Man Gu

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Man Gu (蛮骨)
Alias(es)	Great Xia's Number One Scholar 1281
Species/Race	Ancient Barbarian Race; the sole known member of the race 2 435
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Dao Seeking Sect; disciple of the Fourth Elder 10
Occupation/Role	Confucian cultivator; Great Xia official; formerly County Magistrate of Qu Yi County and Commandery Governor of Zhongshan Commandery; later Great Xia's first Dao Seeking Sect Prime Minister 1265 1281 1423
Status	Active 1423
First Appearance	Chapter 2

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Mid Foundation Establishment	194	Defeated opponents in the tournament with single hammer strikes while the Words of the Sage played from his weapon.
Late Foundation Establishment	268	His activated Ancient Barbarian bloodline raised his physical body to a level comparable with Late Golden Core cultivators.
Golden Core	322 435	Formed the unique Ancestors' Spirit Pill, enabling ancestral spirits to possess him and fight through instinct and inherited experience.
Nascent Soul	657	His Nascent Soul manifested as a randomly changing ancestor; merging with it grants the corresponding ancestor's traits.
Early Spirit Transmutation	968	Investigated the Ruthless Cult with Lan Ting and developed the ability to call upon the strongest available Barbarian ancestor.
Void Refining	1182	Triggered a Void Refining Lightning Tribulation during the Imperial Examination.

Background

Man Gu came from a large Barbarian tribe in the wilderness and held its highest bloodline status. During the Dao Seeking Sect entrance examination, Dai Bufan identified him as a descendant of the long-vanished Ancient Barbarian Race, a people once famed for strength capable of “pulling mountains and draining rivers.” 2 55

Although only fifteen, Man Gu had the build of a fully grown adult: exceptionally tall, sturdy, and physically developed. He passed the honesty trial by truthfully identifying his worn-out axe rather than claiming the spiritual or immortal axes offered by the River Spirit; he was consequently awarded all three. 3 4

He became the Fourth Elder's disciple rather than pursuing the expected path of body cultivation under the Third Elder. The Fourth Elder is a Confucian cultivator, and Man Gu embraced Confucian study alongside his martial training. 10

Appearance

Man Gu is a towering, broad-shouldered Barbarian with bronze-colored skin and a bald head. He is often perceived as much older than his actual age because of his imposing physique. 2 4

• Tall enough that a single stride was described as equal to two ordinary candidates' steps. 4
• Bronze-colored skin that reflects sunlight. 2
• Shiny bald head. 2
• Possesses a masculine appearance described as striking among men. 657
• Commonly carries a large hammer in battle. 170 765

Personality

Man Gu is direct, sincere, and notably honest. His refusal to falsely claim the River Spirit's valuable axes demonstrated this nature early, while others explicitly regarded the Ancient Barbarian Race as simple-hearted and trustworthy. 3

He is humble and highly receptive to instruction. He treats Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou as teachers, following the sage's principle that one can learn from any companions. He regularly reflects on his own shortcomings and seeks to broaden his understanding beyond rigid book learning. 50 561

Despite his intimidating physique and brutal fighting style, Man Gu is conscientious and compassionate. As an official, he prioritizes evidence, impartiality, and proper procedure—even when this requires arresting corrupt superiors. 1265 1270

Abilities & Skills

Ancient Barbarian Bloodline

Man Gu possesses the highest-status bloodline within his Barbarian tribe. The bloodline originated from the Ancient Barbarian Race and contains a blessing connected to the Immortal Fairy. 2 55 322

• Greatly enhances his body; while at Late Foundation Establishment, his physical strength rose to the level of a Late Golden Core cultivator. 268
• Suppresses Demonic Beasts at or below the Golden Core Stage once properly activated. 271
• Initially failed to suppress Demonic Beasts and instead attracted a large hostile group of them. 266
• Causes instinctive hostility from certain Demonic Beasts because of ancient bloodline enmity. 267
• Was temporarily sealed before the East Sea expedition to prevent it from attracting Sea Clan hostility. 771

Ancestors' Spirit Pill

Man Gu's Golden Core is the Ancestors' Spirit Pill, an unprecedented Golden Core that calls reconstructed fragments of his ancestors' souls to possess him. These ancestral remnants lack spiritual intelligence but retain the Ancient Barbarian Race's combat instincts and experience. 322

• Allows him to fight using an ancient, refined Barbarian combat style. 322
• Grants access to the accumulated combat experience of generations of Ancient Barbarian ancestors. 322
• Can overwhelm opponents through instinctive possession, though Man Gu's eyes become lifeless while the ancestors take control. 322

Ancestral Nascent Soul

After advancing to Nascent Soul, Man Gu's Nascent Soul takes the body of an infant with the face of a randomly selected ancestor. 657

• Merging with the Nascent Soul grants him the traits and capabilities of the ancestor whose form it assumes. 657 765
• His combat power fluctuates because he cannot choose which ancestor appears. 765
• He cannot reliably identify the ancestor by appearance, limiting his ability to deliberately use specific inherited traits. 658
• He performs ancestor worship by offering lamb skewers to his Nascent Soul before meals. 657
• At Spirit Transmutation, he successfully invoked the strongest available Barbarian ancestor; this unexpectedly summoned Lu Yang, recognized as a living Ancient Barbarian ancestor through his connection to the Immortal Fairy. 968 969

Hammer Combat

Man Gu is a close-combat specialist whose fighting combines overwhelming physical power with Confucian symbolism.

