Li Yuan

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Li Yuan (厉渊)
Alias(es)	“Crucible” Li Yuan
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Formerly the Li Family; Blustering Wind Martial Hall; later associated with the Star Tower
Occupation/Role	Cultivator; former martial hall disciple
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Iron Body Technique, minor success	17	Secretly tempers his skin and membranes through the Crimson Sun Tempering Method.
Iron Body Technique, near/at major completion	18	Completes body tempering within the half-month deadline; lifts a hundred-catty stone lock one-handed.
Aperture Opening Realm	51	Returns from the ruins with greater control and a markedly transformed aura.
Crucible Realm	86	Enters the realm and uses the Fiend Fire Ice Lotus to counter a formation attack by three Crucible Realm cultivators.
Crucible Realm, Second Heaven	99	Breaks through after refining Marrow Crystal, star fire, and Armament Fiend energy in Black Wind Ravine.
Earth Fiend Realm, peak Second Heaven	117	Returns to Meteorite Stronghold with stable peak Second Heaven cultivation; annihilates Ba Zheng.
Earth Fiend Realm, Third Heaven	130	Consolidates cultivation before entering the Profound Nether Secret Realm.
Earth Fiend Realm, Eighth Heaven	157	Stabilizes at the Eighth Heaven following recovery and body tempering in the Star Pool.
Earth Fiend Realm, peak Ninth Heaven	170	Recognized by the Star Tower elders as having an unprecedentedly strong foundation.
Heavenly Gang Realm, mid-stage	180	Merges two Eternal Crucible Fragments and begins to grasp the origin of Dao.

Background / History

Li Yuan was born into the Li Family with the frail Yin Sha Body and suffered from the Yin Sha Curse for ten years. Treated as disposable, he was left with slop after the family’s ancestral worship and was eventually bound for sacrifice to the family’s “Ancestral Spirit.” A faint light awakened in his consciousness after he ate sacrificed meat, halting a curse attack and becoming the foundation of his later transformation 1 31.

He discovered that the Crimson Sun could smelt food essence into qi and blood, allowing him to turn scraps, medicinal residue, beast flesh, ores, and other dangerous materials into cultivation resources. This ended his constant cold and despair, replacing them with a determination to leave the Li Family and seek strength 5 9.

After purchasing entry into the Blustering Wind Martial Hall, Li Yuan initially lived in its lowest-ranked Class C quarters. He cultivated in secret, endured Zhao Hu’s provocations, and rapidly advanced through the Iron Body Technique. His single punch shattered the testing Ironwood Stakes, earning him promotion to Class A Room One 13 17 20.

When Li Ming ordered him back to the Li manor, Li Yuan publicly exposed the family’s attempted sacrifice. He later returned from the ruins as an Aperture Opening Realm cultivator; the Li Family was eliminated and the Netherworld Cult’s local forces were defeated. With Shi Lie Feng’s commendation letter, he departed Black Mountain City for Tianfeng Prefecture 31 51 52.

His later path centered on refining increasingly dangerous powers: Armament Fiend qi, Fiend Cores, Fiendish Fire, Profound Nether Cold Qi, annihilation power, death laws, and Eternal Crucible Fragments. His actions drew the attention of the Netherworld Cult, Wolf Fiend assassins, the Blood Blade Society, the Abyss Quelling Army, the Profound Nether Palace, the Star Tower, and other powerful factions 68 74 100 118 170.

Appearance

Li Yuan’s appearance changes dramatically as his cultivation progresses. He begins as a sallow, gaunt, hollow-eyed youth, but the Crimson Sun restores his body and gives him an increasingly imposing, dangerous presence 9.

