Lin Hu

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Lin Hu (林虎)
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Broken Mountain Martial Arts Hall; Dragon-Elephant Academy sponsor/affiliate
Occupation/Role	Martial artist; Chen Feng's personal disciple; Martial Scholar
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 6

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Bright Force	10	Had already entered Bright Force and attempted to use his superior strength to crush Duan Xuan's hand. 10
Dark Force	24	Returned from training at Dragon-Elephant Academy having reached Dark Force; Chen Feng accepted him as a personal disciple. 24
Covert Force	35	Was stated to have broken through to Covert Force before Duan Xuan's own breakthrough attempt. 35
Martial Scholar	65	Passed the martial examination and was among Broken Mountain Martial Arts Hall's successful Martial Scholars. 65

Background / History

Lin Hu entered Broken Mountain Martial Arts Hall alongside Liu Mingze and several other new disciples. Chen Feng identified him as possessing upper-grade Class A innate bones, an aptitude rare enough to appear only once in several decades. He was the first newcomer to grasp a trace of the Mountain-Breaking Stance's essence, prompting immediate praise and preferential treatment from Chen Feng. 6

Although he joined on the same day as Duan Xuan, Lin Hu resented having to address the earlier-arriving Duan as senior brother. He viewed Duan's weak qi and blood, peasant background, and initially slow progress with open contempt, repeatedly mocking and provoking him. 8 10 12

Lin Hu was recruited for support by Dragon-Elephant Academy through Liu Xuan'er and Han Peng. The academy supplied him with substantial cultivation resources, including silver, meat, and Blood-Qi Powder, while reserving him a future place. 14 16 After further training there, he returned to Broken Mountain Martial Arts Hall at Dark Force and was formally accepted as Chen Feng's personal disciple. 24

He later took part in the martial examination, where he and Liu Mingze distinguished themselves in the hunting event and advanced onto the Martial Scholar lists. Their achievements brought attention from the Huang and Wang families and led Broken Mountain Martial Arts Hall to hold a banquet in their honor. 50 65

Appearance

Lin Hu is a dark-skinned, sturdy and burly youth with a build compared to an iron tower. His hands are heavily callused from repeated combat rather than ordinary training. 6 10 44 68

• Upper-grade Class A innate bones. 6
• Physically powerful enough to stand out among his peers soon after joining the hall. 10
• His fists bear thick combat-worn calluses. 68
• Was eventually surpassed in height by Duan Xuan. 44

Personality

Lin Hu is proud of his exceptional aptitude, rapid advancement, external sponsorship, and prospects at Dragon-Elephant Academy. He considers those with weaker backgrounds or lesser talent beneath him, particularly targeting Duan Xuan for being his nominal senior despite Lin Hu's superior resources and innate bones. 8 16 35

His arrogance is paired with calculation. He proposed that Duan Xuan serve under him, presenting it as help, but immediately attacked when Duan refused. His willingness to cripple a fellow disciple and later seek to use external conflicts against Duan reveals a vindictive, opportunistic nature. 39 44

Despite later presenting a timid and restrained manner on the sparring platform, this was recognized as a deliberate disguise; his conduct in the martial examination showed him to be ruthless and dangerous. 50 68

Abilities & Skills

Exceptional Innate Aptitude

Lin Hu's upper-grade Class A innate bones give him unusually strong cultivation potential and rapid absorption of qi and blood.

• Grasped roughly thirty percent of the Mountain-Breaking Stance's resemblance and its initial essence on his first attempts. 6
• Reached Bright Force within the early period of his training. 10 11
• Caught up to veteran disciples' Dark Force progress after only months of cultivation. 24
• Benefits from Dragon-Elephant Academy's regular provisions of silver, meat, and Blood-Qi Powder. 16

Broken Mountain Martial Arts

As a disciple of Broken Mountain Martial Arts Hall, Lin Hu practices the Mountain-Breaking Stance and Broken Mountain Fist.

