Chen Mu

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Chen Mu (陈沐)
Alias(es)	Second Young Master; Director Chen; Director of the Four Seasons — Autumn; Celestial Master; Earth Immortal; True Person; True Lord; Heavenly Monarch; Dao Monarch 78 109 129 130 176 243 285
Species/Race	Human; an ancient soul inhabiting the deceased Chen Mu's body 130
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Xuanguo Estate; Directorate of Celestial Observation; Da Yuan
Occupation/Role	Sorcerer; Director of Calendar; Director of the Four Seasons — Autumn; teacher and protector of Da Yuan 79 129 130
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 1: “Xuanguo Estate”

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Heart Soul lv2	2	Gains 12 Soul Points after resolving the original body's lingering gratitude toward Ning Shi; Spirit Sight is already awakened.
Soul lv3	3	Spends Soul Points to strengthen his soul and unlocks Netherworld Soul Roaming.
Seventh Rank Sorcerer	15	His perception becomes fine enough that activity throughout his courtyard cannot escape notice.
Heart Soul lv10	15	Uses 46 Soul Points to advance his Heart Soul.
Initial Spirit lv1	27	Reaches the Initial Spirit stage after destroying the Black Water Gang.
Martial Dao Ninth Rank	34	Reaches Ninth Rank in seven to eight days through the Golden Jade Art; unlocks Blood Qi Burst.
Sixth Rank Sorcerer	35	Reveals his sorcerer rank to Chen Yao.
Martial Dao Eighth Rank	36	His physique doubles in normal condition and he gains a second Blood Qi burst.
Fifth Rank Dao Technique Realm	39	Awakens the Heart Sword Daoist Art; his willpower and Heart Sword intent surpass ordinary Fifth Rank Sorcerers.
Initial Spirit lv14	39	Expends his remaining Soul Points following the Heart Sword's awakening.
Martial Dao Seventh Rank	47 70	Nears Seventh Rank before later revealing the completed realm during Chen Xing's accusation.
Fifth Rank Daoist Arts Sorcerer	52 87	Uses East Wind Night Blooms a Thousand Trees to defeat two Fourth Rank Martial Artists; later annihilates hundreds of Human-faced Vultures.
Third Rank Sorcerer / Celestial Immortal	109	His effortless killing of a transformed Great Demon reveals his status as Da Yuan's Earth Immortal.
Second Grade Sorcerer	113 120	Perfects the Second Grade realm after raising his Heart Soul to Initial Spirit lv49.
Foundation Establishment	120	Names his Martial Dao stage “Foundation Establishment,” possessing Thirty Elephant Strength and aiming to unify soul and body.
Yin Spirit lv1	137	Breaks the shackles of mortal destiny; his past and future can no longer be deduced through heaven and earth.
Void Core Realm	142	Enters Burial Valley Forbidden Ground and defeats Outer Domain cultivators as a being recognized as a True Person.
Golden Core / True Person	146	Condenses a Golden Core after three months of seclusion, producing a phenomenon that darkens and then illuminates Kyoto.
Heart Soul lv60	153	His heightened perception reveals he could cultivate nine Dao Traces and reach the Golden Core peak with enough time.
True Lord	176	Ascends beyond True Person and crosses the Yellow Zenith Sky, Pill Cloud Sky, and Crimson Sky with Chen Yao.
Primal Spirit lv1	190	Reaches Golden Core cultivation with Divine Abilities including Mind Incarnation as One and Free Domain.
Primal Spirit lv5	195	His Heart Soul advances to True Lord lv5 after decades of seclusion.
Nascent Soul	199	Possesses Primal Spirit lv5, three Netherworld True Words, and more than 146,000 Soul Points.
Nascent Soul peak	234	Condenses the 10,000th Dao Trace, completing Nascent Soul-stage cultivation.
Spirit Transformation / Heavenly Monarch	243	Creates a Spirit Transformation Dharma Body and defeats three Asura True Lords with a wave of his sleeve.
Yang Spirit Third Layer	250	Accumulates 100 million Soul Points over 16,000 years; merges his Soul Point accumulation into the Boundary River.
Dao Monarch / Great Power	285	His imprints disappear across the worlds as his system identifies him as a Great Power.
Void Spirit Dao Monarch	292	Crosses the final threshold beyond the Yang Spirit's third step, becoming an existence unheard of in the Ten Thousand Streams River Domain.

