Fang Zhen

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Fang Zhen (方震)
Alias(es)	Brother Zhen; Old Zhen; Captain Fang 39 190
Gender	Male
Age	29 at the start of High Martial Descent 1 3
Affiliation	Obsidian Martial Arts Hall; Storm Shadow Club; leader of Machine God 5 39 333
Occupation/Role	Professional mecha pilot, livestreamer, martial-arts-hall disciple, and squad leader 1 98 333
Status	Active; leads operations on Ten Thousand Dragon Star 387
First Appearance	1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Reserve Apprentice	8	His early status panel lists 77.4 kg of strength and 7.4 m/s speed after training and digging tasks.
Martial Artist	237	Counted among the veteran Obsidian disciples who had already become Martial Artists.
Advanced Martial Artist	239	Identifies himself as an Advanced Martial Artist after mastering the second level of the Body Strengthening Secret Technique.
Body Strengthening Secret Technique — Second Level	239	Improved Mental Secret Technique control allowed him to master the second level; his physical strength was compared to that of a high-grade monster.
Bone Forging Realm	278 295	Fang Zhen's side produced three Bone Forging Realm members; he later manifests a Blood Energy Phantom and destroys a C6-grade Sky Battleship as a Bone Forging Realm Martial Artist.

Background / History

Fang Zhen was a veteran professional player in Mecha Continent and a streamer known for long-range mecha combat. During one broadcast, he killed a mechanical target five kilometers away through a sandstorm with a single shot. Despite this skill, he had entered the professional scene late, his team was declining, and he expected to retire within six months. He viewed High Martial Descent as his “second spring.” 1 3

After purchasing the unusually expensive full-immersion game, Fang Zhen woke in the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall and underwent Lin Qi's harsh entry tests, including two thousand squats within two hours. He endured contamination testing for 2 hours, 23 minutes, and 14 seconds before dying, earning a “Kindergarten Advanced Class” evaluation for poor physical perception. 1 3

Fang Zhen completed the martial arts hall's digging trial alongside Twilight of the Gods and Luo Wu Shang, exploiting the task's loophole through cooperation. The three were subsequently accepted as official disciples and received the Soul Shocking Breathing Technique. 4 5

His commitment to High Martial Descent initially harmed his condition and performance at Storm Shadow Club, as he stayed up late digging, training, and learning how to log out safely. However, the martial skills and body control he developed in the game transformed his real-world mecha performance. Following his Triple Micro-Control and modified footwork in a practice match, Storm Shadow offered him a three-year S-class contract worth five million yuan annually. 6 37 39

Appearance

Fang Zhen is a resolute-looking man nearing thirty, recognizable for his thick beard and dependable “older brother” presence. His age makes other players initially mistake him for a veteran nearing retirement rather than an emerging combat talent. 1 39

• Thick beard and a resolute face. 1
• Often regarded as a “middle-aged uncle” by younger professional players. 39
• Frequently wears high-grade battle armor during wilderness operations, including A6- and later B6-grade equipment. 100 207

Personality

Fang Zhen is calm and confident under pressure. When new players panicked during their first assessment, he reassured them that he knew the procedure, then firmly defended his potential when Lin Qi questioned his age. 3

He approaches High Martial Descent as both a player and a strategist. He constantly searches for hidden mechanics, links labor tasks to martial-skill practice, deduces dungeon requirements, and treats unexpected combat encounters as valuable opportunities rather than setbacks. 20 58 143

He is also unusually daring. Fang Zhen led squads into ambushes, captured Yakro to bring intelligence back to Lin Qi, challenged the Smiling Skull, and later participated in attacks on Myriad Star City and the Imperial Kingdom's Dragon Crystal mine. 100 208 243 387

Abilities & Skills

Mecha Piloting and Long-Range Combat

Fang Zhen is an elite long-range mecha pilot whose real-world performance improves through martial-arts training.

• Sniped a moving mechanical target from five kilometers away during a sandstorm. 1
• Uses Triple Micro-Control, firing three precisely controlled shots in rapid succession. 37
• Eliminated Meng Gang, outmaneuvered Wang Yi Dao, and sniped Chen Ya during Storm Shadow's simulated match against Blue Enchantress. 37
• Adapted Leopard Shadow Steps: Modified into mecha combat, allowing a long-range unit to evade like a melee mecha. 37

Archery and Battlefield Marksmanship

Fang Zhen applies his aiming discipline to bows and battlefield support.

• Destroyed an electromagnetic grenade with a single arrow during the White Feather Gang conflict. 28
• Helped lead a coordinated archery team during Yakro's ambush, repeatedly eliminating enemy archers before melee fighters could close in. 98
• Used a B6-grade longbow to prevent White Feather Gang members from escaping a time-limited dungeon. 228

Crushing Stone Fist and Leopard Shadow Steps

Fang Zhen rapidly developed the hall's basic martial skills by incorporating them into mining and transport work.

• Uses Crushing Stone Fist to break hard soil and rock directly rather than relying on tools. 24
• Reached 54% proficiency in the first level of Crushing Stone Fist after only half a day at Grizzly Mine. 26
• Became the first player reported to reach the Proficient level of Crushing Stone Fist; he was progressing toward its second stage, Crushing Stone Realm. 58
• Reached 64% Crushing Stone Fist proficiency during intensive underground training. 59
• Developed Leopard Shadow Steps alongside Crushing Stone Fist, using movement-intensive work to train both skills efficiently. 20 59

Body Strengthening and Extraordinary State

Fang Zhen cultivates physical and mental techniques to raise his combat ceiling beyond ordinary realm limits.

