Chen Huai'an

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Chen Huai'an (陈怀安)
Age	18 at his Qingyun Sect registration 2
Spiritual Root	Five-element mixed spiritual root; widely regarded as the lowest-grade aptitude 1 2
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Qingyun Sect; Servant Peak servant disciple
Occupation/Role	Water-carrying servant disciple; cultivator
Status	Alive
Origin	Huai Tree Village
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
30 opened meridians	14	Opened thirty meridians within seven days, the highest recorded result among his intake; Elder Tang later suppressed his result.
Body Tempering Realm, Level One	16	Broke through after intensifying his cultivation following the initiation-test injustice.
Peak of the first level	18 20	Reached the peak of the early first level and defeated Zhang Hu, who was at the second level.
Body Tempering Realm, Level Two	23	Advanced while preparing to eliminate Zhang Long and evade the Zhang Family's investigation.
Mid-stage Body Tempering Realm, Level Five	31	Used concealed cultivation to lure Zhang Mu into underestimating him, then severely injured the late-stage cultivator.
Mid-stage Body Tempering Realm, Level Six	36	Top-grade spirit grain continued pushing his body-tempering progress even outside dedicated cultivation.
Late-stage Body Tempering Realm, Level Seven	40	Broke through after taking a high-grade Foundation Nurturing Pill and securing spirit-food resources.
Body Tempering Realm, Level Eight	47	Advanced after consuming spirit grain, Five-Colored Golden Pheasant spirit food, Foundation Nurturing Pills, and Body Tempering Pills.

Background / History

Chen Huai'an was the only elementary scholar in Huai Tree Village and had been betrothed to Su Wanying since childhood. When Qingyun Sect recruited disciples in the village, he was rejected for being too old and possessing a five-element mixed spiritual root, while Su Wanying’s exceptional water spiritual root earned her direct entry into the inner sect. 1

After Su Daqiang attacked him and he fell from a cliff, Chen Huai'an survived but awoke beside an unfamiliar stream with a mysterious Purple-Skinned Gourd and no memory of what happened after his fall. Concerned for his ill mother and wanting answers from Su Wanying, he initially sought to return home. 2

Senior Sister Qin discovered him in the wilderness and brought him to Qingyun Sect. Recognizing a chance to become a cultivator, Chen Huai'an registered as a servant disciple despite the sect’s contempt for his aptitude. 2 3

His rapid opening of thirty meridians should have secured a top-three result in the entrance test, including a month free from servant duties. Elder Tang instead favored Zhang Long, dismissed Chen’s result as impossible for a mixed-root cultivator, and denied him the reward. 14 15 24

Personality

Chen Huai'an is pragmatic, observant, and intensely self-reliant. He recognizes when open resistance would be fatal, yielding to stronger figures such as Elder Tang and Zhang Long while quietly preparing to surpass them. 15 16

His experiences with Su Daqiang, Zhang Hu, and the Zhang Family leave him unwilling to trust protection or mercy. He prioritizes secrecy, plans alibis, erases evidence, and strikes first against those who threaten his life or the secret of his Spirit Spring Water. 7 23 24

Despite his ruthlessness, he is not indiscriminately violent. He views killing as a means of survival, expresses genuine happiness at Liu Qiaogui’s progress, and values reliable allies over temporary dependence on powerful patrons. 21 35 40

“His fate could only be held in his own hands; he could not count on others taking pity on him.” 7

Abilities & Skills

Body Tempering Cultivation

Chen Huai'an builds an unusually solid foundation through Spirit Spring Water, upgraded pills, spirit grain, and persistent meridian tempering despite the heavy resource demands of his five-element mixed root.

• Opened thirty meridians in seven days despite being considered unsuitable for cultivation. 14
• Possesses strong endurance and a solid foundation, allowing him to contend with cultivators above his stated realm. 32
• Defeated Zhang Hu across a level gap and killed late-stage Body Tempering cultivator Zhang Mu while at the middle stage. 20 32
• His cultivation requires far more resources than ordinary disciples’ due to his poor aptitude. 42 47

Combat and Assassination

Chen Huai'an favors terrain, deception, surprise attacks, and decisive strikes over fair confrontations.

