Chen Jing

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Chen Jing (陈景)
Alias(es)	Seventh Personal Disciple of Lianshan Martial Arts Hall; Wind-Catching Scout; Eighth-Rank Green-Clad Officer; Purple-Clad Officer; Bronze Emblem; Lead Investigator; “Butcher”; Bai Family Guest Elder; Black-Gold Ghost Mask; “Ghost Mask Hero”; Teacher Chen 28 83 137 139 197 221 229 300 350 376 395
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male 27
Affiliation	Lianshan Martial Arts Hall; Six Gates; Six Gates Anti-Theft Bureau of Jin City; Bai Family Medicine Shop; Bashu Medicine Shop; Capital Headquarters assignment to the Western Regions; Yellow Sheep Inn; Shi Household undercover employment; Liang Prefecture Garrison Office 28 83 137 197 220 300 333 357 394
Occupation/Role	Pig butcher; martial artist; Six Gates investigator and officer; East Market security overseer; Capital Headquarters agent assigned to infiltrate the Western Regions; undercover inn attendant and livestock butcher; Garrison Office officer; martial instructor 39 71 139 198 300 333 357 394 395
Status	Alive; has completed Nine-Aperture Refinement and Acquired-realm meridian cultivation, reached the third tower of Xiantian through the Middle Celestial Circuit, and opened his Ancestral Aperture through spirit refinement. Currently cultivates the Yin-Yang Demon-Sweeping True Exposition and Earthly Fiend Five Elements Blood-Refining Method, with completed heart tempering and ongoing Kidney Water refinement. 297 315 370 394 400 410
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Pig-Slaughtering Blade Technique — Minor Accomplishment	2	Awakens the Butcher talent, initially increasing blade speed while wielding a pig-slaughtering knife.
Body Tempering — Beginner	6	Begins formal martial cultivation through the Fierce Tiger Stance.
Spear Like a Dragon — Awakened	6	Learns the Basic Spear Technique and awakens a talent that increases accuracy with spears and staves.
Body Tempering — Minor Accomplishment	7 12	His Fierce Tiger Stance reaches Minor Accomplishment; by Chapter 12, his Basic Spear Technique has also reached this level through militia and shop training.
Body Tempering — Entering the Hall	17	Fierce Tiger Stance, spear technique, and blade technique enter the hall; Tiger Valiance grants a 100% instantaneous strength increase.
Pig-Slaughtering Blade Technique — Entering the Hall	10	Killing a bandit advances the technique and improves Butcher to grant 25% blade speed and force.
Body Tempering — Great Accomplishment	20	Fierce Tiger Stance reaches Great Accomplishment, while Pig-Slaughtering Blade Technique continues advancing toward Mastery.
Blood-Qi — Minor Accomplishment	34	Begins Blood-Qi cultivation through the Nine Forms of the Mountain Lord.
Nine Forms of the Mountain Lord — Minor Accomplishment	33	Fully grasps Tiger Roar Force and awakens Mountain Lord, enhancing speed and power whenever force circulates.
Body Tempering — Perfection	35	Perfects the Fierce Tiger Stance, greatly strengthening his physique and upgrading Tiger Valiance to a 300% strength eruption.
Blood-Qi — Marrow Refining	50	Refines five Blood-Qi Pills to reach the Marrow Refining stage.
Nine Forms of the Mountain Lord — Marrow Refining	50	His fist art reaches 2,401/4,000 proficiency in Marrow Refining alongside his Blood-Qi breakthrough.
Blood-Qi — Blood Exchange	62	His vitality becomes “like mercury,” allowing Hidden Force to circulate throughout his body.
Wisdom King Mountain-Suppressing Stance — Major Accomplishment	69	Simplifies the Immovable Wisdom King Stance and transforms Tiger Valiance into Wisdom King.
Pig-Slaughtering Blade Technique — Perfection	79	Awakens Skillful Blade; blade speed, force, and bone-breaking attributes double.
Foundation-Nurturing Technique — Qi Accumulation	82 83	Establishes an internal-cultivation foundation and starts refining True Qi.
Foundation-Nurturing Technique — Two Standard Meridians	91	The Crimson Sun Snake King’s gall opens another meridian and awakens Fire-Sitting.
Demon-Sweeping Return to Origin Technique	103	Fuses the Demon-Sweeping Heart Method with the Foundation-Nurturing Technique.
Blood-Qi — Dan-Holding	111	Condenses Blood-Qi at the Shanzhong point and gains precise Hidden Force.
Internal Cultivation — Four Primary Meridians	111	Forms a Small Heavenly Circuit and gains a qualitative leap in True Qi.
Star-Chasing Moon-Catching Steps — Entering the Hall	112	Learns to move with greater silence, speed, and control.
Pig-Slaughtering Blade Technique — Divine Mastery	127	Reaches the divine level during the Clear Wind Stronghold operation, further strengthening Butcher. 127
Wisdom King Mountain-Suppressing Stance — Perfection	133	Wisdom King can amplify one combat attribute by up to 500%.
Internal Cultivation — Five Primary Meridians	133	Opens the Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian after obtaining the second-stage heart method.
Internal Cultivation — Six Primary Meridians	144	Opens the Hand Taiyang Small Intestine Meridian.
Internal Cultivation — Eight Primary Meridians	163	Matches Shangchuan Sect enforcement elders who have opened eight meridians.
Star-Chasing Moon-Catching Steps — Great Accomplishment	160	Chasing Stars and Catching the Moon raises movement speed and lightness by 75%.
Great Sun Visualization Method — First Threshold	160	Awakens Pure Yang, improving mental strength and insight.
Life-Slaying Blade Technique — Divine Mastery	177	The blade becomes an extension of his will; Butcher increases blade-related attributes by 300% when wielding a blade with killing intent.
Internal Cultivation — Eleven Standard Meridians	178	Opens three further meridians and approaches completion of the full Zhou Tian cycle.
Great Sun Visualization Method — Gathering Yang	178	Gains the Boiling Origin attribute through spiritual cultivation.
Blood-Qi Aperture Condensation — First Aperture	180	Uses the Great Sun Visualization Method to perceive and condense a hidden eye aperture; Mountain Lord rises to a 300% increase in speed, force, and might.
Internal Cultivation — Twelve Standard Meridians / Heavenly Circuit Perfection	181	Completes the full Heavenly Circuit, qualifying him to pursue an Extraordinary Meridians cultivation manual.
Demon-Sweeping Return to Origin Technique — Extraordinary Meridians	197	Enters cultivation of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and awakens the active Qi Burst technique.
Three Treasures Simultaneous Activation	197	Learns to combine essence, qi, and spirit bursts, achieving extraordinary temporary combat power at severe physical cost.
Internal Cultivation — Two Extraordinary Meridians	206	Opens two extraordinary meridians after refining the fifty-year snow lotus and Fire Spirit Mushroom.
Tiger-Crane Twin Forms	206	Fuses the Twelve Cloud Crane Postures into his fist art, creating a style that balances the tiger form’s hardness with the crane form’s softness.
Crane Dance Across the Nine Heavens	206	Derives a new lightness skill by combining the Twelve Cloud Crane Postures with Star-Chasing Moon-Catching Steps.
Internal Cultivation — Three Extraordinary Meridians	222	Opens the Yin Linking Vessel, strengthening his resistance to mind-confusing arts and accumulated yin energy.
Blood-Qi Aperture Condensation — Four Apertures	241	Fully tempers additional eye and ear apertures, substantially improving his sight and hearing.
Internal Cultivation — Five Extraordinary Meridians	241	Opens the Yin Heel Vessel, improving breath regulation, recovery, concealment, and soundless movement.
Icefire Treasure Physique	241	Refines the Icefire Exotic Flower and gains 300% toughness and ice-fire resistance across his body.
Great Sun Visualization Method — Sun Condensation / Mind Forging the Sun	251	Breaks through the ten-thousand-point threshold, strengthening his spirit and allowing divided attention for simultaneous tasks; Insight and Boiling Origin can be enhanced by up to 500%.
Internal Cultivation — Six Extraordinary Meridians	251	Opens the Yang Heel Vessel and advances toward complete cultivation of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians.
Golden Crow Seven-Kill Saber Technique — Perfection	254	Fuses the Golden Crow Saber Technique with the Life-Slaying Blade Technique, creating a saber art that combines blazing blade light with refined killing intent.
Startled Feathers, Flying Flowers — Entering the Hall	254	Learns a hidden-weapon art and awakens Startling Feather, improving the speed, accuracy, and power of his thrown weapons.
Blood-Qi Aperture Condensation — Five Apertures	255	Continues aperture cultivation while preparing to travel to Thousand Mechanisms Palace for the Bashu Martial Tournament.
Great Sun Visualization Method — Sun Condensation Consolidation	255	Continues consolidating the spiritual stage attained through his earlier Mind Forging the Sun breakthrough.
Golden Crow Seven-Kill Saber Technique — Transcendent Mastery	260	Killing eleven assassins during the Thousand Mechanisms Palace incident rapidly elevates the self-created saber art.
Crane Dance Across the Nine Heavens — Transcendent Mastery	264	Gains extreme speed, water-treading lightness, agility, and vertical-leap ability sufficient to vault city walls.
Golden Crow Seven-Kill Saber Technique — Transformation Mastery	285	Reaches Transformation Mastery while escaping a coordinated Six Gates ambush.
Startled Feathers, Flying Flowers — Transcendent Mastery	285	Reaches Transcendent Mastery during the same ambush, allowing Chen Jing to strike accurately with hidden weapons even at high speed.
Blood-Qi Aperture Condensation — Eight Apertures	294	Condenses the anterior-yin aperture, strengthening kidney essence, stamina, physical strength, and Blood-Qi.
Internal Cultivation — Seven Extraordinary Meridians	294	Opens a seventh extraordinary meridian, placing him close to complete Acquired-realm cultivation.
Calamity-Crossing Treasure Body	294	The Icefire Treasure Physique evolves after prolonged poison testing, retaining 300% toughness and ice-fire resistance while gaining 150% poison resistance.
Blood-Qi — Nine-Aperture Refinement / Perfection	297	Refines the final posterior-yin aperture, completes Blood-Qi Perfection, and fuses Twin Forms with Wisdom King into Tiger’s Roar and Crane’s Cry.
Stunning Spear Strike — Entering the Hall	315	Advances the explosive spear art to Entering the Hall, allowing compressed True Qi to erupt through the spear tip with a 300% damage increase.
Internal Cultivation — Eight Extraordinary Meridians / Acquired Realm Perfection	315	Opens the Conception Vessel and completes the Eight Extraordinary Meridians; Qi Burst can reach a 500% enhancement.
Xiantian Realm	316	Stimulates the ancestral aperture between his brows through the resonance of True Qi and the Great Sun Visualization Method, forming a Xiantian Qi Seed.
Earthly Fiend Blood Refinement	318	Begins using Earthly Fiend fire qi to temper his heart and Blood-Qi, beginning the lengthy refinement of the five viscera and five elements.
Stunning Spear Strike — Perfection	330	Reaches Perfection after the battle with Icefire Elder and awakens Peerless Shock, multiplying the technique’s power, speed, accuracy, and penetration by eight.
Azurefire Frost-Ice Technique — Xiantian	331	Inherits and begins cultivating Icefire Elder’s Xiantian technique, transforming his former True Qi into Icefire Xiantian True Qi.
Earthly Fiend Five Elements Blood-Refining Method	331	Separates Blood-Qi refinement from his fist art and formally establishes a five-elements body-tempering method; the associated talent becomes Earthly Fiend.
Yin-Yang Wuji Seal — Entering the Hall	333	Develops a new fist art from the Azurefire Frost-Ice Palms, Tiger-Crane Twin Forms, and Yin-Yang principles; awakens Limitless.
Startled Feathers, Flying Flowers — Transformation Mastery	330	His post-battle inventory records 10,160/80,000 proficiency, confirming advancement beyond Transcendent Mastery.
Yin-Yang Wuji Seal — Perfection	357	Reaches 9,700/10,000 proficiency while he cultivates secretly at Yellow Sheep Inn.
Qi Burst — 600% Combat Enhancement	363	Uses a 600% True-Qi burst to overwhelm the already injured Flame-Severing Venerable.
Stunning Spear Strike — Transcendent Mastery	370	Reaches 8,600/30,000 proficiency; Peerless Shock increases force, speed, precision, and penetration by 1,000%.
Yin-Yang Wuji Seal — Transcendent Mastery	370	Reaches 14,300/30,000 proficiency; later battles against Crimson Flame Gold Beetles raise it to 24,300/30,000. 376
Xiantian — Second Tower / Lesser Celestial Circuit	370	Azurefire Frost-Ice Technique reaches 31,200/150,000; re-condenses the Ren and Du Meridians with Xiantian True Qi.
Great Sun Visualization Method — Aperture Opening	370	Opens the Ancestral Aperture after exceeding 30,000 proficiency; spiritual power becomes tangible, and Pure Yang increases mental strength by 300%.
Crane Dance Across the Nine Heavens — Transformation Mastery	370	Reaches Transformation Mastery through nightly mountain training while carrying Black Whirlwind, gaining enough speed to outrun the horse and ascend trees vertically.
Yin-Yang Demon-Sweeping True Exposition	383 384	Establishes a cultivation method supported by daytime sun visualization and nighttime moon visualization; its practice can gain 240 proficiency points daily.
Dark-Bright Saber Codex — Transformation Mastery	384	Completes a saber art balancing Great Sun fire and Taiyin cold; Butcher grants an 800% increase to speed, strength, penetration, killing intent, and yin-yang attributes.
Earthly Fiend Blood Refinement — Heart Tempering Complete / Kidney Water Begun	394	Chooses kidney refinement before spleen refinement to complement his Water-Fire Primordial Unity foundation and yin-yang arts; reaches 65,000/200,000 proficiency.
Yin-Yang Demon-Sweeping True Exposition — Xiantian Development	394	Reaches 54,260/150,000 proficiency through pill-assisted cultivation.
Xiantian — Third Tower / Middle Celestial Circuit	400	Yin-Yang Demon-Sweeping True Exposition reaches 61,760/150,000; refines all Eight Extraordinary Meridians with Xiantian True Qi, increasing qi capacity and circulation speed.
Earthly Fiend Five Elements Blood-Refining Method — Continued Kidney Refinement	400	Reaches 72,500/200,000 proficiency after consuming fifteen further Blood-Qi Pills over five days.

