Abacus

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Abacus (Suanpan; 算盘)
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Lu Chen's squad; Sharp Soldier Camp / Demon Suppression Bureau
Occupation/Role	Formation master; feng shui and divination specialist
First Appearance	Chapter 104

Background / History

Abacus is introduced to Lu Chen's mission team as a middle-aged formation master skilled in formations, feng shui, divination, and handling ghosts and spirits 104. During the operation against an All Beings Cult branch altar, he identifies a weakness in the enemy formation's southeastern sector and calculates the precise node needed for Lu Chen to break through 115.

He supports the Ancient Temple raid by preparing the escape route and deploying the Dragon Binding Stakes with the Minor Five Elements Maze Formation, turning the temple into a sealed fortress 123 126. His work makes him a priority target during later engagements: a dried corpse destroys his formation disk through backlash, seriously injuring him 206. He is later treated alongside Old Huang after sustaining a bone-deep wound and losing his Dragon-Seeking Acupoint Compass 181.

After joining Lu Chen's expanding forces in the Southern Frontier, Abacus becomes integral to the Sharp Soldier Camp's anti-evil operations. He develops the Baleful-Breaking Thunder Pearls from yang-aligned materials supplied by Lu Chen, then deploys them against corpse puppets, Painted Skin Demons, Flying Jiangshi, Snake Venerable's venomous swarm, and the Myriad Gu Soul-Devouring Array 254 257 259 278 290 296.

He later accompanies Lu Chen into Sword Abyss and the ruins of the Heavenly Sword Sect. There, he repeatedly identifies dangerous feng shui conditions, burial rites, formations, and supernatural entities while relying on Lu Chen's protection against threats beyond his own combat ability 316 323 325 330 343.

Appearance

Abacus is a slightly plump, middle-aged man with a round face and small, narrow eyes. His appearance is often contrasted with the speed and precision he displays while operating formations 123 237 239.

• Slightly plump or fat build 123 237.
• Shrewd-looking face and small eyes that brighten when he discovers rare formations or materials 123 224 254.
• Commonly carries a bronze or ancient compass, ritual seals, talismans, formation flags, or counting rods 115 240 279.
• His compasses and tools are frequently damaged by dangerous formations or supernatural backlash 181 330 334.

Personality

Abacus is meticulous, calculating, and highly sensitive to risks posed by terrain, earth veins, and hostile formations. He generally favors cautious preparation over reckless confrontation, such as suggesting that Lu Chen pay passage money rather than fight river pirates in unfavorable terrain 225.

He is also intensely passionate about formations and rare materials. His fear does not prevent him from working under pressure: he spends three days and nights creating the Baleful-Breaking Thunder Pearls, directly seals a powerful evil entity during battle, and repeatedly deploys arrays in lethal conditions 254 239 290.

Though he can be visibly frightened by powerful enemies and supernatural phenomena, Abacus is loyal to Lu Chen and continues serving beside him through the Southern Frontier and Heavenly Sword Sect expeditions 324 343 351.

Abilities & Skills

Formation Arts

Abacus is a master arrayist who can analyze, construct, activate, and disrupt formations using terrain, formation flags, talismans, spirit stones, and specialized tools.

• Identified the weak point of an Ancient Temple formation and calculated its node with extreme precision 115.
• Established the Dragon Binding Stakes and Minor Five Elements Maze Formation to seal the Ancient Temple 126.
• Identified the Four Yin Gathering Baleful Intent formation and the Five Ghosts Carrying a Sedan ritual at Fallen Locust Village 209.
• Recognized the Eight Desolations Spirit Gathering Array and its exceptional concentration of spiritual energy 212.
• Used the Yang Flame Blazing Fire Formation against Snake Venerable's Ten Thousand Snakes Formation 290.
• Used Baleful-Breaking Thunder Pearls to sever earth veins and destroy the Myriad Gu Soul-Devouring Array 296.
• Prepared the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits Dragon Trapping Formation for Eagle Sorrow Ravine 301 303.

Feng Shui and Earth-Vein Analysis

Abacus reads qi mechanisms, geomantic formations, yin-yang conditions, and the flows of earth veins.

• Uses the dragon-seeking and acupoint-locating method from Qimen Dunjia to map local earth veins 237.
• Determined that Blackstone Outpost stood over a yin-water earth vein suitable for a Baleful Gathering Spirit Conversion Array 233.
• Recognized that the Sword Abyss bronze gate served as a focal point for Southern Frontier evils nourished by centuries of resentment 317.
• Identified the inverted coffin-opening bone-gathering burial rite sealing the Sword Repository Pavilion 330.
• Explained the dangers of the Earth Baleful Fiend Den beneath the Heavenly Sword Sect's main peak 325.

