A Lu

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	A Lu (阿芦)
Alias(es)	A-Lu; Secret Great Sun Wheel Tathagata
Species/Race	Descendant of the Kuafu Lineage
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Yu Chen's disciple; associated with Penglai Island
Occupation/Role	Cultivator, jade-paste refiner, and defender of Milo Palace
First Appearance	Chapter 257

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Jade-paste refinement apprentice	257 259	Yu Chen openly taught him jade-paste refinement; A Lu quickly recognized that refining Yanghe and Primordial Yin Jade Paste was deliberately advancing the Yin-Yang Treasure Jade toward Yin-Yang Jade Paste.
Golden Light Mantra cultivation	261 262	Began cultivating the mantra to regulate solar divinity absorbed from a Golden Crow feather; at dawn, he absorbed dawn radiance and visibly improved.
Developing Great Sun divinity	323	His divinity rapidly developed and approached a Great Sun divinity.
Secret Great Sun Wheel Tathagata — unique-type Fourth Rank spiritual status	580	After completing Fusang Buddhism's Thousand-Day Search for Sages, he manifested a Great Sun Buddha image, gathered wish power, and established the Fourth Rank status.
Near Third Rank Buddhist ascension — relinquished	699	His Great Sun radiance began transforming into wisdom treasure-light and pushed him toward Third Rank through the Buddhist path, but he severed and gifted part of that Buddhist origin to Jin Ling.

Background

A Lu is the grandson of an old giant of the Kuafu Lineage. His bloodline carries a curse: beneath his abundant vitality lies an intent of death, expressed through dangerous sunset divine power. His divine blood is diluted and only half-awakened, but the curse remains close in origin to that borne by collateral Kuafu branches. 260 261

Yu Chen met A Lu while seeking materials in Great People Country. In return for the old giant's assistance, Yu Chen agreed to teach A Lu jade-paste refinement without concealment, leaving A Lu's success to his own effort. 257 A Lu displayed immediate aptitude and perceptiveness, correctly inferring the relationship between the three varieties of jade paste refined from Yin-Yang Treasure Jade. 259

The old giant later entrusted A Lu to Yu Chen more fully after seeing the youth develop a sun-associated divinity and believing that the Kuafu curse would end with his generation. Yu Chen affirmed that A Lu was already his disciple. 477

Appearance

A Lu can appear as a handsome young general in unusual attire. 815 When fighting Shilun Monk King, he manifested Buddhist light beneath his skin and enlarged himself to over three zhang, with a heavily muscled physique. 694

• Buddhist light can condense into a liquid-gold sheen around his fists. 694
• His combat aura may gather into the radiance of myriad great suns and form a sun wheel. 695
• While cultivating in Fusang, a wheel of radiance behind his head progressed from dawn to sunlight and then to the great sun. 580

Personality

A Lu is an attentive and unusually perceptive student. He listened closely to Yu Chen's instruction, identified hidden steps in the Yin-Yang Jade Paste process, and possessed an accurate sense for the harmony of vital essence in refined jade paste. 258 259

He is also modest and careful with valuable objects. Having helped his grandfather run a shop since childhood and later studied artifact appraisal under Yu Chen, he immediately declined an excessively valuable meeting gift rather than accept it casually. 479

His loyalty to Yu Chen shapes his decisions in battle. When pressed to use desperate methods, A Lu refused to borrow power from his past or future selves, the Earth Mother, or greater Highest Purity Dao qi because those methods could disturb Yu Chen's Dao qi. 980

Abilities & Skills

Jade-Paste Refinement

A Lu learned directly from Yu Chen during the refinement of Yin-Yang Treasure Jade.

• Quickly understood the linked refinement of Yanghe Jade Paste, Primordial Yin Jade Paste, and Yin-Yang Jade Paste. 259
• Can refine jade paste with vital essence close to Yu Chen's output, though Yu Chen's product is finer and more harmoniously balanced. 258
• His perception of flavor is highly abnormal: jade paste that spiritually resembles mud, rotting leaves, and soil to others tastes acceptable to him. 258

Golden Light Mantra and Solar Divinity

Yu Chen taught A Lu the Golden Light Mantra as a means of controlling the Golden Crow feather's solar divinity.

