Ling Ren

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Ling Ren (靈人)
Alias(es)	Mourner of the Dead
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Nuo Lan Academy; Seven Dormitory
Occupation/Role	Soul Master; support specialist; Mourner of the Dead
Status	Alive
First Appearance	Chapter 13 13

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Soul Power Level 17	127	Reported upon joining Nuo Lan Academy. His cultivation grows through purifying undead spirits, but had slowed after he cleared most of the undead near his tomb. 127
Soul Power Level 20	2	Reaches Level 20 despite devoting most of his time to physical training, making him eligible for a second Soul Ring. 2
First Gate of the Soul Power Eight Inner Gates	67	Successfully cultivates the first gate of Li Qing's Soul Power-based adaptation; his condition initially allows only brief activation. 67
First seven gates' cultivation method	89	Receives the cultivation secrets for the first seven gates, with explicit warning not to force open gates beyond his physical capacity. 89
Second Soul Ring — Soul Roar	194, 128	Kills a Roaring Marmot and absorbs its Soul Ring. The resulting skill inflicts spiritual fear and weakens opponents based on the Soul Power gap. 194 128

Background / History

Ling Ren inherited the Book of the Dead, a martial soul unique to his family. Only one person in each generation can awaken it; its bearer is known as a Mourner of the Dead, and the next bearer cannot appear until the current one dies. His father was the previous Mourner. 171

When Ling Ren was six, his parents departed for the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt Spirit Beasts and never returned. He built an ancient tomb for them, lived there alone, and regarded his companion spirit Xiao Bai as his only remaining family. 171

Ling Qing, Tang San, and Xiao Wu found Ling Ren in the tomb and persuaded him to return with them to Nuoding Academy. Xiao Chenyu later arranged his enrollment as a work-study student at Nuo Lan Academy. 171 127

Ling Ren was later identified as a descendant of Ling Wu, whose own Book of the Dead manifested during the sealing of the Abyss Passage. 166

Appearance

Ling Ren is a young man whose intensive physical training gives him a notably developed physique, including defined abdominal muscles. 14

• His hair undergoes rapid, overall thinning rather than receding from a particular area. 14 92
• He loses roughly one-tenth of his hair in little more than ten days, becoming deeply anxious about going bald. 131
• He is easily embarrassed when praised about his body or noticed while changing clothes. 14

Personality

Ling Ren is initially timid, lonely, and unfamiliar with life around others after years of isolation in his parents' tomb. His parents' disappearance and the solitary nature of the Mourner of the Dead lineage leave him deeply sorrowful. 171

Despite this, he possesses the fearless heart expected of a mourner and is not easily disturbed by gruesome sights. After being frightened during an attack on Li Qing, he resolves that he will no longer remain behind others and commits himself to becoming stronger. 63

His training gradually makes him more open, determined, and competitive. He accepts demanding standards without complaint, persists through physical conditioning, and gains confidence from his tangible improvement. 66 92

Abilities & Skills

Book of the Dead

Ling Ren's inherited martial soul specializes in souls, undead beings, resentment, and spiritual phenomena.

• Allows him to see souls, though Li Qing's soul cannot be perceived through it. 127
• Can reveal an overwhelming pressure surrounding Xiao Wu, though attempting to examine her nearly overwhelms him. 62
• Raises Ling Ren's Soul Power through the purification of undead spirits. 127
• Can assess the resentment associated with people and Spirit Beasts. 128
• Its usefulness is limited in ordinary combat because it primarily serves undead-related functions. 52 130

Undead Purification Technique

Ling Ren's First Spirit Skill purifies undead beings and removes negative effects caused by ghostly resentment. 52

• Purifies the resentment within Spirit Rings, increasing the chance of successful absorption. 88
• Extracts black resentment from an undead soul and feeds it to Xiao Bai. 64
• Cleanses Li Qing's wounds of a hidden danger after the black-clad man's attack. 63
• Deals little direct damage to Soul Masters. 52

