Zhang Yuan

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Zhang Yuan
Alias(es)	Zhang Erhe; Second Master Zhang; Black Tiger; Crimson Fox
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Great Qin; Luyang Prefecture Martial Guard Bureau; Black Ice Platform; Crimson Fox Caravan; Eighteen Green Mountains Strongholds
Occupation/Role	Eighth-rank Black Robe Guard; Black Armored Captain of the Black Ice Platform; bounty hunter; commander of the Crimson Fox Caravan; co-lord of the Eighteen Green Mountains Strongholds 26
Status	Alive
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Early Houtian Realm	2	Chaos converts the qi, blood, and combat memories of slain Yan soldiers into strength, bringing him to 500 jin. His Cape Saber Technique and Ironclad Fist reach Great Accomplishment. 2
Mid Houtian Realm	5	Reaches 800 jin after further combat; Cape Saber Technique and Ironclad Fist attain Grand Perfection. 5
Mountain Yue Saber Technique — Minor Accomplishment	12	Uses the technique to kill Yan cavalry during the evacuation from Fengtian County. 12
Late Houtian Realm	14	Breaks through amid a rear-guard battle, surpassing 1,500 jin of physical strength. 14
Half-step Xiantian Realm	21	Shatters stored beads in his final defense of Fengtian County, bringing the Mountain Yue Saber Technique to Grand Perfection and wielding borrowed Xiantian power. 21
Xiantian Realm	Between Ch. 23–24	Young Master Tao later states that Zhang Yuan entered the Xiantian Realm four years earlier, before the events five years after Fengtian County. 26
Late Xiantian Realm	26	One step from Grandmaster; requires a Grandmaster Tribulation and a Heavenly Dao Opportunity to advance. 26
Iron Body Skill — Minor Accomplishment	40	Learns a Buddhist body-tempering art after obtaining it from the Buddhist cultivators; gains roughly 200 jin of physical strength. 40
Sarira-enhanced Late Xiantian	41	Refines a sarira into his dantian using Buddhist energy, gaining one bull of physical strength and raising his maximum strike force to 40,000 jin with Mountains and Rivers Move. 41

Background / History

Zhang Yuan was born into a family of Great Qin Martial Guards. After his father's death, he inherited his position as a ninth-rank Black Robe Guard of Luyang Prefecture, though he once wished to become a wandering martial artist instead. His upbringing instilled in him the duty to protect Great Qin, civilians, and comrades. 3 9

At sixteen, Zhang Yuan was conscripted into the Crimson Scale Army during Yan State's three-month siege of Fengtian County. Separated from his unit and left unconscious in a ruined alley, he experienced memories of Huaxia and awakened the sentient auxiliary system known as Chaos. 1 2

Chaos changed Zhang Yuan's path by extracting strength and battle experience from slain enemies. During the siege, he rapidly developed from a young guard barely short of the Houtian Realm into a fighter capable of challenging Xiantian opponents. 2 14 16

Following the fall of Fengtian County, Zhang Yuan returned to Luyang Prefecture rather than accept invitations to the imperial capital or rejoin the Crimson Scale Army. He chose to fulfill the merits and final wishes recorded for his fallen comrades, supporting survivors and their families instead. 23

Five years later, he remains in Luyang while maintaining several concealed identities. His work funds Yulin Academy, Hu Chunniu's medical hall, the families of Fengtian's dead, and the reformed villages of Qingshan. 25 26 27

Appearance

Five years after Fengtian County, Zhang Yuan is a lean young man who usually wears the washed black robes of a Luyang Prefecture Black Robe Guard. He carries himself with an approachable manner in public, concealing the battlefield ferocity that earned him his reputation. 24

• Wears black Martial Guard robes while on official duty. 24
• Commonly carries twin sabers and a five-foot whistle-staff. 24 26
• Uses a narrow three-foot saber and a heavier four-and-a-half-foot saber; the whistle-staff can connect to the narrow saber to form a nine-foot war saber. 26
• When fighting, his clothing and face are often soaked in enemy blood, giving him an intimidating, “demon-like” presence. 13 49

Personality

Zhang Yuan is defined by loyalty to Great Qin and by an uncompromising belief that a Martial Guard must protect civilians and comrades. He repeatedly chooses dangerous rear-guard actions rather than abandon others, including returning for Young Master Tao, leading civilians out of a Yan ambush, and surrendering himself to save Fengtian's surviving defenders. 6 13 20

His compassion is practical rather than sentimental. He proposes using medicinal herbs, fish, and shrimp to feed the besieged defenders; memorizes medical formulas; and spends his earnings and military merits on the families of the fallen. 8 9 11 25 42

