Ye Yukong

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Ye Yukong (叶宇空)
Alias(es)	Dean Ye; Elder Ye
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Ziying Academy; Xing Academy; Ministry of Education
Occupation/Role	Martial Dao educator; Dean of Ziying Academy's Martial Dao Third Academy; later Ministry of Education official
First Appearance	105

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Breaking Limits — Four Revolutions	118	Reached four breakthroughs in his youth, but abandoned the path rather than pursue a fifth breakthrough and Rainbow Transformation without Limit Realm perfection.
Blood Solidification Realm	118	His Initiation Stele record remained at Blood Solidification Realm; it fought using volleys of alloy beads as hidden weapons.
Dharma Form — Solidification	510	Had advanced to the first Dharma Form step, Solidification, by the time Li Qingshan attempted to recruit him.
Dharma Form — Wither and Flourish	405	His incomplete Dao was split into two 36-foot Dharma Forms: an Old Man Avatar and a Youth Avatar. Their brief fusion produces a 72-foot white-haired youth form with unusually potent effects.
Two 108-foot Dharma Forms	265	A space-time projection of Ye Yukong manifested two separate 108-foot Dharma Forms, astonishing observers.

Background

Ye Yukong was a prominent Ziying Academy student whose name remained second on the Journey Stele, below Feng Boyong and above Wan Keshan. His Initiation Stele record also placed him among the academy's strongest freshmen of the previous 5,000 years. 121 118

Though he possessed four Breaking Limits breakthroughs, Ye chose not to force a fifth and enter Rainbow Transformation because he had not reached the pinnacle of the Limit Realm. This decision left him at Blood Solidification in his recorded student-era combat data. 118

His later breakthrough to Dharma Form was flawed when his attempt to break the limit was interrupted. Rather than abandon the path, he divided his Dao into the opposing principles of Wither and Flourish. 405

Appearance

Ye Yukong appears as a calm silver- or white-haired youth, though his presence and mannerisms often feel far older than his appearance suggests. Li Qingshan perceives him as an overlap between a decrepit old man and a vigorous young man. 281

• White or silver hair despite his youthful face. 281
• Habitually rotates two iron balls in his right hand. 88
• Carries himself with an old-fashioned, composed demeanor. 88
• His Dharma Form manifests the coexistence of senescence and vitality through old-man and youth avatars. 358
• His younger Initiation Stele image had black hair and wielded alloy beads as hidden weapons. 118

Personality

Ye Yukong is restrained, observant, and difficult to rattle. He sees beyond immediate competitions and political disputes, as shown when he recognized Zhou Yunze's transfer to Ziying Star as a possible attempt to compete for a Martial Dao Great Star slot rather than a mere bid for local rankings. 88

As an educator, he emphasizes that cultivation cannot be standardized. He values personal Dao, comprehension, and long-term accumulation over superficial realm comparisons or hurried advancement. 119 283 539

He is protective of his students without being controlling. Ye warns Li Qingshan about the danger of Blood Ignition Sacred Art and the burdens of a long cultivation path, but ultimately refuses to dictate Li's choices. 150 283

Abilities & Skills

Wither and Flourish Dharma Form

Ye Yukong's Dao encompasses decay and vitality. His flawed breakthrough compelled him to separate these principles into two distinct Dharma Forms.

• Old Man Avatar — a 36-foot Dharma Form representing withering and decline. 358
• Youth Avatar — a 36-foot Dharma Form representing flourishing vitality. 358
• Fusion — briefly merges both avatars into a 72-foot white-haired youth Dharma Form. 358 405
• Aging effect — the fused form rapidly aged a Rank 7 alien opponent during the war against the Blood Rot Clan. 405
• Limitation — he cannot fuse the Dharma Forms repeatedly in a short time, and the two 36-foot forms were originally described as his limit. 405

True-Spirit Techniques

During Li Qingshan's Tribulation of Establishing the Dao, Ye Yukong's Dharma Form attacked Li's True Spirit with the Dao of Wither and Flourish. 358

• Its effects are difficult for distant observers to analyze, as the confrontation appeared to involve no conventional exchange of blows. 265
• The technique reflects Ye's focus on life, death, and the transition between them. 358

Aperture Opening

Ye Yukong can survive on the lunar surface without a spacesuit. He explains that fully opening the body's nine apertures enables a martial artist to draw in Star Origin Force and begin adapting to space. 105

• Teaches Aperture Opening as a two-part process: tempering the apertures, then sensing stars and drawing in Star Origin Force. 149
• Clarifies that bare-body travel through space remains far beyond merely opening apertures. 105

Martial Dao Instruction

Ye Yukong is an experienced teacher with extensive knowledge of cultivation systems, Starry Sky Martial Arts, and advanced progression.

