Ran Qingmo

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Ran Qingmo (冉青墨)
Alias(es)	“Big Ice Block”
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Tianyuan Sword Sect; Sect Alliance
Occupation/Role	Sword Sect chief disciple; designated future Sect Master
Status	Alive
First Appearance	Chapter 3

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Grandmaster Realm	20	Had already reached Grandmaster at age seventeen; stood one step below Origin Beginning.
Peak Grandmaster Realm	589	Reached the peak of Grandmaster cultivation while pursuing her own Dao path.
Origin Beginning Realm	728	Successfully broke through after previously approaching the realm through Dao Transformation and preparing to use the Prime Minister’s Mansion’s resources. 485 586

Background / History

Ran Qingmo is the disciple of Ran Jianli, the Tianyuan Sword Sect’s leader, and was raised to regard the Sword Sect’s future as her responsibility. She was told that she would one day become its Sect Master, making the protection of its forty thousand disciples a duty rather than a personal attachment. 3 86

Believing the Prime Minister’s Mansion intended to destroy the Sword Sect, she captured Xu Yuan to use as leverage against his father. After killing the Flame Spirit Python, she was left seriously wounded and trapped with him in the Wanxing Mountain Range. Their initial arrangement was one of mutual suspicion: she agreed to cooperate, but made clear that she would continue watching him. 7 14

The two entered a hidden cave dwelling, where Ran Qingmo recovered while teaching Xu Yuan the fundamentals of cultivation. She used her Qi to reveal his acupoints and meridians, taught him the Lotus Sword Art, and repeatedly stabilized his cultivation deviations. 20 21 22 When pursuers found the cave, Xu Yuan secured her release; before leaving, she learned his true name. 24 25

Afterward, she continued seeking a way to prevent the Sword Sect’s destruction. She warned other sects of the danger, but they did not believe her, eventually choosing to place her trust in Xu Yuan’s uncertain promise of help. 86 87

Appearance

Ran Qingmo is a slender young swordswoman usually dressed in black robes and a veil, giving her a distant, austere presence. Beneath the veil, she is described as exceptionally beautiful, with clear dark eyes and long black hair. 14 145 157

• Typically wears ink-black Sword Sect robes and carries the Ink Sword. 157 159
• Often keeps her face concealed beneath a black veil or veil hat. 14 162
• Her clothing is chosen for mobility rather than comfort or ornamentation. 545
• Wore plain white mourning clothes following Ran Jianli’s death. 804

Personality

Ran Qingmo is quiet, literal, and intensely focused. She speaks concisely, takes promises and favors seriously, and tends to respond to complicated social situations with blunt sincerity. Her lack of greed is evident when she accepts responsibility for Xu Yuan’s Sumeru Ring solely to retrieve his medicine and belongings. 16 17

Cultivation is central to her life. She meditates whenever possible, including during travel and short periods of rest, and her diligence is repeatedly noted as a major reason for her exceptional strength. 24 95 476

Though initially detached, she is deeply duty-driven and protective. Her determination to save the Sword Sect persists despite political isolation, personal danger, and the death of her master. 86 87 779 She also becomes visibly affected by Xu Yuan’s absence and struggles to separate her feelings for him from her obligations to the sect. 483 525 807

Abilities & Skills

Ice Arts and Dao Essence

Ran Qingmo’s cultivation manifests as profound ice, allowing her to immobilize opponents, shape ice barriers, and fill battlefields with freezing intent.

• Froze Qin Mo to death and sealed the Saint’s Remnant Soul in ice. 82
• Her Dao Essence can suppress others so thoroughly that Su Jinxuan could not speak while affected by it. 610
• Created a Sound-Blocking Array from ice around herself and Xu Yuan. 86
• Her ice techniques leave tunnels, caves, and enemy positions frozen over after she acts. 157
• Even favorable weather could not bridge the realm gap between her Origin Beginning cultivation and Tianyan’s Mortal Shedding realm. 807

Swordsmanship

A dedicated Sword Sect swordswoman, Ran Qingmo combines refined sword technique with overwhelming freezing power.

• Killed the Flame Spirit Python and extracted its Snake Heart Lotus while heavily injured. 14
• The Saint’s Remnant Soul regarded her single sword strike as sufficient to freeze it despite its ability to evade Origin Beginning experts. 115
• Can use even an unconventional flexible whisk sword as a functional sword weapon. 588
• Carries the Ink Sword as her primary weapon. 157 201

Ice Cloud Steps and Mobility

Ran Qingmo moves by condensing Qi into footholds, allowing her to leap and run through the air at extreme speed.

• Uses Ice Cloud Steps to cross open terrain and travel through the air. 8 25
• Adjusts her movement to protect weaker companions from lethal acceleration. 8
• Can carry Xu Yuan during rapid escapes, though the force of travel leaves him severely disoriented. 100
• Does not appear capable of sustained true flight. 100

Cultivation Instruction and Qi Control

Ran Qingmo is an accomplished instructor despite her terse manner.