Years of warfare also make Zhang Yuan decisive and ruthless. He favors swift battlefield kills, treats threats to his comrades and Great Qin as intolerable, and uses overwhelming violence to establish deterrence when confronting the Tang family. 30 40 48 49

Abilities & Skills

Chaos

Chaos is a jade-screen-like auxiliary system connected to Zhang Yuan's Huaxia memories. It stores resources gained through combat and can process battle experience into immediate growth. 2

• Converts slain enemies' qi, blood, and combat memories into Vitality Beads and Insight Beads. 2 5
• Stores Xiantian True Essence, demonic qi, and Buddhist energy that Zhang Yuan cannot necessarily refine directly. 17 41
• Displays Zhang Yuan's cultivation, techniques, formations, and stored resources. 2 26
• Can activate Auxiliary Combat, marking enemies by threat level, tracking positions, slowing Zhang Yuan's perception of combat, and calculating routes through danger. 6 12 13
• Heals injuries by consuming stored Vitality Beads. 7

Mountains and Rivers Move

Zhang Yuan's personal martial art combines the Mountain Yue Saber Technique, Mountain Yue Fist Technique, Cape Saber Technique, Ironclad Fist, light-body techniques, and later-acquired methods. It has reached Grand Perfection. 26 27

• Doubles his combat power when fully employed. 27
• Blends agility and heavy force, allowing him to switch between “Lift Light as Heavy” and “Lift Heavy as Light.” 39
• Integrates saber, fist, and movement methods into continuous attacks rather than isolated forms. 26 39
• With his sarira-enhanced body, it enables strikes of up to 40,000 jin. 41

Saber and Fist Techniques

Zhang Yuan's fighting style originates in military combat: direct, fast, and built to kill within a few moves. 40

• Cape Saber Technique — Reached Grand Perfection during the Fengtian siege. 5 7
• Ironclad Fist — Reached Grand Perfection alongside his saber technique; includes body-checking and knee strikes for close-quarters combat. 5 6
• Mountain Yue Saber Technique — Inherited from Yu Lin. Its mountain-like force is particularly suited to Zhang Yuan and became the foundation of his later martial art. 9 18 27
• Mountain Yue Fist Technique — Also taught by Yu Lin; greatly augments Zhang Yuan's striking force. 11 13
• Saber Qi — Can project saber qi after reaching Xiantian, though he initially relied on expendable True Essence Beads to imitate or supplement Xiantian power. 17 21 26

Battle Formations

Zhang Yuan is proficient in disciplined military formations and uses them to amplify both his own strength and that of his soldiers.

• Azure Wolf Formation — Progresses from proficiency to Grand Perfection; used to break enemy formations and defend Fengtian's bridges and walls. 2 19 26
• Tiger Walk Battle Formation — Reached Grand Perfection by the time of the Yong'an campaign. 26
• Understands formation tactics, enemy traps, group combat, and how to borrow the momentum of allied formations. 19
• Leads Black Robe Guards in organized shield, spear, saber, and crossbow formations. 33 34

Physical Tempering

Zhang Yuan continuously strengthens his body while seeking a martial Heavenly Dao Opportunity.

• Iron Body Skill — A Buddhist body-tempering technique cultivated to Minor Accomplishment. 40
• Sarira refinement — The Buddhist relic increases his physical strength by 2,000 jin and can potentially transform Iron Body Skill into a Golden Body Skill. 41
• His raw one-armed strength is sufficient to pull a saber embedded in a wall, frightening Houtian martial officers. 49

Medical and Survival Knowledge

Zhang Yuan retains practical first-aid and resource-management knowledge from Huaxia memories.

• Stabilized Young Master Tao after a Xiantian archer pierced him, using wound-sealing and cardiopulmonary support unfamiliar to Hu Chunniu. 8
• Memorized Hu Chunniu's medical formulas using an Insight Bead. 11
• Suggested medicinal-herb broth for wounded soldiers and later identified fish and shrimp as emergency food supplies. 8 9

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Twin sabers — A narrow saber and a heavy saber used in his integrated martial arts. 26
• Whistle-staff — Functions as a staff and connects to his narrow saber to make a nine-foot war saber. 24 26
• Sarira — Buddhist cultivation treasure refined into his dantian; enhances physical strength and may serve as a Buddhist Heavenly Dao Opportunity. 41
• Chaos Space resources — Vitality Beads, Insight Beads, True Essence Beads, demonic qi beads, and Buddhist Energy Beads. 26 41
• Yu Lin's armor — Worn when Zhang Yuan returns to Fengtian County posing as the fallen Crimson Scale Army Commander. 16 17

