Family Incident — He investigates the funeral vigil, survives illusions and anomalous creatures, kills Situ Ying, encounters Bai Ji, and leaves the Black Tiger Martial Hall behind 6 10 15 19.
• Cloud City Rise — Ling Yun acquires cultivation techniques, establishes the Ling Estate, gathers Zhang Mu and other followers, and develops the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Gang 19 27 35 106.
• Demon Suppression Division Missions — He repeatedly cooperates and clashes with Qin Wei’s team, demonstrating enough power to rival high-ranking Envoys without accepting formal recruitment 29 54 66.
• Huangtu Village — Ling Yun returns to his abandoned birthplace, confronts its supernatural corruption, and recovers his parents’ souls 123 134 136.
• Fall of the Shi Family — He accepts Shang Buyu’s conditional deal, becomes entangled in the Shi Family’s collapse, and receives the missing Spirit Sea Nine Transformations material 140 155 158.
• Battle of Mount Taiyin — Ling Yun becomes one of the Demon Suppression Division’s decisive combatants, kills Wu Yuan, defeats Ghost Mother and the Star Soul Twins, and forces Yin Hu to retreat 179 190 197 205.
• Luoyang City Expansion — After reaching the Celestial Origin Realm, he moves his forces to Luoyang, restructures the gang, becomes the Martial Artist Alliance’s Sixth Elder, and investigates the Mystic Realm 226 231 248 253.
• Departure from the Great Radiance Dynasty — Yue Yi’s revelation about the dynasty’s treatment of powerful martial artists convinces Ling Yun to leave after settling his remaining affairs 253.

Trivia

• Ling Yun’s first system interface lists only three Modification Points and an untrained Tiger Blade Technique 1.
• His accelerated cultivation sharply increases his appetite; after his first major upgrade, forty meat buns and two bowls of porridge only fill him to roughly seventy percent 4.
• He has used the name “Zhang Mu” so often that Ma Xiu and other outsiders initially believe Zhang Mu is the powerful martial artist responsible for Ling Yun’s actions 26 49.
• Ordinary sabers cannot withstand his strength; broken practice blades accumulated into a pile at the Ling Estate 28.