Zhu Ping'an

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Zhu Ping'an (祝平安)
Alias(es)	Ting (Qianlong codename) 139
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Cangqiong Academy; Qianlong 32 139
Occupation/Role	Martial Artist; Cangqiong Academy student; Green City Top Scholar 31 32
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Near First Rank	1	Consumes a Qi and Blood Pill, rising from 80 Qi and Blood Value to just below the 100-point threshold.
First-Rank Warrior	2	Breaks through after consuming a second Qi and Blood Pill; his senses greatly improve.
Nearly 185 Qi and Blood Value	2	Exploits plot correction to consume nine Qi and Blood Pills in half an hour.
Early First Rank	36	Cultivates the Nine Revolutions Starry Sky Technique for a week; reaches roughly 390 Qi and Blood Value and nearly 4,000 jun of force.
Mid Second Rank	118	Refines Golden Cicada Spirit Blood, consolidating his True Essence at the middle stage.
Peak Second Rank	186	Resolves his emotional turmoil regarding Leng Tianjiao, triggering a breakthrough.
Early Third Rank	200	Uses a Breaking Realm Pill and Wen Wei's battle pressure to shatter his cultivation barrier.
Great Wilderness Celestial Body — Entry Realm	145	Refines the Barren Yuan Fruit and spends two months fighting exotic beasts in the Sea of Death; can contend with Rank 3 Exotic Beasts using his body alone.

Background / History

Zhu Ping'an transmigrates into a martial-arts novel as its original Second Male Lead. Knowing that the original plot requires him to give Yan Shubing a Qi and Blood Pill—thereby stunting his own breakthrough—he chooses to keep it and begins resisting his assigned role. He soon discovers that plot correction repeatedly supplies replacement pills whenever Yan Shubing needs one, allowing him to turn the supposed fate into a source of cultivation resources. 1 2

He initially keeps up the appearance of Yan Shubing's devoted admirer while privately resenting how she had relied on his money, resources, and protection. His awareness that some key plot points cannot be changed makes him cautious: when Ye Qingxian enters an Epiphany during their mock-exam fight, Zhu Ping'an surrenders rather than become the protagonist's training target. 4 5

During the Secret Realm of Star Gazing, he absorbs Star Light and receives the Starry Sky Ancient Saint's inheritance, gaining the Nine Revolutions Starry Sky Technique. He uses its Star Force to summon meteors against a humanoid creature, while also deliberately injuring Yan Shubing and Ye Qingxian amid the attack. 20 25

After helping save more than a hundred examinees, Zhu Ping'an becomes Green City's Top Scholar and receives recruitment offers from leading martial arts universities. He chooses Cangqiong Academy to pursue Cangqiong Ancient Saint's physical-body inheritance. 31 32

His parents, Zhu Jianghua and Xia Yue, and his younger sister Zhu Kaixin disappear following the Beast Tide in Green City. Their absence becomes one of his central motivations, especially after Blood Cult protector Zhu Yan claims to know their whereabouts. 69 135 214

At Cangqiong Academy, Zhu Ping'an obtains Cangqiong Ancient Saint's legacy, wins the Six Paths Brahma Technique from Cui Yi, and is recruited into the secretive Qianlong organization under the codename Ting. 128 138 139

Personality

Zhu Ping'an is pragmatic, calculating, and strongly driven by survival. He openly regards the novel's plot as something to exploit, using Yan Shubing and Ye Qingxian's protagonist-linked luck to obtain resources and opportunities. 2 40 59

He frequently adopts a harmless, affectionate persona to deceive others, then reveals a ruthless willingness to poison, manipulate, or ambush opponents when it benefits him. His schemes often target Ye Qingxian, whom he alternates between exploiting as an ally and treating as a disposable shield. 40 43 161 162

Despite this ruthlessness, Zhu Ping'an is capable of loyalty and genuine concern. He risks himself to save others in Green City, searches persistently for his missing family, and refuses to abandon either Lin Mo or Leng Tianjiao when both are critically injured. 31 69 193

Abilities & Skills

Plot Exploitation

As a transmigrator who knows the original novel's premise, Zhu Ping'an recognizes plot correction and uses it to gain resources or force favorable outcomes.