• Taught Xu Yuan to identify acupoints, perceive Origin Qi, and understand meridian circulation. 20
• Passed on the Lotus Sword Art, enabling Xu Yuan to begin drawing Qi into his body. 21
• Repeatedly rescued Xu Yuan from cultivation deviation while he practiced the Blood Origin Heart-Meteor Art. 21 23
• Can use Qi to protect a companion’s body during high-speed travel, but prolonged foreign Qi exposure can still strain their meridians. 20 22

Arrays and Spiritual Perception

Ran Qingmo possesses notable aptitude with arrays and perception techniques.

• Used the Heaven Peering Array to observe a cultivator manifesting a Dao Domain. 115
• Obtained a token capable of controlling a mountain gate’s arrays after exploring a hidden pill chamber. 114
• Used a Great Elder’s token to access the Qionghua Sect’s Wenyuan Pavilion. 116
• Her passive senses can cover an entire guest courtyard even without deliberate cultivation. 588

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Ink Sword — her signature black sword and primary weapon. 157 201
• Sumeru Ring — used to carry possessions, including spare veils and other equipment. 84 162
• Veil hat — conceals her identity while traveling. 162
• Communication jade pendant — a portable communication artifact able to bypass the Prime Minister’s Mansion’s Chaos Lineage Array interference. 548
• Meteor Ice Bead — accepted from Xu Yuan after initial reluctance due to its value. 114
• Great Elder’s token — gained from the hidden pill repository; grants control over mountain-gate arrays. 114

Relationships

• Xu Yuan — Former hostage who became her cultivation student, ally, and closest personal attachment. She trusts him with unusual certainty and has difficulty acting against him even when sect interests conflict. 20 87 483 807
• Ran Jianli — Her master and the person who entrusted her with the Sword Sect’s future; his death leaves her exposed to the Sect Alliance’s political struggle. 86 194 779
• Luo Wei — Ran Jianli’s wife and Ran Qingmo’s martial aunt; she prepares Qingmo for the realities of Sect Alliance politics and later leads the Sword Sect. 348 789 853
• Tianyan — Former friend turned political and martial rival. Tianyan attempts to recruit Qingmo into killing Xu Yuan, but Qingmo refuses to commit to the plan. 789 804 807
• Xu Changge — A feared opponent whose strength once left her gravely wounded in two moves; he later declines to pursue her capture of Xu Yuan and formally thanks her for protecting his brother. 22 84
• Li Qingyan — Great Yan’s sovereign, who gifts Xu Yuan authority to determine the Sword Sect’s fate partly for Qingmo’s sake; Qingmo earnestly offers to repay her. 853 854
• White Tiger — A large mutated beast with clear loyalty and affection toward Ran Qingmo. 11
• Bai Muxi — A fellow cultivator with whom Qingmo discusses Dao paths and cultivation bottlenecks. 588

Story Role / Major Arcs

Wanxing Mountain Range and the Hidden Cave

Ran Qingmo captures Xu Yuan as leverage for the Sword Sect, but their survival requires cooperation after she is wounded fighting the Flame Spirit Python. She guides him to Heaven Gate Mountain, teaches him cultivation in the hidden cave, and is ultimately released when Xu Yuan intervenes with his pursuers. 7 14 20 25

Saving the Sword Sect

After reuniting with Xu Yuan, Ran Qingmo continues working to stop the Sword Sect’s predicted destruction. She warns other sects, freezes Qin Mo and the Saint’s Remnant Soul during the Jingjiang crisis, and eventually entrusts Xu Yuan with helping her sect. 82 87

Secret-Realm Exploration

Ran Qingmo explores the hidden underground palace, defeats Spirit Puppets, discovers a pill repository and array-control token, and assists Xu Yuan throughout the Qionghua Secret Realm incidents. 104 114 116

Growth Toward Origin Beginning

She sets Dao Integration as a long-term goal so she can accompany Ran Jianli into the Imperial Capital, later pushes toward Origin Beginning through Dao Transformation, and cultivates relentlessly using resources offered by Xu Yuan. 348 485 549 586

Sword Sect Succession Crisis

Following Ran Jianli’s death, Ran Qingmo faces the Sect Alliance’s attempt to replace its leadership. Tianyan’s accusations against her master and demand that she kill Xu Yuan force Qingmo to confront the conflict between her duty as chief disciple and her personal feelings. 779 789 804 807

Aftermath of the Sword Sect’s Defeat

After the Sword Sect’s surrender, Qingmo is treated as a captive of the defeated side. Li Qingyan gives Xu Yuan Luo Wei’s surrendered sword and authority over the Sword Sect’s final disposition, offering Qingmo a measure of protection through him. 844 853 854

Notable Quotes

“I will watch you.” 7

“Because Master said that I will become the Sect Leader of the Sword Sect in the future, and protecting the Sword Sect is my responsibility.” 86

“Xu Yuan... Sometimes, when I finish cultivating, I think of him a little.” 525

Trivia

• Xu Yuan privately calls Ran Qingmo “Big Ice Block,” a nickname inspired by both her ice techniques and reserved demeanor. 24 476
• She does not appear to need ordinary meals after advancing in cultivation; her main source of energy becomes absorbed Qi. 546
• Despite her serious nature, she once mistook a beast-tail attachment for a whisk soft sword she had used in childhood sword practice. 588
• She is notably poor at concealing her disappointment when Xu Yuan is absent or disguised. 483 525