Old Liang

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Old Liang; Liang Zhengxiong (梁正雄) 72
Alias(es)	Teacher Liang; Master Liang
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Hong Sheng; No. 9 Vocational Middle School; formerly the Fourth Legion of Gouchen Ancient Star 24 72
Occupation/Role	Physical-education teacher; Old Martial Arts master; former legion soldier
Status	Alive; recovering from a long-standing Dao injury 192 231
First Appearance	Chapter 7

Background / History

Liang Zhengxiong was born in Hengzhou, later went to Jingzhou, and formally studied under Yan Jianmin of Hong Sheng Dao Guan. He gained a reputation for a fierce fighting style and repeated arena victories before joining the Fourth Legion of Gouchen Ancient Star's 14th Army. His file records service in the Hengyun Defense War and the Great Rift Sweep War, along with several subsequently revoked military decorations. He was once a Professional Third Stage Martial Artist. 72

Before becoming a soldier, Liang was a delinquent from Old Factory Street who spent time around gambling houses and underground boxing circles. He knew local fighters and “big brothers,” but regarded underground bouts as dirty contests full of drugs and underhanded tactics. 32

At some point after his military career, Liang was convicted and imprisoned in Qincheng Prison. His records also refer to “Vitality Silence” and Forbidden Class Fire Punishment Nails; twelve such nails were implanted in his body. These restraints suppress his unstable vitality and killing intent. 72 101 121

Crippled by a severe Dao injury, Liang settled into the old teacher dormitories and became a physical-education teacher at No. 9 Vocational Middle School. He initially described himself as an old, crippled man “stuck teaching” at the school, though his remaining combat ability far exceeded that appearance. 11 42

He accepted Qin Shi as a trainee after the youth endured Muscle Twisting and rapidly grasped Qi Sensation. Liang formally made him an initiate disciple of Hong Sheng, passing on the sect’s Body Refinement methods and its true Spirit Cultivation inheritance, Hundred Forms Cultivating Momentum. 8 24 33

After Qin Shi gave him half a Blood Flower, Liang’s suppressed vitality erupted violently during the medicine’s effects. The treatment began healing his Dao injury; after a seven-to-fifteen-day digestion period, he was later seen working without his former limp. 192 193 231

Appearance

Old Liang is a weathered, bronze-skinned middle-aged man with sparse gray hair in a flat-top cut. He usually appears unremarkable and downcast, masking the presence of a veteran Martial Artist. 11 120

• Graying flat-top hair and a dark, laborer-like complexion. 11 120
• Weathered face, rough hands, and a habitual cigarette in hand. 8 42
• Formerly walked with a pronounced limp due to an atrophied leg. 24 42
• His injured leg was thin and shrunken, with extensive stitched scars. 42
• Following the Blood Flower’s effects, he was later able to move and work without limping. 231

Personality

Liang is blunt, pragmatic, and unsentimental in speech. He dismisses wishful thinking, openly explains the importance of resources in cultivation, and does not soften the brutality of Old Martial Arts training. 11 13

Behind his disheveled, pessimistic exterior, he is deeply proud of Hong Sheng and fiercely invested in his disciple’s future. Qin Shi’s rapid progress repeatedly shocks him, but also gives him renewed purpose after years of believing his own life and martial path had stalled. 26 44 64

He is protective of Qin Shi to an extreme degree. When the Inspection Department threatened his disciple, Liang killed Gao Haipeng and considered eliminating additional witnesses before Qin Shi’s vitality calmed him. He later warned the white-haired elder that he would personally resolve any danger facing Qin Shi. 101 135

“When you're out mixing, you can only gnaw bones if you're a dog. If you want to be a person, you have to go hungry.” 32

Abilities & Skills

Old Martial Arts Mastery

Liang teaches Old Martial Arts as a union of Body Refinement, Spirit Cultivation, and combat-oriented Fighting Styles. His instruction includes Muscle Twisting, Back Opening, Eight Sections and Nine Joints, Grasping Qi Sensation, the Seven Great Limits of the Physical Body, and Qi Lock. 8 23 58

• Explains vitality development as “lighting a fire”: exhausting and replenishing the body until its latent potential is ignited. 31
• Uses Golden Elixir, an Old Martial Arts secret medicine, to help Qin Shi burn and refine his sinews. 26 31
• Advocates cultivating the Spirit Gate and Bone Gate simultaneously when conditions allow. 120
• Can identify hidden injuries and evaluate a practitioner’s tendons, bones, skin, and Qi through direct examination. 192

Hundred Forms Cultivating Momentum

Hong Sheng’s true inheritance is a Spirit Cultivation method that uses the heart as a furnace to seize the imagery of all things. Its four fundamental momentum types are Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain. 33 64

