He An

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	He An (贺安)
Alias(es)	“He An the Ruthless”; “Martial Arts Maniac” 15 111
Species/Race	Human; transmigrator 1
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Town Martial Division; Wu Family; allied with the Fish Soaring Gang 53 87 107
Occupation/Role	Former prison bailiff and clerk; Captain/Hundred-Household Officer of the Town Martial Division 2 56 106 107
Status	Alive
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Body Refining Realm	4	Reached alongside Yi Jin Jing Minor Accomplishment after half a month of relentless training; his punch bent iron and exceeded the usual thousand-jin force. 4
Bone Forging Realm	13	Advanced naturally after another half month of cultivation; Yi Jin Jing reached Great Accomplishment. 13
Muscle Condensing Realm	37	Revealed to his family after destroying the Mad Sand Gang; his Yi Jin Jing was at Great Accomplishment. 37
Blood Circulation Realm	71	Generated qi and blood after a week of intense practice, greatly improving strength, recovery, and endurance. 71
Ninth Rank — Refining Essence Realm	89	Entered the Ranks after absorbing the Eighth Rank Nine Yang Marrow Cleansing Grass, which cleansed his marrow and expelled lingering yin-cold force. 89
Ninth Rank — further breakthrough	96	After killing Meng Cao and resolving his long-held obsession, he entered a clear-minded meditative state and underwent another reported Ninth Rank breakthrough. 96

Background

He An transmigrated into Great Sui Dynasty-era Fangcheng, Cangzhou. He lives with his elder brother He Ping, sister-in-law Wang Rou, and nephew He Ru. Having been an orphan before transmigration, he deeply values the home they gave him and resolves to repay their support. 1

His initial pursuit of martial arts is driven by a desire to protect the family from Clerk Meng Cao, who covets Wang Rou and obstructs He An’s entry into the Town Martial Division. He Ping nevertheless spends heavily to secure He An a position and supports his training. 1 2

In his mind, He An possesses the Destiny “Success Comes Naturally”, which states that small accumulations form a vast ocean and that the martial path has no bottlenecks. This allows his repeated practice to turn directly into progress rather than leaving him stalled at cultivation thresholds. 1 4

Appearance

He An is a tall, handsome young man who becomes increasingly imposing as his body is refined through martial arts. By the time he becomes Captain, he stands over 1.8 meters tall. 6 106

• Usually wears the uniform of the Town Martial Division while on duty. 2 6
• Later appears in a fitted black outfit with a Hundred-Household Officer token engraved with the character “An.” 106
• His cultivation gives him a heroic, martial bearing noticeable even to acquaintances. 6

Personality

He An is intensely family-oriented. His principal motivations—cultivation, wealth-gathering, political alliances, and retaliation—are consistently tied to protecting He Ping, Wang Rou, and He Ru. He is particularly hostile toward anyone who threatens or insults his brother’s family. 1 9 41 93

He is diligent to an extreme, repeatedly pushing his body beyond exhaustion and training whenever his duties permit. His fixation on improvement later earns him the label “Martial Arts Maniac.” 4 6 111

Though initially cautious about exposing his strength, He An is also calculating and opportunistic. He exploits prison information, negotiates with powerful figures, recognizes political traps, and joins the Wu Family only after assessing the alternatives. 12 22 53 59

His methods can be ruthless. He employs Water Drop Torture, kills enemies who threaten him or his family, and treats violent retribution as necessary once his strength is sufficient. However, he also rewards loyalty, protects subordinates, and seeks to dismantle gangs that harm ordinary citizens. 15 20 94 108 110

Abilities & Skills

Destiny: Success Comes Naturally

He An’s transmigrator ability removes cultivation bottlenecks through continuous accumulation.