Divination and Compass Techniques

Abacus employs specialized compasses, blood-activated rites, and geomantic calculations to locate targets and assess supernatural threats.

• Uses compasses to locate formation nodes and trace hostile earth-vein activity 115 237.
• Activates his Star-Fixing Compass with heart's blood and true qi to seek dragon veins and fix a target's trail 240 241.
• Used a compass-generated Eight Trigrams phantom to pin a mountain ape in place 352.
• His methods consume true qi and blood essence, and can leave him exhausted or injured by backlash 206 240 241.

Baleful-Breaking Thunder Pearls

At Lu Chen's order, Abacus designed portable explosive weapons specialized for destroying corpse puppets and evil entities.

• Crafted from Crimson Flame Stones, Lightning Strike Wood, corpse fiend energy, yang-aligned runes, and arcane formations 254.
• Activate when infused with true qi and release pure-yang lightning comparable to an Innate Grandmaster's full-force strike 257.
• Used against Painted Skin Demons and the Flying Jiangshi Wutugu 259 278.
• Served as the nodes of the Yang Flame Blazing Fire Formation against Snake Venerable's venomous army 290.
• Used to break the Myriad Gu Soul-Devouring Array and disrupt Reincarnation Valley's earth veins 296.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Star-Fixing Compass — A dark-cyan compass made from century-old Lightning Strike Wood and meteoric iron; marked with the Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches, Eight Trigrams, Nine Palaces, and Twenty-Four Mountains 240.
• Dragon-Seeking Acupoint Compass — A treasured compass used for geomantic investigation; it is shattered during the Muddy Water Alley incident 181.
• Ancient bronze compass — A recurrent geomantic tool, eventually heavily damaged during the Heavenly Sword Sect expedition 330 334.
• Formation flags and talismans — Used to establish defensive, sealing, and offensive arrays 114 239.
• Baleful-Breaking Thunder Pearls — Portable pure-yang lightning weapons personally developed by Abacus 254 257.
• Extreme-yang thunderfire-wood ritual seals — Used while navigating the dangerous earth-vein regions beneath Sword Abyss 317 325.
• Brass counting rods — Used in his calculations concerning Wutugu's corpse-refinement methods 279.

Relationships

• Lu Chen — Commander and patron. Lu Chen relies on Abacus for formations, divination, and geomantic intelligence; Abacus follows his orders with strong loyalty and admiration 115 254 296 355.
• Old Huang — Fellow subordinate and frequent field partner. Old Huang protects Abacus during dangerous encounters, while Abacus provides the technical knowledge needed for their missions 181 279 339.
• Black Bear — Fellow member of Lu Chen's forces. Black Bear risks his life to shield Abacus from a dried corpse attacking the formation master 206.
• Ji Wuyou — Companion during the Sword Abyss expedition. Abacus guides her to safety during Lu Chen's body reconstruction and explores the Heavenly Sword Sect ruins alongside her 346 351.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Ancient Temple Operation

Abacus's ability to locate the southeastern weakness in the Ancient Temple formation enables Lu Chen and Old Huang to infiltrate the All Beings Cult's defenses 115. He later secures the villagers' evacuation route with a defensive maze formation 123 126.

Dragon Steed Guard and Canglan Missions

As part of Lu Chen's early mission team, Abacus provides formation expertise against cult altars, anomalies, and hostile rituals. His injuries during the Muddy Water Alley incident demonstrate the personal risks of confronting stronger supernatural enemies 181 206.

Sharp Soldier Camp Campaign

Abacus helps transform Lu Chen's force into an effective anti-cult unit. He analyzes Blackstone Outpost's earth vein, creates Baleful-Breaking Thunder Pearls, and uses them in the Mist Marsh and Reincarnation Valley campaigns 233 254 259 290 296.

Sword Abyss and Heavenly Sword Sect Ruins

Abacus guides Lu Chen's party through the geomantic and ritual dangers beneath Sword Abyss. He identifies the instability around the yin dragon, explains the burial formations protecting the ruins, and warns the group about lingering sword qi, corpse soldiers, evil-god traces, and the Earth Baleful Fiend Den 316 325 330 339 342.

Trivia

• Abacus's name reflects his calculating nature; he is frequently shown handling compasses, copper coins, counting rods, and formation materials 224 228 279.
• He can move with surprising speed despite his plump build, notably rushing to Lu Chen's side during the Blackstone Outpost investigation and activating formations in combat 237 239.
• His enthusiasm for rare arrays and materials can overwhelm his caution, including when he encounters the Eight Desolations Spirit Gathering Array and the Soul Condensation Pills 212 342.