• Mastered the second level of the Body Strengthening Secret Technique with help from improved mental-technique control. 239
• Uses an Extraordinary State that dramatically increases his life aura and supports large-scale martial-skill manifestations. 291 294
• Created a Blood Energy Phantom over three hundred meters tall while practicing spear-based techniques. 291
• Used this power to destroy a C6-grade Sky Battleship with one attack. 294 295

Golden Roar

Fang Zhen reverse-engineered the Smiling Skull's Sequence Extraordinary Martial Skill, Golden Roar, through repeated simulation and analysis.

• Initially replicated roughly 60% of the technique; the final form required greater proficiency in Mental Secret Techniques and Star Explosion Meditation. 257
• Manifested a golden lion phantom more than one hundred meters tall to repel tens of thousands of arrows. 259
• Used Golden Roar to send Shadow Fang flying after the latter activated Heart Burst Liberation. 270
• The technique's apparent origin shocked major factions, as Golden Roar was known as a signature Smiling Skull ultimate move. 270

Leadership and Strategy

Fang Zhen leads through quick analysis, practical experimentation, and aggressive use of game systems.

• Coordinated his squad's response after detecting Yakro's ambush before the enemy attacked. 98
• Proposed that Lightning Palm was the key to bypassing Unicorn Gold-Eating Rats in Labyrinth Tunnel. 58
• Led the Dawn Squad's sale and loan program for A5-grade equipment to strengthen newer members. 100
• Exploited elite-monster spawns around Emerald Sky to farm A6 Battle Armor. 143
• Proposed using Dragon Crystals with Azure Star's Intermediate Meditation Room to accelerate cultivation. 387

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Long-range combat mecha — His primary platform in Mecha Continent simulations. 1 37
• A6-grade weapons and armor — Acquired through wilderness battles and bandit loot. 100 102
• B6-grade Battle Armor — Worn during operations against the Myriad Star City Guard Corps. 207
• B6-grade longbow — Used during the White Feather Gang dungeon pursuit. 228
• A6-grade battle axe — Seized from a Great Ape Gang elder and used against Vice-Gang Leader Qike. 117
• Silver-grey spear — Used while practicing his large-scale Extraordinary State technique. 291

Relationships

• Lin Qi — Dojo Master of the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall. Lin Qi tested Fang Zhen on arrival, accepted him as an official disciple, and repeatedly observes his unconventional methods with confusion and interest. 1 5 100
• Li Ranxing — Storm Shadow captain and Fang Zhen's trusted combat partner. Li initially worried that Fang Zhen's late-night game training was harming the club, but later fights beside him in major Obsidian operations. 6 98 257
• Twilight of the Gods — Early ally and frequent collaborator in digging, mining, dungeon exploration, and cultivation experiments. 4 26 207
• Luo Wu Shang — Fellow early disciple and high-level ally. Fang Zhen recognizes her exceptional combat power, while her presence on his stream helped attract a large audience. 6 28 299
• One Leaf Floating Cloud — Friendly rival and competing squad leader. The two regularly contest dungeon opportunities, resources, and priority rights to fight powerful enemies. 57 58 243
• Chen Ya — Initially an opposing captain from Blue Enchantress who recognized Fang Zhen's unexpected talent; later a fellow Obsidian player and member of his broader strategic circle. 39 241 333
• Yakro — Three-Eyed Race ambush leader captured by Fang Zhen's squad and brought to Lin Qi to exchange intelligence. 100

Story Role / Major Arcs

Early Obsidian Martial Arts Hall

Fang Zhen is among the first players recruited into High Martial Descent. His willingness to grind labor tasks, test mechanics, and pursue combat helps establish the early player culture of the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall. 4 9 20

Grizzly Mine and White Feather Gang Conflict

He identifies Grizzly Mine as an exceptionally efficient training site for Crushing Stone Fist, joins the conflict with the White Feather Gang, and supports the group with precise ranged attacks. The resulting loot establishes his squad as one of the martial arts hall's best-equipped teams. 26 28 100

Mecha Squad Operations

As his squad gains advanced apprentices and high-grade gear, Fang Zhen directs dungeon exploration, wilderness transport, ambush responses, and equipment acquisition. His team becomes known for aggressively converting dangerous encounters into resources and advancement. 60 97 143

Mountain of the Dead and Smiling Skull

Fang Zhen's team enters the Mountain of the Dead, contests One Leaf Floating Cloud for the right to engage the Smiling Skull, and defeats the faction's ordinary members through the Star Energy Construct Secret Technique. He later uses Golden Roar against Shadow Fang. 243 244 270

Sky Battleship Battle

During the battle around Crimson Moon Town, Fang Zhen manifests a massive Blood Energy Phantom and destroys a C6-grade Sky Battleship in a single strike, demonstrating the threat posed by Obsidian Bone Forging Realm disciples. 294 295

Ten Thousand Dragon Star

As Machine God's leader, Fang Zhen prepares for the Forbidden Zone expedition and later triggers the Epic Team Collection Quest Dragon Crystal by finding a Dragon Crystal in an Abyssal Cave pool. He leads subsequent raids on the Imperial Kingdom's mine to acquire crystals and exploit their cultivation value. 333 386 387

Notable Quotes

“I believe I still have potential! I can prove it!” 3

“You want to gang up on her? Do you really think we don’t exist?” 270

Trivia

• Fang Zhen and the other early players discovered that sleeping or losing consciousness logs a player out of High Martial Descent, though their in-game body remains behind and vulnerable. 6
• Lin Qi's experience-extraction privilege produced no result when used on Fang Zhen; Lin Qi speculated that Fang Zhen simply had too few thoughts for the system to extract. 7