• His formerly hollow cheeks fill out; his complexion gains a restrained jade-like luster 9.
• His hair becomes darker and glossier after his initial transformation 9.
• He develops a robust, muscular physique hidden beneath coarse clothing or martial attire 23 31.
• His eyes are described at different times as crimson-gold, dark gold, heterochromatic, or Chaos Eyes, reflecting changes in his power 52 119 157.
• Later death cultivation leaves black-gray patterns over his chest and body, with an ashen-white vortex in his left eye and Sacred Fire in his right 232.
• At higher stages, his aura can distort light, suppress divine senses, or evoke the image of a walking black hole 144 180.

Personality

Li Yuan is restrained, observant, and intensely self-reliant. Even while impoverished and abused, he avoids pointless arguments, conceals his resources, and focuses on survival. He ignores insults from fellow disciples when retaliation would endanger his goals 13 17.

He values strength as a means of freedom rather than status. His promotion to Class A Room does not excite him; he regards its resources as treatment earned by his own fists. He repeatedly chooses independence over institutional protection, refusing conscription into the Abyss Quelling Army and declining the Blood Blade Society’s recruitment 21 93 105.

As his power grows, Li Yuan becomes notably colder and more ruthless toward those who threaten him. He is willing to destroy enemies, devour their power, and leave hostile forces behind without remorse. However, he remains strategic rather than reckless, postponing revenge against the Blood Blade Society after Mister Xing Mo warns him of the coming Fiend Tide 52 100 117.

Despite his increasingly inhuman powers, he is protective of Xi and tries to reassure her when his deathly transformations frighten her 232 245.

Abilities & Skills

Crimson Sun / Crimson Sun True Scripture

Li Yuan’s core cultivation path. The Crimson Sun acts as an internal furnace that refines external energy into Crimson Sun qi and blood.

• Smelts food essence into qi and blood, including slop, beast meat, and medicinal residue 5 6 21.
• Converts medicinal bath power into cultivation gains 15 17.
• Refines ores, Armament Fiend qi, Fiend Cores, Fiendish Fire, and cold qi 9 68 74 77 81.
• Enables a cultivation style based on “plunder and refinement” 170.
• Can impose a burden or backlash when cultivation is forcibly interrupted or incompatible powers are refined too aggressively 26 69.

Crimson Sun Battle Body

A body-refining path formed by unifying multiple martial techniques and qi-and-blood flows through the Crimson Sun core.

• Toughens skin, membranes, tendons, bones, and internal resilience 17 18 26.
• Allows him to withstand powerful strikes directly and crush weapons with his bare hand 64.
• His initial smelting causes his skin to resemble heated metal 26.
• Armament Fiend tempering later increases his physical strength by at least twenty percent in a single night 68.

Fiend Veins and Fiend Blood Barrier

After merging the Myriad Fiend Core, Li Yuan forms Fiend Veins that alter the quality of his qi and blood.

• Gives his qi and blood exceptional heaviness and penetration 74.
• Creates the Fiend Blood Barrier, which neutralizes Profound Nether Ice Soul Needles 74.
• Supports his use of Armament Fiend energy and fiend-path refinement 68 74.
• Early Armament Fiend refinement was dangerous; without a Fiend Core, it risked consuming his heart and turning him into a killing-driven monster 69.

Fiend Fire Ice Lotus

A fused energy construct created after Li Yuan devours part of Elder Ice Chi’s origin and stabilizes his newly born power.

• Combines opposing fiend fire and cold energies 83.
• Grows stronger and easier to control after refining a Yin Fiend Core 93.
• Can counter and absorb attacks from multiple Crucible Realm opponents 86.

Star Fire and Annihilation Power

Li Yuan develops star fire through Marrow Crystal and Armament Fiend energy, later evolving it into increasingly destructive annihilation-based power.

• Enhances his seven apertures and Crimson Sun Qi Armor with star fire Armament Fiend energy 99.
• Grants a refining quality that lets him replenish himself through battle 99.
• Uses a tiny annihilation star fire to erase Ba Zheng and retroactively consume him 117.
• Develops Annihilation Soul Might, allowing him to overcome soul- and willpower-based trials 130.
• His annihilation power later bears traits of Fallen Spirit essence and naturally restrains ghosts, yin spirits, and Divine Soul attacks 130.

