Zhang Yu

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Zhang Yu (张羽)
Alias(es)	Young Master Zhang; Gang Leader Zhang; Sect Master
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Former leader of the Black Tiger Gang; founder and Sect Master of the Heaven-Bearing Sect; inner-court disciple of Bedrock Institute and personal disciple of Shi Cangyue 21 37 67
Occupation/Role	Martial artist, master, faction leader, and martial-arts teacher
Status	Alive 79
First Appearance	Chapter 1: Blood-Deep Vengeance

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Stone-Shattering Fist — Mastery	1	After awakening the Punish Evil System and killing a Wild Wolf Gang member, Zhang Yu receives seven years of cultivation and brings the fist art to Mastery.
Bright Force Martial Artist	2	Uses sixteen years of cultivation time to reach Bright Force; Stone-Shattering Fist completes its first limit break and unlocks Mountain-Crushing.
Peak Hidden Force	4	Stone-Shattering Fist reaches its third limit break; Zhang Yu comprehends Shattering Intent, an unusually advanced martial intent for the lower three realms.
Iron Shirt — Complete	23	Reaches completion in Iron Shirt and develops Bronze Skin and Iron Bones, greatly strengthening his defense.
Iron Shirt — First Limit Break	26	Comprehends Tiger Roar Art, an internal-organ cultivation method that turns Iron Shirt into a path toward Transformative Force.
Force Transformation	27	Breaks through after Niu Mancang reaches Force Transformation; Iron Shirt completes its second limit break and produces Iron Soul.
Bedrock Mountain-Forming Art — First and Second Levels Perfected	40	His body advances from Bronze Skin and Iron Bones to Jade Skin Golden Bones, further raising both strength and defense.
Bedrock Physique	66	Pushes the third level of the Bedrock Mountain-Forming Art beyond its limit, gaining a physique that draws on earth-vein power to nourish his body and internal organs.
True Qi Realm	79	Uses master-disciple points to complete the dantian-opening method, shatters the barrier around his dantian, and condenses true qi.

Background and History

Zhang Yu is a soul from another world who transmigrates into the body of a boy sharing his name. The original Zhang Yu had ordinary martial talent and died after the Wild Wolf Gang attacked his family over unpaid protection money; his sister was also killed while trying to protect him. Upon awakening, Zhang Yu activates the Punish Evil System, which rewards him with cultivation time for killing evildoers. He immediately begins exterminating the gang members responsible. 1 2

After killing Yellow Wolf and the remaining Wild Wolf Gang members, Zhang Yu receives 306 years of cultivation time. The system warns that his killing intent threatens the balance of the martial world and replaces itself with the Saint Teacher System. Before fleeing Jiang County, he finds the third-rate body-tempering manual Iron Shirt, burns the gang headquarters, and allows Li Yue—the girl he rescued from Yellow Wolf—to follow him. 3 4

On the road toward Boundless City, Zhang Yu begins acting as a protector and teacher despite initially resisting the responsibility. He takes in refugees who survive his test, accepts Li Yue and Niu Mancang as disciples, and teaches them Iron Shirt. After discovering Niu Mancang’s unawakened Feral Ox Physique and Pure Loyalty fate, Zhang Yu invests heavily in awakening and developing him. 5 6 16 17

In Boundless City, Zhang Yu saves Wen Hua, Zhao Dun, and Xia Shuang from the Black Tiger Gang. His conflict with the gang escalates into the deaths of deputy leader Qian Yong and leader Li Xiong. With Sima Rui’s support, Zhang Yu assumes leadership of the weakened Black Tiger Gang and appoints Wen Hua as deputy leader, using the gang’s resources to support his disciples’ cultivation. 12 14 20 21

Zhang Yu expands his influence by defeating the Broadsword Gang, taking over its medicinal-herb shares and medicine slaves, and pressuring the Ghost Alliance into cooperation. He keeps Yan Dao alive after discovering the latter’s Mad Saber Battle Physique, then accepts him as a disciple and eventually helps him awaken it. 25 26 27 31 70 74

Seeking a method to open his dantian, Zhang Yu enters Bedrock Institute. He becomes an inner-court disciple after killing a third-tier Earth Bear, masters the first level of the Bedrock Mountain-Forming Art within three days, and is accepted as Shi Cangyue’s disciple. He later wins the Azure Eagle Tournament, earning Marrow-Washing Fluid, top-grade Blood-Nourishing Pills, and a spirit crystal. 31 34 37 46