• Uses the Mountain-Breaking Stance to gather qi and blood. 6
• Can combine the first three moves and all nine associated forms of the Broken Mountain Fist into a continuous attack. 44
• His force and qi-blood reserves exceeded Duan Xuan's during their exchange. 44

Black Tiger Claw

Lin Hu learned the Black Tiger Claw through Dragon-Elephant Academy rather than Broken Mountain Martial Arts Hall.

• Changes the hand from fist to claw to attack from difficult angles. 44
• Its claw wind carries yin baleful energy and targets an opponent's heart and body. 44
• Can alter his stance and fighting manner to resemble a predatory black tiger. 44

Hunting and Combat Experience

During the martial examination's hunting contest, Lin Hu and Liu Mingze abandoned ordinary prey-hunting to target other contestants carrying valuable game.

• Moved through the forest with high mobility alongside Liu Mingze. 50
• Helped kill and rob contestants for valuable prey. 50
• Escaped a coordinated siege by Scale Python Martial Academy and other groups with Liu Mingze. 68
• Was credited with severely injuring numerous Bright Force and Dark Force martial artists during the examination. 68

Relationships

• Chen Feng — Hall master and personal master. Chen Feng favored Lin Hu upon discovering his upper-grade Class A innate bones and later accepted him as a personal disciple. 6 24
• Liu Mingze — Fellow genius disciple, cultivation partner, and frequent ally. They trained at Dragon-Elephant Academy, returned as Dark Force martial artists, and fought together during the martial examination. 14 24 50
• Duan Xuan — Nominal senior brother and longtime rival. Lin Hu despised Duan's seniority and background, repeatedly humiliated him, tried to recruit him as a subordinate, and attacked him after being refused. 8 35 44
• Liu Xuan'er — Dragon-Elephant Academy affiliate who arrived with Han Peng and took Lin Hu away for outside training and sponsorship. 14 16
• Chen Jingyun and Chen Jingshu — Senior sisters who interrupted Lin Hu's attempted fight with Duan Xuan inside the martial arts hall. 44

Story Role / Major Arcs

Entry into Broken Mountain Martial Arts Hall

Lin Hu's exceptional aptitude immediately establishes him as one of the hall's most promising new disciples. His effortless early progress contrasts with Duan Xuan's struggle to build qi and blood through relentless practice. 6 8

Dragon-Elephant Academy Recruitment

Liu Xuan'er and Han Peng secure Lin Hu's connection to Dragon-Elephant Academy, giving him sponsorship and access to resources beyond the reach of ordinary hall disciples. 14 16

Personal Discipleship

After rapidly reaching Dark Force, Lin Hu returns with Liu Mingze and asks Chen Feng to accept them as personal disciples. Their elevation further intensifies the gap between them and the hall's ordinary disciples. 24

Conflict with Duan Xuan

Lin Hu's hostility toward Duan Xuan persists even after Duan's rapid breakthroughs. He ridicules Duan for avoiding the martial examination, discusses using a borrowed knife to kill him, and later personally attacks him after a failed recruitment attempt. 35 39 44

Martial Examination and Recognition

Lin Hu enters the martial examination as one of Broken Mountain Martial Arts Hall's principal representatives. He and Liu Mingze perform strongly enough to earn Martial Scholar recognition, drawing the interest of powerful county families. 45 50 65

Sparring Challenge

At the Wang family's banquet competition, Lin Hu takes the platform and openly invites challenges. His apparent mildness is later identified as a calculated façade, while his intended target—Duan Xuan—avoids the confrontation. 68

Notable Quotes

“A mud-legged peasant is a mud-legged peasant. You ought to spend your entire life being trampled beneath others' feet.” 8

“As long as you are willing to follow at my side, I guarantee you will never lack food or clothing and will enjoy all the glory and riches you could want.” 44

Trivia

• Lin Hu's upper-grade Class A innate bones are considered rarer and more valuable than Liu Mingze's lower-grade Class A bones. 6
• Dragon-Elephant Academy's sponsorship of Lin Hu includes twenty taels of silver, forty jin of meat, and ten packets of Blood-Qi Powder each month. 16
• He and Liu Mingze were initially celebrated as Broken Mountain Martial Arts Hall's “twin stars,” but Duan Xuan's defeat of Jiang Meng overshadowed their return from the martial examination. 60 61