• Initially appears as “Success Comes Naturally.” 1
• Later manifests as “Water Flows to a Channel,” tracking martial-art proficiency through repeated practice. 4
• Enables rapid advancement despite starting martial arts late. 4 13
• Allows him to benefit exceptionally from medicinal aids, including the Nine Yang Marrow Cleansing Grass. 89

Yi Jin Jing

A body-tempering martial art He deliberately chose despite its notorious difficulty and lack of obvious special techniques. It clears blocked meridians and establishes his physical foundation. 2

Proficiency	Chapter	Result
Minor Accomplishment	4	Reached in half a month; entered the Body Refining Realm and gained enough force to bend iron. 4
Great Accomplishment	13	Reached alongside the Bone Forging Realm. 13
Perfection	38	Greatly improved his strength, speed, endurance, and blade momentum. 38
Break Limit	78	Increased qi-and-blood circulation, recovery, bone density, and fine muscle control beyond ordinary mastery. 78

• Strengthens muscles, bones, meridians, recovery, and physical endurance. 2 38 78
• Forms the foundation for He An’s abnormal close-range durability and force. 28 85
• Has no known offensive move set; its value lies in comprehensive bodily refinement. 12 51

Gale Blade Technique

A Ninth Rank saber art obtained from Mo Caihe’s hidden cache. Its core principle is speed. 12

• Minor Accomplishment allows three slashes in one second; Great Accomplishment allows six; Perfection allows nine. 12
• He An received a refined-steel long saber custom-made by He Ping for the technique. 14 15
• He mastered the technique after a month of focused training, producing blade shadows too quick to follow clearly. 83
• He often conceals the technique because using it openly could connect him to earlier killings. 51 55

Five-Animal Boxing

A Meng Family Ninth Rank martial art that imitates the tiger, deer, bear, ape, and crane. He An learned its foundation by observing Meng Zhan during the First Incense competition. 51 52 60

Form / Strength	Primary function	Notes
Tiger	Explosiveness	He developed Tiger Strength after observing a Tiger Demon. 51 65 69
Bear	Raw power	Bear Strength grants exceptional striking force. 51 55
Ape	Agility	Used for evasive footwork and rapid repositioning. 51 85
Crane	Speed	Enhances speed and rapid attacks. 51 83
Deer	Spirit	One of the five completed forms by his later mastery. 51 112

• Reached Minor Accomplishment after nine days of training aided by He Ping’s medicinal wine. 60
• Its Minor Accomplishment deepened his Tiger, Ape, and Crane Strength, improving his physique, speed, and power. 84
• By Chapter 112, he had mastered all five forms and their corresponding strengths. 112
• He can imitate and learn martial techniques after brief observation, as shown when he copied the Tiger Form during combat. 52

Three Extremes Body Transformation

A high-level body-transforming art taught to He An by Chen Le after their duel. The version He An receives contains the first two transformations. 99

• Fundamentally improves physical strength so the user can withstand later transformations. 112
• The first transformation, Mortal Martial Transformation, temporarily multiplies strength and can make a user comparable to a Ninth Rank Martial Artist who has opened the Heavenly Gate. 98
• He An begins training the incomplete technique after becoming Ninth Rank. 100 110
• Chen Le warns him not to reveal it before he can protect himself from the Profound Water Sect. 99

Combat Prowess

He An specializes in overwhelming close-quarters combat, combining extraordinary physical resilience with explosive force.

• Killed Zhang Yongda, a Muscle Condensing Realm Martial Artist, despite being injured. 19
• Destroyed the Mad Sand Gang and slew its leader Kong Hu. 36
• Defeated several Blood Circulation Realm martial artists, including the three martial-school headmasters tied to the Meng Family. 80 81 82
• Defeated and killed an Entering the Ranks Blood Cloud Tower assassin through sustained close combat. 85 86
• Overwhelmed Meng Cao, a Ninth Rank martial artist, before killing him publicly. 94 96
• Defeated Chen Le even after Chen Le activated Mortal Martial Transformation. 98 99

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Refined-steel long saber — A three-chi, seven-cun saber with an ebony-and-silver-thread hilt, forged by He Ping for the Gale Blade Technique. 14
• Town Martial Division Hundred-Household Officer token — Identifies him as the division’s Captain; engraved with “An.” 106
• Inner Growth Pill — Won as the First Incense reward and given to He Ping to restore his severed arm. 52 53 55
• Blood-Connecting Pills — Used for body refinement and later bestowed on trusted subordinates Sun Wangxian and Wang Zheng. 31 32 108
• Nine Yang Marrow Cleansing Grass — An Eighth Rank pure-yang spirit medicine given by Qin Jingtao; cured his yin-cold injury and propelled him into the Ninth Rank. 87 88 89