• Realizes that Yan Shubing's need for a Qi and Blood Pill causes replacement pills to appear around him. 2
• Identifies certain plot points as effectively fixed, prompting him to surrender when Ye Qingxian's destined mock-exam victory is forcibly preserved. 4
• Intentionally injures Ye Qingxian to exploit a plot bug and create Marrow-Bone Pills. 193
• His foreknowledge is imperfect; his changes to the story can produce unforeseen consequences, such as Ye Qingxian obtaining the Breaking Dragon Spear earlier than expected. 21

Nine Revolutions Starry Sky Technique

An inheritance from the Starry Sky Ancient Saint that allows Zhu Ping'an to draw in and command Star Force. 25

• Tempered his Qi and Blood and accelerated his early First-Rank cultivation. 36
• Connects him to the refined stars within the Secret Realm of Star Gazing. 25
• Can summon destructive meteors over a wide area. 25
• Its Star Force is used alongside Dragon Yuan to break through cultivation barriers. 200

Great Wilderness Celestial Body / Great Desolation Technique

A supreme body-refining inheritance associated with Cangqiong Ancient Saint. Zhu Ping'an cultivates it through desolate energy and the Barren Yuan Fruit. 138 145

• Greatly reinforces his physical body and endurance. 145 181
• Lets him fight Rank 3 Exotic Beasts with physical strength alone after reaching the Entry Realm. 145
• Enables him to withstand powerful strikes, including the yellow-haired youth's Mountain Breaking Palm when combined with Dragon Hidden Armor. 181
• Provides desolate power for close-range attacks. 220

Swordsmanship

Zhu Ping'an wields the sentient Chuyi Sword and the short sword Fifteenth Day. Ao Qi trains him to prioritize precision and control over brute force. 83 118

• Immortal Devil Sword Technique — His early signature sword art; he uses it against Ye Qingxian and other stronger opponents. 28 108
• Kill Word Sword Technique — A sword technique derived from Lin Mo's notebook, characterized by fierce killing intent. 102 160
• Sword Slash Lu Demon / Sword Slash Lu Immortal — A sword attack delivered through Fifteenth Day from difficult angles. 220
• Wu identifies Zhu Ping'an's major weakness as broad but shallow mastery of several profound techniques, advising him to merge the Immortal Devil and Kill Word sword arts into one personal sword technique. 220

Dragon Yuan

Dragon Yuan enhances Zhu Ping'an's combat power and grants a suppressive effect against Exotic Beasts. 160 184

• Allows him to overpower a mid Third-Rank Martial Artist despite being late Second Rank. 160
• Can suppress and control Exotic Beasts at his own tier or below. 184
• Cannot suppress Exotic Beasts above his current cultivation tier. 184
• Strengthens the Devil Sha Black Dragon Cannon's manifested black dragon. 193

Six Paths Brahma Technique

A sixth-grade martial skill won from Cui Yi after their duel over Cangqiong Ancient Saint's legacy. 128 138

• Contains six moves corresponding to the first through sixth tiers. 138
• Used alongside his other techniques to suppress the peak Third-Rank Scarred Man. 150

Heaven-Burning Finger

A finger-based martial skill used in combat. 181 220

• Can be employed as part of a multi-skill assault. 220
• Was insufficient to decisively defeat a peak Third-Rank opponent on its own. 181

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Chuyi Sword — A sword with a developing spirit; later occupied by a more powerful sword spirit. 118
• Fifteenth Day — Short sword used for concealed or follow-up sword attacks. 118 220
• Devil Sha Black Dragon Cannon — Seven-component weapon awarded by Sun Huang after Zhu Ping'an accepts the task of destroying the Stone Platform. 52
• Dragon Hidden Armor — Defensive armor that helps him withstand the yellow-haired youth's Mountain Breaking Palm; Zhu Ping'an later gives it to Leng Tianjiao. 181 186
• Storage Ring — Gifted by Lin Zhao in gratitude for saving Green City. 69
• Qianlong Token, Black Robe, and Mask — Items granted upon joining Qianlong as Ting. 139

