Lu Yun

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Lu Yun (陆云)
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Age	21 1 18
Affiliation	Red Flame Army recruit; formerly of Chen Family Fort 7 9
Occupation/Role	Martial artist; contender for First Centurion 22 23
Status	Active; competing in the Red Flame Army Centurion selection 24
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
None	1	Initially possessed 180 jin of strength and suffered from deficient qi and blood after three years of overtraining.
Nourishing Qi Perfection	2	Spent lifespan to recover his condition and perfect the White Ape Stance, Basic Spear Technique, and Basic Footwork; strength rose to 1,000 jin.
Mid Inner Strengthening	5	Perfected and fused White Ape Stance, Savage Bull Force, and Fierce Tiger Boxing Manual into the mid-grade Primal Chaos Art; strength reached 2,000 jin.
Internal Strengthening Perfection	11	Perfected Primal Chaos Art and his principal combat techniques; formed a Blood Energy Furnace and reached 3,000 jin of strength.
Mid Bone Forging	18	Deducted the high-grade Marrow Cleansing Art and Thunderbolt Spear; strength reached 4,000 jin, with an estimated 5,600-jin burst through the spear art.
High-grade speed and defense techniques	21	Deducted Indestructible Vajra Body and Snow-Treading Without Trace to high-grade Minor Mastery, eliminating his stated shortcomings in defense and mobility.

Background

Lu Yun was an ordinary twenty-first-century corporate worker before transmigrating after a drinking party. Near death from starvation in the mountains, he was found and brought back to Chen Family Fort by Old Chen and Chen Qing'er. He became one of the fort's people and gradually accepted it as his home. 1

The first time he touched a spear, Lu Yun awakened an attribute panel visible only to himself. To activate its functions, he trained the Basic Spear Technique relentlessly for three years, neglecting stance training and damaging his health in the process. 1

When Black Wind Stronghold threatened Chen Family Fort and Chen Qing'er disappeared, Lu Yun refused Zhao Hu's suggestion that he flee. He chose to defend the people who had sheltered him and to investigate Qing'er's whereabouts. 1

Appearance

Lu Yun is a tall, lean young man with refined features, bright keen eyes, and a composed demeanor. He was first seen in gray clothes carrying a long spear; by the Centurion selection, he appeared in white robes with the bearing of a javelin. 1 22

• Tall and slender, though his body becomes increasingly powerful through cultivation. 1 11
• Bright, sharp eyes and refined features. 1
• Usually carries a long spear over his shoulder. 1 7
• His perfected body-tempering arts give his skin a bronze luster and allow it to withstand weapon strikes without injury. 11

Personality

Lu Yun is intensely determined and guided by a direct personal code: repay kindness, confront grudges head-on, and never flee alone from danger. This drives his defense of Chen Family Fort and his continuing search for Chen Qing'er. 1 7

He is pragmatic and resourceful in pursuit of strength. He spends lifespan without hesitation when gains are worthwhile, manipulates arena opponents into wagering origin stones, and frames the Black Tiger Gang after robbing the Canal Gang. 6 10 13 14

His ruthlessness is selective. Lu Yun kills bandits and hostile gang members without mercy, but frees Black Wind Stronghold's captives, gives Lin Xue silver, and defeats Zhuo Feifan without seriously harming him. 4 5 6 23

Abilities & Skills

Life-Consuming Attribute Panel

Lu Yun possesses a blue attribute panel that only he can see. It converts lifespan into martial progress and can absorb primordial energy from spiritual items to replenish that lifespan. 1 2

• Restores physical condition by consuming lifespan. 2
• Improves cultivation methods, martial skills, and auxiliary techniques. 2
• Can fuse perfected techniques into stronger arts. 5 6
• Can deduce higher-grade arts, though deduction consumes substantially more lifespan than fusion. 2 18
• Absorbs origin stones, spiritual herbs, and other primordial-energy-bearing items for lifespan. 2 5 10
• His advancement depends on having enough lifespan; insufficient reserves prevent costly deductions. 2

Marrow Cleansing Art

A high-grade cultivation method deduced from Primal Chaos Art. It raised Lu Yun to the mid Bone Forging realm. 18

• At Minor Mastery, supports 4,000 jin of base strength. 18
• Built upon his prior Primal Chaos Art foundation, which had already reached Internal Strengthening Perfection. 11 18
• His cultivation is described as unusually pure because he did not rely on pills. 18

Thunderbolt Spear

A high-grade spear art deduced from Windbreaking Spear. 18

• Reached Minor Mastery immediately upon deduction. 18
• Raises his estimated maximum burst to roughly 5,600 jin. 18
• Prior spear mastery enabled him to kill Black Wind Stronghold's Third Master and six bandits in one strike, then slaughter the stronghold's two chiefs. 3 4
• Defeated Hidden Dragon Ranking member Yang Shengrong in two spear strikes. 17

Snow-Treading Without Trace

A high-grade movement technique deduced from Shadow Following. 21

• Reached Minor Mastery upon deduction. 21
• Eliminates Lu Yun's former weakness in speed against elite opponents. 21
• Its predecessor, Shadow Following, produced afterimages and enabled rapid short-distance bursts. 6 10

Indestructible Vajra Body

A high-grade body-tempering technique deduced from Copper Skin Iron Bones. 21

• Reached Minor Mastery upon deduction. 21
• Further transformed a body that could already resist spear thrusts without leaving a scratch. 11 22
• Previously caught Yang Shengrong's saber barehanded with no visible injury. 16
• Its durability allows Lu Yun to fight directly against stronger weapon techniques rather than relying solely on evasion. 16

