Ding Shi

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Ding Shi (丁时)
Alias(es)	Wang Wu — identity used in Peach Haven Village 13 Wang Nineteen — pretty-boy identity used during the Wang Family estate instance 118
Species/Race	Human 2
Gender	Male 2
Age	24 2
Affiliation	Fishy Team during the Home instance; Kindling Tribe / Fire Seed 40 50 136 161
Occupation/Role	Former undercover agent; former second-in-command in Wang Meng's criminal organization; village chief's assistant in Peach Haven Village; judicial secretary and commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard during the Feudal Little Age instance 1 4 140 155
Partner	Cao Ying — legally recognized partner through the Divine Tree's blessing 190 191
Status	Active 204
First Appearance	Chapter 1, “Settling Scores” 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
System entry — no rank stated	2	Receives four item-card slots and four skill/equipment-card slots; humans begin without innate talents or bloodlines.
Three Missing One	7	Wins the special skill card after bankrupting three aunties in mahjong. It can force nearby intelligent creatures into a mahjong game governed by inviolable rules, with outcomes determined by scores.
Five Thunder Talisman training	21 38	Learns the lotus-and-sword-finger hand seal and the Five Elements framework for drawing a Five Thunder Talisman; later spends two days studying its metal-thunder variation.
Willow Leaf Flying Knife	28 36	Learns throwing techniques from Xiao Jian and later gains access to formal training through his Cold Weapon Dojo.
Pure Force specialization	65 70	Chooses the uncommon Pure Force route and learns to shift Force into agility, briefly reaching extreme sprinting speeds.
Bloodthirsty Eagle reinforcement	81	Absorbs the Bloodthirsty Eagle's blood energy, strengthening both his Force and physical constitution.
Inability to Adapt to Local Conditions	84	Fuses the Seven of Spades' Water Double Technique with the Seven of Hearts' Light Body Technique, producing a skill that inflicts one to five physical-discomfort debuffs for one to twelve hours.
Localized Force / Lightning Fist	89	Develops the ability to concentrate Force in specific body parts, allowing powerful protected punches and a practical offense-defense allocation.
Human Body Optimization	99	Uses a Human Body Optimization Card, increasing Strength and Agility from 7 to 8 while improving his senses and physique.
A Single Palm Finds No Echo	114	Gains a non-damaging taunt skill that inflicts bone-deep pain and uncontrollable hostility on creatures with faces.
Force-guided throwing	115	Learns to link Force through his eyes, brain, and throwing hand, greatly improving the accuracy and power of thrown stones.
Wordless Heavenly Scripture unsealed	118	Uses an Unsealing Card on the scripture and obtains its bamboo-slip effects, beginning with Unbreakable.
Air-Splitting Palm study	136 137 192	Acquires the Air-Splitting Palm skill book, though he has not yet passed its system assessment.
Force Essence and Daoist incantations	159	Consumes Force Essence to increase Force reserves and recovery by roughly twenty percent; enters the incantation branch through a Part-Time Job Card and gains Palm Light.
Rapier training	160 161	Begins formal rapier-and-shield training, quickly developing a style that emphasizes thrusting, footwork, speed, and defense.
Demonic cultivation	189	Absorbs the Ninefold Refined Ghostfire and becomes a demonic cultivator, though his secondary-profession skills suffer reduced power.
Guardian Bloodline and leaf pathways	191	Gains a passive that supplies daily information on Veils within an instance; the Divine Tree's red leaf restructures his Force pathways for faster movement and improved endurance.

Background / History

At eighteen, Ding Shi began following Wang Meng and spent six years serving as the strategist of Wang Meng's organization. When Wang Meng later shot him twice, Ding Shi claimed that he had been working undercover; Short Dagger further alleged that Ding Shi's mission was to destroy A City's criminal gangs before eliminating Wang Meng as part of the “Purification Operation.” 1

Mortally wounded, Ding Shi confronted Wang Meng and Short Dagger over their shared history, attempting to turn their distrust against each other. He died shortly afterward, but awoke uninjured in a boundless white space before being transported to Ita World. 1 2

In Peach Haven Village, he adopted the identity of Wang Wu and volunteered as the village chief's assistant. The role gave him broad freedom of movement, access to village affairs, and opportunities to earn money or information. 4

