Zhen Chanzi

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Zhen Chanzi (真阐子)
Alias(es)	Old man; Grandpa Ring; “ring grandpa” 16 670 1008
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male 794
Affiliation	Mount Luofu Mystic Clarity Palace — former last sect leader 794
Occupation/Role	Former Mahayana cultivator; ancient-method adviser; later historical scholar and biographer 794 1799
Status	Reincarnated; later works as a literary scholar specializing in history and biographies 1203 1799
First Appearance	Chapter 16

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Peak Mahayana	16	In life, Zhen Chanzi was a peak-Mahayana cultivator, reportedly one step from ascension, and the leader of Mount Luofu Mystic Clarity Palace.
Remnant soul in the Mathematics ring	16	His body was destroyed roughly ten thousand years earlier; his remaining soul survived within a jade ring, leaving his power drastically diminished.
Restored dream manifestation	437	After applying a Modern Dharma soul-restoration technique, he could manifest his former black-robed form within Wang Qi’s dream realm and assist directly.
Reincarnated	1203, 1799	His soul was extracted from the ring and prepared for fusion with a newly designed body; decades later, he is confirmed to have reincarnated.

Background

Mount Luofu Mystic Clarity Palace

Zhen Chanzi was born Su, the son of Mount Luofu Mystic Clarity Palace’s Elder of Bestowal of Arts, before being adopted by the sect leader. He eventually became the palace’s last sect leader and a Mahayana cultivator during the spiritually depleted Age of Dharma Decline. 794 833

During Mount Luofu’s long conflict with Emperor-Grade Heaven-Splitting Dao, Zhen Chanzi was struck by the enemy’s Legacy Fire Transmitting Profound Formation, leaving his mind and Magical Power unstable. A Sword of Heavenly Borders then pierced his chest, and the Imperial Heaven Succession Seal struck his crown, destroying his physical body. 794

Mount Luofu Mystic Clarity Palace fell, while the mortal families tied closely to its cultivators were targeted and slaughtered by Emperor-Grade Heaven-Splitting Dao. Zhen Chanzi alone escaped as a remnant soul attached to a ring. 833

Ten Thousand Years in the Ring

Zhen Chanzi remained bodiless for approximately ten thousand years. The Mathematics ring’s material preserved his remnant soul, but he could neither access nor understand its increasingly sophisticated functions after its later reforging. 1203

By the time he encountered Wang Qi, Zhen Chanzi had become an ancient-method mentor and reluctant companion. He instructed Wang Qi in cultivation, concealed his aura, and lent him knowledge accumulated across his former life. 16 27

Their relationship was strained after Li Ziye’s death, when Zhen Chanzi admitted he had concealed the ring’s connection to other immortal artifacts and gambled that Wang Qi would never meet a Heaven-Splitting Dao Lord carrying a matching artifact. 30

Reconciliation and Root-Seeking

Zhen Chanzi gradually accepted that Modern Dharma had surpassed the cultivation system of his era. Though initially bewildered by modern techniques, academic cultivation, calculators, and spatial arts available to low-level cultivators, he increasingly learned to advise Wang Qi within the new system. 20 136 348

When Wang Qi arranged Zhen Chanzi’s reincarnation, Zhen Chanzi insisted on using his original bloodline despite the difficulty of tracing it through ten thousand years of surname changes, migration, and mutation. 794 795

Wang Qi accompanied him through Jiangbei and other regions to identify descendants of Zhen Chanzi’s adoptive family and former Mount Luofu cultivators. The search led Zhen Chanzi to reassess his attachment to bloodline, revenge, and the destroyed palace. 832 833 836

By the end of the journey, he had begun letting go of the loss of Mount Luofu Mystic Clarity Palace and his inability to personally destroy Emperor-Grade Heaven-Splitting Dao. 834

Reincarnation

Zhen Chanzi underwent a formal soul examination at Yangshen Pavilion, where Liu Huanfeng recorded his former appearance, bodily measurements, cultivation history, and the circumstances of his death for body reconstruction. 794

His remnant soul was eventually removed from the Mathematics ring and transferred to a soul jade cube. The ring became more stable after his removal, while Zhen Chanzi entered the process of fusing with a new body. 1203

Thirty years after the battle at the Cosmic Axis, Zhen Chanzi had reincarnated and become a literary scholar who specialized in historical works and biographies. Wang Qi later sought him out to write a biography of his pre-Primordial Spirit life. 1799

Appearance

When manifested, Zhen Chanzi appears as an elderly man in black Daoist robes with a long tiger beard and an imposing, dignified bearing. 437 1008

• His former living height was six feet nine inches, with a weight of one hundred and fifty jin. 794
• He maintained the same elderly black-robed appearance for the entirety of his ten-thousand-year existence as a remnant soul. 437
• Wang Qi initially expected his image in a dream to be “a big ball of light,” much to Zhen Chanzi’s displeasure. 437

Personality

Zhen Chanzi is proud of his former Mahayana status, ancient-method expertise, and the breadth of Mount Luofu’s inheritance. He can be dismissive of techniques he considers crude or inferior, especially when judging them by ancient standards. 104 951 1048

He is also highly pragmatic. Having survived the Age of Dharma Decline, he is comfortable with deception, theft, and exploiting an opponent’s weaknesses; however, he prefers Wang Qi to develop his own judgment instead of relying on him as an effortless solution. 452

