Li Mo

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Li Mo (李默)
Alias(es)	Li the Doctor; Doctor of Eighteen Mountains
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Jimin Hall; former Fourteenth Group Leader of Pingshan Society; Lingmu Sect
Occupation/Role	Physician and former traveling doctor; cultivator; Lingmu Sect disciple; aspiring alchemist
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Three-Way Swordplay — Minor Accomplishment	10	Uses the Mystic Dream to practice body-strengthening methods and sword stances with a shadow body, then transfers its breathing and force-application principles to reality.
Three-Way Swordplay — Great Mastery	25	Demonstrates swordsmanship strong enough to impress Ma Ling, Niu Li, and Yang Guang; provides them with martial-arts instruction.
Three-Way Swordplay — Great Completion	22	Gains instinctive spiritual perception within roughly ten feet, sensing nearby people and objects beyond ordinary sight.
Qi Refining Layer 1	28	Condenses Magical Power, activates his Spirit Eye, and becomes a formal cultivator after possessing a Lightning spiritual root.
Qi Refining Layer 2	33	Learns and casts Palm Lightning, his first true spell.
Qi Refining Layer 4	35	Breaks through and experiences a substantial increase in Magical Power and spell power.
Late Qi Refining Layer 4	44	Has advanced to the late stage of the fourth layer by the time he returns to Hua'an Town.

Background / History

Li Mo was raised in Shanbei Village in Gan State by his mother, Zhou Mei, after his father died during Li Mo's childhood. The family had previously survived through dangerous smuggling in the southeastern wilderness before becoming citizens of Gan State. At fourteen, Li Mo apprenticed at Jimin Hall in Hua'an Town for 300 Cash per month, hoping to become a dispensing doctor or herb gatherer and improve his family's circumstances 1.

Quiet around strangers due to growing up without a father, Li Mo was diligent, observant, and especially devoted to Zhou Mei. Doctor Zhang initially considered him merely meticulous, but later recognized that Li Mo had integrated medical knowledge at an exceptional pace 3. Li Mo's progress was aided by the Mystic Box and its recurring Mystic Dream, which let him absorb knowledge and experiment with learned techniques 4.

Zhou Mei's health worsened near the Evening Moon, and she later died. Li Mo buried her on North Mountain according to her wishes. Zhang Dongliang subsequently performed Li Mo's coming-of-age hair-tying ceremony in place of his parents 4 7.

Li Mo hoped to marry his childhood friend Zhao Siman, whom he called Xiao Man. After she was sold by her relatives to River God Temple as a sacrifice during a flood and plague, he arrived too late to save her 11. He hired the swordswoman Wang Ying and personally murdered the Zhao relatives he held responsible, beginning his descent into the martial world 12.

After leaving Hua'an Town for Quhe Town, Li Mo sought information on cultivators in Eighteen Mountains. He became the fourteenth group leader of Pingshan Society, built influence through medical treatment, and trained his martial skills through the Mystic Dream and repeated sparring 13 16 18. Following Pingshan Society's internal conflict, he left for Anle City to undergo spiritual-root testing 20 21.

At the Heaven's Mandate Bureau, Li Mo was found to possess a Lightning spiritual root. He traveled by flying boat to Qingming Mountain and entered Lingmu Sect, where he pursued cultivation, alchemy, lightning spells, and Puppet Technique 22 25 33.

Appearance

Li Mo is a young man who began the story at fourteen. During his coming-of-age ceremony, Zhang Dongliang untied his childhood topknot, combed his hair, and secured it with a bamboo hairpin 1 7.

• Often presents himself neatly and deliberately, even while concealing grief or anger 11.
• Was recognized locally as a traveling doctor after making house calls in villages around Hua'an Town 11.
• Carries a sword and later uses lightning spells in combat 12 33.

Personality

Li Mo is patient, hardworking, and methodical. He studies medicine, martial arts, cultivation, and alchemy with sustained focus rather than relying on natural advantages. His restraint with Spirit Stones and willingness to prepare before entering dangerous situations reflect his long-term mindset 7 32 47.

The deaths of his mother and Zhao Siman profoundly change him. Zhao Siman's sacrifice leaves him capable of extreme violence, and the killing intent he acquires makes him more irritable and frightening to ordinary people 11 13. Even so, he can suppress his emotions, maintain an outwardly calm demeanor, and gather information before acting 11.