His time undercover left Ding Shi deeply distrustful of intimacy and loyalty. He maintained numerous short-lived relationships before entering Ita World, but generally withheld his real thoughts and prioritized his work above emotional commitments. 120 132

Cao Ying had also been connected to the Dragon Gang before Ita World. As an overseas merchant's A City agent, she used her dealings with the organization to pursue its secrets and frame Ding Shi, while Ding Shi's own undercover status and eventual actions against her sworn sister left their relationship deeply adversarial. 132 134

Appearance

Ding Shi is a 24-year-old man standing 1.8 meters tall. His system profile presents him as handsome, with an appearance defined less by roguishness or youthful brightness than by visible self-confidence. 2

• Was initially found bare-chested, weak, and heavily bandaged around the abdomen after being shot twice. 1
• Has a muscular build, shown when he tears open his shirt while fleeing Ghost Third Lady. 34
• Keeps his hair neat when possible and is notably conscious of his appearance. 2 10
• His Human Body Optimization Card further improves his musculature, hair, and sensory acuity. 99
• Loses his left arm to the young general's Horse-Cleaving Saber during the Feudal Little Age instance, but later has it repaired at Zhong Kui's clinic. 144 160

Personality

Ding Shi is calculating, opportunistic, and exceptionally comfortable with deception. He reads social hierarchies quickly, flatters authority when it benefits him, bribes people when persuasion is inefficient, and routinely turns other people's problems into leverage. 5 11 18 He is also willing to take reckless risks for valuable information or items, such as entering Third Lady's coffin and damaging its seal to retrieve the Seven of Spades. 22 23

Despite his selfish streak, Ding Shi does not abandon people casually. He prioritizes delivering Sun Qi to safety over Blind Zhao's promised rewards, and later tells Mu Mu that he will do everything he can for his companions without betraying them. 15 16 46 His own assessment of his morality is highly situational: he places it somewhere between 15 and 85 depending on circumstances. 43

Ding Shi tends to place his own interests before collective interests, but his practical self-interest does not prevent him from becoming a valuable core member of a group. He seeks challenges and accomplishment as much as material rewards, and his broad tolerance for others often allows him to work with people he neither fully trusts nor particularly likes. 161

He believes in respecting other people's choices rather than imposing his own judgment on them. He will give advice or assistance according to his relationship with someone, but generally refuses to assume responsibility for decisions they insist on making themselves. 187

Abilities & Skills

Mahjong and Three Missing One

Ding Shi is an expert mahjong player and a practiced cardsharp. He can identify tiles by touch, manipulate tile arrangements, and influence dice rolls. 7

• Obtained Three Missing One after defeating three experienced aunties in mahjong. 7
• Can compel nearby intelligent creatures into a mahjong game with inviolable rules. 7
• Uses mahjong knowledge to survive an encounter with Ghost Third Lady, teaching her the game and winning alongside her. 35

Card Conversion and Inventory Management

Ding Shi quickly learned Ita World's card-conversion system, turning physical objects into cards through a preset gesture. 2

• Can convert small objects such as stones, chairs, sand, and luggage into cards. 2 20
• Uses card conversion to carry heavy supplies up Peach Garden Mountain without bearing their full weight. 20 21
• Is limited to four item-card slots and cannot cardify a container together with its separately packed contents. 20

Talisman Knowledge

White Cloud Daoist taught Ding Shi the hand seal and principles behind the Five Thunder Talisman. 21

• Understands the Five Elements' generating cycle used to structure the talisman. 21
• Knows that the talisman's strokes and connected dots carry individual meaning and cannot simply be reproduced as a pattern. 21
• Studies the metal-thunder variation after returning to his island. 38
• Uses Golden Thunder Talismans to disrupt and injure ghostly entities, including Stupid Dagger's ghostly shadow. 95

Force Enhancement and Physical Training

Ding Shi follows the Pure Force route, using Force as a flexible resource that can reinforce his speed, strength, durability, senses, and individual body parts. 65 70 89

