Zhou Ming

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Zhou Ming (周明)
Alias(es)	Rum; Changping (courtesy name) 17 47
Species/Race	Human; Descendant of Gods with a possible Tong clan bloodline 44 46
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Pei Ju's household; former Quanzhen Sect disciple; developing an independent force 14 43 46
Occupation/Role	Novelist, martial artist, investigator, and commander of covert squads 1 17
Status	Alive
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Xiantian Realm — True Qi	2	First documented martial cultivation stage; the first of the three Xiantian realms.
Heavenly Eye Realm — Initial Opening	45	Opens his Heavenly Eye through the Heaven Opening Eye Method, gaining perception of heaven-and-earth power.
Heavenly Eye Realm — Full Opening	46	His soul power surges after opening the Heavenly Eye, advancing him two minor stages and triggering new ability growth.

Background / History

Zhou Ming is a transmigrator whose past-life memories awakened when he was around one year old. He possessed a spherical portable space from birth and initially believed it to be a cheat system whose growth conditions were random. 2 14

His gravely ill biological father entrusted him to Shi Zhixuan, who lives publicly as the Ming State Grand Secretary Pei Ju. After his biological father's death, Zhou Ming was raised as Pei Ju's adopted son and sent to the Quanzhen Sect at age ten to study martial arts. He spent ten years there before descending the mountain. 14

Within six months of leaving Quanzhen, Zhou Ming established himself among the Four Heroes of the Capital. Feeling that he lacked personal achievements compared with the others, he began writing Famous Detective Lu Xiaofeng to build his reputation. 1 5

During the Plum Blossom Thief affair, he accompanied Lu Xiaofeng to Baoding for material and deliberately provoked Li Xunhuan. Zhou Ming fabricated a story implicating Lin Shiyin, specifically to force Li Xunhuan to display regret over his past decisions. 2 7 9

After returning to the capital, Zhou Ming learned of Pei Ju's control over the Azure Dragon Society and was assigned to investigate the Dragon Guard Manor's Four Great Secret Agents. Pei Ju also provided him with four covert squads, which Zhou Ming consolidated under his authority by ordering the execution of Jian Yu's entire squad for bypassing his command. 16 17 20

Yin Zhong's gifts and indirect guidance led Zhou Ming to uncover his divine heritage, open his Heavenly Eye, and understand that his portable space is an innate bloodline ability rather than a transmigration cheat. He subsequently resolved to develop his own influence rather than remain dependent on Pei Ju. 43 44 45 46

Personality

Zhou Ming is ambitious about reputation and commercial success, particularly as an author. He deliberately builds his novels around popular incidents and famous figures, treating current events as material that can attract readers. 1 20 41

He is also petty, competitive, and fond of elaborate revenge. His rivalry with Lu Xiaofeng escalates from verbal sparring into poisoning Lu Xiaofeng to force a case-solving competition, then orchestrating Boss Qian's apparent resurrection to make Lu Xiaofeng doubt his own judgment. 25 39 40

Despite his ruthlessness toward disobedient subordinates, Zhou Ming does not casually seek death for its own sake. When Dong Xue proposes killing Li Xunhuan, he rejects the idea because a living enemy can still produce “wonders” and emotional reactions worth seeing. 7 20

His usual lifestyle is quiet and repetitive: fishing, cultivating, writing, cooking, and spending time with his attendants. Beneath this apparent lack of ambition, he is increasingly wary of relying on powerful patrons and determined to acquire strength and influence of his own. 2 41 43 46

Abilities & Skills

Portable Space

Zhou Ming possesses a spherical personal space that grows alongside his mental power and serves as the foundation of his innate abilities. 2 46

• Before his Heavenly Eye awakening, it had grown to a diameter of over 40 meters; afterward, it expanded to over 450 meters. 46
• Its storage environment can preserve nearby items in their existing state, preventing food and supplies from spoiling. 4
• His deeper fusion with the space lets him release stored Perfect Qi anywhere within its range and store his own true qi inside it. 46

