Lu Zicheng

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Lu Zicheng (陆子呈)
Alias(es)	Mr. Lu; Young Master 20 41
Species/Race	Human; Ascender
Gender	Male
Age	23 at the time of his initial recorded profile 17
Affiliation	Ether Association; 13th District 10 41
Occupation/Role	A-rank Investigator; Interpol agent; captain of the 13th District squad 10 41
Path of Inheritance	Ancient Martial Arts 10
Rank	Fifth Rank, World King; formerly Fourth Rank, Mad King 17 224
Status	Alive; remained active in Feng City a decade after the Tree Transformation Disease, responding to dimensional-invasion incidents and handling their aftermath 551
First Appearance	Chapter 8

Background

Lu Zicheng was the student of the Nightmare Master during an early Kirin Immortal Palace survey. When the Nightmare Master lost control and conducted a bloody ritual that killed numerous investigators, Zicheng survived alongside other members of the operation, including Gu Ci'an and his sister Lu Zijin 35.

The incident left him deeply traumatized and tied to the death of his fiancée, Shishi. For years, nightmares of Shishi prevented him from completing further advancement rituals; despite being regarded as an exceptional talent expected to enter the Omega Sequence, he deliberately remained at the Fourth Rank and withdrew into a more aimless life 67 93. His eventual recovery from this inner demon allowed him to advance to the Fifth Rank 224.

He later returned to Feng City after several years abroad. According to reports within the rookie team, he had been severely injured during an earlier mission and was considered unlikely to advance further, though he still returned to active field leadership 45 46.

Before Gu Jianlin's awakening, Zicheng worked with the Feng City police under an Interpol identity, handling civilians affected by extraordinary incidents and arranging psychological intervention or memory concealment when necessary 8 11.

Appearance

Lu Zicheng is a handsome young man of mixed heritage with black hair, sea-blue eyes, sharp features, and a polished, elite demeanor. He commonly wears a high-end black trench coat and is rarely seen without his green parrot perched on his shoulder 8 10.

• Sea-blue eyes and a mixed-race appearance 8 10
• Usually dresses in a black trench coat 8 10
• Often accompanied by an unnamed green-feathered parrot, later described as bald 8 93
• Used synthetic skin to pose as Gu Jianlin's substitute teacher, “Mr. Lu” 20
• Carries a large blade case and dresses for combat with Tang sabers and secret-medicine vials when entering dangerous operations 115

Personality

Zicheng usually presents himself as relaxed, humorous, and somewhat boastful. He makes light of dangerous situations, bickers with his parrot, and initially exaggerates his own youthful exploits to impress Gu Jianlin 8 11. His casual behavior does not extend to missions involving people he considers his responsibility.

He is fiercely loyal to Gu Ci'an due to an old debt and treats Gu Jianlin as someone he must protect. Upon learning that Gu Jianlin had been abducted by a Fallen, he ignored his family's restrictions against acting rashly in the city and mobilized an emergency rescue immediately 9.

Despite his protective instincts, Zicheng is pragmatic. He uses the Heavenly Derivation Coin to assess danger and chose not to intervene against Joker after the divination indicated Gu Jianlin would receive great fortune from the confrontation 27. He also stresses secrecy, warning Gu Jianlin never to reveal the capabilities of his alchemical or Mythic Armaments unnecessarily 40.

His trauma over Shishi and the Nightmare Master made him fearful of advancement for years, but it did not diminish his resolve for revenge. When the Nightmare Master resurfaced in West Harbor, Zicheng pursued him despite knowing that he and Chen Qing might not return alive 67 115. After the crisis, he began to move beyond this stagnation; by the tenth anniversary of the Tree Transformation Disease, he had quit smoking, become more composed, and developed a commanding presence reminiscent of his father 224 551.

Abilities & Skills

Ancient Martial Arts

Zicheng follows the Ancient Martial Arts path, a combat-oriented inheritance that grants mastery over Qi. He was a Fourth Rank Mad King during Gu Jianlin's early Feng City operations and later reached the Fifth Rank, World King 17 224.

• Used a snap of Qi to instantly destroy Li Changzhi's heavily mutated body 10 12
• Possesses combat speed and reflexes sufficient to operate in high-risk Ascender missions 9 10
• Describes Ancient Martial Arts as the strongest direct-combat profession among the paths he introduces to Gu Jianlin 12
• Maintained exceptional martial skill despite his years of stalled advancement, allowing him to contend with stronger opponents through precise saber techniques and concentrated Qi 115 224
• Can destroy Gu insects and eliminate contaminated remains with Qi 119

Saber Techniques

Zicheng is an accomplished dual-saber fighter who uses Tang sabers in conjunction with Qi.

