Cui Hao

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Cui Hao (崔浩)
Alias(es)	Cui Huo; Xu San; Xie San 265 290 365
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Zhanhong Martial Arts Academy; Zhenyue Sect; Baoshan Sect; Zhenhai Sect 16 81 214 324
Occupation/Role	Martial artist, cultivator, alchemist, and occasional hired guard 251 290
Status	Active 457
First Appearance	Chapter 9, “The Path to Cultivating Martial Arts” 9

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Mortal Martial Realm	20	Broke through on the final day of a two-month period without using pills; began learning the core Broken Fist Standing Postification method.
Mortal Martial Great Accomplishment	40	His four-stone bow draw during Qingyuan's preliminary examination revealed that he had reached this stage.
Mortal Martial Perfection	50	Achieved a natural breakthrough while cultivating, gaining markedly greater physical power and smoother fist techniques.
Town Mountain Skill — Minor Accomplishment	55	Strengthened the resilience of his internal organs and began contributing to his realm progress.
Clear Force Realm	64	His breakthrough shocked Xu Dian and visiting disciples from other martial schools.
Clear Force Great Accomplishment	71	Reached this stage after more than two months of concentrated cultivation of the Town Mountain True Skill.
Town Mountain Skill — Perfection	73	Reached the fourth level, gaining major enhancements to his organs, qi and blood, and rooted stance.
Clear Force Perfection	85	Completing the Zhenyue True Skill's fire-seed stage brought his Clear Force cultivation to perfection.
Dark Force Realm	97	Entered Dark Force after eight months of cultivation and exchanged his wooden waist token for an iron one.
Dark Force Novice	145	Reached the novice stage while advancing several combat arts in parallel.
Dark Force Minor Accomplishment	161	Gained precise control over condensing and releasing Dark Force in under five months from the novice stage.
Dark Force Great Accomplishment	191	Reached this stage after using rare medicinal resources, including Bone Tempering Pills and a Breaking Realm Pill.
Dark Force Perfection	232	Quietly broke through before entering Baoshan Sect's Inner Sect through the Hidden Dragon Rank.
Alchemy — Minor Accomplishment	251	Advanced after refining Qi and Blood Powder.
Alchemy — Great Accomplishment	251	Reached Great Accomplishment over six months and successfully refined nine Purple Gold Pills.
Transformation Force	253 254	Successfully entered and stabilized at Transformation Force after leaving Chisha Peak.
Transformation Force Mid-stage	266	Advanced from early to mid-stage in just over half a year before killing Shou Jin.
Transformation Force Late-stage	279	Broke through after eliminating two early-stage Transformation Force cultivators on Gray Rock Island.
Transformation Force Peak	346	Displayed the aura of a peak Transformation Force expert while traveling at Dingbo Island.
Gale Force Early-stage	349	First explicit Gale Force realm panel after defeating an early-stage Gale Force evil cultivator.
Gale Force Mid-stage	369	Broke through using a strange medicinal plant and the Erosion Marrow Ghost Lotus; later recorded continued progress at this stage. 435

Background

Cui Hao came from a humble background tied to the Cui family's shoe shop. Before entering martial arts training, he was viewed as an unremarkable and “spineless” young man by outsiders, while privately assuming responsibility for Su Yun and surviving through violence when necessary. At Zhanhong Martial Arts Academy, he deliberately remained inconspicuous, training alone in a corner rather than seeking recognition. 25

He entered Zhanhong Martial Arts Academy and was taught stance work, qi-and-blood accumulation, and martial arts incantations by Sun Cheng and Liu Yan. When Lin Da arrived to study, Cui Hao helped introduce and guide his childhood friend. 16

Though repeatedly judged to possess mediocre aptitude, Cui Hao relied on sustained practice, calculated resource use, and a system panel that records his cultivation and grants usable progress points. His rapid rise increasingly drew both patrons and enemies. 54 55 126

