Lu Chen

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Lu Chen (陆沉)
Alias(es)	Lu Iron Skin; Blood Asura; Grandmaster Lu 8 93 200
Species/Race	Human 1
Gender	Male
Age	16 at the beginning of his journey; 17 upon being assessed by Lei Qianjue 1 101
Affiliation	Black Water Gang (formerly); Dragon Steed Guard; Commander of the Canglan Prefecture Dragon Steed Guard Branch; Demon Suppression Bureau 6 101 200 273
Occupation/Role	Martial artist, military commander, and Chief of the Demon Suppression Bureau 200 273
Status	Alive; rejects the Great Liang Royal Family's offer to become Imperial Preceptor in the finale 363
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Stone Crushing Palm — 1st Realm: Glimpse of the Threshold	1	Initial recorded state; his Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence talent converts practice into measurable progress.
Stone Crushing Palm — 2nd Realm: Entering the Hall	2	Breaks through while practicing and gains Iron Skin, allowing him to resist blunt strikes.
Stone Crushing Palm — 3rd Realm: Mastery	9	Refines Water Ghost flesh over three nights; gains Iron Hand, Copper Skin, and Force Penetrates Body.
Body Tempering Realm — Flesh Refining Stage	11	Consolidates his physical foundation; Mountain Splitting Saber Technique reaches the Proficient realm and he gains control over Vibrating Force.
Iron Cloth Shirt — Initiated	16	Begins body-striking and medicinal-bath training; gains the Thick Skin trait.
Body Tempering Realm — Flesh Refining Stage Peak	25	Iron Cloth Shirt reaches 2nd-stage Proficient 90%; Copper Skin, Iron Hand, and Vibrating Force all improve.
Bone Refining Realm	33	Breaks through after cultivating in the Dragon Palace; his marrow and blood production strengthen substantially.
Profound Nether Hand — First Layer	33	Uses Netherworld Stones to cultivate the Spirit Tier technique and unlocks Profound Nether Cold Qi.
Blood Changing Realm	78	Reaches the realm before confronting the blood-pool guardian, though the demon still overwhelms him physically.
Meridian Connecting Realm — 11th Main Meridian	92	After one month of seclusion and medicinal refinement, reaches the realm's peak with eleven main meridians opened.
Meridian Connecting Realm — Great Accomplishment	92	Opens the twelfth main meridian after consuming his remaining rare herbs.
Meridian Connecting Realm — Peak Great Accomplishment	147	Uses Taiqing Meridian Connecting Pills and demon cores to temper all twelve main meridians.
Tiger Might True Intent	100	Comprehends Martial Dao True Intent during his duel with Zhao Lingfeng.
Ren Meridian Opened	155	Connects the Ren Meridian with the Twelve Main Meridians, forming a Great Heavenly Cycle; his Inner Qi liquefies into a mercury-like state.
Innate Realm / Innate Grandmaster	179	Opens the Niwan Palace, transforms his body, and gains Innate True Qi.
Treasure Body — Initial Stage	180	Develops Bodyguard Qi, expanded divine sense, and short-distance flight after stabilizing his Innate realm.
Mid-stage Innate Realm	330	Remains at this cultivation level while repeatedly tempering his Glass Treasure Body with hostile energies.
Glass Treasure Body — Perfected	348	Perfects his body cultivation after three days of comprehending the Heavenly Sword Sect's Sword Intent.
Grandmaster threshold	350	Absorbs the Nine Heavens Qi Swords; Tai Chi Primal Chaos True Qi condenses an embryonic Dharma Aspect.
Grandmaster Realm	354	Condenses the Tai Chi Heavenly Sword Martial Dao Dharma Aspect and destroys an invading evil god consciousness fragment.

Background / History

Lu Chen is a transmigrator who awakens in the body of an orphaned dock laborer in the Great Liang Dynasty. At the Nu River docks, he survives by carrying loads, practices the cheap Stone Crushing Palm, and endures extortion by the Black Water Gang rather than recklessly retaliating before he has the strength to do so 1.

His circumstances change when he joins the Black Water Gang. He studies the Mountain Splitting Saber Technique, rises through combat, wins the gang competition, and becomes a leader with Wang Xiaoliu among his subordinates. His defeat of the Red Fish Gang earns him wealth, influence, and Li Qingyi's Profound Nether Hand Fragment, setting him on the path toward Spirit Tier cultivation 6 16 23 24.

After discovering the complete Profound Nether Hand inheritance beneath the Nu River, Lu Chen breaks into the Bone Refining Realm and kills the Water Ghost King. His growing fame as Nu River County's strongest martial artist draws the attention of the Flying Horse Merchant Association and eventually forces him to leave the county for Canglan Prefecture 33 35 36 53.

Appearance

Lu Chen begins as a lean young laborer with dark-gray, calloused palms from repeated impact training. His relentless cultivation makes him taller, broader, and heavily muscled; after reaching the Innate Realm, his skin develops a dark-golden treasure sheen that later becomes the profound radiance of his Glass Treasure Body 1 11 177 180.

