Dust Family

Biodata

Background / History

The Dust Family is a wealthy, old aristocratic family of the Star Luo Empire. Its hereditary Martial Soul is the Star Dust Sword, and its direct descendants were among the elite children invited to the empire-wide Martial Soul awakening held in Star Luo City's royal villa. 1

Chen Li was born as the family's sole legitimate son and heir. His awakening of the extraordinarily pure lightning-attribute Rumble-Rumble Fruit, along with Innate Full Soul Power, initially suggested that the family would produce an exceptional figure. 1

That expectation collapsed when Chen Li's first attempted Soul Ring absorption failed: the compatible three-hundred-year Thunder Pattern Tiger's ring shattered during fusion. News that the family's gifted heir could not absorb Soul Rings quickly spread through Star Luo's upper circles. 2 3

Leadership

• Chen Ran — Current patriarch; a Level 57 Battle Soul King with the Star Dust Sword Martial Soul. His position is attributed more to shrewdness and ruthlessness than exceptional talent. 3
• Chen Ran regards family members primarily by their practical value to the clan. He had several illegitimate children secretly raised outside the family and treated Chen Li as a symbol of inheritance and potential marriage alliances rather than as a son. 3

Treatment of Chen Li

After learning of Chen Li's failed Soul Ring absorption, Chen Ran publicly denounced him as a disgrace and declared that the family would not support someone it considered useless. 3

Chen Ran gave Chen Li three months to resolve his Soul Ring problem and prove his value, threatening to replace him as heir otherwise. 3 Chen Li did not expect conventional methods to solve the incompatibility of his Martial Soul and instead prepared to leave using savings and items inherited from his mother. 3

When Chen Li departed through the mansion's side gate, the family provided only one hundred Gold Soul Coins as travel expenses and formally stated that his future actions would have no connection to the Dust Family. 3 By the time he encountered Yue Guan, Chen Li identified himself as disowned by both the family and the Star Luo Empire. 6 7

Known Traits

• Ancestral Martial Soul: Star Dust Sword. 1 3
• Wealth: The family is sufficiently wealthy that Chen Li's accumulated allowances, gifts, and New Year money formed a considerable private fortune. 3
• Reputation: Chen Li's failed absorption turned the family from a subject of admiration into a target of ridicule within Star Luo City's upper class. 3
• Pragmatism: The family's patriarch prioritizes immediate utility and reputation over blood ties. 3

Relationships

• Chen Ran — Patriarch of the Dust Family; Chen Li's father. He disowned Chen Li after his Soul Ring failure and threatened to replace him as heir. 3
• Chen Li — Former legitimate eldest son and heir. His expulsion drove him to seek strength and resources through Martial Soul Hall. 3 7
• Dave — Star Luo Consecrator who escorted Chen Li back to the family mansion after the failed absorption and informed the family of the incident. 2
• Martial Soul Hall — Became Chen Li's new affiliation after the Dust Family abandoned him; Yue Guan considered Chen Li an ideal recruit partly because of his resentment toward his former family. 7

Trivia

• The family is called the Chen family in earlier passages, while later narration and dialogue identify it as the Dust Family. 1 3 7
• Chen Li considered his identity as Dust Family heir a shackle rather than a source of belonging after his expulsion. 7