Zhang Xinglie

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Zhang Xinglie (張星烈)
Alias(es)	Senior Brother; Old Zhang 7 124
Species/Race	Human 545
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Yunhua Martial University; Ancient River Sect; formerly No. 8 High School of Ru City 41 276 441
Occupation/Role	Martial artist; Yunhua student; Ancient River Sect disciple 276 441
Status	Deceased; later described as having sacrificed himself 824
First Appearance	Chapter 7

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Qi-Nourishing Perfection	7	His breath cycle exceeded eleven seconds, indicating true qi at least at perfection and eligibility to enter the Blood-Circulating Stage. 7
Early Body-Refining Stage	124	He stated that he had reached the Early Body-Refining Stage after entering Yunhua Martial University. 124
Mid Body-Refining Stage	129	He had stabilized at the Mid Body-Refining Stage and believed an ordinary Late Body-Refining opponent would not trouble him. 129
Late Body-Refining Stage	151	His aura had advanced without announcement; his growth from Primordial Divine Light, Ancestor's Protection, and other gains made him stronger overall than a beginner Steel Skin user. 151
Force-Generating Stage, likely Mid Stage	251	Zhou Leng believed Zhang Xinglie had likely reached Force-Generating Middle Stage after cultivation at Innate Mountain and the Remnant Cloud Pillar. 251
Great Innate Realm	619	Despite losing an arm and a leg, he retained Great Innate Realm strength. 619

Background

Early life and schooling

Zhang Xinglie grew up alongside Zhou Leng in Ru City. As a child, he was absorbed in deep thought to the point that he neglected ordinary tasks such as tying shoes or fastening clothes, leading others to mistake him for incapable. He was indifferent to their judgment. 42

By fifth or sixth grade, his academic and martial talent had become undeniable. He defeated students from nearby elementary schools without finding a rival, but Zhou continued treating him as the same childhood friend rather than following him as an admirer. 42

He protected Zhou Leng and other classmates from bullies in sixth grade, beginning a pattern of acting as a protector for those around him. 545

No. 8 High School

Zhang was No. 8 High School's top student: first in its science written examination, physical examination, and Martial Examination. He was Ru City's physical-exam champion and later its second-place college entrance examination scorer. 7 41

Teachers regarded him as the school's foremost hope of producing an elite martial artist, directing resources toward him even beyond official allowances. 41

Both Yunhua Martial University and Golden Capital sought to recruit him. He ultimately departed for Yunhua in Xiong City. 12 15

Yunhua Martial University

At Yunhua, Zhang discovered that his prior talent and work ethic were merely adequate beside students raised with vast resources, Innate guidance, pills, and intensive training. He responded by increasing his own training rather than lowering his ambitions. 44

He sold his Elite Training Camp position for eighty million, judging that the resource gap between himself and the wealthiest students was too great to ignore and that strengthening his foundation was more important than retaining the credential. 124

Appearance

Zhang Xinglie is exceptionally large for his age, standing roughly a head and a half taller than Zhou Leng. His heavily muscled, inverted-triangle build has been compared to an iron tower, a bull, and later a giant. 7 125

• Bronze-toned skin and a broad, powerful upper body. 125
• Arms described as thicker than Zhou Leng's legs during their high-school years. 7
• Black hair standing like a lion's mane and sharp, upward-slanting hawkish eyes. 124
• In orc attire, blood patterns appeared across his body and gave him a more wild, flamboyant bearing. 409
• After the Calamity Envoy's attack, he lost his left arm and right leg; the resulting divine curse prevented their recovery. 548 585

Personality

Zhang is intensely self-disciplined. Zhou Leng repeatedly observes him returning from cultivation before dawn, recognizing that the diligence behind Zhang's reputation is nearly frightening. 13

He is direct, candid, and competitive without being closed-minded. During his sparring sessions with Zhou, he openly acknowledged weaknesses in his true-qi control, praised Zhou's strengths, and exchanged recorded insights for later study. 125 126

His loyalty is central to his choices. He declined Zhao Tong's banquet and its potential Elite Training Camp opportunity because of a prior family commitment, and he remained with Zhou during the latter's examination re-evaluation. 12 39

After suffering permanent injuries, Zhang refused to blame others or abandon cultivation. He resolved to continue training, study Divine Script, and seek a path forward through Yunhua rather than resent his circumstances. 562 619

Abilities & Skills

No-Return Battle Method

Zhang's signature method embodies an all-or-nothing, forward-driving fighting spirit: once his fist is thrown, there is no return. 126