Chaos Crucible and Eternal Crucible

Li Yuan’s later power evolves into a Chaos-based Crucible capable of refining laws, origins, and hostile concepts.

• Absorbs and strengthens itself through Chaos Origin Fire and containment law 162.
• Uses Dao of plunder and refinement as the basis of his path 170.
• Merges Eternal Crucible Fragments and begins to grasp Dao 180.
• Dissects, reassembles, and adapts to death laws, allowing him to synchronize with Netherworld power 178.
• Can devour and reorganize despair, malice, and concepts of “End” while preserving his sense of self 494.

Death Laws and Burial Scripture

Li Yuan obtains the Death Mark Chapter, the first volume of the Burial Scripture, in the Ghost Bone Hall.

• Provides a systematic foundation in the Dao of Death 232.
• Produces more harmonious and profound death patterns on his body 232.
• Creates a dangerous imbalance between life and death energies; he has one hundred days to find extreme yang life force or a life-law treasure 232.
• Enables transformations connected to Return to Void, deathly stillness, void, and Netherworld laws 178 223.

Combat Ability

Li Yuan favors direct, overwhelming close combat supplemented by perception, refinement, and adaptive use of newly acquired energies.

• Shatters Ironwood Stakes with a single punch 20.
• Defeats Zhou Meng in one move 23.
• Defeats a Wolf Fiend top butcher with one punch 74.
• Kills the City Lord Qingyunzi and two elders after tearing apart the Three Talents Suppressing Mountain Array with one claw strike 457.
• Can infiltrate hostile territory under disguise and disable formation nodes without exposing himself 470.
• Has demonstrated the ability to deconstruct and infect metal, creating paths through solid walls 396.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Crimson Sun core / internal furnace — the foundation of his refining path 5 26.
• Myriad Fiend Core — merged into his body to form Fiend Veins 74.
• Eternal Crucible Fragments — fragments whose fusion advances his cultivation and attracts the Shadow Eater Clan’s attention 170 180.
• Burial Scripture: Death Mark Chapter — first volume granted by the Ghost Bone Hall’s will 232.
• Shi Lie Feng’s commendation letter — recommendation for travel to Tianfeng Prefecture after the Black Mountain City incident 52.
• Star Gazing Token — associated with his extraordinary path and later connection to the Star Tower 170.

Relationships

• Li Family — His birth family; abused him because of his Yin Sha Body and attempted to sacrifice him to their Ancestral Spirit. Li Yuan rejects their claim over him and later becomes implicated in their destruction 1 31 52.
• Li Peng — Descendant of the Third Elder who bullied Li Yuan during his time in the Li Family 1.
• Shi Lie Feng — Hall Master of the Blustering Wind Martial Hall. Initially suspicious of Li Yuan’s rapid growth, he later respects him as an equal and provides a commendation letter for his departure 20 22 52.
• Instructor Chen — Martial hall instructor who recognizes that Li Yuan’s power cannot be explained by ordinary training; supports him during the confrontation with Li Ming 20 31.
• Zhao Hu — Fellow apprentice who repeatedly provokes and belittles Li Yuan before being overwhelmed by the difference in their strength 15 17 20.
• Zhou Meng — Class A disciple and headmaster’s personal disciple whom Li Yuan defeats in one move after a challenge over Class A Room One 23.
• Grey-robed Swordsman — An enigmatic observer who tests Li Yuan, warns him about the dangers of Armament Fiend qi, and advises him to seek a Fiend Core 66 69 74.
• You Ying — Former Profound Nether Palace Saintess Candidate who travels with Li Yuan in the Molten Volcano Range; he protects her during multiple threats 81 86.
• Mister Xing Mo — Star Gazing Pavilion elder who warns Li Yuan of the Fiend Tide, directs him toward the World-Eating Rift, and later participates in the Star Tower’s proposed alliance 100 118 170.
• Xiao Zhan — Deputy Commander of the Abyss Quelling Army. Attempts to assess and contain Li Yuan, but ultimately orders his forces not to provoke him 110 117 118.
• Profound Nether Palace Master — A powerful cultivator corrupted by annihilation Dao rhythm. Li Yuan negotiates to help him in exchange for insight, and they later share information on annihilation-related sites 134 144.
• Xi — A young companion protected by Li Yuan. She fears the changes caused by his death cultivation but remains concerned for him and trusts him for safety 232 245.
• Li Chen — Li Yuan’s disciple, who witnesses his master seize Qingyun City and expresses fear and admiration for his power 457 458.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Li Family and Blustering Wind Martial Hall