Li Mo values self-reliance and justice. After witnessing horrors associated with the Evening Moon and the Tan River's evil spirit, he concludes that he cannot depend on gods or immortals to save people 12. He ultimately aims to become a Heaven's Mandate Bureau Inspector and avoid being drawn into sectarian factional struggles 31.

Abilities & Skills

Medical Arts

Li Mo trained as an apprentice at Jimin Hall and developed into a capable traveling doctor.

• Integrates herbal medicine and pharmacological knowledge through the Mystic Dream 3 4.
• Gains practical experience through house calls with Ding Jie 7.
• Builds standing in Pingshan Society by treating its members and stabilizing the Divine Physician Hall 16 17.
• His medical skill earns him the title “Doctor of Eighteen Mountains” 12.

Mystic Dream

Li Mo can enter a mysterious dream realm associated with the Mystic Box.

• Reading the Mystic Box while letting his thoughts wander increases his chance of entering the dream 4.
• Initially accelerates his integration of medical knowledge 4.
• Lets him practice Three-Way Swordplay in a shadow body with ideal posture, breathing, and force application 10.
• Its phenomena change as his studies shift, later deepening his Magical Power and exposing him to dangerous lightning tribulations 27 37.
• The lightning tribulation injures his spiritual sense, slowing his Magical Power recovery and impairing his control of magic artifacts 37 39.

Three-Way Swordplay

A third-rate martial art focused on body strengthening and killing techniques.

• Includes Leap, Backward Dodge, Side Swing, and thirty-six sword stances 10.
• Reaches Great Completion, granting heightened instinctive perception within roughly ten feet 22.
• Provides a strong physical and movement foundation even after Li Mo becomes a cultivator 25 35.
• Initially lacked practical “danger intuition,” a weakness he addressed through sparring and real danger 17 18.

Spirit Eye

Lingmu Sect's primary cultivation technique and Li Mo's foundational cultivator ability.

• Allows perception of spiritual-energy currents and the material properties of spiritual objects 24.
• Assists his understanding and learning of lightning spells 33.
• Enables him to inspect the spiritual-energy structure and rune workmanship of magical artifacts 49.

Lightning Spiritual Root

Li Mo's spiritual-root attribute, discovered during the Dragon Boat Festival examination.

• Confirmed by the Five Elements Plate, which produces thunder during his test 22.
• Guides his cultivation toward lightning-attribute spells and the Way of Lightning 33 36.
• Supports his use of the Lightning Refining Method in alchemy 41 47.

Palm Lightning

A low-tier beginner lightning spell learned from Shen Yun.

• Forms an egg-sized greenish-blue thunderball in Li Mo's palm 33.
• Has high destructive power but requires close range 33.
• At Qi Refining Layer 2, Li Mo can only sustain it for about ten breaths and can barely cast it once 33.
• Becomes stronger after his breakthrough to Qi Refining Layer 4 35.

Lightning Ball Technique

A low-grade lightning spell learned after Palm Lightning.

• Provides ranged offense with rapid projectile speed 35.
• Can paralyze and burn targets 35.
• Has less destructive power than Palm Lightning and is best suited for sneak attacks or ordinary opponents 35.

Summon Thunder Slave

An advanced-level beginner spell taught by Tian Fen.

• Summons a thunderous hound-like creature 38.
• Defeats Wu Xin during the year-end assessment before Wu Xin can cast a spell 38.
• Its Magical Power cost is severe; Li Mo is exhausted after casting it against Zhao Liang 39.
• Requires difficult comprehension under a seven-day instruction deadline 36.

Alchemy

Li Mo pursues alchemy despite recognizing that it differs fundamentally from medical practice.

• Receives Chen Rong's recommendation for the sect's alchemy assessment 35.
• Obtains the Creation Pill recipe after a lightning tribulation in the Misty Dreamscape 37.
• Uses the Lightning Refining Method during an alchemy assessment 41.
• Successfully refines twenty-two Qi Gathering Pills, nineteen of them flawless 47.
• Sells Qi Gathering Pills for thirty-two Spirit Stones each to fund further cultivation and purchase a Humanoid Puppet 49.

Puppet Technique

Li Mo studies Puppet Technique under Lü Cuicui.

