Li Ping'an

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Li Ping'an (李平安)
Alias(es)	Teacher Li; Li Grandpa; Little Brother Li
Gender	Male
Age	70 years old 20
Affiliation	Heaven-Piercing Sword Sect; Waste Hall
Occupation/Role	Blacksmith; inner sect disciple; Waste Hall worker and informal mentor
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Body Tempering, third level	2	The Heaven-Tempering Hammer tempers his body, purging impurities and raising him by two stages.
Body Tempering, fifth level	7	Advances after refining Waste Hall scrap with the Heaven-Tempering Hammer.
Body Tempering, sixth level	8	Reaches the sixth level after consuming two self-refined Body-Tempering Pills and cultivating overnight.
Body Tempering, peak sixth level	10	Absorbs highly toxic waste as nourishment, approaching another breakthrough.
Body Tempering, seventh level	11	Converts absorbed toxins into spiritual energy through overnight cultivation.
Body Tempering, peak seventh level	15	Reaches the bottleneck before Qi Refinement, but lacks a suitable cultivation technique.
Body Tempering, peak eighth level	22	Defeats the equally ranked robber Wang San and discovers his enhanced combat strength.
Body Tempering, peak ninth level	23	Absorbs Waste Hall fumes and reaches the threshold of Qi Refinement.
Qi Refinement, first level	31	Breaks through with a Qi Refining Pill from Qingyue, forming a qi sea in his dantian.
Taiyi Qi-Guiding Art, first level	32	Gains steadier breathing and more stable control over spiritual energy.
Qi Refinement, second level	36	Breaks through after a night of cultivation before the arena tournament.
Great Dream Soul-Drawing Art, first level	43	Gains the ability to alter another person's visual perception.
Qi Refinement, peak third level	50	Reaches the peak of the third level through sustained waste-qi absorption and cultivation.
Taiyi Qi-Guiding Art, second level	50	Further strengthens the depth, endurance, and circulation of his spiritual energy.

Background

Li Ping'an transmigrated to a village at the foot of the Heaven-Piercing Sword Sect, where he met his childhood sweetheart, Lu Xue. At eighteen, the two vowed to enter the inner sect together, and Lu Xue promised to marry him once they succeeded. 1

With poor talent, Li Ping'an spent sixty years as a menial worker forging iron. He ultimately forged one hundred thousand iron tools and caused the Heaven-Ringing Bell to sound, earning an exceptional promotion opportunity into the inner sect. He refused offers to become an elder's disciple, seeking only to see Lu Xue. 1

Lu Xue had already become the Saintess of the Soaring Heaven Sacred Land and left word that their mortal ties had ended. The wooden handle she returned to him fused with his old hammerhead, awakening the ancient divine weapon known as the Heaven-Tempering Hammer. 1

Rather than accept a comfortable inner-sect post, Li Ping'an voluntarily joined the Waste Hall, recognizing its discarded pills, damaged artifacts, toxins, and ore as resources for his hammer. 2

Appearance

Li Ping'an initially appears as a white-haired, lean, wiry old man with depleted blood and qi. He commonly wears worn menial-worker clothing and neglects his appearance, leaving him looking frail, stooped, and disheveled despite his growing strength. 1 38

• White hair and beard. 1 42
• Lean, wiry build from six decades of smithing. 1
• Often hunched and dressed in tattered or plain worker's robes. 11 38
• His body becomes visibly more vigorous and youthful as the Heaven-Tempering Hammer improves his constitution. 10 23
• Commonly conceals his condition by acting weak, coughing, or presenting himself as a dying old man. 11

Personality

Li Ping'an is exceptionally persistent. He spends sixty years fulfilling his promise to Lu Xue and continues pursuing cultivation even after she ends their relationship. 1

He is calm under humiliation and danger, rarely responding emotionally to threats from Wang Steward, Zhang Lu, or other sect disciples. Instead, he focuses on becoming stronger and turns dangerous assignments into opportunities. 6 10 30

Despite his opportunism, Li Ping'an is protective of the Waste Hall disciples. He reassures them when Wang Steward threatens them, takes on their harshest work, and later confronts Xu Yan over withheld wages and mistreatment. 7 16 48