• Thick, calloused hands that become pitch-black after Stone Crushing Palm reaches Mastery 1 9
• Broad, sharply defined musculature developed through body-tempering 8 11
• Dark-golden flesh and faint treasure light after Innate advancement 177 180
• Often conceals his identity in plain clothes, black attire, or a bamboo hat 94 182 289

Personality

Lu Chen is intensely disciplined and views cultivation as the only reliable route out of powerlessness. His Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence talent rewards every effort, but his advancement is still driven by his willingness to endure monotonous training, pain, seclusion, and dangerous resource refinement 1 9 147 154.

He is calculating rather than impulsive. He conceals exceptional strength when exposure would be dangerous, infiltrates hostile territory for information, and repeatedly turns enemies' greed into openings for his own plans 10 59 308 309.

Lu Chen values power above wealth, status, and romance. He rejects Li Qingyi and later Wang Tianlong's offering of ten beautiful maids, treating both situations as distractions from cultivation 24 196. Though cold and punitive toward subordinates, he rewards merit, saves capable followers, and provides resources and guidance to those who prove loyal 195 210 215.

Abilities & Skills

Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence

Lu Chen possesses a unique talent and status panel visible only to him. It records his martial arts and turns sustained effort into progress while allowing him to bypass normal cultivation bottlenecks 1 16.

• Converts repeated training into proficiency gains 2 11
• Allows difficult techniques such as Iron Cloth Shirt and the Primordial Chaos Qi Skill to be learned through persistence 16 82 83
• Later develops a martial-arts fusion function that identifies compatible techniques 90

Stone Crushing Palm

Lu Chen's foundational martial art evolves from a cheap laborer's palm technique into the basis of his early combat style 1 9.

• Produces Iron Hand and Copper Skin through palm and body conditioning 9
• Uses Vibrating Force to damage bones, meridians, and internal organs through an opponent's defense 11 15
• Achieves Force Penetrates Body, leaving pulverized palm marks in stone without direct contact 9

Profound Nether Hand

A Spirit Tier lower-grade palm technique inherited from the Profound Nether Sect. It produces cold qi that freezes blood, meridians, weapons, and hostile techniques 24 33.

• Generates Profound Nether Cold Qi, which can bypass portions of protective Blood Essence 33
• Freezes and shatters weapons, including the black-clothed leader's saber in the Dragon Palace 41
• Kills the Water Ghost King by freezing it and absorbing its Demon Core 33
• Remains one of Lu Chen's principal killing techniques into the Grandmaster Realm 362

Body Tempering and Glass Treasure Body

Lu Chen layers Stone Crushing Palm, Iron Cloth Shirt, Myriad Forms Art, medicinal refinement, and Innate True Qi into an exceptional physical foundation 16 100 180.

• Iron Cloth Shirt strengthens skin, sinews, bones, blood, and qi through striking practice and medicinal baths 16
• Bodyguard Qi forms a three-inch defensive barrier after his Innate breakthrough; it shatters a refined Xuan Iron dagger without rippling 180
• Glass Treasure Body neutralizes hostile baleful energies and withstands attacks from late-stage Innate experts 312 355
• Lunar Bone Refinement further hardens his bones and lets him absorb or filter dangerous martial intent 303 334

Primordial Chaos Qi and Tai Chi Techniques

Lu Chen obtains the Spirit Tier middle-grade Primordial Chaos Qi Skill from the Hunter's Guild. Its compatibility with every attribute makes it the foundation for his later fusions 82.

• Refines his Inner Qi into Innate Primal Chaos True Qi after reaching the Innate Realm 179 194
• Fuses Tiger Might True Intent with Primal Chaos True Qi to create a destructive combined attack 194 195
• Uses Tai Chi Strip Away to redirect, dissipate, purify, or absorb enemy power 312 334
• Forms an embryonic Dharma Aspect before condensing the Tai Chi Heavenly Sword 350 354

Tiger Might True Intent and Dharma Aspect

Lu Chen comprehends the True Intent of Form by observing and imitating Zhao Lingfeng's fighting movements under pressure 100.

• Overwhelms Zhao Lingfeng's will and defeats him with a single decisive blow 100
• Serves as the yang component in Lu Chen's Yin-Yang Fusion concept 147
• Ultimately develops into the Tai Chi Heavenly Sword Dharma Aspect upon his Grandmaster breakthrough 354

Formless Movement Technique

Lu Chen fuses multiple movement arts into Formless, a silent movement technique that emphasizes speed, concealment, and unpredictable positioning 220.

• Allows him to approach opponents without stirring wind or alerting them 312 334
• Produces extended afterimages while evading and counterattacking 328 333
• Supports short-distance aerial movement when combined with Innate True Qi 180

Divine Sense

His Innate breakthrough grants spiritual perception far beyond ordinary martial artists 180.

