Cheng Wu

Biodata

Background / History

Cheng Wu arrived on Blue Star's return voyage from Tian Yuan Star alongside Teacher Su. He quickly introduced himself to Jiang Yan and eagerly explained Tian Yuan Star's martial-realm system, but his confidence carried an unconscious sense of civilizational superiority. Believing Jiang Yan lacked even an Innate Aperture, he pitied him and initially advised him not to study on Tian Yuan Star. 95

Proud of being a Four-Aperture Martial Artist, Cheng Wu challenged Jiang Yan through linked Game Pods during the voyage. Jiang Yan defeated him with a single punch, shattering Cheng Wu's right arm in the simulated battle and leaving him unable to move. The loss severely shook his belief that aperture count determined strength. 96

At Silver Radiance Academy, Teacher Su assigned Cheng Wu to share a dormitory with Jiang Yan so that Jiang could adapt to the academy's curriculum. Cheng Wu became Jiang Yan's guide, explaining the Academy's Points system, Spirit Aperture Source Fluid, aperture refinement, and Secret Realm qualifications. 97 98 105 106

When academy students mocked Jiang Yan and Blue Star Martial Dao, Cheng Wu publicly bet that Jiang could pass the Tower of Stars' thirtieth floor. Forced to raise the wager to the fortieth floor, he panicked—then won 4,800 Points after Jiang Yan surpassed the target. Jiang Yan's performance transformed Cheng Wu into one of his loudest supporters. 99 100 101 102

Teacher Su later ordered Cheng Wu to observe the cultivation progress of new dormmates Pei Qin and Sun He. Though initially reluctant, he accepted after learning the assignment paid 300 Academic Credits and Points per day. 106 He clashed physically with Sun He, underestimated Pei Qin's danger, and eventually helped Jiang Yan expose Professor Lan's connection to Pei Qin. 106 108 124

After Silver Radiance Academy declined, Cheng Wu left school and returned to his family's Thousand Chariot Plaza. He later reunited with Jiang Yan at the plaza following Jiang Yan's departure from the Hundred Prisons Hunting Ground. 134 170

Personality

Cheng Wu is sociable, boastful, and intensely proud of his Tian Yuan Star upbringing and four apertures. Before meeting Jiang Yan, he treated his cultivation foundation as proof of obvious superiority; his one-sided defeat forced him to question that worldview. 95 96

He is highly motivated by Academic Credits, Points, and opportunities for personal gain. He initially objected to Teacher Su's surveillance assignment on principle, then immediately accepted once the rewards were specified. 106 He also enjoys provoking others into wagers and celebrates loudly when events vindicate him. 99 101

Despite his vanity and poor impulse control, Cheng Wu grows loyal to Jiang Yan. He defends Jiang against anti–Blue Star prejudice, looks for him in dangerous situations, shares local cultivation knowledge, and assists in confronting Professor Lan. 99 105 115 124

Cultivation & Combat

Four-Aperture Martial Artist

Cheng Wu is a Fourth-Tier Mysterious Aperture Realm martial artist, comparable by Blue Star standards to a Fifth-Rank Martial Artist. 95

• He naturally opened three apertures before age eighteen and opened a fourth through auxiliary means. 96
• He considers four apertures the foundation of his identity as a “Four-Aperture Prodigy.” 96
• He explains that additional apertures improve physical potential, foundation, comprehension, and cultivation talent, but also require vastly greater resources to refine. 95 106
• Despite his realm and aperture advantage, Jiang Yan defeated him in one punch during their sparring match. 96

Tower of Stars

• Cheng Wu's prior best was the twenty-fourth floor. 100
• He later reached the twenty-fifth floor, narrowly securing Secret Realm access qualifications. 109 110
• His performance is substantially below Jiang Yan's, but he uses Jiang Yan's achievements to challenge academy assumptions about Blue Star Martial Dao. 99 102

Relationships

• Jiang Yan — Roommate, friend, and the person whose overwhelming strength overturns Cheng Wu's assumptions about apertures and Blue Star Martial Dao. Cheng Wu becomes Jiang Yan's guide and outspoken supporter. 96 97 99 102
• Teacher Su — Instructor who travels with Cheng Wu to Blue Star, assigns him to room with Jiang Yan, and later tasks him with monitoring Pei Qin and Sun He. 95 97 106
• Pei Qin — Dormmate whom Cheng Wu initially dismisses as physically weak. Pei Qin later treats him coldly in the Red Mist incident, and Cheng Wu helps Jiang Yan expose Professor Lan's involvement with him. 108 115 124
• Sun He — Rival dormmate. Their dispute over rooms turns into a physical fight, which Jiang Yan forcibly ends. 106 108
• Cheng Xuan — Cheng Wu's father and a figure in the Cheng family's Thousand Chariot Plaza business. Cheng Wu believes his father’s later warmth stems from Jiang Yan's status rather than paternal affection. 170

Trivia

• Cheng Wu's family controls Thousand Chariot Plaza, which operates martial-artist industries and entry passages to five Secret Realms. 134
• The Cheng family holds agency rights to the Hundred Prisons Hunting Ground in the 1026 City District, though its only permanent pass is held by Cheng Wu's father. 134
• Cheng Wu considers his own talent average relative to his many siblings and expects to inherit only a small family shop. 134
• He once claimed that he and Jiang Yan had sworn brotherhood at an ancestral hall; the account was part of an embellished speech to impressed students. 102

Notable Quotes

“Summer insects cannot speak of ice. I was just as ignorant as you back then.” 99

“I, Cheng Wu, would never stoop to spying.” 106