Ran Yuming

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Ran Yuming (染瑜明) 25
Alias(es)	Elder Ran; Teacher Ran 24 25
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy; associated with Mingde Hall research and ruin exploration 25 207
Occupation/Role	Second-year Class One homeroom teacher; Soul Engineer; soul tool theorist and researcher; Su Luoheng's master 25 27 34
Rank	Level 7 Soul Engineer; eight-ring Soul Douluo 34 36
First Appearance	Chapter 25

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Sixth-level Soul Master	34	At eighteen, he was regarded as the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy's greatest genius since Kong Deming and became Kong Deming's personal disciple.
Seventh-level Soul Master	34	Reached the seventh level within two years. A fixed-shell soul ammunition accident three years later gravely damaged his spiritual power, preventing any further advancement in his official Soul Engineer rank.

Background / History

Eighty years before the present story, Ran Yuming was an exceptional young Soul Engineer. At eighteen, he had reached the sixth level, earned recognition as Kong Deming's personal disciple, and was seen as a future leader of the Sun Moon Empire's soul tool community. He advanced to the seventh level at twenty. 34

Three years later, an assistant's error caused fixed-shell soul ammunition to detonate prematurely during a laboratory test. Nine participants died and three were injured. Ran survived through a Level 9 soul tool's protection, but the blast permanently damaged his spiritual power. Though his physical wounds healed, every subsequent attempt to improve his spiritual power failed. 34

Ran withdrew for several years before returning to the academy as a teacher. Unable to continue advancing normally, he devoted himself to soul tool theory, compiling extensive research and developing insights that surpass those of most Level 9 Soul Masters in theory alone. 34

He had intended to retire before discovering Su Luoheng's Analysis soul skill. Believing the skill was uniquely suited to soul engineering—and seeing a chance for his unrealized ambitions to continue through a disciple—Ran returned to teach the academy's second-year Class One and personally accepted Su as his direct disciple. 35

Appearance

Ran Yuming is an elderly man with an aged face and a long white beard. He commonly wears broad sleeves and carries himself with the reserved bearing expected of a senior academy teacher. 24 26

• Long white beard. 24
• Usually composed and dignified, though his expression can become visibly animated when discussing soul tool research or Su Luoheng's progress. 27 209
• Once suffered a conspicuous swelling on his forehead after being stung by a ten-thousand-year Blood Flame Bee queen. 44 45

Personality

Ran is strict and authoritative in the classroom. On his first day as Class One's homeroom teacher, he made obedience to his teaching arrangements his sole requirement and told any student unwilling to comply to leave immediately. 25

As a mentor, he is patient, observant, and highly adaptive. Rather than simply providing answers, he guides students toward identifying the principles behind their mistakes; he regularly reserves time to answer Su Luoheng's questions despite his own workload. 30 31

His investment in Su is both practical and deeply personal. Ran initially selected Su because of the potential of Analysis, but their relationship develops into genuine mutual trust. He protects Su during dangerous expeditions, seeks out resources for him, and repeatedly prioritizes his disciple's long-term development. 35 40 89

Ran is also independent-minded in political matters. He rejects Kong Deming's principle of unconditional loyalty to the reigning monarch, arguing instead that loyalty should be given to a worthy emperor. 195 196

Abilities & Skills

Soul Tool Theory and Instruction

Ran possesses outstanding theoretical knowledge of soul tools, particularly soul guidance inscriptions, core arrays, and the restoration of damaged devices. His theoretical understanding is stated to exceed that of most Level 9 Soul Masters. 34

• Teaches Level 2 soul tool construction in a way that gives elite students immediate insight into their shortcomings. 26
• Identifies the flaws in Su's core-array crafting and teaches him to prioritize soul guidance inscriptions over blindly copying arrays. 30 31
• Has cultivated multiple students qualified to enter Mingde Hall. 28
• Recognizes the research value of Su's restoration ability and records his reconstruction processes to study ancient core arrays. 208 209

Soul Engineering and Combat

Despite his stalled official advancement, Ran remains a Level 7 Soul Engineer and an eight-ring Soul Douluo. He can deploy a large number of soul tools simultaneously and fight as a mobile armored fortress. 36 40