• Entered the Extreme Realm through this method. 126
• Builds momentum through increasingly forceful attacks and an invincible, fearless aura. 126
• Served as support for Zhou Leng's own combat style during their joint battle in the Great Battlefield. 518
• Its principles helped Zhou deepen his understanding of the Many as One concept. 126

External Martial Arts

Zhang specializes in direct, crushing close-quarters combat, contrasting with Zhou Leng's more fluid and deceptive style. 126

• Earth-Splitting Step — Fierce footwork designed to generate destructive force with each planted step. 126
• Mountain-Dividing Leg — A savage leg technique paired with Earth-Splitting Step. 126
• Mountain-Punching Fist — Used in his technical sparring with Zhou Leng. 126
• All four of his external arts reached the Divine Communion Realm during the Ancient River trial. 277

Physical Talent

Zhang possesses extraordinary natural physical talent and body-refining potential.

• His Body-Refining burst could abruptly double his already considerable strength. 126
• His body was stronger overall than a beginner-level Steel Skin practitioner despite his failure to comprehend Steel Skin itself. 151
• Foreign martial artists judged his body far tougher than that of an ordinary Mid Body-Refining practitioner. 132
• Rao Mingxian compared Zhou Leng's later body to Zhang's, treating Zhang as the benchmark for exceptional physical development among their peers. 173

Divine Script Study

Although Zhang could not memorize the complete Divine Script as Zhou Leng could, he found a method suited to his own strengths: studying only the portions most compatible with himself. 270

• Advanced from self-study to the level of a junior Divine Script researcher within months. 264
• Was approaching intermediate researcher level through continued study. 264
• Received special recognition from the Ancient River Martial Master and pledged to carry on the Ancient River lineage. 276

Relationships

• Zhou Leng — Childhood friend, training partner, and closest martial companion. Zhang protected Zhou in their youth, waited for him during the Martial Examination investigation, and repeatedly shared cultivation insights and battlefield plans with him. 12 126 545
• Zhang Meiqin — His aunt, who drove Zhang and Zhou to the martial arts examination venue. 9
• Zhang Xiaoxiao — Younger clan relative. Her disappearance and her grandmother's murder left Zhang grief-stricken and self-reproachful. 262
• Shan Heyuan — Fellow elite youth and battlefield ally. Zhang and Shan Heyuan led an ambush against a demon squad in the Great Battlefield. 544
• Liu Shanshan — His girlfriend; the two are depicted living quietly together after his injuries. 666
• Calamity Envoy — Enemy responsible for Zhang's incurable injuries. Zhang nevertheless suspected the Envoy's restraint toward him was connected to the Slaughter Lord's inheritance. 548 585

Story Role

Ancient River inheritance

Zhang joined Zhou Leng and Song Juesi in the Ancient River trial, where his four external arts reached Divine Communion. The Martial Master judged that Zhang had no evident shortcomings and limitless potential given time. 277

Zhou later shared the Mountain-Slaughter Battle Body technique with him. Zhang absorbed it unusually easily, leading others to regard him as someone favored by fortune. 313

Great Battlefield

Zhang fought beside Zhou Leng in the Great Battlefield, where their mutual understanding allowed them to advance shoulder to shoulder against hostile members of multiple races. Zhang relied primarily on fists while Zhou employed palms and finger techniques. 518

He and Shan Heyuan later ambushed and eliminated a demon squad, drawing the Calamity Envoy's personal attention. 544

Injury and final path

The Calamity Envoy's intervention left Zhang with his left arm and right leg missing and inflicted a divine curse that permanently prevented regeneration. 548 585

Rather than withdraw from the martial path, Zhang resolved to cultivate “Zhou Leng's share” as well, sought a teacher, and continued entering Demon Cities to fight. 562 585

He eventually chose to study Divine Script and consider a research or liberal-arts path at Yunhua while retaining his Great Innate Realm strength. 619

At a later point, Zhou Leng told the Martial Master that Zhang Xinglie had sacrificed himself; the circumstances of that sacrifice are not provided. 824

Recognition

• Ranked 153rd in Xiong City and 172nd nationally with a Martial Index of 73 during his early Yunhua period. 38
• Improved to 96th nationally in the freshman rankings. 78
• Rose to 21st through continued competition despite having consumed fewer cultivation resources than other top national freshmen. 186
• Reached 483rd on the Ancient River trial's external ranking after beginning far behind many competitors. 284
• Xu Ming regarded him, after Li Shenkong, as humanity's most dazzling young genius and a near-certain future Martial Saint. 505

Notable Quotes

“I hope you and I can stand together on the stage of the starry sky.” 222

“I still have one arm and one leg—” 562