Background / History

Chen Jing is a transmigrator who was found in the snow by Butcher Zhang three months before the story begins. In return for food and shelter, he performs every task around Zhang’s butcher shop, including chopping wood, boiling water, tending the stall, and eventually slaughtering pigs. He adapts quickly, seeing butchery as a dependable trade that can keep him fed wherever he goes. 1

After successfully slaughtering a pig, Chen Jing awakens the Pig-Slaughtering Blade Technique and discovers that both practical butchery and independent practice increase its proficiency. His relentless work earns Butcher Zhang’s approval and establishes him as Zhang’s apprentice. 1 2

Concerned by bandit threats around Shuang'an Town, Chen Jing joins Wang Chong’s militia training while continuing to work at the butcher shop. He learns the Fierce Tiger Stance and Basic Spear Technique, then defends the injured Butcher Zhang during a bandit attack rather than pursuing personal glory. 5 6 10

Before the battle, Chen Jing travels to Creek River Village to slaughter New Year pigs. He detects bandits following him on his return journey, escapes, and alerts Wang Chong, prompting the townsmen to rush to the village’s aid. 8

Butcher Zhang later dies peacefully. Chen Jing arranges his funeral on Crouching Ox Mountain, carries on the shop’s work, and resolves to advance further in martial arts. Wang Chong subsequently brings him to Green Mountain City and introduces him to Cheng Lianshan. The journey also fulfills Zhang’s request that Wang help Chen Jing find a path beyond Shuang'an Town. 20 21 27

Cheng Lianshan accepts Chen Jing as his seventh personal disciple after witnessing his unusually pure and advanced Fierce Tiger Stance. At Lianshan Martial Arts Hall, Chen Jing learns the Nine Forms of the Mountain Lord, gains the support of his senior brothers and sister, and begins combining martial training with paid work at a slaughterhouse. 28 31 34 39

Following his work against Clear Wind Stronghold and Shangchuan Sect, Chen Jing rises rapidly through Six Gates. His exposed identity ends his work as a secret agent, but he is promoted to Eighth-Rank Green-Clad Officer and permitted to establish a team of former Wind-Catching Scouts. 137 139 144

After completing the full Heavenly Circuit and capturing Cui Xingkong, Chen Jing is transferred from Green Mountain City to Jin City. He joins Wei Huai’s Anti-Theft Bureau as a Purple-Clad Officer and assumes responsibility for East Market security. 181 196 197 198

In Jin City, Chen Jing’s success in the Great River Gang ore-ship case and his survival against the Bashu Spear Commander, Lu Yunqiao, make him famous throughout Bashu. Storytellers and martial artists begin calling him the “Butcher” and the foremost member of Bashu’s younger generation. 215 220 221

After Manager Wang guides him on force, momentum, intent, and the cultivation of martial intent, Chen Jing creates the Golden Crow Seven-Kill Saber by combining the Golden Crow Saber Technique with his Life-Slaying Blade Technique. He also begins studying Startled Feathers, Flying Flowers, using his divided attention to cultivate hidden weapons alongside his established arts. 252 253 254

During the Bashu Martial Tournament investigation at Thousand Mechanisms Palace, Chen Jing protects the injured Yin Zijing, massacres assassins, and becomes a central figure in Six Gates’ response to the palace’s schemes. The subsequent Wind and Snow Pavilion affair exposes Ji Lin’s betrayal and further confirms the danger posed by infiltrators within Six Gates. 255 260 285

After settling the immediate Jin City crisis, Chen Jing returns to Green Mountain City, visits Butcher Zhang’s grave, and reunites with Lianshan Martial Arts Hall. Using his advanced Sun Condensation and True Qi, he detects and disperses stagnant blood blocking Cheng Lianshan’s acupoints, giving his master renewed hope of reaching Aperture Condensation. 290 291

During the same visit, Chen Jing brings official authorization for Lianshan Martial Arts Hall to establish a sect. Cheng Lianshan gives him a precious ganoderma and a 50% share in the future sect. Chen Jing advises on its development and asks Li Dingfang and Yin Zhengping to look after it. 292

Chen Jing is later summoned to Liang Prefecture under suspicious circumstances. Warned by Han Tongxiao that local officials may be hostile, he travels north, survives pursuit by a Xiantian expert, and reaches Nine-Aperture Refinement and Blood-Qi Perfection while in Liang Prefecture City. 294 295 297

Li Muyuan subsequently recommends Chen Jing for a Capital Headquarters assignment to infiltrate the Western Regions. On his route through Longxi and Ye City, Chen Jing purchases a Mysterious Womb Toad Gallbladder at auction, becomes embroiled in conflict with the Grand Commandant’s son, and leaves Ye City while pursued by powerful enemies. 300 301 304

After escaping into the western desert, Chen Jing stays at Yellow Sheep Inn and trains at Black Mountain Cold Pool under Zhou Qing’an’s guidance. He opens the final extraordinary meridian, enters the Xiantian Realm through the Great Sun Visualization Method, and begins learning the structured five-hurdle path of Xiantian cultivation. 315 316

Chen Jing then starts tempering himself with Earthly Fiend Five Elements Qi while pursuing opportunities in the desert. After defeating and killing Icefire Elder, he inherits the complete Azurefire Frost-Ice Technique and its associated palm art, becoming the sole known inheritor capable of safely cultivating its icefire path. 318 327 330 331

To avoid exposing his established saber arts and Six Gates identity, Chen Jing develops the Yin-Yang Wuji Seal from the Icefire Elder’s inheritance, the Tiger-Crane Twin Forms, and his own battlefield experience. While waiting at Yellow Sheep Inn for intelligence on the Fire-Worship Sect, he maintains an arduous regimen of inn work, nocturnal training, blood refinement, True-Qi cultivation, and spirit refinement. 331 333 357

The Golden River confrontation brings Chen Jing into battle with multiple Xiantian experts from the Fire-Worship Sect, Underworld Mansion, and Grand Commandant’s Residence. He kills Moluokan, cripples Luo Wentong’s arm, repels Flame-Severing Venerable, and forces Blood River Ghost Envoy backward. Jade Flute Ghost Envoy’s sonic attacks disrupt his explosive techniques, allowing Zhang Tiantu to strike him; Chen Jing survives and flees. During the ensuing pursuit and underground ordeal, he spends time with the Ghost Envoy, Su Lingyi, before they part. 363 364 365 366 368

Returning to Yellow Sheep Inn, Chen Jing retrieves the Moon-Condensing Grass preserved by Sha Lifeng and Black Whirlwind. Together with seven precious medicines, these resources allow him to establish the Xiantian Lesser Celestial Circuit and open the Ancestral Aperture. He also advances Crane Dance Across the Nine Heavens to Transformation Mastery while hostile factions search for him. 368 370