• Killed the Blood Flame Bee King with a single strike while harvesting its hive. 36
• Used a soul cannon to eliminate two pursuers during Su's second soul-ring absorption, though he was seriously injured in the encounter. 40
• Maintained a soul guidance shield around Su during a thunderstorm and stood guard throughout the absorption of a thousand-year soul ring. 40
• Crafted a custom Level 7 bow for Su, designed to complement Broken Phantasm rather than function as a conventional Soul Elder weapon. 98

Ancient Soul Tool Research

Ran is intensely interested in the Super Ancient Soul Guidance Civilization and uses Mingde Hall's authority to access excavated ruins. 207 210

• Explains that soul tool ruins are archaeological sites and sources of recoverable research material rather than conventional trial grounds. 206 207
• Identifies restored ancient devices and evaluates their core-array structures. 207 208
• Works with Su to investigate anomalous ancient text and a projected message referring to a “world outsider” and “god as the source of disaster.” 210 211
• Continues acquiring and studying authenticated ancient soul tool wreckage with Su. 254 257 258

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Breath Concealing Bracelet — A Level 7 soul tool that suppresses Ran's aura to create an effect similar to invisibility. 36
• Mental Pulse — A Level 4 pistol-shaped soul tool that disrupts mental strength and incapacitates mentally weak targets. 36
• Seventh-class flying soul guidance device — Folding-wing flight tool used during the Jingyang Mountain Range expedition. 37
• Soul guidance shield — Protected Su during the absorption of his second soul ring in a thunderstorm. 40
• Combat soul tool arsenal — Includes a shoulder-mounted soul guidance cannon and numerous long-range tools deployable from his limbs and waist. 40

Relationships

• Su Luoheng — Direct disciple. Ran recognizes Su's Analysis soul skill as an exceptional soul-engineering talent, provides him with resources and instruction, and treats his development as the continuation of his own unfinished aspirations. 27 35 89 98
• Kong Deming — Master. Kong was Ran's mentor during his years as a prodigy; their relationship remains caring but strained by their opposing beliefs about loyalty to the emperor. 34 195 196
• Ran Ruobing — Granddaughter. She initially urges Ran to accept Su after learning about Analysis and later collaborates with Su on martial-soul projection research. 24 83
• Xu Jinyu — Imperial family member assisted by Ran and Su following the Jingyang Mountain Range incident. Xu recognizes Ran's reputation as an honorary academy teacher. 45
• Snow Empress — Ran arranged her position as an intern teacher at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy after Su explained her circumstances. 95 96

Story Role / Major Arcs

Recruitment of Su Luoheng

Ran becomes Class One's homeroom teacher and immediately identifies Su as a student worth observing. He tests Su's Analysis skill with three Level 2 soul tools, confirms the analyses are flawless, and accepts him as a direct disciple. 25 26 27

He gives Su access to his laboratory, books, materials, and targeted instruction. Under Ran's guidance, Su learns to understand inscriptions rather than merely reproduce arrays and independently becomes a Level 2 Soul Tool Master. 28 30 31 32

Jingyang Mountain Range Expedition

After Su reaches Level 20, Ran personally takes him to the Jingyang Mountain Range to seek a suitable second soul ring. He researches compatible psychic-type soul beasts, retrieves Blood Flame Bee honey and royal jelly, and uses the honey to lure a Red Gold Bear. 33 35 36 37

Ran safeguards Su during the hunt and protects him through the dangerous absorption of a thousand-year second soul ring. 38 40 41

Support of Su's Growth

Ran continues to provide Su with badges, cultivation resources, laboratory access, custom-made equipment, and financial backing. He supports Su's Soul Tool shop, Chaldea, with a savings card worth nearly two million Gold Soul Coins. 57 89 98

When Su is targeted by assassins, Ran is enraged and sends people to investigate the source, though the trail is erased before they arrive. 96

Kong Deming and the Ancient Ruins

Following Su's tournament victory, Ran brings him to meet Kong Deming. He accepts rare spiritual-power pills from his master despite believing them likely ineffective, then requests access to a newly unearthed ancient ruin so Su can gain early research experience. 193 195

Ran accompanies Su through the Tartu Desert ruins, where they restore ancient soul tools, document core arrays, and uncover a message that contradicts the accepted history of the Super Ancient civilization. 205 207 208 210 211

Notable Quotes

“Luoheng, I will certainly cultivate you into the most outstanding soul master in the Sun Moon Empire!” 35

“Perhaps the dreams I failed to realize myself could be successfully achieved through you.” 35