Yan Cheng

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Yan Cheng (阎成)
Alias(es)	Pavilion Master; School Master
Gender	Male
Affiliation	True Martial Arts School; True Martial Sect
Occupation/Role	School Master of the True Martial Arts School; martial-arts instructor and sect talent recruiter
First Appearance	42

Background / History

Yan Cheng serves as the School Master of Hequ County's True Martial Arts School, a subordinate school connected to the True Martial Sect. Like other martial-school masters sent to county towns to establish schools and identify talent, he is effectively unable to return to the sect unless he produces exceptional results; this limitation feeds his ambition to use a gifted disciple's success as his path back. He considers becoming a Grandmaster beyond his own potential. 45

When Chen Mo arrives at the school, Yan Cheng immediately recognizes that joining is Chen Mo's most beneficial option. He offers admission on the condition that Chen Mo withstand thirty moves, then discovers that the fifteen-year-old is already in the Divine Valor Realm and can force him to use Qi and Blood techniques. 42

Rather than treating Chen Mo as an ordinary disciple, Yan Cheng appoints him an Instructor Martial Master with top-tier benefits, protects the secrecy of his realm, and places him among the school's leading combatants. 43

Yan Cheng increasingly invests in Chen Mo's future: he explains the Mountain Entry Grand Competition and its rewards, repeatedly spars with him to help him sense and control Qi and Blood Power, and eventually gives him the True Martial Spirit Condensing Art. 45 50 62 63

Appearance

Yan Cheng is an older, imposing martial artist with the vigor expected of a successful cultivator. Though he appears to be around fifty, his hair and beard remain jet black. 42

• Over 1.9 meters tall. 42
• Sturdy, powerful build. 42
• Black hair and beard despite his age. 42
• Exceptionally spirited eyes. 42
• Normally carries himself with a calm, approachable demeanor, but becomes sharp and imposing when he fights. 42

Personality

Yan Cheng is perceptive, pragmatic, and highly capable of judging martial potential. He quickly sees that Chen Mo is concealing extraordinary strength and treats him as an investment worth protecting rather than prying into his secrets. 43 50

He is ambitious about returning to the True Martial Sect, but his support for Chen Mo is not merely transactional. He offers instruction, resources, and protection, while also being candid about cultivation barriers and the realities of his own limitations. 45 50 57

Yan Cheng can be competitive and smug toward his rival Lei Ming, especially when Chen Mo's talent gives the True Martial Arts School an overwhelming advantage. 67

Abilities & Skills

Qi and Blood Realm Cultivation

Yan Cheng is a Qi and Blood Realm martial artist at the Third Transformation, a level he has reportedly remained at for a long time. 50

• Uses Qi and Blood Power to greatly enhance his strength, speed, and defense. 49
• Can form a layer of Qi and Blood Gauze around his body. 49
• His Qi and Blood strikes can penetrate past superficial defenses and damage an opponent's flesh, bones, and meridians. 42 49
• His full combat ability is sufficient to defeat Chen Mo before Chen Mo gains further breakthroughs, though Chen Mo's abnormal defense and growth repeatedly strain him. 42 49 50

Combat Instruction

Yan Cheng uses sparring as both an assessment tool and a training method.

• Evaluated Chen Mo through a thirty-move admission spar. 42
• Identified Chen Mo as a Quasi Qi and Blood Realm martial artist after observing his involuntary Qi and Blood circulation. 50
• Arranged sparring sessions every three days to stimulate Chen Mo's Qi and Blood control. 50
• Accurately recognizes when Chen Mo is holding back or has made another sudden improvement. 49 62

True Martial Spirit Condensing Art

Yan Cheng possesses the True Martial Spirit Condensing Art and passes it to Chen Mo as a top-tier second-rate technique. 62 63

• The technique condenses divine sense and improves the success rate and efficiency of opening Heavenly Meridians for a future Xiantian breakthrough. 63
• Yan Cheng cultivated it himself but did not master it, leaving him particularly aware of its difficulty. 63
• He warns Chen Mo not to underestimate the time and effort required to enter the technique. 63

Relationships

• Chen Mo — Recruiter, School Master, sparring partner, and early mentor. Yan Cheng grants him an Instructor Martial Master position, protects his standing, trains him through Qi and Blood sparring, and gives him the True Martial Spirit Condensing Art. 43 50 62 63
• Lei Ming — School Master of the rival Fierce Tiger Martial Arts School. Their rivalry becomes more pointed after Yan Cheng secures Chen Mo, whom Lei Ming regrets failing to recruit. 54 67
• Pu Jing Ming — Core disciple under Yan Cheng's instruction; witnesses Yan Cheng's spars with Chen Mo. 42 49
• Jiang Ling Ling — Core disciple under Yan Cheng's instruction; witnesses Yan Cheng's spars with Chen Mo. 42 49
• Chen Ying and Chen Yuqi — Chen Mo's fellow villagers. At Chen Mo's request, Yan Cheng gives them canteen positions, access to martial training outside work hours, and permission to select techniques from the first two floors of the Cultivation Technique Pavilion. 65
• Sun Li — True Martial Sect elder who later accompanies Yan Cheng and Chen Mo during the sect-selection process. 69

Story Role / Major Arcs

Recruitment of Chen Mo

Yan Cheng tests Chen Mo's strength personally and is forced to use Qi and Blood techniques after underestimating him. He accepts Chen Mo into the True Martial Arts School and elevates him directly to Instructor Martial Master. 42 43

Mountain Entry Grand Competition

He informs Chen Mo of the upcoming sect competition, explains its selection standards and rewards, and hopes Chen Mo can place highly enough to help him return to the True Martial Sect. 45 65

Qi and Blood Training

After recognizing Chen Mo as a Quasi Qi and Blood Realm martial artist, Yan Cheng becomes Chen Mo's regular sparring partner. Though this initially serves as instruction, Chen Mo's rapid growth soon leaves Yan Cheng struggling to maintain an advantage. 49 50 51 62

Support for Chen Mo's Circle

Yan Cheng quietly accepts that Chen Mo was involved in the collapse of the Guo and Yu families, chooses not to investigate further, and helps Chen Ying and Chen Yuqi enter the True Martial Arts School. 65

Notable Quotes

“What the Fierce Tiger Martial Arts School can give you, our True Martial Arts School can also give. What they can't give you, we still can.” 55

“From now on, you'll come over once every three days, and I'll spar with you. Constant stimulation from Qi and Blood Power will help you control it sooner.” 50