Chen Ye

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Chen Ye (陈野)
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Cui Mansion retainer; formerly a Gao Family servant and Xinglong Escort Agency guard; allied with Zuo Dongxi and Su Guang 1 22 77 79
Occupation/Role	Martial artist, Cui Mansion retainer, escort/guard, Martial Examination champion 16 77
Status	Alive
First Appearance	1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Foundation Cultivation Technique — Entry	2	Pawns sixty days of lifespan for two months’ worth of cultivation; his stance and breathing become instinctive.
Foundation Cultivation Technique — Minor Achievement	6	Pawns six months of lifespan after refusing the Gao Family’s medicinal soup.
Foundation Cultivation Technique — Perfected	8	Reaches perfection, then pawns a further year of lifespan to push toward the Foundation stage’s limit.
Mortal Shedding — First Stage	9	Completes Mortal Shedding and becomes a true martial artist; gains at least two hundred pounds of raw strength.
Array-Breaking Style	9	Unlocks the Foundation Cultivation Technique’s hidden combat move by spending seven days of lifespan.
Mountain-Shattering Style	11	Pawns his remaining lifespan to unlock a limit-breaking move and defeat Zhang Tieyi.
Mortal Shedding — Second Stage	20 29	Achieves a second shedding; the realm improves bodily vitality and grants an additional True Yang transformation.
Mortal Shedding — Third Stage	38	Reaches the stage associated with transformed senses and sharpened intuition.
Return to Origin Art — Initiated	49	Reconstructs the Cui Family technique after observing disciples’ stances and breathing.
Mortal Shedding — Fourth Stage	64	Recorded on the Pawn System before beginning formal Hunyi Saber Technique cultivation.
Hunyi Saber Technique — Minor Achievement	64	Converts 362 days of accumulated lifespan into cultivation after receiving Cui Yingtang’s instruction.
Saber Intent — First Strand	65	Grasps the essence of the Hunyi Saber Technique and condenses saber intent.
Mortal Shedding — Fifth Stage / Hunyi Saber Technique — Perfected	66	Completes the fifth shedding, exceeds five hundred jin of strength, and perfects the saber technique through three strands of saber intent.
Mortal Shedding — Sixth and Seventh Stages	67	Uses saber intent to cleanse bodily impurities; reaches approximately eight hundred jin of strength.
Five-Organ Thunder Resonance Method — Initiated	82	Records the dangerous longevity technique and pawns one year of lifespan to begin it.
Five-Organ Thunder Resonance Method — Initial Refinement	83	Refines the internal organs, produces an eighth ray of light, and gains nearly two hundred days of lifespan at entry level.
Five-Organ Thunder Resonance Method — Minor Mastery	91	Reaches Minor Mastery after returning from the conflict with Feng Family assassins.
Five-Organ Thunder Resonance Method — Completed / Eighth Transformation	92	Completes the technique and unlocks a hidden move after acquiring spiritual ingredients.
Flowing Light	93	A body-wide golden radiance manifests; it can move across his body, reinforce him, and burst outward with force.

Background / History

Chen Ye transmigrated into the body of a menial servant of the Gao Family during the Jing Dynasty. The original owner came from the declining Chen Family: his father had died, his mother had remarried, and he had entered the Gao estate alone as a servant. 1 10

Selected by Protector Zhang Tieyi for martial training, Chen Ye quickly recognized that the Gao Family’s unusual interest in a newly trained servant concealed a threat. He concealed his abnormal rate of progress, refused suspicious medicine, and deduced that the family was “ripening” martial arts trainees for delivery to the Xie Family as human medicinal ingredients. 2 6 8 10

After reaching the first stage of Mortal Shedding, Chen Ye ambushed Zhang Tieyi rather than wait to be transferred. He escaped the Gao estate through Spring Mountain while pursued by guards and spirit hounds, beginning his journey toward the capital. 11 14

Personality

Chen Ye is highly cautious and controlled. He deliberately maintains only an “excellent but not outstanding” rate of visible progress, hides his cultivation from stronger martial artists, and performs obedience when dealing with nobles and superiors. 2 3 4

Survival is his central priority. He treats lifespan, money, medicine, intelligence, and alliances as resources to be managed, repeatedly accepting dangerous work or spending years of life to avoid being trapped by stronger forces. 6 16 28 29

He is calculating in both combat and politics. He uses bait, misinformation, poison, ambushes, and intimidation against enemies who hold positional or numerical advantages. 28 41 55 95

Despite his ruthlessness, Chen Ye is loyal to people who have stood beside him. After resolving the Feng Mansion affair, he prioritizes freeing Zuo Dongxi and Su Guang from the dungeon; later, he continues to rely on and protect both men as trusted companions. 31 32 56 79