Appearance

Cui Hao is described as a young man with sharp, defined features and deep, calm eyes. Early in his training, he commonly wore clean but faded coarse-cloth clothing; later, he frequently adopted disguises to conceal his identity. 32 256

• Often keeps his aura restrained, making his cultivation difficult to judge. 256
• Uses fake beards, wigs, human-skin masks, and eventually body-altering disguise techniques. 349 387 418
• Has cultivated his physique to an unusually durable degree, with the system later consolidating substantial improvements to physique, healing, and toxin resistance. 228

Personality

Cui Hao is disciplined, restrained, and intensely self-directed. He avoids drawing attention when it offers no benefit, repeatedly declines dangerous or politically binding opportunities, and prioritizes cultivation over reputation. He refused sponsorships that would entangle him, rejected administrative posts, and turned down roles whose risks outweighed their rewards. 40 126 178

His calm exterior conceals a ruthless pragmatism. In lethal conflicts, Cui Hao employs ambushes, hidden weapons, disguises, and decisive finishing blows rather than risking fair fights for pride. He is nevertheless capable of restraint: he does not indiscriminately take others’ spoils, returns Qian Duoduo’s weapons after defeating him, and gives vulnerable people opportunities rather than treating them as property. 110 201 406

Cui Hao is deeply protective of his household and former mentors. His decisions to build strength, accumulate resources, and conceal his advantages are consistently tied to safeguarding Su Yun, Hu Xing, and those who supported him early on. 78 149 284

Abilities & Skills

System Panel and Progress Points

Cui Hao possesses a status panel that records realm progress, technique mastery, passive effects, and usable progress points.

• Can invest controllable progress points into techniques, rapidly advancing their mastery. 126
• Gains progress through cultivation, combat, and other activities recorded by the panel. 55 61
• Receives cumulative passive enhancements such as physique, strength, penetration, agility, spirit, toxin resistance, and self-healing. 228
• His improved comprehension helps him understand manuals, martial arts, and mental cultivation methods more efficiently. 97 224

Fist Arts and Body Tempering

Cui Hao's foundation is based on Broken Fist, later fused with Eight Extremes Zhenyue Fist into a personal, highly adaptive fist style.

• Broken Fist Standing Postification — His earliest core art; developed from stake-standing and stance work to Perfection and beyond. 20 48 97
• Broken Eight Extremes Fist — Integrates with Broken Fist at the Extreme Realm, allowing his fist principles to flow together without clear boundaries. 97
• Town Mountain Skill / True Skill — Reinforces internal organs, qi and blood, and stability; it is an internal cultivation method rather than a direct killing technique. 55 61 73
• Defeated Zhao Li with a single devastating palm strike and later killed Shou Jin with one punch. 67 266

Swordsmanship and Spear Arts

Cui Hao studies multiple weapon arts and uses their overlapping effects to strengthen his combat performance.

• Falling Cloud Sword Forty-Nine Forms — A principal sword art used with Xuangui Steps for defense, counterattacks, and precision targeting. 91 94 205
• Azure Python Swordplay — Used after his arrival at Baoshan Sect; his improved comprehension allowed him to apply it against Guan Cheng. 224
• Zhenhai Pingbo Spear — Provides penetration, armor-breaking, and control; its progress reinforces his sword, claw, and needle techniques. 118
• Stabbing Dragon Spear — Quickly mastered due to its similarity to Zhenhai Pingbo Spear. 404
• Has defeated stronger opponents through timing and technique, including Zhu Tao and the Gale Force mid-stage Zhu Yu. 309 424

Movement, Stealth, and Disguise

Cui Hao specializes in controlling engagements and preventing enemies from identifying or surrounding him.