Chen Jing subsequently enters the struggle for Qu Feiguang’s hidden treasury with Sha Lifeng. He destroys Crimson Flame Gold Beetle swarms, reaches the red-gold palace, and kills the combined gatekeeping force of the Underworld Mansion and Grand Commandant’s Residence with hidden weapons. By the end of his desert journey, he has established the Yin-Yang Demon-Sweeping True Exposition and Dark-Bright Saber Codex. 376 383 384

After parting amicably with Zhou Qing’an, Chen Jing travels back through Ye City, sells his treasure, and accumulates a total fortune of 100,000 taels. He spends 30,000 taels on 300 Blood-Qi Pills and returns to Liang Prefecture after approximately ten days. Meanwhile, Zhang Yunxi and a white-browed Fire-Worship Sect master prepare to pursue vengeance in the Central Land. 385

Back in Liang Prefecture, Chen Jing defeats Fang Yuanyi and takes an assignment under Li Muyuan at the Garrison Office. He completes heart tempering, begins Kidney Water refinement, and investigates the conspiracy behind the earlier attacks on him. The death of Feng Mengsong, known as Mr. Guanshan, creates a new crisis in which Chen Jing is publicly implicated despite Song Chenxing’s determination that another culprit is responsible. 394 395 400

While preparing to investigate Hanxi Town, Chen Jing refines the Eight Extraordinary Meridians with Xiantian True Qi and reaches the third tower, the Middle Celestial Circuit. In Hanxi, he captures Wei Mingjiao and a woman, escapes with Wang Qun, and continues investigating the Western Rong and border-army connections. Later interrogations of Zhuo Chengyin and Xu Jie reveal Zhuo’s concealed history as Feng Mengsong’s disciple and his ambitions to support a future emperor. 400 403 410

Appearance

Chen Jing is a tall, straight-backed young man with regular, handsome features. His martial training broadens his shoulders, strengthens his frame, and gives him an upright, steady bearing. 27 34

• His stance-trained posture is compared to a White Wax Pole planted firmly in the ground. 27
• He commonly wears coarse working clothes while slaughtering pigs, with a butcher knife at his waist. 39
• His senior brothers provide fitted black martial clothing, which emphasizes his broad shoulders and narrow waist. 34
• As a Green-Clad Officer, he wears an azure official robe, black leather belt, standard horizontal blade, and keeps the Butcher Knife at the small of his back. 140
• As a Purple-Clad Officer in Jin City, he wears an authentic purple official robe; his youth and refined features often cause people to underestimate his rank and strength at first sight. 197 200
• Refining the Icefire Exotic Flower makes his physique vastly tougher without making it visibly rigid, giving his skin the resilience of exceptionally hardened hide. 241
• When traveling or working undercover, he often resumes the appearance of a provincial butcher in coarse brown or plain green clothes, with a butcher knife visible at his lower back and his more conspicuous saber wrapped or concealed. 236 294
• By the Thousand Mechanisms Palace expedition, he commonly carries twin sabers at his waist together with flying daggers and other hidden weapons. 255 294
• During the Western Regions assignment, he uses disguises ranging from a masked auction participant to a dirty, nondescript traveler in order to evade the Grand Commandant’s household and Red Sand Town patrols. 300 331
• While residing at Yellow Sheep Inn, he outwardly appears to be an ordinary attendant. The pain of Earthly Fiend fire-qi refinement often leaves him flushed, trembling, and apparently ill, concealing his true progress from guests. 357
• After further Earthly Fiend refinement, fully circulating his Blood-Qi Fire Force and Xiantian Fire Force surrounds his body with golden flames, giving him an appearance compared to a descending fire god. 370
• For the Peach Garden Poetry Gathering, he adopts a scholar’s appearance, wears green clothing, and leaves his weapons at home. 394 395

Personality

Chen Jing is practical, diligent, and unusually adaptable. He accepts the harsh circumstances of his new life rather than lamenting them, initially treating butchery as a survival skill and later using it as both income and martial training. 1 39

He pursues improvement with methodical intensity. His typical routines combine stance work, fist training, blade practice, butchery, internal cultivation, medicinal refinement, and visualization, often at the cost of sleep or leisure. 11 82 177

Despite his rapid growth, Chen Jing generally remains composed and cautious. He refuses to accuse Zhou Fan without evidence, prepares carefully before challenging stronger opponents, and uses investigation, planning, and terrain to supplement direct force. 42 62 78

In combat and interrogation, he can be severe and ruthless. He dismembers enemies, intimidates prisoners for intelligence, and shows little mercy toward bandits or collaborators once their guilt is established. 65 79 139 170

As his official responsibilities expand, Chen Jing remains direct and results-oriented. He delegates routine administrative work to reliable subordinates so that he can focus on investigations and cultivation, while accepting responsibility for dangerous cases himself. 198 221 229

He is also willing to revise his judgment when evidence demands it. During the investigation into Chu Cangyuan’s death, he questions the apparent case against Zheng Xinglong rather than accepting a convenient explanation shaped by factional interests. 229

His growing status does not diminish his restraint. He reaches an understanding with Tang Linfeng rather than escalating their conflict, and he considers carefully how to investigate the Mo Family after completing his immediate obligations. 251

Chen Jing is highly pragmatic in matters of resources and survival. Before entering the Western Regions, he chooses to convert his wealth into martial resources rather than preserve it as idle money, while his response to powerful enemies remains to evade, conceal himself, and grow stronger if direct victory is impossible. 300 304

Even after entering Xiantian, Chen Jing remains aware of the gap between himself and established experts. Against Icefire Elder, he avoids an immediate contest of cultivation and spirit, instead using endurance, speed, terrain, provocation, and his elemental resistance to create a survivable opening. 327 328

He increasingly values concealment as much as direct strength. He destroys dangerous manuals after memorizing them, disguises himself to avoid patrols, develops less recognizable fist and spear arts, and chooses evasion over unnecessary clashes while operating in the Western Regions. 331 333

His experiences against Su Lingyi reinforce his willingness to acknowledge weaknesses. Rather than treating survival against several experts as proof of invincibility, he identifies his insufficient spiritual cultivation as a vulnerability and devotes his recovered resources to improving it. 364 368 370

Chen Jing does not regard himself as responsible for protecting every treasure-seeking martial artist. In Qu Feiguang’s treasury, he leaves other adventurers to bear the consequences of their own decisions, while decisively eliminating threats that block his own route. 376

His attachment to Lianshan Martial Arts Hall remains strong. He supports its establishment as a sect both out of loyalty and because it could provide a secure home if wider political disorder destroys the dynasty. 292

Despite his discipline, Chen Jing is not indifferent to comfort or leisure. After returning from the desert, he resents being immediately pressed into another journey to a border town, though he ultimately accepts the investigation when official and public pressure make departure necessary. 400

Abilities & Skills

Blade Arts

Chen Jing’s original Pig-Slaughtering Blade Technique develops from a trade skill into a lethal martial art. He later employs the Life-Slaying Blade Technique, which tempers killing intent and reaches Divine Mastery. He subsequently fuses it with the Golden Crow Saber Technique to create the Golden Crow Seven-Kill Saber. 79 127 170 177 254

• Butcher — When wielding a blade with killing intent, increases blade speed, force, penetration, Skillful Blade, and killing-intent attributes by 300% at his earlier Divine Mastery stage. By his later desert cultivation, its listed saber attributes increase by 800%. 177 242 370
• Skillful Blade — Improves precision and makes durable bodies and flesh easier to cut apart. 79 96
• Bone-Breaking — Applies explosive chopping force capable of cleanly severing bone. 20
• Penetration — Allows his blade force to cut through ordinary Blood-Qi and True-Qi defenses unless confronted by particularly advanced hard-body cultivation. 190
• His blade arts gain proficiency particularly quickly through killing opponents, though such encounters are dangerous. 89 100
• He commonly fights with a Black Gold Blade and his shorter Butcher Knife together, using the former for direct exchanges and the latter to sever tendons, joints, and other vulnerable points. 190 218
• Golden Crow Seven-Kill Saber — A self-created saber art that combines the Golden Crow Saber Technique’s radiant, swift blade light with the Life-Slaying Blade Technique’s killing intent. It reaches Transformation Mastery during Chen Jing’s battle against traitorous Six Gates officers. 253 254 285
• At Transcendent Mastery, his Golden Crow Seven-Kill Saber can dispatch multiple assassins in rapid succession, its golden blade light likened to dawn rays that bring death wherever they fall. 260
• His Black Gold Blade breaks during his battle with Icefire Elder, temporarily leaving the reforged Butcher Knife as his principal blade. 330
• At Golden River, he uses the Golden Crow Seven-Kill Saber to decapitate Moluokan after seizing the protector’s Demon-Subduing Pestle and breaking his resistance. 363
• Dark-Bright Saber Codex — A later self-created saber art whose movements balance yin and yang. Its strikes can manifest Great Sun-like raging fire or Taiyin-like cold radiance, drawing support from the Yin-Yang Demon-Sweeping True Exposition and sun-and-moon visualizations. It is completed at Transformation Mastery. 384
• The Dark-Bright Saber Codex improves coordination between inner power, movement, and spirit rather than merely increasing raw force. Its associated Butcher talent increases striking speed, strength, penetration, killing intent, and yin-yang attributes by 800%. 384
• After his Pig-Slaughtering Blade Technique reaches a plateau, ordinary slaughtering ceases to improve it. Combining butchery with True Qi and inner force restores proficiency gains, initially granting ten points per pig. 82

Nine Forms of the Mountain Lord

A fist art created from Cheng Lianshan’s military experience and martial insights, combining cultivation forms with practical combat applications. It later forms the foundation of Chen Jing’s Tiger-Crane Twin Forms. 31 34 206