Background / History

Chen Mu awakens in the body of the Xuanguo Estate's dying Second Young Master, a neglected concubine-born son. His new body is sixteen years old, physically frail, and resembles his former appearance by roughly eighty percent. After inheriting the body's memories, he resolves its lingering attachment to Ning Shi and gains Soul Points, revealing a system that can enhance his soul and enable Soul Roaming in the Netherworld 1 2.

Initially concealing Spirit Sight because it offers perception rather than self-preservation, Chen Mu steadily uses Soul Points from dispelled obsessions to advance. His investigation into the maid Cui'er's death leads him to aid her sick mother and younger sister Liu Lian; after Cui'er's spirit finally disperses, he continues to involve himself in the injustices surrounding the Xuanguo Estate 3 5 8.

He begins cultivating the Golden Jade Art with Chen Yao's assistance, rapidly entering the Martial Dao while secretly advancing as a Sorcerer. His intervention against the Heavenly Born Cult and Paradise Cult establishes him as a hidden Fifth Rank Sorcerer capable of protecting Xuanguo Estate from threats beyond the reach of ordinary Martial Artists 32 34 43 52.

After the Directorate of Celestial Observation recognizes his ability, Chen Mu becomes a Celestial Master and gains authority within Da Yuan. He later protects Nanli from demons, becomes known as the Earth Immortal, and returns to Kyoto to stop Demon King Yu during the capital's crisis 78 79 109 129 130.

Following the battle, he publicly reveals that he is not the original Chen Mu, but an ancient soul that entered the world through Chen Mu's corpse. He promises Xuanguo Estate a generation of prosperity in repayment, then distances himself from the identity of “Chen Mu of Xuanguo Estate” to sever their karmic connection 130.

Appearance

Chen Mu is a handsome young man whose current face is approximately eighty percent similar to that of his previous life. After entering the Martial Dao, his physique becomes fuller, his complexion rosy, and his eyes bright and spirited 2 34.

• Usually wears simple, neat robes; he is frequently seen in the white Daoist robe of the Directorate of Celestial Observation 43 87.
• His presence can become ethereal and almost immortal when his soul power is released 83.
• At higher realms, he can appear entirely ordinary despite standing in midair or confronting overwhelming enemies 128.
• Chen Yao perceives his true existence as a vast crimson phantom, immeasurably greater than her own 174.

Personality

Chen Mu is cautious, composed, and difficult to provoke into revealing more power than necessary. Early on, he deliberately hides Spirit Sight and his Sorcerer status, recognizing that exposure would attract danger before he has the strength to protect himself 3 50.

Despite his detachment from the original body's memories, he is compassionate toward those he considers worthy of care. He helps Cui'er's family, promises to protect Xiao Mei, guides Chen Yao's cultivation, and seeks long lives for those close to him rather than accepting their eventual deaths as inevitable 5 17 36 154.

In battle, Chen Mu is decisive and often indifferent toward genuine threats. He does not hesitate to annihilate demons, cultists, or hostile True Persons, but he avoids pointless conflict and lets two defeated True Persons escape when the Dao Birth Flower matters more than pursuing them 87 151.

Abilities & Skills

Spirit Sight

Chen Mu's foundational Sorcerer ability allows him to perceive blood energy, martial cultivation, Spirit Veins, souls, and hidden activity through physical barriers 2 6 39.

• Detects the strength of Martial Artists from their blood energy 2 17.
• Observes people through walls, roofs, and across the Xuanguo Estate without being noticed 6 39.
• Assesses martial stances and corrects Chen Yao's posture with soul power 35 36.
• Eventually perceives karmic threads connecting people, though he initially cannot touch or sever them 121.

Soul Roaming

Chen Mu can project his soul into the Netherworld, where he encounters ghosts, lingering obsessions, and remnants of ancient cultivators 3 17 153.