• Absorbs dawn radiance to suppress his sunset divine power. 261 262
• His dawn power may eventually be assimilated by the stronger sunset power if not controlled. 261
• Developed a Great Sun-oriented divinity and later manifested the Secret Great Sun Wheel Tathagata status. 323 580
• Continued cultivating the Golden Light Mantra alongside Qi and Yu. 478

Buddhist Dharma

A Lu studied Buddhism at Asuka-dera and integrated its teachings with his Great Sun cultivation.

• Completed Fusang Buddhism's Thousand-Day Search for Sages, gathering powers left by numerous Buddhist predecessors. 580
• Can manifest Buddhist chants, Zen hymns, golden lotuses, and phantoms of bhikshus, arhats, and bodhisattvas. 580
• Formed a golden lotus to protect Zhao Xuanlang. 700
• His Buddhist advancement was significant enough to approach Third Rank, but he voluntarily surrendered part of the resulting origin to Jin Ling. 699

Combat

A Lu combines immense physical force with Buddhist, solar, and Daoist methods.

• Compressed Buddhist light into a scripture-like strike and attacked Shilun Monk King directly with a punch. 694
• Summoned a sun wheel through a punch empowered by the radiance of countless great suns. 695
• Uses the Jade Purity Dao to counter Blood Sea influence and battle hostile cultivators, including a roc bird. 940
• Can be restrained by superior opponents; Shilun Monk King affixed a Buddhist talisman to A Lu's brow and suppressed the power of his rank. 695
• His emergency attack method burns his own essence, qi, and spirit for severalfold or even dozensfold output, at the cost of self-harm. 980

Artifact Appraisal

A Lu has practical experience evaluating magical artifacts and treasures.

• Helped his grandfather tend a shop from childhood. 479
• Spent more than ten years following Yu Chen's instruction and solving appraisal problems, achieving a qualitative improvement in identifying immortal-path artifacts. 479
• Could recognize that a gifted drill-or-pestle-like artifact was highly valuable, compatible with his nature, and potentially refinable into an exceptional magical treasure. 479

Relationships

• Yu Chen — Teacher and master. Yu Chen taught A Lu jade-paste refinement, guided his Golden Light Mantra cultivation, and formally recognized him as a disciple. 257 261 477
• Old Giant of the Kuafu Lineage — Grandfather. He sought a cure for A Lu's curse, supplied a Golden Crow feather, and ultimately entrusted his grandson's future to Yu Chen. 261 477
• Jin Ling — Fellow disciple and companion. They returned together from the Western Ocean and defended Milo Palace against Shilun Monk King. 654 694
• Qi and Yu — Fellow disciples and cultivation companions. The three cultivated the Golden Light Mantra together; Qi later required A Lu's permission to enter the Dream Sea on a mission. 478 804
• True Person Qing Wan — Ally who joined other cultivators in using formations to defend A Lu from the roc bird and a Golden Ruyi Scepter. 940

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Great People Country apprenticeship — Became Yu Chen's student while assisting with the refinement of Yin-Yang Treasure Jade and related jade pastes. 257 259
• Kuafu curse treatment — Yu Chen and A Lu's grandfather sought to stabilize A Lu's life-and-death imbalance, ultimately using dawn power, a Golden Crow feather, and the Golden Light Mantra as a provisional solution. 260 261
• Recognition as Yu Chen's disciple — His grandfather provided Nine Heavens Breath Soil as a test of Yu Chen's commitment; Yu Chen reaffirmed his responsibility for A Lu. 477
• Fusang cultivation — Studied Buddhist teachings at Asuka-dera, cultivated Great Sun radiance, and established the Secret Great Sun Wheel Tathagata spiritual status. 551 580
• Defense of Milo Palace — Fought Shilun Monk King beside Jin Ling, using Buddhist and solar power despite having his rank temporarily suppressed. 694 695
• Central Plains and Western Ocean conflict — Returned from the Western Ocean with Jin Ling, briefed Yu Chen and his fellow disciples on the political situation, and contributed observations from the front lines. 654
• Blood Sea conflict — Used the Jade Purity Dao to resist Blood Sea influence and withstand a coordinated assault by Dao Realm cultivators. 940

Trivia

• A Lu sincerely considers jade paste flavored like rotting leaves and soil to be acceptable, despite its spiritually unpleasant taste to ordinary people. 258
• His grandfather believed that A Lu's emerging sun divinity meant the Kuafu Lineage's curse would end with him. 477
• A Lu's understanding of Yu Chen's teachings includes the principle of “severing”: cutting off future developments harmful or unsuitable to oneself. 544