• Carries multiple Tang sabers in his blade case and can launch them as Qi-propelled projectiles 115
• Forced a breach through Yan Wu's Fifth-Rank Qi domain despite fighting at a rank disadvantage 115
• Used poisoned blades to wound Yan Wu while searching for the Nightmare Master's concealed true body 115

Deep Sky Operations

As an Ether Association investigator, Zicheng can coordinate emergency responses through the Deep Sky system and its Eye of Horus satellite network 9.

• Activated Emergency Rescue Protocol One to trace Gu Jianlin's abductors by vehicle plate number 9
• Uses Deep Sky surveillance and mission channels to monitor operations remotely 27
• Recruited Gu Jianlin into his own 13th District squad as its sole regular member beneath himself and Chen Qing 41
• Led the operation against Lin Yuan after Gu Jianlin's profiling identified the suspect, deploying the Fengdu Luo Realm and multiple captain-level investigators 93 96
• Continued to respond to major extraordinary incidents in Feng City, including the aftermath of a dimensional invasion in Fengdu 551

Disguise and Infiltration

Zicheng is capable of operating under civilian identities when required. He infiltrated Fengcheng No. 2 High School as Gu Jianlin's substitute homeroom teacher, using synthetic skin to alter his appearance 20.

• Arranged Gu Jianlin's original teacher's paid leave to establish the cover identity 20
• Oversaw Ether Association agents disguised as students throughout the school during the Joker operation 21

Power Progression

Rank	Title	Milestone
Fourth Rank	Mad King	Served as an A-rank investigator and captain of the 13th District squad during Gu Jianlin's early operations in Feng City 17 41
Fifth Rank	World King	Overcame the inner demon that had stalled his advancement for years and reached the Fifth Rank 224

Equipment / Items

• Heavenly Derivation Coin — A Lu Family Mythic Armament used to divine a target's fortune or misfortune through a strand of their hair. Zicheng used Gu Jianlin's hair to judge whether intervention against Joker was necessary 18 27.
• Corpse Bride Veil — A Mythic Armament supplied by Lu Zijin that temporarily conceals Zicheng's aura and prevents others from discovering his movements 18.
• Synthetic skin disguise — Used while posing as “Mr. Lu” at Fengcheng No. 2 High School 20.
• Tang sabers and blade case — His primary combat weapons. He carries several sabers and employed poisoned blades during his battle with Yan Wu 115.
• Green-feathered parrot — His sarcastic, talking pet and frequent companion 8 11.

Relationships

• Gu Ci'an — Former student and beneficiary of Gu Ci'an's help. Zicheng considers protecting Gu Jianlin a debt owed to Gu Ci'an 9 10 13.
• Gu Jianlin — Rescued him from Li Changzhi, introduced him to the extraordinary world, mentored him through his awakening, and later recruited him into the 13th District squad 9 12 41. Zicheng continued to support him with intelligence, operational backup, and protection as Gu Jianlin grew beyond his expectations 93 201.
• Chen Qing — His assistant and the vice-captain of his squad. They work closely in rescues, investigations, and covert operations 10 41. She remained beside him during his pursuit of the Nightmare Master, regarding Shishi as both her best friend and teammate 115.
• Lu Zijin — His older sister and a high-ranking Ether Association official. Their relationship is familiar but contentious; she disciplines him harshly while covertly supporting his efforts to protect Gu Jianlin 14 18.
• Commander Lu — His father, the head of the Lu Family and commander-in-chief of the Dawn Combat Sequence 233 460.
• Shishi — His deceased fiancée. Her death during the Nightmare Master's betrayal became the central source of Zicheng's trauma and his determination to seek revenge 67 115.
• Nightmare Master — His former teacher. Zicheng survived the Nightmare Master's descent into madness during an early Kirin Immortal Palace survey and later pursued him to avenge Shishi 35 115.
• Green parrot — His pet, which frequently mocks him and repeats phrases it has learned from him 8 14.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Rescue of Gu Jianlin

After Zhou Ze reports Gu Jianlin's abduction, Zicheng takes command of the rescue effort. He tracks Li Changzhi through the Eye of Horus system, arrives after Gu Jianlin has already incapacitated the Fallen, and kills Li's mutated form with a single Qi-enhanced snap 9 10.