Perfect Qi

Perfect Qi is generated within Zhou Ming's portable space once every twelve shichen. It can restore his body and soul to their most perfect prior state for one shichen. 4

• Decomposition — A stream may be divided into ten or one hundred portions. 4
• One-tenth dose — Restores the body to its previous best condition for one shichen; Zhou Ming uses it for rapid recovery and temporary rejuvenation. 4 39
• One-percent dose — Instantly heals injuries and removes toxins, but does not treat hidden injuries, chronic poison, or illness. 4
• Perfect Qi can sustain heightened inspiration, enabling Zhou Ming to learn and refine techniques at extraordinary speed. 17
• He can delay its effects by wrapping it in true qi, allowing a target's recovery to occur later. 40

Mark

Mark allows Zhou Ming to place an invisible cloud-pattern mark on any person, animal, or object within his line of sight. 6

• Marks require no energy, have no known numerical limit, and do not disappear once placed. 6
• Zhou Ming can remotely observe marked targets, using the ability to monitor gatherings, follow Lu Xiaofeng, and watch Yin Zhong without their awareness. 6 39 46
• After his Heavenly Eye advancement, he can store Perfect Qi in a Mark and release projections through it. 46

Projection

Projection manifests an item stored in Zhou Ming's portable space into the outside world within the space's effective range. 46

• A projection retains only 20% of the original item's quality. 46
• A living projection can reproduce physical capability, but not the creature's soul, true qi, or other non-physical traits. 46
• Zhou Ming uses this capability in his disguised identity as Rum, appearing and disappearing before Boss Qian. 47

Heavenly Eye

Zhou Ming opened his Heavenly Eye after using the Undying Seal Method to stimulate his spirit and following the Heaven Opening Eye Method revealed by the Jade Tablet Heavenly Book. 45

• It allows perception even with his normal eyes closed. 45
• It reveals the layered text within the Jade Tablet Heavenly Book and enables Zhou Ming to perceive heaven-and-earth power. 45 46
• During its initial activation, Zhou Ming's consciousness viewed the Ming State, Kyushu, and the Four Seas from above. 45

Martial Arts

Zhou Ming is an Xiantian Realm martial artist whose cultivation is supported by Quanzhen training, Perfect Qi, and techniques obtained through Pei Ju and Yin Zhong. 2 14 17

• Sword Qi Finger — Gifted by Yin Zhong; generates sword qi through the fingers and can condense it into a sword-like form. 16 17
  • Zhou Ming rapidly learned its basic Sword Qi stage and later demonstrated the Five Elements Sword Qi and Seven Ultimate Sword Forms. 17 42
• Lingbo Weibu (Microstep) — An advanced movement technique given to him by Pei Ju; Zhou Ming masters it well enough to evade Pei Ju's casual attack. 19 42
• Lesser Formless Art — A Daoist internal art Zhou Ming decoded from coded account books; it can simulate martial arts and ultimate skills. 19
• Undying Seal Method — Used during his experiments to stimulate his spirit and discover the path to opening the Heavenly Eye. 45

Equipment / Items

• Jade Tablet Heavenly Book — A wordless jade book received in a dream; its contents become visible through the Heavenly Eye and detail cultivation realms and the Heaven Opening Eye Method. 43 45
• Heavenly Mechanism Tokens — Twelve tokens given to Boss Qian as Rum; when supplied with true qi, marked tokens can display matching text across other tokens in range. 47
• Mechanical carriage — A fast carriage crafted by Master Craftsman Zhu Ting and pulled by Spirit Blood Divine Horses. 3 23
• Perfect Qi reserves — Stored within his portable space for healing, preservation, recovery, and strategic deception. 4 40