Li Yuan survives the Li Family’s attempted sacrifice, discovers the Crimson Sun’s refining ability, and escapes the family estate in search of better cultivation resources. He enters the Blustering Wind Martial Hall, rises from Class C to Class A Room One, and publicly rejects the Li Family when they demand his return 1 6 13 20 31.

Departure from Black Mountain City

After growing into the Aperture Opening Realm and becoming connected to the Li Family’s downfall and the Netherworld Cult’s defeat, Li Yuan leaves Black Mountain City with Shi Lie Feng’s recommendation 51 52.

Wangfeng City and Fiend Refinement

Li Yuan refines Armament Fiend remnants in Wangfeng City, survives Wolf Fiend assassination attempts, receives guidance from the Grey-robed Swordsman, and leaves after his location is compromised 68 69 70.

Black Wind Gully and the Molten Volcano Range

He acquires and merges the Myriad Fiend Core, forms Fiend Veins, refines Earth Lung Fiend Fire, and creates the Fiend Fire Ice Lotus after defeating Elder Ice Chi 74 77 83.

Sin Ruins Barrier

Li Yuan gains recognition in the Black Tower, explores aerial ruins and Black Wind Ravine, reaches the Crucible Realm Second Heaven, and follows Mister Xing Mo’s guidance toward the World-Eating Rift 92 94 99 100.

Meteorite Stronghold

Known as “Crucible” Li Yuan, he refuses conscription by the Abyss Quelling Army, clears the Decaying Mother Nest, gains Withering Star Fire, and destroys Ba Zheng when the Blood Blade Society seeks revenge 105 110 117.

Profound Nether Palace and Star Tower

Li Yuan investigates the Outer Demonic Iron, enters the Profound Nether Secret Realm, bargains with the Palace Master, and later becomes involved with the Star Tower’s efforts to confront epochal turmoil and the Shadow Eater Clan 121 130 134 170.

Eternal Crucible and Death Path

He merges Eternal Crucible Fragments, enters the Heavenly Gang Realm, adapts to Netherworld death laws, obtains the Death Mark Chapter of the Burial Scripture, and struggles to balance the life and death energies within his body 180 178 232.

Notable Quotes

“Black Mountain City is too small.” 52

“My Dao is one of plunder and refinement. Whether it's an undercurrent or an overt wave, it can all serve as firewood for my Crucible.” 170

“The Annihilation Winter Lord could not keep me, and the Nine Heavens Thunder Fire will also be my nourishment.” 144

“I am Li Yuan.” 494

“I am the hunter.” 223

Trivia

• Li Yuan’s first reliable cultivation resource was swill and food scraps, which he converted into Crimson Sun qi and blood 5.
• He purchased martial hall entry using money from selling boar parts and his remaining savings 13.
• He deliberately attributes his extraordinary growth to diligent practice, special constitution, or a near-death epiphany in order to protect the secret of the Crimson Sun 20 22.
• His cultivation repeatedly turns dangerous or discarded materials into resources, including waste armor fragments, fiend cores, marrow crystal, and death intent 68 93 98 232.