Cao Yanyue

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Cao Yanyue (曹彦约)
Alias(es)	Tang San Sao / “Tang the Third Rascal” (on-camera review persona); Ye Ling Sixteen (assumed identity)
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Kunlun Sword Immortal Academy (graduate); formerly employed by a new-media company; Maha Dragon-Elephant High School (as Ye Ling Sixteen)
Occupation/Role	Flying-sword review influencer; sword cultivator; high-school student under his assumed identity
Status	Alive; an Imperial wanted criminal under the identity of Cao Yanyue, while living publicly as Ye Ling Sixteen 356 363
First Appearance	353

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Advanced Daoist; Pure World White Lotus Art, 21st level	358	Reached this level by the time he graduated from Kunlun Sword Immortal Academy. His progress then stagnated for years.
Cultivation breakthrough, level unspecified	357	The Profound Heaven Mirror projects his meridians and helps him refine true qi while recovering from the Superintendent’s attack.
Pure World White Lotus Art, 26th level	358	Clears a stagnant blockage while hiding in a warehouse; white lotuses manifest around him as his true qi transforms.
Lesser Heavenly Circuit	366	Completes a Lesser Heavenly Circuit in Ye Ling Sixteen’s body after persistently practicing Martial Ancestor Long Fist.
Path Disciple certification	367	Produces true qi at Maha Dragon-Elephant High School’s certification device and receives a Path Disciple certificate.
Nine Heavens Body-Refining Technique; first Aberration	370	Uses Ye Ling Sixteen’s 99% Brahma Particle compatibility to cultivate the technique and successfully forms the Flexible Strength Hands Aberration.
Pure World White Lotus Art, 27th level	371	His resolve after meeting Ao Yanyue drives a forceful breakthrough.
Level-three Daoist Apprentice	372	His concealed cultivation advances enough for him to defeat Sun William with the Elementary School Fitness Twelve Forms.

Background

Cao Yanyue graduated from Kunlun Sword Immortal Academy, where he learned the academy’s thirty-six sword arts and seventy-two extraordinary techniques. Although he possessed exceptional swordsmanship and had reached the twenty-first level of the Pure World White Lotus Art by graduation, his cultivation later stagnated. His earlier choice of the Flying Flowers, Plucking Leaves Art had been incompatible with his natural disposition and delayed his progress in Kunlun’s direct-line method. 354 358 368

After entering society, he became a poorly paid flying-sword review influencer for a new-media company. His flamboyant “Tang San Sao” persona existed solely for the camera; off-camera, he was an isolated office worker exhausted by review shoots, promotional work, and corporate demands. 353

While observing a major spell battle, Cao Yanyue intercepted an ancient palm-sized mirror with his swordsmanship. He intended to surrender it to public security, but the mirror enhanced the activity of surrounding vital qi and attracted the attention of a one-star Imperial Police Academy admiral. 355 356

The admiral attacked him with Innate Divine Qi Slash, badly injuring Cao Yanyue and destroying the flying sword he had nurtured for nine years. Soon afterward, an Imperial wanted order accused him of colluding with foreign powers, stealing an ancient artifact, and massacring civilians. 356 357

Fugitive Life

Cao Yanyue hid in an abandoned warehouse, used smuggled energy bars to sustain himself, and relied on the mirror—later identified as the Profound Heaven Mirror—to clear foreign true qi from his body. His desperate cultivation allowed the Pure World White Lotus Art to advance to the twenty-sixth level. 358 359

After leaving the warehouse, he disguised himself with the Ruyi Immortal Body and entered the Outer District in search of the Black Martialist Group. Avoiding Kunlun techniques that could expose his identity, he defeated a gang with Quanzhou University’s Xinyou Sword-Controlling Art and seized three unregistered flying swords. 360 361

The Profound Heaven Mirror later detected the corpse of a brutally beaten teenager, Ye Ling Sixteen. When Cao Yanyue touched the youth’s image within the mirror, he switched bodies with him. He discovered he could return to his original body through the mirror, restoring his own cultivation and healing the severe injuries carried by Ye Ling Sixteen’s body. 363