• Uses Tiger Roar Force to send Blood-Qi and force into the marrow. 31 33
• Provides aggressive stances such as Descending Mountain, Patrolling Mountain, Tail Whip, and Claw-Flipping. 32 54 163
• Mountain Lord initially raises speed, strength, and imposing might while he channels fist force; after his first aperture condensation, these attributes rise by 300%. 160 180
• At Dan-Holding, he can condense his Blood-Qi and release Hidden Force with highly concentrated power. 111 112
• The form evolves into the Tiger-Crane Twin Forms, combining the tiger’s force and directness with the crane’s agility, softness, and adaptability. 206 242
• Upon reaching Blood-Qi Perfection, Twin Forms merges with Wisdom King to create Tiger’s Roar and Crane’s Cry, which raises speed, force, agility, and might by 500% during Tiger-Crane circulation. 297
• After entering Xiantian, Chen Jing separates the blood-refining component of Tiger-Crane Twin Forms from its combat applications, establishing the Earthly Fiend Five Elements Blood-Refining Method as an independent body-tempering path. Its corresponding talent becomes Earthly Fiend. 318 331
• The cultivation forms and combat forms serve distinct purposes: the former temper the body, bones, and marrow, while the latter emphasize defeating enemies and preserving the practitioner’s life. 34
• Practical sparring also increases proficiency and exposes weaknesses that raw strength cannot solve, as demonstrated when Mei Qinghe defeats the inexperienced Chen Jing through agile footwork. 53

Yin-Yang Wuji Seal

A self-created Xiantian fist art derived from the Azurefire Frost-Ice Palms, Tiger-Crane Twin Forms, and Chen Jing’s understanding of Yin-Yang balance. It allows him to fight without immediately exposing his highly recognizable Golden Crow Seven-Kill Saber. 331 333

• The art consists of the Mountain Lord Seal, Spirit Crane Seal, Prairie-Fire Seal, Profound Yin Seal, and the ultimate Wuji Seal. 331
• Mountain Lord Seal retains the rooted, overwhelming force of Chen Jing’s former tiger-form fist art. 331 350
• Spirit Crane Seal emphasizes redirection, softness, and throwing force, allowing him to disrupt and cast aside stronger opponents. 331 350
• Prairie-Fire Seal and Profound Yin Seal respectively guide fire and ice force; together they can form the Frostjade Azureflame Palm. 331 350
• Upon reaching Entering the Hall, Chen Jing awakens Limitless, increasing punching speed, power, hardness, softness, and related fist-force attributes by 30%. 333
• The art enables Chen Jing to combine Earthly Fiend Blood-Qi, Xiantian True Qi, fire force, and ice force in a single sequence of attacks. 350
• By his return to Yellow Sheep Inn, it has reached Perfection with 9,700/10,000 proficiency; his later inventory records Transcendent Mastery at 14,300/30,000. 357 370
• When supported by the Essence-Qi-Spirit Triad and spiritual insight, his Wuji Seal can locate and strike an opponent concealed within deceptive palm intent, as shown against Blood River Ghost Envoy’s blood-sea attack. 364
• Battles against Crimson Flame Gold Beetles increase its proficiency to 24,300/30,000. His icy Xiantian True Qi freezes entire swarms before they can reach him. 376

Wisdom King Mountain-Suppressing Stance

A stance art Chen Jing derives from the Immovable Wisdom King Stance. It becomes one of his primary defensive and explosive combat methods. 67 69

• Wisdom King can magnify one chosen attribute—strength, speed, perception, or bone-breaking—by up to 500%. 133 242
• He uses it to evade attacks, boost acceleration, withstand powerful strikes, and overpower stronger opponents. 100 105 152
• Before Blood-Qi Perfection, the talent focuses on only one attribute at a time. 133
• When combined with Blood-Qi circulation, it can temporarily harden his musculature and frame enough to endure devastating impacts and explosions. 151 238
• At Nine-Aperture Refinement, Wisdom King merges with Twin Forms into Tiger’s Roar and Crane’s Cry. This unified talent can actively increase one of speed, force, agility, or might by up to 800%. 297
• After Chen Jing separates his blood-refining method from his fist art, the unified talent is renamed Earthly Fiend, retaining its 500% passive enhancements and 800% single-attribute active ceiling. 331

Internal Cultivation

Chen Jing first learns the Foundation-Nurturing Technique, then merges it with the Demon-Sweeping Heart Method to form the Demon-Sweeping Return to Origin Technique. After entering Xiantian and inheriting Icefire Elder’s legacy, he begins transforming this foundation into the Azurefire Frost-Ice Technique. He later establishes the Yin-Yang Demon-Sweeping True Exposition. 82 103 331 383 384

• His internal arts cultivate True Qi, open the Twelve Standard Meridians, and permit circulation of internal force through his body. 89 91 178
• After completing the standard-meridian cycle, he begins opening the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, which ultimately connect the Heaven and Earth Bridges. 181 197 315
• Demon-Sweeping increases stamina, healing, and qi-force sharpness by 150% while internal force circulates. 242
• Qi Burst is an active True-Qi eruption that initially raises his power output by up to 300%; after opening all Eight Extraordinary Meridians, its maximum enhancement reaches 500%. His later Xiantian combat demonstrates a 600% burst. 197 242 315 363
• Internal cultivation strengthens his recovery, but his early Foundation-Nurturing True Qi is less suited to direct clashes than specialized killing-oriented internal arts. 94
• The Foundation-Nurturing Technique allows him to restore his energy through nighttime cultivation in place of ordinary sleep. Its ability to nourish meridians and mend hidden injuries is later incorporated into Demon-Sweeping as the healing attribute. 82 159
• The Yin Heel Vessel improves breath regulation, meditation recovery, stealth, soundless landings, and retention of essence and qi. 241
• The Yin Linking Vessel protects the internal organs, calms the spirit, disperses accumulated yin energy, and improves resistance to mind-confusing techniques. 222
• By his journey to Liang Prefecture, Chen Jing has opened seven extraordinary meridians and is nearing completion of the Acquired Realm. 294
• Opening the Conception Vessel completes the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and lets him form the Xiantian Qi Seed in his Dantian after stimulating the ancestral aperture. 315 316
• His first Xiantian True Qi is approximately ten times as powerful as Acquired True Qi and responds more readily to his control. 316
• Azurefire Frost-Ice Technique — A complete Acquired- and Xiantian-realm inheritance that draws natural water and fire qi into the Dantian, refines them into Icefire Xiantian True Qi, and continuously tempers the meridians, organs, and Dantian. 330 331
• The Azurefire Frost-Ice Technique cultivates substantially faster than his former internal method and is compatible with Chen Jing because the Icefire Exotic Blooms have established a body capable of bearing simultaneous ice and fire. 330 331
• Its spiritual principles also allow him to conceal and protect his spirit, helping him resist Flame-Severing Venerable’s mental attack. 363
• Zhou Qing’an describes Xiantian cultivation as five hurdles: True Qi Refinement, re-condensing the Ren and Du Meridians, re-condensing the Extraordinary Meridians, re-condensing the Twelve Standard Meridians to project qi externally, and final circuit perfection. 316
• At 31,200/150,000 Azurefire Frost-Ice proficiency, Chen Jing has re-condensed the Ren and Du Meridians and established the Lesser Celestial Circuit, the second tower of Xiantian. 370
• Yin-Yang Demon-Sweeping True Exposition — His later cultivation method is supported by visualizing the sun during the day and the moon at night. This routine can gain 240 proficiency points daily and provides a foundation for the Dark-Bright Saber Codex. 383 384
• At 61,760/150,000 proficiency in the Yin-Yang Demon-Sweeping True Exposition, he refines all Eight Extraordinary Meridians with Xiantian True Qi and forms the Middle Celestial Circuit, the third tower. This increases True-Qi capacity, circulation speed, responsiveness, and its support of Blood-Qi and spirit. 400

Star-Chasing Moon-Catching Steps

A Six Gates lightness skill personally taught to Chen Jing by Li Dingfang. It later becomes part of his self-created Crane Dance Across the Nine Heavens. 110 206

• Enables swift pursuit, evasive movement, quieter landings, and improved aerial mobility. 110 112
• Chasing Stars and Catching the Moon increases movement speed and lightness by 75% at Great Accomplishment. 160
• Chen Jing integrates the movement art with the grounded footwork of the Nine Forms of the Mountain Lord. 111
• Crane Dance Across the Nine Heavens combines the Star-Chasing Moon-Catching Steps with the Twelve Cloud Crane Postures, granting greater movement speed, lightness, and agility. 206 242
• At Transcendent Mastery, the art allows him to tread across water, leap roughly ten zhang in a single bound, and scale or clear city walls through its vertical-leap attribute. 264
• Combined with Wisdom King-enhanced perception and his agility, the art lets him weave through concentrated volleys of arrows and crowded battlefields with exceptional evasiveness. 264 285
• After entering Xiantian, his recovery of qi through breathing and bodily pores can nearly offset the art’s ordinary expenditure, allowing him to maintain lengthy nocturnal movement training. 357
• At Golden River, Su Lingyi’s superior lightness skill initially outpaces his full-speed movement. He temporarily extends the distance by burning through Blood-Qi, but recognizes that this cannot be sustained indefinitely. 364
• He subsequently trains by carrying Black Whirlwind through Black Mountain at night. After a month, Crane Dance Across the Nine Heavens reaches Transformation Mastery, allowing him to outrun the horse, run vertically up trees, leap above the canopy, and land lightly on treetops. 370
• His mobility also supports rapid evacuation while carrying captives, as demonstrated when he leaves Hanxi Town with two unconscious prisoners and Wang Qun. 403

Great Sun Visualization Method

A spirit-refining method acquired from the Great Sun Visualization Diagram. It enhances Chen Jing’s mental clarity, perception, and control of Blood-Qi and True Qi. 152 156

• Pure Yang raises his spirit by 75% during his earlier cultivation stages. 242
• When actively invoked, it initially increases either insight or Boiling Origin by up to 300%, allowing Chen Jing to see through deceptive techniques, perceive openings, or intensify his Blood-Qi. The ceiling rises to 500% upon Sun Condensation. 174 178 242 251
• The method allows increasingly precise control over his Blood-Qi Dan and True Qi circulation. 156 160
• At the Mind Forging the Sun breakthrough into Sun Condensation, Chen Jing can divide his attention and manage multiple mental tasks simultaneously. 251
• His divided attention allows him to maintain paired cultivation routines, including internal cultivation with visualization, fist arts with saber training, and lightness work with hidden-weapon practice. 254
• By the Bashu Martial Tournament expedition, he has advanced to Sun Condensation, allowing increasingly refined spiritual perception and application of his mental strength. 255
• The method is decisive to his Xiantian breakthrough: its materialized spiritual strength resonates with True Qi and enables him to locate and stimulate the ancestral aperture between his brows. 315 316
• Prolonged active use causes sharp mental strain and cannot be sustained freely. 160
• Spirit-Nourishing Pills provide 10,000 proficiency points during his Yellow Sheep Inn cultivation, raising the method to 21,700/30,000 in Sun Condensation. 357
• Moon-Condensing Grass restores and strengthens spiritual power. Chen Jing consumes several catties nightly while practicing visualization, using it to address the weakness exposed by Su Lingyi’s flute. 364 368
• After exceeding 30,000 proficiency, the visualized Great Sun overlaps with the Ancestral Aperture and opens it, advancing the method to Aperture Opening. His spiritual power becomes tangible, and Pure Yang grants a 300% mental-strength increase with active enhancement of Insight, Boiling Origin, or Intimidation. 370
• Opening the Ancestral Aperture improves his confidence against Blood River Ghost Envoy and Su Lingyi, but he remains wary of the latter’s combined attacks on essence, qi, and spirit. 370
• His later cultivation incorporates daytime sun visualization and nighttime moon visualization in conjunction with the Yin-Yang Demon-Sweeping True Exposition. 383 384

