Cheng Lianshan

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Cheng Lianshan (程连山)
Alias(es)	Centurion Cheng; Old Cheng; Master Cheng 27
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Lianshan Martial Arts Hall — founder and hall master 27 52
Occupation/Role	Former frontier-army centurion; martial-arts master; creator of the Nine Forms of the Mountain Lord 27 31
Status	Alive; continues guiding Chen Jing’s cultivation 180
First Appearance	27

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Blood-Qi Dan-Holding	157	His Dan Energy is deeper and more refined than Chen Jing’s during their Blood-Qi-only spar, with restrained force released only at impact.
Qi Accumulation	159	After adopting the Foundation-Nurturing Technique, he senses Qi and enters Qi Accumulation within two days.
Blood-Qi tempering bottleneck broken	178	The Foundation-Nurturing Technique eases his accumulated injuries and chronic ailments, allowing his Blood-Qi tempering to surge to a level comparable to an internal cultivator with eleven standard meridians opened.

Background / History

Frontier Army Service

Cheng Lianshan spent more than twenty years in the frontier army, where he practiced battle-oriented fist arts and witnessed martial techniques from many different martial artists. Wang Chong served under him and continued to address him as “Centurion Cheng” years after their service together. 27 31

After retiring, Cheng fused his military experience, the techniques he had learned, and his understanding of the Fierce Tiger Stance to create the Nine Forms of the Mountain Lord. He subsequently established Lianshan Martial Arts Hall in Green Mountain City. 31 52

Conflict with the Shangchuan Sect

Cheng has an old grievance with the Shangchuan Sect. During their earlier conflict, he fought Elder Ma to a standstill before Qin Sang overpowered him, preserving the sect’s reputation. 137

Another account describes an elder of the Shangchuan Sect attempting to kill Cheng; Cheng fought the elder until both were seriously injured, with Six Gates intervening before the conflict escalated further. The injuries from this period continued to trouble him for years. 71 159

Taking Chen Jing as a Disciple

Wang Chong brought Chen Jing to Lianshan Martial Arts Hall because the hall’s border-army lineage was compatible with Chen’s Fierce Tiger Stance. Cheng recognized Chen’s unusually pure stance frame and accepted him as his seventh personal disciple. 27 28 29

He invested heavily in Chen’s future, giving him three Blood-Qi Pills worth 300 taels as a first-meeting gift. Cheng then personally taught him Tiger Roar Force and both the training and combat methods of the Nine Forms of the Mountain Lord. 30 31 34

Cheng Qingshi’s Injury and Northern Journey

When Sun Ping severely injured Cheng Qingshi’s leg during the Green Mountain Martial Tournament, Cheng remained composed while confirming the seriousness of his son’s condition. 60

After obtaining the Immovable Wisdom King Stance, Cheng determined that its tendon- and bone-tempering properties could offer Cheng Qingshi a chance of recovery. He later departed for the north with Cheng Qingshi, leaving Zhang Chengji in temporary charge of the hall. 68 69

Cheng eventually returned after Cheng Qingshi’s leg healed fully and his son passed the Divine Martial Sect’s assessment to become an outer disciple. Cheng credited the Wisdom King Stance with allowing Cheng Qingshi to retrain the damaged tendons and bones. 157

Upon returning, Cheng praised Chen Jing and the other disciples for protecting Lianshan Martial Arts Hall through Green Mountain City’s upheavals. He also tested Chen Jing in a Blood-Qi-only spar, witnessing firsthand how far his seventh disciple had progressed. 157

Later Cultivation

Chen Jing’s Foundation-Nurturing Technique gave Cheng a path to internal cultivation and gradually relieved the old injuries that had stalled his progress. 159

After his Blood-Qi bottleneck broke, Cheng shared his knowledge of the path beyond Blood-Qi Dan-Holding: condensing Blood-Qi within the Nine Apertures to nourish the viscera and bowels. He later guided Chen Jing’s first Aperture Condensation attempt. 178 179 180

Although the Foundation-Nurturing Technique removed many of his chronic ailments, Cheng believes the remaining consequences of his old injuries may prevent him from personally advancing beyond Blood-Qi Dan-Holding. He instead places his hopes for that new path on Chen Jing. 178

After learning that Chen Jing possessed a spirit-refining method, Cheng warned him that sects and great schools ruthlessly pursue those who secretly obtain their inheritances. 180

Appearance

Cheng Lianshan is a middle-aged man of about fifty. He carries the steady, imposing bearing of a veteran soldier and martial master. 27 31

• Wears fitted black martial clothes while training. 31
• Has graying temples and a mountain-like, composed presence. 31
• Possesses rough, heavily callused hands, shaped by long martial practice. 31
• His martial aura shifts from a calm teacher to a fierce tiger-like presence when demonstrating the Nine Forms. 31 32
• Following his northern journey, his face bears traces of travel and weathering, though his dignified bearing remains unchanged. 157

Personality

Cheng speaks frankly and directly, retaining the habits of his military life. He values longstanding relationships, as shown by the generosity he extends to Chen Jing because of Wang Chong’s friendship. 27 30

