Zhuang Tao

Biodata

Name	Zhuang Tao (庄涛)
Alias(es)	Senior Brother Zhuang; Brother Tao
Gender	Male
Affiliation	River-Breaking Martial Hall; Zhuang Family; Outer City alliance / Alliance Association
Occupation/Role	Martial artist; Zhuang Family restaurant operator; beast-hunting team member; organizer of resistance against the Three Families of the Inner City
First Appearance	Chapter 4

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Blood Creek / First Blood	6	States that he reached Blood Creek after one month of training, setting Chen Jing’s expectations for advancement. 6
Blood River / Second Blood	16	An established Second Blood Martial Artist by the time Chen Jing considers his recruitment offer; he later attributes his edge in sparring to more than a year of experience at this realm. 16 48
Blood River-Sea / Third Blood	89	Chen Jing guides him through the Burning Pulse Breakthrough Technique. Zhuang Tao endures the technique’s pain and forcibly crosses into Third Blood, accepting that it will exhaust his future potential. 89

Background / History

Zhuang Tao is a senior disciple of the River-Breaking Martial Hall and a member of the wealthy Zhuang Family, whose businesses include restaurants and an exotic-beast hunting team. He explains that martial cultivation depends heavily on nourishment—“thirty percent practice and seventy percent nourishment”—and recognizes how access to exotic beast meat gives wealthy families a decisive advantage. 8 15

He initially supervises Chen Jing as a newly initiated disciple, explaining the hall’s rules, demonstrating foundational fist techniques, and monitoring Chen’s exhausting stance training. Chen Jing’s endurance, loyalty, and practical insight change Zhuang Tao’s initially formal attitude into a genuine desire for friendship. 4 5 6

Although his cultivation talent is considered average, Zhuang Tao attains the Second Blood Realm and develops substantial experience in hunting and practical combat. Fei Feng later judges that his Blood-Qi has settled and that, without exceptional resources or fortune, he is unlikely to naturally surpass the Blood River Realm. Zhuang Tao accepts this assessment with resignation rather than denial. 48 70

Personality

Zhuang Tao is generous, sociable, and unusually willing to judge people by character rather than talent or social standing. He continues helping Chen Jing when other disciples see him as an unpromising commoner, giving him Green-skinned Horned Pig meat and arguing that Chen’s resilience and ambition make him worth supporting. 8 12

He is also protective and candid with those he considers brothers. He offers Chen Jing favorable employment, warns him about hostile forces in Red Rock County, gives him access to the Ghost Market’s inner room, and ultimately entrusts him with a firearm despite the danger of exposing such a weapon. 15 48 59 61

Behind his easygoing manner, Zhuang Tao is politically alert and capable of decisive action. He organizes Outer City forces against the Three Families, coordinates intelligence through allies such as Ji Wen, and helps turn the Liu Family and Fang Family against one another after Chen Jing destroys the Liu Family’s Soul-Absorbing Grass site. 60 74 83 84

Appearance

At the opening of Zhuangyu Restaurant, Zhuang Tao presents himself as a polished young master, in contrast to his more relaxed routine at the martial hall. 31

• Wears an exquisite black robe with gold embroidery at the cuffs for the restaurant’s opening. 31
• Maintains a poised, welcoming demeanor while receiving guests at Zhuangyu Restaurant. 31
• During covert alliance activity, changes into dark, close-fitting martial attire. 61

Abilities & Skills

River-Breaking Fist

Zhuang Tao practices the River-Breaking Martial Hall’s signature fist art and is an experienced Second Blood combatant before his later forced breakthrough.

• Demonstrates the hall’s foundational techniques to Chen Jing, teaching him through repeated stance work and punching drills. 6
• Uses the River-Breaking Fist killing move Surging Waves Striking the Shore to block the Wolf-Headed Beast-Taming Envoy’s attack despite being injured. 53
• Spars with Chen Jing using sustained, pressure-heavy attacks; he identifies and exploits a momentary interruption in Chen Jing’s blood-qi flow. 48
• Reaches the Third Blood Realm after using the Burning Pulse Breakthrough Technique, with his Blood River transforming into a Blood River-Sea. 89

Hunting and Field Combat

Zhuang Tao has practical experience with the Zhuang Family’s exotic-beast hunting operations.

• Recruits Chen Jing for monthly beast-hunting expeditions as part of the Zhuang Family’s business and supply network. 15 17
• Explains exotic-beast behavior and hunting strategy during the expedition into the heart of Cold Mountain. 50
• Fights alongside Chen Jing and Zhuang Huan against the Beast God Sect’s Shadow Wolf pack and Beast-Taming Envoys. 52 53
• Holds the Wolf-Headed Beast-Taming Envoy’s attention after being wounded, creating an opening for Chen Jing’s hidden-weapon attack. 53

Strategy and Organization

Zhuang Tao applies his connections and resources toward undermining the Three Families’ control of Red Rock County.