Life as Ye Ling Sixteen

Cao Yanyue chose to continue living as Ye Ling Sixteen, a first-year student from a wealthy but neglectful family. He had no access to Ye’s memories and initially cared little about the circumstances of the youth’s death, focusing instead on rebuilding his cultivation under a clean identity. 363

Using his knowledge and discipline, he cultivated true qi through Martial Ancestor Long Fist, acquired Path Disciple certification, and began considering a primary Dao art better suited to his second chance than the mistake he made in his first life. 366 367 368

He also cultivated the dangerous Nine Heavens Body-Refining Technique with Brahma Particles. Ye Ling Sixteen’s unusually high compatibility and pure-yang physique allowed Cao Yanyue to complete the first Aberration, Flexible Strength Hands, without losing control. 370

After encountering his former senior sister Ao Yanyue near the ruins of his old apartment, he learned that she believed him dead and had sworn vengeance for him. The encounter reignited his ambition to reclaim everything taken from him. 371

Appearance

Cao Yanyue’s original body is distinguished by a flamboyant bald head. After the body exchange, he publicly appears as Ye Ling Sixteen: a teenage boy with neat short hair and a light-gray Type 69 swordsman uniform. 363

• Can make minor alterations to his physique and face with the Ruyi Immortal Body to mislead surveillance systems. 360
• Ye Ling Sixteen’s body initially has poor physical conditioning despite its exceptional compatibility with Brahma Particles. 366 370
• The Flexible Strength Hands Aberration lengthens his arms slightly and grants abnormal joint flexibility. 370

Personality

Cao Yanyue is pragmatic, observant, and deeply shaped by years of corporate work. He knows how to perform confidence for an audience while concealing his actual exhaustion and dissatisfaction. He avoids unnecessary socializing and initially prefers to contact authorities rather than fight when danger appears. 353 354 355

Becoming wanted transforms his priorities. He remains cautious about surveillance and exposure, but he becomes increasingly decisive in combat and more willing to use ruthless methods to survive. He does not mistake his own strength for invulnerability; even after breakthroughs, he recognizes that personal cultivation alone cannot easily oppose state power. 358 360 361

His second life gives him an opportunity to correct past regrets. Although he enjoys the quiet anonymity of Ye Ling Sixteen’s student life, his ambition resurfaces after learning what Ao Yanyue lost with his apparent death. 368 371 372

Abilities & Skills

Pure World White Lotus Art

Kunlun Sword Immortal Academy’s direct-line cultivation method filters heaven-and-earth primordial qi, removing mixed qi and retaining immortal-qi particles for cultivation. 354

• Reached the twenty-seventh level after years of stagnation and several breakthroughs under pressure. 358 371
• Grants powerful environmental endurance; at his level, he can survive extreme heat, cold, and even brief exposure to outer space. 362
• Its true qi was initially incapable of suppressing the far superior true qi inflicted by a True Person realm attacker. 357

Swordsmanship

Cao Yanyue is a genuine top-tier sword cultivator who trained his swordsmanship to near-divine mastery despite publicly mocking traditional practice as Tang San Sao. 355

• Learned all thirty-six Kunlun sword arts and seventy-two extraordinary techniques during his academy years. 354
• Used the Heaven-Defying Three Ultimate Sword to disperse a True Person realm cultivator’s formless qi blades. 355 356
• Can merge with a flying sword for defense and sword flight. 354
• Avoids using Kunlun sword arts while wanted because they could reveal his identity. 361

Kunlun Extraordinary Techniques

His academy training includes versatile support, observation, and concealment arts. 354

• Kunlun Mirror Light Technique — creates a mirror-like projection for distant observation of spell battles. 354
• Azure Dragon Seizing the Moon Hand — caught the incoming ancient mirror after dispersing its momentum. 355
• Ruyi Immortal Body — makes limited changes to facial features and body shape, enough to delay surveillance matching. 360