As a teacher, Cheng is meticulous and patient. He corrects every aspect of a disciple’s posture, personally demonstrates force circulation, and continues instructing Chen even when Chen initially fails to grasp Tiger Roar Force. 32 33 34

He is demanding but protective. Cheng uses high-pressure sparring to make his disciples experience real combat, then personally treats their injuries with Hidden Force. 53 He also defends his disciples’ right to choose their own livelihoods, telling Cheng Qingshi not to judge Chen for returning to butcher work. 40

Cheng takes sincere pride in his disciples’ accomplishments and distributes his praise evenly among them. Though he recognizes Chen Jing’s extraordinary potential, he remains concerned for his disciple’s safety when Chen Jing risks provoking powerful sects. 157 180

Abilities & Skills

Nine Forms of the Mountain Lord

Cheng created the Nine Forms of the Mountain Lord from border-army combat arts and his own insights into the Fierce Tiger Stance. The art contains both a body-tempering training method and a lethal combat method. 31

• The nine forms are Descending Mountain, Roaring Mountain, Crouching, Patrolling Mountain, Pouncing, Tail-Clipping, Claw-Flipping, Rock-Kicking, and Concealment. 31
• The training method uses stance, breathing, and force circulation to shake and temper the bone marrow. 31
• The combat method turns every form into a decisive killing technique. 31 34
• Cheng summarizes the distinction as: “The training method is raising the tiger; the combat method is releasing the tiger.” 34

Tiger Roar Force

Cheng can transmit a subtle, overwhelming tremor through physical contact, causing force to reverberate through an opponent’s bones and joints. 31

• Forms the foundation for the Nine Forms’ marrow-tempering training method. 31
• Allows force to penetrate the body rather than merely striking its surface. 31 34
• Cheng personally uses repeated force tests to help disciples understand its circulation and effect. 31 33

Blood-Qi Dan Energy and Hidden Force

Cheng’s Blood-Qi cultivation is exceptionally deep. His movements appear simple, but his force remains contained until the exact instant of contact. 157

• Defeated Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall master Zhou Ting in a bridge-hands contest. 57
• Uses Hidden Force to knead away bruising and swelling after practical sparring. 53
• His pure Blood-Qi and Inner Force are described as nearly comparable to Qin Sang’s. 157
• His martial attainment made the Shangchuan Sect unwilling to openly provoke Lianshan Martial Arts Hall despite their hostility. 112
• After recovering much of his foundation through internal cultivation, his Blood-Qi tempering reaches a level comparable to an internal cultivator with eleven standard meridians opened. 178

Martial Instruction

Cheng is an experienced instructor capable of evaluating foundations, identifying bottlenecks, and adapting guidance to each disciple’s circumstances. 31 51 52

• Conducts monthly examinations and gives direct criticism to his personal disciples. 51
• Explains the distinction between external Blood-Qi tempering and internal Qi refinement. 52
• Uses sparring to teach adaptability, pressure management, and real-combat judgment. 53
• Encourages Chen Jing to maintain independent judgment rather than blindly revering his elders. 157
• Guides Chen Jing in the perilous process of locating and condensing the hidden apertures around the eyes. 180

Foundation-Nurturing Technique

Cheng begins cultivating the Foundation-Nurturing Technique after Chen Jing proposes using it to strengthen the hall’s future. 158 159

• Senses Qi and reaches Qi Accumulation in two days. 159
• Uses its foundation-strengthening effects to ease old injuries and chronic ailments. 159
• The technique removes the restraints that had long stalled his Blood-Qi cultivation. 178

Relationships

• Wang Chong — Former border-army subordinate and old friend; Wang brings Chen Jing to Cheng for instruction. 27
• Su Ru — Wife; shares responsibility for the disciples’ welfare and supports the martial hall as its maternal figure. 27 43 53
• Cheng Qingshi — Son and fourth personal disciple; Cheng takes him north for treatment and helps secure his recovery and entry into the Divine Martial Sect. 27 68 157
• Chen Jing — Seventh personal disciple; Cheng identifies his potential, teaches him the Nine Forms, protects his choices, and later treats him increasingly as an equal in martial discussion. He guides Chen’s Aperture Condensation and worries over the risks attached to Chen’s spirit-refining inheritance. 28 31 40 157 158 180
• Zhang Chengji — Eldest personal disciple; entrusted with management of Lianshan Martial Arts Hall during Cheng’s northern journey. 69
• Qin Sang — Shangchuan Sect elder who defeated Cheng during the sect’s earlier conflict with Lianshan Martial Arts Hall. 137
• Elder Peng — Shangchuan Sect elder who needles and threatens Cheng during the Green Mountain Martial Tournament. 57

Trivia

• Cheng’s hall charges ten taels of silver for apprenticeship and five taels monthly tuition, making martial training inaccessible to many poor families. 27
• He initially doubts Chen Jing’s aptitude for Tiger Roar Force, but Chen’s persistence proves him wrong within four days. 33 34
• He is strict enough to kick Hu Yang out of a recliner and assign him martial-hall chores when Hu refuses to cultivate. 159