Three Treasures

Chen Jing cultivates essence through Blood-Qi, qi through internal cultivation, and spirit through the Great Sun Visualization Method. Unlike most martial artists, he possesses explosive techniques for all three paths. 156 197

• Essence is driven by Blood-Qi and Wisdom King, later incorporated into Earthly Fiend. 180 197 331
• Qi is driven by True Qi and Qi Burst. 197
• Spirit is driven by Pure Yang and Boiling Origin. 178 242
• Simultaneously activating all three produces overwhelming power, but his body can initially sustain the full state for only around ten breaths. 197 198
• He uses combinations of these methods selectively in battle to avoid unnecessary physical damage. 198 215
• Manager Wang teaches him that force, momentum, and intent must be cultivated together beyond the six-meridian stage, providing Chen Jing a framework for developing martial intent and pursuing a higher Threefold Unity. 252 253
• His Xiantian breakthrough confirms his belief that essence, qi, and spirit must resonate together: both body cultivation and qi cultivation ultimately use tangible power to stimulate the intangible ancestral aperture. 316
• Against Moluokan and Luo Wentong, he simultaneously enhances Blood-Qi and True Qi by 300%, combining Blood-Qi Fire Force with Icefire Xiantian True Qi. 363
• Against Blood River Ghost Envoy, he raises mental power to 500% and invokes the Essence-Qi-Spirit Triad, allowing him to perceive the true attack within the blood sea and counter it with the Wuji Seal. 364
• He again activates the Triad at 500% during the quicksand crisis. At that point, mental activation limits the strongest state he can unleash. 365
• Su Lingyi’s Soul-Severing Note demonstrates a counter to this state: its fused spiritual, qi, and Blood-Qi mechanism disrupts his mind and circulation, weakening his explosive technique. 364 370
• The Dark-Bright Saber Codex brings his inner power, physical movement, and sun-and-moon visualizations into closer harmony, extending Three-Treasures coordination into his ordinary saber technique. 384

Earthly Fiend Five Elements Blood-Refining Method

A body-refining method Chen Jing establishes by separating the blood-and-qi tempering aspect of Tiger-Crane Twin Forms from its fist-combat applications. It uses Xiantian five-elements qi, particularly Earthly Fiend fire qi, to temper the five viscera and reinforce his body. 317 318 331

• The method requires an estimated 200,000 proficiency points to complete, with roughly 40,000 points needed for each of the five viscera and five elements. 318
• Chen initially uses Earthly Fiend fire qi to temper his heart, blood, and qi; the process is intensely painful and can leave him unable to continue training for the day. 318 357
• His exceptional icefire resistance allows him to gather and endure far more Earthly Fiend fire qi than an ordinary martial artist. 333
• The method strengthens his Blood-Qi foundation while tempering his internal organs and physical attributes beyond the completed Nine-Aperture Refinement stage. 331 357
• Earthly Fiend — While Blood-Qi circulates, increases speed, strength, agility, and mighty presence by 500%. Active stimulation can instantly increase any one of these attributes by up to 800%. 331
• At 39,000/200,000 proficiency, his circulating vitality and blood blaze like a furnace. When combined with Xiantian Fire Force at full strength, golden flames coil around his entire body. 370
• He completes heart tempering before the Peach Garden Poetry Gathering. Rather than follow the ordinary five-elements sequence into spleen refinement, he chooses the kidneys next to develop Kidney Water. 394
• His Water-Fire Primordial Unity foundation and yin-yang techniques make this altered sequence useful for combining water and fire forces in combat. 394
• Drawing too much water qi during his first attempt produces freezing and drowning-like sensations. His Calamity-Crossing Physique helps him endure the dangerous process. 394
• As Kidney Water refinement develops, his Blood-Qi can freely alternate between explosive heat and marrow-penetrating cold, adding versatility to his existing force. His proficiency reaches 65,000/200,000 and later 72,500/200,000. 394 400

Fire-Sitting

A talent awakened after Chen Jing consumes the Crimson Sun Snake King’s gall and repeatedly endures fire poison. 91

• Raises Flame Sun Resistance by 50%. 91
• Allows him to endure Tian Yang’s fire-poison-laced Yama Palm. 166
• Its protection is later eclipsed by the Icefire Treasure Physique’s far greater resistance to both heat and cold. 241

Icefire Treasure Physique

A body-refining talent awakened by refining the Icefire Exotic Flower while enduring its opposing medicinal forces for three days. It later evolves into the Calamity-Crossing Treasure Body after Chen Jing deliberately tests and withstands poisons. 241 294

• Increases the toughness of his skin, membranes, tendons, bones, meridians, viscera, and internal organs by 300%. 241 242
• Raises ice and fire resistance by 300%, rendering ordinary flame-based martial arts largely ineffective against him. 241 242
• Greatly improves his ability to endure blunt force, bladed weapons, penetrating internal force, and explosive damage. 241
• His hardened body remains resilient rather than rigid, retaining mobility while resisting cuts that would ordinarily break skin. 241
• As the Calamity-Crossing Treasure Body, it gains 150% poison resistance in addition to its ice-fire protection. Even powerful poisons such as Heartbreak Powder and Crane Crown Red cease to be reliably lethal to him. 294
• His combined poison resistance and ice-fire tempering allow him to resist techniques such as the Azure Underworld Poison Palm and the simultaneous fire- and ice-force attacks of Acquired-realm experts. 273 304
• Having refined two Icefire Exotic Blooms by the time he faces Icefire Elder, Chen Jing is almost completely unaffected by the elder’s simultaneous freezing and burning forces. 327
• The physique provides the physical foundation necessary to cultivate the Azurefire Frost-Ice Technique without suffering conflict between ice and fire True Qi. 330 331
• Combined with his Icefire Force and strengthened body, it allows him to survive Zhang Tiantu’s full-power palm with only minor internal injuries after Su Lingyi disrupts his explosive state. 364
• Its cold resistance also helps him survive excessive water-qi intake during his first Kidney Water refinement attempt. 394

Hidden Weapons

Chen Jing begins learning Startled Feathers, Flying Flowers after Manager Wang advises him to acquire a means of self-protection beyond close combat. 253 254

• Startling Feather — Improves hidden-weapon attack speed and accuracy by 15% at its initial awakening, then increases speed, accuracy, and power by 30% after the art reaches Entering the Hall. 254
• He can throw two knives at once while charging at high speed, striking both targets accurately. 254
• At Transcendent Mastery, he can accurately employ hidden weapons while moving through crossbow volleys at high speed, using them to disrupt and kill multiple pursuing officers. 285
• He carries flying daggers, Dragon-Whisker Needles, Bone-Piercing Nails, and similar weapons in a concealed pouch. 294
• In the Western Regions, he uses Dragon-Whisker Needles to eliminate pursuing soldiers and to harass stronger enemies while maintaining distance. 327 350
• By his post-Icefire Elder inventory, Startled Feathers, Flying Flowers has reached Transformation Mastery, with 10,160/80,000 proficiency. 330
• Su Lingyi can deflect his thrown weapons with projected True Qi during pursuit, showing the limitations of the art against a sufficiently advanced opponent. 364
• At the entrance to Qu Feiguang’s red-gold palace, he enhances his projectiles with Blood-Qi Fire Force and Xiantian True Qi, killing more than a dozen experts from the Underworld Mansion and Grand Commandant’s Residence in one attack and gaining 9,600 proficiency points. 376

Spear Technique

Chen Jing retains the Basic Spear Technique learned from Wang Chong’s militia training. He later supplements it with Stunning Spear Strike, an explosive Xiantian spear method taught through Zhou Qing’an’s fish spear. 6 12 315

• Spear Like a Dragon increases precision by 25% when using spears or staves. 17 242
• His Basic Spear Technique remains at Entering the Hall while he prioritizes fist, blade, internal, spiritual, and hidden-weapon cultivation. 160 242
• Stunning Spear Strike compresses True Qi within the spear before releasing it explosively from the spear tip; its efficacy depends on force storage, concentration, control, and timing. 315
• Upon entering the hall, Stunning Spear Strike gains a 300% damage increase. 315
• At Perfection, it awakens Peerless Shock, multiplying its power, speed, accuracy, and penetration by eight. 330
• The technique is extremely destructive but requires preparation and leaves Chen Jing briefly weakened after use, making it best suited to surprise attacks or decisive finishing blows. 350
• He experiments with spiraling Blood-Qi and True Qi together along the shaft even though the two cannot fully merge, producing a half-foot-wide hole through a thick tree trunk. 315
• He theorizes that sufficient mastery might allow his arm to act as a spear shaft and his joined fingers as a spearhead, but this is initially an aspiration rather than an established ability. 315
• At Golden River, he uses a Pear Blossom Spear and Stunning Spear Strike to destroy one of Luo Wentong’s iron arms while simultaneously blocking Moluokan’s attack. 363
• By his later inventory, Stunning Spear Strike has reached Transcendent Mastery, and Peerless Shock increases force, speed, precision, and penetration by 1,000%. 370

Investigation and Interrogation

Chen Jing supplements martial force with observation, cross-checking testimony, political analysis, and controlled interrogation. His independence from major clans and sects initially makes him useful in investigations where established factions might compromise other officers. 229

• He identifies inconsistencies in accusations against Zheng Xinglong by considering the suspect’s temperament, longstanding loyalty, and the suspicious timing of Chu Cangyuan’s death. 229
• He uses spiritual perception and precise internal force to detect and disperse hidden stagnant blood in Cheng Lianshan’s body. 291
• During the Feng Mengsong investigation, he compares accounts from academy disciples and acquaintances, recognizing that the teacher’s earlier life may conceal disciples unknown to Hanshui Academy. 400
• He uses alternating ice and fire force to break prisoners’ resistance, then cross-checks their accounts. This method helps establish Zhuo Chengyin’s concealed identity and Xu Jie’s position in the Jingrong Pass garrison. 410

