Li Shutong

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Li Shutong (李叔同)
Alias(es)	Mu 116
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Knight lineage; Li Clan; Prison No. 18 24 233
Occupation/Role	Demigod Knight, warden of Prison No. 18, and Qing Chen's master 24 39
Status	Active 999
First Appearance	Chapter 7

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
A-Class	538	Reached A-Class and challenged a Demigod during his rise to prominence. 538
Demigod Knight	291, 538	Completed seven Knight Life and Death Trials and became a Demigod. 291 538

Background

Li Shutong is the seventh son of Li Xiurui, the head of the Li Clan. Though widely expected to inherit influence within the family, he refused to take control of its power and left the Federation to roam as a wandering swordsman. 233 538

His reputation was built through acts that made him a legendary figure in City No. 18. He survived thirty days alone in Forbidden Zone No. 001 and pursued an organ-trafficking organization for more than a thousand miles after it killed a young girl, killing 617 members in seven days. 538

He spent much of his life as a martial artist before being drawn into the ambitions of like-minded friends. After witnessing those friends die, he resolved to use the rest of his life to help realize the ideals for which they had fought. 196

Li Shutong adopted and protected numerous orphans, including Lin Xiaoxiao, Ye Wan, and Li Dongze, who became Knight Messengers. His network also includes people whose connection to him is deliberately concealed, such as black-market boss Su Xingzhi. 198 314 552

His confinement in Prison No. 18 was tied to his concern for imprisoned friends. He endured eight years of waiting rather than regret that choice. 207

Appearance

Li Shutong is a middle-aged man whose face bears visible traces of age around his eyes. He is usually composed and simply dressed, standing apart from the prison population in a white martial-arts training uniform. 11 24

• Commonly wears a white training uniform. 24 29
• Often keeps Forbidden Item ACE-005 in its gray cat form close to him. 8 197
• Can alter his face and appearance through ACE-005. 197
• Used a raised collar and dirt on his face to avoid being recognized during the Wasteland journey. 113

Personality

Li Shutong is outwardly calm, patient, and humorous, remaining unruffled even when political turmoil and threats surround him. He can spend such moments studying chess endgames or teasing Qing Chen rather than displaying concern. 65 137

As a teacher, he is demanding but deeply protective. He subjects Qing Chen to severe tests, pushes him into dangerous training and boxing matches, and expects him to make his own choices; however, he also tends Qing Chen's injuries, shields him from enemies, and treats him like a son. 39 109 133 204

He rejects simple labels such as mercy or cruelty when judging difficult choices. Though capable of ruthless planning and decisive violence, he insists that Qing Chen retain reverence for life and make the decision he believes is correct. 100 101 204

Abilities & Skills

Knight Heritage

Li Shutong is a Demigod of the Knight lineage who completed seven Life and Death Trials. His cultivation grants him Knight True Qi and Cloud Qi, which he can employ in combat and teach to his disciple. 291 554

• Teaches that the body's internal energy can manifest unique abilities after Life and Death Trials. 116
• Instructs Qing Chen in the use of Knight True Qi even during active combat. 554
• Possesses a lifespan estimated at three to five hundred years as a Demigod Knight. 552

Demigod Combat

Li Shutong specializes in overwhelming individual combat. His speed, force, and life force field allow him to dominate opponents who would be major threats to ordinary Transcendentals. 24 556 699

• Repelled Guo Huzhan with a casual palm strike, leaving the opponent unable to meaningfully damage him. 24
• Defeated S-Class Shikigami using bare-handed strikes, shattered conjured halberds with snowflakes, and threw one of those halberds back at its creator. 552
• Overwhelmed Demigod Li Bingxi's twelve-clone formation through superior speed, destroying new clones faster than they could be created. 556
• Eliminated a million-strong Rat Tide with a single breath of Cloud Qi. 699
• Disabled airships by throwing steel bars and stones infused with Knight Cloud Qi. 902 917
• Can create multiple manifestations of himself and shift between solid and ethereal states in battle. 981

Disguise and Forbidden Item Mastery

Li Shutong was the former master of Forbidden Item ACE-005, a sentient item that can take the form of a gray Maine Coon cat or a red-patterned Cat Face Mask. 197

• Uses ACE-005 to alter his face and identity. 197
• Required photographs and lengthy comparison to produce accurate disguises. 197
• Deleted records of ACE-005's name and eliminated those who knew it, preventing others from easily using the item. 197
• Passed ACE-005 to Qing Chen after recognizing that Qing Chen's perfect recall made him a more suitable wielder. 197 198

Strategy, Medicine, and Survival

Li Shutong combines martial skill with long-term planning, wilderness knowledge, medical competence, and a willingness to manipulate his enemies into unfavorable positions. 109 204