He is also pragmatic and deceptive when needed. He conceals breakthroughs, feigns injury from poison, distributes pill sales among different shops to avoid suspicion, and uses the Great Dream Soul-Drawing Art to intimidate Xu Yan. 11 17 49

Abilities & Skills

Heaven-Tempering Hammer

An ancient divine weapon awakened when Li Ping'an reunites the hammerhead inherited by his family with the wooden handle once held by Lu Xue. Its stated functions are Heaven Tempering, Earth Forging, Immortal Smelting, and Divine Casting. 1

• Heaven Tempering — tempers Li Ping'an's sea of consciousness, body, constitution, and innate foundations. 2 8
• Immortal Smelting — extracts spiritual essence from spirit stones, discarded pills, toxic fumes, damaged materials, and cold poison. 1 3 10 21
• Divine Casting — condenses purified medicinal material into complete pills. 3
• Converts five ruined pills into two first-rank Body-Tempering Pills. 3
• Refines incomplete Qi-Replenishing Pills into second-tier high-grade pills after the hammer upgrades. 43 44
• Requires spiritual energy to operate; early self-tempering exhausted the energy taken from four low-grade spirit stones after two strikes. 2
• Upgrades after Li Ping'an's dual cultivation with Nan Zhi, becoming larger and developing obscure runes. 43

Heaven-Forging Battle Fist

A fist art Li Ping'an practiced for decades as a body-strengthening exercise. After his constitution is remade, he discovers that precise movements circulate spiritual power and temper his flesh and blood. He names the developed technique the Heaven-Forging Battle Fist. 9 11

• Uses body movement and breathing to guide spiritual power through his meridians. 9
• Smashes through a bluestone pillar after its initial development. 11
• Defeats Wang San, an eighth-level Body Tempering cultivator. 22
• Defeats Zeng Xing even after Zeng Xing uses a Qi-Blood Pill to approach Qi Refinement-level strength. 39
• Shatters Xu Yan's Ice Spike Technique through direct punches. 48
• Becomes increasingly powerful and refined through repeated practice. 50

Taiyi Qi-Guiding Art

A breathing and meditation technique Li Ping'an purchases from the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion because it suits cultivators who begin late and possess a steady temperament. 18 31

• Enables him to circulate and control spiritual energy after forming his qi sea. 31
• Stabilizes his spiritual power and reduces the risk of it running out of control. 32
• Prioritizes a deep, enduring foundation over immediate explosive strength. 50

Great Dream Soul-Drawing Art

A tattered spiritual-power cultivation art secretly given to Li Ping'an by He Lü before the latter leaves the sect. 40

• At the first level, it manipulates what a target sees rather than directly controlling their actions. 40 43
• Makes Nan Zhi unable to see Li Ping'an for several seconds. 44
• Makes Xu Yan perceive Li Ping'an as Elder Wuchen, compelling Xu Yan to kneel and apologize. 49
• Its duration depends heavily on Li Ping'an's mental energy and the target's cultivation. 44 50
• Initially drains more than half of his mental energy after only about a dozen seconds of use. 44

Pill Refinement and Appraisal

Li Ping'an does not present himself as a conventional alchemist, but his hammer allows him to salvage, upgrade, and sell pills while his long experience lets him advise Qingyue and Hong Ling during refinement. 3 15 36

• Identifies the approximate market value of Body-Tempering Pills and bargains across multiple shops. 16 17
• Advises Qingyue to study the insight behind a successful batch rather than rely on blind repetition. 15
• Collects and upgrades failed pill fragments into usable high-grade pills. 24 35 44
• Purchases a third-rank spiritual-type pill formula from the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion for 800 spirit stones. 45 46