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Butcher Knife / pig-slaughtering blade — His signature weapon and the focus of the Butcher talent. 20 79
• Reforged Butcher Knife — A heavier, thicker hundred-refined dark-iron butcher knife forged by Zhang Chengji before Chen Jing’s transfer to Jin City. 196
• Black blade / Black Gold Blade — Used with the Life-Slaying Blade Technique and later the Golden Crow Seven-Kill Saber; capable of leaving a mirror-smooth cut through stone at Divine Mastery. It breaks during Chen Jing’s battle with Icefire Elder. 177 215 255 330
• Standard-issue horizontal blade — Carried as part of his Green-Clad Officer attire. 140
• Purple-Clad Officer uniform — His official attire after transferring to Jin City’s Anti-Theft Bureau. 197 200
• Soft armor and steel-lined bracers — Gifts from Mei Qinghe; protected him and Cheng Qingshi from serious injury during the Hundred Flowers Pavilion incident. 34 48
• Silver-thread soft armor — A light, form-fitting suit of armor gifted by Mei Qinghe before his Jin City transfer; it can withstand ordinary sword and blade strikes. 196
• Ink Cloud — A fine black Northlands steed gifted jointly by Liu Yunfei and Liang Youheng before Chen Jing leaves for Jin City. 196
• Black Whirlwind — A highly intelligent and agile horse Chen Jing rides during his Western Regions travels and desert pursuits. Its speed and mountain mobility approach those of an Acquired-realm martial artist. It helps locate the buried Moon-Condensing Grass and becomes a weight for Chen Jing’s later mountain movement training. Chen declines to take it on his return journey to Liang Prefecture. 318 327 357 368 370 385
• White-Feathered Falcon — Used to send mission reports and receive Six Gates orders over distance. 91 119
• Great Sun Visualization Diagram — A hidden cultivation diagram recovered from Komodo. 152 156
• Bronze badge token — Granted by Han Tongxiao for the Chu Cangyuan murder investigation, giving Chen Jing authority to overcome obstruction from the Great River Gang and Ba Alliance. 229
• Throwing knives and hidden-weapon pouch — Includes flying daggers, Dragon-Whisker Needles, Bone-Piercing Nails, and other concealed projectiles for Startled Feathers, Flying Flowers. 255 294
• Mysterious Womb Toad Gallbladder — A dangerous medicinal treasure purchased for ten thousand taels at the Shuobao Pavilion auction; it can strengthen cultivation and confer poison immunity if successfully refined. 301
• Black-and-gold rakshasa mask — An anonymous mask issued for Shuobao Pavilion’s Ye City auction; Chen Jing later becomes feared under the related identity of the Black-Gold Ghost Mask. 300 350
• Fish spear / wooden spear — A spear used in training at Black Mountain Cold Pool and for practicing Stunning Spear Strike. 315 316
• Azurefire Frost-Ice Technique manual — The complete inheritance recovered from Icefire Elder. Chen Jing memorizes its Xiantian cultivation, spirit-refining, and palm-art principles before destroying the written manual to prevent its circulation. 330 331
• Treasure-map fragment — A fragment recovered from Wu Jie that is made from the same material as Chen Jing’s own map and confirms the existence of additional pieces. 350
• Sect-establishment authorization — Official credentials brought to Lianshan Martial Arts Hall to permit its expansion into a sect. Cheng Lianshan gives Chen Jing a 50% share in the future organization. 292
• Precious ganoderma — A gift from Cheng Lianshan that grants 1,500 Blood-Qi proficiency and 1,000 internal-cultivation proficiency when refined. 292
• Pear Blossom Spear — Used during the Golden River battle to execute Stunning Spear Strike against Luo Wentong. 363
• Demon-Subduing Pestle — Moluokan’s weapon, seized and immediately turned against its owner during their battle. 363
• Spirit-Nourishing Pills — Fully refining his supply grants 10,000 proficiency points to the Great Sun Visualization Method. 357
• Moon-Condensing Grass — Dozens of catties transported in two escort boxes, preserved by Sha Lifeng on Black Mountain and recovered with Black Whirlwind’s assistance. It restores and strengthens spiritual power and helps Chen Jing open the Ancestral Aperture. 368 370
• Seven precious medicines in brocade boxes — Hidden beneath the floor of his Black Mountain side room. Three support Blood-Qi and four support internal cultivation, collectively granting 9,000 and 11,000 proficiency points respectively. 370
• Desert treasure proceeds and banknotes — Selling treasure through Shuobao Pavilion brings his total wealth to 100,000 taels. He spends 30,000 taels on 300 Blood-Qi Pills and reserves 70,000 for Qi-Condensing Pills or rare treasures. 385
• Blue-maned Horse — A recurring type of mount used in his official travels. He rides a familiar Blue-maned Horse when setting out from Liang Prefecture for Hanxi Town. 71 294 300 400