His long confinement made him talkative, sarcastic, and easily exasperated by Wang Qi’s behavior. Despite their constant bickering, he repeatedly worries about Wang Qi’s cultivation, mental state, and recklessness. 16 51 153

The destruction of Mount Luofu and the loss of his body shaped him deeply, but his root-seeking journey ultimately softened his fixation on revenge and lineage. 833 834 836

Abilities & Skills

Mahayana Cultivation and Ancient-Method Knowledge

Zhen Chanzi was once a peak-Mahayana cultivator and an authority on the ancient cultivation systems collected by Mount Luofu Mystic Clarity Palace. 16 951

• Identifies ancient techniques, their origins, alterations, and likely flaws. 898 951
• Understands the supreme Mount Luofu art, the Daluo Hundiantianjing, including its five Innate stages. 1035
• Assesses combat strength, Magical Power expenditure, formations, sword techniques, and cultivation risks. 26 30 36
• Recognizes the limits of his own knowledge when confronting Modern Dharma methods that developed after his death. 20 996

Remnant-Soul Techniques

While bound to the Mathematics ring, Zhen Chanzi retained limited spiritual abilities despite his lack of a body. 16

• Conceals Wang Qi’s cultivation aura through the ring. 16
• Can extend a wisp of his soul into Wang Qi’s body to help break restrictions, though doing so consumes his already limited remnant soul. 27
• Could perceive Wang Qi’s thoughts during Wang Qi’s early cultivation, though this became far more difficult as Wang Qi’s mental control improved. 671
• Could not simply possess Wang Qi and fight in his body. 17

Dream and Illusion Support

Zhen Chanzi can operate through layered dreams and illusions, allowing him to guide a body without directly taking over its incompatible Magical Power system. 539

• Manifested physically in Wang Qi’s dream realm after restoring part of his soul. 437
• Helped Wang Qi confront hostile mental phenomena within the reversed Qu Jian Ji dream structure. 437
• Exchanged sensory control with Wang Qi through illusion-based dream layers. 539
• Reconstructed crime scenes through illusion, using physical traces and combat knowledge to infer events. 486

Swordsmanship and Combat Direction

Zhen Chanzi’s reaction speed and combat experience remained valuable even after the loss of his body. 744

• Controlled a Divine Body’s movement, evasion, and defense when Wang Qi’s own reactions were insufficient. 740
• Detonated stored Transforming Demon Beasts and directed Taichu Five Blessings Sword Qi with the Thousand Cloud Illusory Sword Art. 744
• Used Nine-Turn Pill Dao principles to condense Sword Qi into sword pills during a battle driven by will and consciousness. 911
• His restored manifestation was still vulnerable to entities whose will surpassed his own; an unknown middle-aged scholar defeated him with a single finger in Wang Qi’s dream. 437 438

Deception and Strategic Guidance

Zhen Chanzi is experienced in trickery and manipulation, having survived an era where cultivators fought over scarce resources and fortuitous encounters. 452

• Advises Wang Qi to develop unknown techniques and retain hidden options rather than rely on obvious strengths. 452
• Helped deceive Du Gui and Du Chun through dream projections and a false “old master” persona. 539 605
• Warns Wang Qi about common ancient-method schemes, including flawed inheritances, planted mental triggers, and cultivation methods designed to ruin a victim’s foundation. 924

Equipment / Associated Items

• Mathematics ring — A quasi-Immortal Weapon-grade calculator ring that housed Zhen Chanzi’s remnant soul for over ten thousand years; it was later reforged and eventually separated from him during his reincarnation. 446 1203
• Kunshan Sword — A heavy sword sealed by Zhen Chanzi in stone. It is refined from the essence of mountains and rivers, can become extremely heavy, conceal itself within terrain, and absorb dragon-vein power to improve. 178

Relationships

• Wang Qi — Mentor, dependent companion, and frequent target of mutual sarcasm. Zhen Chanzi teaches Wang Qi ancient techniques and strategy, while Wang Qi takes responsibility for restoring his body and later helps him seek his bloodline. 16 30 832 1203
• Emperor-Grade Heaven-Splitting Dao — Ancient enemy responsible for Mount Luofu Mystic Clarity Palace’s destruction and Zhen Chanzi’s death. 794 833
• Liu Huanfeng — Yangshen Pavilion Nascent Soul cultivator who conducts Zhen Chanzi’s soul examination and records the specifications needed for his reconstructed body. 794 795
• True Person Zhilong — Reforges the Mathematics ring and uses a soul-soothing method that temporarily puts Zhen Chanzi to sleep. 441 446
• Chen Feng — Provides a Modern Dharma soul-restoration method that helps Zhen Chanzi regain a manifest form in Wang Qi’s dream realm. 392 437
• Du Chun — Target of a deception operation in which Zhen Chanzi presents himself as an ancient senior and imparts a modified cultivation technique. 605 614

Trivia

• Zhen Chanzi had not slept for roughly ten thousand years before True Person Zhilong’s soul-soothing technique caused him to do so. 446
• He considers Wang Qi’s tendency to treat him as a “convenient cheat sheet” deeply insulting. 51
• He once feared Free and Unfettered cultivators, whose movement methods and power were beyond his understanding. 39 61
• After reincarnation, he planned to use his experience with spells as a technical tester for newly developed cultivation methods. 796