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Heaven-Tempering Hammer — divine artifact capable of tempering, smelting, and recasting materials. 1
• Storage bag — received from Hong Ling alongside a Thunder Talisman. 36
• Golden Light Talisman — gifted by Qingyue; used to repel Wang Steward's assassination attempt during the Waste Hall fire. 15 27
• Thunder Talisman — offensive talisman from Hong Ling, capable of summoning lightning comparable to a full-force strike below Foundation Establishment. 36
• Pair of cymbal spiritual artifacts — used to disorient Xu Yan before casting the Great Dream Soul-Drawing Art. 48 49
• Third-rank spiritual-type pill formula — purchased from the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. 45 46

Relationships

• Lu Xue — Childhood sweetheart and the reason Li Ping'an spent sixty years forging his way into the inner sect. She becomes Saintess of the Soaring Heaven Sacred Land and ends their mortal bond. 1
• He Lü — Waste Hall steward and trusted friend. He welcomes Li Ping'an, supports him despite fear of retaliation, and secretly gives him the Great Dream Soul-Drawing Art before leaving the sect. 5 7 40
• Qingyue — Inner sect disciple who calls Li Ping'an her little brother. She protects him from Zhao San and Wang Steward, seeks his help with alchemy, and supplies him with valuable resources. 12 15 31
• Hong Ling — Qingyue's senior sister and a more skilled pill refiner. Initially skeptical of Li Ping'an, she later rewards him with a Thunder Talisman and storage bag. 34 36
• Nan Zhi — Former cultivator afflicted with cold poison. Li Ping'an repeatedly clears her poison in exchange for spirit stones; their relationship develops into mutual affection and dual cultivation. 21 43
• Zhang Lu — Chief disciple of the Heart Sword Lineage and primary enemy. He seeks Li Ping'an's death because of Li Ping'an's former connection to Lu Xue. 3 6 46
• Wang Steward — Zhang Lu's subordinate who repeatedly attempts to kill Li Ping'an through poisonous waste, a fire, and direct assassination. 6 27 31
• Xu Yan — Waste Hall's abusive new steward. Li Ping'an resists his exploitation of the disciples and forces him to retreat through illusion and intimidation. 47 49
• Waste Hall disciples — Regard Li Ping'an as Teacher Li and later as an informal leader after he repeatedly takes on their hardest work and protects them from abusive stewards. 5 49 50
• Zhou Wen — Former menial-worker steward and Li Ping'an's closest friend from the outer sect. Li Ping'an gives him Lu Xue's Life-Extending Pill before entering the inner sect. 2

Story Role / Major Arcs

Sixty Years of Smithing

Li Ping'an completes sixty years of forging, rings the Heaven-Ringing Bell, learns that Lu Xue has become a distant Saintess, and awakens the Heaven-Tempering Hammer. 1

Waste Hall Cultivation

He volunteers for the Waste Hall, discovers that its waste and toxins are cultivation resources, refines ruined pills, and rapidly advances through the Body Tempering Realm. 2 3 7 11

Conflict with Zhang Lu and Wang Steward

After learning Zhang Lu wants him dead, Li Ping'an survives poison assignments, poisoned wine, arson, and Wang Steward's assassination attempt. 6 26 27 31

Pill Trading and Cultivation Foundation

Li Ping'an sells salvaged Body-Tempering Pills, purchases the Taiyi Qi-Guiding Art, and breaks through into Qi Refinement. 17 18 31

Arena Trials

Facing expulsion under the sect's new policy, Li Ping'an enters the arena trials and defeats Zeng Xing despite Zeng Xing's use of a Qi-Blood Pill. His victory secures his place in the sect but exposes his hidden strength. 33 39 40

Great Dream Soul-Drawing Art

He Lü gives Li Ping'an the Great Dream Soul-Drawing Art. Li Ping'an masters its first level and uses it to make Xu Yan believe that Elder Wuchen is personally backing him. 40 43 49

Rapid Qi Refinement Cultivation

Fearing Xu Yan's retaliation, Li Ping'an intensifies his regimen of absorbing waste qi, cultivating the Taiyi Qi-Guiding Art and Great Dream Soul-Drawing Art, and drilling the Heaven-Forging Battle Fist. 50

Notable Quotes

“Even if I die, I have to fulfill that promise!” 1

“From this day forth, I shall call this set of punches the Heaven-Forging Battle Fist.” 11