Relationships

• Butcher Zhang — Rescuer, master, and adoptive father figure who trains Chen Jing as a butcher; Chen Jing protects him during the bandit attack and later arranges his burial. 1 10 20
• Wang Chong — Militia instructor and early martial mentor; recognizes Chen Jing’s potential and brings him to Lianshan Martial Arts Hall. His assistance also fulfills a promise to Butcher Zhang. 5 19 21 27
• Cheng Lianshan — Martial master who accepts Chen Jing as his seventh personal disciple and teaches him the Nine Forms of the Mountain Lord; their bond deepens through later cultivation discussions. Chen Jing later treats his master’s longstanding stagnant-blood injuries, helping restore his path toward Aperture Condensation. Cheng grants him a 50% share in the planned sect. 28 31 178 180 291 292
• Su Ru — Cheng Lianshan’s wife and a maternal figure to Chen Jing, who consistently worries over his well-being and supports him through food, hospitality, and care during his returns to Lianshan Martial Arts Hall. 71 196 291
• Zhang Chengji — Eldest senior brother and weapon-forger; initially reserved, later becomes a trusted ally who accepts Chen Jing’s guidance in cultivation. 28 35 130
• Mei Qinghe — Senior sister who gives Chen Jing protective equipment, spars with him, and helps analyze opponents’ techniques. Her agile footwork exposes his early lack of combat experience. 34 53 62
• Cheng Qingshi — Cheng Lianshan’s son and Chen Jing’s senior brother; initially tests Chen Jing’s strength, then fights alongside him and provides cultivation resources. 27 30 50
• Liu Yunfei — Senior brother and close accomplice; joins Chen Jing in exposing Sun Ping and keeps their nighttime investigation secret. 65 67
• Liang Youheng — Sixth senior brother and training companion who supports Chen Jing’s early cultivation and remains concerned for his safety. 29 33 67
• Li Dingfang — Six Gates chief constable, superior, and mentor who recruits Chen Jing, assigns him missions, and teaches him Star-Chasing Moon-Catching Steps. 67 71 110
• Duan Mu — Six Gates constable chief who investigates Chen Jing’s alley ambush and provides the Demon-Sweeping Heart Method. 42 103
• Bai Zhixing — Bai Family representative whose gratitude brings Chen Jing medicinal resources and the position of Guest Elder. 35 83
• Du Yun and Du Xiaoxi — Siblings from Shouyang Village; Chen Jing treats Xiaoxi’s congenital condition and teaches both siblings martial cultivation. They later become integrated into Lianshan Martial Arts Hall and work at the White Horse Pharmacy. 85 91 112 291
• Wei Huai — Chen Jing’s cold and capable superior in Jin City’s Anti-Theft Bureau, who assigns him major cases and recognizes his growing strength. 197 206 220
• Han Tongxiao — Jin City’s Six Gates magistrate, who values Chen Jing’s lack of factional ties, rewards his achievements, appoints him lead investigator in politically sensitive cases, and warns him of dangers in Liang Prefecture. 196 229 249 294
• Yin Zijing — A senior Six Gates official and Yin Family member who supports Chen Jing’s growth. Chen Jing later saves him during the Thousand Mechanisms Palace assassination attempt. 140 160 255 260
• Zhou Liang — A Green-Clad Officer assigned to assist Chen Jing in East Market; Chen Jing delegates routine work to him and comes to value his diligence and competence. 198 221
• Zheng Xinglong — Great River Gang deputy leader and former opponent. Chen Jing doubts that Zheng murdered Chu Cangyuan, investigates the case fairly, and ultimately helps clear his name. 220 229 250
• Ji Lin — A Purple-Clad Officer initially assigned as Chen Jing’s assistant during the Chu Cangyuan investigation. Though he initially accepts Chen Jing’s leadership professionally, he is later exposed as a traitor and participates in an ambush against Chen Jing. 222 229 285
• Qiao Yuan — Great River Gang hall master who provides Chen Jing with a fifty-year snow lotus and Fire Spirit Mushroom before being killed by Lu Yunqiao. 206 215
• Tang Linfeng — A talented young martial artist who first clashes with Chen Jing in a lightness-skill contest, then develops mutual respect and later reaches an understanding with him. 225 251
• Manager Wang — Jin City Six Gates armory manager who recognizes Chen Jing’s potential, teaches him about force, momentum, intent, and Threefold Unity, and provides the Golden Crow Saber Technique and Startled Feathers, Flying Flowers manuals. 251 252 253 254
• Li Muyuan — A Liang Prefecture figure recommended by Han Tongxiao as a potential patron. He later supports Chen Jing’s transfer toward a Capital Headquarters assignment in the Western Regions. After Chen Jing returns, Li arranges his Garrison Office assignment and gives him Wang Xiong and Zhao You as subordinates. 294 300 394
• Lu Linzhi — A blind martial artist involved in the conspiracy surrounding Wind and Snow Pavilion. He remains capable of blocking Chen Jing’s saber strikes despite his blindness. 285
• Zhou Qing’an — Proprietor of Yellow Sheep Inn and a powerful Xiantian senior who provides Chen Jing lodging, a fish spear, cultivation guidance, and an explanation of the Xiantian Realm’s five hurdles. He discreetly protects Chen Jing’s identity while feigning that Chen is merely ill. Their later parting is friendly, and Zhou offers Black Whirlwind for Chen Jing’s homeward journey. 315 316 357 385
• Black Whirlwind — Chen Jing’s desert mount and training companion. Chen Jing protects the horse from Icefire Elder’s pursuit and later trains across Black Mountain alongside it. The horse helps recover buried Moon-Condensing Grass and participates in the training that brings Chen Jing’s movement art to Transformation Mastery. 318 327 357 368 370
• Icefire Elder — A powerful Xiantian enemy and creator of the Azurefire Frost-Ice Technique. Chen Jing exploits his Icefire Treasure Physique, endurance, and tactics to defeat and kill him, then inherits his martial legacy. 327 330 331
• Sha Lifeng — An intelligence contact who gathers information for Chen Jing in the Western Regions and reports on Fire-Worship Sect movements near Golden River. They use an uncle-and-nephew cover, with Sha posing as Chen Jing’s maternal uncle. Sha preserves the Moon-Condensing Grass, accompanies him into Qu Feiguang’s treasury, and receives an antidote for Heartbreak Powder upon their reunion. 323 331 357 368 376
• Wu Jie — A Black Scorpion Palm practitioner who possesses a treasure-map fragment. Chen Jing defeats and kills him with the Frostjade Azureflame Palm before claiming the fragment. 350
• Zhao Yi, Zhang Kai, Lu Xiaoyi, and Jiang Xun — Former secret-agent colleagues who volunteer to join Chen Jing’s team after his promotion to Eighth-Rank Green-Clad Officer. 144
• Old Xie — Yellow Sheep Inn associate who notices Chen Jing’s alternating exhaustion and vitality but accepts the explanation that he is sick, helping preserve his ordinary-attendant cover. 357
• Moluokan — Fire-Worship Sect Wisdom King Protector who attacks Chen Jing together with Luo Wentong. Chen Jing takes his Demon-Subduing Pestle and kills him with the Golden Crow Seven-Kill Saber. 363
• Luo Wentong — The Iron-Armed Fiend, a Xiantian opponent whose coordinated attack with Moluokan fails when Chen Jing destroys one of his arms with Stunning Spear Strike. 363
• Flame-Severing Venerable — Fire-Worship Sect expert whom Chen Jing repels at Golden River after resisting his spiritual attack. Intelligence concerning the Venerable’s injuries later directs Chen Jing’s attention toward the Golden Family’s medicinal resources. 363 368 370
• Zhang Tiantu / Grand Commandant Zhang — Powerful enemy whose household pursues Chen Jing over Zhang Qiyuan’s death. He uses Myriad Streams Returning to the Void Art to prevent Chen Jing’s withdrawal at Golden River and strikes him after Su Lingyi disrupts his power. His subsequent death reshapes Ye City’s political situation. 304 364 370 385
• Blood River Ghost Envoy — Underworld Mansion expert whose blood-sea palm Chen Jing counters with spiritual insight and the Wuji Seal. He later doubts Su Lingyi’s account of the pursuit and escape. 364 368
• Su Lingyi / Jade Flute Ghost Envoy — Underworld Mansion expert whose Soul-Severing Note disrupts Chen Jing’s essence, qi, and spirit, and whose superior movement initially allows her to pursue him. They later share an underground ordeal and part ways; the full circumstances remain concealed from the other factions. Chen Jing continues to regard her flute technique as particularly dangerous. 364 366 368 370
• Qin Yanxing — Figure whose report implicates Grand Commandant Zhang in collusion with the Fire-Worship Sect, contributing to the official takeover and raid of the Zhang estate. Chen Jing later compares Qin and Su Lingyi’s advanced cultivation with his own resource-dependent progress. 385 394
• Zhang Yunxi — Surviving Zhang family member who flees west, pledges herself to the Sacred Fire, and asks a white-browed Fire-Worship Sect master to avenge her father. 385
• White-browed Fire-Worship Sect master — An emerging enemy who intends to travel to the Central Land to confront the thief of the sect’s teachings and draws Zhang Yunxi into his pursuit. 385
• Fang Yuanyi — Liang Prefecture official who approves Chen Jing’s Western Regions assignment. Chen Jing later defeats him; afterward, Fang avoids him and leaves him without duties, prompting the Garrison Office reassignment. Chen suspects an internal information leak but lacks evidence against Fang or other officials. 300 394
• Wang Xiong and Zhao You — Subordinates assigned to Chen Jing by Li Muyuan at the Garrison Office. Their unruly inclinations fit well with Chen Jing’s preference for active work. 394
• Li Zhiyuan — Li Muyuan’s second son and Chen Jing’s pupil. At the Peach Garden Poetry Gathering, he introduces Chen Jing as his instructor and his father’s friend. 395
• Feng Mengsong / Mr. Guanshan — Hanshui Academy scholar whom Chen Jing seeks out as a lead in the conspiracy investigation. Their conflict and Feng’s subsequent murder result in accusations against Chen Jing; investigation later reveals an earlier disciple, Zhuo Chengyin, concealed from the academy’s known circle. 394 395 400 410
• Song Chenxing — Official who recognizes Chen Jing’s ability, supports his effort to find Feng Mengsong’s real murderer, makes academy witnesses available for questioning, and promises assistance against obstruction. He also repeatedly presses Chen Jing for results. 400
• Ding Qingyan — Song Chenxing’s personal guard and a Xiantian swordsman, sent repeatedly to demand progress in the Feng Mengsong investigation. 400
• Wang Qun — Hanxi Town contact who accompanies Chen Jing’s rapid evacuation after the capture of Wei Mingjiao and a woman. 403
• Wei Mingjiao — Goldsource Firm owner and border-army “crown prince” captured by Chen Jing in Hanxi Town. Chen takes him out of the town for questioning despite his threats. 403
• Zhuo Chengyin — Feng Mengsong’s former personal disciple, who faked his death to pursue ambitions of aiding a future emperor. Chen Jing uncovers his background through interrogation and cross-checked testimony. 410
• Xu Jie — Wei Cen’s deputy general at Jingrong Pass, regarded as the commander’s successor and possessing Xiantian Greater Celestial Circuit cultivation. Chen Jing interrogates him alongside Zhuo Chengyin. 410

Story Role / Major Arcs

Shuang'an Town and Butcher Apprenticeship

Chen Jing begins as Butcher Zhang’s impoverished apprentice, awakens the Pig-Slaughtering Blade Technique, joins Wang Chong’s militia, and survives the bandit crisis that injures Zhang. 1 5 10

His New Year pig-slaughtering work in Creek River Village also becomes an early test of his vigilance. After escaping bandits who follow him, he alerts Wang Chong and helps initiate the village rescue. 8

Lianshan Martial Arts Hall

After Butcher Zhang’s death, Chen Jing travels to Green Mountain City, becomes Cheng Lianshan’s seventh personal disciple, learns the Nine Forms of the Mountain Lord, and finances his cultivation by returning to pig slaughtering. 20 28 31 39

Green Mountain Martial Tournament

Chen Jing enters the Green Mountain Martial Tournament to temper his fist art and win Blood-Qi Pills. He reaches Blood Exchange, defeats Sun Ping, takes first place, and earns five Blood-Qi Pills. 54 62 64

Recruitment by Six Gates

His discovery that Sun Ping is a Clear Wind Stronghold spy leads Li Dingfang to recruit him into Six Gates. Chen Jing becomes a Wind-Catching Scout and begins conducting covert investigations. 65 67 71

West Mountain and Snake Valley

While investigating River Temple Village and its bandit network, Chen Jing kills numerous enemies, obtains the Foundation-Nurturing Technique, and later searches Snake Valley for Crimson Sun Snake Galls. He treats Du Xiaoxi in exchange for Du Yun’s assistance. 75 78 82 85

Turbulent Cloud Ferry and Six Gates Infiltration

After consuming the Crimson Sun Snake King’s gall, Chen Jing opens his second standard meridian and receives orders to help capture the exposed Six Gates traitor Lu Xiucheng. At Turbulent Cloud Ferry, he kills Han Yang and Zhang Tie and injures Lu Xiucheng. His later work against infiltration earns him a Qi-Condensing Pill and personal instruction in Star-Chasing Moon-Catching Steps. 91 96 110

Clear Wind Stronghold Investigation

Chen Jing exposes Shangchuan Sect’s medicinal-herb trafficking with Clear Wind Stronghold, captures Ding Yunzhou, leads the Pine Forest Village operation, and helps clear the bandit outpost. 119 127 130

Green-Clad Officer and Shangchuan Sect Conflict

Promoted to Eighth-Rank Green-Clad Officer, Chen Jing forms his own team and later arrests Shangchuan Sect figures. He defeats Qin Sang, Luo Congnan, and multiple Shangchuan Sect elders while acting under Six Gates authority. 139 144 163 165

Three-Treasures Cultivation

Chen Jing develops essence through Blood-Qi, qi through internal cultivation, and spirit through the Great Sun Visualization Method. By the year’s end, he has opened eleven standard meridians and begins the dangerous path of Blood-Qi Aperture Condensation under Cheng Lianshan’s guidance. 156 178 180

Purple-Clad Officer and Jin City Transfer

After displaying Heavenly Circuit Perfection and capturing Cui Xingkong, Chen Jing is promoted to Purple-Clad Officer and transferred to Jin City. He joins Wei Huai’s Anti-Theft Bureau, receives access to the Extraordinary Meridians manual, and oversees security in East Market. 181 196 197 198

Great River Gang Ore-Ship Case

Chen Jing investigates the disappearance of refined-iron ships belonging to the Great River Gang. The case brings him into conflict with the Bashu Spear Commander Lu Yunqiao and establishes his reputation as a terrifying young expert after he fights through fortress bandits and confronts Lu directly. 206 215 218 220

Butcher of Bashu

Chen Jing’s feats at Viper Fortress and Fanyun Fortress spread through Jin City and the broader martial world. His origins as a pig butcher and his ruthless, flowing blade work earn him the widely used sobriquet “Butcher.” 221 223

Chu Cangyuan Murder Investigation

Han Tongxiao appoints Chen Jing lead investigator into Chu Cangyuan’s death, granting him broad authority despite the case’s Great River Gang and Ba Alliance implications. Chen Jing questions the case against Zheng Xinglong, exposes Madam Chu’s false account through his senses and deduction, and pursues the deeper conspiracy behind the murder. 229 231

Icefire Cultivation and Baili Sword Manor

After surviving a gunpowder trap, Chen Jing refines the Icefire Exotic Flower in secluded cultivation, awakening the Icefire Treasure Physique and advancing his apertures and extraordinary meridians. He subsequently returns to Jin City and helps bring down Baili Sword Manor while pursuing links to the Thousand Mechanisms Palace and Mo Family. 238 241 249