• Lured Wang Tong into a forest, selected favorable terrain, and killed him after feigning knowledge of a spirit spring. 8
• Uses a dagger in close combat and targets vital points rather than prolonging battles. 32
• Cleans battlefields thoroughly, disposing of corpses and bloodstained soil within the gourd space. 9 20
• Avoids unnecessary fights when exposure or injury would jeopardize his larger plans. 9 12

Nameless Breath-Concealment Art

An ungraded concealment technique purchased from the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion for 900 low-grade spirit stones. 27

• Allows him to control and suppress his aura despite being below the Qi Refining Realm. 30
• Lets him conceal his rapid advancement and appear weaker to enemies such as Zhang Mu. 31
• Does not alter his appearance; he relies on simple disguises and different displayed cultivation levels when trading. 48

Elephant Armor Technique

A body-hardening technique taken from Zhang Hu’s corpse. 20 21

• Tempers the flesh, tendons, and bones to improve his survivability. 21
• At advanced mastery, forms scales that provide defense comparable to bronze skin and iron bones. 21
• Requires considerable medicinal herbs and nourishment that replenish blood and vitality. 21

Flame Blade Technique

A martial technique whose three moves Chen Huai'an mastered through sustained practice. 47

• He cannot sense fire spirit power, limiting his ability to release the technique’s full power. 47
• His mastery of the forms did not immediately improve the technique’s practical effectiveness. 47

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Purple-Skinned Gourd — Chen Huai'an’s principal secret and greatest source of support; contains an internal space and alters stored resources. 3 19
  • Stores large quantities of water, goods, corpses, medicinal herbs, spirit grain, and living Five-Colored Golden Pheasants. 3 9 43
  • Refines Spirit Spring Water, improves pills and spirit stones, accelerates herb growth, and provides healing effects. 9 12 25
• Dagger — Taken from Wang Tong; later used against Zhang Mu. 9 32
• Elephant Armor Technique manual — Acquired from Zhang Hu. 20
• Nameless Breath-Concealment Art — Purchased concealment method. 27
• Flame Blade Technique — Technique cultivated despite his difficulty sensing fire spirit power. 47
• Five-Colored Golden Pheasants — Six birds hatched in the gourd space; raised as spirit food and for future resource production. 43 47

Relationships

• Su Wanying — Childhood friend and former betrothed. Their paths diverged when she entered Qingyun Sect’s inner sect as the sect master’s disciple; Chen Huai'an still seeks answers concerning his mother and Su Daqiang’s attempt on his life. 1 3 14 26
• Senior Sister Qin — Inner-sect cultivator of Misty Peak who found Chen Huai'an after his fall and brought him to Qingyun Sect for registration. 2 3
• Zhang Hu — Servant Peak bully who targeted Chen Huai'an over Spirit Spring Water; Chen Huai'an ultimately killed him and took his technique and resources. 5 20 21
• Wang Tong — Zhang Hu’s follower who tracked Chen Huai'an in search of the spirit spring; Chen Huai'an lured and killed him in the forest. 7 8 9
• Zhang Long — Zhang Hu’s cousin who benefited from the theft of Chen Huai'an’s entrance-test ranking; later killed by Chen Huai'an to contain the Spirit Spring Water secret. 15 23 24
• Zhang Mu — Zhang Family cultivator who investigated Zhang Hu and Zhang Long’s deaths; Chen Huai'an killed him after Zhang Mu confronted him. 31 32
• Liu Qiaogui — Fellow water-carrying servant disciple and a mutually beneficial associate. He warns Chen Huai'an of threats and obtains spirit fowl eggs for him. 30 35 39 40
• Li Fugui (Old Li) — Formerly exploited Chen Huai'an’s labor; after being defeated, he was forced to secretly handle Chen Huai'an’s water-carrying duties. 19 38 39
• Steward Wu — Servant Peak authority who offered Chen Huai'an a dining-hall kitchen position; Chen Huai'an declined to preserve his independence. 22 42 43
• Zhang Biao — Spirit Elegance Ranking disciple seeking Chen Huai'an after learning of high-grade pills associated with him. 39 40 48
• Mother — Chen Huai'an’s ill mother remains in Huai Tree Village and is a central reason he seeks strength and a way home. 2 15

Trivia

• Chen Huai'an’s father left him a Purple Jade Gourd pendant before disappearing; the pendant was missing when Chen woke after falling from the cliff. 3
• He uses an old scholar’s outfit rather than servant robes when leaving Qingyun Sect, changing his apparent temperament and making him less conspicuous. 25
• He views the Purple-Skinned Gourd as both his greatest advantage and a danger that must never be exposed. 19 48