old man

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Old Man (老丈)
Alias(es)	Old Man Li; Teacher; Dao Ancestor Tai Shang 3 49 619
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Daoist Sect; the Supreme Mystic Gate’s lineage 49 51
Occupation/Role	Daoist master; Qi WuHuo’s teacher
Status	Active 619
First Appearance	Chapter 2: “Forming Good Karma”

Background & History

The old man first appears on a mountain beneath the full moon, seated on a blue stone in a purple robe with a gourd at his waist. Though countless hidden spirits and beasts attend his preaching, Qi WuHuo approaches him as a potentially dangerous lost traveler. The old man feigns an injured leg and accepts the boy’s offer of aid. 2

He tests Qi WuHuo by thickening the mountain fog and steadily increasing his own weight until carrying him is nearly beyond the boy’s strength. Qi WuHuo does not abandon him, even when wolves draw near and he suspects the elder may be a demon. Convinced that the boy’s nature is clear, the old man ends the test, clears Qi WuHuo’s lingering injuries from the great calamity, and restores his strength. 2

After being brought to Qi WuHuo’s home, he repeatedly offers rewards. Qi WuHuo refuses wealth, marriage, and other worldly gains, insisting that his assistance was not given for repayment. The old man ultimately grants him 1,200 years of lifespan. 3

He remains involved in Qi WuHuo’s early cultivation, using a jade pillow obtained from True Man Huolong to let him experience the Yellow Millet Dream and confront the emptiness of fame, success, and mortality. 7 8 He later challenges Qi WuHuo through couplets and poetry, rewards him with a Life-Extending Elixir, and offers him a foremost Daoist scripture and marvelous dharma. 35 36

The old man formally initiates Qi WuHuo into his Daoist lineage, gives him the Daoist name Xuanwei, and takes him to meet his senior disciples. 49 50 When one former disciple refuses to return from worldly affairs, he has Qi WuHuo return and shatter the disciple’s jade slip, ending their karmic affinity without forcing the disciple’s choice. 51

He explains the paths and ranks of immortals, presents Qi WuHuo with lower, middle, and upper paths of cultivation, and refuses to demand an immediate answer regarding the boy’s ultimate Dao. 54 57 Much later, he confirms that Qi WuHuo has not abandoned his ambition to suppress Heaven, Earth, Man, God, and Ghost, then transmits the supreme method One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones. 367 375

Appearance

At his first meeting with Qi WuHuo, the old man appears as an energetic elder despite his white hair and beard. 2

• Purple robe and a gourd hanging at his waist. 2
• White hair and white beard; a spirited, smiling demeanor. 2
• Often strokes his beard while teaching or assessing others. 2 57
• Later appears riding the Old Green Ox as Dao Ancestor Tai Shang. 619

Personality

The old man is gentle, patient, and deliberately indirect. Rather than imposing conclusions, he gives Qi WuHuo experiences, questions, and opportunities through which to make his own choices. He refuses to hear an answer about Qi WuHuo’s future path before the boy has lived enough to make it sincerely. 57

His tests can be severe, but they are aimed at discerning character rather than humiliating others. Once Qi WuHuo’s compassion becomes evident, he abandons the mountain trial and quietly heals him. 2 He also accepts that disciples may choose worldly attachments over cultivation, allowing them to depart rather than compelling their return. 51 54

Abilities & Skills

Daoist Restoration and Bestowal

The old man can alter Qi WuHuo’s condition directly and reward him with extraordinary longevity.

• Creates dense fog and increases his own weight while remaining physically carried by Qi WuHuo. 2
• Clears Qi WuHuo’s old injuries and meridians, restoring his exhausted strength in a single breath. 2
• Grants Qi WuHuo 1,200 years of lifespan after the boy rejects material rewards. 3
• Gives Qi WuHuo a Life-Extending Elixir containing fifty pills, each extending life by one year. 35

Artifact Forging

He demonstrates artifact forging as the deconstruction and reshaping of existing things into treasures.

• Enlarges a twig floating on the sea into a vast, furnished ship. 43
• Describes artifact forging as reversing creation through reshaping, runes, and seals. 43
• Produces Daoist scrolls and treasures from his sleeve, including a scripture capable of leading toward Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown and Five Qi Facing the Origin. 36

Dao Transmission

His lineage permits broad study while maintaining a strict distinction between learning methods and straying into evil paths.

• States that Qi WuHuo may study all methods and supernatural abilities, with “all prohibitions” lifted for his cultivation. 31
• Explains the ranks of Corpse-Released, Human, Earthly, Divine, and Heavenly Immortals. 54
• Offers three paths of cultivation: a lower path toward Heavenly Immortal status, a middle path following his guidance, and an upper path that may surpass even his own trail. 57
• Transmits One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones, a core method not taught even to Xuan Du, Shangqing, or Yuqing. 375
• States that completing the method’s three bodies would leave its practitioner unrivaled within the Great Grade. 376

Equipment / Items

• Gourd — Worn at his waist during his first meeting with Qi WuHuo. 2
• Jade pillow — Obtained from True Man Huolong; used for Qi WuHuo’s Yellow Millet Dream. 8
• Life-Extending Elixir — Fifty one-year lifespan-extending pills. 35
• Foremost Daoist scripture and marvelous-dharma scroll — Offered to Qi WuHuo as a cultivation opportunity. 36
• Eight Sceneries Palace Lantern — Present during the transmission of One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones. 375

Relationships

• Qi WuHuo — Teacher and disciple. The old man tests Qi WuHuo’s character, grants him longevity, initiates him into the Daoist Sect, and transmits his highest teachings. 2 3 49 375
• Old Yellow Ox — A long-standing companion who reacts with shock and concern to the old man’s teachings for Qi WuHuo. 367
• Xuan Du — Senior disciple whose cultivation route is contrasted with Qi WuHuo’s; he was not taught One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones. 375
• Former senior disciple — A disciple who chose involvement in worldly affairs; the old man permits him to sever his karmic connection to the lineage. 51

Notable Quotes

“Perhaps you will see my back.” 57

“All the methods in the world, all the supernatural abilities of various sects, if you wish to learn them, you can use them all. There’s no need to worry.” 31

“You already know, but you have not fully walked the Dao. Knowledge and action have not become one.” 367