Shi Cangyue

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Shi Cangyue (石苍岳)
Alias(es)	Stone Butcher 54
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Bedrock Institute; Shi Family
Occupation/Role	Elder of the Bedrock Institute; Zhang Yu's master
Status	Alive; entered seclusion after resolving the Sima Family matter 66
First Appearance	Chapter 34

Background / History

Shi Cangyue cultivated the Stone Armor Art in his youth and comprehended its Martial Dao True Intent at age twenty-three. When his martial arts reached fruition at forty, he traveled to Central Province; five years later, he returned severely wounded and entered ten years of seclusion. After emerging, he announced his intention to accept a disciple but rejected the many candidates sent by major lineages because he valued talent over background. 34

During Bedrock Institute's Dragon Gate Assessment, Shi Cangyue recognized the Iron Shirt Martial Dao True Intent in Zhang Yu's final punch against a third-tier Earth Bear. He gave Zhang Yu three days to cultivate the first layer of the Bedrock Mountain-Forming Art to mastery, then accepted him as his disciple after Zhang Yu succeeded. 34 37

Appearance

Shi Cangyue is an elder of the Bedrock Institute who wears a white robe with gold trim and the institute's elder badge. 34

• Wears an elder's badge of the Bedrock Institute. 34
• His Martial Dao True Intent manifests as a yellow, earth-aspected aura. 34

Personality

Shi Cangyue is a martial arts fanatic who prizes exceptional aptitude and openly revels in Zhang Yu's talent. He considers a genius who hides their ability comparable to someone “walking at night in brocade robes.” 34 41

He is domineering, arrogant, and ruthless toward threats to his disciple. Despite sternly reprimanding Zhang Yu for concealing assassination attempts, he repeatedly protects him against the Ye and Sima Families, even when doing so requires killing their patriarchs. 54 62

Abilities & Skills

Bedrock Mountain-Forming Art

Shi Cangyue is the Bedrock Institute's most accomplished cultivator of its signature, Profound-grade body-tempering art. 34 46

• Personally teaches Zhang Yu the second and third-layer formulas, which are transmitted orally. 37 46
• Explains that the art's third layer can break its limit to form the Bedrock Body, which absorbs earth-vein power to nourish the body. 55
• Cultivated a Jade Abode Dantian through the art and Ten-Thousand-Year Stalactite Milk, giving him an unusually large dantian. 46 84

Stone Armor Martial Dao True Intent

Shi Cangyue comprehended the Martial Dao True Intent of the Stone Armor Art at age twenty-three. Its manifestation carries an earth-like aura. 34

• His qi-force punch was described as resembling a mountain hundreds of zhang high. 62
• The fist wind alone collapsed a house and caused nearby opponents to vomit blood. 62

Combat Power

Shi Cangyue is described as a Great Completion Aura Force Realm martial artist in the account of his past; later, Zhang Yu assesses him as being at Great Completion Gang Qi Realm. 34 52

• Killed Ye Family Patriarch Ye Weishan with one punch, shredding his internal organs while leaving his exterior unmarked. 54
• Killed Sima Yan in a single attack. 62
• Can transmit speech directly to a specific recipient through sound gathered into a thread. 46

Instruction and Physique Assessment

Shi Cangyue is an exacting mentor with expertise in hard-body arts.

• Identified Niu Mancang's bronze skin and golden bones by examining his bones. 56
• Determined that Niu Mancang possesses a special physique suited to hard-body cultivation and could cultivate the Bedrock Mountain-Forming Art. 56
• Rigorously trained Niu Mancang to develop his Feral Ox Physique. 56

Relationships

• Zhang Yu — Master and disciple. Shi Cangyue accepted Zhang Yu after he mastered the first level of the Bedrock Mountain-Forming Art in three days; he later protected Zhang Yu from the Ye and Sima Families. 37 54 62
• Niu Mancang — Zhang Yu's disciple and Shi Cangyue's grand-disciple in practice. Shi Cangyue recognized his potential for hard-body arts and trained him intensely. 56
• Chen You — Former hopeful disciple who tended Shi Cangyue's medicinal herbs. Shi Cangyue dismissed him from the courtyard after accepting Zhang Yu, prompting Chen You's hostility toward Zhang Yu. 37
• Su Lingxi — Captive Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Heart Sect. Shi Cangyue interrogated her for three days in an unsuccessful attempt to obtain the Heavenly Heart Illusory Star Melody. 59 60
• Ye Family — Enemy family warned not to harm Zhang Yu for five years; Shi Cangyue killed Patriarch Ye Weishan and forced compensation for Zhang Yu. 54
• Sima Family — Enemy family. Shi Cangyue killed Sima Yan and threatened to uproot the entire family should Zhang Yu be harmed. 62

Story Role / Major Arcs

Recruitment of Zhang Yu

Shi Cangyue notices Zhang Yu's Iron Soul during the Dragon Gate Assessment, offers him the first layer of the Bedrock Mountain-Forming Art, and accepts him as his disciple after he reaches mastery within three days. 34 37

Azure Eagle Tournament

He supports Zhang Yu's participation in the Azure Eagle Tournament, promises protection against the Ye Family if Zhang Yu masters the art's second layer, and rewards Zhang Yu after his victory with five-hundred-year Stalactite Milk and the third-layer formula. 40 46

Phoenix Tower City Retaliation

After learning that Withered Soul Hall assassins targeted Zhang Yu, Shi Cangyue travels to Phoenix Tower City. He kills Ye Weishan, forces the Ye Family to compensate Zhang Yu, and gives the family a five-year warning against harming his disciple. 54 55

Heavenly Heart Sect Incident

Shi Cangyue agrees to spare Su Lingxi at Zhang Yu's request and attempts to extract her Earth-grade cultivation art. Though his interrogation fails, Zhang Yu later shares the soul-tempering portion of the Heavenly Heart Illusory Star Melody with him. 59 60 61

Sima Family Suppression

Shi Cangyue kills Sima Yan and warns the Sima Family that he requires neither evidence nor investigation should Zhang Yu be harmed; he will simply annihilate the family. He then returns to Hidden Spirit Academy for seclusion. 62 66

Notable Quotes

“Zhang Yu is my disciple. If, within five years, he loses so much as a hair on the Western Desolate Continent, I will slaughter your Ye Family.” 54

“If even a single hair on his head is harmed, I will not investigate, nor will I need any evidence. I will uproot your entire Sima Family at once.” 62

Trivia

• Shi Cangyue's nickname, Stone Butcher, was still remembered by older members of the Ye Family a decade after he bore it. 54
• His greatest disappointment in the Western Desolate Continent is the lack of a meridian-opening cultivation method, which previously drove him to venture into Central Province. 61