Old Man Lu

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Lu Xingshen (陆行深)
Alias(es)	Old Man Lu; Old Lu; Second Uncle; former Sword Holder
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Wallfacer Organization; Phoenix Legion
Occupation/Role	Swordsman, Wallfacer leader, former Sword Holder, swordsmanship instructor
Status	Alive; rebuilding his cultivation after losing his Tier 7 realm 631 803
First Appearance	Introduced as the owner of the tavern beside the Lost Tavern 46

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Sixth-order peak	115	Holds back an expanding black vortex beneath Ming Tower with the Dragon-Snake Staff before entering the Subspace to destroy the threat from within.
Tier 7	330	Advances amid Spiritual Energy turbulence after sending away much of the Army Soul burden he had carried; his Sword Qi becomes transparent and reaches a higher state.
Third Rank	631	Falls from Tier 7 after expending his strength to protect his teacher during the Qingyun Peak crisis.
Fourth Rank peak	707	Recovers through cultivation after his injuries, developing a self-sustaining Spiritual Energy field that draws in Void Spiritual Energy.
Fifth Rank peak	771	His foundation is repaired through the Orc Sword Saint’s inheritance and crystal longsword; he rises from Fourth Rank to Fifth Rank peak in less than twenty days.
Tier 6 peak	803	Breaks through during battle by commanding vast Sword Qi; his restored Sword Foundation immediately brings him to Tier 6 peak.

Background

Lu Xingshen operated the tavern next to Li Yao’s Lost Tavern and introduced himself to Li as “Second Uncle.” He was initially intrusive and combative toward his neighbor, freeloading breakfast while attempting to recruit Chen Xi away from Li Yao’s employment. 46 54

Fearing a dangerous future, Lu sought someone worthy to inherit his sword lineage. He first noticed Li Yao’s potential but ultimately traveled widely through Huaxia before identifying Chen Xi as the successor he wanted: her heart had been weathered by hardship without losing its vitality or purity. Chen Xi initially refused his offer, leaving him visibly dejected. 53 58 364

As a senior Wallfacer, Lu later offered Li Yao unofficial protection rather than forcing him into the organization. He agreed to shield Li as long as Li did not commit crimes or great evil within the country, while continuing to regard Li’s abilities and inventions as strategically important. 106 193

Appearance

Lu is an elderly but imposing man whose appearance shifts with his condition. He is often well groomed and refined, appearing in tailored suits with the Dragon-Snake weapon in hand; after reaching Tier 7, he stands tall and straight with a markedly more commanding bearing. 201 460

• Gray-haired, with a mature and well-maintained appearance before his severe injuries. 323 630
• Usually carries the Dragon-Snake Staff or its longsword form. 115 630
• Dresses in wide-sleeved robes when displaying swordsmanship in the Otherworld. 737
• His sacrifice against a world-destroying weapon leaves his hair grayer, his face more wrinkled, and his eyes bloodshot and clouded. 630

Personality

Lu is proud, blunt, and highly theatrical when challenged. He enjoys calling himself a peerless swordsman, accepts provocations that offend his dignity, and can turn even a simple duel into a grand display. His confidence is genuine—he has the skill and experience to support it—but it frequently embarrasses Li Yao. 737 740 749

Behind his temper is a deeply protective sense of responsibility. He is severe with Ye Yu and Chen Xi because he expects them to bear the weight of the Sword Holder’s duty, yet he is equally quick to protect his people and take personal responsibility when danger threatens them. 543 487

His care for the Army Souls reveals his gentler side. Rather than erase their personalities for convenience, Lu bears the immense cost of sheltering them from negative-energy erosion, treating fallen warriors and old comrades as people who deserve remembrance and another chance at life. 323 478

Abilities & Skills

Sword Dao and Sword Qi

Lu is a Sword Dao grandmaster whose combat style combines refined technique, overwhelming killing intent, and control over Spiritual Energy.

• Produces and manipulates powerful Sword Qi for direct attacks, tracking, barriers, and large-area suppression. 62 115 803
• Uses Sword Intent to impose emotional and mental pressure; during his duel with Enzo, it overwhelms the mage’s consciousness with layered human emotions. 740
• Can command distant Sword Qi with the call of “Swords, come,” gathering countless traces of sword intent into a devastating barrage. 803
• Demonstrated the Four Symbols Sword Intent, gathering earth, fire, water, and wind before condensing them into four differently colored swords. 745
• Retains exceptional combat instincts even after his realm falls; at Third Rank, his Sword Qi remains sharply lethal. 641
• His most extreme attacks demand a severe price: while fighting in the Subspace, he unsealed years of restraints, borrowed Army Soul power, and exhausted all remaining strength with a single decisive sword. 116

Army Soul Shelter and Spirit Control

Lu possesses an Esper ability connected to spirits and Army Souls.

