Zhao Ping'an

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Zhao Ping'an (赵平安) 1
Alias(es)	Young Master Ping'an; Grandmaster Zhao 14 36
Species/Race	Human 1
Gender	Male
Age	Fourteen when he began formal martial training; nearly eighteen after three further years of cultivation 1 12
Affiliation	Former personal disciple of the Blazing Blade Sect; resident and authority of Wu'an Mountain 1 26 28
Occupation/Role	Martial cultivator; owner of the medicinal mountain and associated spiritual-medicine resources 26 28
Status	Active 50
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Martial Disciple Realm, First Level	4	Broke through after cultivating the simplified Body Tempering Art through jumping jacks. His physical strength, stamina, speed, and flexibility increased. 4
Warrior Realm, First Level	5–6	Reached the ninth Body Tempering level, underwent Blood Exchange, and deduced the Body Tempering Art into the third-rate Turtle Shell Art. 5 6
Body Cultivation: Warrior Realm, Second Level	10	Reaching the second Turtle Shell Art level unlocked a separate body-cultivation attribute; his skin, bones, and physical strength were greatly enhanced. 10
Houtian Martial Artist Realm, First Layer	11	Perfected Qi Gathering Art, performed Qi Induction, opened his Lower Dantian, and generated inner force. 11
Body Cultivation: Innate Martial Master Realm, First Layer	11	Deduced Ironclad Art into Bronze Armor Art and reached its first layer through stone-wall training. 11
Houtian Martial Artist Realm, Third Layer	12	His panel recorded third-layer Houtian cultivation alongside first-layer Innate body cultivation. 12
Great Grandmaster Realm, First Layer	13	Advanced through the Primordial Chaos Art before descending Feather Mountain for Ji Xiangming's wedding. 13
Body Cultivation: Martial Venerable Realm	30	Perfecting the Golden Armor Technique pushed his physical body into the Martial Venerable Realm. 30
Great Grandmaster Realm, Eighth Layer	31	Reached the eighth Great Grandmaster layer while his physique stood at Martial Venerable fourth layer. 31
True Essence Realm	39	Perfected Primordial Chaos Art and condensed his gaseous Gang Qi into liquid True Essence. 39
Martial Venerable Realm, Second Layer	48	His inner cultivation advanced to Martial Venerable second layer. 48
Body Cultivation: Martial Venerable Realm, Ninth Layer	48	His body cultivation reached the ninth Martial Venerable layer. 48

Background

Zhao Ping'an was originally an overworked young man from another world. After his girlfriend Xie Xiaoya cheated on and discarded him, he died after smashing his head into his keyboard. He awakened in the body of a starving beggar in the Martial God Realm, where Zheng Hetong rescued him and brought him to the Blazing Blade Sect. 1

Zheng Hetong accepted Zhao as a personal disciple and allowed him four years to recover from malnourishment before beginning martial training at fourteen. Zhao received unusually careful instruction from Zheng and Zhao Xiuyun, including a personally copied and annotated Body Tempering Art manual. 1 2

While reading the manual, Zhao awakened the Simplified Deduction Panel, a game-like ability he recognized as a system he had designed in his previous life. It records techniques, simplifies their training conditions, converts food and external energy into Deduction Points, and can deduce perfected techniques into stronger methods. 2

Appearance

Zhao Ping'an was initially thin and only slightly above average in appearance, but relentless body cultivation rapidly transformed his physique. By the time he approached adulthood, he had grown beyond 1.8 meters tall and developed sharply defined, powerful musculature. 3 9 12 32

• Initially recovered from a severely underfed beggar's body. 1
• Surpassed 1.6 meters after several months of training. 9
• Later exceeded 1.8 meters in height. 32
• Has a muscular build with visibly defined lines and explosive physical strength. 12
• Commonly carries a saber, including the Hundred Refinement Blade and later a heavy Great Saber. 14 20

Personality

Zhao Ping'an is diligent, pragmatic, and intensely cautious about exposing his abnormal growth. From the moment he awakened the panel, he resolved to keep a low profile rather than reveal abilities that could invite exploitation or danger. 3 4 18

He is highly adaptive, using his prior-world knowledge to devise training solutions, conceal the noise of Qi Gathering Art, and manage cultivation resources efficiently. He also fabricates a story about a mysterious elder and a medicinal pill to protect the secret of his power. 11 27 29

Despite his fearsome reputation, Zhao remains deeply loyal to Zheng Hetong and Zhao Xiuyun. He treats them as his closest family, heals Zheng after his injury, risks himself to recover Zhao Xiuyun, and retaliates harshly against those responsible for harming them. 32 42 46 47

His compassion is selective. He raises the wages of Wu'an Mountain's medicinal farmers and rewards guards for their work, but he is capable of decisive mass violence when confronted by enemies such as the Sun Family and Poison Wolf Gang. 23 28 39 47