• Xuangui Steps — Combines close-range agility with a stable, heavy foundation; complements his Falling Cloud Sword techniques. 91 132
• Stealth — His system-enhanced movement reduces scent and improves silent movement and shadow use. 74
• Yi Jin Huan Gu Gong — Allows controlled alterations to tendons, bones, and facial structure for physical disguise. 418
• Frequently avoids revealing his true cultivation, using false identities and deliberately limited displays of strength. 239 270 374

Hidden Weapons and Assassination

Cui Hao uses hidden weapons as decisive tools against stronger opponents.

• Willow Shadow Flying Needle — Grants armor-breaking, silence, and control; used to defeat ambushers and eliminate fleeing opponents. 118 162 275
• Poisoned needles — Used to ambush Lu Renjie and weaken targets before close combat. 267
• Spiked ring — Used alongside Broken Fist and Town Mountain Skill to defeat Zhou Mengteng. 80
• Prefers preemptive attacks when facing superior forces, as demonstrated against Kai Qishan and numerous Blood Tribulation Path cultivators. 73 74 266

Internal Cultivation and Gong Qi

Cui Hao has cultivated several mental and internal arts simultaneously despite the risk of spreading his focus too thin.

• Zhenyue True Skill — His foundational sect mental cultivation method, used to kindle the fire seed and reach Dark Force. 84 97
• Immovable Ksitigarbha Sutra — An earth-based art that improves stability, recovery, and Ksitigarbha True Qi. 103 132
• Nine Revolutions Profound Yuan Technique, Lieyang Fentian Jue, Whale Swallowing Sea Covering Art, and Mystic Sea Gale Force Technique — Allow him to maintain water, fire, and earth attributes simultaneously. 259 369 410
• Absorbing Star Technique — Can siphon an opponent's internal energy and Gong Qi through strikes or physical contact, improving endurance in prolonged battles. 369 374

Alchemy and Medicine

Cui Hao is an accomplished alchemist who creates cultivation pills for personal use, profit, and allies.

• Refines Qi and Blood Powder, Startling Thunder Pills, and Purple Gold Pills. 251
• Sold pills through the black market while changing his appearance and voice to avoid attention. 251
• Uses medicinal resources strategically for breakthroughs but remains wary of unverified drugs and their long-term consequences. 55 71

Archery

Cui Hao is a capable archer whose physical strength exceeds expectations for his background.

• Drew a four-stone bow to its limit during Qingyuan City's strength examination. 39
• His archery mastery grants improved arm strength, accuracy, and critical-hit potential. 74

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Mithril Longsword — Used in battles against Lu Renjie and Zhu Tao; a highly valued weapon capable of conducting attributes. 267 309
• Soft Sword — Concealed weapon used during ambushes and duels. 302 417
• Zhenhai Pingbo Spear — Spear art and weapon associated with his penetration- and control-focused combat style. 118 424
• Willow Shadow Flying Needles — Includes poisoned and mithril varieties used for silent ranged attacks. 162 254
• Spiked Ring — Hidden weapon used against Zhou Mengteng. 80
• Inner Armor — Acquired from the Sha Family and later distributed to trusted allies and family members. 155 253
• Earthfire Essence — A breakthrough resource carried fixed to the inside of his shield. 261
• Purple Gold Pills — High-value pills Cui Hao eventually learned to refine himself. 251 253
• Human-skin masks, wigs, and fake beards — Used for aliases and infiltration, though Cui Hao later favored wigs and beards because masks cause irritation when worn too long. 387