• Can awaken fallen warriors into Army Souls and establish a spiritual barrier around a battlefield. 322 323
• Shelters Army Souls within himself while preserving their personalities rather than reducing them to obedient tools. 323
• Protects the souls from negative-energy erosion, a burden that consumes vast amounts of his own energy. 323
• Sent large numbers of Army Souls through Shadow rifts into Subspace, reducing the burden on himself before his Tier 7 breakthrough. 329
• Closely oversees their eventual biological resurrection within the Phoenix Legion’s Life Support Pods. 477 478

Spirit Realm Movement

Lu can traverse the Spirit Realm and use rifts between it and reality.

• Opened a Spirit Realm rift to bring Li Yao directly to the Phoenix Legion camp when the Army Soul resurrection began. 477
• Uses Spirit Realm knowledge and perception developed during his time as a Tier 7 Esper. 650

Instruction and Tactical Leadership

Lu is an exacting instructor who adapts teachings to each student’s strengths.

• Selected Chen Xi as the inheritor of his sword lineage and trained her from the basics. 364 803
• Guided Ye Yu for roughly a decade, treating him as a disciple in all but name before passing on the Sword Holder position. 364 543
• Tailored three Sword Arts for the physically gifted Orc warriors of the Sword Saint Clan, including Raging Sea Triple Layer Sword Force and Mountain Suppressing Sword Art. 746
• Led elite combatants during the Earth upheaval, coordinating the rescue of besieged resistance fighters and maintaining battlefield discipline. 774 775

Equipment

• Dragon-Snake Staff / Dragon-Snake Longsword — Lu’s signature weapon; used to restrain the Ming Tower vortex, battle in the Subspace, and channel Sword Qi. It is later described as a damaged or broken sword being gradually restored. 115 630 771
• Gemstone Sword — A crystal-clear sword connected to the Orc Sword Saint’s legacy; it helps repair Lu’s depleted foundation and accelerates his reconstruction. 749 771
• Cane — Can serve as a conduit for erupting Sword Qi. 323

Relationships

• Li Yao — Neighbor, frequent sparring partner, and reluctant protégé. Lu tried to recruit him into the Wallfacers, later promised to protect him, and continually pushes him to take cultivation and responsibility more seriously. 54 106 543
• Chen Xi — Chosen successor to Lu’s sword lineage. Though she initially declined to learn from him, he later trains and evaluates her swordsmanship closely. 58 364 803
• Ye Yu — Disciple in all but name and successor as Sword Holder. Lu’s harsh scolding stems from his expectation that Ye Yu defend Huaxia without compromise. 364 543
• Madam Qian — Lu’s teacher and the Wallfacers’ leader. She consoles him after his fall from Tier 7 and personally promises to seek methods for his recovery. 631
• Army Souls — Fallen warriors and former comrades whom Lu shelters, protects, and helps restore to life. His former Old Squad Leader is among the resurrected souls. 323 478
• Feng Li — Trusted Wallfacer associate who mediates disputes between Lu and Li Yao and acts on Lu’s behalf when needed. 193 192
• Master Kentji — A Legendary Mage whom Lu meets in the Otherworld; the two engage in an escalating contest of boasts about their past accomplishments. 749
• Balkan and the Sword Saint Clan — Orc allies who seek Lu’s help preserving their lost sword heritage; Lu agrees to teach them sincerely rather than withholding knowledge. 745 746

Story Role / Major Arcs

Wallfacer Protector

Lu acts as one of the Wallfacers’ highest-ranking defenders. At Ming Tower, he holds back a black vortex, enters the Subspace alone, and defeats the Ghost King and its Onmyoji servant despite being left nearly unable to move afterward. 115 116

Army Soul Guardian

Lu’s connection to Army Souls becomes central after he calls forth the souls of fallen Phoenix Legion warriors. He refuses to abandon their identities despite the tremendous cost of maintaining them, then witnesses the first stages of their resurrection through Maeve’s incubation process. 323 477 478

Tier 7 Breakthrough and Sacrifice

After releasing much of the Army Soul burden, Lu breaks through to Tier 7 and becomes one of Huaxia’s foremost pillars of Esper defense. He later spends his realm protecting his teacher at Qingyun Peak, falling all the way to Third Rank but resolving to rebuild from the beginning. 330 631

Otherworld Sword Teacher

While accompanying Li Yao to the Otherworld, Lu defeats Mage Enzo in a formal duel and earns the interest of the Sword Saint Clan. He studies the Orcs’ strengths, teaches them appropriate Sword Arts, and gains insight from their Sword Saint’s inheritance. 740 745 746 771

Earth Upheaval and Reconstruction

During the Earth upheaval, Lu returns to frontline command, protects survivors against monster swarms, and rapidly restores his cultivation through battle and the Orc inheritance. He breaks through to Tier 6 while defending others, reestablishing himself as a major battlefield force. 771 803

Notable Quotes

“I, Lu Xingshen, have been upright all my life, what have I to fear!”
— 329

“Heaven did not grant you Lu Xingshen, the Sword Dao is like a long night for all eternity!”
— 749

Trivia

• Although he calls himself Li Yao’s “Second Uncle,” the provided material does not establish a blood relation between them. 46
• He is over one hundred years old, though the Otherworld mage Kadis considers that age unusually young. 734
• Lu attempts to keep up with modern culture and knows of games such as Warcraft, Dota, and League of Legends, though he struggles with even outdated computers. 544