Ren Shanshi

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Ren Shanshi (任山石)
Alias(es)	Shopkeeper Ren; Head Escort Ren
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Coffin shop; Black River Martial Arts Hall; Fortune-Life Martial Hall
Occupation/Role	Coffin maker and shopkeeper; martial artist and martial-hall instructor
Status	Alive
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Iron Body Art initiate	12 13	Receives Su Huo's Iron Body Art as payment for a coffin and begins studying its stance work and medicinal tempering.
Black River Martial Arts Hall disciple	23	Enrolls despite ridicule over his age; Ren Qing secretly infuses him with evening glow to bolster his qi and blood.
Inner Strength Art practitioner	33	Adds an internal-organ tempering art to his training; its severe self-inflicted injuries are healed and reinforced by Ren Qing's cloud and water qi.
Multi-art external martial artist	49	Cultivates seven external martial arts simultaneously; accumulated heaven-and-earth aura strengthens his bones and increases his height.
Demon-slaying martial artist	57	Activates a wrathful Vajra-like state and beats a goat demon to death while rescuing Su Huo.
Vajra Body practitioner	95 96	Learns Vajra Body from Zhao Xinghu; rapidly develops bronze skin, petrified bones, immense weight, and a body able to bear greater amounts of heaven-and-earth aura.
Monstrous giant form	97	Transforms into a more than three-meter-tall, iron-plated giant and kills Zhao Xinghu, a wandering corpse immortal.

Background / History

Ren Shanshi operated a coffin shop in Water Mouth City with Ren Qing. Though only in his early forties, years of hardship and labor left him heavily wrinkled and older-looking. He accepted dangerous coffin-delivery work because he owed Head Constable Chen a favor, placing him and Ren Qing near the escalating incidents surrounding the Immortal Ascension Sect. 1 11

He was initially frightened by Song Baizhou's corpse ascension and the city’s abnormal events. Ren Qing repeatedly used divine consciousness to ease his panic or influence his thoughts, while Ren Shanshi remained focused on keeping his son safe, fed, and out of trouble. 2 5 7 18

Su Huo’s Iron Body Art gave Ren Shanshi an opportunity to leave funeral work behind. He began training despite his age, then joined Black River Martial Arts Hall to learn stances and saber techniques. Ren Qing secretly supported his progress with evening glow and later several types of heaven-and-earth aura, allowing his martial development to far exceed ordinary limits. 12 13 23 24 33

Driven by the worsening dangers in Water Mouth City and his desire to protect Ren Qing and Yun Niang, Ren Shanshi pushed his training to destructive extremes. His progress fed back through Ren Qing’s Imperial Court Scroll, making his martial arts valuable to Ren Qing’s own body refinement. 33 60

After moving to Three Rivers Prefecture, Ren Shanshi opened Fortune-Life Martial Hall. He trained six half-demons and later accepted Zhao Xinghu’s eight black zombies as martial disciples. When Zhao Xinghu attempted to abduct and refine him into an armored corpse, Ren Shanshi killed him and protected Yun Niang and Su Huo. 66 67 97 98 101

Appearance

Ren Shanshi began as a weathered, short and stocky middle-aged coffin maker. Martial training and the aura supplied by Ren Qing progressively remade his physique. 1 49

• Initially wore a thick padded coat; his face was creased with wrinkles and he looked older than his actual age. 1
• Became broad-shouldered and thick-backed through external-art practice, with a full beard and corded muscles. 27 33
• Grew beyond one meter seventy after mist aura stimulated his bone growth. 49
• In Vajra Body, his skin turns ancient bronze, blue veins bulge across his body, and smoke and dust issue from his mouth and nose. 97
• His full combat transformation exceeds three meters in height, with metal-like skin, huge muscles, and sulfur-scented white vapor. 97

Personality

Ren Shanshi is compassionate, practical, and intensely protective. He worries over Ren Qing’s health, brings food home for him, seeks marriage prospects for him, and works to ensure the family can survive outside the coffin trade. 2 18 24 27

He extends that care beyond family. He makes Yun Niang a blind cane, shelters her when the martial arts hall becomes unsafe, brings starving half-demon children home to teach them, and risks his life to save Su Huo from a goat demon. 33 38 57 66

His greatest flaw is his extreme training obsession. He repeatedly injures himself to advance, trusts Zhao Xinghu’s Vajra Body too readily, and believes hardship is necessary for growth. Even so, danger to Yun Niang or his disciples immediately overrides his concern for himself. 33 60 95 97

Abilities & Skills

External Martial Arts

Ren Shanshi combines numerous body-tempering arts and combat techniques into overwhelming physical force.

• Began with the Iron Body Art, which tempers flesh, skin, tendons, and bones through medicinal baths and stance work. 12 13
• Learns saber techniques at Black River Martial Arts Hall. 24
• Practices seven external martial arts concurrently by Chapter 49. 49
• Uses disciplined stances, fist techniques, palm strikes, and body conditioning to train half-demons and zombies. 67 76 101
• His attacks can generate air waves, crack bluestone, and overpower demons despite his lack of detectable immortal cultivation. 57 76

Vajra Body

A powerful external art learned from Zhao Xinghu, later augmented by Ren Qing’s heaven-and-earth aura.