• Used the Black Sand Iron Hammer in a Foundation Establishment-stage Confucian cultivator duel. 170
• Wields an Eight-angled Purple Gold Great Hammer in later battles. 765
• Practices the Nine Heavens Thunder Hammer Technique, a swift and forceful hammer art capable of killing Spirit Transmutation-stage Great Yaos. 765
• Uses talismans attached to his hammer's handle to play the Words of the Sage while fighting. 170 765
• Participated in the three-person Body Integration Ultimate Skill — Windmill, carrying Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou while spinning to combine their offense and defense. 198

Confucian Cultivation

Man Gu chose the Fourth Elder's Confucian path despite his body-cultivator physique. 10

• Learned the Confucian Daoist Art Draw Ground as Prison alongside Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou. 210
• Wields Righteous Qi in battle. 439
• Pursued the Imperial Examination through his own scholarship and became Great Xia's Number One Scholar. 94 1181 1281

Corpse Herding Technique

Man Gu studied at the Corpse Herding Sect to apply corpse-herding methods to barbecue preparation. 434

• Can make a lamb corpse stand over a fire and roast itself. 434
• Mastered automatic Living Corpse decomposition, a difficult combat-oriented Corpse Herding skill. 434
• Proposed using Corpse Herding Technique to solve the uneven heating involved in roasting whole Demonic Beasts. 434

Equipment

• Worn-out axe — His original axe, truthfully identified during the Dao Seeking Sect entrance examination. 3
• Spiritual Mountain-Opening Axe — Awarded by the River Spirit after Man Gu passed the honesty trial. 3
• Immortal Heaven-Opening Axe — Also awarded by the River Spirit. 3
• Black Sand Iron Hammer — Hammer used during the Dao Seeking Sect's match against the Five Elements Sect. 170
• Modified great hammer — Upgraded by Li Haoran at Man Gu's request. 212
• Eight-angled Purple Gold Great Hammer — Weapon used with the Nine Heavens Thunder Hammer Technique. 765
• Ancestral Barbecue Secret Recipe — A recipe he listed for one hundred contribution points after regularly grilling wild game in his hometown. 54

Relationships

• Lu Yang — Senior Disciple Brother, companion, and personal role model. Man Gu considers Lu Yang one of his teachers and later summons him as a Barbarian ancestor. 50 657 968 969
• Meng Jingzhou — Senior Disciple Brother, close companion, and fellow body cultivator; the two have fought prolonged, evenly matched sparring battles. 322 435
• Fourth Elder — Master at the Dao Seeking Sect; Man Gu chose the Fourth Elder's Confucian cultivation path. 10
• Immortal Fairy — Source of the Ancient Barbarian Race's blessing and a guide to activating Man Gu's bloodline. 266 271 322
• Lan Ting — Fellow Dao Seeking Sect disciple and partner during the investigation of the Ruthless Cult. 968 969
• Tao Yaoye — Training companion in the Dense Forest; they cooperated to kill a Nascent Soul-stage Demonic Beast. 322
• Barbarian tribe — His home tribe, which treats him as a treasured member because he is the sole Ancient Barbarian Race descendant. 55 435

Story Role / Major Arcs

Dao Seeking Sect Entrance

Man Gu entered the Dao Seeking Sect as an Ancient Barbarian Race descendant. He passed the honesty test through his truthful answer to the River Spirit and became the Fourth Elder's disciple, beginning his path as a Confucian cultivator. 2 3 10

Early Adventures with Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou

He worked with Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou against the Tiger Demon and later infiltrated the Immortal Cult. During these travels, he came to regard both companions as teachers and contributed his wilderness experience and barbecue expertise to the group. 44 50 54

Dense Forest Training

Man Gu attempted to activate his Ancient Barbarian bloodline while training against Golden Core Demonic Beasts. Though the first activation drew a dangerous beast horde, his bloodline eventually elevated his physical body to Late Golden Core strength and established his ability to suppress Golden Core Demonic Beasts. 266 268 271

Ancestral Inheritance

His Ancestors' Spirit Pill allowed ancient Barbarian combat instincts to possess him during sparring with Meng Jingzhou. After reaching Nascent Soul, he gained an ancestral Nascent Soul whose changing form grants different inherited characteristics. 322 657 765

Corpse Herding Sect Study

Man Gu studied Corpse Herding Technique at the Corpse Herding Sect, chiefly to improve whole-lamb barbecue. He became skilled enough to have lamb corpses roast and decompose automatically. 434

Imperial Examination and Public Service

Determined to rely on his knowledge rather than cultivation alone, Man Gu left for the Imperial Examination and ultimately became Great Xia's Number One Scholar. He first served as County Magistrate of Qu Yi County, where he applied Blood Recognition in court and sought help from Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou against recurring hauntings. 1181 1265 1266

Zhongshan Commandery

Man Gu publicly arrested Commandery Governor Lu for corruption and collusion with the Hundred Sword Alliance. His repeated arrests of corrupt Commandery Governors led to an exceptional promotion to Commandery Governor of Zhongshan Commandery, despite his short tenure and insufficient seniority. 1270 1281

To protect his jurisdiction against unpredictable cultivation-related disasters, he purchased full insurance coverage for Zhongshan Commandery. During the ensuing crisis, he coordinated with the surrendering Heavenly Court Cult and sought the King of Thieves' aid to protect the commandery's people. 1281 1282 1290

Notable Quotes

“Ancestors above, please dine.” 657

“When walking with two others, they serve as my teachers.” 50

Trivia

• Man Gu's first written character for fortune-telling was so poorly written that the fortune teller initially could not identify it as “Scholar.” 94
• He keeps a notebook to memorize the proper official responses and rules of conduct. 1266
• His confidence in barbecue led him to list his family's “Ancestral Barbecue Secret Recipe” in the Dao Seeking Sect exchange list. 54
• The long Words of the Sage played from his hammer clashes sharply with his ferocious Ancient Barbarian fighting style. 170 765