Biodata
| Feature | Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Aging (老) |
| Alias(es) | Old Character Stele; Aging Stele |
| Type | One of the Seven Limits Steles |
| Status | Acquired by Zhang Chu, purified of its abnormal pollution, and cultivated as part of his Seven Limits path 270 272 327 |
| First Appearance | Chapter 241 |
Power Progression
| Chapter(s) | Development |
|---|---|
| 241–242 | Zhang Chu identifies the Red Lantern Cult’s Paper Person as wielding secrets related to Aging, but later determines that the Paper Person did not possess the stele itself 241 242 |
| 270–271 | Zhang Chu acquires the Aging Stele through the Qingming Secret Realm’s living inheritance. It enters his Heavenly Palace and forms a triangular balance with the Tribulation and Bitter Character Steles 270 271 |
| 272 | Zhang Chu expends 10,000,000 Merit Points to purge Decay of All Things, then begins cultivating the stele’s Method of Decay and opens the Secret Treasury of Qi, entering the Extreme of Strength Realm 272 |
| 313 | Zhang Chu channels the Old Character Stele’s decay in conjunction with Return to Ruins Power, manifesting a dark-golden halo while confronting Pei Yuanfeng 313 |
| 320 | Aging’s power condenses as an ash-white grain at Zhang Chu’s chest, joining the powers of Tribulation and Bitter beneath a dark-golden luster 320 |
| 327 | After the Sickness Stele is acquired, Aging occupies the eastern position in the four-stele balance surrounding Zhang Chu’s Dao Embryo 327 |
| 328 | Zhang Chu combines Aging’s decay power with Return to Ruins Power to trigger an ancient formation linked to Yeyu Village and the Underworld Heaven Ferry 328 |
Background / History
The Aging Stele is one of the Seven Limits, which encompass Birth, Aging, Sickness, Death, Suffering, Tribulation, and Fate. Its power carries the Daoist charm of senescence, decay, and the withering of all things, particularly the depletion of Life Qi 241 272.
Zhang Chu initially identified the decaying power wielded by the Red Lantern Cult’s Paper Person as originating from the Aging Stele. The Paper Person had used its secrets alongside God Worship power to drain townspeople’s vitality and transform himself into a half-human, half-paper existence. However, after destroying him, Zhang Chu concluded that the Paper Person had not actually possessed the stele 241 242.
The stele’s power later appeared as one of the three living inheritances of the Qingming Secret Realm. A stone statue carried the complete cultivation method, combat consciousness, and movement patterns associated with Aging, alongside inheritances of the Buddhist Sect’s Three Lives Body and an ancient sword path 270.
After Zhang Chu obtained it, the Aging Stele entered his Chaos Small World, where it formed a triangular balance with the Tribulation and Bitter Character Steles 270 271. Its inherent pollution, Decay of All Things, was subsequently removed through the expenditure of ten million Merit Points 272.
The purified stele allowed Zhang Chu to cultivate the Method of Decay, converting the decay of Life Qi into power through the Secret Treasury of Qi. This cultivation refined his temperament and strength rather than violently remaking his body, and accompanied his breakthrough into the Extreme of Strength Realm 272.
Following Zhang Chu’s acquisition of the Sickness Stele, Aging became one of four balanced Seven Limits within his Heavenly Palace. It occupies the eastern position around his Dao Embryo, while the four steles maintain distinct auras without merging into one another 321 327.
Abilities & Properties
Decay of All Things
The Aging Stele governs the decline and exhaustion of Life Qi rather than physical deterioration in battle or spiritual decay 272.
- Represents senescence, withering, and the inevitable end of living things 241 270 272.
- Its power can induce a sensation akin to aging hundreds of years in an instant 270.
- The Paper Person used related decay power to absorb the vitality of living people and support the Underworld Lamp 241.
- When Zhang Chu channels it alongside his other Seven Limits, its decay manifests as an ash-white grain at his chest carrying the stillness of all things reaching their end 320.
Method of Decay
After purification, the Aging Stele grants a cultivation method that turns the decay of Life Qi into Zhang Chu’s power.
- The method requires the cultivator to bear and convert the decline of all things, including the withering of plants, decay of flesh, and passage of time 272.
- Its stated upper limit is a tenfold increase in power based on the amount of decay converted 272.
- Rather than violently reshaping Zhang Chu, the process steadily grinds away his sharpness, restlessness, and accumulated hostility, condensing them into a more fundamental power 272.
- The method is an application of the Secret Treasury of Qi and contributed to Zhang Chu’s entry into the Extreme of Strength Realm 272.
Return to Ruins Resonance
Aging can be incorporated into Zhang Chu’s wider system of Seven Limits and Return to Ruins power.
- Zhang Chu used a dark-golden halo associated with the Old Character Stele and Return to Ruins Power while resisting Pei Yuanfeng’s Extreme of Strength Perfection pressure 313.
- Together with the Tribulation and Bitter Steles, Aging contributes to the dark-golden luster that covers Zhang Chu’s body when he mobilizes their combined power 320.
- Zhang Chu used Aging’s decay power together with Return to Ruins Power to activate an ancient valley formation connected to Yeyu Village and the Underworld Heaven Ferry 328.
Living Inheritance
Within the Qingming Secret Realm, Aging was preserved through a stone statue rather than a conventional manual.
- The statue contained a complete cultivation technique, combat instincts, and movement patterns 270.
- Its attacks released decay power that instinctively repelled living beings 270.
- The three inheritance statues functioned as a formation; after the Aging statue was lost, the remaining two halted their assault 270.
Abnormal Pollution
Before purification, the stele contained an abnormal contamination designated Decay of All Things.
- The system required 10,000,000 Merit Points to eliminate the hidden danger 272.
- Its gray-yellow, withered-wood-like form conveyed an irreversible sense of all things progressing toward their end 272.
- Following purification, it remained within Zhang Chu’s Heavenly Palace alongside the Tribulation and Bitter Character Steles 271 272.
- After the Sickness Stele joined the arrangement, Aging took the eastern position in the four-stele formation around Zhang Chu’s Dao Embryo 327.
Relationships
- Zhang Chu — Current holder of the Aging Stele; incorporated it into his Chaos Small World, removed its pollution, and began cultivating its Method of Decay 270 272.
- Paper Person — Drew upon knowledge or power related to Aging while using the Underworld Lamp, but did not possess the stele itself 241 242.
- Granny Kurong — Explained that the Qingming Secret Realm’s stone statue preserved Aging’s complete inheritance 270.
- Tribulation Character Stele — Initially formed part of a three-stele balance with Aging and Bitter; later became part of the four-stele arrangement within Zhang Chu’s Heavenly Palace 271 327.
- Bitter Character Stele — Forms the same triangular arrangement with Aging and Tribulation, and later helps Zhang Chu neutralize emotional residue released by an ancient formation activated through Aging’s power 271 328.
- Sickness Stele — The fourth Seven Limits Stele acquired by Zhang Chu; its arrival establishes a four-directional balance in which Aging occupies the eastern position 321 327.
- Return to Ruins Power — Can be wielded in conjunction with Aging’s decay to reinforce Zhang Chu’s combat power and activate ancient formations 313 328.
Trivia
- Aging is also translated in-context as Old through the term “Old Character Stele” 241 270.
- Unlike the Tribulation Stele’s violent aura and the Bitter Stele’s sorrowful markings, the Aging Stele appears smooth and gray-yellow, like withered wood 272.
- Within the four-stele arrangement in Zhang Chu’s Heavenly Palace, Aging is positioned in the east 327.