• Learns the fundamentals of puppets and Lü Family beast-shaped puppets 33.
• Purchases a Humanoid Puppet for 300 Spirit Stones to study and maintain with Lü Cuicui 49.
• The puppet can exert strength comparable to Qi Refining Layer 7 and cast Light Technique 49.
• Requires continuous Spirit Stone replacement and regular joint maintenance 49.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Mystic Box — source of the Mystic Dream and its opportunities and dangers 4 10.
• Sword — used in his Three-Way Swordplay and during his revenge against the Zhao family 12.
• Spirit Reflection Sword Manual — an ancient artifact-forging text given by Wang Ying; records sword-forging methods associated with Spirit Reflection Mountain 20.
• Creation Pill recipe — golden paper obtained after a lightning tribulation; requires a Misty Demon Core and Lightning Refining Method 37.
• Humanoid Puppet — purchased for 300 Spirit Stones; designed for study with Lü Cuicui 49.

Relationships

• Zhou Mei — mother; raised Li Mo alone and urged him to be diligent. Her death and burial on North Mountain deeply affected him 1 4.
• Zhao Siman / Xiao Man — childhood friend and intended future wife; her sacrifice to River God Temple drives Li Mo's revenge and pursuit of power 1 11 12.
• Zhang Qin — older distant cousin and Hua'an Town constable; warned Li Mo about monsters and tried to restrain him after Xiao Man's fate was revealed 1 11.
• Zhang Dongliang — master at Jimin Hall; performed Li Mo's coming-of-age ceremony and acted as a parental figure 7.
• Doctor Zhang — Jimin Hall physician who recognized Li Mo's medical potential and developed paternal affection for him 3 4.
• Ding Jie — senior disciple who shares medical experience and gives Li Mo the Three-Way Swordplay manual 6 7.
• Wang Ying — swordswoman and former Pingshan Society ally; helped Li Mo take revenge, later exchanged information and the Spirit Reflection Sword Manual for his assistance 12 20 46.
• Lu Tianyou — friend met after Li Mo's spiritual-root test; travels with him to Lingmu Sect and remains a close companion despite personal troubles 22 23 49.
• Lü Cuicui — friend and teacher in Puppet Technique; Li Mo purchases a Humanoid Puppet to study with her 32 33 49.
• Chen Rong — Lingmu Sect alchemy instructor; recommends Li Mo for an alchemy assessment and advises him on the Lightning Refining Method 30 35 37.
• Tian Fen — lightning-spell instructor; teaches Li Mo Summon Thunder Slave and inspires his interest in more advanced Lightning Techniques 36 40.
• Zhang Guoyin — elderly disciple and friend; leaves Li Mo an inheritance before dying, reinforcing Li Mo's resolve to seize opportunities 35.
• Ma Ling, Niu Li, and Yang Guang — fellow disciples whom Li Mo instructs in martial arts and later trains alongside 25 33.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Jimin Hall Apprentice

Li Mo begins as a poor village youth apprenticed at Jimin Hall. He supports his mother, studies medicine diligently, discovers the Mystic Dream, and matures following Zhou Mei's death 1 7.

Loss of Xiao Man and Revenge

After Xiao Man is sold as a sacrifice to River God Temple, Li Mo fails to save her. He conceals his grief, hires Wang Ying, and personally kills the relatives he considers responsible 11 12.

Eighteen Mountains

Li Mo enters Pingshan Society, becomes its fourteenth group leader, and builds a reputation as a physician. He refines his swordplay through sparring, gains danger intuition, and witnesses the overwhelming difference between martial artists and cultivators 16 20.

Journey to Cultivation

Li Mo leaves Eighteen Mountains for Anle City, tests positive for a Lightning spiritual root, and joins Lingmu Sect at Qingming Mountain 21 24.

Lingmu Sect Disciple

At Lingmu Sect, Li Mo cultivates the Eye of True Spirit, advances through Qi Refining, learns lightning spells, studies alchemy and Puppet Technique, and navigates the disparity between aristocratic and rogue disciples 25 49.

Trivia

• Li Mo initially saves money with the goal of formally marrying Zhao Siman 7.
• He buys a hairpin for his late mother and later places it at her grave 7 8.
• He has a habit of giving people nicknames, though he resolves to stop after Ma Ling beats someone for calling her “Tiger Girl” 28.
• He considers becoming a Heaven's Mandate Bureau Inspector his long-term goal 31.