After gaining Shi Cangyue’s protection, Zhang Yu survives conflicts with the Ye and Sima families, including the killing of Ye Ditian and Sima Shu. He eventually returns to Boundless City, disbands the Black Tiger Gang, founds the Heaven-Bearing Sect, and renames Boundless City as Heaven-Bearing City. His stated long-term ambition is to spread martial arts among the common people and overturn the existing martial order. 40 50 52 67

Appearance

Zhang Yu is a youthful-looking martial artist, described as fair and clean with sword-like eyes, starry brows, and a heroic bearing. Although he is treated as a teenager by those around him, several people question whether his knowledge and martial insight belong to an “old monster” rather than someone his apparent age. 7 29 50

• Usually carries himself with deliberate calm and the bearing of an expert.
• His body develops from Bronze Skin and Iron Bones into Jade Skin and Golden Bones through body-tempering cultivation. 23 40
• Activating Iron Soul produces a black gleam over the reinforced part of his body. 46

Personality

Zhang Yu begins as a vengeance-driven survivor. He is willing to slaughter entire hostile factions, execute threats before they can endanger his disciples, and use force to establish authority. He distrusts schemes, regards dead enemies as safer than living ones, and refuses to bow to powerful families even when they threaten him. 2 14 20

His ruthlessness coexists with an increasingly strong concern for common people. He takes in refugee children, protects herb gatherers from abuse, improves the treatment of medicine slaves, and establishes the Heaven-Bearing Sect to give poor people access to food, shelter, and martial training. 5 6 31 67 72 75

Zhang Yu is pragmatic and resource-conscious. He bargains for cultivation methods, values manuals and rare physiques, and treats capable disciples as the foundation of his future power. He also has a notably casual side, often drinking tea or listening to stories instead of visibly cultivating, confident that his system and disciples will continue advancing his strength. 8 17 47

Abilities and Skills

Saint Teacher System

The Saint Teacher System succeeds the Punish Evil System after Zhang Yu’s massacre of the Wild Wolf Gang. It centers on cultivating disciples and converts their progress into proficiency or master-disciple points. 3 4 36

• Inspects cultivation aptitude, comprehension, fate traits, physiques, and cultivation progress through the Eye of Truth-Piercing. 4 5
• Initially permits three Hidden Force disciples; Zhang Yu gains three additional slots after reaching Force Transformation. 4 27
• Can upgrade through a spirit crystal to convert disciples’ cultivation gains directly into master-disciple points. 36
• Grants one unused opportunity to copy a disciple’s physique; Zhang Yu refuses to spend it on Niu Mancang’s Feral Ox Physique and continues saving it through Chapter 79. 17 79

Stone-Shattering Fist

Zhang Yu’s original martial art and primary offensive foundation. He cultivates it through three limit breaks and derives his Shattering Intent from it. 2 4

• Mountain-Crushing — Bright Force killing move that concentrates overwhelming striking power. 2
• Great Avalanche — Hidden Force killing move. 4
• Shattering Intent — martial intent capable of vastly increasing destructive force and defeating stronger opponents. 4 41
• Full-force use places a heavy burden on his mental energy and can leave him weakened afterward. 4 13

Iron Shirt and Iron Soul

A third-rate body-tempering art recovered from Yellow Wolf’s hidden room. Zhang Yu develops it far beyond its normal limits. 3 27

• Develops Bronze Skin and Iron Bones at completion. 23
• Unlocks Tiger Roar Art, allowing the technique to temper internal organs. 26
• Iron Soul reinforces a selected body part, multiplying its defense tenfold and preventing true qi from penetrating that area. 27
• Has blocked Gu Zhibei’s Azure Edge Sword and shattered the attacker’s finger when the Star-Pointing Finger struck the reinforced area. 46

Clearwind Art

A second-rate cultivation art supplied through the Chu Family, including stance training, breathing methods, palm techniques, and movement techniques. 10 13

• Allows advancement toward Transformative Force through proper stance and breathing cultivation. 13
• Following Wind / Move with the Wind — evasive movement that lets Zhang Yu evade repeated attacks with minimal movement. 43
• Used alongside Iron Soul and Shattering Intent in combat against stronger opponents. 52