• Forms an alliance of Outer City martial artists and allied organizations to resist the Three Families’ monopoly on cultivation resources. 60 61
• Enforces secrecy among alliance members and takes care to remove traces after meetings. 61
• Coordinates the raid on the Liu Family’s Longevity Blessing Paste warehouse, assigning Chen Jing to confront its Third Blood defender. 77
• Uses the Canal Gang’s information network to spread the claim that the Fang Family destroyed the Liu Family’s Soul-Absorbing Grass site, worsening the Liu–Fang conflict. 83 84

Resources and Enterprises

• Zhuangyu Restaurant — Zhuang Family restaurant on the west side of Red Rock County; Zhuang Tao arranges for Chen Jing to serve as its martial guard. 30 31
• Zhuang Family beast-hunting team — Supplies exotic beast meat, hides, and other materials supporting the family’s restaurant business and martial resources. 15
• Green-skinned Horned Pig meat — Gives Chen Jing meat on several occasions to support his cultivation. 8 12
• Land deed beside the Zhuang Family estate — Rewards Chen Jing with a house next to the Zhuang compound after Chen saves Zhuang Tao and Zhuang Huan in Cold Mountain. 54
• Shadow Wolf jerky — Gives Chen Jing a share of the hunt’s proceeds, noting its vitality exceeds that of Green-skinned Horned Pig meat. 55
• Firearm — Entrusts Chen Jing with a concealed firearm capable of severely injuring a Third Blood Martial Artist, judging him discreet enough to keep it hidden. 61

Relationships

• Chen Jing — Junior brother, close friend, employer, hunting companion, and political ally. Zhuang Tao supports him from his first days at the martial hall and later calls him a brother. 5 12 17 61
• Zhuang Huan — His uncle and a leader within the Zhuang Family’s hunting operations; both are saved by Chen Jing during the Cold Mountain battle. 24 53 54
• Fei Feng — Master of the River-Breaking Martial Hall. Fei Feng recognizes Zhuang Tao’s limited natural prospects but values his realistic acceptance of them. 70
• Pu Shaojie — Senior brother and sparring partner. Pu Shaojie disparages Zhuang Tao’s friendship with Chen Jing, while Zhuang Tao rejects the idea that only the strong are worth befriending. 12
• Xiang Lingfei — Fellow disciple whose opportunism frustrates Zhuang Tao; Zhuang Tao believes Xiang’s arrogance will eventually bring consequences. 23 32
• Ji Wen — Canal Gang leader and alliance member whose information network helps Zhuang Tao track Inner City activity and spread strategic rumors. 61 74 83
• Liu Chuzhou — Political enemy linked to the Liu Family’s Longevity Blessing Paste scheme and the campaign of harassment against Zhuang Tao’s restaurant. 60 81 83

Story Role / Major Arcs

Chen Jing’s Entry into the River-Breaking Martial Hall

Zhuang Tao serves as Chen Jing’s earliest guide at the martial hall. He introduces the rules, provides training advice, oversees Chen Jing’s stance work, and helps him recover with Blood-Qi Soup. 4 5 6

Patron and Employer

After Chen Jing reaches Blood Creek, Zhuang Tao recruits him to protect Zhuang Family interests. His offer includes silver, food, Green-skinned Horned Pig meat, and limited hunting obligations so Chen Jing can continue training. 15 17

Zhuang Tao later places Chen Jing at Zhuangyu Restaurant, where Chen Jing ultimately defends the establishment’s reputation by defeating Guan Shan after Xiang Lingfei’s loss. 31 32 33

Cold Mountain Hunt

Zhuang Tao brings Chen Jing into increasingly dangerous hunts in Cold Mountain. During the battle against the Beast God Sect, Chen Jing saves Zhuang Tao from a venomous attack, while Zhuang Tao withstands the Wolf-Headed Envoy long enough for their counterattack to succeed. 49 52 53

In gratitude, Zhuang Tao gives Chen Jing a home beside the Zhuang Family estate and welcomes Chen Sanwu into the neighborhood. 54 55

Outer City Alliance

Zhuang Tao reveals that he has gathered Outer City forces to challenge the Three Families’ dominance. Chen Jing joins after recognizing that the Inner City’s growing control threatens both his ambitions and the River-Breaking Martial Hall. 60 61

He supplies Chen Jing with a firearm, coordinates raids against the Liu Family’s Longevity Blessing Paste operation, and works with him to exploit the Liu Family’s loss of its Soul-Absorbing Grass cultivation site. 61 77 83

Third Blood Breakthrough

After Red Rock County is settled and Chen Jing prepares to depart, Zhuang Tao pledges to protect the Chen family, Spring Return Hall, and the River-Breaking Martial Hall. Chen Jing responds by teaching him the Burning Pulse Breakthrough Technique. 89

Knowing the technique will leave his potential exhausted, Zhuang Tao accepts the cost as worthwhile for immediate Third Blood strength. Under Chen Jing’s guidance, he successfully becomes a Third Blood Martial Artist. 89

Notable Quotes

“The so-called martial path is thirty percent practice and seventy percent nourishment.” 8

“We're friends, aren't we? Would I ever treat you unfairly?” 17

“With me, Zhuang Tao, in Red Rock County, as long as I have a breath left, Uncle Chen and your two sisters will not lose a single hair!” 89