Relationships

• Su Yun — Wife and Cui Hao's earliest source of domestic support; he repeatedly prioritizes her safety and future. 26 215 284
• Hu Xing — Cui Hao's spouse and member of his household; accompanies Su Yun in supporting and seeing him off during major journeys. 80 215 324
• Lin Da — Childhood friend, fellow disciple, and junior whom Cui Hao introduced to the academy and guided into Mortal Martial. 16 30
• Sun Cheng — Fourth Senior Brother and early mentor who taught Cui Hao, arranged his first sponsorship, and remained a trusted ally. 25 32 118
• Xu Dian — Cui Hao's enlightenment master at Zhanhong Martial Arts Academy; supported his early advancement and later reunited with him in the Shattered Star Sea. 48 64 324
• Xu Liqing — Senior Sister who provided Cui Hao with medicinal aid, warnings, and consistent support; Cui Hao wrote to her before leaving for Baoshan Sect. 20 64 214
• Wei He — Zhenyue Sect master who recognized Cui Hao's potential, accepted responsibility for protecting his family, and gave him a Yuan-Nourishing Purple Gold Pill upon his departure. 149 214
• He Hong — Senior Sister who assisted Cui Hao with martial-art rubbings and later became steward of his courtyard. 102 118
• Luo Qing — Fellow disciple whose feelings for Cui Hao are known to others; Cui Hao respectfully declined to reciprocate rather than mislead her. 190 214
• Xia Qiao — Junior Sister who aided Cui Hao with healing medicine and later expressed admiration and affection before his departure. 103 215
• Shou Jin — Former Chisha Peak Lord who secretly cultivated Cui Hao as a resource for demonic arts; Cui Hao later killed him. 239 266

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Zhanhong Martial Arts Academy — Cui Hao begins formal martial training, supports Lin Da, reaches Mortal Martial, and earns Sun Cheng's sponsorship despite being dismissed for his mediocre aptitude. 16 20 32
• Qingyuan City Rise — His four-stone bow draw, tournament performance, and victory over Zong Gaonian establish him as a rising figure among Qingyuan City's martial artists. 39 53 54
• Summer Gathering and Qingyuan Conflict — Cui Hao enters Clear Force, cripples Zhao Li, defeats Gu Fan, and eliminates Kai Qishan after becoming the target of hostile factions. 64 67 68 74
• Zhenyue Sect Training — After traveling to Linyuan City, Cui Hao enters Zhenyue Sect, cultivates several arts at once, and reaches Dark Force through sustained practice. 81 84 97
• Medicine King Valley and Dark Force Advancement — He acquires rare resources, develops alchemy, confronts enemies connected to Xiu Dahu and the Blood Tribulation Path, and reaches Dark Force Great Accomplishment. 155 161 191
• Baoshan Sect and Chisha Peak — Cui Hao enters Baoshan Sect, rises through the Outer Sect, accepts Shou Jin's invitation to Chisha Peak, then discovers the Peak Lord's demonic intentions and escapes. 222 237 247 253
• Revenge Against Shou Jin — Having reached Transformation Force, Cui Hao hunts Blood Tribulation Path cultivators to lure Shou Jin out and kills him in direct combat. 266 267
• Return to the Shattered Star Sea — He reunites with Zhenyue Sect survivors, supports former masters and allies, and becomes a central combatant for the reorganized Zhenhai Sect. 270 274 324
• Gale Force Era — Cui Hao breaks into Gale Force, protects Zhenhai Sect interests, confronts sects and assassins, and participates in the Four Seas Alliance's martial gathering. 349 369 391
• Four Seas Alliance Conflict — He kills Zhao Tiankong, refuses Qian Duoduo's million-tael bribe, and proves himself against Gale Force opponents in life-and-death battles. 395 406 424
• Tianmen Sect Sword Cultivator Competition — Cui Hao enters the competition primarily for rewards needed to refine the Haitian Pill. 450

Notable Quotes

“The weak gather in herds; the strong walk alone.” 20

“People are not goods and should have a sliver of opportunity for self-determination.” 201

Trivia

• Cui Hao initially had a fourth-class bone structure, later improved to fifth class after Medicine King Valley. 81 224
• He deliberately cultivated a reputation for mediocre aptitude to reduce scrutiny and preserve uninterrupted training time. 54 55
• His first academy sponsorship was three taels of silver per month from the Hu Family Flower Shop. 32
• He has used poetry and calligraphy as social tools, though his principal focus remains martial cultivation. 237 393