He then explains the Ether Association, Ascenders, Ancient Gods, and the concealment of the extraordinary world to Gu Jianlin. He confirms that Gu Ci'an was an Ascender and that his death was murder rather than an ordinary accident 11 12.

Recruitment and Protection

Zicheng advocates for Gu Jianlin to enter the Ether Association's 37th Kirin Immortal Palace project, believing that a wild Ascender without resources or protection would be unable to survive 13 14. He also investigates the Tribunal's attempt to use Gu Jianlin as bait for Joker and resolves to protect him from the shadows 17 18.

During the Joker incident, he infiltrates Gu Jianlin's school as a substitute teacher and deploys disguised Ether Association personnel around the campus 20 21. He later protects Su Youzhu from school harassment while arranging a cover story for Gu Jianlin's involvement in the battle 29.

13th District Squad

Following Gu Jianlin's first advancement, Zicheng formally invites him into his squad. The squad consists of Zicheng as captain, Chen Qing as vice-captain, and Gu Jianlin as its sole regular member 41 42.

He leads the squad into the collective hunt against Joker's remaining associates and the Grave Diggers, guiding Gu Jianlin toward the Black Cloud Stronghold because of its connection to Gu Ci'an's history 40 45.

Black Cloud Stronghold Incident

Zicheng and Chen Qing enter the Black Cloud Stronghold operation as hidden captain-level support while the rookie teams operate openly 45. After midnight, their apparent corpses are discovered nailed to a hotel wall alongside the other captains. Gu Jianlin immediately doubts that the deaths are genuine or straightforward, especially after finding Zicheng's phone displaying the single word: “East” 50.

The apparent deaths did not prove genuine. Zicheng and Chen Qing later emerged alive from the operation's ruins, where they discussed Gu Jianlin's performance and Zicheng's long-standing inability to advance beyond the Fourth Rank 67.

Lin Yuan Investigation

After Gu Jianlin profiled the man who had hired Butcher, Zicheng used the report to identify Lin Yuan and led a captain-level raid on the latter's villa 93 96. The raid revealed that the apparent Lin Yuan was a substitute created through Parasitic Gu, confirming that a Gu Master was again involved in the plot 96.

The discovery intensified Zicheng's fear and hatred of the Nightmare Master, whose Gu techniques were inseparable from the trauma of his past 99 109.

West Harbor Revenge

When the Nightmare Master moved against Feng City through the Yan Family and Ancient God Gu, Zicheng and Chen Qing went to West Harbor to confront him 114 115. Zicheng fought Yan Wu, a Fifth-Rank World King controlled by the Nightmare Master, using his saber arts, poisoned blades, and Qi to force an opening despite the difference in rank 115.

His true objective was the Nightmare Master and revenge for Shishi. Though he ordered Chen Qing to leave, she refused to abandon him, declaring that Shishi had also been her best friend and teammate 115. After the battle, Zicheng destroyed Yan Wu's remains and the remaining Gu insects, then gave Moon Maiden, Book Elder, and Butcher time to escape before the Heavenly Human Domain arrived 119.

Later Operations

Zicheng and Chen Qing later served as Lu Zijin's backup during Gu Jianlin and Tang Ling's confrontation with Director Li, arriving to extract the pair after the battle 201.

A decade after the Tree Transformation Disease, Zicheng remained an active and more authoritative Feng City operative. He and Chen Qing considered moving Deep Sky headquarters to Feng City while responding to the continuing threat of dimensional invasions 551.

Notable Quotes

“I don't care what those people in the family think, nor do I care what Professor Gu has done. I only know that Professor Gu did me a favor. If his son dies at the hands of a Fallen, then I will tear that Fallen limb from limb.” 9

“Whether it's the Alchemy Armaments you carry or the Mythic Armaments, don't tell anyone if conditions allow. The deeper you hide, the safer you are.” 40

Trivia

• His parrot's insults toward Lu Zijin led her to deduce that Zicheng had been repeating those insults around it; she then destroyed his cigarettes, lighter, wallet, and froze his payment access for a month 14.
• He told Su Youzhu that Gu Jianlin had joined S.H.I.E.L.D., a cover story Gu Jianlin later contradicted by claiming the organization was the Justice League 34.
• Lu Zijin's enforcement of his smoking ban became a recurring source of embarrassment, with the parrot eventually being fitted with a muzzle after repeating the siblings' insults 90 93.
• By 2032, Zicheng had fully quit smoking and was noted for having become steadier and more authoritative with age 551.