Relationships

• He Ping — Elder brother and primary family bond. He Ping finances He An’s entry into martial arts, forges him a saber, and later receives the Inner Growth Pill from him. 1 14 53
• Wang Rou — Sister-in-law whom He An deeply respects for supporting the household and his martial path; protecting her from Meng Cao is a central motive. 1 32
• He Ru — Nephew. He An is affectionate and protective toward him, later recognizing his unusual physical potential. 4 71
• Wang Zheng — Early mentor and friend in the Town Martial Division. He guides He An’s martial-art selection; He An later offers him a Blood-Connecting Pill. 2 5 108
• Wu Wenming — Friend and fellow former prison guard. Wu Wenming recognizes He An’s talent early and connects him to the Wu Family. 6 7 37
• Sun Wangxian — Ally, confidant, and later clerk under He An. Their relationship begins as a secret agreement over Lü Hao’s death and develops into political and personal loyalty. 22 59 108
• Wei Yangyun — Xu Family-linked clerk who repeatedly assists He An, offers counsel, and keeps several of his secrets. 29 61 82
• Wu Feng — Wu Family Head and political patron. He recruits He An through the First Incense test and later supports his rise to Captain. 53 105
• Qin Jingtao — Fish Soaring Gang leader and ally. He provides the Nine Yang Marrow Cleansing Grass in exchange for He An’s help against the Fierce Tiger Gang. 87 88
• Chen Le — Earth Water Sect traitor who deliberately approaches He An, spars with him, and teaches him the Three Extremes Body Transformation. 97 99
• Meng Cao — Long-standing enemy whose pursuit of Wang Rou and repeated assassination schemes drive much of He An’s early rise; He An ultimately kills him. 1 94 96
• Zuo Ying — Wei Yangyun’s niece. She admires He An’s strength, while their interactions suggest mutual attraction. 61 82

Story Role / Major Arcs

Entry into the Town Martial Division

He An joins the Town Martial Division as a prison bailiff, selects the Yi Jin Jing, and trains obsessively until reaching the Body Refining Realm. His early prison work gives him access to dangerous prisoners, hidden wealth, and the Gale Blade Technique. 2 4 12

Conflict with Meng Cao

After He Ping loses his hand and Meng Cao’s schemes intensify, He An turns from concealment to retaliation. He kills Zhang Yongda, defeats Meng-aligned martial artists, and gradually becomes a threat Meng Cao cannot control. 9 19 28 29

First Incense Competition

He enters the River Sacrifice Festival’s First Incense competition to obtain an Inner Growth Pill for He Ping. His display of strength—lifting a three-thousand-jin stone lock four times and defeating multiple opponents—exposes his hidden talent to Fangcheng’s major powers. 41 46 50 52

Alliance with the Wu Family

Wu Feng reveals that the competition was designed to test and recruit him. He An joins the Wu Family after weighing the political pressure from the Meng Family and the safety of his own household. 53 54

Rise Beyond Fangcheng’s Ordinary Martial Artists

He develops the Five-Animal Boxing, observes a Tiger Demon to gain Tiger Strength, reaches Blood Circulation, and pushes the Yi Jin Jing beyond normal limits. He then eliminates Meng-aligned martial-school masters and survives the Blood Cloud Tower’s assassination attempt. 60 65 71 78 80 85

Entering the Ranks and Killing Meng Cao

After consuming the Nine Yang Marrow Cleansing Grass, He An enters the Ninth Rank Refining Essence Realm. He then crushes the Fierce Tiger Gang, defeats Meng Cao, and publicly kills him, ending the obsession that had driven his rise. 89 94 96

Captain of the Town Martial Division

With Gu Chong dead and the Meng Family’s influence weakened, He An is appointed Captain of the Town Martial Division. He expels Meng Yuan’s faction, elevates Sun Wangxian, recruits trusted martial artists, dismantles predatory gangs, and becomes widely respected among Fangcheng’s common people. 106 107 108 110

Trivia

• He chose the Yi Jin Jing specifically because it suited someone who began martial arts late, despite almost no one in Fangcheng being willing to practice it. 2 3
• He cultivated Yi Jin Jing to Minor Accomplishment in only half a month, an achievement Wu Wenming initially considered impossible. 7
• His first kill was Lü Jiang; he felt nausea and trembling afterward. 19
• He learned the foundation of the Meng Family’s Five-Animal Boxing during a live fight by observing Meng Zhan’s movements. 52
• He regards strength as the essential safeguard against both political schemes and threats to his family. 69 97