Zhao An

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Zhao An (赵安) 1
Alias(es)	Crime Buster 28
Species/Race	Human 10
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Formerly the Tiger Head Gang; recognized Martial Student of Lianjiang County 21 46
Occupation/Role	Former Tiger Head Gang minor leader; martial artist and Martial Student 1 46
Status	Alive 77
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Black Tiger Blade Technique — Great Completion	5	Extracted a Soul Slave's cultivation results; the unranked technique's completion gave him insight into its parent art, the Fierce Tiger Blade Art. 5
Sea of Qi opened; first strand of Internal Breath	10	Mastered the Fierce Tiger Blade Art's internal cultivation method through Xu San's Karma Fruit, becoming a martial artist. 10
Martial Master	12	Used Internal Breath with the Fierce Tiger Blade Art to kill Cao Li and rout the Python Gang ambush. 12
Fierce Tiger Blade Art — Third Realm	16	Absorbed Li Dazhuang's seven years of training, gaining one hundred strands of Internal Breath and the ability to manifest tiger-like blade intent. 16
Fierce Tiger Blade Art — Perfection	32	Prematurely extracted three Soul Slaves' Karma Fruits during the battle with Guo Fenglin, completing the blade art at a critical moment. 32
Silver Snake Hand — Third Realm Perfection	34	Reached perfection after the accumulated cultivation of eight Soul Slaves; Internal Breath rose to roughly four hundred strands. 34
Hard Bone Skill — First Realm, Skin Tempering	39	Completed the first stage of the eighth-grade hard-body art, granting resilient skin and rebounding force when empowered by Internal Breath. 39
Hard Bone Skill — Second Realm, Flesh Tempering	47	Chen Song's cultivation increased Zhao An's raw strength by over fifty percent and made his musculature extraordinarily dense. 47
Strong Breath Realm; Hard Bone Skill — Fourth Realm, Bone Tempering	64	Fused nearly a thousand scattered strands into one stable one-inch Internal Breath within his Qi Sea; advanced his hard-body art through tendon and bone tempering. 64
Roaming Body Steps — Perfection	73	Perfected his first eighth-grade martial art, allowing soundless movement, aerial leaps, and rapid changes of position. 73
Internal Breath — Ten Inches	76, 77	Absorbed nearly forty years of finger-technique cultivation and consumed Meng Zhongren's special-grade Heaven Origin Pill, greatly extending his Strong Breath Realm Internal Breath. 76 77

History

Transmigration and the Two Gangs

Zhao An awakened after his predecessor—a Tiger Head Gang minor leader—was beaten to death in Lianjiang City. He retained the predecessor's memories, discovered he had transmigrated from another world, and immediately killed Xu San and several Python Gang members while stopping Xu San's assault on Lin Xiaoxiao. 1

The transmigration granted him the ability to see names and moral colors above people. Red-named evildoers killed by Zhao An become Soul Slaves in his Soul Pool, while helping white-named people can yield Virtue Fruits. 1 2

After rapidly mastering the Black Tiger Blade Technique through Soul Slave cultivation, Zhao An survived the Python Gang's Three Trials by killing Liu Gen, Dafu, and Li Dazhuang. His victories earned him recognition within the Tiger Head Gang but also made Xu Donglai's faction a permanent threat. 6 7

Zhao An opened his Sea of Qi, became a Martial Master, and annihilated the Python Gang after its repeated attacks and assassination attempts. He infiltrated their headquarters disguised as He Song and personally killed Xu Donglai. 10 12 18 19

Break with the Tiger Head Gang

Though he was once a Tiger Head Gang leader, Zhao An rejected Hao Wei's offer to overthrow Zhou Hu and lead the gang. He regarded gang leadership as beneath his ambitions and preferred to pursue martial growth independently. 15 16

When Zhou Hu and corrupt constable Chen Song moved against Shen Pan, Zhao An intervened. He killed both Martial Masters, then massacred the red-named members of the Tiger Head Gang, ending the two dominant Outer City gangs. 27 28

Martial Student and County Defender

Zhao An pursued the County Martial Examination to gain legitimate standing. He excelled in every tested category, including one-armed lifting of the Thousand-Catty Cauldron, blade work, unarmed combat, Internal Breath, archery, and military strategy. 40 42 43 44

After placing first on the martial list, he received official Martial Student status, including tax and corvée exemption. Wealthy families rewarded him with silver, Earth Origin Pills, rare herbs, and treasure blades. 45 46

During the Moon People's siege of Lianjiang, Zhao An served on the city walls with a Nine-Stone Bow, killed enemy soldiers at extreme range, saved County Magistrate Tao Heng from the former County Commandant He Zhang, and eliminated escaped prisoners and Black Wind Stronghold remnants. 51 52 55 56