Relationships

• Yan Shubing — Former object of Zhu Ping'an's one-sided devotion in the original plot. He continues to perform affection toward her while exploiting her protagonist-linked luck; he nevertheless protects her when Beast threatens her. 1 2 59 72
• Ye Qingxian — Original male lead, primary rival, and frequent target of Zhu Ping'an's schemes. Their relationship periodically becomes a tense alliance when their interests align. 21 43 160 185
• Leng Tianjiao — Zhu Ping'an's fiancée. Their relationship develops from mutual tension and concern into an acknowledged romantic bond after Zhu Ping'an confesses to her. 49 69 186
• Xia Yue — Zhu Ping'an's mother, who named him in the hope that he would live peacefully and safely. She later disappears during the Beast Tide. 5 69
• Zhu Jianghua — Zhu Ping'an's father, missing alongside Xia Yue and Zhu Kaixin after the Beast Tide. 69 72
• Zhu Kaixin — Zhu Ping'an's younger sister, missing with their parents; finding her remains a major personal goal. 69 214
• Old Yin and Old Yang — Early martial guides who teach and advise Zhu Ping'an on the Immortal Devil Sword Technique, though they decline formal discipleship. 9 210
• Ao Qi — Cangqiong Academy instructor who teaches Zhu Ping'an disciplined sword control through unconventional exercises. 83
• Lin Mo — Sword prodigy and ally. Zhu Ping'an studies her Kill Word Sword Technique and later attempts to save her alongside Leng Tianjiao. 102 193
• Cui Yi — Great Xia Academy genius whom Zhu Ping'an defeats to gain the Six Paths Brahma Technique; later reappears as an enemy aligned with the Blood Cult. 128 214
• Wu — Powerful Qianlong member who protects Zhu Ping'an and becomes a mentor-like figure, diagnosing the flaw in his martial development. 219 220

Story Role / Major Arcs

Breaking the Second Male Lead's Fate

Zhu Ping'an refuses to sacrifice his cultivation for Yan Shubing, becomes a First-Rank Warrior, and begins exploiting plot correction to acquire pills and power. 1 2

Rivalry with Ye Qingxian

He repeatedly clashes with Ye Qingxian, first surrendering to avoid an Epiphany-fueled reversal, then defeating Ye Qingxian in their second major battle with Golden Blaze sword light. 4 21

Secret Realm of Star Gazing

Zhu Ping'an plunders Star Light, becomes Green City's Top Scholar, inherits the Nine Revolutions Starry Sky Technique, and defeats the humanoid creature through meteor summons. 20 25 31

Cangqiong Academy and Ancient Saint Legacy

He joins Cangqiong Academy to seek Cangqiong Ancient Saint's inheritance, survives the competition within Cangqiong Tower, and obtains both the Great Desolation Technique and the Six Paths Brahma Technique. 32 111 128 138

Qianlong Recruitment

After Shou saves him from Lin Wucheng, Zhu Ping'an accepts Qianlong's recruitment, receives the codename Ting, and gains access to the organization's resources and intelligence network. 138 139

Sea of Death and Four Fiends Mystic Realm

Zhu Ping'an refines the Barren Yuan Fruit, develops the Great Wilderness Celestial Body, uses Dragon Yuan to control Exotic Beasts, and leads strategies against Sakura Country martial artists. 145 184 187

Third-Rank Breakthrough

Facing peak Third-Rank Wen Wei, Zhu Ping'an deliberately endures overwhelming pressure while using a Breaking Realm Pill, then breaks through to early Third Rank and forces Wen Wei to concede. 198 199 200

Wu's Guidance

Wu protects Zhu Ping'an from Zhu Yan, brings him to a cave for a fortunate encounter, and advises him to synthesize his many martial skills rather than merely collecting them. 219 220

Trivia

• Zhu Ping'an's name was chosen by Xia Yue so that anyone calling him would effectively be wishing him peace and safety. 5
• He was an orphan before transmigrating and initially feels unfamiliar with parental affection upon returning home. 6
• He uses improvised methods to carry resources, once tying tens of thousands of Qi and Blood Pills inside his shirt like a shopping bag. 49
• His reputation is mixed: he becomes a celebrated Green City hero, but fellow martial artists also fear him as powerful, cunning, and prone to poisoning opponents. 31 122