Chen Changsheng

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Chen Changsheng (陈长生) 35
Alias(es)	Undertaker; Imperial Tutor; Chang Sheng Heavenly Emperor; Beast Lord; “Chang Sheng” 827 1342 1436 1235 786
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Former Direct Disciple of the Supreme Clarity Temple; later associated with the Chang Sheng Epoch as its Imperial Tutor 98 1342
Occupation/Role	Cultivator; creator of the Bitter Sea System; teacher; strategist; former coffin seller 35 1160
Status	Active 2411
First Appearance	Chapter 4
Age	Over 100,000 years old; his longevity and repeated rebirths make his apparent age unreliable 89 1151 1645

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Qi Refining First Layer	4	Reached only the first layer after twenty years of studying a crude Qi Refining manual.
Qi Refining Level 9	12	Had not yet achieved Foundation Establishment, drawing criticism from Qingfeng and the Supreme Clarity Temple Master.
Early Spirit Transformation	57	Could effortlessly kill early Spirit Transformation Thunder Beasts with the Zhenwu Sword and Golden Page.
Personal cultivation system	79	Abandoned his original path after the Heaven and Earth Rules changed; his self-created system rapidly raised his attributes, though its realm was initially unclassified.
Bitter Sea System—Divine Bridge expansion	111	His Divine Bridge widened more than tenfold after he chose to confront the Sea of Bitterness rather than “turn back.”
Divine Sense Realm	374	Defeated peak Blood Moving Realm Hua Feng by disrupting the flow of her divine power through meridian and acupoint strikes.
Immortal King Ninth Grade	2035 2383	Could withstand an Eighth Heaven Quasi-Emperor’s physical strike; surviving a lightning tribulation would allow him to enter the Quasi-Emperor realm.

Background

Early life and Supreme Clarity Temple

Chen Changsheng left his remote hometown and spent twenty years studying a common Qi Refining manual, only reaching the first layer by the end of that period 4. He later became a Direct Disciple of the Supreme Clarity Temple, where his unhurried approach to cultivation repeatedly frustrated his seniors and master 12 98.

Master Yuhua valued Chen’s detachment, believing he lacked both mortal urgency and a cultivator’s obsession with longevity or power 28. Chen nevertheless remained wary of the cultivation world’s dangers, favoring preparation and escape over reckless heroics 19 59.

Longevity and a new system

By the time he met A Li again, Chen had already been a Spirit Transformation cultivator for several centuries more than seven hundred years earlier, yet his continued survival remained a secret that could make him “the enemy of the world” if exposed 89.

When the Heaven and Earth Rules changed, his original cultivation system stalled. Rather than force himself into an obsolete path, Chen abandoned it and created a system suited to his own circumstances: the Bitter Sea System 68 79 1160. He later became recognized as one of its founders and a foremost authority on its principles, realms, and weaknesses 249 1298.

Rebirths and hidden identities

Chen has repeatedly concealed his identity through altered appearances, avatars, paper figures, and borrowed bodies 286 427 1261. Following one rebirth, he appeared as a beast-hide-clad boy with no fate of his own, having taken another person’s fate and identity 490.

During the war involving the Four Brahma Three Realms, he took possession of Chang Sheng’s body after promising to protect Chang Sheng’s loved ones 786. He later underwent Heavenly Silk Transformation, retaining his preferred appearance while acquiring a new bloodline and body 1645.

Appearance

Chen’s appearance is deliberately unreliable. His body has been rejuvenated by formations, restored from childlike to adult form after Yansheng Art ended, and remade through rebirth 69 521 1645.

• Regularly changes his face, build, aura, and clothing to operate under different identities 286 427.
• Retained his original preferred face after Heavenly Silk Transformation 1645.
• Temporarily went blind after a rebirth caused random “Innate Defects” in his body 757.
• Often presents himself as a refined or carefree young man despite his extreme age 283 397.

Personality

Chen is detached, patient, and difficult to provoke into acting without preparation. He treats power, fame, and social decorum as fleeting concerns when compared with time and survival 28 72. His favorite solution to an overwhelming enemy is often to flee, regroup, or arrange a more favorable battlefield rather than fight head-on 19 59.

He is also calculating and willing to employ deception, formations, false injuries, aliases, psychological pressure, and long-term schemes 127 1727 1734. He can be ruthless toward enemies and traitors, but his severity is tied to his belief that one’s position determines one’s responsibilities 580.

Despite this pragmatism, Chen consistently invests in people others have abandoned. He teaches disciples according to their individual temperaments, protects those he considers his own, and believes that even former enemies may deserve a chance at redemption 624 1058 2004. His long-term ideal is to create “a path to survival for All Living Things” rather than rule the world himself 2019.