• Liang cultivated only one or two Heart Intents over decades, acknowledging that his mastery falls below that of his master and grand-teacher. 33 193
• His strongest documented aspect is Swift as the Wind, which emphasizes speed, sharp force, and spiraling attacks. 44 64
• He can condense wind momentum at his fingertips, cutting a porcelain bowl into a bracelet-like ring; he states the same force can cleave steel plates. 44
• His movement technique is fast enough to blur before Qin Shi’s eyes. 64

Qi Lock

Liang can project an oppressive Qi Lock that feels to other Martial Artists like a predatory giant python or a colossal fireball. 58 121

• Overwhelmed Ren You’s Qi in their initial clash despite Ren You being a Professional Level Martial Artist. 121
• His Qi Lock revealed immense vitality to Qin Shi, though it could rapidly weaken because of his injuries and restraints. 58
• Could pressure multiple specialized-level agents into inaction despite his crippled appearance. 104

Soldier Attack Warfare Method

During his legion service, Liang learned the Soldier Attack Warfare Method, which compensated for the limitations of his Hundred Forms Cultivating Momentum. 193

• Produces Life Essence Qi through continued physical development and cultivation. 193
• Every ten strands of Life Essence Qi can form a Qi vortex that assists with absorbing energy factors. 193
• Has no stated upper limit: practitioners can continue opening Qi vortices as their vitality grows. 193

Combat Prowess

Even with his damaged body, Liang remains a lethal combatant whose strength is severely underestimated by outsiders. 101 194

• Killed Action Department Inspector Gao Haipeng after the latter provoked and attacked him. 101
• Can suppress his physical condition to roughly Amateur Level 1 while still using refined force-channeling and momentum to challenge Qin Shi. 194
• His military experience and Old Martial Arts techniques are especially suited to stealth, survival, and battlefield movement. 167

Equipment / Items

• Forbidden Class Fire Punishment Nails — Twelve implanted restraints that suppress Liang’s vitality, killing intent, and a dangerous abnormality within his body. 101 121 193
• Golden Elixir — Expensive Old Martial Arts secret medicine used in Qin Shi’s Body Burning and Sinew Gate training. 26 31
• Hong Sheng ancient booklet — A handwritten Spirit Cultivation text passed down through Liang’s lineage and given to Qin Shi to study Swift as the Wind. 42 43

Relationships

• Qin Shi — Disciple. Liang recognizes Qin Shi as an exceptional Old Martial Arts seedling, formally accepts him into Hong Sheng, and devotes himself to guiding him toward the Martial God path. 24 64 122
• Yan Jianmin — Former master at Hong Sheng Dao Guan in Jingzhou. 72
• He Lanchán — Liang’s idol and an indirect senior of Hong Sheng’s lineage. He admires He’s talent, life story, and mastery of Hundred Forms Cultivating Momentum. 23 33
• Cheng Ze / Brother Ze — Former student. Liang considered him the most talented student he had seen at No. 9 before Qin Shi, but judged him too hesitant for the Old Martial Arts path. 32
• Li Yuan — Student trained under Liang alongside Qin Shi and Xie Yucheng. 14
• Xie Yucheng — Student trained under Liang alongside Qin Shi and Li Yuan. 14
• Zhang Qiang / white-haired elder — Fellow Old Martial Arts senior and Nanhuang Dojo leader. Liang negotiated with him over Qin Shi’s inheritance and sought assurances for Qin Shi’s safety. 121 135
• Ren You — Nanhuang Dojo disciple whose attempt to recruit Qin Shi prompted a direct Qi clash with Liang. 121

Story Role / Major Arcs

Qin Shi’s Entry into Old Martial Arts

Liang tests Qin Shi through Muscle Twisting, then accepts him after he endures the pain and develops a resilient physique. He introduces Qin Shi to the principles of Emptiness and Fullness, Qi Sensation, and the Lesser Heavenly Cycle. 7 8

Hong Sheng Apprenticeship

Liang formally accepts Qin Shi as Hong Sheng’s initiate disciple, explains the sect’s history amid the decline of Old Martial Arts, and reveals the Seven Great Limits of the Physical Body as the lineage’s central Body Refinement path. 23 24

Building Qin Shi’s Foundation

Liang oversees Qin Shi’s Golden Elixir Body Burning, Sinew Gate development, early sparring practice, and acquisition of Swift as the Wind momentum. He carefully warns Qin Shi not to overdraw his physical potential through premature Spirit Cultivation. 26 44 58

The Fire Punishment Nail Incident

When Gao Haipeng confronts him, Liang’s suppressed past and killing intent surface. He kills the inspector, but Qin Shi’s presence helps restrain the violence before it escalates further. 101 104

Recovery and Continued Guidance

Liang initially refuses Qin Shi’s Blood Flower due to pride and concern over wasting a rare resource on his old injury. Qin Shi forces the issue, beginning Liang’s recovery and allowing him to resume more active guidance in Qin Shi’s later cultivation. 192 193 231