Auxiliary Arts

• Bone-Shrinking Art — Alters Lu Yun's build and facial features for disguise; he used it to impersonate Cao Dahai while robbing the Canal Gang. It had reached Great Mastery by his Bone Forging breakthrough. 10 18
• Turtle Breath Art — At Perfection, allows Lu Yun to go approximately two hours without breathing, making extended riverbed searches possible. 19
• Spirit Taming Art — Reached Mastery and allows him to inscribe spirit-binding runes onto beast eggs, ensuring a hatched spirit beast cannot betray its master. 21

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Long spear — Lu Yun's primary weapon throughout his battles. 1 24
• Attribute panel storage space — Used to store loose silver after clearing Black Wind Stronghold. 6
• Spirit beast egg — Recovered from a hidden cave beneath the Cang River and later hatched. 20 21

Relationships

• Old Chen — Rescuer and father-figure. Old Chen and Chen Qing'er saved Lu Yun from starvation; Lu Yun promises to bring Qing'er home. 1 7
• Chen Qing'er / Sister Qing — Old Chen's granddaughter and Lu Yun's family-like companion. Her disappearance motivates his investigation into the Canal Gang. 1 4 7
• Zhao Hu — Chen Family Fort ally who respects Lu Yun's resolve and later celebrates his destruction of Black Wind Stronghold. 1 6
• Ye Quan — Fellow Red Flame Army recruit, dormitory mate, and devoted follower who provides information, assists with bets, and offers a spirit-beast contracting method. 7 9 15 20
• Lin Xue — Former Black Wind Stronghold captive who guided Lu Yun to the treasury. He freed her and gave her silver, but declined her offer to become his maid. 5 6
• Qin Jue — Red Flame Army Thousand Commander who recognizes Lu Yun's potential and supports his Centurion campaign. 18
• Shen Weihong / Know-it-all — Arena organizer and wealthy supporter who gave Lu Yun an extra 100 origin stones after his victory over Yang Shengrong. 17
• Black Rock — Lu Yun's contracted Water Boa, hatched from a Black-Scaled Python egg and evolved into a mutated Spirit Species. 21
• Zhuo Feifan — Fellow Centurion candidate. Lu Yun defeats him with a controlled palm strike, earning his sincere respect. 23
• Xiao Longcheng — Lu Yun's principal rival for the First Centurion title. They recognize one another as evenly matched opponents. 22 23 24

Story Role / Major Arcs

Defense of Chen Family Fort

Lu Yun breaks through to Nourishing Qi Perfection as Black Wind Stronghold threatens Chen Family Fort. He kills the stronghold's Third Master and six bandits in one strike, then assaults Little Tiger Mountain alone. 2 3

He kills more than a hundred bandits on the ascent, defeats chiefs Zhang Shanxiong and Zhang Shanhu, and eradicates Black Wind Stronghold. The chiefs deny taking Chen Qing'er but direct him toward the Canal Gang. 4

Lu Yun frees the stronghold's captive women, obtains its treasury, and uses the origin stones and spiritual herbs to replenish his lifespan. After returning to Chen Family Fort for a farewell feast, he leaves for Clear Distance City to pursue resources and investigate Qing'er's disappearance. 5 6 7

Entry into Clear Distance City

On the Canal Gang ferry, Lu Yun refuses the inflated passage fee, defeats Inner Strength martial artist Zhou Yong, and sinks the ship after killing him. 8

He joins the Red Flame Army as a recruit and shares a dormitory with Ye Quan. Soon afterward, he infiltrates a Canal Gang warehouse in disguise, kills its guards, steals its spiritual resources, and frames Black Tiger Gang member Cao Dahai. 9 10

Hidden Dragon Ranking

Lu Yun exploits the Hidden Dragon Ranking's challenge system by appearing exhausted after narrow victories. He wins fifty consecutive arena matches and earns over 500 origin stones from opponents who underestimate him. 13 14

He accepts Yang Shengrong's 500-origin-stone challenge, catches Yang's saber barehanded, and defeats him in two spear strikes. The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion ranks him ninety-fourth on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, calling him the strongest person below Bone Forging. 16 17

Cang River Expedition and Centurion Selection

Seeking resources before the Centurion selection, Lu Yun explores the Cang River with perfected Turtle Breath Art. He claims spiritual treasures, kills a weakened mutated crocodile, discovers a spirit beast egg, and later hatches Black Rock. 19 20 21

After advancing to mid Bone Forging and upgrading all of his principal techniques to high grade, Lu Yun enters the Red Flame Army's Centurion selection. He wagers his own name for 1,000 origin stones, advances directly to the finals alongside Xiao Longcheng, and defeats Zhuo Feifan without injuring him. 18 21 22 23

Lu Yun's final confrontation with Xiao Longcheng begins as an evenly matched contest. By the latest documented events, neither combatant has gained a decisive advantage. 24

Notable Quotes

“The fish will die, but the net won't break.” 4

“Three spear strikes!” 16

“The title of First Centurion is mine.” 23

Trivia

• Lu Yun trained his Basic Spear Technique for three years specifically to activate his attribute panel. 1
• He was initially considered a countryside martial artist with little chance of competing for a Centurion post. 7 9
• He wagered his own written name as collateral for 1,000 origin stones before the Centurion selection. 22
• His successful arena deception made him notorious among Clear Distance City's Qi Nurturing martial artists. 14