Abilities & Skills

Bitter Sea System

Chen created the Bitter Sea System after changes to the Heaven and Earth Rules rendered older cultivation paths unsuitable for him 68 1160.

• Understands the system’s foundation: the Bitter Sea cultivates the body, while Cave Heaven cultivates the mind 249.
• Can analyze weaknesses in its realm structure and advocate reclassification based on cultivators’ differing physiques and methods 1298.
• Developed the Fighting Saint Technique to compensate for the system’s lack of offensive methods 1288.
• Researched the Bitter Sea Emperor Realm System with Zhang Bairen as a future countermeasure against stronger powers 1659.

Physical cultivation and defense

Chen’s physical defense is one of his defining strengths. His body, armor, arrays, Golden Silkworm Silk, and System-granted attributes collectively made him nearly impossible to injure below the Eighth Realm 144.

• United Essence, Qi, and Spirit into Primordial Unity, leaving opponents unable to find a weakness in his body 145.
• Withstood corrosive profound water, attacks from multiple Holy Land experts, and the collapse of a mountain with little to no injury 121 144.
• Uses detailed knowledge of acupoints, meridians, and divine-power flow to disable techniques at close range 374.
• Can forge or replicate highly specialized bodies under exceptional conditions, including bodies with a Chaos Body, Supreme Bone, and Double Pupils 1559.

Eight Nine Mysterious Technique

Chen cultivates the Eight Nine Mysterious Technique as a major foundation of his physical strength and versatility 81 1524.

• Ground Shrinking Golden Light — his preferred escape technique, used for pursuit, evasion, and rapid battlefield repositioning 59 827.
• One Qi, Three Purities — produces multiple combat-capable manifestations 1520.
• True Self avatars — allows him to divide power between bodies, though separated avatars may lack his full Divine Sense and offensive capability 144.
• Can push the technique to its utmost limit to manifest a powerful golden physical state 1524.

Swordsmanship and combat arts

Chen has mastered a broad range of martial arts by studying the techniques of legendary figures he taught or encountered 1490.

• Nine Forms Swordsmanship — nine sword techniques, including Sword Seven: Heavenly Gate, which can topple the Heavenly Gate and shatter stars 2402.
• Nameless Fist Technique — produces Fist Intent strong enough to warp the void 897.
• Fighting Saint Technique — imitates divine abilities; the quality of the imitation depends on the user’s battle intent 1288.
• Known to have mastered techniques including the Phoenix Empress Fist, Ask-Heavens Fist, soul techniques, and special soul states 2217.

Formations, talismans, and avatars

Chen is an accomplished formation master who frequently makes opponents fight on terrain he has prepared 127 380.

• Sets traps, Grand Formations, and specialized restraints against stronger enemies 374 517.
• Uses paper figures as decoys, disposable combat bodies, and diversions 1261 1271.
• Can employ an avatar to draw attention while his allies retreat or reposition 1271.
• Uses orthodox Daoist curse techniques alongside evil-cultivator methods when each is more effective 2045.

Medicine, research, and teaching

Chen combines practical experience with wide-ranging research into cultivation, artifacts, medicine, and the Dao.

• Taught himself Dragon Seeking and Acupuncture Point Location 35.
• Uses Silver Needles for medical treatment, disguise removal, and acupoint control 87 1148.
• Designed a Bitter Sea Great Emperor weapon based on God-Slaying Weapon research and Supreme Weapon principles 2084.
• Conducts advanced alloy research, providing forging requirements alongside rare materials such as Chaos Meteoric Steel, Myriad Calamities Indestructible Iron, and Eternal Blue Gold 2290.
• Tailors instruction to each student’s temperament, ambition, and weaknesses rather than imposing one fixed method 607 1058.

Yansheng Art

Yansheng Art is a powerful spell technique that can alter Chen’s physical condition but consumes lifespan 517 521.

• Used in long-range spell battles against the Wang Family Head 517.
• Its effects can reduce him to a childlike body until the technique is released 521.
• Its lifespan cost makes prolonged use dangerous even for Chen 517.

Equipment

• Zhenwu Sword — a sword Chen can communicate with and borrow for devastating sword strikes 57 184.
• Golden Page — an artifact used alongside the Zhenwu Sword to kill Spirit Transformation Thunder Beasts 57.
• Thunder Beast Scale Armor — armor crafted from the Thunder Beast Clan Leader’s remains and reinforced with defense arrays for nearly a thousand years 144.
• Five-Colored Divine Light Fan — used against Heavenly Emperor clones and other high-level opponents 829 897.
• Fishing Rod — used to capture the true body of a Black Qi entity 1194.
• God-Slaying Weapon — a major killing trump card, though Chen does not always rely on it in personal combat 1520 1524.
• Paper figures — specialized avatars and battlefield decoys 1261 1271.
• Four flying swords / Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation — Chen’s imperial weapon and personal sword formation 2455.