Abilities & Skills

Simplified Deduction Panel

Zhao's defining ability is a panel that records martial arts after he studies them, simplifies their cultivation requirements, and deduces perfected techniques into superior versions. Its deduction potential is stated to have no limit. 2

• Converts eating, absorbed energy, and spiritual medicine into Deduction Points. 2 29
• Can directly absorb spiritual medicine through touch, leaving the plant withered while converting its medicinal power into Deduction Points. 29 37
• Requires a technique to reach perfection before it can be deduced further. 2 6
• Enables him to cultivate techniques through unconventional simplified exercises, such as jumping jacks, ramming posts, shouting, and breath-holding. 2 6 10 40

Body Cultivation

Zhao specializes in external body cultivation and continuously deduces his defensive arts into stronger forms, progressing from Turtle Shell Art to Ironclad Art, Bronze Armor Art, Golden Armor Technique, and Jade Armor Art. 6 10 11 30 31

• Possesses physical power comparable to or exceeding Innate Martial Masters even while concealing his true realm. 20
• His body cultivation reinforces skin, sinews, bones, internal organs, endurance, digestion, and recovery. 10 12
• Can wield extremely heavy weapons and lift the Black Gold Treasure Hammers at Wang's Weaponry Shop. 20
• Reached Martial Venerable-level physical cultivation, making Great Grandmaster attacks unable to breach his defenses. 30 34

Inner Cultivation and True Essence

Zhao advanced from Qi Gathering Art to One Qi Art, Primordial Chaos Art, and Four Symbols Gathering Essence Art. 11 13 40

• Generated inner force by opening his Lower Dantian through Qi Induction. 11
• Developed Gang Qi at the Great Grandmaster stage, allowing powerful projected attacks and long-range saber aura. 14 23
• Condensed Gang Qi into liquid True Essence after perfecting Primordial Chaos Art. 39
• His Four Symbols Gathering Essence Art draws Heaven-and-Earth Essence even during physical activity; excess essence becomes Deduction Points. 40
• Uses water-attribute True Essence to heal Zheng Hetong's damaged meridians and internal injuries. 42

Saber Arts

Saber arts are Zhao's principal combat style. He began with Blade Draw Technique and deduced it into Blade Draw Slash, later developing stronger techniques including Blade Qi Across, God Slaying Saber Strike, Eight Heavenly Gang Styles, and Nine Forms of Hegemonic Saber. 8 10 21 31

• Uses heavy saber strikes to overpower enemies and break weapons. 21
• Can project saber aura capable of cutting through metal and stone. 14
• Killed Tian Yiming, a sixth-layer Grandmaster, with a single massive Gang Qi blade. 35
• Perfected the Profound-grade Nine Forms of Hegemonic Saber. 48

Movement Techniques

Zhao possesses several high-level lightness skills, including Golden Eagle Soaring Technique, Soaring Dragon Void Steps, Flying Dragon Crossing, and Illusory Body Folding Steps. 23 31 36 38

• Golden Eagle Soaring Technique lets him cross dozens of meters in an instant. 23
• Soaring Dragon Void Steps was deduced into the Mysterious-tier Flying Dragon Crossing. 37 38
• Flying Dragon Crossing requires True Essence to use. 38
• His mobility allows him to evade detection, rapidly pursue fleeing foes, and scale Thousand Guts Valley's cliffs with ease. 44 46

Hidden Weapons and Ranged Attacks

Zhao developed Willow Leaf Dart into Soul Chasing Flying Blade, then into the Human-grade Absolute Shadow Flying Blade. 29 30 34

• Absolute Shadow Flying Blade emphasizes extreme speed; observers can barely perceive a shadow before impact. 34
• Used it to kill a Grandmaster-level attacker threatening Wang Linxue. 34
• Later advanced his hidden-weapon art into the Mysterious-tier Sky Breaking One Saber. 48

Palm and Eye Arts

Zhao cultivates close-quarters palm techniques and eye-based mental arts. 29

• Void Splitting Palm — A Human-grade palm art capable of overpowering a Grandmaster's Qi palm strike. 30 33
• Mystic Pupil Soul Bewildering Technique — Creates illusions through eye contact and strengthens vision, but consumes substantial mental energy; even an Innate peak cultivator could normally use it only about five times daily after mastery. 29
• Purple Light Ghostly Eyes / Purple Shadow Demonic Eyes — Lets Zhao see through dense fog within roughly thirty zhang and attack through his gaze. 44 48

Concealment

Zhao learned Turtle Breath Technique to hide his vital signs and prevent others from noticing his true cultivation speed. 40

• Can be trained simply by holding his breath. 40
• His Innate body cultivation grants fetal breathing, allowing him to go without breathing for an hour. 40