Abilities & Skills

Pawn System

Chen Ye possesses a system that converts lifespan into cultivation progress. Lifespan can be redeemed through wealth, talent, and luck, but redemption costs twice the amount originally pawned. 1 6 9

• Instantly grants the equivalent of extended cultivation after he pawns lifespan. 2 64
• Records martial arts only after Chen Ye gains enough understanding of their fundamentals. 49 82
• Lets him use money to redeem life; one tael of silver redeems four days of lifespan. 4
• Makes every advance costly: reckless use can leave him with only days or months to live. 9 27

Mortal Shedding Physique

Repeated Mortal Sheddings transform Chen Ye’s body, vitality, senses, and resilience. His cultivation emphasizes high-quality physical refinement rather than merely increasing the number of breakthroughs. 34 67

• Possesses golden-gray keratin beneath his skin that improves durability. 21 73
• Withstands Du Wang’s full-force palm strike without moving. 73
• Reached roughly eight hundred jin of strength after his seventh shedding. 67
• Later reaches nearly fifteen hundred jin after the manifestation of flowing light. 93
• His refined physique and Five-Organ Thunder Resonance Method allow him to endure blows from Cui Yingtang that would seriously injure ordinary martial artists. 83 84

Foundation Cultivation Technique

The basic technique taught by the Gao Family develops stance, breathing, qi, and bodily force. Although initially incomplete, the Pawn System reveals its concealed combat applications. 4 9

• Array-Breaking Style — concentrates the entire body’s force into one explosive point, targeting openings created when an opponent loses balance. 9
• Mountain-Shattering Style — a limit-breaking move unlocked in desperation during his fight with Zhang Tieyi. 11
• Chen Ye applies its force-generation principles to unstable terrain, boats, carriages, and horseback combat rather than relying on fixed forms. 20

Return to Origin Art

Chen Ye secretly learns the Cui Family’s introductory art after observing training at the Martial Arts Arena. Its circulation travels from the dantian through the spine and eight extraordinary meridians before returning to the dantian. 49

• Perfects the technique within several months despite receiving no formal instruction. 61
• Successfully combines it with another technique, creating heavier and more profound true energy. 61
• Its completion astonishes Cui Yingtang, who considers his ability to repair and integrate its circulation path exceptional. 61

Hunyi Saber Technique

A saber art entrusted to Chen Ye by Cui Xijun. It values intent over elaborate form and uses saber intent to temper the body and advance Mortal Shedding. 63 64

• Uses five core saber moves alongside a substantial internal cultivation method. 64
• Cultivates through the mental stages of Locking Ape, Slaying the Three Corpses, and Red Emperor Palace. 64
• Condensing one, two, and three strands of saber intent corresponds to advancement toward the fifth, sixth, and Dragon Elephant thresholds respectively. 64
• Perfects the technique and condenses three strands of saber intent. 66
• Disarms Cui Yingtang during a sparring exchange despite her Dragon Elephant cultivation. 65

Five-Organ Thunder Resonance Method

A dangerous longevity-oriented technique that refines Chen Ye’s internal organs through thunder-like resonance. 82 83

• Purges impurities from his organs and improves his internal resilience. 83
• Extends lifespan substantially even at the entry level. 83
• A spar with Cui Yingtang helps him comprehend a breakthrough, making injury from sub-Dragon Elephant opponents far more difficult. 84
• Completes the technique and unlocks a hidden move after using spiritual ingredients and lifespan conversion. 92

Flowing Light

A unique ability born after nine rays of light resonate within his body. 93

• Moves freely across his skin like a living golden radiance. 93
• Reinforces his body and can erupt outward with force. 93
• Blasts Ji Puze away when Chen Ye releases it with a single command. 93

Strategy, Poison, and Combat

Chen Ye compensates for disparities in status or cultivation through preparation and decisive violence.

• Uses Mandala Flower Poison to weaken bandits before killing their leader, Cai He, a Dragon Elephant realm martial artist. 41
• Eliminates the Green Wolf Gang after discovering it knew of his involvement in the Cui convoy attack. 55 56
• Uses disguises, crossbows, false information, and terrain when planning assassinations or ambushes. 41 88 95
• Ranks first in the Capital City Martial Examination after lifting a seven-hundred-catty stone lock, drawing a nine-shi bow, wielding a two-hundred-jin broadsword, and defeating Du Wang. 69 70 73 76