Moon Tribe Techniques and the Path to Immortality

Using Moon Tribe Soul Slaves, Zhao An began acquiring techniques beyond ordinary martial arts, including Frost Wind, Swiftness, Hard Skin, and Heavy Object spells. He later used these abilities alongside his martial arts to defeat transformed Moon Tribe leaders and rout a three-hundred-man unit. 63 65 69

Meng Zhongren revealed that the Art of Immortality exists but warned that its pursuit has brought chaos and death to countless seekers. Zhao An nevertheless chose to seek it, even at the cost of his life. 74

When Prefecture City officers sought retaliation for Hu Dingtian's death, Zhao An accepted a challenge to fight their military marquises. Before the confrontation, he used Soul Slave cultivation and a special-grade Heaven Origin Pill to further strengthen his Internal Breath and finger techniques. 76 77

Appearance

Zhao An is a young man in his early twenties with a robust, broad-shouldered, thick-waisted build. Even before cultivation, he stood over eight feet tall and was compared to a solid wall; later hard-body cultivation made his muscles sharply defined and his physique notably harder and sturdier. 1 15 64

• Broad back, powerful arms, and an imposing frame suited to heavy blades. 1 4
• More handsome and less outwardly fierce-looking than many gang leaders, despite his intimidating presence. 5
• His body becomes increasingly resistant to weapons through the Hard Bone Skill. 64 66
• Carries a chilling killing aura forged through repeated combat against red-named enemies. 31

Personality

Zhao An is pragmatic, calculating, and exceptionally decisive in violence. He does not hesitate to kill those he considers dangerous or wicked, particularly red-named targets who can become Soul Slaves. 3 6 8

His actions are not purely altruistic: he initially judges whether helping others can produce Virtue Fruits or other benefits. However, he keeps his agreements, returns extorted money to Two Wells Alley residents, and repeatedly protects people such as Lin Xiaoxiao, Li Tianhuai, Meng Wanyi, and Tao Heng. 3 9 13 59

He dislikes dependence and rejects positions that would bind him to others, turning down Hao Wei's plan to make him a gang leader and Tao Heng's repeated offers of service. His central ambition becomes the pursuit of lost martial arts and, eventually, immortality. 15 37 58 72 74

Abilities & Skills

Soul Pool and Soul Slaves

Zhao An can collect the souls of slain red-named evildoers and keep them as Soul Slaves within his Soul Pool. He assigns them martial arts, scholarship, or Moon Tribe techniques; their accelerated training can later be extracted as Karma Fruits. 1 2 4

• Receives a Soul Slave's accumulated technique knowledge, bodily conditioning, and Internal Breath when extracting its Karma Fruit. 4 9 16
• Can use Soul Slaves as death substitutes against fatal attacks. 10 32
• Uses Martial Master Soul Slaves for advanced human martial arts and Moon Tribe Soul Slaves for sorcery. 57 63
• Can prematurely extract a Soul Slave's cultivation in emergencies, though doing so causes severe hunger and reduces the final yield. 32

Name and Merit Sight

Zhao An sees floating names above people, with colors revealing moral significance. 1 2

• Red names — people steeped in grave wrongdoing; killing them yields Soul Slaves. 2
• White names — virtuous people with accumulated merit; rescuing or fulfilling their greatest wishes can produce Virtue Fruits. 2 9
• Gray names — morally poor individuals whose sins are insufficient to yield a Soul Slave. 3

Virtue Fruits

Virtue Fruits are condensed merit that Zhao An can use to make wishes for concrete, real objects. 3

• Successfully wished for Earth Origin Pills and the Heavenly Profound Pulse-Severing Finger manual. 3 25
• Can merge lower-quality Virtue Fruits to make stronger wishes. 25
• Cannot produce vague, nonexistent, or excessively grand wishes such as immortality arts or divine weapons. 3

Blade Arts

Zhao An's primary combat discipline is blade work. His perfected Fierce Tiger Blade Art combines domineering strength, precision, and tiger-like killing intent. 16 32

• Perfected the ninth-grade Fierce Tiger Blade Art through accumulated Soul Slave cultivation. 32 33
• Selected the incomplete seventh-grade Shadowless Thirty-Three Blades from the County Armory for further study. 61
• Uses blade skill, footwork, and overwhelming physical power to fight multiple Martial Masters at once. 66

Heavenly Profound Finger Techniques

Zhao An possesses a lost finger-art system with six named forms: Pulse-Severing, Acupoint-Sealing, Bone-Piercing, Sword Finger, Qi-Bursting, and Spring-Returning. 39