Relationships

• Pei Ju / Shi Zhixuan — Adoptive father, political patron, and leader of the Azure Dragon Society. Pei Ju treats Zhou Ming as a son rather than merely a subordinate, but also assigns him dangerous political work. 14 16 22
• Yin Zhong / Tong Yin Zhong — Addressed as “Second Uncle”; gave Zhou Ming the Sword Qi Finger and silently guided his Heavenly Eye awakening. Yin Zhong privately identifies Zhou Ming as his son. 16 17 44
• Lu Xiaofeng — Friend, rival, and protagonist of Zhou Ming's detective novels. Their relationship mixes cooperation, teasing, wagers, and Zhou Ming's prolonged grudge over being used during the Plum Blossom Thief case. 1 13 25 39
• Hua Manlou — A respected friend who mediates between Zhou Ming and Lu Xiaofeng and serves as notary for their proposed case-solving wager. 1 24 25
• Chun Hua, Xia Feng, Qiu Yue, and Dong Xue — Zhou Ming's four loyal maid-guards. All are Innate experts, assist with his travel and daily life, and follow his orders without hesitation. 2 3 4
• Dao Feng, Jian Yu, Jing Lei, and Ji Dian — Leaders of four covert squads supplied by Pei Ju. Dao Feng, Jing Lei, and Ji Dian prove their loyalty by eliminating Jian Yu's squad after its insubordination. 17 20
• Boss Qian — A pawn recruited through Zhou Ming's Rum persona after witnessing Fourth Brother's temporary rejuvenation. He is tasked with establishing a merchant association to fund Zhou Ming's emerging organization. 39 47

Story Role / Major Arcs

Plum Blossom Thief Incident

Zhou Ming gains access to the Ministry of Justice's case files through Pei Ju's influence, then joins Lu Xiaofeng's investigation to gather material for Famous Detective Lu Xiaofeng. Although he identifies that the original Plum Blossom Thief is dead and suspects an impostor, he initially prefers to watch events unfold rather than solve the case himself. 1 2 3 6

At Xingyun Manor, he marks the attendees and manipulates Li Xunhuan with fabricated claims about Lin Shiyin. His interference enrages Lu Xiaofeng, who later reveals that he had used Zhou Ming to probe Bai Xiaosheng's intentions. 6 9 13

Establishing Authority

After Pei Ju entrusts him with four covert squads, Zhou Ming tests their competence through separate missions. When Jian Yu hands the Northern Darkness Divine Art to Pei Ju instead of reporting directly to him, Zhou Ming orders the other three squads to kill Jian Yu's ten-man unit as a warning. 17 19 20

Counterfeit Banknote Case

Zhou Ming notices suspicious Datong Money House notes and involves Hua Manlou, Zhu Ting, and the Six Doors. Seeking revenge against Lu Xiaofeng, he forces him into a competition by poisoning his meal. 23 24 25

He later secretly assists Boss Qian, stages Fourth Brother's temporary rejuvenation, and revives Boss Qian after his apparent suicide. The scheme leaves Lu Xiaofeng struggling to reconcile the evidence of Boss Qian's death with his renewed youth. 39 40

Heavenly Eye Awakening

Following Yin Zhong's departure, Zhou Ming receives the Jade Tablet Heavenly Book through a dream. His study of its mysteries leads him to suspect a Tong clan heritage and ultimately awaken the Heavenly Eye. 43 44 45

The awakening reveals the true nature of his abilities, dramatically expands his portable space, grants Projection, and pushes him toward forming an independent organization under the identity of Rum. 46 47

Notable Quotes

“People only create endless wonders when they are alive, even enemies.” 7

“Having parents was not as good as having oneself.” 43

Trivia

• Zhou Ming is an accomplished cook; Lu Xiaofeng considers his meals vastly superior to ordinary travel rations and banquet food. 4 6
• He enjoys fishing so consistently that Lu Xiaofeng finds him doing it on each of his first three visits. 2
• He keeps three puppies: a white sighthound, a black wolfhound, and a mutt. 18
• He regrets that Mark has no recording function, particularly after failing to capture Li Xunhuan's expression or the Little Li Flying Dagger in action. 9 13