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Short blade — taken from Zhang Tieyi after their confrontation; used during his escape from the Gao Family. 12 15
• Crossbow — carried during his escape and later used in planned operations with Zuo Dongxi and Su Guang. 15 88
• Silver Crow Blade — an Imperial Forge Camp saber supplied by Cui Yingtang for Hunyi Saber Technique training. 64
• Mandala Flower Poison — used to incapacitate bandits before Chen Ye attacks. 41
• Jade pendant and scholar’s robe — gifts from Cui Xijun marking his elevated status as a Cui Mansion retainer. 77
• White Medicine and cultivation remedies — regularly acquired to support recovery and body refinement. 52 88

Relationships

• Zhang Tieyi — Former Gao Family martial instructor and captor. Zhang trained Chen Ye while preparing him for transfer to the Xie Family; Chen Ye eventually defeated him and escaped. 4 10 11
• Gao Qiaoniang — Gao Family attendant assigned to Chen Ye’s daily needs. Her indirect warnings help him recognize the danger of the medicinal soup. 3 6 8
• Gao Yunheng — Gao Family eldest young master who viewed Chen Ye as a useful martial arts prospect; later becomes one of Chen Ye’s principal enemies. 3 12 79
• Escort Master Sun — Veteran escort who recognizes Chen Ye’s ability, offers him advice on the capital, and recommends him to the Xinglong Escort Agency. 18 20
• Shen Chongsan — Xinglong Escort Agency steward and Sun’s nephew-in-law. He guides Chen Ye through his first escort assignment and later shows sympathy after Chen Ye is dismissed. 21 32
• Zuo Dongxi — Close ally, former escort colleague, and leader of the Patrol Horse Gang after the Green Wolf Gang’s fall. He handles intelligence, cleanup, and criminal contacts for Chen Ye’s group. 32 56 57
• Su Guang — Chen Ye’s steadfast companion. He assists in escort work, horse training, investigations, and killings without questioning Chen Ye’s orders. 32 57 79 88
• Zhou Yun’e — Widow of the Feng Family’s third branch. Chen Ye first forms an uneasy alliance with her to expose a murderer; they later cooperate against Feng Family and Lu Family interests. 28 79 95
• Cui Xijun — Cui Family third miss and Chen Ye’s patron. She secures his Martial Examination qualification, gives him the Hunyi Saber Technique, and grants him retainer status after he wins first place. 63 68 77
• Cui Yingtang — Cui Family second miss, Dragon Elephant martial artist, and Chen Ye’s martial mentor. She recognizes his talent, teaches him the Hunyi Saber Technique, and repeatedly spars with him. 61 64 65
• Cui Zhenru — Cui Family figure who trusts Chen Ye’s cultivation knowledge and assigns him to assist Cui Kan’s studies. 81
• Cui Kan — Cui Family young master placed under Chen Ye’s supervision; Chen Ye’s praise gradually improves the boy’s training efforts. 81 84
• Cheng Defu — Cui Mansion worker who initially guides Chen Ye around the estate; their relationship becomes strained by Chen Ye’s rapidly elevated status but remains outwardly cordial. 49 65

Story Role / Major Arcs

Gao Family Escape

Chen Ye begins as a servant selected for martial training, discovers the Gao Family’s human-ingredient scheme, defeats Zhang Tieyi, and flees through Spring Mountain before the family can hand him to the Xie Family. 8 10 11 14

Journey to the Capital

After escaping, Chen Ye becomes a merchant-fleet guard, earns silver by fighting water bandits, converts much of the reward into lifespan, and reaches the capital through Escort Master Sun’s recommendation. 16 18 20

Feng Mansion Affair

While working for the Xinglong Escort Agency, Chen Ye becomes entangled in the Feng Family’s internal murder case. Imprisoned with Zuo Dongxi and Su Guang, he bargains with Zhou Yun’e, uses himself as bait, exposes the conspiracy, and secures his companions’ release. 27 28 31 32

Cui Family Retainer

After earning favor for saving Cui Family interests, Chen Ye enters Cui Mansion. He secretly learns the Return to Origin Art, impresses Cui Yingtang with his talent, receives the Hunyi Saber Technique, and is accepted as a Cui retainer. 47 49 61 63 77

Capital City Martial Examination

Chen Ye enters the Martial Examination with only a month of preparation. He dominates the strength, bow, and saber assessments, kills examiner Du Wang during an apparent assassination attempt, and ranks first overall. 68 69 70 73 76

Feng and Lu Family Schemes

As a Cui retainer with scholar status, Chen Ye resumes cooperation with Zhou Yun’e. He targets Feng Rong’s faction, investigates old links between the Feng and Lu families, and develops a forged-letter scheme to exploit the Lu Family’s internal weaknesses. 78 79 85 95

Notable Quotes

“Even an ant clings to life, let alone a man.” 28

“Does killing count?” 20

“I am afraid that—if I slip, I might beat you to death.” 93