• Explains that completed martial arts contain transformed principles—turning Dao into usable Li. 156
• Warns that Breaking Limits establishes a foundation, while comprehension determines a martial artist's true potential. 119
• Teaches Li Qingshan about Establishing the Dao, its opportunity-based trigger, and the space-time projections faced during its tribulation. 315 316
• Recognizes the individualized nature of Starry Sky Beckons and the danger posed by Kong Xun's altered version. 531 536

Hidden Weapons

Ye Yukong's Initiation Stele data body used alloy beads launched from his hands to create all-directional attacks. 118

• The beads can be deployed in dense volleys.
• Li Qingshan identified them as hidden weapons during their simulated battle. 118

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Iron balls — Ye Yukong habitually manipulates two iron balls in his right hand. 88
• Alloy beads — hidden weapons used by his younger Initiation Stele record. 118
• Communicator — used for official communications, including his covert contact with Ye Hao during the Kong Xun incident. 536

Relationships

• Li Qingshan — Former student. Ye Yukong repeatedly guides Li's cultivation, teaches him advanced Martial Dao theory, and remains confident that Li does not need to be measured against Feng Boyong or past prodigies. 119 160 283 316
• Lu Qing — Student and subordinate educator. She frequently seeks his judgment on academy matters and cultivation prospects. 88 117
• Wan Keshan — Former student who addresses Ye Yukong as “Teacher.” Ye later offers to help repair Wan's severed pathways. 281 282
• Feng Boyong — Senior and the top-ranked figure on Ziying Academy's Journey Stele. Ye highly respects Feng's comprehension and uses his example to teach Li Qingshan patience and martial understanding. 121 119
• Mo Yuan — Ministry of Education colleague and fellow investigator. They jointly examined the danger surrounding Kong Xun's students and later entered the Ministry together. 536 516
• Ya Lie — Wartime companion. Ye provides Ya Lie with tactical counsel, partners with him in the Heaven's Pride Tournament, and helps temper his impulsiveness. 384 405
• Che Yufei — Fellow fugitive during the Blood Rot Clan conflict. Ye, Ya Lie, and Che Yufei were trapped together and later escaped through a teleportation array. 407 409
• Kong Xun — Subject of Ye's professional interest due to his Dao and research into Starry Sky Beckons. Ye recognized both the potential and the possible Mind Fiend influence behind Kong Xun's work. 519 531 536
• Ye Hao — Vice Minister and political counterpart. Ye Yukong objected internally to Ye Hao's effort to conceal the Kong Xun crisis. 536
• Xiao Tianyou — Minister who approved Ye Yukong's appointment to Xing Academy, recognizing the value of having another person monitor the situation there. 519

Story Role / Major Arcs

Ziying Academy Dean

As dean of the Martial Dao Third Academy, Ye Yukong oversees students, leads missions, and identifies exceptional talent. He recognizes Li Qingshan's intense anticipation before the academy entrance qualification battle and provides him special instruction once his progress outpaces ordinary coursework. 104 149

He also evaluates Ziying's leading freshmen, seeing Zhou Yunze, Mou Yu, and Li Qingshan as products of an era capable of nurturing true dragon prodigies. 88

Kong Xun and Xing Academy

Interested in Ye Hao's research project and Kong Xun's Dao, Ye Yukong requested a post at Xing Academy. Xiao Tianyou approved the appointment while cautioning that Starry Sky Beckons was a cornerstone of the Human Race with hidden complexities. 519

At Xing Academy, Ye Yukong noticed that eight students practicing Kong Xun's improved method had become unusually aggressive. After consulting Mo Yuan, he concluded that they risked refining themselves into Mind Fiends rather than achieving legitimate enlightenment. 535 536

Blood Rot Clan Conflict

Ye Yukong joined Ya Lie and Che Yufei in the Heaven's Pride Tournament's alien battlefields. Their group was stranded after a Rank 6 rift shattered, leaving them unable to retreat normally. 407

While pursued by the Blood Rot Clan, Ye used his combined Dharma Form against a Rank 7 alien elder, then helped locate and activate a teleportation array that carried the group 5,000 light-years away from the War Fortress. 405 409

Ministry of Education

After Li Qingshan later offered him a role in the Demon Subjugation Division, Ye Yukong declined, believing that teaching and education better suited him. He instead joined the Ministry of Education alongside Mo Yuan. 510 516

Li Qingshan's Tribulation

Ye Yukong appeared as one of the predecessors manifested during Li Qingshan's Tribulation of Establishing the Dao. His Dharma Form's emergence revealed the depth and unusual structure of his Dao to observers across the Chaotic Star Sea. 358

Notable Quotes

“Breaking through the limit was interrupted, and the foundation is insufficient, so naturally it can't bear a towering building. Therefore, I can only find another way, splitting the ‘reason,’ splitting the Dharma Form.” 405

“Li Qingshan is Li Qingshan!” 160

Trivia

• Ye Yukong's white-haired youthful appearance is directly connected to the coexistence of decay and vitality within his Dharma Form. 281
• He was already strong enough as a student to rank second on the Journey Stele, yet he could not force Feng Boyong to draw his sword in their recorded encounter. 121 175
• Ye considers Zhou Yunze one of his outstanding students despite Zhou's self-description as “ordinary.” 184