• Treated Qing Chen's injuries while traveling through the Wasteland. 109
• Taught Qing Chen about dangerous wildlife, Forbidden Zones, and wilderness survival. 112 116
• Lured those seeking Forbidden Item ACE-002 to Prison No. 18, intending to use their deaths to fulfill its containment conditions. 204
• Adopted Qing Chen's identity through disguise to mislead Qing Clan investigators and help solidify Qing Chen's position as the Shadow. 195

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Forbidden Item ACE-005 / Da Fu — Formerly Li Shutong's item; transforms between a large gray cat and a Cat Face Mask, enabling appearance alteration. He later gave it to Qing Chen. 197
• White training uniform — His characteristic clothing at Prison No. 18. 24 29
• Improvised projectiles — Uses steel bars, stones, and other ordinary objects as lethal weapons when empowered by Cloud Qi. 902 917

Relationships

• Qing Chen — Disciple and surrogate son. Li Shutong tested Qing Chen's character before accepting him, then trained, protected, and guided him as the successor of the Knight lineage. 39 64 133
• Lin Xiaoxiao — Adopted orphan and trusted subordinate. Li Shutong assigns him investigations and relies on his intelligence work. 8 552
• Ye Wan — Adopted orphan, protector, and Knight Messenger. Ye Wan is fiercely loyal to Li Shutong and assists in Qing Chen's training. 8 84 552
• Li Dongze — Longtime follower and adopted orphan within Li Shutong's network. 303 552
• Li Yinuo — His blood-related seventh niece and former student; she respects him deeply despite resenting Qing Chen's place as his disciple. 140 163
• Li Xiurui — Father and former Li Clan head. Li Shutong visits him before leaving City No. 18 to collect old blood debts. 233 234
• Li Ke — Qing Chen's disciple and therefore Li Shutong's grand-disciple. Li Shutong immediately dotes on him and offers him Forbidden Items. 538
• Qin Cheng — Brother of an old friend who died because of Li Shutong; Li Shutong assists Qin Cheng's family out of gratitude and responsibility. 119
• Huo Tang Great Elder — Longstanding adversary who resents Li Shutong for forcing him to act as a guide in the Great Snow Mountain. 538

Story Role / Major Arcs

Prison No. 18

Li Shutong is introduced as the prison's dominant figure, commanding the loyalty of Lin Xiaoxiao and Ye Wan while receiving privileges unavailable to ordinary inmates. He becomes interested in Qing Chen after noticing his unusual background, composure, and potential. 8 24

He has Lin Xiaoxiao test Qing Chen's personality, then personally subjects Qing Chen to isolation and waterboarding. Qing Chen's refusal to break convinces Li Shutong to accept him as a disciple and potential inheritor of the Knight lineage. 39 41

When forces converge on Prison No. 18 over Forbidden Item ACE-002, Li Shutong orchestrates events to complete the item's containment conditions. He forcibly sends Qing Chen away through a secret passage rather than allow him to remain in danger. 204

Wasteland Journey and Knight Training

Li Shutong takes Qing Chen beyond the prison to show him City No. 18 and the Wasteland, concealing Qing Chen's association with him to prevent Li Shutong's own shackles from binding his student. 64 116

Traveling under the name Mu, he guides Qing Chen through the Wasteland, helps the Qin family, and arranges several objectives at once: securing a path for Qin Yiyi, introducing Qing Chen to Li Yinuo, and placing Qing Huai in Qing Chen's path. 116 119 140

He later gives Qing Chen ACE-005, recognizing that Qing Chen's memory and Breathing Technique make him uniquely effective at impersonation. 197 198

Northern Snowfield War

Li Shutong protects Qing Chen during the northern conflict against Shen Daichihachi, Kamishiro's Shikigami, and Li Bingxi. He defeats S-Class Shikigami and demonstrates the decisive advantage of a Knight Demigod in individual combat. 551 552 556

Later Wars

Li Shutong remains Qing Chen's most formidable protector and ally during the later conflicts. He destroys airships in the battle against Silver City, intervenes when the Duke of Phoenix attempts to kill Qing Chen, and continues fighting beside Qing Chen against threats from the Western Continent. 902 917 980 981

Notable Quotes

“I teach you to face the world fiercely, but you should always have some reverence for life in your heart.” 100

“On life's journey, you just need to make the most correct decision.” 101

“I spent half my life practicing martial arts… I just don't want those friends to have died in vain.” 196

Trivia

• Li Shutong calls Qing Chen a “cheap disciple” who came to him on his own. 707
• He once pretended to be Qing Chen's father when meeting Yang Yang in the Outer World. 185
• He follows a Knight tradition of sending disciples into underground boxing matches and profiting from the bets. 188
• Despite his status, he regrets that ACE-005 lets Qing Chen disguise himself far faster than he ever could. 197 202