• Pulse-Severing Finger — sends Internal Breath into an opponent's meridians to injure them internally. 39
• Acupoint-Sealing Finger — immobilizes or disrupts targets by striking their acupoints. 39 48
• Bone-Piercing Finger — compresses and releases Internal Breath as a piercing force capable of damaging bone, armor, and metal. 50 69
• Qi-Bursting Finger — stimulates Zhao An's own acupoints to temporarily force out greater strength and Internal Breath; it severely overdraws the body. 50
• Spring-Returning Finger — gained through later Soul Slave cultivation. 76

Hard Bone Skill

The eighth-grade Hard Bone Skill tempers Zhao An's body from skin to flesh, tendons, bones, and beyond. 39

• His hardened skin resists clubs, knives, and light blade strikes. 39
• Flesh tempering dramatically increased his raw strength and explosive force. 47
• At Bone Tempering, he is nearly impervious to ordinary blades and can withstand Martial Master attacks with bare skin. 64 66

Movement and Unarmed Combat

Zhao An has mastered multiple close-combat disciplines and uses them fluidly in battle. 35 39

• Silver Snake Hand — perfected palm art focused on coiling, trapping, redirecting, and striking through an opponent's defenses. 34 35
• Mountain Crushing Fist and Gale Palm — perfected supplementary unarmed arts. 39 49
• Roaming Body Steps — perfected eighth-grade movement technique that enables rapid, silent repositioning and evasive aerial movement. 73

Moon Tribe Sorcery

Through Moon Tribe Soul Slaves, Zhao An can manifest several techniques despite not being naturally capable of cultivating them himself. 63

• Frost Wind Technique — releases freezing breath capable of immobilizing ordinary people; prolonged use taxes his mind. 63
• Swiftness Technique — drastically accelerates his movement. 69
• Hard Skin Technique — reinforces his already hardened body against damage. 69
• Heavy Object Technique — adds up to five hundred catties of weight to an object for approximately ten minutes; Zhao An commonly applies it to his heavy blade. 65

Archery

Zhao An can fully draw a Nine-Stone Bow and use finger-technique precision to strike enemies at extraordinary range. 51 52

• Killed multiple Moon Tribe soldiers from the city walls, including three red-named targets. 52
• Combines exceptional arm strength with Internal Breath and specialized technique control. 51 52

Equipment

• Clear Water — a sharp treasure saber with a crystalline blue sheen; Zhao An keeps it as one of his personal sidearms. 45
• Hundred-Forged Heavy Blade — a heavy saber used with the Heavy Object Technique; its weight can be raised to five hundred and sixty catties. 45 65
• Arm guards and gauntlets — equipment taken from He Song and Xu Donglai, capable of clashing with blades. 20 30
• Nine-Stone Bow and iron arrows — heavy bow issued by Tao Jinyi during Lianjiang's defense. 51
• Earth Origin Pills, Red Blood Root, and Blood-Qi Pills — frequently used to supply the immense energy demands of Soul Slave extraction and hard-body cultivation. 4 39 57

Relationships

• Li Gou'er — Loyal subordinate and long-time companion who assists Zhao An in debt collection, combat, errands, and managing his household. 4 13 65
• Zhao Chunzi — Loyal companion who fights alongside Zhao An and fiercely protects the wealth entrusted to him. 12 47
• Meng Wanyi — Physician, literacy teacher, and martial-arts instructor who teaches Zhao An the Silver Snake Hand; their interactions show growing mutual attraction and trust. 14 21 32
• Meng Shao — Meng Wanyi's younger sister and fellow physician; shelters with Zhao An during the Rebel Army's assault and assists at the clinic. 30 32
• Meng Zhongren — Imperial Physician and Meng Wanyi's grandfather; gives Zhao An a special-grade Heaven Origin Pill, explains the dangers of immortality, and entrusts his disciples' safety to him. 70 74 75
• Tao Heng — County Magistrate who recognizes Zhao An's talent, rewards his service, protects him from political pressure, and repeatedly attempts to recruit him. 46 55 58 76
• Li Tianhuai — Scholar whom Zhao An helped financially and defended against the Hu Family; Zhao An later escorts him out of Lianjiang County. 24 59 63 65
• Shen Pan — Martial artist from Two Wells Alley who initially viewed Zhao An as a threat; Zhao An later saves him from Zhou Hu and Chen Song. 13 27
• Hao Wei — Former Tiger Head Gang advisor who recognized Zhao An's potential and proposed helping him seize the gang; Zhao An refused. 15 16
• Zhao Ke — Zhao An's estranged elder brother, a head constable who repeatedly sought his wealth and eventually conspired with Yang Yi; Zhao An killed him. 21 22 49

Notable Quotes

“Not interested.” — rejecting Hao Wei's proposal to make him leader of the Tiger Head Gang. 15

“To Seek Immortality—even if I die, I am willing!” 74