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Hundred Refinement Blade — A saber associated with Zheng Hetong that Zhao uses for training and keeps as a memento. 9 14
• Great Saber — A heavy saber Zhao selected from Wang's Weaponry Shop after demonstrating his strength with the Black Gold Treasure Hammers. 20
• Spiritual medicine stores — Uses third- and fourth-tier spiritual medicine as a source of Deduction Points. 28 29 37
• Treasure maps — Took two maps from Tian Yiming, including one pointing to a Martial Venerable's treasure in the Falling Sunset Mountain Range of the Yellow Marsh Dynasty. 36
• Half-finished saber — Received from the Wang Family for sharpening, in exchange for three future favors. 50

Relationships

• Zheng Hetong — Rescuer, master, and father figure. Zheng took Zhao in as a personal disciple after finding him starving by the roadside; Zhao continues to honor him even after becoming vastly stronger. 1 32
• Zhao Xiuyun — Mistress and maternal figure. She raised and supported Zhao, provided him a residence in South Ridge City, protected his secret cultivation, and was rescued by him from Thousand Guts Valley. 3 14 18 45 47
• Ji Xiangming — Eldest senior brother. He gave Zhao a long saber and Blade Draw Technique manual, and Zhao attended his wedding in South Ridge City. 8 12 22
• Cui Kang'an — Second senior brother. Taught Zhao the Qi Gathering Art and later helped manage the alchemy workshop. 10 11 31
• Mu Yunmeng — Third senior sister. Encouraged Zhao during his earliest cultivation and later left the mountain with Cui Kang'an. 3 11
• Liu Zhe — Fourth senior brother. Taught Zhao Swallow Art and was later persuaded to return to the alchemy workshop. 12 48
• Zhao Huixin — Proposed marriage match. Both were initially unwilling; Zhao exposed her pregnancy with Sun Shize, ending the arrangement. 17 18
• Sun Shize and the Sun Family — Enemies whose retaliation against Zhao led to their destruction after Zhao defeated their martial artists and killed their Innate experts. 20 23
• Wang Linzhao and Wang Linxue — Siblings Zhao saved from a Grandmaster-level attacker near the City Lord's Mansion. 34
• Shui Gaoge — Great Grandmaster and Profound Water Dynasty prince who kidnapped Zhao Xiuyun to seize Four Symbols Gathering Essence Art; Zhao killed him after recovering his mistress. 44 46
• Wu Shirong and the Poison Wolf Gang — Responsible for involvement in the kidnapping plot; Zhao eliminated the Wu family and purged the gang. 46 47

Story Role / Major Arcs

Rebirth and Blazing Blade Sect Training

After reincarnating into a beggar's body, Zhao is rescued by Zheng Hetong and grows up in the Blazing Blade Sect. His cultivation begins in earnest once he awakens the Simplified Deduction Panel, allowing him to outpace every expectation while hiding his true ability. 1 6

South Ridge City and the Sun Family Conflict

Zhao descends Feather Mountain for Ji Xiangming's wedding and receives a South Ridge City residence from Zhao Xiuyun. A failed matchmaking attempt with Zhao Huixin brings him into conflict with the Sun Family, whom he defeats after they repeatedly target him and his master. 14 23

Division of the Sun Family Assets

Following the Sun Family's downfall, Zhao negotiates with City Lord Zhou Ruiming, the Blazing Blade Sect, and the Zhao family. He claims the medicinal mountain and alchemy workshop, then arranges for Zheng Hetong and his senior disciples to manage the workshop. 26 28

Wu'an Mountain Cultivation

Zhao renames Medicine Mountain as Wu'an Mountain, improves conditions for medicinal farmers, and turns its spiritual-medicine production into a reliable source of Deduction Points. He spends months there advancing his body, internal cultivation, martial skills, and concealment techniques. 28 31 39 40

Tian Yiming Hunt

The City Lord's Mansion asks Zhao to capture the fugitive Tian Yiming in exchange for fourth-tier spiritual medicine. Tian raids Wu'an Mountain's herb stores, but Zhao pursues and kills him, claiming his manuals, wealth, and treasure maps. 30 35 37

Thousand Guts Valley Rescue

After Zhao Xiuyun is kidnapped and Zheng Hetong is severely injured, Zhao heals his master and enters Thousand Guts Valley to negotiate. He pretends to submit, rescues Zhao Xiuyun, interrogates and kills Shui Gaoge, then destroys the Poison Wolf Gang for its involvement. 41 47

Notable Quotes

“I don't want to disrupt my current peaceful life...” 18

“You injured my Master, kidnapped my Mistress, and killed my servants! No matter who you are, I will make you pay in blood!” 42

Trivia

• Zhao recognizes the Deduction Panel as a game panel he designed in his previous life. 2
• He deliberately presents himself publicly as possessing innate divine strength to conceal the full extent of his cultivation. 20
• He uses a soundproof pit in the forest to practice the shouting-based Qi Gathering Art without alarming his household. 11
• His appetite grows dramatically with body cultivation; by adulthood, he employs four chefs to prepare his daily meals. 10 48