• Hardens his skin and bones while dramatically increasing his weight and physical strength. 95 97
• Requires rivets driven into acupoints and severe physical strain during training. 96
• Enables a bronze-skinned combat state with crushing force strong enough to shatter stone beneath his feet. 97
• Its rapid advancement drew the attention of corpse-refining cultivators seeking to turn him into an armored corpse. 95 97 104

Heaven-and-Earth Aura Enhancement

Ren Qing secretly channels different breaths of heaven and earth into Ren Shanshi’s body, sustaining his extreme training and strengthening specific aspects of his physique.

• Evening glow replenishes qi and blood. 23 24
• Cloud qi enhances the force of his punches; water qi heals accumulated internal injuries. 33
• Mist aura stimulates bone growth, while later dust, hot air, and moonlight temper bones, slow qi-and-blood depletion, and protect his soul. 49 60
• His martial progress returns heaven-and-earth breath to Ren Qing’s Imperial Court Scroll, allowing Ren Qing to gain corresponding body-refinement benefits. 33 108
• His mortal body has a limit; excessive aura causes violent coughing and forces Ren Qing to withdraw most of it. 90

Giant Transformation

When fighting at full strength, Ren Shanshi can assume a monstrous, wrathful Vajra-like form.

• First displays a smaller transformation while fighting the goat demon, growing taller as his muscles tighten and smoke seeps from his pores. 57
• Later becomes a giant more than three meters tall, with iron-plate-like skin and immense speed. 97
• Uses this form to kill Zhao Xinghu, whose corpse poison failed to reveal any immortal method within Ren Shanshi. 97 98

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Iron-ringed saber — Received through Black River Martial Arts Hall training. 24
• Stone hammer and wooden mallet — Used as self-inflicted body-tempering tools. 41 60
• Blind cane — Hand-carved for Yun Niang. 33
• Vajra Body manual — Given by Zhao Xinghu; later revealed to be bait for corpse refinement. 95 97
• Boulder Body manual — Purchased from the Corpse-Driving Daoist as a superior external art. 104

Relationships

• Ren Qing — His son and covert benefactor. Ren Shanshi’s drive to become stronger centers on protecting Ren Qing, while Ren Qing secretly nourishes his body with heaven-and-earth aura and gains cultivation feedback from his progress. 18 33 60 108
• Yun Niang — A blind woman he cares for deeply. He makes her a cane, invites her to stay at the coffin shop, shops with her, and protects her during Zhao Xinghu’s attack. 33 38 57 97
• Su Huo — Elderly martial artist who provides the Iron Body Art. Ren Shanshi saves him from a goat demon; Su Huo later assists at Fortune-Life Martial Hall. 12 57 76
• Six half-demons — Rescued children whom Ren Shanshi brings home and patiently trains in martial arts. 66 67
• Eight black zombies — Former followers of Zhao Xinghu whom Ren Shanshi accepts as martial disciples after killing their master. 98 101
• Zhao Xinghu — Ostensible martial-arts associate who teaches him Vajra Body, then tries to abduct and refine him into an armored corpse. Ren Shanshi kills him. 95 97 98
• Li Yao — Visitor to Fortune-Life Martial Hall who is astonished by his martial prowess; Ren Shanshi feels guilty after frightening her with his palm wind. 76

Story Role / Major Arcs

Water Mouth City Coffin Shop

Ren Shanshi serves as Ren Qing’s mortal father and business partner during the Song Baizhou and Immortal Ascension Sect incidents. His coffin work exposes him to dangerous corpses, constables, and rumors of immortality. 1 2 5 11

Martial Arts Awakening

After Su Huo leaves the Iron Body Art as payment, Ren Shanshi discovers a late-blooming aptitude for external martial arts. He shifts away from coffin work and trains at Black River Martial Arts Hall, supported in secret by Ren Qing. 12 23 27

Protector of Water Mouth City

Ren Shanshi’s training becomes a response to the city’s growing horrors. He protects Yun Niang, saves Su Huo, and proves that external martial arts can kill demons by defeating a goat demon. 33 37 57

Fortune-Life Martial Hall

In Three Rivers Prefecture, Ren Shanshi founds Fortune-Life Martial Hall and takes responsibility for half-demon and zombie disciples. His reputation grows after he defeats Ling Fu and later kills Zhao Xinghu in his giant Vajra form. 88 92 97 98

Trivia

• Ren Shanshi began formal martial-arts training around middle age and progressed from novice stances to demon-slaying strength within roughly half a year. 23 95
• Multiple corpse-refining cultivators identify him as extraordinary material for an armored corpse, artifact, or pill refinement. 95 97 104
• He remains unaware that Ren Qing is responsible for much of his abnormal physical growth and recovery. 33 60 90