• Can prioritize agility for bursts of extreme speed, while allocating part of his Force to protect his legs from the resulting strain. 70 89
• Learns to focus Force in his fists and knuckles for powerful strikes, while reinforcing the arm to withstand recoil. 89
• Absorbs the Bloodthirsty Eagle's blood energy, which improves his physique and Force. 81
• Uses Force to guide thrown stones with exceptional accuracy by forming an unconscious connection between his vision, brain, and throwing hand. 115
• The Divine Tree's red leaf restructures his Force pathways, allowing Force to move through his body with near-instinctive speed and improving his endurance. 191
• Continues training his reactions and physical instincts after discovering that his thought speed can lag behind his Force-enhanced movements. 191 192

Incantations and the Wordless Heavenly Scripture

Ding Shi enters the Daoist incantation branch through a Part-Time Job Card and gains the entry-level Palm Light skill. 159

• Uses Palm Light to repel flying head brutes and make them smoke when exposed to its light. 177
• Possesses Four Verticals and Five Horizontals, a semi-passive playing-card skill requiring eight hand seals with no more than three seconds between each seal. 173
• Unseals the Wordless Heavenly Scripture, allowing it to generate bamboo-slip effects such as Unbreakable, which greatly empowers his right fist. 118
• Draws Nothing Can Hide from the scripture to blind an assassin and create an opening for a lethal counterattack. 141
• Owns the Air-Splitting Palm skill book and understands its basic theory, but has not yet passed the required assessment to master the system skill. 136 137 192

Flying Knives and Combat

Ding Shi learns Willow Leaf Flying Knife techniques from Xiao Jian and continues training through a Cold Weapon Dojo on his island. 28 36

• Uses throwing knives, firearms, explosives, and improvised tools against supernatural threats. 27 29 33
• Kills Zombie Sun Qi and Zombie Iron Pillar using a blunderbuss and a bomb. 33
• Demonstrates close-quarters combat skill by disarming Short Dagger and preventing his pistol from firing. 50
• Fights with saber techniques, a Wildcat Crossbow, Force-enhanced stones, and the Wordless Heavenly Scripture during later instances. 112 141 150
• Develops rapier-and-shield proficiency, using the rapier's handguard, quick thrusts, and defensive control to defeat Wang Meng in training bouts. 160 161
• Becomes a demonic cultivator after absorbing the Ninefold Refined Ghostfire, gaining demonic energy while retaining Pure Force as his primary route. 189

Investigation and Tactical Reasoning

Ding Shi is adept at identifying inconsistencies, extracting information, and testing risks without exposing himself unnecessarily. 9 12 32

• Deduces that Zhao Liu is likely hiding with Sun Qi based on their personalities and circumstances. 13
• Investigates Ghost Third Lady's killing rules and recognizes her ability to manifest through mirrors. 31 32
• Navigates effectively with paper maps during the Home instance. 42
• Identifies the Wang Family's use of evil arts and sacrifice to extend Old Master Wang's life. 125 126
• Tracks Da Ya's disappearance to the Wang Residence and exposes the ghost-marriage scheme surrounding her imprisonment. 139 142 143
• Uses subtle environmental inconsistencies to identify Diandian as the disguised Veil during the Clones instance. 198

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Three Missing One — special mahjong skill card obtained from the three aunties. 7
• Brass Bell — Blind Zhao's family heirloom; received after Ghost Granny's disappearance. 16
• Seven of Spades — formerly contained the Water Double Technique; Ding Shi later fuses it with the Seven of Hearts to create Inability to Adapt to Local Conditions. 23 84
• Willow-leaf throwing knives — purchased from Xiao Suan and Xiao Jian. 27
• Wordless Heavenly Scripture — unique item retrieved after Blind Zhao murders White Cloud Daoist; categorized as weapon, armor, book, and skill. Ding Shi later unseals it with an Unsealing Card. 30 118
• Demon-Revealing Mirror — bagua-patterned treasure given by the village chief for returning Pan'er. 32
• Cold Weapon Dojo — island building card that provides weapon training; initially unlocks saber instruction. 36
• Brass Tobacco Pipe — ghost item taken from an old woman ghost; blood can be used in place of tobacco. 101
• Wildcat Crossbow — ranged weapon used during the Death dungeon and subsequent combat encounters. 112
• Air-Splitting Palm skill book — twenty-one-page system skill manual acquired from Su Su; Ding Shi is still studying for its assessment. 136 137 192
• Rapier and fighting dagger — cold weapons selected for his formal fencing training. 160
• Guardian Bloodline — passive skill that provides daily information concerning a Veil present in an instance. 191