Six Extraordinary Meridians

Supported by Han Tongxiao’s exceptional rewards, Chen Jing enters intensive cultivation. He advances the Great Sun Visualization Method into Sun Condensation through Mind Forging the Sun and opens his sixth extraordinary meridian, continuing toward the complete Eight Extraordinary Meridians and the Xiantian realm. 249 251

Golden Crow Seven-Kill Saber

Under Manager Wang’s instruction, Chen Jing learns that force, momentum, and intent must be unified on the path beyond the six-meridian stage. He combines the Golden Crow Saber Technique with the Life-Slaying Blade Technique, creating the Golden Crow Seven-Kill Saber, while also beginning Startled Feathers, Flying Flowers as a hidden-weapon art. 252 253 254

Bashu Martial Tournament and Thousand Mechanisms Palace

Han Tongxiao sends Chen Jing, Yin Zijing, and Ji Lin to Thousand Mechanisms Palace for the Ba Alliance Martial Tournament, with Wei Huai’s force following behind. The journey becomes an assassination crisis in which Chen Jing protects Yin Zijing, kills numerous attackers, and confronts Thousand Mechanisms Palace representatives. 255 260

Wind and Snow Pavilion Betrayal

As Six Gates investigates the Thunderclap Bomb and the wider conspiracy destabilizing Bashu, Chen Jing’s suspicion of internal infiltration proves correct. Ji Lin joins a coordinated ambush against him, but Chen Jing escapes through Crane Dance Across the Nine Heavens, kills hostile officers, and advances both his saber and hidden-weapon arts. 281 285

Return to Lianshan Martial Arts Hall

Following the resolution of the immediate Wind and Snow Pavilion crisis, Chen Jing returns to Shuang'an Town and Green Mountain City. He honors Butcher Zhang at his grave, reunites with his martial family, and uses Sun Condensation and refined True Qi to treat Cheng Lianshan’s hidden injuries. 290 291 292

He also brings authorization for the hall to establish a sect, receives a 50% share in the future organization, and secures promises of support from his former Six Gates superiors. After returning to Jin City, he attends the executions connected to the Yang Family’s treason, including Lu Yunqiao’s. 292

Liang Prefecture Summons

Summoned north under conditions Han Tongxiao believes may be a trap, Chen Jing crosses Micang Mountain and is intercepted by a Xiantian expert. He escapes through a prolonged pursuit, reaches Liang Prefecture City, and completes Nine-Aperture Refinement and Blood-Qi Perfection. 294 295 297

Western Regions Assignment and Ye City

Li Muyuan puts Chen Jing forward for a Capital Headquarters operation to infiltrate the Western Regions. En route, Chen Jing reaches Ye City, purchases the Mysterious Womb Toad Gallbladder at the Shuobao Pavilion auction, and becomes entangled with the Grand Commandant’s household and the followers of an Icefire Elder before escaping the city. 300 301 304

Xiantian Breakthrough at Black Mountain

After fleeing Ye City, Chen Jing takes shelter at Yellow Sheep Inn and trains at Black Mountain Cold Pool. Through a rigorous routine of movement training, fish-spearing, medicinal nourishment, visualization, and internal cultivation, he opens the Conception Vessel, completes the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, and enters the Xiantian Realm. 315 316

Earthly Fiend Refinement and Old Bear Ridge

Having entered Xiantian, Chen Jing begins tempering his body with Earthly Fiend fire qi and starts converting Acquired True Qi into Xiantian True Qi. He leaves Yellow Sheep Inn on Black Whirlwind, reaches Shatuo Bazaar, and pursues the Black Wind Bandits toward Old Bear Ridge after learning of Qu Feiguang’s treasure map. 317 318

Icefire Elder’s Pursuit and Legacy

Following his conflict with the Grand Commandant’s residence, Chen Jing is pursued through the desert by Icefire Elder. He protects Black Whirlwind, withstands the elder’s icefire force through his Calamity-Crossing Treasure Body, ultimately kills the Xiantian expert, and inherits the Azurefire Frost-Ice Technique. 327 328 330

Azurefire Frost-Ice Technique and Yin-Yang Wuji Seal

Chen Jing memorizes the Icefire Elder’s inheritance, destroys the written record, and transforms his True Qi into Icefire Xiantian True Qi. He then creates the Yin-Yang Wuji Seal and formally separates his blood cultivation into the Earthly Fiend Five Elements Blood-Refining Method, establishing a martial system built around essence, qi, spirit, saber, fist, spear, movement, and hidden weapons. 331 333

While hiding in Red Sand Town, he works as a livestock butcher in the Shi Household. The light workload permits intensive training, and he prioritizes less recognizable fist, spear, and movement techniques to protect his identity. 333

Black-Gold Ghost Mask and Treasure-Map Conflict

Operating under a masked identity in the Western Regions, Chen Jing battles Wu Jie for a treasure-map fragment. He uses the Stunning Spear Strike, Yin-Yang Wuji Seal, and Frostjade Azureflame Palm to defeat Wu Jie, acquires the fragment, and further spreads the feared reputation of the Black-Gold Ghost Mask. 350

Yellow Sheep Inn and Fire-Worship Sect Preparations

While waiting for intelligence concerning the Fire-Worship Sect, Chen Jing lives as an apparently sickly attendant at Yellow Sheep Inn. He secretly trains through the night at Black Mountain, improves his Earthly Fiend blood refinement, Xiantian True Qi, visualization, fist art, and lightness skill, and prepares to intercept a Fire-Worship Sect convoy with Sha Lifeng. 357

Golden River Encirclement and Underground Escape

At Golden River, Chen Jing defeats the combined assault of Moluokan and Luo Wentong, killing the former and destroying one of the latter’s arms. He then repels Flame-Severing Venerable with a 600% Qi Burst. Zhang Tiantu, Blood River Ghost Envoy, and Jade Flute Ghost Envoy prevent an easy withdrawal, forcing him to reveal his Three-Treasures explosive state. 363 364

Su Lingyi’s Soul-Severing Note disrupts his circulation, enabling Zhang Tiantu to land a powerful palm. Chen Jing survives with minor internal injuries and escapes across Golden River, but Su Lingyi pursues him. The chase leads into a quicksand crisis and underground ordeal that they survive before parting after more than half a month. 364 365 366 368

Moon-Condensing Grass and Ancestral Aperture Opening

Chen Jing returns to Yellow Sheep Inn and retrieves the convoy’s Moon-Condensing Grass, which Sha Lifeng has buried on Black Mountain. He conceals it and seven precious medicines beneath his side room’s floor while Golden Halberd Guards conduct searches. 368 370

The medicines strengthen his Blood-Qi and internal cultivation, while Moon-Condensing Grass enables the Great Sun Visualization Method to advance into Aperture Opening. He completes the Lesser Celestial Circuit, opens the Ancestral Aperture, and later advances Crane Dance Across the Nine Heavens to Transformation Mastery by carrying Black Whirlwind through the mountains. 370

Qu Feiguang’s Treasury and the Red-Gold Palace

Entering the hidden treasury with Sha Lifeng, Chen Jing destroys Crimson Flame Gold Beetle swarms with icy Xiantian True Qi and substantially improves his Yin-Yang Wuji Seal. The pair discover a red-gold palace on a stone island above an abyss filled with the bones of laborers apparently killed after its construction. 376

When the Underworld Mansion and Grand Commandant’s Residence seize the entrance, Chen Jing crosses the bridge alone and kills more than a dozen guards with enhanced hidden weapons. Other martial artists follow him into the palace, calling him a “Ghost Mask Hero.” 376

Yin-Yang Technique Creation and Return from the Desert

By the end of his desert journey, Chen Jing establishes the Yin-Yang Demon-Sweeping True Exposition and completes the Dark-Bright Saber Codex, integrating sun-and-moon visualization, yin-yang force, movement, and spirit more closely. 383 384

He parts with Zhou Qing’an, declines to take Black Whirlwind, and returns through Ye City. Grand Commandant Zhang’s death and Qin Yanxing’s report have prompted official action against the Zhang estate. Chen Jing sells his treasure, obtains 100,000 taels in total wealth, purchases 300 Blood-Qi Pills for 30,000 taels, and returns to Liang Prefecture. 385

Garrison Office Assignment and Kidney Water Refinement

After defeating Fang Yuanyi, Chen Jing receives no duties from him and instead reports to Li Muyuan’s Garrison Office. Li provides an office and assigns Wang Xiong and Zhao You as subordinates. Chen Jing continues seeking the source of the earlier attacks and suspects an internal Six Gates leak without having enough evidence to accuse anyone. 394

With pill assistance, he completes heart tempering and begins Kidney Water refinement ahead of the usual spleen stage. This choice complements his Water-Fire Primordial Unity and yin-yang foundation, enabling freely alternating hot and cold Blood-Qi force. He then prepares to attend the Peach Garden Poetry Gathering as a scholar. 394

Peach Garden Gathering and Feng Mengsong Murder Investigation

At the Peach Garden Poetry Gathering, Li Zhiyuan introduces Chen Jing as his instructor and his father’s friend. Chen Jing’s conflict with Mr. Guanshan, Feng Mengsong, and Feng’s later death result in widespread suspicion and protests against him. 395 400

Song Chenxing determines the circumstances of Feng’s death and supports Chen Jing’s search for the real culprit, allowing him to question Hanshui Academy witnesses and promising help against obstruction. Chen Jing identifies Feng’s little-known earlier life as a possible blind spot, but the available accounts leave Hanxi Town as his only firm lead. 400

During five days of interrogation and cultivation, he consumes fifteen Blood-Qi Pills and fifteen Qi-Condensing Pills, reaches 72,500/200,000 Blood-Qi proficiency and 61,760/150,000 internal proficiency, and establishes the Xiantian Middle Celestial Circuit. Under official and public pressure, he sets out for Hanxi Town. 400

Hanxi Town, Border-Army Intrigue, and Concealed Disciples

In Hanxi Town, Chen Jing overhears Wei Mingjiao, owner of the Goldsource Firm, and intervenes by breaking into the room and capturing him and a woman. He takes the unconscious captives to Wang Qun’s courtyard, gathers his belongings, and evacuates the town with Wang Qun before questioning the prisoners in a secluded forest. 403

Later, Chen Jing interrogates Zhuo Chengyin and Xu Jie using ice and fire force and cross-checks their accounts. He learns that Zhuo was Feng Mengsong’s personal disciple from childhood, faked his death after their ideals diverged, and sought to aid a future emperor. Xu Jie is identified as Wei Cen’s deputy general at Jingrong Pass and a Greater Celestial Circuit expert regarded as the commander’s successor. 410