Bedrock Mountain-Forming Art

A mysterious-grade body-tempering cultivation art taught by Shi Cangyue. 34 37

• First two perfected levels grant Jade Skin Golden Bones. 40
• Third-level limit break produces the Bedrock Physique. 66
• Bedrock Physique absorbs earth-vein power to nourish the body and internal organs. 66
• Its dantian-opening method enables Zhang Yu’s breakthrough into the True Qi Realm. 79

Martial Instruction

Zhang Yu is an unusually effective teacher because he combines system assistance, martial insight, resources, and direct intervention. 15 29

• Uses Shattering Intent to help disciples absorb medicinal effects into their flesh, blood, tendons, and bones. 29
• Designs the Heaven-Bearing Nine Forms from his understanding of Stone-Shattering Fist to help ordinary disciples build qi and blood. 75
• Awakens or develops special physiques, including Niu Mancang’s Feral Ox Physique and Yan Dao’s Mad Saber Battle Physique. 17 70 73

Equipment and Cultivation Arts

• Iron Shirt — Third-rate body-tempering manual found in Yellow Wolf’s hidden room. 3
• Gale Thirteen Forms — Third-rate saber technique taken from the West Ridge Three Fiends. 7
• Clearwind Smoke-Transformation Scripture / Clearwind Art — Second-rate cultivation art provided by the Chu Family. 10 13
• Bedrock Mountain-Forming Art — Mysterious-grade body-tempering art learned under Shi Cangyue. 34 37
• Demon-Subduing Staff — Complete first-rate cultivation art acquired from Chen You; includes a dantian-opening method. 43
• Ninefold Ripple Palm — Yellow-grade martial art gifted by the Li Family. 51

Relationships

• Li Yue — Rescued survivor and first disciple. Her determination to repay Zhang Yu leads her to follow him from Jiang County; her Forged Through a Thousand Trials fate steadily accelerates her growth. 3 6 29
• Niu Mancang — Disciple with the Feral Ox Physique and Pure Loyalty fate. Zhang Yu awakens his physique and invests immense resources into his training; Niu Mancang serves him with absolute loyalty. 5 17 18
• Wen Hua — Formal disciple, deputy leader of the Black Tiger Gang, and later a key Heaven-Bearing Sect figure. Zhang Yu values his excellent aptitude, comprehension, and Righteousness Soaring to the Heavens fate. 11 13 21
• Chu Qingwen — Chu Family daughter, disciple, financier, and logistical supporter. She recognizes Zhang Yu’s potential early and persuades her family to invest in him. 9 10 31
• Yan Dao — Former Broadsword Gang leader turned disciple. Zhang Yu spares him for his Mad Saber Battle Physique, then guides him through its awakening. 26 31 73 74
• Xu Yang — Disciple with the Frostbound Myriad-Sword Physique. Zhang Yu identifies that Xu Yang’s fire-attribute cultivation conflicts with his physique and instructs him to disperse his cultivation. 17 35 47
• Shi Cangyue — Master at Bedrock Institute. He accepts Zhang Yu after witnessing his rapid mastery of the Bedrock Mountain-Forming Art and repeatedly protects him from powerful enemies. 37 40 54
• Li Feifei — Loyal attendant and ally who repeatedly supports Zhang Yu publicly, helps secure the Li Family’s investment, and remains at his side during major conflicts. 40 45 50
• Gu Yu — Registered Heaven-Bearing Sect disciple with Heavenly Divination Spirit Eyes. Zhang Yu personally teaches her after recognizing her exceptional aptitude, comprehension, fate, and physique. 72 73

Notable Quotes

“I came to Boundless City because I heard that whoever has the bigger fist makes the rules here.” 23

“The ultimate romance of men had never been women. It was holding the world in one's heart, sealing the wolf at Mount Juxu, saving the people from fire and flood, and thereby attaining the seat of a sage.” 16

“You can manage it for a moment, but not for a lifetime, much less the entire Western Desolate Continent.” 16

Trivia

• Zhang Yu initially considers copying Niu Mancang’s Feral Ox Physique, but saves his sole copying opportunity for a potentially stronger physique. 17 79
• His Marrow-Washing Fluid produces no noticeable effect because his internal organs and bone marrow have already been repeatedly strengthened through prior cultivation. 47
• He has a habit of calling himself kind-hearted immediately after making self-serving or ruthless decisions. 27
• Despite his cultivation achievements, Zhang Yu considers listening to stories over tea part of maintaining a proper balance between work and rest. 47