Relationships

• Wang Meng — Former leader and sworn “brother.” Wang Meng shot Ding Shi after learning of his alleged undercover status, but their conflict remains defined by mutual distrust and a shared criminal past. They later become fellow Fire Seed members, alternating between cooperation, philosophical disputes, and physical confrontations. 1 136 160 161
• Short Dagger / Stupid Dagger / Duan Pi — Enemy seeking revenge for his family's deaths. Ding Shi repeatedly mocks him as “Stupid Dagger” and later defeats him during their reunion in the Home instance. Their hostility gradually develops into a volatile working relationship, and they agree to set aside old grudges after the Heaven Gate Village instance. 1 50 166 191
• Blind Zhao — Uneasy ally and source of ghost lore. Blind Zhao repeatedly withholds information from Ding Shi, then betrays White Cloud Daoist for the Wordless Heavenly Scripture. 11 18 30
• White Cloud Daoist — Temporary teacher who instructs Ding Shi in talisman hand seals, Five Thunder Talismans, and Divine Incantations. 21 27
• Sun Qi — Fellow player whom Ding Shi advises, rescues from Ghost Granny, and later protects during Third Lady's attacks. Their cooperation is tempered by Ding Shi's blunt pragmatism. 11 15 29
• Village Chief — Ding Shi's demanding employer in Peach Haven Village. Ding Shi exploits the position for access and rewards while recognizing the chief's manipulative nature. 4 19
• Ghost Third Lady — Initially a lethal supernatural adversary. Their relationship shifts after Ding Shi teaches her mahjong and helps her win a Three Missing One game. 31 35
• Chu Yu — Captain of the Fishy Team. She recruits Ding Shi for the Home instance and comes to value his navigation and practical abilities. They later work together in Kindling Tribe affairs and the Feudal Little Age instance. 40 42 136 153
• Mu Mu — Fishy Team member who distrusts Ding Shi's motives and tests whether he would abandon the group; she ultimately accepts his promise not to betray his companions. 46
• Cao Ying — Former adversary with a transactional pre-Ita World relationship with Ding Shi. After repeated conflicts, reluctant cooperation, and the Divine Tree's intervention, they marry and become legally recognized partners, though their relationship remains contentious and guarded. 132 134 184 190 191
• Su Su — Fire Seed companion and frequent partner in investigations, combat, and Feudal Little Age missions. Their interactions are marked by shared opportunism, teasing, and practical trust. 136 150 153
• Hong Yi — Kindling Tribe ally who works with Ding Shi in several instances. Although she finds him difficult to read, she recognizes that he retains convictions beneath his opportunism. 141 148 192
• Tie Zhenzhen — Fellow player and occasional combat partner. Ding Shi assists her during the Clones instance and offers to help her join Fire Seed. 112 199 200
• Zi Qing — Ding Shi's former girlfriend, reunited with him during the Wang Family estate instance. She understands his emotional detachment and remains resentful of how he treated her. 120 125
• 711 — Ding Shi's robot butler and trusted adviser. 711 helps manage his island and identifies the flaw in Ding Shi's ordinary-human training baseline. 159 191

Story Role / Major Arcs

Settling Scores

Ding Shi's attempted reckoning with Wang Meng and Short Dagger exposes his claimed undercover identity and ends with his death. His consciousness is subsequently transferred into Ita World's system. 1 2

Peach Haven Village

As the village chief's assistant, Ding Shi completes local tasks, investigates deaths and supernatural disturbances, and gains his first major skill through mahjong. 4 7 11

He becomes deeply involved in the crisis surrounding Ghost Granny and Third Lady. During this period, he studies ghost lore, rescues Sun Qi, learns talisman principles, explores White Cloud Temple, and secretly removes the Seven of Spades from Third Lady's coffin. 15 21 23

After Blind Zhao's betrayal turns Peach Haven Village into a high-danger instance, Ding Shi survives attacks by zombies and Ghost Third Lady through rule analysis, weapons, and improvisation. He clears the instance by participating in the sacrifice rather than completing it, then survives Ghost Third Lady's final mahjong game. 30 33 35

Island Preparations

After clearing Peach Haven Village with an A rating, Ding Shi builds a Cold Weapon Dojo, pursues Willow Leaf Flying Knife training, and studies the Five Thunder Talisman. 36 38 48