Profound Heaven Mirror

An ancient relic Cao Yanyue intercepted during a spell battle. It becomes central to his survival after the Imperial wanted order is issued. 355 356

• Raises the activity of nearby vital-energy particles, accelerating cultivation. 355
• Projects meridians, allowing Cao Yanyue to locate blockages and refine his true qi more efficiently. 357 370
• Detects and stores the image of a nearby corpse. 363
• Allows Cao Yanyue to switch between his original body and Ye Ling Sixteen’s body; returning to his original body restores his original cultivation. 363

Xinyou Sword-Controlling Art

A ruthless twelve-form secret art from Quanzhou University, created by Qi Jizu. Cao Yanyue studied it alongside the techniques of several elite universities. 361

• Built around decisive attacks rather than feints, placing victory or defeat in a single instant. 361
• Used its Bingding Sword Form and other forms to incapacitate multiple Outer District gang members before they could draw weapons or alert authorities. 361
• Serves as a non-Kunlun combat method while he is concealing his identity. 361

Nine Heavens Body-Refining Technique

A body-refining art that uses dangerous Brahma Particles and necessarily produces Aberrations. Cao Yanyue chose it because Ye Ling Sixteen has 99% compatibility with those particles. 370

• Flexible Strength Hands — first Aberration; allows his arms to bend, extend, and shorten in abnormal ways. 370
• Increases the strength of his hands and arms by roughly seventy to eighty percent. 370
• Brahma Particle cultivation can fail catastrophically without careful control; Cao Yanyue relies on the Profound Heaven Mirror to manage the process. 370

Martial Arts

Cao Yanyue applies the experience of a former high-rank Daoist to Ye Ling Sixteen’s undeveloped body. 357 372

• Martial Ancestor Long Fist — enabled him to cultivate true qi and complete a Lesser Heavenly Circuit. 366
• Elementary School Fitness Twelve Forms — used the Tiger-Tail Kick to defeat Sun William and Li Taixin in single strikes. 372 374
• Exploits opponents’ openings and redirects their force rather than relying only on raw strength. 372

Equipment

• Profound Heaven Mirror — ancient mirror relic that enhances cultivation, projects meridians, and enables Cao Yanyue’s body-switching ability. 355 363
• Great Gull Mountain Invisible Series, Fourth Generation Flying Sword — his personally nurtured flying sword for nine years; shattered after enduring Innate Divine Qi Slashes and his escape through reinforced walls. 353 357
• Da’ou Mountain Invisible Series, Ninth Generation Flying Sword — one of three unregistered swords seized from Outer District gang members; he keeps this model because he knows it well. 361
• Backup flying swords — review work left him with replacement swords after his primary sword was destroyed. 358

Relationships

• Ao Yanyue — former Kunlun senior sister and academy instructor. She believes Cao Yanyue died in the apartment-collapse incident and vows to avenge him; their reunion strengthens his resolve. 371
• Fan Yuqi — Cao Yanyue’s former manager. Fan is interrogated because of Cao’s alleged crimes, later deletes their employment contract and distances himself from the political incident. 355 358 359
• Ye Ling Sixteen — deceased high-school student whose body Cao Yanyue assumes through the Profound Heaven Mirror. 363
• Sun William — martial artist who beat Ye Ling Sixteen to death over a misunderstanding involving Murong Yiren; Cao later defeats him using the Tiger-Tail Kick. 365 372
• Murong Yiren — girl connected to the conflict between Ye Ling Sixteen and Sun William. She apologizes for the trouble caused by Sun William and attempts to befriend Cao in Ye’s identity. 368
• Ouyang Li — classmate who mistakenly identified Ye Ling Sixteen, contributing to Sun William’s misunderstanding; she feels guilty and offers him an apology. 367

Notable Quotes

“What I lost, sooner or later, I’ll take it all back!” 371

“If someone can cover the sky with one hand, then I’ll become the sword that cuts off that hand!” 371