• Gains Soul Points by resolving obsessions and allowing spirits to disperse 2 7 27.
• Investigates the Black Water Gang through Mo Zhu's Netherworld phantom 17.
• Obtains Ancient True Words during a Netherworld journey, greatly strengthening his soul 146.
• Learns of the First Rank Sorcerer who attempted to break the Wusheng Domain's Outer Domain control 153.

Heart Sword

Chen Mu's Daoist Art manifests his pure will and stable Heart Soul as an overwhelmingly powerful spiritual sword 39.

• Allows him to manipulate and exert his willpower with exceptional force 39.
• Makes him stronger than ordinary Fifth Rank Sorcerers and some Fourth Rank Martial Artists 39.
• Annihilates Netherblood and Purple Origin True Persons and wounds Mirrorlight and Floating Light True Persons 151.
• Cannot initially sever the karmic thread between himself and Lu Shiyun 121.

Daoist Arts and Soul Techniques

Chen Mu develops increasingly advanced Sorcerer techniques as his soul progresses.

• East Wind Night Blooms a Thousand Trees — creates a sea of petals that traps and injures Fourth Rank Martial Artists 52.
• Spectral light — forms a killing net that wipes out hundreds of Human-faced Vultures 87.
• Ancient True Words — possesses Ghost Cry, Blood Rain, and later Cloud Dusk 146 199.
• Mind Incarnation as One and Free Domain — Divine Abilities available by the Golden Core stage 190.
• Heaven and Earth Domain, Title of Heaven and Earth, Heart as Heaven’s Will, and Indestructible True Soul — Divine Abilities recorded at Yang Spirit Third Layer 272.

Martial Dao

Chen Mu cultivates the physique-focused Golden Jade Art alongside his Sorcerer path, using his soul strength to accelerate physical development 32 36.

• Blood Qi Burst — Ninth Rank technique that releases explosive force in an instant 34.
• Secondary burst — gained at Eighth Rank after his blood energy divides into two streams 36.
• Reaches Seventh Rank martial cultivation while still a teenager 70.
• Renames his high-level physical stage Foundation Establishment, pursuing complete unity between soul and body 120.

Spirit Transformation Dharma Body

At Nascent Soul peak, Chen Mu creates an external incarnation to explore worlds beyond his own 234.

• Possesses the appearance of his Yang Spirit Dharma Body and the pressure of a Heavenly Monarch 234.
• Is remotely controlled by Chen Mu 234.
• Travels into the Boundary River to investigate a medium-sized world 234.

Equipment & Artifacts

• Heavenly Question, Abyssal Rainbow, and Tai'a — three Flying Swords refined and named by Chen Mu 22.
• Blood Jade Ruler — a highly spiritual magical artifact focused on killing and attack; Chen Mu erases Wang Li's imprint and refines it for his own use 118 135.
• Nine Yuan Seal — a suppression-focused magical artifact retrieved and studied by Chen Mu after Kyoto's crisis 135.
• Peach branch — used as an improvised weapon to deflect and kill an Azure Scale Great Demon 108 109.

Relationships

• Ning Shi — His sister-in-law and early protector within Xuanguo Estate. Chen Mu resolves the original body's lingering attachment by promising to care for her 1 2.
• Chen Yao — His half-sister, cultivation student, and one of his closest companions. He guides her Martial Dao, later brings her through the Heavenly Palaces, and gives her Dao Birth Flower to support her path toward True Personhood 36 154 174.
• Ning Qiang — A close person whom Chen Mu chooses to protect; he gives her Dao Birth Flower and hopes she can become a True Person 61 154.
• Ren Yan — His servant and later the manager of Xuanhua Courtyard's servants; Ren Yan provides intelligence and remains useful to Chen Mu 5 47 78.
• Xiao Mei — His maid, whose sister Mo Zhu became a Netherworld Ghost. Chen Mu promises her protection and investigates the Black Water Gang 17 19.
• Liu Lian — Cui'er's younger sister, whom Chen Mu first meets while aiding their mother; she later becomes his disciple 5 144.
• Li Chenxing — His registered disciple and sword-focused successor, adopted after Chen Mu encounters the lingering soul connected to him 106 158.
• Lin Yue — Futiān Sect disciple and later Dao Daughter. Their relationship is cordial; she admires Chen Mu while maintaining her own ambition 61 99 190.
• Xi Yu — Da Yuan's Empress and one of Chen Mu's earliest disciples. Chen Mu protects her from Outer Domain cultivators and supports her cultivation 142 155.
• Yan Hanyu — Martial Dao Grandmaster and longtime associate. She worries for Chen Mu during demon investigations and later studies under his guidance 89 144.
• Xue Yiqiu — His nominal disciple, later a Heavenly Monarch. Chen Mu strictly guides her, protects her advancement, and gifts her a top-tier Heavenly Treasure 250 290.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Xuanguo Estate