Soul Roar

Ling Ren's Second Spirit Skill directly affects the target's soul with spiritual fear. 128

• Reduces the target's attack power and speed. 128
• Slows Soul Power circulation. 128
• Its effectiveness increases with the Soul Power-level gap between Ling Ren and the target. 128
• Can shatter an opponent's soul outright if Ling Ren's Soul Power greatly surpasses theirs. 128

Soul Power Eight Inner Gates

Li Qing adapts the Eight Inner Gates for Ling Ren by substituting Soul Power for Chakra. 66

• Requires extensive physical conditioning before gates can be opened safely. 66 89
• The first gate enables Ling Ren to draw out his full physical strength. 66
• Early use is brief and comparatively weak because his body is not yet sufficiently conditioned. 67
• Ling Ren receives the methods for the first seven gates but is forbidden from forcing later gates prematurely. 89

Xiao Bai

Xiao Bai, also called Little White, is Ling Ren's companion spirit and closest family. 171

• Senses resentment, allowing Ling Ren's group to detect and track Zheng Shuo when Mental Power and the Purple Demon Eye fail. 15
• Scouts routes through the Soul Hunting Forest. 181
• Can protect Ling Ren, partially blocking an attack from the Praying Mantis Tiger. 59
• Is initially juvenile and unable to materialize independently. 52

Relationships

• Li Qing — Close friend and mentor. Li Qing trains Ling Ren physically, develops a Soul Power version of the Eight Inner Gates for him, and helps him overcome his anxiety over hair loss. 66 92 131
• Tang San — Friend and teammate. Ling Ren purifies Tang San's thousand-year Spirit Ring before absorption, and the two cooperate with Li Qing in the Soul Hunting Forest. 88 181
• Xiao Wu — Friend from Seven Dormitory. She helps persuade Ling Ren to leave the tomb and joins efforts to improve his confidence about his appearance. 171 131
• Xiao Bai — Companion spirit and Ling Ren's only remaining family after his parents' disappearance. 171
• Ling Wu — Ancestor connected to the Book of the Dead lineage. Ling Wu asks Li Qing to protect Ling Ren because Mourners of the Dead are passed down through a single lineage. 150 166
• Ling Ren's parents — Previous caretakers and the reason he lived in the ancient tomb; they disappeared after leaving for the Star Dou Great Forest. 171
• Xiao Chenyu — Arranges Ling Ren's work-study enrollment at Nuo Lan Academy. 127

Story Role / Major Arcs

Mourner of the Dead

Ling Ren is introduced as the isolated guardian of his parents' tomb. After revealing his inherited martial soul and family history, he accepts Ling Qing, Tang San, and Xiao Wu's invitation to return to academy life. 171

Nuo Lan Academy and Soul Hunting Forest

As a member of Seven Dormitory, Ling Ren becomes part of Li Qing and Tang San's forest expeditions. His role centers on scouting with Xiao Bai, detecting resentment, tracking hidden enemies, and supporting Spirit Ring absorption through purification. 15 88 181

Pursuit of Strength

After witnessing Li Qing's near-fatal injuries, Ling Ren resolves to improve rather than remain a helpless support. He undergoes severe physical training, meets Li Qing's requirements, and successfully begins cultivating the Soul Power Eight Inner Gates. 63 66 67

Second Soul Ring

Ling Ren's group spends more than ten days seeking a Spirit Beast compatible with the Book of the Dead. He ultimately kills a wounded Roaring Marmot and gains Soul Roar, giving him his first major combat-oriented soul skill. 130 194 128

Trivia

• Ling Ren once destroyed a toilet with an unusually powerful bowel movement and personally cleaned up the aftermath. 2
• His companions' “Bald Youth Rescue Plan” is designed to redirect his focus from hair loss toward his improving strength and physique. 131 14
• Ling Ren cannot perceive Li Qing's soul with the Book of the Dead, a result that leaves him confused about his martial soul's function. 127