Relationships

• Li Niansheng / Nian Sheng — a cherished companion whom Chen calls his “little sister”; she remains unwaveringly supportive even when he embraces violent plans 169 755.
• A Li / Desolate Heaven Emperor Wu Li — former student and one of Chen’s greatest disciples; Chen guided his rise and left him deductions for the path beyond the Sixth Realm 151 186.
• Bai Ze — Divine Beast companion, frequent co-conspirator, and one of the few people willing to openly criticize Chen’s methods 1030 1727.
• Zhang Bairen — longtime peer, collaborator, and occasional rival; the two jointly researched the Bitter Sea Emperor Realm System 144 1659.
• Chen Shisan — disciple and traveling companion whose absolute trust in Chen is based on Chen himself rather than his reputation or identities 186 190.
• Lu Mingyu — disciple and political successor-in-training; Chen entrusts him with negotiations, long-term plans, and the cultivation of future talent 1095 1609.
• Chen Feng — disciple whose heroic ideals frequently challenge Chen’s more pragmatic worldview 970 1095.
• Guan Ping — student whom Chen protects, advises, and directs toward an appropriate master 982 1298.
• The System — Chen’s constant analytical companion, providing information on cultivation, rebirth, and probabilities while often disagreeing with his choices 4 757 1652.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Xuanwu Kingdom and the Thunder Race

Chen entered Xuanwu Kingdom as a coffin seller and self-taught feng shui practitioner, then aided Emperor Zuo’s search for a Dragon Lair in exchange for help killing an enemy 35 37. Later, he annihilated the Thunder Beast clan after its members provoked him, acquiring resources that became central to his defensive equipment 51 144.

Kunlun Holy Land and the Heaven’s Pride Assembly

Chen concealed his ancient identity while participating in the Heaven’s Pride Assembly, where he established the Heaven’s Chosen Arena, instructed younger cultivators, and clashed with Kunlun Holy Land 89 96. When Kunlun mobilized its elders and hidden foundation against him, he revealed his new system’s power and repelled them with three punches 145.

Imperial Tutor and mentor

As the Imperial Tutor, Chen shaped successive generations through harsh tests, unconventional lessons, and personal guidance 406 624. He repeatedly sought out overlooked, rejected, or poorly supported cultivators, then gave them the tools to surpass the limits imposed by their backgrounds 1645 2096.

Beast Race and the Pill Epoch

As Beast Lord, Chen sought to end the Human Race’s monopoly over immortal pills by creating or replacing Divine Fire and empowering the Beast Race 1271. He later pursued a wider reform of the Pill Epoch, aiming to dismantle hereditary aristocratic control and leave the epoch’s people capable of defending their own future 2235 2303.

Chang Sheng Epoch and Dark Turmoil

Chen prepared the Chang Sheng Epoch for the return of forbidden powers by building alliances, developing the Bitter Sea Emperor Realm System, and raising successors capable of fighting beyond his framework 1671 2413. Although he once apparently died and left behind a protected corpse and final letter, Wang Hao suspected the death was a ruse 1719.

Great Dao Contention

Chen personally entered the Great Dao Contention and warned students that they would eventually have to face him as one of the final and most dangerous opponents 2411. He continues to test the younger generation while preparing them to survive a world where reliance on him is no longer possible 2413.

Notable Quotes

“Host, realm is only one standard for measuring strength. It is not the only standard.” — the System to Chen Changsheng 4

“Insight into worldly affairs is knowledge; mastery of human relations is literature.” 1058

“I teach the Way because I cherish talent. In my eyes, they are all good children. I take disciples because I truly have something I wish to pass down.” 1969

“To carve out a path to survival for All Living Things.” 2019

Trivia

• Chen began as a coffin seller and continues to keep coffins and burial customs close to his identity 35 169.
• He considers escape techniques more valuable than most offensive arts and openly favors Ground Shrinking Golden Light 59 827.
• He is highly particular about food and regularly eats enough to exasperate his companions 258.
• He insists that he is not a genius, citing his twenty-year struggle to reach Qi Refining First Layer 4 1820.
• One of his hobbies is teasing the younger generation, often through challenges whose real purpose is difficult to distinguish from mischief 1612.