• Transmigrates into the dying body of the Xuanguo Estate's Second Young Master and discovers the Soul Point system 1 2.
• Helps Cui'er's family, witnesses Cui'er's soul disperse, and begins acting against the estate's hidden injustices 5 8.
• Secretly investigates the Black Water Gang, Heavenly Born Cult, and Paradise Cult while protecting Chen Yao and Xiao Mei 17 43 47.
• Publicly exposes Chen Xing's framing and collusion with an Evil Cult 72.

Directorate of Celestial Observation

• Receives the Directorate's summons after revealing Seventh Rank Martial Dao cultivation 70 71.
• Gains authority as a Celestial Master and Director, using the Tianluo Earthnet and Imperial Library to investigate supernatural threats and forgotten history 78 79.
• Intervenes at Broken Moon Gorge, annihilating the Human-faced Vultures surrounding the Yuantian Guard 87 88.

Earth Immortal of Nanli

• Travels to Nanli with Li Chenxing and becomes involved with the Lu Family of Ningfeng City 106.
• Kills an Azure Scale Great Demon with a peach branch, revealing himself as a Third Rank Celestial Immortal 108 109.
• Refines the Blood Jade Ruler, perfects Second Grade Sorcerer cultivation, and reaches Foundation Establishment 118 120.

Celestial Master of Da Yuan

• Arrives in Kyoto during Demon King Yu's assault and changes the course of the battle 128 129.
• Is recognized by the court and populace as a Second Grade Celestial Master 130.
• Reveals his status as a soul who borrowed Chen Mu's corpse and severs his formal identity from Xuanguo Estate 130.

True Person and True Lord

• Defeats Outer Domain cultivators, captures Qinghong Daoist, and formally teaches Dao Arts to his disciples and allies 142 144.
• Condenses a Golden Core and defeats multiple attacking True Persons with the Heart Sword 146 151.
• Protects Kyoto against forty-two Outer Domain True Persons and gives Dao Birth Flower to Chen Yao and Ning Qiang 154.
• Leads chosen companions beyond the Wusheng Domain and later ascends to True Lord 158 176.

Boundary River and Dao Monarch

• Completes the Nascent Soul stage, forms an external Spirit Transformation Dharma Body, and begins exploring distant worlds 234.
• Saves Mingyu Holy Land by defeating three Asura True Lords with a single sleeve wave 243.
• Reaches Yang Spirit Third Layer after accumulating 100 million Soul Points over 16,000 years 250.
• Becomes a Dao Monarch, causing his world-spanning imprints to vanish and many acquaintances to temporarily forget him 285.
• Returns to guide and protect Xue Yiqiu after her breakthrough to Heavenly Monarch 290.

Notable Quotes

“I am Chen Mu, but not that Chen Mu.” 130

“This body died in the small room of the Xuanguo Estate's separate courtyard a year ago. I merely entered the world using this body, but having inherited its karma, I will repay your Xuanguo Estate with a generation of prosperity.” 130

“This True Person is right here.” 154

Trivia

• Chen Mu's first documented system interface lists his martial prowess as “Strength to tie a chicken.” 2
• He impresses Apricot Flower House with the poem: “The Roc rises with the wind one day, Soaring Straight Up Ninety Thousand Miles.” 12
• He visits Xiao Qingshan's burial site because he considers the fictional chivalrous figure's bearing similar to his own 12.
• Chen Mu's Soul Point gains are tied to dissolving lingering obsessions, including those of the original Chen Mu, Cui'er, and Li Chenxing's deceased benefactor 2 8 120.