Relationships

• Yu Lin — Crimson Scale Army Commander and Zhang Yuan's mentor. Yu Lin teaches him the Mountain Yue Saber and Fist Techniques, entrusts him with Xiantian True Essence, and dies defending Fengtian County. 9 11 16 18
• Tao Yulin / Young Master Tao — Closest comrade, strategist, and later collaborator. Tao records the dead soldiers' merits, manages Zhang Yuan's affairs, and helps conceal the Black Tiger identity. 3 6 25 26 27
• Hu Chunniu — Physician and trusted friend. Zhang Yuan supports Hu's care for veterans' families, while Hu assists the academy and helps guide Zhang Yuan's long-term plans. 8 25 27
• Duan Hong — Former battalion commander and fellow Fengtian survivor. Duan Hong entrusts the people of Qingshan Village to Zhang Yuan before leaving for the imperial capital. 3 13 23
• Zhao Changming — Deputy Commander of the Crimson Scale Army and battlefield mentor. He helps Zhang Yuan defend Fengtian and later provides the remnants who form the Crimson Fox Caravan. 17 19 27
• Chen Wu — Son of Zhang Yuan's fallen comrade Chen Youde. Zhang Yuan arranges his place in the Martial Guard Bureau, trains him at Yulin Academy, and mentors him in combat and adulthood. 24 28 49
• Huang Sanliang — Sworn brother and Yulin Academy disciple; a Black Robe Guard with a family of his own. 32
• Wang Qinian — Chief official of Luyang's Black Ice Platform. He recruits Zhang Yuan into the organization and works with him on intelligence and Black Cavalry operations. 27 31 50
• Yang Yaozu — Former chieftain of Guangyuan Stockade. After Zhang Yuan destroys the Buddhist cultivators responsible for the stockade's massacre, Yang swears his life to him and is directed to seek protection from the Zhao family under Black Tiger's name. 40

Story Role / Major Arcs

Defense of Fengtian County

• Awakens Chaos after being stranded behind Yan lines and kills pursuing Yan soldiers. 1 2
• Serves in Duan Hong's depleted battalion, carrying out finishing blows for enemies and mortally wounded comrades. 3 4
• Learns the Mountain Yue martial arts from Yu Lin and helps escort wounded soldiers and civilians out of the doomed city. 9 11
• Remains behind to protect the evacuation, advances through the Houtian stages, and fights beside Yu Lin against Xiantian enemies. 13 14 15
• Returns in Yu Lin's armor to maintain morale, posing as the Commander while defending Fengtian. 16 17
• Surrenders himself under Yu Lin's identity so Fengtian's surviving soldiers can leave, then faces Ouyang Xu outside the city alone. 20 21

Fulfilling the Fallen's Merits

• Rejects opportunities in the imperial capital and Crimson Scale Army to return to Luyang and settle the debts owed to Fengtian's dead. 23
• Funds medical treatment, care for elderly survivors, and education for the children of fallen comrades. 25
• Co-establishes Yulin Academy's martial training and helps guide the next generation of Martial Guards. 26 28

Black Tiger and the Yong'an Campaign

• Operates as Black Tiger for the Black Ice Platform and as a bounty hunter to gain resources, intelligence, and combat experience. 26 27
• Leads Black Robe Guards against bandits on the Guangji River, demonstrating disciplined battlefield tactics and command ability. 32 33 34
• Investigates the attack on the military camp, pursues Yang Yaozu, and discovers the Buddhist cultivators' search for a sarira. 37 38
• Kills a Xiantian Buddhist cultivator as Black Tiger, acquires the sarira, and refines it to strengthen his body. 40 41

Tang Family Purge

• Uses the Tang family's conflict with Chen Wu to expose its alleged foreign collusion and hostility toward the Martial Guard Bureau. 44 48
• Leads the Black Robe Guards in exterminating the Tang family as a warning to Luyang Prefecture's powerful clans. 48 49
• Accepts the acting Colonel position on the condition that the Tang family is dealt with. 44

Notable Quotes

“Zhang Yuan of Qin stands here—Yan dogs, come and fight!” 2

“Great Qin only has lost cities, never abandoned territories.” 20

“Kill me, and this city will be yours.” 20

“The path to survival is behind, the path to death is ahead; facing death, born from it, a hundred battles without regret.” 13

Trivia

• Zhang Yuan was sixteen during the Battle of Fengtian County and had reached half-step Xiantian by its aftermath. 23
• He does not drink alcohol because he is focused on pursuing the ultimate level of saber mastery. 29
• Despite his many public identities, Chaos prevents others from accurately sensing his cultivation. 27
• He has accumulated 112 levels of military merit, ranking third among the Luyang Prefecture Martial Guard Bureau's historical records. 44