• Initially scans a radius exceeding one hundred meters, perceiving tiny movements and flaws in an opponent's qi circulation 180
• Later expands beyond one thousand meters after consuming a Soul-Congealing Pill 347
• Enables internal examination of Ji Wuyou's baleful qi and royal dragon qi 273

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Hundred Refinements Steel Saber — His principal early weapon; becomes vastly sharper when infused with Inner Qi 41 80
• Demon Slaying Saber — Breaks during his battle against the Half-step Innate Altar Master 128
• Black Qilin Armor — Valuable protective armor destroyed while enduring attacks from powerful demons 132
• Heavenly Sword Token — Obtained from the Zhao Family's underground palace; leads him toward the Heavenly Sword Sect's secret realm 198 201
• Marrow-Cleansing Dragon Pearl — Retrieved after defeating Shen Li; remakes his body when activated in the Spirit Marrow Pool 320 346
• Profound Nether Hand Fragment — Li Qingyi's incomplete Spirit Tier inheritance, later completed with the lower volume found in the Dragon Palace 24 31

Relationships

• Uncle Wang — Former dock colleague who initially treats Lu Chen kindly; later fears his changed status. Lu Chen secretly leaves him money and ginseng before severing his ties to Nujiang County 1 6 216.
• Zhao Tieshan — Black Water Gang Hall Master and later a trusted former subordinate. Lu Chen entrusts Uncle Wang's protection to him and later heals his injuries and gives him resources 8 52 215.
• Wang Xiaoliu — Lu Chen's early Black Water Gang subordinate and attendant, trusted with errands and cultivation supplies 16 25.
• Chen Wanli — Black Water Gang leader who rewards Lu Chen after the Red Fish Gang's fall but becomes wary of the attention Lu Chen's hidden inheritance attracts 23 35.
• Li Qingyi — Former Red Fish Gang leader defeated and captured by Lu Chen. He refuses her as a reward and takes her belongings, including the Profound Nether Hand Fragment 23 24.
• Wang Tianlong — Wang Family patriarch and political ally. He offers Lu Chen resources, intelligence access, and family loyalty; Lu Chen later entrusts him with managing secular affairs and building networks 93 193 216.
• Lei Qianjue — Canglan Prefecture Lord who recruits Lu Chen into the Dragon Steed Guard, promotes him to branch commander, and supports his Southern Frontier mission 101 200 201.
• Xiao Zhan — Dragon Steed Guard captain who first tests Lu Chen, then becomes a respectful ally and supplier of cultivation resources 102 147 200.
• Old Huang — Loyal Dragon Steed Guard veteran who follows Lu Chen through the Southern Frontier and Heavenly Sword Sect campaigns 195 324 345.
• Abacus — Formation and feng shui specialist under Lu Chen. His knowledge repeatedly supports Lu Chen's operations against All Beings Cult and the Heavenly Sword Sect's defenses 195 293 324.
• Ji Wuyou — A royal dragon-qi bearer and former vessel for the Yin Dragon Demigod. Lu Chen purifies her baleful qi and relies on her knowledge and bloodline during the Sword Abyss campaign 273 276 309.

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Nu River dockworker arc — Begins as an orphaned porter practicing Stone Crushing Palm while being exploited by the Black Water Gang 1.
• Black Water Gang arc — Joins the gang, earns the name Lu Iron Skin, wins the gang competition, and becomes a leader 6 8 16.
• Red Fish Gang and Dragon Palace arc — Defeats Li Qingyi, gains the Profound Nether Hand Fragment, enters the underwater Dragon Palace, and kills the Water Ghost King 23 31 33.
• Canglan Prefecture arc — Escapes Nujiang County, confronts the Li Family, acquires the Primordial Chaos Qi Skill, and advances through the Meridian Connecting Realm 53 82 92.
• Heavenly Pride Tower and Dragon Steed Guard arc — Defeats Zhao Lingfeng, comprehends Tiger Might True Intent, and joins the Dragon Steed Guard under Lei Qianjue 100 101.
• Innate breakthrough and Zhao Family downfall — Breaks into the Innate Realm, confronts the Zhao Family at Heavenly Pride Tower, and receives the bulk of their confiscated assets 179 184 189.
• Southern Frontier campaign — Leads the Sharp Soldier Camp and Demon Suppression Bureau against All Beings Cult, Du Zhan, Shen Li, and Wei Wuji 200 210 276 320.
• Heavenly Sword Sect arc — Enters the sect's ruins, acquires Sword Dao insights and the Spirit Marrow Pool, perfects his Glass Treasure Body, and reaches the Grandmaster Realm 324 346 350 354.
• Finale — Refuses Great Liang's offer of Imperial Preceptor, declaring that his path lies beyond ruling its decaying realm 363.

Notable Quotes

“I will absorb every last drop of spiritual energy from this Spirit Gathering Spring. On the day I emerge from seclusion, if I have not reached the Innate Realm, I will die within.”
— Lu Chen 151

“The martial path stretches on without end. Only strength is eternal.”
— Lu Chen 363

“This Sect Master cannot even be bothered with this Great Liang realm that is about to rot away. Why would I covet your utterly hypocritical position of Imperial Preceptor?”
— Lu Chen 363