Home

Ding Shi joins Chu Yu's Fishy Team to travel toward Far North Province. He contributes route-reading, investigation, and survival skills, accepts the dangerous Rapid Delivery mission before consulting the group, and later confronts Short Dagger again at a gas station. 40 42 48 50

After completing his mission and separating from Chu Yu on good terms, Ding Shi is transported into the Revival Match: Divine Shrimp Werewolf, where he and Mu Mu immediately begin analyzing the other participants' identities. 61

Primitive Era

Ding Shi enters the Nightmare-level Primitive Era instance alongside Wang Meng and Su Su. He relies on Pure Force mobility, survival judgment, and his developing physical resilience while enduring injuries, environmental hazards, and the Bloodthirsty Eagle's blood-energy enhancement. 66 70 81

Afterward, he fuses the Seven of Spades and Seven of Hearts into Inability to Adapt to Local Conditions, gaining a new debuff-oriented skill rather than the stronger offensive ability he expected. 84

Death Dungeon

Ding Shi develops localized Force combat techniques while investigating the Yihao Evil Ghost, Death Poison, the pig demon, and an evil spirit divided into fragments. 89 93 106 107

He solves supernatural puzzles, retrieves fragments through deception and deduction, and clears the Death dungeon. His rewards include a Human Dungeon scratch card, Friend Cards, and the Unsealing Card later used on the Wordless Heavenly Scripture. 114 117 118

Wang Family Estate

Assuming the identity of Wang Nineteen, Ding Shi investigates the Wang Family's cursed inheritance dispute. He uncovers Old Master Wang's sacrifice-based longevity scheme, the waist-token curse, and the Bagua Formation beneath the ancestral hall. 118 125 126 134

During the conflict, he reveals his undercover identity to Cao Ying, temporarily allies with her against Wang Yi, and confronts the lingering consequences of his actions against her sworn sister. 134 135

Feudal Little Age

As a member of the Kindling Tribe, Ding Shi helps establish and defend Yong'an County while serving in roles ranging from judicial secretary to commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. 136 140 155

He investigates Da Ya's disappearance, infiltrates the Wang Residence, rescues Da Ya from a ghost marriage, and fights through pursuing guards and generals. 139 142 143 144

Ding Shi later carries out escorts, political investigations, bribery, intimidation, and factional maneuvering while pursuing both personal gains and the group's survival. He completes the Feudal Little Age instance and uses its rewards to improve his Force reserves and learn Daoist incantations. 149 153 155 159

Heaven Gate Village

Ding Shi enters Heaven Gate Village with Stupid Dagger, initially investigating its funeral customs, Divine Tree, ghost cultivators, and red-and-white collision taboo. 163 166 177

He is marked by the ghost cultivator Huang You, battles Ghost Mothers and Emerald Father, captures ghost flames through poison and planning, and absorbs the Ninefold Refined Ghostfire to become a demonic cultivator. 177 185 187 189

After planting the Divine Tree on North Mountain, Ding Shi marries Cao Ying in a rushed ceremony to receive its blessing. The resulting red leaf modifies his Force pathways, while the instance rewards grant him Guardian Bloodline and further training resources. 190 191

Clones

Ding Shi enters the Hell instance Clones with Hong Yi, where shifting office rules, clone identities, and relationship-based scenarios complicate every task. 192 193

While working at Joyful Company, he investigates the identity of his clone, the entangled Ding and Bai family histories, and the activities of Veil. He kills Diandian after deducing that she is Veil in disguise, then continues investigating his inheritance and corporate-family connections. 195 198 199 202 204

Notable Quotes

“No abandoning, no giving up.” — while carrying Sun Qi to Doctor Qian's house 16

“I'll do everything I can. I won't betray my companions.” 46

“I have always respected other people's fates, while you like changing them.” 187

Trivia

• Ding Shi has only one point of luck and attributes many of his worst draws to it. 38
• He repeatedly washes his hands as a personal ritual before using random cards or making important draws. 35 36
• He briefly calls Ghost Third Lady's attention toward him by assuming she might have spared him because she was attracted to him. 32
• Ding Shi has low material desires despite his opportunism, believing that seemingly free benefits always carry a hidden cost. 112
• He is notably bad at sustained romantic commitment and once forgot whether he was currently single. 120 132